There’s a reason you play 162 games.
It’s one of the oldest, and truest, axioms in baseball. A win in April counts just as much in the standings as a win in September, ditto for a loss. It should not be a huge surprise if the Nationals struggle early this year, nor should it be a shock if they overachieve.
After last season’s injury-laden debacle — coupled with the World Baseball Classic’s impact on spring training this year — getting this club in sync for the long haul may take a couple of weeks. After all the baseball I’ve seen, I don’t mind waiting a little longer.
Early season winning streaks cut both ways. The 1966 Indians won their first 10 games of the season, including the opener here against the Senators. They finished in fifth place, 81-81, 17 games behind the Orioles, who were 9-1 in their first 10. More recently, the 1984 Tigers started 35-5 and cruised to the division title before winning the AL pennant and the World Series. Being 30 games over .500 before the end of May tends to ease a lot of pressure, though if you believe the old adage that everybody wins 54 and loses 54, and the difference is what you do with the other 54, the ’84 Tigers were on auto pilot, going 50-4 with theirs.
Early season losing streaks? The ’88 Orioles showed how difficult it is to recover from an 0-21 start. That’s a Sports Illustrated cover nobody needs to see again.
I suspect crawling out from under the shadow of former GM Jim Bowden will take a little time; it has to. There are some heavy-duty bridge repairs to be done throughout baseball, as well as the fan base. No one doubts that Jim meant well, but his manner and methods rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.
It was a huge step in the right direction when Manny Acta settled on a rotation a couple of weeks prior to opening day, but questions remain about Daniel Cabrera’s drop in velocity. When all is said and done, I expect Cabrera to be their fifth starter, not number three, and I can see some other shifts in the top four slots as well.
The outfield logjam is still just that. Finding 400-plus plate appearances for 5 guys won’t be easy, but in order to maximize the offense — and the various offseason additions should mean an additional 100-plus runs scored — it’s an absolute necessity, barring a trade.
Phil Wood is a contributor to Nats Xtra on MASN. Contact him at [email protected].
