Washington Nationals Winning Streak Ends in Doubleheader 

Just call the Washington Nationals butter, because they are on a roll (homage to Stuart Scott). 

Correction, they were on a roll. The Nationals held a double header against the Philadelphia Phillies today, extending their eight game winning streak in game one before losing it a couple hours later in game two.

With an allowance of two runs or less in that eight game span – including two shut outs – the Nationals glided on into first place, surpassing the NY Mets who they have been trading places with this entire season. 

Ranked seventh in runs scored and 10^th in team ERA, the Nationals continue to shine amongst the others in their division as they carry their reign from last year to now.

As every team in sports does, the Nationals fell from paradise, with their game three series finale loss to the Phillies today. However this didn’t happen before their two three game series sweeps against the Pittsburgh Pirates and their division rival Atlanta Braves.

Hosting a doubleheader for game two and game three of the series, the Nationals began out with a 3-2 win in large part because of the dominant pitching performance of Stephen Strasburg. 

Strasburg struck out nine en route to his 3-2 victory, allowing only foir hits in his second game back from the disabled list after sustaining a strained trapezius muscle. It would be a sigh of relief for the All-Star, as the pitcher had gone 1-3 in his previous five starts in May with an 8.00 ERA.

Denard Span and Bryce Harper were two others that made their return to the lineup today, following their absence on the diamond for the past two games. Span had sustained back spasms and Harper a strained hamstring, but both were able to come back in top shape as well Harper recorded a double and Span got on base twice, scoring a run.

Dan Uggla even displayed glimpses of the respectable past he had in Florida and in Atlanta, as he reached base four times today, going 3-for-4 with a walk.

Despite managing the lead into the fifth inning, Kevin Correia couldn’t contain the Nationals, as he allowed three runs between the fifth and sixth inning.

In game three, their second matchup of their doubleheader today, the Nationals struggled to close the deal on sweeping the series, as the Phillies rebounded with an 8-5 win. Tanner Roark struggled to carry the groove on into their second matchup of the day, allowing eight runs in just 3.1 innings pitched.

Despite homeruns from Ian Desmond and Jose Lobaton, the Phillies were just too much to handle, as Odubel Herrera and Cesar Hernandez each accumulated at least three base hits each. 

With Maikel Franco being one of the few bright spots of this abysmal Phillies team, the team relied on him to drive in three runs today, which helped secure the victory.

The Nationals are in position to get back to the post season, with their 2.5 game lead in the NL East. 

With a star studded cast of having some of the best players in the league, such as Bryce Harper, Yunel Escobar, and Max Scherzer, the Nationals have a lot of momentum going into the latter half of the season. 

The Nationals will be facing the Atlanta Braves in a three game series starting Tuesday.