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WASHINGTON -- Nationals manager Davey Johnson got what he wanted, a second consecutive rainout to give his battered team an extra day to heal. Maybe the mental break will turn out to be the catalyst the Nationals have been seeking. Certainly, nothing else has worked so far. The preseason NL East favourite remained one game below .500 Friday, when a series opener against the Minnesota Twins was postponed as rain from Tropical Storm Andrea moved north. The game will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on Sunday. The Nationals Thursday night game against the New York Mets also was washed out, and Johnson said afterward that "even one more rainout would be better." "With the number of guys we have on the DL, this is a welcome call," Johnson said. Young marquee stars Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper head a disabled list that also includes another starting pitcher (Ross Detwiler) and two other position players who started on opening day, catcher Wilson Ramos and second baseman Danny Espinosa. If nothing else, the rainouts mean the Nationals wont have to promote a pitcher from the minors to take Strasburgs turn in the rotation this weekend. But the Nationals woes go beyond the injuries. Theyre hitting .230 with a major league-worst .287 on-base percentage. Harper has missed 25 games, yet he leads the team in homers (12) and runs (29) and is second in walks (25). Ryan Zimmerman is the only regular in the current lineup hitting better than .270. Bench players who contributed so well last season when starters were out now look like they belong on the bench: Roger Bernadina (.165), Tyler Moore (.149) and Chad Tracy (.145). But theres another stat that shows just how much the Nationals will be fighting history if they want to make a championship run: Theyre getting clobbered a lot. Theyve already lost nine games -- thats nearly one-third of their losses -- by six or more runs, including Wednesdays 10-1 defeat to the Mets. Traditionally, top teams dont get beat that badly that often. Those nine blowout losses already match the entire regular-season total of four of the last six World Series champions. The 2009 New York Yankees had 15, but even that number pales compared to Washingtons current pace of 25. Last years Nationals, who finished with the best record in baseball, had only eight. The Nationals woke up Friday trailing the first-place Atlanta Braves by 7 1/2 games. However, there remain more 100 games to play. Johnson and his players have stressed the need for patience over panic to the point that the words sound rote, as in when Johnson repeated the message Thursday. "Its a long season. 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LOS ANGELES -- Candace Parker watched video of herself in every game the Sparks played against Minnesota this season.She didnt like what she saw.Parker brought a different mentality into Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, leading an aggressive charge from the opening tip in the Sparks 92-75 victory Friday night that put the franchise on the brink of its first championship since 2002.That was a product of me being non-existent in every game we played Minnesota this year, Parker said.She scored 24 points, Nneka Ogwumike added 21 and the Sparks took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.Weve worked too hard to get to this point and just be there, Parker said. We had a game plan of just going to the basket and being aggressive.The Sparks can close out the Lynx with a victory in Game 4 on Sunday.Los Angeles built a 22-point advantage in the opening quarter when it shot 60 percent in the game played at Galen Center on the Southern California campus, down the street from their home court at Staples Center.Its all on the want to of Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker to start the game. Their want-to was on `10, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. Im not sure what we were expecting when we started the game but it wasnt that.Parker and Ogwumike were especially devastating in a 2 1/2-minute sequence in the first. They combined to score 12 straight points with Ogwumike hitting consecutive 3-pointers and Los Angeles taking a 21-6 lead.I didnt see it coming, a clearly peeved Reeve said. They won the persistency battle. We didnt rise to the occasion. We were soft, we were feeble.Rebekkah Brunson and Sylvia Fowles led Minnesota with 14 points each. Lindsay Whalen added 11, and Maya Moore had nine points and seven rebounds. The Lynx had 13 turnovers.Theyre extremely good converting those turnovers into points, Moore said. If you give that much of a lead to a great team, its going to be really hard to come back.The Lynx cut the deficit to 48-40 at halftime, outscoring the Sparks 10-0 to end the second.Youre not going to sustainn that, Sparks coach Brian Agler said about his teams initial intensity, but I also think a lot of that had to do with Minnesota.dddddddddddd. They experimented there for a while and finally got a group that was working.It didnt last long.With their former and current league MVPs leading the way, the Sparks dominated inside. Parker and Ogwumike helped Los Angeles to a 52-32 advantage in the paint.Parker and Ogwumike had nine rebounds each, helping the Sparks to a 29-24 edge on the boards.Essence Carson added 16 points, and Alana Beard finished with 15 for Los Angeles.The Lynx made a run in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Sparks 11-2 to close to 81-71. Los Angeles answered with eight straight points to go up 89-71. Parker hit a layup and fed Ogwumike on a fast-break sandwiched around baskets by Beard.We just didnt have enough consecutive possessions on both sides of the ball to create enough of a run, Moore said.Minnesota is seeking its fourth title in six years. The Lynx evened the series with a 19-point victory in Game 2 on their home court.ALL-WNBALeague MVP Ogwumike was the only unanimous pick for the all-WNBA first team, receiving 39 first-place votes and 195 points from the media panel.New York center Tina Charles was second with 38 first-team votes and 193 points. Guards Maya Moore of Minnesota and Sue Bird of Seattle, and forward Elena Delle Donne completed the first team.Forwards Angel McCoughtry of Atlanta and Breanna Stewart of Seattle were selected to the second team along with guards Diana Taurasi of Phoenix and Jewell Loyd of Seattle, and center Fowles.PURPLE ONELynx F Natasha Howard scored six points, but made a bigger statement with footwear. She sported the purple symbol associated with the late singer Prince on her white shoes.McCARVILLE INJURYLynx F-C Janel McCarville hurt her back and didnt return.UP NEXTGame 4 is Sunday night at Staples Center. ' ' '