Some Nationals notes for Sunday brunch

The magic number for the Nationals to clinch their second National League East title in three seasons sits at six entering today's finale of a four-game series with the Mets at Citi Field. It would be nice if they could clinch at home - remember the raucous celebration in 2012? - but it's looking more and more like you'll need to make plane and hotel reservations for either Atlanta or Miami in order to take part in the festivities.

If you're thinking it'll happen at Turner Field, be warned: The Falcons host the Buccaneers on Thursday in Atlanta and some hotels are requiring a two-night minimum and jacking up their rates for Wednesday, the night of the Nats-Braves series finale.

ESPN writer/broadcaster Buster Olney tweeted his top 10 rankings for the major leagues this morning, and they'll make Nats fans happy. Olney has the Nats ranked at No. 2, behind the Angels and ahead of the Orioles (yes, it's perfectly acceptable to be rooting for a World Series featuring the teams at opposite ends of the Gladys Noon Spellman Parkway, otherwise known as the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, gool ol' Route 295).

Olney's full rankings for baseball's top 10 teams: Angels, Nationals, Orioles, Cardinals, Dodgers, Giants, Tigers, Royals, Pirates, Mariners. That's an even split between National League and American League teams. Remember, by virtue of its victory in the All-Star Game in Minneapolis in July, the AL has home field advantage in the Fall Classic.

Right-hander Rafael Soriano got another shot in a low-leverage situation last night, pitching a clean seventh inning. He got Dilson Herrera to foul out, fanned pinch-hitter Kirk Nieuwenhuis to fan swinging and induced a ground ball to second off the bat of Eric Young Jr. That's two straight scoreless outings for Soriano, though his eighth inning Wednesday featured two hits allowed.

MASN analyst F.P. Santangelo correctly pointed out that Soriano was much more deliberate to the plate last night. When he was struggling en route to being removed as the team's closer, Soriano seemed to be rushing and paying the price for it. The mechanical flaws that caused him to fly open probably aren't related to his pitching pace, but a 1-2-3 inning from Soriano is a welcome development.

So is a little more bite on Soriano's slider, his go-to pitch when he wants to get a batter to swing and miss. When he was getting hit around while blowing consecutive saves earlier this month, Soriano was elevating pitches. When guys throw high in the zone, they pay the price. Seeing Soriano getting his slider back is also good news.

Does this mean Soriano has earned the right to try a ninth inning? Probably not - at least not until the Nats clinch the division and the games mean a little less. Even then, Matt Williams' team is still battling for the best record in the NL - they currently have 84 wins, tied with the Dodgers for the most in the league, with the Cardinals (82) close behind. While Williams might want to restore his former closer's confidence, there's just too much at stake right now.

But it's not a stretch to think Soriano could work out his kinks and become a valuable set-up man for the last of the stretch run. It's a role he's mastered in the past and having Soriano's nasty slider and veteran guile at his disposal would be a plus. Some combination of Soriano, lefty Matt Thornton and righty Tyler Clippard could get through the seventh and eighth innings, leaving the ninth for right-hander Drew Storen.

There are two weeks left in the regular season, and that doesn't seem like much. But in baseball, a fortnight is an eternity. A resurgence from Soriano gives Williams more opportunities to mix and match late in games, and gives opposing managers a lot more to think about.