After winning two hard fought series against National League heavyweights, the Nats need to beat up on the featherweights
Over the past week, the Nationals have won series against the National League’s last two World Series representatives. They took two out of three from the D-Backs before coming oh so close to sweeping the defending champion Dodgers.
However, this upcoming road trip might be even more important to the Nats season. They are facing arguably the three worst teams in the NL in the Marlins, Pirates, and Rockies. This will be a perfect chance for the Nats to get their record above .500 when they come home again.
The Nationals went 18-8 against these three teams last season, and they will look for similar success this time around. An easy way to become a .500 team is to beat up on the minnows and hold your own against the big boys. The Nats have shown this past week that they can hold their own with the big boys, now it is time to beat up on some minnows.
There will be some challenges though. It is going to be a taxing road trip for the bullpen. The Nats next day off is not until April 21st, so Davey will have to be careful with his relievers. It is also on the road, which makes life more difficult. In the Nats only road series of the season, they got swept by the Blue Jays.
The trip to Coors Field is also never easy, especially early in the year. It is a unique environment that poses new challenges to pitchers. The weather can also be very cold in Colorado this time of year.
However, the Nats need to go above .500 in this 10 game stretch, ideally winning seven or more games. After a 1-6 start, the Nats have battled back to 5-7 while facing some tough teams. It would be a big blow if they can’t take advantage of the soft schedule.
This is the Nationals chance to show that this year is different and that they can really push for .500 in 2025. Beating up on teams like the Marlins and Rockies is just as important in a pursuit of a good season as battling hard against the Dodgers.
For me, I would love a sweep against the Marlins in particular. They are a divisional foe and the Nats have arguably their three best starters in Mitchell Parker, Trevor Williams, and MacKenzie Gore lined up. A sweep would send a statement to the rest of the division that the Nationals are not messing around.
With bats like CJ Abrams and James Wood red hot right now, I really believe these next 10 games are a golden opportunity. The question is will the Nationals take it, or will they play down to their competition.