We have the same schedule but we can't crush the bad teams like they do.
Had a 5 game lead not too long ago now down to 2
Since July 23 when the Nationals had a 5 game lead the combined record of the Nats' opponents is 533-625 (.460 winning percentage) while the combined record of the Braves' opponents is 464-596 (.438 winning percentage). Additionally the Braves have only played 2 road games since then while the Nationals have played 6.
As far as the Braves putting away bad teams better let's define a bad team as any team with less than 50 wins at this point.
Braves record against bad teams: 28-10
Nationals record against bad teams: 24-19
So yeah that is definitely true. But it's also irrelevant. By extension you could just as easily ignore those numbers and use these instead.
Braves record against playoff teams (if season ended today): 10-21
Nationals record against playoff teams (if season ended today): 18-12
Those numbers would suggest that the Nats are the far superior team. So yes you can definitely say that the Nats can't put away the easy teams like the Braves can the same way you can say that the Braves can't beat playoff teams like the Nats can. It's a long season and it all comes out in the wash.
