The Nationals entered play Thursday at 14-4 and 10 games over .500 for the first time since July 26, 2005. This is heady stuff for a team that was a laughing stock just three years ago. But it might be useful to see who the Nats have actually beaten so far. It’s not a pretty list. They opened the season by winning two games on the road against the rebuilding Chicago Cubs. Washington followed that with two wins against the Mets, a team off to a decent start but widely expected to finish last in the rugged NL East.
The Nats took three of four from the Cincinnati Reds, a strong showing against a solid NL Central club. But those three wins at home against the Houston Astros? That’s just doing the bare minimum against a possible 100-loss team. Two wins over the Miami Marlins is fine, though they, too, are off to a rough start. Adding in the first two wins against San Diego doesn’t help. The Padres have the worst record in the NL.
Things get tougher this weekend when the Nats face the NL West leading Dodgers.
– Brian McNally
