The Washington Nationals celebrated winning the 2014 National League East at Turner Field, the place where everyone comes to spill champagne. For 2 3/4 seasons, the Nats and Braves had forged something of a rivalry, but an offseason that saw the former lavish $210 million on Max Scherzer and the latter all but forswear winning, at least in the here and now, figured to put an end to the enmity.
Not for the first time, the Nationals entered this season picked to win not just the NL East but everything. Given that some observers slotted the Braves as the 29th-best team the majors, the first for-real meeting of season figured to be a mismatch — have-it-alls versus rebuilders.
Which is why a check of those pesky standings this morning will yield the ol’ orange-juice spit-take. The mighty Nats trail the meek Braves by 3 1/2 games, and it isn’t as if the local nine has gone all Miracle Mets on us. Before winning a spectacularly motley game 8-4 Monday night, the Braves had lost nine of 13 after that 5-0 start and had just returned from an awful road swing.
“We had one error when we left town,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said before the game. “We have 11 now.” (Actually it was 10. But now it’s 12. They made two more Monday. The Nats made four.) The Braves have returned to Earth, but they’ve still been better the Nationals, who were supposed to be the best there is.
Stat corner: The Braves — who traded Jason Heyward, Justin Upton and Evan Gattis — ranked 20th in the majors in runs and batting average as of midday Monday; the Nats ranked 24th in runs and 28th in average. Even with nine errors in their past six games, the Braves had eight fewer for the season than Washington. (By himself, shortstop Ian Desmond has made nine.)
The Nationals arrived having been swept in Miami, where the Braves not so long ago did the sweeping. Ryan Zimmerman, usually the most reliable Nat bat, was hitting .205; Jayson Werth was batting .171; Anthony Rendon, the best all-around National, was in the minor leagues trying to work his way back from a sprained knee. (And not working all that quickly. He was scratched from Monday’s scheduled rehab start due to “fatigue.”)
Matt Williams, who manages the Nats, has grumbled that it was tough to start a season missing his Nos. 1, 2 and 3 hitters — meaning Denard Span, Rendon and Werth — but the first two have returned and Washington still wasn’t scoring. The Nationals managed 10 runs over their losing streak, prompting Williams to move Zimmerman to the second slot in the order, ahead of Werth.
“It’s going to happen,” Williams said Monday, meaning Zimmerman starting to hit. “We know it’s going to happen. It’s the same with Jayson. It’s coming.”
It’s difficult to imagine any scenario in which the Braves remain ahead of the Nationals over 81 games, let alone 162. The Nats look great on paper, but that’s the point: They always look great on paper. They won 98 games in 2012 and 96 last season, but they haven’t yet won a playoff round. Last October they got it all backward: They beat Madison Bumgarner but lost to San Francisco 3-1 in the Division Series.
The longer you actually watch the Nationals, the more you wonder. The growing feeling in baseball circles is that the famous Stephen Strasburg — who has yielded 32 hits this season, tying him for the most among NL pitchers — is a great arm who might never become a great pitcher, and there are those who believe the ballyhooed Bryce Harper is likewise overrated.
“We’re a very aggressive team,” Williams said. “We play the game hard; we run the bases hard … How do we get back to doing what we can do? By being ultra-aggressive and letting it fly.”
Again, the gung-ho Nats have gotten off to a flat start. It wasn’t until after the All-Star break that they passed the Braves last season, and after 20 games this April they trail the first-place Mets by eight. The team to beat has spent these first three mostly getting beaten.
Oh, and there’s this: After shedding Melvin Upton Jr., the Braves’ payroll for 2015 is $81 million. The Nationals’ is roughly twice that. If nothing else, the Braves are the NL East leaders in the clubhouse for savvy shopping.
