After leading by five runs as late as the sixth inning, the Washington Nationals were unable to secure their lead, falling to the New York Mets by the final score of 8-6.

Despite yet another effective start from Scott Olsen, who allowed just two runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings, the team could not hold on for the win. The bullpen - which has been a strength for much of this season - collapsed down the stretch, coughing up six runs in the bottom of the eighth. Brian Bruney surrendered three runs (two of which were earned) without recording an out, in part because of an Ian Desmond throwing error. no comments

Washington Nationals bullpen can't protect big lead in 8-6 loss to New York Mets - Adam Kilgore, Washington Post

"Just as the Nationals further asserted themselves as potential contenders, their bullpen melted down, turning a sure win into a bitter 8-6 loss to the New York Mets before 31,606. Bruney and Tyler Clippard, at one point the most dominant reliever in baseball, figured in the six-run implosion in the eighth....The Nationals squandered a game they had full control of throughout. They led by three runs after the first, five after the fifth and four after the seventh. But rather than bolstering their place in the standings, Washington fell back into a second-place tie with the Mets and snapped a three-game winning streak."

Carter makes immediate mark with Mets - Andrew Marchand, ESPN New York

"The Mets trailed the whole night until into the eighth when Bruney and Clippard entered. Jason Bay -- who had three hits on the night -- led things off with a single. David Wright followed with his second double of the game. Suddenly, the Mets, who were down four to begin the inning, were setting up The Animal's big moment....After an Ian Desmond throwing error, Jeff Francoeur stuck out. Rod Barajas did what he has done all season -- he came up huge. Big Hit Barjas nailed a two-run double. And you could just feel that the guy nicknamed the Animal would ultimately get his chance."

Batter of the Week - Steven Souza, 3B, Hagerstown

When the Nationals drafted Souza with their third round pick in 2007, they probably didn't think he would be hitting .222/.317/.328 over his first three professional seasons. But like a lot of high school picks, the selection was made based on potential. Souza's skillset and size (6'4, 195 pounds) led many to believe that he would eventually turn into a middle of the lineup type of hitter. Souza is finally living up to some of that potential this season.

At 21 years old and in his second season at Hagerstown, Souza is hitting .287/.368/.530. He has eight doubles, four triples, and four home runs and is finally starting to show some of that power that those who drafted him believed he would develop. In seven games last week (one as a pinch hitter), he had four multi-hit games, finishing the week 9 for 23 (.391).

In Sunday's game against Augusta, he came up to the plate as a pinch hitter with runners on third and second and the game tied. He came through with a deep fly ball to center field, that scored the winning run and in a way demonstrated his improvements this season. For his career with RISP we had been a .232 hitter, but this season he is hitting .353 in the same situations. He leads Hagerstown in triples, home runs, total bases, slugging%, and OPS. He has been batting third for the Suns for most of the season and has been thriving in the role. Two issues still remain in his game though. First, his patience at the plate is still a work in progress. He has 35 strikeouts to only 12 walks, but has still managed to maintain a .368 OBP.

The other issue is where he fits in on the field in the long term. Formerly a shortstop, Souza was moved to 3B because of his size and the amount of errors that he has racked up. In the previous two seasons he has had at least 30 errors and already has 9 for this season. It seems likely that a move to first base or the outfield may eventually be in his future, especially given the fact that the "hot corner" is already locked up for the long term on the MLB team. With his bat, though, he would be able to fit in a role as a 1B or corner outfielder.