The good news for the Washington Nationals is they won two of three over Detroit after getting swept by the Miami Marlins, which ranks near the bottom of the big leagues in run differential. The bad news is the one team it looked like they could pass in their climb out of the NL East is a Marlins team that isn’t going quietly into the night.
Manager Skip Schumaker, in his first season at the helm, has the team from South Beach exceeding expectations thanks to their performance in nail-biters. They’re 15-2 in one-run games this year, including a pair of victories last week against the Nats.
That’s helped offset a lineup tied for 28th in runs scored and a pitching staff that ranks 18th in team ERA over the first three months of the season.
The beauty of a Major League Baseball season is that over a full campaign, one has a chance to see the entire tapestry develop with 162 pixels as opposed to 17 NFL snapshots or 82 NBA/NHL photos.
Eventually, every team finds its level, and right now, one wonders how long a Marlins club that is -54 in run differential can stay in serious contention (by comparison, the last-place Nationals have a run differential of -21).
Getting out of last place will take more than just the Nationals (and they are getting better by the game) efforts. They’ll need a co-conspirator, and right now, there are none in the NL East.
Digesting the Division: Atlanta (29-17) remains atop the NL East thanks to a dominant rotation, with Charlie Morton (5-3, 2.85 ERA) leading the Braves in wins almost one-third through the season. The New York Mets (25-23) have won five straight to surge past .500 while Miami (24-23) remains in the mix despite itself. Philadelphia (22-24) is in fourth place with the bat of Bryce Harper (.306 with 14 runs over 17 games) arriving at just the right time, although it was Bryson Stott’s pinch-hit homer that gave them both of their runs in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Washington (20-27) remains in last place but has a chance to post a winning month for the first time since June of 2021 (they’re 10-10 with nine games left in May).
Break up the Birds: The 31-16 Orioles are on pace to win 107 games after sweeping Toronto north of the border. Last year, the Birds didn’t post 31 wins until game number 70 on June 22. The sweep pushes the Blue Jays into last place of the AL East and keeps the O’s within striking distance (2.5 games) of Tampa Bay. This week they face the New York Yankees, a team they haven’t had a winning season against since 2016 and one they lost 17 of 19 games to as recently as 2019. We’ll see how far they’ve come this week.
Last Week’s Heroes: Jeimer Candelario batted .571 with two homers and five RBI, while Lane Thomas hit .379 with two homers, five RBI and eight runs scored. Joey Meneses is heating up as well by batting .381 with five RBI. Patrick Corbin went 2-0 with an ERA of 3.00, Josiah Gray went 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA and Carl Edwards Jr. tossed 4.1 scoreless innings over four appearances.
Last Week’s Humbled: Jake Irvin went 0-1 in his lone start, allowing five runs over 2.2 innings (13.50 ERA). Hunter Harvey’s ERA over three appearances with 10.13. Luis Garcia hit .190 (4-21), while Alex Call hit .080 (2-25). But Call’s issues at the plate can be negated by the fact that he’s made the vast majority of his starts in centerfield, while more offense is expected from someone playing second base.
Game to Watch: San Diego Padres and former Nats player Juan Soto drops by the District this week. Remember him? The one-time Joe Hardy (look up “Damn Yankees” as this guy came out of nowhere just like Tab Hunter in the movie musical). On Thursday, we’ll get one last look at Soto — unless he’s dealt this year’s deadline and returns with a new team in August or September.
Game to Miss: Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore are slated to pitch on Saturday and Sunday. Sadly, the pools open in the D.C. area. Enjoy the water now because Labor Day will be here before you know it. Enjoy the weekend and please, before you jump, shout “cannonball.”
