Washington Nationals: Five Reasons They Win The NLDS
By Ron Juckett
Nervous about the Washington Nationals chances against the Los Angeles Dodgers? Don’t be. Here is why they will win the NLCS.
The time has come and the Washington Nationals are ready to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Divisional Series.
What could go wrong? Well, we already covered that.
The better question is why should we be optimistic? The answers are many.
Washington finished 2016 with a 95-win season and an eight-game margin over the New York Mets in the NL East. They feature 20-game winner Max Scherzer on the mound and a solid lineup from top to bottom. Their 73 errors committed were second-best in the NL while Washington’s .988 fielding percentage is tops.
Teams that do not beat themselves win. The Nationals fit that category.
Yes, you should feel optimistic about the series ahead. They avoided the crazy Wild Card Game and secured home field for the NLDS. Outside of the red-hot Chicago Cubs, the Nationals in 2016 did everything they had to do.
Yet the team, since moving from Montreal in 2005, has yet to win a playoff series. The last time the franchise advanced at all was in 1981. In that strike-shortened season, the Expos defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the first NLDS in five games.
With three divisional titles in five years, this is the year the Nats should advance again. Playoffs are a nervous time and weaknesses get exposed. Nerves fray and the Washington Redskins are in full swing.
Time to fully sink into the National Football League, right?
Wrong. This team is different. Here are the top five reasons this is the season the Nationals win the NLDS.