As the calendar turns into June, and we get into the true dog days of summer, it's the question that everyone is asking themselves. After an unexpected playoff run in 2012, did we all overestimate the capabilities of this Washington Nationals club?
It's a fair question. The Nationals were not expected to contend last year. They were expected to need another year or two for some of their young guys to completely develop and for their roster as a whole to come together. It happened a year early, which prompted some pretty lofty expectations for the club out of our Nation's Capitol. But through the first couple of months of the regular season, the results haven't been pretty.
The Nats currently sit in second place in the National League East, behind the Atlanta Braves. Nothing about that alone is surprising, given that these were the two squads that were expected to be duking it out for the division crown. But the fact that the Nationals currently sit seven games behind the Braves in the division, as well as the fact that they're a game under .500 is something that no one saw coming.
When you look at the numbers, particularly on offense, it's not difficult to see why this Nats club is currently scuffling. They're third from the bottom in team batting average. In fact, their OPS as a team is just .658. That's tied for second-worst in the league, though far ahead of the last place Miami Marlins. They just haven't been able to get it done at the plate. Not that it's completely they're fault. You also have to factor health into the equation (more on that in a moment).
On the mound, it's a different story entirely. The arms for the Nats have produced about as expected. They're sixth in the league in team ERA, and the starting pitching as a group has been very good overall. But again, it's a matter of health. And this team just doesn't have it right now, with Stephen Strasburg's status a bit cloudy, as he's just hoping to avoid the disabled list because of a lat strain.
It's that health factor that has kept the Nationals down. It seems like every time they get something going, someone goes down and they're unable to string together a few consecutive wins. Bryce Harper is likely headed for the DL soon. Danny Espinosa is playing through some wrist issues that could require surgery. Jayson Werth has only played in 27 games. Ryan Zimmerman spent some time on the DL earlier this year with a thigh injury.
The bottom line is that this team simply is not healthy. They've had injuries to key players, particularly in the field. Perhaps once they get everyone back in the lineup, we can see what this team is truly made of. But by the time that happens, it might have to be the wild card for the Nationals.
