Last night the Nats entered the top of the eighth inning up 1-0 on the visiting Los Angeles Angels with bullpen ace Tyler Clippard on the mound. The Nats exited the top of the eighth inning down 4-1. Through his first 11 appearances Clippard has struggled to the tune of a 3.72 ERA, 4.49 FIP, 15 strikeouts and 6 walks. If that sounds familiar it should. After his first 11 appearances in 2013, Clippard had a 4.35 ERA, 4.89 FIP, nine strikeouts and eight walks. After his first 11 appearances in 2012, Clippard had a 4.91 ERA, 2.55 FIP, 12 strikeouts and six walks.

But this year seems to be a bit more insidious of a problem. Four times this year Clippard has entered a game with the Nats tied or ahead and left the game with the Nats behind. That only happened once in 2013 and just twice in…