Reds rookie starter Chase Burns threw hard, but he couldn't escape a bases-loaded-no-outs jam in the bottom of the sixth. That's where the Nationals scored three runs to add to their lead. Their bullpen, which is one of the worst in Major League Baseball, held the Reds bats scoreless the rest of the way.

WASHINGTON – A Cincinnati Reds team that looked like a playoff contender in New York pitched like a team making October vacation plans by the time they got done losing 10-8 to the not-good Nationals in Washington in the opener of a three-game series Monday.

Kenny Loggins wasn’t singing about the Cincinnati Reds with his lyrics, “Highway To The Danger Zone,” but they fit.

The Washington Nationals go for their first series sweep since May when they host the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday afternoon.

Cincinnati rookie Chase Burns struck out nine Nationals batters in the first four innings and finished with 10 Ks for the second straight start.

Let's look at the key takeaways from the Reds 5-2 win over the Mets Saturday afternoon. The Reds broke Friday night's game in the sixth inning by scoring three runs to increase their lead from 3-2 to 6-2. Saturday afternoon, the Reds once again took control of the game in the sixth inning.

This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

The Cincinnati Reds came out of the All-Star break, won two games and were just 1 1/2 games behind the final wild-card position

The Cincinnati Reds lost in the finale but became just the fourth team to beat the New York Mets in a series at Citi Field this year.