Is it Time to Panic for the Nats?

After getting swept by the Cardinals this afternoon, is it time to panic for the Washington Nationals? Granted it is still only April, but the defending NL East champions only scored four runs in the three game home series. Here are some quick stats and trends that need to change if DC is going to live up to this year’s lofty expectations: 

• They have lost four straight and have gone 3-9 in the past 12
• They are 8-1 against the Marlins and White Sox (who are a combined 12-28), but 2-10 against the rest of the league
• They are below .500 now, which they avoided all last season
• They are already 5 games back of Atlanta and New York in the division
• They are 23^rd in the MLB in batting average, 20^th in runs, and 22^nd in on base % (after being 9th, 10^th, 12^th last year)
• They are 17^th in era, 21^st in opponent batting average, and 13^th in quality starts (2^nd, 2^nd, 5^th last year)
• They are worst in the league in errors and second to last in fielding % (8^th and 8^th last year)
• Meanwhile only Bryce Harper, the 20 year old, has produced at the plate, leading the team in average, hits, home runs, RBI’s, and total bases
• On the mound, Stephen Strasburg is 1-4 and Gio Gonzalez has a 5.85 era in four starts

On the bright side, if the Caps have taught us anything, it is that DC teams can recover from a rough start. 

UVa Spring Sports Update

Now that the college basketball season is complete, college spring sports come to the forefront. Luckily two of UVa’s programs are in the midst of amazing seasons.

The men’s tennis is team is ranked #1 and is still undefeated at 17-0. The Cavaliers have won 99 consecutive ACC matchups and are 114-4 in the past 4 seasons. Unfortunately, three of those losses are to USC in the NCAA playoffs, but maybe this is the Hoos’ year since they defeated the Trojans in the indoor tournament in February.

Meanwhile, Virginia’s baseball team is currently ranked #4 in the nation and has a record of 30-3. The Cavaliers have won all of their series's on the season and are #5 in the country in runs, #13 in ERA and #20 in batting average. We will see how this young team fares against #19 GT,  #6 FSU, and #1 UNC later in the season.

I hope these incredible seasons continue into a successful playoff run in the summer.

Shhhh, The Caps Are Back

After starting 2-8-1, the Capitals have quietly surged back into first place in the division and the playoff hunt. Washington has won five straight and 9 of 11 to climb to atop of the Southeast Division and the #3 seed. It also helps that the three worst teams in the conference are in the division and the Caps would be the 7th seed overall in the playoffs or 8th in the Western conference.

The key to the resurgence has been Alex Ovechkin’s return to MVP form as well. The team captain and leader has scored eight goals in the past five games and is tied for the lead for goals in the NHL. After only scoring two goals in his first ten games, the Great 8 has 20 points in the past 11 games.

Overall the team has turned things around from the beginning of the year. Earlier they were only scoring 2.3 goals a game, now they are putting it in the net 3.7 times, and instead of giving up 3.6 goals a game, the keepers are down to 2.2 a game.  The goalies have improved their save percentage from 88% to 92% and the defense has limited their penalties to 2.3 a game, down from 4.7 earlier.

Maybe the team has finally bought into new coach Adam Oates’s system and these playoffs will be better than the bitter disappointments in previous years.  We shall see…