Barry's piece in today's dead tree WP on the 8th inning woes was exceptional in the metaphor department:
"This run of good baseball, the run that was extended with Wednesday night’s 3-1 victory over the Miami Marlins, also means we can reset to the default mode we’re accustomed to with this team: Nitpicking the little problems that could prove its downfall, be it in a pennant race or — can we even say this? — a postseason series. And in this case, the nitpick is more like a giant roach that sits on the kitchen floor, calmly and defiantly, even when the light is turned on: the eighth inning."