Nationals, struggling with little things, are blanked by Cardinals

The 6½ game gap between the Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals in the wild-card standings may not accurately reflect their overall performance.

Despite Washington's 6-0 loss on Monday, both teams have similar run differentials, with the Nationals having a slight edge at minus-23 to minus-33.

Additionally, the Nationals have shown strength in their starting rotation.

However, the numbers don't always tell the whole story, as there are often underlying factors that contribute to a team's success or failure.

Monday's loss highlighted the importance of focusing on the details, something that manager Dave Martinez emphasizes regularly.