A revamped bullpen, a pair of ageless castoffs and a superstar third baseman are threatening to turn the Nationals into playoff contenders. Is this a mirage? Or is Washington really, finally, ready to play hardball with the big boys?
Through 38 games, the Washington Nationals are one of baseball’s biggest surprises. They are 20-18, tied for second place in the National League East and two games back in the NL wild card chase.
Is this for real?
“You have to think that it is,” said Buster Olney, senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. “We did a piece in March on the toughest early-season schedules in baseball, and the Nats had the toughest one in the National League over the first 35 games. They’ve been through that now. So that fact alone gives reason to believe they can keep this up.”
Washington is playing its best baseball since 2005, when the Nats moved to the District and took the senior circuit by storm for the first half of the season. At the halfway point that year, Washington was 50-31 and leading the NL East. That 81-game stretch still represents the high-water mark for the franchise’s tenure in D.C.
This current group, however, threatens to bust through the barrier of mediocrity that has defined the ballclub for the past four seasons. From 2006 to 2009 the Nats were a combined 31-67 in April, slow starts that derailed the season before the end of spring. This year, a 13-10 April has been followed by a 7-8 May, keeping Washington in the thick of the NL playoff hunt.
But is it sustainable? The Nats have relied heavily on bullpen stalwarts Tyler Clippard and Matt Capps. They are riding a pitching staff anchored by ageless wonder Livan Hernandez. And the team’s leading hitter is 38-year-old catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Their season going forward is one defined by apprehensive curiosity. Signs point to the team’s ascent — namely a rebuilt bullpen, the emergence of star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and the future arrival of No. 1 draft pick Stephen Strasburg. But indicators also suggest this team is playing over its head. Hernandez hasn’t pitched this well in a decade, and Rodriguez is 11 years removed from winning the American League MVP. Clippard and Capps are severely overworked.
“[Nats manager] Jim Riggleman talked about needing more consistent innings out of his starters,” Olney said. “Bullpens that generally are overtaxed early start to erode late in the year.”
So is this simply a good start? Or is it the start of something good? It’s worth noting that in their last 108 games — dating back to last summer — the Nats are 53-55, far and away better than their 26-61 start to the 2009 season under former manager Manny Acta. In June — when Strasburg is expected to join reliever Drew Storen in D.C. — Washington plays 21 of 27 games against teams currently with losing records.
“I don’t see any reason why the Nats can’t continue this level of play,” TBS baseball analyst and former MLB manager Buck Martinez said. “[Adam] Dunn, Hernandez and Rodriguez give them veteran leadership, and Zimmerman has the talent to be an MVP. With Storen [promoted Sunday] and Strasburg on the horizon, this team could even get better as the season unfolds.”
Washington Examiner media columnist Jim Williams contributed to this report.
