After winning five of its last seven games, it appears as if the Washington Nationals have finally decided to wake up and rejoin the National League East division pennant race. But it may be too little too late because of the scorching play of the New York Mets, who still lead the division after winning seven of its last nine games.
With September on the horizon, the Mets’ 5 1/2 game lead isn’t insurmountable, but Washington’s chances are looking more dire by the day.
Great late season comebacks aren’t foreign to Washington’s Jayson Werth, who happened to be a member of the 2007 Philadelphia Phillies team that also trailed the Mets by seven games with 17 games remaining on schedule. The Phillies went on to win the division on the final day of that season. Also in 2008, the Phillies were 3 1/2 games behind with 16 games left, comparable in bad odds to the Nats now. Philly eventually won the division by three games, and then won the World Series. These probabilities don’t seem likely at all at this point but its nice to dream, right?
The uninspired play early on combined with spotty, inexperienced management and untimely injuries didn’t help Washington’s cause. Everyone from fans and players alike thought a switch could be turned on but it never really happened.
A season once filled with promise now enters a slow crawl of sorts. With the Washington NFL team a national debacle, in previous seasons, D.C. sports fans at least had the Nationals to take their minds off that monstrosity of a franchise for the first month or so of the season. Unfortunately this season, fans have to watch both franchises sink together to depths they probably didn’t think was possible.
This September run will undoubtedly be the final days in a Nats uniform for at least three huge free agents in Ian Desmond (the longest tenured National), Jordan Zimmermann, and Doug Fister. Each has under performed this season and one can guess that their impeding free agency was a major part of their performances.
The Washington fan base will be hoping for a miracle, but most probably know that it’s likely not going to happen. Instead, fans are better off watching to look for the improvement of the young guys on the team, such as Trae Turner, Michael Taylor. Fans should also keep an eye out for more consistent efforts from the veterans returning in 2016. The window for contention isn’t closed for this franchise at all, not when you have a healthy Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon to build around. But the other teams in the division are improving.
In the end, this season was a lost opportunity.
