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It’s gut check time for the Washington Nationals more so then ever before. After being blanked by the Miami Marlins 5-0, the Nationals fell below .500 once again and now trail both the National League East division leader, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the second NL wild card spot by six games. This is hardly what many expected out of the preseason favorites to win their division and possibly represent the NL in the World Series.
Outfielder Adam Eaton appeared to vent his frustrations about his team’s struggles after splitting a four-game series with the hapless Marlins.
“We shouldn’t have one hit going into the ninth inning against that team,” Eaton said per Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. “That’s no offense to them. I just think with the quality of hitters that we have in this lineup and the way we go about our business. We need a sense of urgency. It’s gotta be now.”
After outscoring the Marlins 19-4 in the first two games of the series, the Nationals struggled to get hits and runs, producing just one run in the last two games, both losses. According to a Ken Rosenthal report, the Nationals’ mindset of dealing with a roster with a bloated payroll for the remainder of the season rested on the outcome of the four-game set in Miami as ownership has pressed general manager Mike Rizzo to sell ahead of Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline.
It’s unclear what will happen, as the nature of selling during this time of year goes against Rizzo’s approach in years past. However, the Nationals may not have endured such a season like this year after winning the NL East four of the last six years. The season has been somewhat of a disaster riddled with injuries and inconsistent play on offense and pitching — starters and relievers.
Regardless of what the team does over the next two days with their roster, being six games out of the postseason with two months to go does not close the door on the season as it’s plenty of time to make a push. It’s a push that needs to happen now starting with Tuesday’s game against the New York Mets. It’s a sentiment that Eaton stressed in his postseason rant.
“Every single series from here on out should be a playoff series where we’ve got to win it,” Eaton stated per Mark Zuckerman of MASN. “We’ve got to win every series. It’s gotta happen now. It can’t happen next week. It can’t happen the week after. It’s got to happen now.”
The Nationals have 57 games remaining on the season with nine games against the division-leading Phillies. There’s still a chance, but time is definitely running out on them.
