The Washington Nationals arrived at this year’s All-Star Break in ignominious fashion, suffering their fifth sweep of the season at RFK. This time, the Nats were victimized by the San Diego Padres.

After a successful series against Florida earlier this week, the Nats could smell second place in the NL East. They now find themselves amid the musky odor of the division’s basement. That they played the Padres so closely only adds to the sting of their defeats. Yesterday’s loss was most emblematic of their struggles: the Nats finally received a solid contribution from their bats, but their overworked bullpen could not hold a six run lead.

There were several culprits at fault for the loss. Chad Cordero was responsible for the Padres’ final 5 runs, and got tagged with his third blown save of the season. Starter John Patterson left after pitching only one inning, as his “deadarm” was acting up again. Jose Guillen capped off his Guzmanian start to the season with an embarrassing performance at the plate. The Padres intentionally walked Nick Johnson twice to face Guillen. The results? A strikeout and an inning-ending double play.

Heading into the All-Star Break, manager Frank Robinson is left with many questions. How will the Nats improve their disappointing play at home? Are last year’s stalwarts (Patterson, Guillen, Cordero) going to come around, or do they deserve an extended stay on the bench? What is the best way to treat veterans likely to be traded later this month? A frustrated Robinson has said that he will not watch any baseball during the All-Star break. This is probably a good decision, as “who can hit the most homeruns during batting practice?” is not a question that he should ponder. He has much more important things to think about.

AP Photo taken by Nick Wass.