Washington Nationals: 2017 Schedule Shows Roadmap To Playoffs
By Ron Juckett
For those of you already looking forward to next year, the Washington Nationals released their 2017 schedule. Miami and Pittsburgh bookmark the season.
The Washington Nationals will start the 2017 season at home against the Miami Marlins on April 3 and end at Nationals Park October 1 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Between those days will be 162 games and another marathon season for the Washington Nationals.
The road portion of 2017 starts Friday, April 7 as the Nats travel to Philadelphia for the Phillies home opener. The first game for Washington in Atlanta’s new Sun Life Stadium comes on April 18 and the first Citi Field sighting starts that weekend on April 21. New York returns the favor the weekend of April 29.
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Baltimore’s annual home-and-home starts at Camden Yards May 8 and concludes at home starting May 10. Other interleague goodies include three at home against the Seattle Mariners May 23-25 and three at Oakland June 2-4 as part of a nine-game west coast swing. In a clash of the old Senators and Nationals, the Texas Rangers come calling the weekend of June 9-11. A trip to Houston will be at the end of another west coast trip Aug 22-24.
The Los Angeles Angels have the swing interleague trip, playing in Anaheim July 18-19 and at Nationals Park August 15-16.
Washington makes three west coast swings between May and the end of August. The longest home stand is in September. In those 10 games, the Washington Nationals host the Phillies, Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The last nine road games, between September 19-27 are all against the National League East. Starting in Atlanta, the Nats go to New York then Philadelphia to close their divisional season. The Mets last series in DC is the weekend of August 25. Miami says goodbye to DC the 28th through the 30th of August with the Phillies and Braves playing on the last big home stand
This puts a lot of pressure on the Nationals starting in mid-August to lock down the division. That last road trip looks brutal, especially with the Mets sandwiched in on a weekend. Before the All-Star break looks tough with the Mets in for three and the Braves for a four-game series to close the first half. Washington has a nine-game trip on the road after, but Cincinnati, the Angels and the Arizona Diamondbacks are easier on paper to beat.
If you are wondering about the Chicago Cubs, Washington hosts four between June 26-30 and visits Wrigley the weekend of August 4-6.
It will be an exciting year.