Nationals deflect clinching queries, continue to focus on next game

It is a question that Nationals players and their manager have deflected for what seems like an entire six-game homestand.

Do the Nationals feel like they're close to clinching the National League East?

Manager Matt Williams has repeated the mantra, whether his team wins or loses, of "one game at a time." His players have followed suit. Whether they are winning two in a row to take a series from the Braves or falling 6-2 in the finale, the company line has been don't get too high or too low after each game.

It has worked.

The Nationals are 20 games above .500 as they embark on their final long road trip of the regular season, an 11-game trek. With stops in New York, Atlanta and Miami, the Nationals will not be home again to play baseball at Nationals Park until Sept. 23.

They still have a robust eight-game lead in the NL East. Their magic number is 10 to clinch the division with 18 games remaining.

But the Nationals have done well this season, not only because of their obvious pitching, hitting and defensive skills, but also because they have never looked too far ahead.

There is a game tonight. And that is the only focus.

"You got to go in and win ball games," left fielder Bryce Harper said. "If you don't win ballgames, something could happen. If you win ballgames, then what you want to happen happens. But we got to go in there (to the next) series trying to win the series."

Clinching is nice, of course, and the Nats want it to happen. But they are not hoping it happens before they go out and just play a baseball game. Center fielder Denard Span said you can't let yourself think about it.

"Not really. We are still just taking one game at a time," Span said. "If it happens there, if it happens before, if it happens after, as long as it happens, it really doesn't matter where. Whether it's in Atlanta or if it's Miami or whatever."

Harper knows what lies ahead on the 10-game road trip that starts tonight at Citi Field.

"We got the Mets coming up," Harper said. "We got four good pitchers, we got Bartolo (Colon), (Dillon) Gee, (Zack) Wheeler and (Jonathon) Niese. I mean, those are four guys that are pretty dang good. Going into the Braves also and Miami. Miami is tough.

"I don't think everybody (realizes) how good of an organization they are and how a team they are. I think we got some work ahead of us and hopefully we can win some ball games."

The Nationals are well aware of the obstacles ahead, yet they also have confidence they can get the job done. It seems all this season they have done a good job of relaxing on the road and going out and playing baseball. They have had big series wins in San Francisco, Seattle, Milwaukee and Los Angeles on the road. They can do it again starting tonight.