Another early exit for Nats

Washington fails to win NLDS for 4th time in past 6 years.

WASHINGTON — Max Scherzer emerged from the bullpen to protect a lead, and Bryce Harper batted with the bases loaded. Again and again, the Nationals had the defending World Series champions on the ropes.

For Washington’s tortured fans, it was all just another setup for a crushing playoff defeat.

Scherzer allowed four runs in an exasperating inning of relief, and the Nationals’ repeated attempts to rally came up maddeningly short in a 9-8 loss early Friday morning to the Chicago Cubs in Game 5 of their NL Division Series.

Scherzer called it a “gut punch” — and a feeling all too familiar. Washington was eliminated in the NLDS for the fourth time in six years, including a trio of Game 5 losses at home. The Nationals haven’t won a playoff series since moving to the nation’s capital from Montreal in 2005.

“Here we are in Game 5, play our hearts out, everybody lays it on the line, everybody’s fighting to do everything they can and we lose a nail-biter of a game again,” Scherzer said. “This game’s cruel sometimes just the way things can happen. What a series.”

This chapter of postseason disappointment may be the wildest yet. There was Jayson Werth whiffing on a line drive to left field, pinch-hitter Adam Lind grounding into a comeback-killing double play and backup catcher Jose Lobaton getting picked off first base to erase another golden chance.

“It was just a series of bad events,” manager Dusty Baker said. “It really hurts to lose like that.”

Michael A. Taylor had a three-run homer and an RBI single after helping the NL East champions stay alive with a grand slam in Game 4. But the Nationals couldn’t overcome a crippling sequence during Chicago’s four-run fifth.

Scherzer entered to a roar from the sellout crowd of 43,989, Baker letting him loose with a 4-3 lead for his first relief appearance since the 2013 playoffs, when he was with the Detroit Tigers.

Nationals Park rocked as Scherzer got two quick outs, and then it all fell apart. Scherzer allowed three straight hits, the last a two-run double by Addison Russell, and Chicago went ahead 5-4.

After an intentional walk to Jason Heyward, Scherzer struck out Javier Baez, but catcher Matt Wieters dropped the pitch. The ball rolled away, and then Wieters threw it into right field, allowing Russell to score.

Baez’s bat struck Wieters in the side of the mask on strike three, and the catcher argued unsuccessfully for interference to be called.

Plate umpire Jerry Layne said that because the ball was already past Wieters, Baez’s bat did not impede his ability to make a play.

Chicago took a 7-4 lead and narrowly staved off Washington’s rallies the rest of the way, including a bases-loaded, oneout jam in the seventh when the Nationals got just one run.