This is almost certainly at least 33% "easy schedule. They've won mostly low scoring affairs - which shouldn't be a surprise given the Phillies and Mets are below average hitting teams and the Astros are the worst. They still can't score a ton of runs and all these teams can't pitch so that says those issues are real and will continue. Their schedule is so easy that I wouldn't be surprised if they passed the Nats before the All-Star break. That's ok. Just don't collapse here and fall into a 5 game hole and you'd expect an even-ing of opponents to put the Nats back on top.
Meanwhile back at the Nat Cave...
...
...
What is there to say? Here are your 2014 (and 2013 for the most part) Nats as you expected them. They are good. They have no obvious holes. None. OK the defense might need a little sprucing up and it wouldn't hurt them to fix up the bench while they are healthy rather than waiting for a need but as long as they are healthy...
It's a holiday weekend. Just sit back and enjoy for a few days
Woo hoo... we are loving the actual full strength non-diluted 2014 Nats! Going to all 3 games this weekend. I expect the Cubs will notice a difference from the team they faced in Chicago last weekend.
ReplyDeleteExactly the (non)post we needed. From reading the last thread you'd think we had already fallen 5 back on a losing streak, instead of winning 5 in a row and 9 of 12.
ReplyDeleteThis lineup is relentless when we're all in there. Our defensive subs are flexible and effective, and the pitching...man the pitching...'nuff said.
Leave the drama fo yo mama
Yeah. That's my hope. Since playing the Nats in mid-June, the Braves have had about as easy a schedule as you could imagine through the end of July. The only team they face over .500 are the Dodgers and most of the other teams they play are cellar dwellers. August, on the other hand, should be much tougher on the Braves where they play Mariners, Nats, Dodgers, A's, Pirates and Reds in succession.
ReplyDeleteI'd still rather be ahead by the All-star break but that would be tough order. If they are ahead though, I don't think they look back for the rest of the season.
Someone posted it the other day, but out of the nats' last 81 games, about 30 are/were against teams above .500.
ReplyDeleteNow if they could just figure out a way to recall Souza and get him at bats, I'd be in heaven.
ReplyDeleteOnly two years of waiting from the last time they were actually in the hunt for NL east. Feels good to watch them now, their comeback wins early this year have given them a confidence to fight back that was completely missing last year.
ReplyDeleteCheers to a solid club full of good people, much less players!
So I should expect the Braves to stand pat with their lineup? Gattis is enough of a blow to maybe make something happen. They've already improved their worst position with LaStella.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if things went to plan, but I doubt most would have predicted that going 4-3 for a week on the road would be 2-1 against the Brewers and 2-2 against the Cubs rather than 1-2 and 3-1. Missing good starters, catching a team after a long road trip or with an overworked bullpen - that kind of stuff needs to happen a bit more. The Rockies came in playing badly, with a lot of young pitchers having to chip in, throw in the one day off for Tulo, and it seems fairly lucky. Even last night, if the umps get Desi's HR call wrong and he's stranded at third by Lobaton as would be likely, they could have lost that game easily. The Rockies had a fair amount of fat pitches from Fister. But they're winning some close games and even got an extra-innings win, I guess that's a good trend.
It wasn't long ago that Gattis was killing our club in the middle of a hitting streak, and friggin Fatt Adams hits a homer a game coming off the DL for the Cardinals. Did I miss the story with that guy complaining about hitting sixth?
The Braves are nine games over .500 with a run differential of only +5. That's almost statistically impossible, and it won't hold.
ReplyDeleteThe Nats are +50, best in the NL, and only seem to just be getting started. If anything, their run diff indicates that their record should be better, and it will be, if they take care of business against back markers like the Cubbies (which they didn't do last week).
I'd just like to congratulate the author on his most positive Nats blog entry ever!
ReplyDelete@Blovy - Lol at the last paragraph of your post...
ReplyDeleteBut more to your points, even though Uggla's off the field he's still the albatross around that team's neck. I don't think they can afford to bring in a big contract with his 13 mil still on the books. So I think that takes away the higher priced targets like Willingham, Rios, Byrd. I think at best they'd get a low-paid rental for cheap. They've got a ton of young arms in the system to trade away but might be more hesitant to do so given this spring.
All that to say, I probably agree with you that they stand pat. I can't see them making an impact signing, someone cheap if anything