The Sunshine Squad 2024

[Natsinpwc]

Of course not... 

Let's see where they are after they play some high level competition other than the Dodgers and Phillies...who they are a combined 3-6 against.

The lineups and management have, at times, been a real head-scratcher...they may have been even be better than they've been thus far with a capable bench boss...

Man. You’re pooping all over the sunshine squad parade.

They’ve been winning because I have not been able to watch much.

[aspenbubba]

did anyone have this team .500 after the 1st weekend in May?

Not only .500 but only five NL teams have a better record

[JCA-CrystalCity]

they've played mostly .500 teams. The only dog was Miami, who we swept. Houston has had a slow start, but I would not call them a dog yet. We went 6-1 against those two teams, to balance out the 3-6 against the Dodgers and Phillies. Other than that, Texas, Cinci, the rest are all around .500. Not a weak one.

Let's see where they are after they play some high level competition other than the Dodgers and Phillies...who they are a combined 3-6 against.

To turn that into a sunshine post, it sounds like you are looking forward to harder tests! that's the Sunshine Attitude!

[Natsinpwc]

Don’t think .500 will last long but would be nice to win at least the next two games. 

[varoadking]

Don’t think .500 will last long but would be nice to win at least the next two games.

Stranger things have happened.  How's that for sunshine?

[GburgNatsFan]

Don’t think .500 will last long but would be nice to win at least the next two games.

The Os are 23-11.  If we hang with them I'd be surprised.

[Natsinpwc]

The Os are 23-11.  If we hang with them I'd be surprised.

Me too.  Also throwing their two best starters.  So asking for divine intervention.

[imref]

7-3 in our last 10 and currently holding the last wildcard spot. Nightmare of a season.

[imref]

Up to 22 thanks to Nick Senzel:

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-power-rankings-for-week-of-may-5

[welch]

If the Nats have been playing .500 baseball and playing well against other .500 teams, then that is great. They are not supposed to win two of three against the best teams, but they did reasonably well against the Dodgers, and took a gain from Bob Short's Texas renegades. They've been doing this with Lane Thomas on the IL, Keibert slowly recovering his strength, Robert Garcia out, and Eddy Rosario on now getting into hitting shape.

Gore, Irvin, and Parker look like useful young starters. Cavalli will return. Rutledge has often looked good. Garcia is hitting right-handers, and CJ looks like the new face of the franchise. Young has been everything the team needs in CF.

In the minors, Wood looks close, and Hassell looks ready for promotion to AAA after being given up for dead...and, yes, I thought last season that he was a no-hoper. Brady House is respectable. Trey Lipscomb might stick as a major leaguer.

This team is enjoyable.

[Slateman]

Of course not... 

Let's see where they are after they play some high level competition other than the Dodgers and Phillies...who they are a combined 3-6 against.

The lineups and management have, at times, been a real head-scratcher...they may have been even be better than they've been thus far with a capable bench boss...

Still havent played the Barves either

Still, some signs of life. It has been somewhat entertaining to watch

[JCA-CrystalCity]

The NL is top heavy. There's more playoff spots than teams that belong with 85 wins.

[welch]

Tom Boswell agrees with me, although he harms his column by taking a paragraph to talk about the Baltimore Orioles. By the way, the LA Dodgers in the 1960s got away with a team of Maury Wills and the Davises, plus some fine pitching. The 1959 White Sox had even less power than the Dodgers, but they had Luis Aparicio and other "Go-Go" players.

I'm sure most have read Boswell, but, for the record: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/05/06/washington-nationals-rebuild/

[Smithian]

As long the Nats keep battling around .500, this is an interest team. Even if they fall and we get to July or August and are rolling out a lineup

C  Ruiz / Adams
1B Meneses
2B Garcia
3B Lipscomb
SS Abrams
OF Young
OF Thomas
OF Wood
DH Senzel?

I would still be genuinely interested in watching that team every night. The 1B/DH hole is glaring, but otherwise I'd enjoy that team.

If they decide to clear out everything at the deadline and then decided to play Ruiz and Adams every day with Millas as third catcher, that would be an even more interesting team. I'd be even more interested if you heard they were having Senzel or Riley Adams taking ground balls at first during pregame.
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[JCA-CrystalCity]

Tom Boswell agrees with me, although he harms his column by taking a paragraph to talk about the Baltimore Orioles. By the way, the LA Dodgers in the 1960s got away with a team of Maury Wills and the Davises, plus some fine pitching. The 1959 White Sox had even less power than the Dodgers, but they had Luis Aparicio and other "Go-Go" players.

I'm sure most have read Boswell, but, for the record: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/05/06/washington-nationals-rebuild/

I thought this was an interesting point about the "softness" of the Nats schedule:

Their two-game series with Baltimore this week concludes 21 straight games against clubs from the 2023 playoffs. They’re 11-8.

Granted, Houston has not played like a playoff team yet this year, and Toronto will have a hard time making it back too, but that's a nice stretch against a set of teams you would not have called "soft" coming into the year.

[Smithian]

WINNING RECORD

[JCA-CrystalCity]

[imref]

12-8 now against 2023 playoff teams in this stretch.

[imref]

9-4 in our last 13

[welch]

Above .500

[JCA-CrystalCity]

OK, so who had the Nats as the team with the second lowest FIP and second highest pitching fWAR one quarter way through the season,  and if you did, did you have Patrick Corbin not missing a turn in the rotation?

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2024&month=0&season1=2024&ind=0&team=0%2Cts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sortcol=18&sortdir=default&pagenum=1

[nobleisthyname]

Rizzo seems to be having the last laugh on the throwing ball four controversy.

[imref]

OK, so who had the Nats as the team with the second lowest FIP and second highest pitching fWAR one quarter way through the season,  and if you did, did you have Patrick Corbin not missing a turn in the rotation?

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2024&month=0&season1=2024&ind=0&team=0%2Cts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sortcol=18&sortdir=default&pagenum=1

Corbin not missing a turn isn't that surprising. He's been a workhorse despite his lack of effectiveness.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Corbin not missing a turn isn't that surprising. He's been a workhorse despite his lack of effectiveness.

yes, but Corbin taking every turn and this staff being 2nd in fWAR seems like an impossible combo. Heck, even if you knocked Corbin out of the equation, second in FIP and fWAR would have seemed impossible at the start of the year.

[Smithian]

I feel vindicated in waving off the Jim Hickey hate