Nationals Win Two Straight Against Giants, Now Tied for Final NL Wild Card Spot
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The Washington Nationals have had a successful six-game road trip.
Not only did they take two out of three against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the desert, but they have turned around and won the first two in their set against the San Francisco Giants to secure their second straight series victory.
However, the story that came out of their 6-3 win on Tuesday night wasn't about their latest fast start to a game in the first inning or another strong pitching performance. It was about the fact that this young group, which was expected to be one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball this year, is now tied for the final NL Wild Card Spot.
Nationals Firmly in the Mix for Playoffs
On June 10, the Nationals have a 35-33 record. They are tied with the Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres for the third Wild Card position. They also are only 1.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies
-- who own the second spot -- and the upstart St. Louis Cardinals -- who lead the NL Wild Card standings.
It's been an impressive run for Washington to begin the season, and despite many people around the baseball world expecting them to slow down after their red-hot start, this team that is led by a first-year manager and up-and-coming stars continues to impress.
There's a good chance the Nationals stay in the playoff hunt throughout the summer, too. They have the best run differential out of any current NL Wild Card team right now at plus-eight, as the Cardinals are plus-five in that metric, while the trio of the Phillies, Diamondbacks and Padres are minus-17, minus-14 and minus-16, respectively.
In addition to that, only the Pittsburgh Pirates -- which are a half-game behind Washington in the standings -- have a better run differential than the Nationals right now. That's impressive considering how poor Washington's pitching staff was to start the season. But now that they've settled in, even more improvement in run differential could be coming.
Nationals Have Challenging Upcoming Schedule
Based on their upcoming schedule, it won't be easy for the Nationals to remain a Wild Card team. This is where they'll truly show if they are going to remain in the race for a playoff spot for the rest of the year or not, as they will have a challenging stretch after they leave San Francisco.
At home, they'll face a surging Seattle Mariners team that is now first in their division. Then, they'll welcome in the Kansas City Royals before travelling to face the Tampa Bay Rays on the road. Washington will then turn around and host the Philadelphia Phillies for a crucial four-game set before they hit the road for three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox to close out the month of June.
On paper, at the time of writing, Nationals are scheduled to face two first-place teams and three with a winning record. However, they'll also face two last-place teams and three with a losing record, although the Royals, Orioles and Red Sox can all make things difficult based on the talent they have on their rosters.
Because of that, Washington's upcoming stretch will be a good test for them. And if they come out of it still in the playoff picture, then they'll have some interesting decisions to make ahead of the trade deadline.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai