Washington Nationals visit Joey Votto and the Reds to begin the year
By Drew Douglas
It required an extra day of waiting, but the Washington Nationals begin the season in Cincinnati today! We have you covered on what to watch for.
After a long, uneventful offseason, the Washington Nationals are finally ready to begin the year. They had to wait a day longer than most teams, due to heavy rain in Cincinnati, but they will begin their season today.
Opening Day is a time of optimism. Every team starts out 0-0, and everyone has a shot to make the postseason.
For Nats fans, the Opening Day optimism comes with lofty expectations. For the rebuilding Reds, on the other hand, Opening Day will be one of the most optimistic days of the year.
Barring anything unexpected, this will be one of the few times that the Nats and Reds have the same record.
The Reds finished 10-19 in Cactus League play, and while spring training stats are irrelevant, this is likely a good representation of what is to come in the regular season. They finished 68-94 last year, good for last in the National League Central.
This is no longer the team that won 90 games in 2013, but better times are on the way. The Nats had their fair share of miserable seasons before becoming a contender.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at what to watch for during the Nats’ opening series in Cincinnati.