The Washington Nationals clinched their third NL East title in the past five seasons with a 6-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
What a difference a year makes? At this time last year, Jonathan Papelbon had his hands on Bryce Harper's throat in the dugout unbeknownst to manager Matt Williams.
This year Dusty Baker has restored order. Although Harper has had a sub-par season, former Met Daniel Murphy has had an MVP type of year (notwithstanding his current pain in the ass). Max Scherzer has had another Cy Young quality year although Stephen Strasburg is currently on the shelf. Ex-Pirate Mark Melancon is now closing games in D.C. while Papelbon got a one way ticket to Palookaville. Like the Texas Rangers, the Nats went into first place on May 29th and never looked back.
With the NL Central & NL East clinched all that remains to be determined is the NL West and the two NL Wild Card spots. The Los Angeles Dodgers' magic number is one. They could win the NL West tomorrow. If they beat the Rockies it would be fitting as it is Vin Scully's final game in Dodger Stadium.
Three teams have a chance at the two NL Wild card spots. The New York Mets have the first Wild Card berth while the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals are tied for the second NL Wild Card berth. That race probably won't be determined until October.
As for the Nats, they were unable to advance beyond the NLDS in both 2012 and 2014. The Nats will most likely face the Dodgers in the NLDS. In which case, I have a feeling they will face the same fate again.
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