WASHINGTON — Let’s start with the part that has to gnaw away at you: At least three times during this series with the Nationals, Jay Bruce was up with a man on third base and less than two outs and the Nats, essentially, got on bended knee and begged Bruce to take a run on them.
Wednesday, it was the first inning. The bases were loaded, one out, Jose Reyes was on third — though in truth, he was lurking more than halfway home from third because third baseman Anthony Rendon was wildly overshifting. The Nats were saying: Here.