Are the Nats for real?

Are they? They're 14-4, including 8-2 in their last 10.

Are they indeed? They've hit a 4-game skid; they're now 14-8.

The bubble was always going to burst on them sometime. However it was a good start to the season.

No, but we are!!!!!

The Nats break their 5-game skid with Ian Desmond's game-winning 2-run homer in the bottom of the 9th.

They're looking a good team, Camry,
Nice article about the building of the Nats in SI a week or so ago.

Edit: They'll miss Jason Werth though, horrible accident to him.
(PS: As one who was spoiled for a decade by having the Expos just a 90-minute drive away, will always have a tough time acknowledging the Nationals!)

kwinigolfer wrote:They're looking a good team, Camry,
Nice article about the building of the Nats in SI a week or so ago.

Edit: They'll miss Jason Werth though, horrible accident to him.
(PS: As one who was spoiled for a decade by having the Expos just a 90-minute drive away, will always have a tough time acknowledging the Nationals!)

Yes, a bummer about Werth

OTOH, it was sweet seeing Bryce Harper steal home after that ***-in-shoes Cole Hamel beaned him for making the Phillies look like the aging monkeys they are the two previous nights.

Indeed it was Camry. Fair play to Harper. Pretty classless move by Hamels.

Still top & looking okay, but the division is still to tight, which could cost them in the end.

If they finnished 3rd say, would this still be classed as a good season for them?

tigerrobins wrote:Still top & looking okay, but the division is still to tight, which could cost them in the end.

If they finnished 3rd say, would this still be classed as a good season for them?

After a start like this, finishing 2nd or 3rd could only be a disappointment no matter how tough the competition. Just how big a disappointment would depend on how many games behind they would finish.

Shame, as i've a feeling they could match the Orioles usual season. Great start before fading away, though think they won't fade as badly as the Orioles usually do.

The Nats have taken 2 of 3 from the Reds but have fallen to 1/2 a game out of first behind the Braves, who are on a 3-game win streak.

A lot of pre-season chatter said the AL East would be the tight division but, so far, the NL East has been just as close.

Still top after 50 games, looking impressive.

Though both Eastern division looking extremely tight. With just 2.5 (AL), and 3 (NL) seperating the top & bottom teams, so anthing could happen. Nice to see that both have suprising leaders in the Nats & Orioles though.

Right now it's a 3-way split for 1st in the NL East 'tween the Nats, Mets and Fish. Nats are 5-5 in their last 10, the others are 7-3.

Pick up the pace, boys!

A 3-game-sweep last weekend of the BoSox puts the Nats alone at the top of the NL East at 35-23 for a .603 percantage, 2 games ahead of the Braves.

The bad news: the Nats dropped 3 to the Yanx this last weekend. The good news: at 38-26 (.594) they remain 4 games ahead of the Braves.

I went to the Saturday (6/16) game, treating my mother and two of my sisters. Nationals Park is superb; not a bad seat anywhere - even the parking garage had a great view! Weather was lovely - sunny, upper 70s with no humidity. Unfortunately, our seats were directly in the sun. We'd brought sun hats and sunglasses but oy vey! Cursed with pale Celtic skin, we laid on the 55 sunblock to bricklayer's thickness (Note to myself: get seats in the last three rows of any level; they're under the overhang of the next level and thus always out of the sun.)

Lovely time for all of us but we had to leave in the 9th. A pity because the game went 14 innings.

Jordan Zimmermann started for the Nats; Andy Pettitte for the Yanx. Low-scoring game and quick; the first 7 innings went by in 2h 30m. Marquee players Bryce Harper (Nats) (he chased so much junk!), Derek Jeter & Mark Texiera (Yanx) held hitless by top-notch pitching. Shattered bats once an inning or so. Nats tagged Pettitte for two runs in the second but otherwise he held them down. NYY skipper Joe Girardi managed them back into it, scoring a run in the 4th and two in the 6th, wearing out Zimmermann along the way (straight from the Joe Torre manual.) Davy Johnson pulled him after 6.

Girardi pulled Pettitte after 7. Now it was a battle of the bullpens, and the Yanx' relievers promptly did their best to give the game back. Cory Wade clocked two quick outs, then fed Nats' SS Ian Desmond his 10th HR of the season and walked Tyler Moore. Boon Logan replaced Wade to pitch to Adam LaRoche, while Moore stole second. With Moore running on a full count, LaRoche lined one into right field. As Moore rounded third, Yanx' DeWayne Wise rifled it to Chris Martin at the plate. Big runner-catcher-ump collision. Moore called out but the stadium replay says otherwise - unfortunately, the umps' union is dead-set against all replays not involving home runs (phooey!)

'Twas at this point Ma, big sis, li'l sis and self caught the top of the 9th from the garage but after that we called it a day. We later heard the rest of it: in the 14th Jeter and Texeira got the hits they'd missed all day, the latter sending home Jeter and Jayson Nix. In the bottom half Jesus Flores and Steve Lobardozzi both singled but the Nats couldn't close the deal.


Here's the wrap, btw.

Glad you enjoyed the Game/ day White.

Do you think there top because of there team, or the other teams deficenciy's? And also, if they get to the play offs, how far do you think they could go?

tigerrobins wrote:Glad you enjoyed the Game/ day White.

Do you think there top because of there team, or the other teams deficenciy's? And also, if they get to the play offs, how far do you think they could go?

Mostly it's their pitching and fielding. They have four of the top 50 rated pitchers in MLB this year and three of the top 50 fielders vs. only one hitter in the top 50. That also implies superb managing by Davey Johnson, who managed the '86 Mets.

Assuming they keep the pace - and, knocking on wood, no injuries - they should win the division. However, post season would be anyone's guess at this point; as the old saw goes, "post season's a whole new season."

Despite being on a 4 game losing streak, the Nats still lead the division by 3 games. Though need to pick it up, as after the all star break teams start to find form and anything could happen, as last years Caridnals proved.

White,
so in your view they are like the Arizona Diamondbacks team that won the world series on the back of Randy Johnson & Curt Schilling's pitching, and the fact they could manufacture runs without going big often then?
The way the NL is going you've got to fancy them or the Dodgers at this moment. Would be a good championship series games should they meet.

tigerrobins wrote:Despite being on a 4 game losing streak, the Nats still lead the division by 3 games. Though need to pick it up, as after the all star break teams start to find form and anything could happen, as last years Caridnals proved.

White,
so in your view they are like the Arizona Diamondbacks team that won the world series on the back of Randy Johnson & Curt Schilling's pitching, and the fact they could manufacture runs without going big often then?

Which confirms that old cliche: good pitching beats good hitting.

tigerrobins wrote:The way the NL is going you've got to fancy them or the Dodgers at this moment. Would be a good championship series games should they meet.

God forbid there should be a late season collapse!

Even old-timer fans can't believe the Nats are for real.

I always think that this Boycott quote on cricket 'batsman put you in a position to win, bowlers win you the game'. Applys even more to baseball, pitchers win games, hitters the position to win.

I can understand why few people are backing them, considering there record over the last few seasons, plus the division there in. But considering they been top most of the season, you would have to put them as serious contenders this season.

After splitting a four-game weekend series with the Braves, the Nats traveled to the Big Apple for three games with the Mets. The Nats took the first game, 8-2, in 10 innings. Rookie teen phenom Bryce Harper sealed the Mets' collapse with a grand slam.

Meanwhile, the Braves dropped one to the Fish, 2-1. This makes the NL East

East W L PCT GB E# WCGB
WAS 56 39 .589 - - -
ATL 52 44 .542 4.5 63 0.5
NYM 47 49 .490 9.5 58 5.5
MIA 45 51 .469 11.5 56 7.5
PHI 43 54 .443 14.0 53 10.0

With a 4-game win streak and 7-3 in their last 10, the Nats now have the best record in MLB:

WAS 67 43 .609 -
ATL 63 47 .573 4.0
NYM 53 57 .482 14.0
MIA 50 60 .455 17.0
PHI 50 60 .455 17.0

Keppngh mu fgntrrds cxropsdd!

Down the stretch they come and the Nats still have the best record in MLB:

WAS 82 52.612 -
ATL 76 59 .563 6.5
PHI 65 70 .481 17.5
NYM 64 71 .474 18.5
MIA 60 75 .444 22.5

In beating the Bums, 4-1, the Nats lock in a spot for October. It's the first ever for the franchise and the first for DC since 1933.

W L Pct. GB E#
WAS 91 58 .611 - -
ATL 86 64 .573 5.5 8
PHI 76 74 .507 15.5 E
NYM 66 83 .443 25.0 E
MIA 66 84 .440 25.5 E

The Nats lock up the NL East! They lost to the Phils, 2-0, but the Braves lost to the Pirates, 2-1.

East W L PCT GB E# WCGB
WAS 96 64 .600 - - -
ATL 93 67 .581 3.0 E -
PHI 81 79 .506 15.0 E 6.0
NYM 73 87 .456 23.0 E 14.0
MIA 68 92 .425 28.0 E 19.0

For the record, the Braves locked up one of the wild card spots.

At the wire it's the Nats!

East W L PCT GB E# WCGB
WAS 98 64 .605 - - -
ATL 94 68 .580 4.0 E +6.0
PHI 81 81 .500 17.0 E 7.0
NYM 74 88 .457 24.0 E 14.0
MIA 69 93 .426 29.0 E 19.0

Next up: a best-of-5 series vs. the Braves or the defending-WS-Champ Cards.

St-Louis-native Yogi Berra famously said, "it ain't over 'til it's over." The St. Louis Cardinals have taught the Washington Nationals this bitter lesson.

The Nats shelled starting Card pitcher Adam Wainwright for six runs from three home runs, sending him to the showers in the third inning. But, run by run, the Cards clawed their way back. Meanwhile, their bullpen did their job, holding the Nats to just one more run. Even so, it was close. By the 9th the Nats were still on top, 7-5.

As Yogi also said, "it's deja vu all over again." Just like in last year's World Series, the Cards were twice down to their last strike and twice got the golden pitch. Nats closer Drew Storen walked David Freese on a full count, loading the bases with Carlos Beltran on 3rd and and Adron Chambers on 2nd. Then Daniel Descalso singled Storen's next pitch off SS Ian Desmond's glove as Beltran and Chambers tied the game.

Then Manager Davey Johnson let Storen pitch to Pete Kozma, rather than walk him to load the bases again to get to pitcher Jason Motte. Kozma singled to right, sending home Freese and Descalso to put the Cards on top. Score: Nats 7-9 Cards.

Motte struck out but it didn't matter. His best talent is on the mound and he showed why, shutting down Jayson Werth, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman with 12 pitches. Game and season over for the Nats as the Red Birds flew to Frisco.

So, to answer my original question: "are the Nats for real?" Yes, they were this year. You don't get this far without being for real. They finished the season with the best record in Major League Baseball; under the old pre-1969 set-up that would automatically have made them National League champs. But, as someone said - and it wasn't Yogi Berra - each round of the post-season is a new season.

And they once said in Brooklyn, "wait 'til next year!"