Nats need to start closing gap within division

PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals have made progress this year, no doubt.

For the most part, the young pitching staff has made strides. CJ Abrams was an All-Star. Jacob Young is the favorite to win the National League Gold Glove Award in center field. Luis García Jr. and Keibert Ruiz are having strong second halves. And a crop of newly acquired young talent is getting their shot at the major league level.

Plus, the Nats now boast a top-five farm system, per Baseball America, that has depth at the lower levels of the minor leagues and top prospects nearing their big league debuts.

But although they were on pace to eclipse their 71 wins from last year for much of this season, after last night’s brutal 13-3 loss to the Phillies they have the same record after 122 games as they had in 2023: 55-67.

And last night’s loss underscored the next step the Nats need to take to get where they want to be.

“We gotta start playing better in our division,” manager Davey Martinez said after last night’s loss. “Our division is tough. It really is. A lot of good players on each team. We just got to understand who we are.”

Splitting a two-game series – and therefore the season series – with the Orioles this week was a major improvement. Last year, the Nats were swept in all four games by the O’s and outscored 11-1. This year, the Nats actually outscored the Birds 19-14.

They still haven’t won a season series against Baltimore since 2018, but it was their first season split since 2021. And of course, now the Orioles are one of the best teams in baseball. After securing the second-best record in the majors last year, they’re on track again to be a top playoff contender in October.

Now the Nats also need to improve within their own division. Since 2020, the Nats only have a .359 winning percentage against National League East rivals. That is in large part due to their abysmal 17-59 record in 2022. And the schedule formatting changes from the past couple of years – with less division games – has played a role.

So far this year, the Nats are an even 16-16 in the NL East. But that is inflated by a 7-0 record against the Marlins, meaning they have a .360 winning percentage against the Braves, Mets and Phillies. And even that is helped by a 6-2 record against a Braves team that is abnormally struggling. So they are 3-14 against New York and Philadelphia while being more than doubled up on the scoreboard 107-53.

While the Marlins are entering a full rebuilding mode, the Braves and Phillies are set up to be contenders for years to come. And the Mets, who announced they were undergoing their own rebuild last year, are seemingly way ahead of schedule as they sit only two games out of a Wild Card berth. Not to mention, New York has an owner willing to spend on the roster.

Starting tonight, the Nats have 20 games left against NL East rivals. Doing well in those matchups would help get them back on track to surpass 71 wins this year while also sending a message to the division that they’re ready to compete again.

They can start by putting last night’s loss behind them and pushing the Phillies back.

“My thing is, as I always tell them, just limit the mistakes,” Martinez said Thursday night. “Play hard for 27 outs and let's see what happens at the end. And I know we can do that. These guys do play hard. Like I said, today was a tough one, but let's come back tomorrow and play the way we're capable of playing.”