The Nationals ended their final road trip of the season in fine fashion, lighting up the scoreboard on consecutive nights and earning a three game sweep against the fading Florida Marlins. Last night’s 11-7 win was highlighted by a seven run, seven hit 4th inning that guaranteed an easy road to victory despite a not-so-good performance from Esteban Loaiza (6IP, 10H, 6R, 1BB, 1HR), and also guaranteed that the Nats can finish no worse than .500.

The victory also moved the Nats out of the NL East cellar and into sole possession of third place in the division by a half game over the Mets. And for the second night in a row, the Nats put up double digits, a feat that prior to Tuesday night the team hadn’t accomplished since May. Tuesday night’s 11-1 rout of the Marlins was notable because it looked to have effectively ended the debate between Dontrelle Willis and Chris Carpenter for the NL Cy Young award – that is, until Carpenter stumbled in his final start last night (6IP, 9H, 6R, 1BB, 6K, no decision) in a 7-6 Cardinal loss to Houston to finish up the year 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA and 213 strikeouts. Willis got shelled in just four innings on Tuesday night against the Nats, giving up nine runs on nine hits and three walks – he’s 22-10 with a 2.59 ERA and 158 strikeouts on the season and looks to have one more start coming on Sunday. So the Cy Young debate continues.

But back to the Nats: Don’t forget to make note of another impressive outing by Hector Carrasco (6IP, 2H, 0ER, 6K) in Monday’s 4-0 win over the Marlins. With an off day today, the Nats return home for their final three games of the season, a series with big implications for the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, who are still hanging on for dear life in the Wild card hunt at 2.5 games behind Houston.

(AP Photo by Wilfredo Lee)