Is it Too Late for the Nationals?

If you asked me a month ago if the Washington Nationals had any chance of getting into the playoffs, I’d probably laugh and say no. That’s because exactly a month ago, the Nationals were a game under .500, were 14 games back from the Atlanta Braves, and 8.5 games back from Cincinnati and St. Louis in the wild card. But all of the sudden, the Nats are now 78-69, and only 4.5 games back from Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. They have won seven in a row, and nine of their last ten.

Why such a late spark? Well, their offense finally started to click. In their winning streak, they’ve outscored opponents 46 to 12, swept the Mets in a four game series, and had two shutouts. Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth have led the way, and have moved the team batting average to what was about 25^th in the MLB to 16^th (now a .252 batting average).

 

Pitching might be the real reason for their surge. Yes, they have Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmerman, but other starters have done quite well too. I mentioned that they had two shutouts in their recent streak. Those two came from Gio Gonzalez and Dan Haren, who have been major disappointments this year. Gonzalez went 21-8 with a 2.89 ERA last year, but now is 10-6 with a 3.31 ERA. Still not bad, and has been dominant lately, as he gave up only one hit in the shutout. 

Dan Haren has been a major disappointment over the last few years. After going 16-10 with a 3.17 ERA in 2011, he’s 9-13 with a 5.02 ERA in his first year with the Nationals. 

They have a team 3.66 ERA, which is the 8^th best in the Major Leagues.

So will they make playoffs? Probably not. In their last ten games, they’ve played the Phillies, Mets, and Marlins, so it’s not like they’ve had some crucial wins. Plus, after a home stand with Philly, Atlanta, and a four game series with Miami (that’ll help at least), they go on the road against St. Louis and Arizona, so it’ll be tough to finish strong. 

Don’t be too worried, Nats fans. The Reds still have to play two series with the Pirates, and the Pirates, who usually choke towards the end of the year, go on a six game road trip to end the year as well. So it is quite possible. They have to play as hot as they do both at home and on the road, but they have the motivation to do it.

Was it a disappointing season for the Nationals? Yes. Until recently, they and the Angels were considered as the most disappointing teams of the year, as many, including me, had one of them going far (I had the Angels out of the playoffs, but I had the Nats going all the way. A bad decision, I know, don’t remind me). It would’ve been nice to see a more closer fight for the wild card spot between these teams like it is for the AL, but I think that what is set right now will be set come October. 

There are 15 games left for the Nationals. I guess we’ll just have to find out if they make it or not. Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com for any questions/comment/concerns.

-Evan Boyd