Nationals ugly loss to Mets a reminder that NL East will be dogfight

12:50 AM ET

WASHINGTON — The pitching matchup was the same, but the results couldn’t have been more different.

For the second time in five days, Gio Gonzalez squared off against Bartolo Colon. In last week’s 7-1 Nats victory , Gonzalez got the better end of the deal, limiting the Mets to one run in six-plus innings, while Colon allowed 10 baserunners and failed to make out of the fifth inning. This time around it was a 180, as Gonzalez allowed three homers and seven runs in five innings, while Colon rebounded, holding the Washington Nationals to one run in seven innings. The end product was another 7-1 rout, only this time it was New York that came out on top.

It’d be easy enough for the Nationals to make excuses. There was a one hour and seven minute rain delay that pushed back the start of the game. Instead of Gonzalez pitching to backup catcher Jose Lobaton, his normal battery mate, he had starter Wilson Ramos behind the plate for the first time this season. But to blame those things would be to …

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