The Nationals have taken home a couple of close and ugly wins during this series against the Braves — a team they should be dominating. But a win’s a win, and how they get there doesn’t really matter.
Fans and pundits demand a lot from a team with World Series aspirations. Whether it’s April or August, the expectation is that the team will win without a great degree of difficulty, and that they’ll show the baseball word that by winning in the regular season, they’ll win in the playoffs.
On the surface, this logic makes sense; if a team wants to win in the postseason, they’ll have to win easily in the regular season first. But at the end of the day, that’s just not how it works.
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If regular season flare and finesse always translated to postseason glory, then the Nationals would have made it past the NLDS in 2012 and 2014. The Capitals would have won the Stanley Cup last season, and Golden State would be celebrating their second straight NBA Championship. I could go on, but you get the point.
The playoffs are all about luck and well-timed winning streaks, which is why it’s important to remember a simple fact: the only way you can succeed in the playoffs is if you make it to the playoffs. That rule is true in every sport, and in baseball it has a meaning that many of those critical fans and pundits forget — a win is a win, no matter how ugly it is or what team it’s against.
For many Nationals fans, last night’s win was disappointing. Their ace, Max Scherzer, was off his game and could’ve easily come away with the loss. The Nationals’ offense scored a whopping eight runs in the fourth inning, and still only managed to win by two runs. They made an error in the field, and their bullpen faltered. For the second game in a row, the Nationals took home a win that, for many, just didn’t feel right.
Oh, and did I mention that both wins were against the Atlanta Braves, the Nationals’ one-time NL East nemesis and the worst team in baseball this season?
Indeed, if you’re one of those purists who demands that the Nationals obliterate every opponent with a powerful offense, elite defense and otherworldly pitching staff on a nightly basis, then last night’s win must’ve been devastating. In fact, since the Nats probably won’t go undefeated the rest of the way, you might as well cash it in for the season and dedicate all of your attention to football, the presidential election, and counting the days until the Nationals’ failed pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training for what promises to be another brutally disappointing season.
For the remaining 99.9 percent of Nationals fans, feel free to enjoy last night’s win just as you’ve enjoyed every other win this season. You wouldn’t know it by the things some fans and pundits say on TV and on social media, but the Nationals are one of the best teams in baseball, and they continue to win even in one of the most grueling stretches of their schedule.
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Last night’s win over the Braves wasn’t pretty, but it was a win nonetheless. The Nationals have had 73 of those so far, and they’re on pace to win 97 games before the season comes to a close. Will they all be pretty? No, but they’ll easily get the Nationals to the postseason. And at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.