We’re a couple weeks after the All Star Game, which means we’re well past the midway point and talking about playoffs is becoming more and more realistic. The Nationals are (currently) in a comfortable five to six game lead of their division, and barring any cataclysmic meltdown even worse than last year’s, the Nationals will probably be in the playoffs, representing the National League East. Dusty Baker has done a fantastic job of putting the right players in the right places for pretty much all of the season, trying to make sure that guys are always healthy and giving everyone (even face of the franchise Bryce Harper) a day off if they need it.

Although, it certainly doesn’t feel like the team is doing all that well, especially for Nats fans recently. Late game losses and infrequent and lackluster offensive production all around have made for a seemingly long and grueling first half of the season.

Here I will address some of the issues that the Nats are facing right and my thoughts and possible solutions for them:

Papelbon

For Nats fans, I don’t really need to say much else other than his name, and they already groan in frustration. Since July 22, just two weeks ago, Papelbon has played in five games. His cumulative stats for those games are: three innings pitched (essentially nine outs thrown), eight hits, eight runs, five walks, facing 23 batters with only three strikeouts thrown in that whole time, leaving his current ERA at 4.41, which would be bad for a starting pitcher, but is even more awful for a closer.

He was responsible for one win and two losses, bringing his record to 2-4, and the teams record during that time has been 2-3, which includes the major dismantlement against the San Diego Padres when the Nats pitching staff gave up six runs in the last two innings, four of which came from Papelbon pitches.

It’s frustrating when lots of Nats fans wanted this guy gone during the offseason, but front office and coaching staff members, who have invested money and time into him, wanted to keep him around because he is a respected closing pitcher. Now, though, he is a poisonous player who isn’t performing; what is the point of him keeping around?

Obviously, this is the biggest issue that everyone is talking about, and the Nats need a solid bullpen to back up their pretty great starting pitching lineup. Koda Glover has had very limited experience but has shown much promise. Other relief pitchers, like Yusmeiro Petit and Oliver Perez, have played magnificently through much of the season. I understand the title of ‘closer’ is a big deal and the pressure is on in the ninth inning, but with how shaky the pitching has been, is it crazy to just try out some of these other pitchers and keep a rotation on closer?

The Nats have traded for Mark Melancon now, giving up Felipe Rivero, who had definite ups and downs during his tenure with Washington, so we fans will have to wait and see if this new closer works out and officially closes the book on Papelbon.

Harper, eat a Snickers

Not a huge point, because the team has been playing pretty well around him, but Harper has not been playing like an MVP. So far in July, he has 15 hits on 88 at bats ( .170 average) with only four home runs, but also 15 walks. He has not been able to hit as well as he could last year, for whatever reason, whether it being the immense amount of walks he received earlier in the season or possibly something changing in his hitting style. Leading the league in walks probably has something to do with it, and he has admittedly learned to judge pitches better sometimes, but he takes bad pitches and hits more flyouts than actual base hits, which only adds to the frustration.

Last year, there were a lot of games that Harper put the team on his back and won with his hitting alone, which is why he was voted MVP, even though his team didn’t make the playoffs. This year, the team (especially players like Daniel Murphy and Wilson Ramos, who are leading first and second place respectively in the National League in batting average) are all playing much better and he doesn’t need to be Superman every game.

Basically: chill, Harper, and make baseball fun again.

Ben Revere or Trea Turner?

This is a little more clear cut. Revere, who is an outstanding outfielder and base runner, has struggled since being injured in the first game to keep up offensively with the rest of the team. It wasn’t until mid-May that he was even batting over .200. He was on an incline going through June and July, peaking at almost .215, but has been on a decline, only having 16 hits on 87 at bats since July started, a .184 calculated average (although ESPN has him at around .208, but maybe I just don't understand baseball math), which, regardless, is not really great.

Trea Turner, on the other hand, has caught fire recently, as he’s spot started for injured players in the infield and the outfield, and has 16 hits in 57 at bats in only 13 games in July, an average of .281, which is a much better average. He also is statistically more likely to hit for extra bases than Revere (Six of the 19 hits for Turner, 12 of the 55 hits for Revere), although that has more to do with Turner's speed, since he has yet to hit a home run. Turner is easily the fastest runner on the team, and is currently seven for seven on stealing bases.

He’s a young player and has some grooming to do in his defensive playing, but once he figures it out, Turner could very easily be one the best hitters on the team, behind only Daniel Murphy and Wilson Ramos currently, although Turner has about an eighth of the at bats that either of them have had. It is possible he will cool down once he becomes a true starter, if the team ends up using him regularly.

The team (and a lot of fans) had hoped Michael A. Taylor could use some of the magic he had last season when they needed him to start in place of Revere or Werth, but he, unfortunately, struggled with inconsistent starts, only having three hits (one of which was a home run, admittedly) on 24 at bats through his last eight games all across July, at .125 average, which is not a very good average (and that’s my researched opinion.)

Honestly, I know the team spent money on Ben Revere, and I’m sure he’s a really nice guy who does play defensive baseball really well, but you gotta go with the hot hand, and that’s Turner. If this were an American League team, this would be so much easier. You could make Revere the outfielder and make Turner the designated hitter, and that would solve all of the problems. Unfortunately, the world can’t be perfect. I like Revere, but Turner is better for this team right now.

The Strange World of the Trading Deadline

August 1 is the Trading Deadline, so this is probably moot by the time you’re reading this, but maybe the Nats will dip into the trading pool, as some writers are predicting. The Nats do need pitchers, as their bullpen has been inconsistent at best, but what would happen if they took a high profile outfielder like Jay Bruce and added him to their lineup? Could that be the kind of player they need to make it to and through the playoffs? The team has already traded relief pitcher Felipe Rivero, so it's obvious that general manager Mike Rizzo is willing to dip into that pool again, as he has in years before.

I guess we’ll see. Well, you’ll know, in the future, which is the present for you, but the future for me. I’m in the past, because, well, time is relative and weird. Wait, I thought I was writing about baseball.

Anyway, in conclusion, the Nationals are looking better as a team this year than last year, but I don’t wanna say for certain that they’ll make it to playoffs just yet. There’s still a lot of baseball left to play, and after last year, and also how some of these games have gone, I won’t assume anything, but everything I’ve seen from the Nationals shows me the potentials for a run in October is definitely possible.

"Das Jus Me Doe" - the1janitor

What do you think? Will the Nationals make the playoffs? Who do you think they should sign?

Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!