Victor Robles, no longer a prospect and not yet a star, is still fighting his potential

And yet, with the game at its pivot point — eighth inning, Nats down a run, men on first and second, two outs — here came a 3-2 curveball from Atlanta reliever Grant Dayton. Here was Robles doing what is so frequently hard for him to do: Take a pitch that’s not in the strike zone. And here was home plate umpire Nick Mahrley, looking at the pitch just below Robles’s knees, punching Robles out anyway.