Last Friday, the television behind the bar at Bar Pilar was switched from a tie ball game between the Nationals, who were then a half game off the wild card, and their division rivals the New York Mets to a preseason Redskins game. On Saturday night (or perhaps Friday, as well; we can't be sure how quickly these things turn around) a measure of karmic retribution was exacted, as the Nats erased an eight run deficit to those Mets, only to ultimately drop the game in the tenth inning. Washington sports fans take note.

Of course, most of the Nats woes these days come not from a balancing of the universe but from the immense difficulty, familiar to many of us, that they have in trying to score. Facing the wretched Reds, the Nats dutifully opened their latest homestand by making Hudson (Luke, of the 6.82 ERA, not Tim) look like a sure thing Hall of Famer. The Reds allowed only four hits on the night, and it only mildly helped that one of them was the longest home run any of us have ever seen, a laser shot that landed in Idaho next to a biking Bush, tattooed, "Love, Jose Guillen."

On Wednesday, behind the strong arm of John Patterson, who is quickly becoming one of the best pitchers in the National League, the Nats put together five runs, including another long ball by Guillen, to salvage a victory. But in the Thursday matinee, the story remained the same as the Nats posted only one run against hardly-household-name Brandon Clausson, saw the lately disappointing Brad Wilkerson homer to draw the club within two, and then headed for the exits as Guillen, representing the potential tying run, watched strike three sail by with nary a swing.

The ninth inning homer in yesterday's game was notable, however, in that it pushed the Nationals over 500 runs scored on the season, good for last in the Major Leagues, and 26 runs behind the second-to-last place Royals, who haven't won since 2001 (we exaggerate, but still). The really sad thing about that figure is that the Nats have allowed fewer runs than all but four teams in the majors, suggesting that if we could eke just a few more runs across the plate, we'd be running away with the division. Thus is it much more painful when the Nats have runners at first and third with one out, only to pop out and ground out, or runners at first and second with no outs, only to bollocks up a double steal, strike out, and strike out. And so on.

The Reds series was ugly, no doubt about it, and the Post today moans over the undeniable fact that the Nats are now six games back of the Braves, alone in last place in the NL East. Moreover, the Nats now welcome the Cards to the Bobby, they of the best record in the majors. And after that they travel to Atlanta to face the division leaders. So things could be better. But they could also be worse. The Nationals sit a mere two and a half games off the wild card with over a month remaining in the season. It's still no time to panic. Now if only George Soros or Roman Abramovich or CNOOC or whoever ends up owning the team could find a way to buy the Nats a few runs.