Just when the season seemed lost, the Washington Nationals have finally started winning. The Nationals have won eight of their last ten games and face a very favorable schedule to close out the season. But is there enough time for them to climb back into the playoff race?
All season long amidst the Nationals’ struggles, we have heard the same refrain over and over again: all they need is a win streak. The baseball season is full of ups and downs, and every team goes on a run. Once the Nationals hit theirs, they would be fine.
It was that mentality that perhaps got them into this predicament.
The Nationals refused to panic as the team continued to play .500 ball, feeling everything would be ok when they hit the inevitable run that never came. Suddenly, it was August, the Nationals still hovered around .500, and the Braves were firmly entrenched in the top of the division.
Whether the Nationals finally realized the season was slipping away or no longer played under the pressure they felt to start the season, the team is suddenly hot.
Just to keep things in perspective, the playoffs are still a long shot. The Nationals trail Atlanta by a whopping 14 games in the division despite being in second place and they trail Cincinnati for the final wild card spot by 6.5 games.
They are not going to catch the Braves. That leaves the wild card. The Reds are on pace for 90 wins. To match that, the Nationals would have to win 22 of their remaining 28 games. That’s a tall order.
It is good to see the Nationals finally string some wins together in an attempt to make things interesting. If they can continue then perhaps they will play some meaningful games in September as they fight for the playoffs. For a team with such high hopes, it is hard to see this season ending in anything other than disappointment. There is still enough time though to make it a little interesting.
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