WASHINGTON -- How desperate was Nationals manager Frank Robinson to score runs in Friday's game against the Yankees?

In the fourth inning, the Nationals had the bases loaded and one out against right-hander Jaret Wright when Robinson decided to use pinch-hitter Daryle Ward for Marlon Byrd, who is in a 12-for-66 (.182) slump.

The plan worked as Ward hit a sacrifice fly to right fielder Bernie Williams to score Nick Johnson and give the Nats a one-run lead.

"This was an opportunity for us to get more than what [Byrd] would have been able to give me," Robinson said. "It showed up again tonight. We have a combination of giving up runs late in the ballgame and not taking advantage of the scoring opportunities. It comes back to get you," Robinson said.

The Nationals would score one more run to make it a two-run game, but not one member of the team thought they had the game in hand, because this is the powerful New York Yankees, the team that is known to have patience at the plate.

"You never think you had enough until you walk off the field. That's why you want to add more," Robinson said.

The patience would pay off in the late innings against Washington's bullpen, as the Yankees defeated the Nationals, 7-5, in front of 44,749 fans at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium.

The loss extended the Nationals' losing streak to five games and dropped their record to 30-39.

Most of the time in 2005, it was lights out when relievers Gary Majewski and Chad Cordero entered a game for the Nationals. This year, it has been inconsistency and scrutiny. On Thursday, Washington dismissed bullpen coach John Wetteland, in part, because it was claimed that he changed the personalities of Cordero and Majewski, a charge they both deny, and that the relievers lost focus and concentration.

This is one game where one couldn't blame Wetteland.

The Nationals were leading, 5-3, when the downfall began with Majewski in the top of the eighth inning. He pitched just one-third of an inning, but the Yankees made him throw 31 pitches and he had a tough time getting hitters out.

Williams collected a first-pitch single, but Majewki had two strikes on every hitter he faced and couldn't finish them off, expect for Andy Phillips, who struck out.

With the bases loaded, Melky Cabrera took a 2-2 pitch and singled to left field to score Williams and make it a 5-4 game.

Majewski then lost his control when the next hitter, Derek Jeter, came to the plate. On a 3-2 pitch, Jeter walked to force home Jorge Posada for the tying run.

"I got ahead of some guys and I just couldn't put them away. I tried to pitch to the game plan," Majewski said. "The slider wasn't there. I tried to get a coupled of guys swinging in the dirt. Other than the Jeter walk, I felt pretty good. I just couldn't put then away."

It took Mike Stanton and Cordero to stop the bleeding in the inning, when Jason Giambi popped up and Alex Rodriguez struck out.

But in the ninth, it was Williams who got the last laugh. In the fourth inning, the Nationals took advantage of his weak arm, as Nick Johnson scored on Ward's sacrifice fly in shallow right. Two innings later, Johnson again touched home plate, this time on a Ryan Zimmerman RBI double near the right-field line.

But Williams made up for his throwing weakness in the top of the ninth inning when the veteran took Cordero's first pitch and hit the ball over the right-field wall to give the Yankees a 6-5 lead.

"I was just trying to see a good pitch in the good part of the zone and try to get on base," Williams said. "He happened to throw a changeup and missed location a little, got it high in the zone and I was able to hit it in the air and hit it out."

Later in the inning, Johnny Damon hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Posada.

A few hours before the game, Robinson talked about how it was important for the Nationals to win the series against the Yankees and bring back the momentum that helped them win 16 of the of their last 23 games before the losing streak.

"We have to focus on this series right now and we got to win the series. If we don't, we are going to be in pretty bad shape at this stage of the season," Robinson said.