Deep in skid, Tigers finding misfortune in late frames

WASHINGTON — The Tigers continue to search for the end to their losing streak. For a third consecutive game, they turned the corner and found another long haul.

As Clint Robinson’s pinch-hit loft in the ninth cleared the right-field fence at Nationals Park, sending the Tigers to a 5-4 loss, the look on right fielder J.D. Martinez might have summed up the night.

“I was right against the wall,” Martinez said. “High fly ball, I thought it was going to come down. It kept carrying and carrying. I jumped, hoping it was just going to come down. The ball just went over and disappeared.”

Detroit’s seventh consecutive loss marks its longest skid since last June. The Tigers took a lead into the sixth inning in the last three games. They gave up go-ahead home runs in the last two from Bobby Wilson and Robinson off Mark Lowe. This time, the only time Detroit trailed was at the end.

A day after describing Sunday’s loss as a punch to the gut, manager Brad Ausmus went lower for Monday’s pain.

“Below the belt,” Ausmus said.

The degree of difficulty didn’t ease matters. The Tigers clung to a lead built off a pair of two-run homers — by Nick …

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