Ah, I remember when the Nationals were a solid lock atop the NL East, with a good 5 game lead on Atlanta. Sadly, we’re now eight back of the Braves, but still in the thick of a wild card here. Going into tonight’s late matchup against the Padres, the Nats are just 2.5 games out of the wild card lead.
With Philly and Florida just a half game back of Houston, the schedule comes into play here. We’re headed out to San Diego for a weekend series against the sub .500 (yet division leading, will someone please explain this to me? Does the NL West suck SO MUCH that their division leader can have a losing record? Why should a division with no teams above .500 get a spot in the playoffs anyhow?!) and then we’re back to DC for a three game set with the Hapless Giants (who will have Barry Bonds, please, Livan, throw at his head.) Atlanta’s heading for the Mets, but Philly and Florida go head to head this weekend, and then Florida heads to New York to face the Mets, and Philly heads down to Atlanta. What does this all mean? It means the wild card will likely be decided on the last game of the season and the Nats are still in the thick of it, provided they can pitch and hit like they have over the past few games.
Pretty exciting for a team that finished 28 games under .500 in 2004. Go Nats!
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
