NL East standings, after the third home stand

What? A losing home stand? No thank you.

Winning three and losing four isn’t the worst thing, but all three series were disappointing in one way or another. Splitting a two-game series with the Padres was a missed opportunity. Ditto for splitting two-games against the Pirates. And losing two of three against the Orioles? Boooo!

The Friday and Saturday losses to the Os were actually pretty exciting—between the low-scoring, extra innings drama on Friday and the almost-comeback on Saturday—even though the endings weren’t what I had in mind. Thank goodness (!) for Sunday’s 9-3 adventure, including back-to-back home runs by Jesus Flores and the amazing Stephen Strasburg, who now has a .375 batting average (16 at-bats) to go with his NL-leading 64 strikeouts (53 innings pitched).

For me, both the highlight and the lowlight of the home stand was Sandy Leon’s debut against the Padres. I love major league debuts and was so happy for Leon, until I was horrified to see him helped off the field after being run over by Chase Headley at the plate. Please get well soon, Sandy.

Coming up? An important road-trip against three NL East rivals. The Phillies have been playing better, the Braves now lead the Nats by 1.5 games, and the Marlins can be pesky fish.

But I feel good about my team rising to the occasion. Let’s go Nats!

NL East standings, after the third road trip

I’m feeling a little beaten up by that road trip, which is odd, given the Nationals played .500 ball. The team lost one series and won one series, going 1-2 and 2-1 against the Pirates and Reds, respectively. I’d hoped for better.

Wilson Ramos’ torn ACL is part of why I feel beaten up. I hate to see anyone suffer a serious injury, but given Wilson’s off-season ordeal, I have extra empathy knowing he faces surgery and rehabilitation, when he should be playing baseball.

And then there’s last night’s blown save by OMFGHROD, Henry Rodriguez. I know that Henry isn’t the only reason we lost the game, but it’s painful to watch things unravel over 28 excruciating pitches. Two walks and a grand slam by Joey Votto? Why don’t you just stick toothpicks in my eyes?

For the road trip, Henry had two saves and two blown saves. He accomplished Saturday’s 3-out save against the Reds with an impressive 10 pitches, but I still wanted to die the whole time. Please Davey, use Henry in the 7th inning. I’m not sure I can take much more.

Which makes today a perfect day to welcome the team home. Starting with two games each against the Padres and the Pirates, the Nationals have an opportunity to start rolling again before what will no-doubt be an exciting series against the Orioles (22-13). How the heck did they end up leading the AL East?

Let’s go Nats!

NL East standings, after the second home stand

Whew! Did that homestand have enough drama for you? For me the highlight was Bryce Harper, who represented my team well with his play and his maturity. The lowlight was Jayson Werth’s broken wrist, just as Werth was hitting his stride and beginning to win over skeptics. Ugh!

By the end of the weekend, the good guys had won both series (2-1 over the Diamondbacks and 2-1 over the Phillies) and still led the National League East. I was at the ballpark for all of the wins and none of the losses, and I’m starting to wonder if I need to attend every game.

Today, the Nationals begin a six-game trip to play three games each at Pittsburg (12-16) and Cincinnati (15-13). I like our odds to win both series. Let’s go Nats!

NL East standings, after the second road trip

That road trip could have been more fun, but hey, we’re still 14 and 8 and tied for first in the NL East. Our starting pitching is awesome; In two games, Bryce Harper gave the world a glimpse of his ridiculous talent; and Tyler Moore hit the ball in his major-league debut.

Winning the Padres series 2-1 was nice, but it stung to lose all three against the Dodgers. Or maybe more accurately, Saturday’s loss stung because we really should have had that one. And then there’s my effort to organize my life to follow West Coast games and get enough sleep. Score that one #Natsfangirlfail.

With the team back home, let’s win a couple of series over the Diamondbacks and Phillies.

NL East standings, after the first home stand

Tonight the Nationals begin a six-game, West Coast swing, including 3 games each against the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. What do you say we go out and win both series?

Above are the standings for the NL East as of Sunday, after the Nats completed an 8 and 2 home stand, good for 1st place. Three series and three series wins over the Reds (3 wins, 1 loss), Astros (3 wins, 1 loss), and Marlins (2 wins, 0 losses, and one drenching rainstorm), respectively. I like it.

Let’s go Nats!

NL East standings, after the first road trip

Looking good after the first road trip. Two for three and a series win at Chicago? Check. Ditto at New York, with Stephen Strasburg over Johan Santana in game three.

Is it too much to ask for a win today and a dominant home stand? Nah, I didn’t think so.

How about a day without a deflating injury announcement?

Here’s to a terrific home opener and a happy day for everyone in Nats Town!