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Washington Nationals Rapid Reaction: Stephen Strasburg shines, homers put Nats back on track

By Pablo Roa

Apr 19, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (center) is greeted by Nationals center fielder Michael Taylor (left) after Harper hit a grand slam during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 19, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (center) is greeted by Nationals center fielder Michael Taylor (left) after Harper hit a grand slam during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 19, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (center) is greeted by Nationals center fielder Michael Taylor (left) after Harper hit a grand slam during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 19, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (center) is greeted by Nationals center fielder Michael Taylor (left) after Harper hit a grand slam during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

After Two Tough Losses, Nats Back on Track

In baseball, how you finish is almost always more important than how you start. The season is 162 games long, and a division title isn’t won in April. But how you start can absolutely influence how you finish, and a hot start for a team can make up for midseason slumps and give a team the momentum it needs to push through a long season and emerge victorious in the end.

For the Nationals, starting off the 2016 season with an MLB-best 9-1 record was huge. Not only did it allow the team to quickly forget the bad memories of 2015, but it also showed the rest of the sport that the team that General Manager Mike Rizzo built over the offseason can and should win.

Granted, the Braves, Phillies and Marlins aren’t the Cardinals, Cubs and Pirates. The Nationals were fortunate to start the season with a relatively easy schedule, but those wins were still wins — wins that could come in handy during a playoff run in August and September.

And that’s why last night’s win over the Marlins was so important. Yes, it’s still April. And yes, it’s still the Marlins. But the Nationals suffered two frustrating losses in a row to mediocre teams, first the Philies on Sunday then the Marlins on Monday. Nothing kills momentum faster than an extended losing streak, and by stopping their skid at two, the Nationals avoided just that.

Had they lost, the Nationals could’ve come away with a split of the four-game set — at best. In a division as weak as the NL East, the Nats need to take advantage of these long series against teams like the Marlins. And while they may very well lose tonight and tomorrow and earn a split anyway, yesterday’s win shows that the Nationals are still hot and that their strong start could carry their momentum through the end of April and beyond.

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