Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
In their series sweep, the Washington Nationals outscored the Philadelphia Phillies 23-7 and seemed to dominate them in every phase of the game, even overcoming early deficits to win games during the series.
Washington, for much of the season, was dead in the water if they fell behind at all, whether it was one run or seven runs, so for them to come back Saturday from a 4-0 deficit was a downright miracle. Washington even gave Stephen Strasburg some run support for once and won Sunday 6-0 in what was Strasburg’s first career complete game shutout, which only took him 99 pitches.
So, what did that sweep mean?
Well, as far as the standings go, not a whole lot. Washington is still 14.5 games back in the NL East, three games under .500 and eight games back in the Wild Card race, meaning they made up a combined 1.5 games in the playoff chase. That is pretty sad seeing how dominant Washington looked with their number four and five starters in the first two games of the series.
Washington begins a three game set tomorrow with the San Francisco Giants, who have been having struggles of their own. San Francisco sits at 52-65, dead last in their own division, and have been getting the same production out of key players Washington has. This is a series that could be winnable, putting Washington in a position to put together a sizable winning streak, and could key a late season turnaround.
Things seem to be falling into place for the Nationals as they will close out the week with another three game set with the Atlanta Braves. With a strong showing against the Giants, Washington could be primed for one of the most miraculous turnarounds in recent memory, if not baseball history.
