All right, everybody exhale! The Washington Nationals have delivered equal parts good, bad and ugly on their way to a 44-53 start (four-and-a-half games better than last year’s record at the All Star break).
As they take some time to recollect themselves, let’s look at this team that is slowly slipping out of contention thanks to six losses in eight games and 14 in 20.
The Nats currently rank 20th in runs scored (while hitting the second-fewest homers in MLB) and 18th in team ERA (while allowing the sixth-highest batting average to opposing lineups).
And the margin for error could be getting slimmer in the coming weeks with the trading deadline looming: the team began their summer sale this past weekend by dealing reliever Hunter Harvey to Kansas City for top prospect Cayden Wallace and a competitive balance draft pick (39th overall selection).
Slugger Jesse Winker appears to be a cinch to depart, and Lane Thomas is a player who could also fetch prospects (like DJ Herz for Jeimer Candelario last summer) in return.
Digesting the Division: Philadelphia (62-34) owns an eight-and-a-half game lead in the NL East with Bryce Harper on pace for his best season (.301 with 21 HR and 61 RBI) since his first year with the Phillies (35 with 114). Atlanta (53-42) wrapped up a 4-3 road trip and Marcell Ozuna’s their bat to beware (.303 with 26 HR and 77 RBI).
The New York Mets (49-46) took two of three from Colorado after sweeping the Nats, and the team that was once 11 games under .500 is now in possession of the final NL Wild Card spot. Washington (44-53) has gone in the opposite direction this month while Miami (33-63) posted a five-game losing streak for the second straight week.
O’s Woes: Baltimore (58-38) got swept at home by the Chicago Cubs before dropping two of three to the New York Yankees. On Sunday the Cardiac O’s returned to form with a walk-off win at Camden Yards to give the club a one-game lead in the AL East thanks to multiple Yankee miscues.
Can they shake the 5-7 July start with this week’s breather? And will Gunnar Henderson’s swing get messed up by participating in the Home Run Derby?
Diamonds Direct Diamond King: Juan Yepez, in his first full week with the club, posted a team-high 10 hits while batting .400 with four runs and two RBI.
Last Week’s Heroes: Luis Garcia Jr. hit .333, while Ildemaro Vargas went .308 with a homer and four RBI. Derek Law tossed three scoreless innings of relief over three games, while Robert Garcia posted 2.1 scoreless innings over two games and each notched a win out of the bullpen. Kyle Finnegan saved both of those victories.
Last Week’s Humbled: To say the rotation took its share of lumps would be a major understatement. Where to begin?
Rookie Mitchell Parker allowed seven runs over 7.2 innings over two starts while veteran Patrick Corbin coughed up four runs over five frames (dropping to 1-9 on the season).
MacKenzie Gore continued his midseason swoon by surrendering four runs over 4.2 innings and Jake Irvin made his All Star Game omission make sense by getting scorched for 12 runs over 10 innings in his two starts.
C.J. Abrams hit .107 with eight strikeouts from the leadoff spot while James Wood batted .179 primarily from the number three spot in the lineup. James Young went .095 from the number nine spot and he probably should have been hitting tenth in the order.
Game to Watch: On Sunday the Nationals wrap up their series with Cincinnati and before the game the newest class of the D.C. Sports Hall of Fame will be honored. Ryan Zimmerman leads a class that includes former WTOP Sports Director Dave Johnson. It’s there! And you should be too…
Game to Miss: On Friday night the Nats come back from the break by hosting Cincinnati. Give yourself another day off and get to bed early so you can watch Saturday morning’s British Open (it is moving day, by the way).
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