MIAMI -- Entering this four-game series against the Marlins, speculation swirled that the Nationals would need an emphatic statement to sway their top decision makers and avoid becoming sellers before the non-waiver Trade Deadline. They needed to show signs this weekend that they were a team on the verge of a rebound, that perhaps this team was worth adding to, or at least not subtracting from before Tuesday arrives.
Instead, the Nationals managed only a four-game split, capped off by a particularly uninspiring effort as they were two-hit during a 5-0 defeat in Sunday afternoon's finale at Marlins Park.