Nationals have never finished above .500
The Nationals have not finished with a winning record since baseball returned to the District in 2005. But for the first time in recent memory Washington enters the second half of the Major League Baseball season with a realistic chance.
“It was a good first half,” third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. “We went through some struggles. We were down below .500 for quite a bit for a while. We had a lot of injuries. But we’re in good position … to try and make a run in the second half.”
The Nats (46-46) first must pass a difficult opening stretch when they begin a nine-game, 10-day road trip against the Atlanta Braves on Friday night at Turner Field. Washington’s National League East rival is 54-38, with a five-game lead over its nearest competitor in the wild-card race entering play Thursday and is just three games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies, who happen to hold the best record in the majors.
| UP NEXT |
| Nationals at Braves |
| When » Friday, 7:35 p.m. |
| Where » Turner Field, Atlanta |
| TV » MASN |
But survive this weekend series and the Nats play at Houston (30-62) — by far the worst team in baseball — and after an off day close the trip with a three-game series at the struggling Los Angeles Dodgers (41-51), who rank 24th out of 30 teams (.446 winning percentage).
Still, there are plenty of questions facing Washington in the second half. Can it find a way to get both Zimmerman and Jayson Werth hot during the same stretch? Zimmerman is still searching for his timing after a 58-game layoff thanks to abdominal surgery. But Werth is a disaster at the plate right now. He is 7-for-57 since June 25 with one extra-base hit and four RBI. Go back even further to June 1 — a span of 36 games — and Werth is 20-for-130 (.154 batting average) with four doubles, a triple and two home runs. He has 10 RBI and 37 strikeouts to 20 walks.
“I’m not worried about Jayson,” manager Davey Johnson insisted last week. “Jayson is going to be fine during the second half. Some other guys are standing up. I’m sure Jayson is going to come back smoking.”
If he doesn’t, it seems unlikely the Nats could top 81 wins. The starting rotation ranks 12th overall with a 3.75 ERA. The bullpen is even better with a 3.09 ERA, fourth-best overall. But there are cracks. Jordan Zimmermann (2.66 ERA) has been among the best pitchers in baseball. But he is on an innings limit and may only make eight more starts.
If Washington also trades a veteran like Jason Marquis (4.05 ERA) or Livan Hernandez (4.01 ERA) by the July 31 deadline, then the depth up front thins quickly. Washington would have to turn to Ross Detwiler — for now in a relief role — or Chien-Ming Wang, who is about ready to return after two years rehabbing from shoulder surgery.
