If the Washington Nationals intend to be serious contenders for the National League pennant, they will first need to conquer their demons -- the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Its been a rough season so far against these top contenders, with the Nationals dropping 10 of the first 13 meetings (a .231 winning percentage) after suffering a three game sweep in St. Louis this weekend.
.jpg) |
| Adam LaRoche and the Nationals continue to be frustrated by the Brave and Cardinals. |
But this is just the continuation of a disturbing trend. Last year, the Nationals barely won 30% of their games against playoff-bound teams, while taking care of their remaining weaker opponents at a better than .600 winning rate.
Though currently tied with Atlanta atop the National League East, the Braves are actually one game under .500 when you omit their six games against the Nats. By contrast, the Nationals have 32 wins and only 23 losses when playing teams other than the Braves and the Cardinals (a 58.3% winning percentage).
Unfortunately for the Nats, if they are able to make the playoffs in 2014, it won't be the Mets, Phillies, Marlins, or Rangers taking the field against them (against whom they have won 16 times in 23 starts through mid-June). It will likely be the Braves or the Cardinals in the opposing dugout. And the Nationals have yet prove they are capable of handling this higher-caliber of competition.
The Nationals will get the another chance to overcome a nemesis next weekend, when the Braves come to town for a four game series. It can't go much worse than their lost weekend in St. Louis.
No comments:
Post a Comment