The Nationals fell, 2-1, to the Cubs on Monday in Game 3 of the NLDS, falling to a two games to one deficit in the best-of-five series. Their backs are against the wall and many Nationals fans have to be wondering just why they put themselves through this. Why? 

It's not just that, of course. Beginning with their NL East title in 2012, the Nationals have been torturing their fans in the playoffs for years. 

Let's take a quick look. Nats fans, maybe avert your eyes. 

2012

Before the playoffs came the great Stephen Strasburg Shutdown, of course, but we don't need to say more about that. 

In the actual playoffs, this was the first year there was a wild-card game and the Nats were the top NL seed. As such, the Cardinals already had to burn a starting pitcher before the series. They did get Game 1, but then they lost the next two games by a combined count of 20-4. The Nats then forced Game 5 with a Jayson Werth walk-off homer in Game 4. 

Then came the beginning of the torture. 

The Nats had a 6-0 lead through three innings. They just let the Cardinals creep back slowly. By the middle of the eighth, the lead was just 6-5. In the bottom of the eighth, the Nationals put together a quick rally to push home an insurance run, but then came the ninth. 

A Carlos Beltran double was followed by two outs. The Nationals were just one out away. 

Walk. Walk. Daniel Descalso singles home two and it's tied. Then Pete Kozma lines one to right field for two more and it was 9-7 Cardinals. 

The Nationals would go out with a whimper in the ninth inning and their season was over. 

2014

Similar to 2012, the Nats were the top NL seed and this time they saw the Giants burn Madison Bumgarner in the wild-card game. It provided a good opportunity to grab a 2-0 lead in the series in D.C. 

Instead, Jake Peavy shut them out for 5 2/3 innings while the Giants grabbed a 3-0 lead. Bryce Harper would hit a two-run homer, but that was just a tease job. Here's a one-run loss, though. 

Then, with a 1-0 deficit in the series, Jordan Zimmermann went out and fired 8 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. He gave up a single and then manager Matt Williams pulled him in favor of closer Drew Storen -- who was on the hill for the disaster in 2012. Storen gave up a double to Pablo Sandoval that tied the game 1-1. It would go 18 innings before Brandon Belt homered and the Nats failed to score. 

Another one-run loss. 

The Nationals would win Game 3, but then in Game 4, the Giants broke a tie by scoring a run on a wild pitch in the seventh inning. The result was a 3-2 Giants win and another one-run loss. That's three in a row. 

2016

The Dodgers won Game 1, 4-3, making it four straight one-run playoff losses. The Nats would get Games 2 and 3 and lead the series 2-1, but then they lost Game 4 ... by one run. Five in a row! 

The Nationals had a 1-0 lead through six with Max Scherzer on the mound in Game 5, but Joc Pederson led off the seventh with a homer. Manager Dusty Baker would pull Scherzer and the bullpen would cough up three more runs. The Nationals got two back in the bottom half on a two-run homer from Chris Heisey, but that only left them with their sixth straight one-run postseason loss. 

2017

In Game 1, the Cubs won 3-0, so it broke the string of one-run losses, but this was a tie game with Strasburg working on a no-no through five innings. 

The Nationals did get the dramatic comeback win in Game 2, but then in Game 3, Scherzer had a no-no with a 1-0 lead heading into the seventh and things ended up with another one-run Nationals loss. 

Seven of their last eight playoff losses have come by one run, and the Nationals had several other gut punch moments in these four playoff series. 

The good news for the tortured Nationals fans out there is that there is still a chance that 2017 has a happy ending. The Nationals could win Games 4 and 5 and exorcise some demons for their fans. If not, it's just yet another in a long line of postseason disappointments.