District On Deck
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Washington Nationals playing themselves into a stressful situation

By Pablo Roa

Jun 25, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) reacts after popping out in the fifth inning during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 25, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) reacts after popping out in the fifth inning during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
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Not long ago, the Washington Nationals had a more than comfortable lead in the NL East. Now, a seven-game losing streak has put the Mets within arms length of first place in the division.

One of the most significant contrasts between the 2016 Washington Nationals and last year’s club was the amount of early-season stress surrounding the team. Unlike last year, this year’s Nationals were able to pull away from the Mets in the NL East — at one point stretching their division lead to six games.

While early-season division leads don’t mean much, they bring a sense of tranquility to a team, its management staff and its fanbase. With a large division lead in June, the Nationals could afford a couple of slip ups. They could afford to lose a few games, and maybe even lose one of their most important relievers to the disabled list.

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But there’s only so much that a division lead can do. It’s not a safety net; it’s a temporary cushion that can help keep the ship afloat if water starts to seep in. Eventually, a team can push that cushion to its breaking point — at which point it can all but disappear within a span of a few days, bringing back that sense of stress and concern that it once pushed away.

And this week, that’s exactly what the Nationals have done.

A long losing streak, a costly error, an ever-inconsistent offense, a weak link in the rotation, a destabilized bullpen. All of these factors and more have put the Nationals in a stressful situation that they had yet to experience this season.

The team’s once promising lead in the NL East is down to just two games. And with a key series against the Mets coming up next week, you could say that the team’s division lead is very much in danger. The third-place Marlins are just three games back of the Nationals. If the Nationals can’t find a way to right the ship soon, they could conceivably tumble to third place in just a few days.

Of course, that’s a very pessimistic way to look at the situation. But have the Nationals that we’ve seen over the last week given us any reason to be optimistic?

The team is riding a seven-game losing streak. The rotation is faltering, the offense still has some weak spots (arguably, dead spots), and there are still concerns surrounding the health of undefeated ace Stephen Strasburg, who was scratched again today with a back issue.

The last week was supposed to be good for the Nationals. They were playing the Padres, Dodgers and Brewers — three teams they should have been able to beat. Their relatively easy schedule over the last nine games gave the team a golden opportunity to stretch their NL East even further, and make that safety cushion even stronger.

Instead, they went 2-7 over that span, and now have to face the Mets with first place on the line.

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Of course, the Nats could just as easily go on a long winning streak and make all of these concerns disappear. But the truth is, the Nationals have played themselves into a stressful situation that could very well derail their season. Now it’s up to them to fix it before it’s too late.

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