Seven and a half games. That is how much ground the Washington Nationals have ceded in the National League East standings over the past two weeks.
While the New York Mets players should get credit for going 11-4 in their past 15 games and while the front office deserves credit for acquiring solid bats and a bullpen arm before the trade deadline, the Nationals deserve an equal amount, if not more, credit for their current spot in the standings.
Washington were the oddsmakers’ favorites to not only win the NL East, but the World Series, opening at 6/1 in January and still on top at 7/1 as late as June. After all, they won 96 games in 2014 and acquired the top free-agent pitcher Max Scherzer during the off-season.
But the Nationals have been terribly inconsistent this season which has kept the door open for the Mets. There have been eight different times this season where Washington has lost at three games in a row, including a six-game losing streak and 13-game stretch where they went 3-10. Having a 54-46 record after 100 games was not where they wanted or expected at the outset of a season that once held so much promise.
This should not happen to a team with the strong pitching staff, strong lineup and the most talented player in the National League in Bryce Harper. Now they find themselves 4.5 games back of a Mets team that at one point this season fielded an actual lineup with John Mayberry Jr and Eric Campbell batting fourth and fifth. (According to the Elias Sports Bureau, they were only the second team since 1920 to have a lineup where both the No4 and No5 hitters were batting below than .180 with at least 100 at-bats.)
That’s the quality of team the Nationals have allowed to stay in the race for the NL East. Because the Mets hovered around two or three games from the first-place Nats around late July, it gave general manager Sandy Alderson more motivation to execute the moves near the deadline. They bolstered their bench with Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson, strengthening their starting lineup with Yoenis Cespedes and their bullpen with Tyler Clippard. All this to go along with a starting rotation that’s been lights out all year.
But if the Nationals had a record that was similar to that of the Cardinals, which is where the team was projected to be, New York might not have been as aggressive as they were before the trade deadline.
To be completely fair to Washington, a significant reason the team hasn’t experienced as much success as they wanted is that they have experienced an unusual amount of injuries. The Washington Post recounted the laundry list of players that have been on the disabled list multiple times during the season, a roll that includes Jayson Werth, Anthony Rendon, Denard Span and Stephen Strasburg.
Those injuries shouldn’t be disregarded, but even all that bad luck it is arguable that talent-wise they were still the better overall team than New York before the trade deadline.
Now, that might not necessarily be the case. The Mets definitely have Washington’s attention even if the Nats don’t want to acknowledge it. After Washington lost their first-place NL East lead in early August, their young superstar let his feelings be known. “I don’t give a crap what the Mets are doing. Or Dodgers or Giants or Texas or anybody,” Harper told reporters.
Second baseman Anthony Rendon reiterated that same sentiment earlier in the week. “I feel like y’all are the only ones worried about us. Don’t worry about us,” Rendon said to reporters. Y’all worry about y’all selves. We’ll be alright.”
With how well the Mets are playing and with how dominant their pitching staff has been, it may not be easy to completely disregard the Flushing club. There is no doubt that Washington has to take care of business and win their games, but their blasé approach might not be the best idea either.
Washington is free falling right now and they need to right the ship with about a month and a half left in the season. If they can’t win get in a groove soon, they might not even give New York the opportunity to Mets up their chance at a first October appearance in nearly a decade.
