WASHINGTON — In hindsight, it was fitting that the Nationals called upon professional boxing announcer Michael Buffer to perform his iconic, “Let’s get ready to rumble,” introduction before Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.

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Their 8-1 loss was the latest in a three-game beating that includes zero rounds won and hardly a glancing blow landed.

These are facts. Here’s another: There is a wall between the 2019 Cardinals and these Nationals, and it’s so high and so wide that it feels pointless to wonder if the Cardinals can become the National League’s version of the 2004 Red Sox, the only team in baseball history that overcame an 0-3 start in a best-of-seven postseason series.