The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

Boy, does this Craft Beer of the Week fit with how the Nationals' week went.  Dark.  It is the Van Dammit Belgian Dark Ale from the Jailbreak Brewing Company in Laurel, Maryland, and while the color can be a metaphor for the week that was for the Nationals, the taste is one that will make you feel a little better.  It is a traditional Belgian Ale, with a sweet taste that comes from figs, raisins, plums, and a complex array of malts that gives it a nice clean finish.  Jailbreak says that this is one of their limited release beers, but it is also one that does not take too much looking around to find.  If you are of age, and you are going to continue to follow the Nationals season, the 9.0% ABV may come in handy, but please drink responsibly and try to only imitate the man on the cover in your head as I'm sure Davey Martinez did many times this week as he saw the Nationals season go off the rails.

The Nationals dug themselves into a hole early this past week, as they dropped the first three games against the Cardinals in depressing fashion.  They were walked off for the second straight game on Monday when they scored 2 runs to tie the game in the top of the ninth, only to see Koda Glover give up an HR to the first batter he faced.  Gio gave up 5 runs on Tuesday, 2 of which came on a 2 run HR to the pitcher (John Gant) who had been 0-30 in his career to that point, and Jeremy Hellickson was placed on the DL after spraining his wrist covering a wild pitch on Wednesday.  The end of the week was no better.  The Marlins broke a 12 game road losing streak and won their first series against the Nationals since 2014 after winning in 10 innings on Saturday, and crushing the Nats 12-1 on Sunday.  What is more depressing is that the Braves and Phillies lost on Saturday and Sunday, so the Nats also lost a golden opportunity to gain ground in the NL East, yet the continue to find themselves 7.5 games back of the Braves.  One big part of that has been the futility of the bullpen.

Koda Glover was the king of futility this past week as he twice lost the lead/game immediately after the Nats had tied the game the inning before.  He lost the game on Monday as stated above, and
on Saturday Adam Eaton hit a game tying solo home run in the bottom of the 9th, only to have Glover give up a two out, bases loaded single that drove in two runs in the 10th.  Glover did get a tough save this week, but he cannot give up those kinds of losses right after the Nats' lineup does their job.  Honorable mention for the futility crown go to Sammy Solis, who in his one appearance on Monday gave up 2 hits and 2 runs without registering an out, and to Tommy Milone who made the debacle on Sunday turn into a massacre as he went 4 innings with 6 hits, 4 ER, and he gave up 3 home runs.  All those number contributed to a collective bullpen ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.5 for the week, and with no end to this in sight the Nats' playoff hopes look dismal.

The Nats hitters were not immune to this sucking either, as their golden boy Juan Soto hit .181 this week, as did Trea Turner.  Soto salvaged a .344 OBP for the week with six walks, but the top of the lineup was not very productive with those two leading off.  Matt Adams has also cooled off the past few weeks, as he went 0-9 this week, with five of those at bats coming with runners in scoring position.  In fact, Matt Adams in only 9 for his last 57 at bats for a staggering .157 average.  To be fair, the past three weeks he has been put in mostly as a pinch hitter, but this is a far cry from what he was doing earlier in the summer and the Nats miss that big bat coming off the bench.  It was not all bad this week, however, and the Nats still have some ray of hope that they can get back into the playoff race.

Bryce Harper got his 500th career RBI this past week against the Marlins while hitting .379 (5-6 RISP), 8 RBI, and he had an OPS of 1.05.  Over the last month Harper is hitting .538 (14-26) with runners in scoring position, so do not be surprised if teams begin walking Harper in big siutations, especially teams with payoff aspirations like the Phillies.  Rendon and Eaton also hit over .300 this week, but the silver slugger of the week goes to Matt Wieters. He hit .368 this week with 4 RBI, and he had an OPS of .987.  Wieters is 13 for his last 33 at bats, and he is coming on right when the Nats need another bat to make a run at the NL East.  Max Scherzer also contributed by getting his 16th win this week while scoring 2 runs and hitting a double against the Marlins.  Max is now hitting .296 for the season. Not to be outdone at the plate was Tanner Roark who also scored 2 runs in his outing against the Cardinals while going 2-3 at the plate and getting the only win in the series against the Cards.

It will take a herculean effort from all to make up ground in the NL East, but the Nats will have their chance this week as they open up a three game series with the Phillies today, and follow that up with a three game road trip against the Mets.  Roark is pitching tonight, and Stephen Strasburg is set to make his comeback on Wednesday, so here is hoping the Nats can gain at least two games on the Phillies in the wildcard to start the week, and maybe, just maybe, they can start to gain momentum going into the last 30 games of the season.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

Can You Fig It?  A proper play on words for this week's craft beer as the Nats are rolling on the field, and this beer is made on the remains of a baseball field.  It comes from Peabody Heights Brewery that is located on the site of Old Oriole Park in Baltimore, but do not let that dissuade you from trying this masterpiece of body and flavor.  As the name implies, Can You Fig It is a German-style dark beer with dried figs and caramelized malts added to give it a smooth sweet taste that any beer drinker can enjoy.  It also has a lighter body than you would expect for a dark beer, and with only a 5% ABV this beer should be enjoyed year round even though it is billed as a winter warmer.  If you catch it at your local beer store (or MOM's Grocery) I highly suggest you try it as a nice way to celebrate the Nats' new found winning ways.

Crack open a Can You Fig It for the Nats winning their series against the Reds this past week.  It was the first time the Nats had won a series of three or more games since the July 5th series against the Marlins, and the Nats have now won 8 of their last 11 games.  Hopefully, the Nats will not have to wait another month for their next series win, and if the starting pitching can keep up the pace they set this week that is a definite possibility.

The Nats starters went 4-1 over the past five games, with Tanner Roark leading the way yet again with another 7 inning 1 run performance.  That makes Roark 3-0 over his last three starts going 22 innings and giving up only 2 earned runs.  Not to be outdone this past week was Tommy Milone who also gave up only 1 earned run in 7 innings while striking out 9 and getting his first win in over a year.  Max Scherzer had another 10K performance while driving in an RBI and improving his season batting average to .292, and Jeremy Hellickson gave the Nats 5.2 solid innings that probably could have been a full six if not for opposing teams hitting over .400 against him the third time around the order.  Which brings us to the black sheep of the rotation this week in Gio Gonzalez.  Gio was looking for his first win since May 28th, but alas he now has ten straight starts without a win.  In those starts he is 0-6, the Nats are 3-7, and he has averaged only 5 innings per start with a 6.20 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP.  If this trend continues, and Tommy Milone can give a few more quality starts, do not be surprised if Strasburg takes Gio's spot when he comes back and Milone replaces Gio as the lefty in the starting rotation.  That maybe a little far fetched but Davey Martinez needs to do something about Gio not being able to generate wins when he takes the mound, and maybe a nice little stint in the bullpen will help clear Gio's mind.  Despite Gio's struggles, the Nats starters set the winning pace this week, and the Nats hitters followed.

Bryce Harper continues to lead the Nats hitters as he is hitting .470 over the last five games with an OPS of 1.39.  Maybe the Home Run Derby did have an effect of Harper because since the All-Star Break he is hitting .367 with 14 RBI, 3 HR, and a 1.15 OPS.  The Nats will definitely need those numbers going forward if they want to catch the Phillies. Then again they will also need Juan Soto to get his third straight rookie of the month in August, as he has won that award for both June and July.  They need Trea Turner to continue to be the league leader in stolen bases as he upped that number to 30 this week.  And finally, they need their big guns in Anthony Rendon and Daniel Murphy to continue to produce in the middle of the lineup.  Murhpy  went 5 for 14 (.357) over these last five games, and since July 8 Murphy is hitting .406 with 3 HR and 13 RBI.  Rendon has been the most consistent hitter for the Nats over the course of this summer, and this week was no exception.  While his average was nothing special, Rendon managed to keep his OPS at 0.772 this week with 5 RBI and going 3 for 6 in RISP situations.  Since July 8 Rendon's numbers in those areas are even more impressive with 17 RBI, an .877 OPS, and 8 for 22 (.363) in RISP situations.  Here's hoping the Nats big guns can continue to bring the wood as they face a tough stretch ahead that will define their season.

It will be the battle of the division races this week as the Nats face the Braves for a four game series at home that includes a double header today, and then it is off to Chicago for a three game series with the Cubs.  Both of these teams are in the thick of their division races with the Nats trailing the Braves by 4.5 games for second in the NL East, so grab some Can You Fig Its and settle in for a season defining week of baseball for the Nationals.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

This week's craft beer hails from DuClaw Brewing Company in Baltimore and it is their limited release Incognito Pilsner.  The tag line is "mysteriously familiar" and when you taste it you will know why.  It has that Miller Lite pilsner taste to it with a 5.4% ABV, but with a more bold flavor and crisp finish that makes it perfect for a hot summer day.  It is definitely worth a purchase if you are into subtle differences in beer taste, or if you're looking for an enhanced classic tasting beer at a barbecue that everyone can enjoy.  Incognito is a limited release so get it while you can, but DuClaw has an extensive selection which I highly encourage you to check out if you are over 21 and have the time.  Hopefully you enjoyed some of DuClaw's finest as you watched some mediocre baseball from the Washington Nationals this past week and a half.

Mysteriously familiar was the tagline that could be applied to the Nats' past nine games coming out of the All-Star break.  A split with Atlanta, one win against another division chasing team in Milwaukee, and just when you thought the Nats were going to sweep their old whipping post the Marlins hold the Nats to one run in the last two games of the series to force a split.  Luckily the Phillies and Braves could not get out of second gear either, and the Nats still find themselves only 5.5 games back in the NL East.  It was still disconcerting that the Nats squandered a stout outing from Gio Gonzalez this past Saturday (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER) which has been rare over the past month and a half.  Gio still struggles with WHIP (1.42 since the break) and he issued 9 walks in 12.2 innings of work his last two starts, which indicates that he is asking to get shelled yet again, but here's hoping Gio can get out of jams and produce more one run games.  It was not just Gio that shined in the starting rotation.  Tanner Roark had his two best start of his career throwing 8 scorless innings in a 7-3 win in Miami and only giving up one run in 7 innings in the rout of the Mets last night.  Max Scherzer does what he does best pitching 14 total innings since the All-Star Break and giving up only 2 ER.  The bullpen had a little bit of a post All-Star hangover as they gave up two walk off wins in extra innings and amassed an ERA of 3.90 and a WHIP of 1.44 since the All-Star break.  They were not helped by Hellickson, Strasburg, and Tom Milone combining for only 19.1 innings over 4 starts, but they need to come up big in some of those close games.  But there may be some addition by subtraction as Brandon Kintzler was traded yesterday to the Cubs.  Have an Incognito for him as Rizzo added insult to injury as he alluded to  the idea that Kintzler may not have been the best locker room presence.  There was one person who was not traded yesterday, though, and maybe for good reason.

With all the trade hype surrounding Bryce Harper, the Nats decided to stand pat and ride or die with Harper for the rest of this season.  That may not look so good when taking in Harper's season stats, but a look at his stats since the All-Star break should give Nats fans hope that Harper can lead this team to the playoffs.  Since the All-Star Break Harper is hitting .312 with an OPS of 1.03 (that includes a SLG% of .593), he has 10 RBI (6 of which have come with 2 Outs), and he is 6 for 12 in RISP situations.   Granted it is a small sample size, and last night's offensive explosion enhanced some of those stats a tad, but Harper has come alive since the All-Star Break and he may vindicate Rizzo's choice to keep him on by keeping this kind of pace throughout the rest of the season. It was not just Harper that has turned it up since the All-Star Break.  His other struggling counterpart in Daniel Murphy may be rounding out into form at just the right time as well.  Murphy has a team leading 11 RBI since the break and is hitting .371 with an OPS of 1.10 and is 5 for 10 in RISP situations.  The whole argument was that once the Nats' big guns got going they could start making a run.  It looks as if both Murphy and Harper are doing just that, and it may be rubbing off on the other players.

The Nats have 9 hitters (Turner, Soto, Difo, Zimmerman, Adams, Rendon, Harper, Eaton, and Murphy) who have an OPS of .700 or higher since the break, and 6 of those nine hitters (Turner, Soto, Zimmerman, Rendon, Harper, and Murphy) are all hitting over .300 since the break as well.  The Mets game did buttress those stats somewhat, but the offense the Nats have been searching for this whole season may be arriving when the Nats are really are on their last chance to make it to the playoffs.  There were negatives over these last 10 games such as the mighty Juan Soto only going 1 for 11 in RISP situations, Harper striking out nearly every other time he comes to the plate (15 K's in 40 plate appearances), Daniel Murphy having three errors since the break, Matt Wieters hitting .178 since the break, and Trea Turner joining the "Oh shit, you found THOSE tweets?" club.  But despite all of this the Nats are still alive and it seems like they are coming to life to try and make a run.  With nine games left against the Phillies, and seven against the Braves, they will have more than enough opportunities to get backto the top of the NL East.  Lets just hope these trends since the All-Star Break continue.

It all continues with one more games against the Mets today, and then a four game series with the Reds to finish out the week.  Hopefully, the Nats can keep it going and get even closer to the NL East lead.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

In honor of the MLB All-Star Game and festivities being held in DC this week, SweetDCSports is keeping the Nats Craft Beer of the Week local with this wonderful pick from Denizens Brewing Company in Silver Spring, Maryland.  It is their Macadocious Maibock and it has all you can ask for in a summer beer.  It is hoppy for the IPA lovers out there.  It has malts for those who don't want to have that hoppy aftertaste in their mouths, and it has subtle floral hints with a light body that makes you feel like you are drinking summer in a can.  There is a little something for everyone in this beer, so if your're over 21 please support local breweries and pick up a 6-pack as you try to enjoy watching the Nationals who had a little something for everyone this week as well.

If you wanted to see futility there was certainly enough of that to go around.  The Nats split their four game series with the last place Mets, and during that time they gave the Mets their 7th win in 27 home games and allowed Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler to get his first home win in over a year.  Speaking of pitching, most of the Nats starting pitching had a rough week.  The quintet of Scherzer, Gio, Roark, Rodriguez, and newcomer Austin Voth combined for one win, four losses, 24.1 innings, and a 8.14 ERA.  To be fair, Scherzer got the lone win and his 11th hit of the season (tied for first among pitchers), Gio lost a 2-0 decision, Roark hit the first triple by a Nats pitcher since 2007, and 13 of the 22 runs given up were from Rodriguez and Voth, but there needs to be more consistency within the rotation if the Nats intend to make up ground on their new NL East overlords to the north.  The Nats hitters had their own problems, as the Nats saw the return of Matt Wieters this week only to have him reaffirm that the catcher position will be a perpetual black hole this year as he was 2 for 18 with a .150 OBP.  Not be outdone was Trea Turner, who had to face a little bit of regression to the mean this week as he he was only 3 for 26 with an OBP of .178 and an OPS of .331. Those are not the numbers of a lead off hitter, but Turner's OBP each of the last four weeks was over .300, and two of those weeks it was over .400.  Let's just hope this is the universe playing cooler to Trea Turner and he can get back on track after the All-Star break.  It was not all bad news, though, as Nats fans who are fond of relief pitching, dominant starts from pitchers returning from the DL, OPS, and Daniel Murphy were treated this week.

The Nats bullpen has been much maligned since the beginning of June, but this week saw a reversal of fortune.  The Nats bullpen threw 20.2 innings and only gave up 2 earned runs while incurring no losses. Special nods go out to Ryan Madson, who in his three appearances gave up only one hit, one walk, and got the Nats' only save this week, and to Shawn Kelley who had his third straight week of shut out relief.  Kelley has only allowed 3 earned runs in his last 18 innings, and his ERA has dropped from 4.4 in the beginning of June to 2.54.  The Nats also had a pitching bright spot in Jeremy Hellickson.  Hellickson redeemed himself from his 4 inning nightmare last week to give up only 1 run in 2 games and get two of the Nats 3 wins this week.  Have a Maibock in hopes that Hellickson can lock down his starting position as Strasburg continues to rehab. The Nats hitting also had their bright spots as three Nats had an OPS over 1.0 this week.  Anthony Rendon (1.07 OPS), Adam Eaton (1.04 OPS), and Daniel Murphy (1.29 OPS) combined for 11 RBI, 4 doubles, and three home runs (all from Rendon), and honorable mentions go to Matt Adams whose SLG% was a .521 this week with 2 home runs.  Daniel Murphy also gets kudos for going 8 for 15 this week, and getting his 2 RBI's in a bases loaded pinch hitting situation against the Mets.  Now, let's see if he can do that against teams that didn't foolishly let him go in free agency.

Finally, this week saw the return of the legend of Bryce Harper as he won the Home Run Derby in dramatic fashion. Whatever this does for the Nationals season going forward, it has to show the Lerners that they need to start doing inventory on their assets to see how much they can offer Harper at the end of the year.  He is the straw that stirs the drink for the Nationals, and despite some of his numbers being down this year, he will be able to buoy the Nationals in times of need as he showed on Monday night.  It also showed that he wants to be here if given the opportunity, he will play his heart out for this city, and The Home Run Derby also showed that they cannot just let Harper walk without proposing a competitive offer if they want to save face with the fan base.  Harper wore his heart on his sleeve for the first time in a while, and he showed a glimpse of what he could give this city if he is locked up for the long term.  For now, though, lets just hope this inspires the Nats to close the 5.5 game gap with the Phillies once the season gets going on Friday.  Three games with the Braves this weekend and then it is off to Milwaukee to face the Brewers for a four game stretch. 

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

This rendition of The Nats Craft Beer of the Week stays close to home with 16 Bar Stools from the Brookeville Beer Farm in Montgomery County, Maryland.  This is Brookeville's version of a Belgian Tripel, and while it has the signature sweet taste at the end that all Belgian Tripels have, Brookeville puts their own stamp on this beer to make it great for drinking in the summer.  There are tangy citrus notes to go along with a rich flavor and smooth body that masks the fact that it has an 8% ABV.  Please drink responsibly as the high ABV is coupled with high volume units (it is only sold in 16 oz. cans), and enjoy a unique Belgian Tripel in the hot DC sun.

The Nats certainly could have used a nice refresher early in the week as they were swept by the Red Sox and fell 7 games behind the Braves in the NL East.  The Nats were only able to score 7 runs in that series, which included a shutout in the last game, that led to Max Scherzer calling a players only meeting.  The meeting must have worked because the Nats went 3-1 against the Marlins in their next series scoring a total of 37 runs and coming back from the largest deficit in Nationals history (9-0) in the first game of the series.  The Nats hitters woke up against the lowly Marlins pitching staff, and there were some hitters who had an absolutely monster week at the plate.

Trea Turner and Mark Reynolds both had 2 home run games this week, with Trea Turner doing it in the comeback game on Thursday.  Turner hit his first career grand slam in that game that put the Nationals ahead 10-9, and he registered 8 RBI's in that game.  Turner's weekly OPS continues to be respectable at a .833, and he was even able to go 3 for 7 this week with runners in scoring postion. Not to be outdone was Mark Reynolds who hit 2 home runs this past Saturday in an 18-4 drubbing of the Marlins.  Reynolds also went 5 for 5 in that game with 10 RBI, which is only the fourth time that has happened in MLB history.  Reynolds was not a one hit wonder this week, however, going 10 for 14 (5 for 6 with runners in scoring position) with 12 RBI, 3 HR including a walk off HR on Friday Night, an OPS of 2.26, and he even pitched and got the last out for the Nats in a 10-2 loss on Sunday.

Turner and Reynolds were the leaders of an offensive explosion as all players were able to get at least one RBI this week, except for Michael Taylor, there were five Nats who hit over .300 (Reynolds, Turner, Adams, Goodwin, Taylor), and there were five players who had an OBP of over .400 this week (Reynolds, Adams, Soto, Goodwin, Taylor, Harper).  Harper's OBP this week should be a sign that he needs to be hitting higher in the lineup.  In his last 57 plate appearances he has an OBP of .473, but he has only hit .210 in that same sample size.  Bryce should be hitting either first or second in the lineup in order to get on base for the likes of Matt Adams, Mark Reynolds, and Anthony Rendon who should be in the three or four spot whenever they are in the lineup.  Reynolds' sample size maybe small, but his slugging percentage was a 1.5 this week, and Adams was 0.533.  The Nats will need to generate more runs as the pitching staff continues to suffer; Literally and figuratively.

Erick Fedde had to leave the 3-0 loss to Boston in the first inning with shoulder soreness, and while the MRI came back negative it is not a good sign for the Nats starting pitching when Strasburg's timetable for return in unknown.  That led to a week where the Nats bullpen threw a whopping 29.2 innings this week with some good and some bad.  The bullpen threw four scoreless innings on Friday Night in the 3-2 walk off win, but they also gave up 6 runs in 5 innings in a 10-2 loss on Sunday.  Ryan Madson was the leader in futility going only 0.2 innings with 4 ER on Sunday, and he got the loss on Wednesday against the red Sox.  Since June 4 Madson has thrown 10 innings of relief with an ERA of 8.44 and a WHIP of 2.15.  Madson may have been the works offender this week, but most of the Nats pitching took their lumps this week in their appearances.  Evidence of this was the fact that Shawn Kelley was the only Nats pitcher, starter or reliever, to throw 5 or more innings this week and not give up an earned run.  This may say more about the bullpen than the starting pitching, but the starters were OK at best this week.  Of the three wins the Nats had this week only one went to a starter and that was Max Scherzer on Saturday.  The other starters this week were shaky at best with Gio needing 114 pitches to get out of 5 innings in the 3-2 win on Friday, Jeremy Hellickson made his return this week and was responsible for all 9 runs in the comeback win on Thursday, and Tanner Roark pitched 11 innings this week giving up 20 hits, 13 ER, and he was charged with 2 losses.

Here's hoping that the Nats starters can get it together this coming week considering they are still 5 games back of the Braves, but with Jeffrey Rodriguez getting the start tonight expect a high flying affair.  In Rodriguez's last two starts he threw 9 combined innings and gave up 9 runs, but the Nats won both games.  Lucky for Rodriguez that the Nats have the Pirates for a three game series, and then travel to the Big Apple to face the bottom feeding Mets.  After this week the Nats will have not had a day off since June 27, so grab some 16 Bar Stools and have one for the Nats as they continue to grind and get back into first place in the NL East.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

A more familiar face graces this week's Nats Craft Beer of the Week because in times of turmoil you need a friend to tell you everything is going to be OK.  Sierra Nevada's Sidecar IPA does just that.  Sidecar is a variation of Sierra Nevada's classic Pale Ale, but it tones down the hops a tad in favor of a subtle orange flavor that is complimented by hints of malts that makes this a perfect summer beer.  You'll get a little bit of everything without having to be bombarded by an overwhelming hop flavor, and with a 6.8% ABV it will also get the job done where it counts so please drink responsibly.  Hopefully you grabbed a Sidecar while hugging a loved one this past week as you watched a mostly depressing week for the Nationals.

This past week saw the Nationals go 1-5 on the road against the Rays and Phillies, which increased their deficit in the NL East to 6 games.  The Nats also find themselves three games back in the NL Wildcard race, and with a 6-15 record in their last 21 games things are starting to get a little worrisome for the defending NL East Champions.  This week, especially, saw some team stats that are quite depressing.  The Nats had 238 plate appearances counting walks and HBP's.  They struck out in 60 of those plate appearances, which means that every time the Nats went through the order this week they struck out about twice on average.  Those whiffs at the plate were complimented by a .173 average with runners in scoring position this week.  The Nats had their lowest weekly total RISP at bats (46) in June, their lowest weekly RISP hits (8) in June, and four of those 8 hits came in one game, so you can see how the Nats were shut out twice again this week which brought the total number of times the Nats were shut out in June to seven.  The RISP hitting was a symptom of the Nats hitting under .200 in three of the six games this week, and in two of the remaining three games they could not crack .250.  Usually the Nats pitching gets them out of these kinds of funks, but aside from Max Scherzer and Tanner Roark the starters were less than impressive this week.

Scherzer pitched an absolute gem against Tampa on Tuesday, but he felt the Nats hitting futility first hand as the Nats were only able to muster three hits in a 1-0 loss.  Tanner Roark also had a fine outing giving up two runs, one earned, in six innings only to lose 4-3.  Other than those starts, the Nats went from mediocre to horrendous.  Jeremy Hellickson made his first start since being put on the DL June 4th and he gave up 3 runs in 4.2 innings, which is not bad but not great either due to the fact that the Nats could not drive in runs this week.  Even in their massive 17-7 win on Friday, Erick Fedde gave up 5 runs in 5 innings.  Gio Gonzalez, though, had the worst week of them all.  Gio collected two ugly losses this week that saw the return of the classic Gio Gonzalez meltdown.  He had two 40 pitch innings this week where he issued 7 total walks and gave up 9 earned runs.  In fact, over his last 5 starts Gio has pitched only 19.1 innings with a WHIP of 2.12 and an ERA of 9.31.  Lets hope he can get back on track this week because the bullpen also did not do the starters any favors.  Kelvin Herrera was the only reliever to not give up an earned run this week, and have a Sidecar for Justin Miller who gave up the walk off home run to the Phillies on Saturday that capped off a week where he threw 121 pitches in 6.2 innings of relief.  The only Nats pitcher to throw more pitches this week than Justin Miller was Gio Gonzalez, so maybe we see a little more of Kelvin Herrera this week to give Miller a break.  The Nats pitching, though, put them within one run four times this week, but the bats just could not get it done.

The Nats had five hitters (Goodwin, Taylor, Harper, Murphy, and Severino) hit for under .200 this week. Taylor and Severino are the futility winners as they both hit under .100 for the week.  Even the mighty Juan Soto came down to Earth this week, as he hit only .250 with 8 K's and 4 walks.  He still was able to go 2 for 8 in RISP situations, the best average for the Nats, and his 2 home runs this week kept his OPS above .800, but he needs to pick up more of the slack from the struggling line up.  The only two hitters who kept up their hot pace this past week were Anthony Rendon (.333 BA, 1.12 OPS, 5 RBI, 2HR) and Trea Turner (.375 BA, .964 OPS, 2 RBI, 7 Runs), which should give Nationals fans hope that Davey Martinez can adjust the lineup to get more offense going.  Even Bryce Harper, despite his hitting woes, was able to lead the Nats this week with a .481 because of his 10 walks this week, so Davey needs to get these bats going by maybe shaking up the order a bit. 

My vote would be moving Bryce back to lead off and then going Turner (whose average and OBP has been one of the most consistent on the team), Rendon, Eaton (he has hit .333 with runners in scoring position this month), then Soto.  The six through nine hitters seem to be interchangeable, although I will continue to champion Kieboom over Severino at the catcher spot.

Whatever the lineup will be this coming week, the Nats better get in gear as the Red Sox come to town for a three games series followed by the Marlins. Hopefully the Nats can gain some ground on the Braves this week to stay within striking distance.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

SweetDCSports is taking a little bit of a detour from traditional summer brews with this beer in honor of a somewhat dismal week from the Nationals.  This week's beer comes from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon and it is their Black Butte Porter.  Do not let it's dark color fool you. This beer is surprisingly easy to drink and goes down smooth, with just the right hints of coffee and chocolate to give it a wonderfully unique roasted flavor.  At 5.2% ABV and a light, creamy body it is a wonderful addition to any summer barbecue, and it is surprisingly affordable for a beer that comes from so far away.  It's dark color outlines a week for the Nationals that saw a little bit of ups, mostly downs, rain delays, and time travel.

 The Nats went back to the future as they made up a game last Monday against the Yankees that got rained out after 5 innings on May 15.  Technically those stats retroactively count for May 15, so Juan Soto hit his first major league home run 5 days before his official major league debut.  Wild stuff.  Fortunately that home run proved to be the difference as the Nats were able to win that game, and Soto continues to be a terror within the Nats lineup.  Soto hit .360 this week with an OPS of 1.14, which includes an OBP of .500 due to his 7 walks this week compared to only 4 K's.  Soto is even gaining the respect of pitchers as he was intentionally walked to load the bases on Sunday night against the Phillies in tied game in the 8th.  Daniel Murphy made them pay for that with a go ahead two run single, and Michael Taylor drove in Soto on the following at bat to take an 8-6 lead that the Nats would not relinquish.  Soto also joins Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon as the Nats whose OPS were above 1.00 this week, with honorable mention going to Michael Taylor whose OPS was a .970.

Speaking of Rendon, pop some Black Butte Porters for the guy who single-handedly carried this team through the week with eye popping numbers. He hit .448 this week with 3 HR's, 7 RBI, an OPS of 1.36 that includes a slugging percentage of .896.  The guy is getting it done, especially in the absence of Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy, but signs are pointing to those two coming around.  Murphy has 4 RBI in his last two games, and although Bruce only hit .240 this week, all of his six hits were doubles and he managed to have 3 RBI from the leadoff/second spot in the lineup.  Here's hoping those numbers increase for both Harper and Murphy, because if they can round out into form I pity the pitcher who has to face the Nats' 1-6 hitters, and Wilmer Difo is proving that he is not as easy of an out this week hitting .307.  While things may be looking up, there are a number of things that are keeping the Nats perpetually three games behind the Braves.

The Nats' woes this week start with the pitching, and send some Black Butte Porter to the bullpen who had major innings duty this week.  The Nats bullpen threw for a combined 30.1 innings of baseball and had a combined ERA of 4.15, with Sammy Solis contributing the lion's share of 5 earned runs in 3.1 innings.  Newcomer Kelvin Herrera was solid in his first relief appearance, but allowed 2 runs in the 8th to break a 3-3 tie on Saturday.  Let's just hope that is just not being familiar with the National League hitters.  The starters also had their foibles, with Tanner Roark giving up 6 earned runs in only 4.1 innings of duty. In fact, in is last 4 starts Roark's WHIP is a 1.83, meaning that he is allowing two base runners per inning over the last 4 games.  Not good.  But all the Nats starters were not that great, as no Nats starter was able to garner a win this week.  Jefry Rodriguez pitched in two unlikely wins as he gave up 9 earned runs in 9 innings this week, but the Nats were able to win both of those games.  Maybe he has an effect on the hitting, because outside of those two games the Nats batted .218 with an RISP average of .102 (4 for 39) this week.  The Nats could not give any run support to likes of Scherzer or Gio, and the main culprit is Pedro Severino.

With Matt Wieters out, Severino has been the guy at catcher but mainly because he is a warm body that takes up space.  Severino is a ripe 3 for his last 42 at bats (yes you are reading that right) with only 3 walks, 1 RBI, and he is 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position.  Compare those numbers to Spencer Kieboom who is 4 for his last 15 with 5 walks, 1 RBI, and he has scored 2 runs and it may be time to give the catching duties to Kieboom even if there are concerns about defense.  Severino has been a black hole over the last three weeks, and if the upper part of the order is going to get on base and create offense they need someone at the bottom to keep it going.  Here's to Kieboom getting more of the starts this week as Wieters continues to rehab.

The Nats squandered a home stretch as they will be on the road this upcoming week.  They have two games in Tampa with Gio and Max on the hill, and then they fly back north to face the Phillies for a four game series that will have major implications for the NL East standings as the All-Star Break approaches.  Hopefully the trio of Fedde, Roark, and Rodriguez can pull it together this week so the Nats can keep pace with the Braves.  Rodriguez's starts have been especially entertaining, so grab a couple of Black Butte Porters as you cheer on the Nats this week.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

This week's craft beer come from the Brawling Bear Brewing Company located right here in Maryland.  It is their Low Blow Blonde Ale, and it is the perfect compliment to watching baseball in the summer.  The beautiful golden color belies a crisp and refreshing beer that one would expect from a blonde ale.  What is unexpected is the malt undertones that gives this beer a wonderful flavor that is a welcome detour from the never ending dross of IPA's that show up at this time.  Low Blow also packs a little bit of a punch at 6% ABV, which is higher than a normal blonde ale, so please drink responsibly. 

Responsible drinking may have proven to be a difficult task this week as the Nationals went 1-4 and fell 3.5 games behind the Braves for the NL East lead.  This futility was fueled by a number of firsts for the Nats pitching staff.  Max Scherzer lost his second consecutive game on Saturday, which was the first time he had lost two consecutive games in over three years.  Justin Miller finally gave up his first run of the season in a 6-5 loss to Toronto, and Ryan Madson gave up his first home run on Sunday in over a year.  Unfortunately it took 5 minutes for Madson to give up another home run as the Blue Jays went back to back off of Madson in the 8th inning to break a 6-6 tie and send the Nats home without a win in their trip to the great white north.  Speaking of home runs, Nats pitching gave up 12 home runs this week, and they have given up 19 home runs in the last 11 games.  That is not a good recipe for success, and something the Nationals need to clean up going forward.  The Nationals' pitching firsts this week were a little depressing, but the hitting firsts were a little more joyus, even if it did not translate into many wins.

This week saw the return of Daniel Murphy to the lineup, and while he went 2 for 20 at the plate this week that second hit drove in a run on Sunday and it looks as if he is getting back into form.  Juan Soto made some firsts this week as well.  Soto hit two home runs against the Yankees on Wednesday making him the youngest National to ever hit 2 home runs in a game, and he is the youngest player to have a 4 RBI game since 1975.  Those two home runs also gave Soto his second consecutive week where his OPS was above .900 (.981), and while his batting average is nothing special over that same time frame (.264) he is proving to be the Nats' main producer of extra base hits.  If Soto was the extra base hit man then Michael Taylor and Adam Eaton were the ones that padded the Nats' average.  Taylor went 6 for 10 this week and had four stolen bases, and Eaton went 6 for 18 with an RBI.  Anthony Rendon also did a little bit of everything as he went 5 for 18 (.277), he had an OBP of .333, and he was 2 for 4 with runners in scoring position.  Speaking of runners in scoring position, who has had the most RISP at bats for the Nationals over the last two weeks?  That's right, it is Wilmer Difo. Difo has had 17 at bats over the last two weeks with runners in scoring position, and with those opportunities he has only mustered 2 hits and one RBI.  It may be time for Davey Martinez to move Taylor down to the 7-8 spot and have Difo hit earlier in order to drive in more runs.  Difo's struggles, though, are nothing compared to the Nats' biggest hole in the lineup this week.

Bryce Harper continued his hitting woes as he went 1 for 16 (.063), no RBI, and 8 strikeouts.  In fact, Harper has struck out 16 times over his last 38 at bats.  Luckily he was able to draw three walks, and get hit by two pitches, this week to make his OBP not suck, but Bryce is watching his $400 million pay day slowly slip away.  Hopefully he can get back on track this week as the lowly Orioles come to Nats Park for a three game series.  Following the O's are the Phillies as the battle for second place in the NL East will take place.  Kicking of the week, though, will be the Yankees, who come to town to make up the suspended game from May 16.  Hopefully, the Nats can right the ship and close the gap between them and the Braves this week, so enjoy a Low Blow Blonde Ale and hope the Nats can put up better performances this coming week. 

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

SweetDCSports is bringing back posts that it started in its infancy.  There is nothing better in the summer than watching baseball and drinking beer, so we are bringing back the Washington Nationals Craft Beer of the Week.  Get your weekly Nationals update along with a craft beer suggestion that you can buy at your local stores.  Please note that these beers are my personal choice and in no way are endorsed by the Washington Nationals, and do not buy them if you are under 21.  So, without futher ado...

The first beer chosen is in honor of the Washington Capitals winning the Stanley Cup, and how that made everyone in DC feel about themselves.  Jovial is a Belgian Style Double Ale from Troegs Independent Brewing in Hersey, Pennsylvania, and it is a great alternative for those looking for relief from the unending parade of flavored IPA's that come out in the summer.  The chocolate, toffee, and molasses flavor will make you feel better about yourself, and the cork at the top will let everyone at the party know that you are better than them.  At 7% ABV please drink responsibly as you watch the Nationals try to hit the ball a little bit more consistently than they did this past week.

Not even Alex Ovechkin could make Bryce Harper feel more jovial as the Capitals descended on Nats Park on Saturday on their Stanley Cup Drinking Binge 2018.  Ovechkin raised the Cup every time Harper took the plate, but maybe his rooting for the Golden Knights gave him some bad juju.  Harper had 8 strikeouts this week to go along with a paltry .181 average and a .217 OBP that led the Nationals to a 3-3 record over the last 6 games.  Wilmer Difo may need a jolt as well, considering he led the team with 8 plate appearances with runners in scoring position and got as many hits as I did in those situations.  It may be time for Davey Martinez to look and see if the lineup can be switched to give someone more of an opportunity in those situations, but the Nats only hit .277 in RISP situations so the grass can only get a little greener.  And pass an old Jovial to Brian Goodwin and Pedro Severino who need to forget their 0 for 7 and 0 for 12 week and try to move on.  It also may be time to see more of Spencer Kieboom as he had a big hit in Saturday's win against the Giants, and went 2 for 6 overall this week with an RBI.  The pitching situation was just as depressing as the Nats saw Strasburg, Kintzler, and Hellickson go on the DL, and even the intrepid Max Scherzer gave up three walks in a 2-0 loss on Monday.

Not all was doom and gloom this week.  Juan Soto continued his sensational season this week with a .934 OPS (including a .434 OBP), 5 runs, 3 RBI, and drawing a whopping 5 walks.  Michael Taylor and Matt Adams also gave the Nats some on base help as they both had OBP and batting average's above .400 this week, with Taylor also having an OPS above 1.  Anthony Renson also chipped in with hitting close to .300 this week, and he was 3 for 6 in RISP situations.  There was even an Adam Eaton sighting as he went 1 for 4 and scored 2 runs in Saturday's win against the Giants.  Most of the bullpen was on point, and Sean Doolittle was 2 for 2 in save situations this week, but there just needs to be more consistency across the board as the Nats continue on a tough week ahead.

First up are the Yankees, as the Nats begin a road tour of the AL as they will spend two days in New York and fly further north for a three game series against the Blue Jays.  Hopefully, Matt Adams gets the lion's share of the DH duties as the Nats try to stay atop the NL East with the Braves this week.  Pop a couple of Jovials and enjoy the week to come.

You Will Hate Bryce Harper By The End of The Season

That's right Nationals Fans.  It does not matter the level of your fandom.  At some point during this season your opinion of Bryce Harper will sour.  As the 2018 season begins, so begins the countdown to Bryce Harper's impending free agency and the countdown to the first reporter asking Bryce Harper about his future contract.  And that may not be pretty considering this was Harper's unsolicited statement about contract questions back in February:

“I just want to let you guys know that I will not be discussing anything not relevant to 2018 at all.  I’m focused on this year, focused on winning and playing hard. If you have any questions about anything past 2018, you can call Scott and he can answer you guys. If you guys do ask anything, then I’ll be walking right out the door.”
                                                                 -quote courtesy of Thom Loverro and the Washington Times

Notwithstanding the double negative in the first sentence, that is a bold statement coming from one of the faces of Major League Baseball because no matter how the Nationals perform this season the contract questions will come.  God forbid the Nationals struggle.  Then the question will be "Do the team's struggles have an impact on Harper possibly leaving?".  If the Nationals go on a heater the question will be "Does the team's recent success make Harper want to stay?".  Bryce Harper's contract will be the overarching theme to the team's performance, win or lose, and that will have a deleterious effect on your fandom.  How, you ask?  Because the situation will eventually be personalized to the point where Harper will not be able to avoid answering contract questions without losing face in the court of public opinion.

The questions will start with general questions about Harper's contract being related to team performance as stated above.  If the Nationals are losing that could be a problem, but Dave Martinez and the other players can easily side step those questions.  As the season goes on, though, Harper's performance then takes center stage.  Then the team needs to start answering for him because he said he won't answer contract questions.  Ryan Zimmerman will need to postulate about such things as "Bryce is in a slump, do you think that hurts or helps him staying in DC?" or "Do you think Bryce's hot streak will increase or decrease his chances of leaving?".   Then the questions will speculate about Bryce's relationship with other teams and players.  Those questions will be "Bryce was being very friendly with Kris Bryant, does that mean he wants to go to Chicago?" or "Bryce took some time for himself in LA against the Dodgers, should fans be concerned about that?".  All the while Bryce will be standing pat and allowing the team to answer those questions for him, or he will simply ignore any reporter who asks him those kinds of questions.  How long will you tolerate that as a fan before your opinion of Harper starts to wane, especially if he does not even intimate that he want to stay in DC? The longer Harper decides to avoid those questions the more fans he will begin to alienate, and it will all come to a head if Fall comes and no extension has been given.  The alienation will be doubled if the Nationals make the playoffs.  Now the team will have to answer things like "If you win the World Series do you think Bryce will stay or go?".  What will Bryce do then?  Continue to ignore those questions and let it overshadow the Nationals' championship run?  The longer Bryce sticks to his mute demeanor the more of the fan base will begin to turn on him. 

DC Fans assume the worst.  If Harper does not state that he wants to stay in DC while dodging questions about his contract all season, the conjecture that will encircle the fan base about Harper leaving DC will not help you like him.  It will create a sense within the fan base that Harper can do no right by Nationals fans no matter what decision he makes.  If Harper leaves then the fan base will automatically vilify him stating that he never wanted to be here in the first place.  If it is for more money then he will be painted as a money grabber.  If he signs for "less" then it will exacerbate the hatred from the fan base that Bryce just wanted out of DC.  Even if Harper is able to deliver a World Series this season and leaves there will be a significant portion of the fan base that will label him as disingenuous.  If Harper stays for the $400 million price tag some are speculating it could be, then the fan base will say he is crippling the team's financial future even if he wins a Championship this year.  If he stays for big money and cannot deliver in the post season, the notion that Harper is not worth the money will spread like a virus through the fan base.  The only way Bryce wins is if he stays for "less" money (which is still the GDP of some small countries) and brings a Championship to DC.  But do you really see that happening?  Any way you look at it, if you are a Nationals fan, you will hate Bryce Harper by the end of this season.

The Day of Reckoning for DC Sports GM's

The Kirk Cousins contract debacle over the last three years has once again highlighted the complete ineptitude of the Redskins front office to keep high level talent in DC, or get anything close to adequate compensation for his departure.  The flagship team for the Washington DC area is letting their best player at the most important position that they have had in over 40 years walk for almost nothing.  Cousins was a player that developed through this organization, and whatever the truth is about Kirk wanting to sign a long term contract with the Redskins, it is not a good look for the organization when a top player at his position over the last three years is let go.  The Redskins, though, are only the tip of the ice berg in DC when it comes to GM's making decisions about keeping their superstars in town.  The Wizards, Capitals, and Nationals will all have to face decisions in the very near future about whether or not to keep their franchise players here in Washington, and their decisions may have consequences that could undo the Pax Columbiana atmosphere those three teams have enjoyed in the regular season over the last decade.  Let's look at all three teams that will have major decisions to make in regards to their franchise players in the coming seasons, beginning with the Wizards.

The Wiz have most recently signed their Big Three of Otto Porter, Bradley Beal, and John Wall to long term contracts, but in the NBA no one is safe from a trade especially when there is drama in the locker room.  Marcin Gortat did not need a lot of arm twisting to state that the Wizards have been able to move the ball better on offense (in his opinion) without John Wall in the lineup.  In fact, the Wizards are 5-2 since Wall's injury that included a heart breaking loss against the Celtics on Thursday night.  This does not mean that Wall is going anywhere anytime soon, but if this type of fervor continues it could put a lot of pressure on Ernie Grunfeld to alleviate the situation in his own bumbling way.  Even if that does not happen, though, Beal and Porter will become UFA's in 2021.  While that date seems far off, the closer that date gets without any kind of playoff success from this team (i.e. Eastern Conference Finals appearances/championships) the more you may hear of Bradley Beal being moved since he doesn't have a no trade clause or trade kicker in his contract.  This is merely speculation, and the Wizards are the least likely team to break up the band in the near future, but the longer a team goes without success the more the trade rumors of superstars begin to surface.  Just ask the Capitals.

The Capitals futility in the post season came to a head this past spring, and with it came the most fervent push of the "Trade Alex Ovechkin" camp.  The notion of trading the greatest player the Capitals have ever had, and one of the greatest players in the game, seemed unfathomable when Ovechkin signed his mega deal in 2008.  But a decade has passed with Ovechkin winning no championships despite great regular season success, and Ovi realizing he only has three years remaining on his contract.  Couple that with Nick Backstrom and Braden Holtby becoming UFA's in only 2 years, and Brian MacLellan is going to have to face some tough decisions in the not-so-distant future.  Does he pull a Bruce Allen and keep the band together until it disintegrates and his superstars walk away for nothing, or does he try to make moves that will benefit the next iteration of this team post Ovechkin/Backstrom?  Prudence dictates that he at least entertains the latter, but more than likely he will choose to ride with Ovechkin as long as he can.  Keeping Ovechkin, though, will be tough if the Caps are unceremoniously eliminated from the playoffs again this season and the end of Ovechkin's contract looms on the visible part of the horizon.  It is hard to keep a superstar if they want a lot of money and do not produce championships.  Just ask the Nationals.

The Nationals are the team that has the most pressing issue facing it's GM.  Bryce Harper will become a UFA at the end of this season, and Mike Rizzo needs to weigh a lot of choices as it pertains to what to do with the most electrifying player in the DC market.  Does he pay him the GDP of some Third World Countries, or does he trade him away a la Giancarlo Stanton? There is always the patented Bruce Allen method of jerking him around and letting him walk for nothing, but Rizzo seems more saavy than that.  He realizes that Bryce Harper had the fifth highest selling jersey in all of Major League Baseball last season, and he moves merchandise with young kids here in the DC area.  Rizzo realizes that Harper sells tickets for the novice fans who want to see a superstar.  He realizes the Bryce has the ability to make a mega deal worth it through his production.  But the main question is, will it be worth it if the trophy case remains barren.  Recent history has proven that even with the firepower the Nats have been able to muster they still have fallen short of even playing for an NL Pennant. Trading Harper would be prudent if the Nationals know they are unwilling to go as high as Harper wants once negotiations begin, and they can get something in return for his departure.  Or Rizzo could bury his head in the sand and keep Harper knowing they are not going to pay him and make him resentful of this town and the way the Nationals do business.  But what GM would conduct himself in that manner?

Bruce Allen's handling of the Kirk Cousins contract situation has been given a little more perspective since Jimmy Garoppolo signed his contract.  Hindsight has made Allen look a little more prudent in being wary of giving Kirk $140 million, but the problem of letting Kirk walk for nothing still persists.  Luckily for Allen the other Washington GM's will have their chance to botch the handling of their respective superstars' expiring contracts here in Washington.  Ernie Grunfeld will need to decide if having three max players is worth all the childish bickering that may turn into real problems if no championships come.  Brian MacLellan will need to decide if it is worth keeping a legend in the face of persistent playoff futility.  And Mike Rizzo must decide whether or not it is worth breaking the bank for the face of his franchise.  Hanging in the balance is the relevance and relative winning stability these players have brought to the DC area.  These three GM's need to realize that if any one of the Wizards Big Three, Alex Ovechkin, or Bryce Harper are to leave that puts a damper on their ability to be perennial playoff teams, and in turn, sell tickets and merchandise.  The GM's need to keep up the winning atmosphere by getting value in return for these players' possible departure.  These decisions will be playing out over the next three years, and the three teams located outside of Ashburn, Virginia need to realize that their consistency, fortunes, and popularity within the DC Market for the next decade hinge on the handling of their superstars' expiring contracts.  Grunfeld, MacLellan, and Rizzo need to see these decisions for what they are, and make the moves that will secure assets that will help their team for the long term.  Or they could cover themselves in the warm blanket of denial and let these players walk for no compensation.  But what kind of GM would conduct himself in that manner?

The Pathology of DC Sports

Last Thursday Night the Nationals found a new way to rip the heart out of all of DC Sports fans.  Once again we had to watch one of our favored teams lose at home in a deciding series game that continued the playoff misery of all DC Sports teams since 1998.  For those of you living in a hole over the past 18 months, that is the last time any professional DC Sports team (The Capitals) made it to a Conference Final.  That point has been particularly sensitive recently, as the Nationals loss marks the third time in less than four months that a DC sports team has dropped a deciding series game that would have put them into their respective Conference Final.  That is what makes this situation so hard to comprehend.  No American Sports City with three or more "Big 4" sports teams has ever seen futility like this before, and it should not be classified simply as just another sports "curse".  This goes far beyond what classic sports terminology can explain, and it should be dissected in order to come up with a title fitting for the uniqueness of the situation.  Lets start by addressing the scale of this phenomenon.

This "curse" (I'll use that term for now) is unique in that it has impacted all four teams that call Washington DC their home.  All other sports curses have been relegated to specific teams within a given city.  While Red Sox fans suffered under the Curse of the Bambino the Celtics won 16 NBA titles over three decades.  The Cubs wallowed in misery for over a century, but during that time the Blackhawks won six Stanley Cups, The Bears won a Super Bowl, and they were witness to Michael Jordan's greatness.  Even Dallas fans have had the 1999 Stars and the 2011 Mavericks to satiate their championship appetite as the Cowboys continue to disappoint them.  There has been no DC team to pick up the slack over the past 20 years, and it is the nature of that slack that makes this situation even more incomprehensible.

As all of DC fandom is aware, all of this lament is to see one of our teams PLAY in a Conference Final.  Not WIN a Conference Final, just PLAY in a Conference Final.  All of the above mentioned cities never had a 20 year drought where all of their teams failed to make a Conference Final.  Even Cleveland, the gold standard for sports sucking cities, never had all of their teams fail to make it to a Conference Final in a 20 year span during their famed championship drought.  Think about that.  DC has now eclipsed Cleveland in sports futility.  What makes it frustrating is that the DC franchises seem to be doing everything right.  The Nationals and Capitals have one of the best regular season records in their respective sports since 2010.  There have been three number one overall picks (John Wall, Alex Ovechkin, and Bryce Harper) who have lived up to the hype, and they are one of the best players in their respective sports.  The Redskins finally have hit on a number of draft picks and free agents, and they seem to have found their elusive franchise quarterback.  What makes it even more frustrating is that DC fans have seen post season magic.  Jayson Werth's walk off home run in Game 4 against the Cardinals in 2012 is one of the greatest radio broadcasts DC fans have ever heard, and no DC fan has ever been more pumped up than when Joel Ward scored the game winning overtime goal in Game 7 to defeat the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins.  What makes it even MORE frustrating is how close these teams have been to making a Conference Final.  All DC teams have had a combined thirteen chances to make a Conference Final since 1998, including the 2015 Capitals who were 1:41 away from eliminating the Rangers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal.  We all know what happened from there.  So this "curse" is attributable to all DC teams, and it has brought misery and frustration to a fan base the likes of which have never been seen before even in the worst of cases in sports history.  This calls for a new term to be coined.  One that should only be used in the most dire of circumstances, and one that could last even longer here in Washington DC given the status of current events.

The new term based on this evidence should be "plague".  It is not a "DC Sports Curse".  It is the "DC Sports Plague".  Think about it. Curses happen to one or a few individuals and only show up intermittently allowing some joy in their lives until the curse comes back.  Also curses are usually broken instantaneously by acquiring and applying the necessary objects or actions to break the spell.  Plagues are different.   Plagues affect all in their path and anyone who comes in contact with it, they linger for quite some time (The Buboinc Plague still exists to this day) with no one shot panacea, and all they cause is misery.  Doesn't this sound like the DC Sports situation?  We have drafted the right players.  We have put together the right teams.  We have suffered incomprehensible playoff defeats.  And still we suffer from this playoff affliction.  Just as the term "Bubonic Plague" had to be coined because it was new to Medieval Europe, so too should the term "Sports Plague" be coined to describe the current state of Washington DC Sports.  No major sports city has had to endure such a futile times with such seemingly superior teams, and this DC Sports Plague could cause massive casualties in the near future.

With the firing of Dusty Baker, the likelihood that Bryce Harper will not be a National by this time next year looks better and better unless the Lerner's offer him north of $400 million dollars. Following him out of National Airport may be Kirk Cousins, whose contract situation is as enigmatic as I'm sure the first black splotches on the skin of peasants were to those in the Fourteenth Century.  This means that two of the four major figures in DC Sports could leave town within the next year, and if John Wall and Alex Ovechkin fail to end this "DC Sports Plague" this season it may mean that they will never end their Conference Championship drought in a DC uniform.  If that happens we will be well into the next decade still waiting to have the right to cheer for our teams in a championship setting, and seeing high profile free agents in all sports come to this city and get infected with the "DC Sports Plague".

The Nats Need to End the DC Curse

It all started when John Wall hit the game winning shot against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals this past spring.  Wall's miraculous shot vaulted him into the upper echelon of DC playoff lore, but it unintentionally set off strife within the different fan bases within the DC Area.  There was an underlying resentment of the Wizards when John Wall prolonged their season and forced a Game 7 that could possibly end the DC Curse.  This resentment stemmed from the notion that John Wall's Wizards had not endured the playoff misery that some of the other DC teams had to earn the right to be the first DC professional sports team to make their conference final since 1998.  The Caps had met that threshold through their almost laughable playoff ineptitude in the first two rounds since 2008, especially with their propensity for blowing 3-1 series leads.  The Redskins fulfilled their duties by just plain sucking for the better part of the past two decades.  The Nationals have been the favorite to win the World Series at least twice over the past four years but fell short, including blowing that Game 5 lead against the Cardinals in 2012.  The Wizards had not experienced that kind of failed hype in the playoffs until this past spring, and all of DC sports fans were looking to one of the other three teams to break the DC Curse due to their collective impotence in the post season.  By sheer timing the Nationals are that team at the current moment.  A look into the deeper psyche of the DC Sports fan base shows that the Nats need to be the team that finally gets to a conference final to break the DC Curse for all teams in this area.

The argument for having the Nationals be the first DC team to reach their conference final since the 1998 Capitals is due the nature of baseball in the DC area.  There is the pride.  The original Washington Senators were one of the charter members of the fledgling American League in 1901.  The Senators also had Walter Johnson,who some argue is the greatest pitcher to ever play the game, and who holds one of the MLB records that some say will never be broken with his 110 career shutouts.  Johnson also has the moniker of being the first professional athlete in the US to have a high school named after him, and that high school still stands to this day in Bethesda, Maryland.  The Senators also brought the first professional championship to this area by winning the World Series in 1924.  It would be the only World Series the Senators would win, and just like every other DC Sports team after them, the Senators sucked outside of a few random successful seasons.  This was where the pride met the fall.

The Senators left Washington for the first time in 1960 to become the Minnesota Twins, but they would be replaced months later in 1961 by a new Senators Team that would move to Texas in 1971 to create the Texas Rangers. The MLB was twice fooled by the Washington Baseball Fans, but for the die hard Senators fans the sting of not having baseball in the DC area left them empty.  The Nationals success has revived a section of this cities populace that no other team could muster based on the history of baseball in Washington DC.  The fact that baseball can trace its' roots in this areas to the turn of the last century gives it a unique nostalgia that can rally older fans that had no other team to root for other than the Senators, and who are looking to remove the chip off of their shoulder about losing baseball twice before in their history.  But old time baseball fans cannot fill all the seats, and that Nationals have endeared themselves to the young fans through players and fan experience.

Bryce Harper is the biggest sports figure in the DC area as far as young fans under the age of 10 are concerned.  John Wall jersey sales pale in comparison to those of Bryce Harper, and along with Strasberg, Sherzer, Werth, and Trea Turner, the Nationals have built an All-Star lineup that fans of the younger variety can get jacked up for and support through merchandising sales.  Nationals Park has also been rife with ravenous fans ready to spend their day at the stadium watching these young players perform, but it would be nothing without the stadium experience.  Nat Park is easily accessible through public transportation, and that convenience has allowed some of the watering holes around the stadium to become desired destinations for 20-30 year olds with no families and disposable incomes.  A generation of DC Sports fans have witnessed the Nats draft and retain young talent and create a fun experience that is on par, or even better than, the competing sports franchises within this area.  The youth have been drawn to Nationals Park from a young age, and it is this mix of the old and new that makes the Nationals the team of destiny for right now.

I wrote a long time ago that the Nationals were like House Targaryen because they once exclusively ruled this area in terms of popularity, but were exiled and now they are looking to reclaim their throne.  Despite their 3-0 loss on Friday night to the Cubs, the Nationals need to be the team to break the DC Curse and make it to the NLCS.  They can bring old an new together through the history of baseball within the DC area, and through the player personnel/stadium moves they have made as an organization over the past decade.  Seeing the Nationals play for a Pennant would bring the old and young in this area together just as the Cubs did for Chicago one year ago.  The Nats have earned the right to represent this area on national scale in their respective sport, and it is time for them to be the ones to end this horrible curse and send this city into a collective frenzy.  The Nats are the one team that could bridge generations of fans if they were to break this horrible DC Curse, and in an event driven town like Washington DC, it would make them the biggest event in town.

John Wall Needed to Win More Than Anyone

Monday's Game 7 loss was another hard pill to swallow for the DC area.  Another ray of hope to end the nearly two decade drought of not making a Conference Final was dashed by another improbable performance by a fringe player.  Kelly Olynyk's 26 point performance will go right up there with Jaroslav Halak in the dark annals of DC Sports playoff misery.  One positive to come out of this playoff series, though, was the rise of John Wall as a DC icon.  Wall's game winning shot in Game 6, and his plea to the crowd on the scorer's table at the end of the game, had some anointing him as the premier sportsman in the DC area.  Wall's emotional outburst on the scorer's table was the personification of his passion for the city of Washington DC, and it was the type of moment that endears a player to the fan base.  The problem for Wall was that he did not deliver in Game 7.  A DC superstar player losing in a Game 7 is nothing new, but Wall and the Wizards squandered an opportunity to become the toast of the town.  They could have been the ones to break the streak, and for Wall that missed opportunity goes beyond just not making the Eastern Conference Finals.  Wall needed to win that game to be the unquestioned top dog in the DC sports market, but instead there will still be doubts in this area created by the accomplishments of other players, fans of other DC sports, and the way the NBA markets it's product.

There is nothing inherently special about John Wall's presence here in the DC area. The Wizards winning the Draft Lottery in 2010 to have the opportunity to pick Wall was surprising, but Wall is one of four number one overall picks in this market who have made an impact in their respective sports.  Alex Ovechkin has become the greatest goal scorer of his generation and led the Capitals to unprecedented popularity.  Bryce Harper is one of the premier hitters in baseball, and he and Stephen Strasburg have led the Nationals to become one of the best teams in baseball.  So John Wall being a number one overall pick who has delivered on his prospective talents is nothing new for this area.  John Wall needed to be the one to end the Conference Finals streak in order to separate himself from this pack, and also to win over DC fans who maybe brainwashed by NBA marketing.

The NBA is a sport that glorifies the elite.  Think about it in the terms of other sports.  How many Redskins fans wearing Kirk Cousins jerseys would say, "You know I'm a Redskins fan, but when Tom Brady (or other superstar QB) comes to town I gotta root for him"?  Not many because the NFL markets the team and each local fan base buys into that notion.  There is no Capitals fan who would root for Connor McDavid when the Oilers come to DC because 98% of the fan base (myself included) does not have the capacity to appreciate the finer points of hockey, Caps fans have had time to generate an intense loyalty to Ovechkin, and 10% of the fan base doesn't even know what city the Oilers play in.  The Nats/Orioles hedging still goes on, but few Nats fans nowadays have both a Bryce Harper jersey and a Mark Trumbo jersey. The NBA is different.  The NBA markets the elite players to everyone around the country, and in a transient area like DC it is hard for someone like John Wall to overcome that.  How many John Wall fans wear Jordans?  How many kids wear Golden State gear when that team is 3000 miles away?  How many casual Wizards fans will root for LeBron when he comes to Verizon Center?  The fact that you have to seriously ponder these questions means that John Wall faces the hardest road of any DC sports figure in winning over the fans.  The NBA markets it's top players to everyone around the country, and the Wizards have been so bad for so long that there is a significant portion of the area that gloms onto Curry and LeBron because they are winners.  Wall could have erased that in Game 7, but alas the DC fan base is left hoping yet again.

Emotionally, John Wall has won over this city but that sentiment is fleeting.  Winning is what this city wants, and Wall could have stripped the title of top DC sports figure with one win on Monday Night.  In an event driven town such as DC, think about the run Wall would have gotten going head-to-head with LeBron and God forbid possibly winning a few games.  Had that happened there would be no question about which individual sports figure is the biggest in DC.  Now, questions still remain and the doubt is still there.  Wall is tied at the top with people like Cousins, Harper, and Ovechkin, but he has the hardest road ahead of him and the longest time to wait to get another shot at winning.

The Redskins Empire Is Losing Control

For the first time since they established their outright hegemony over the Washington DC fan base, the Washington Redskins find their empire at its most vulnerable state.  With the firing of Scot McCloughan and the Kirk Cousins contract debacle, the Redskins brass stands to alienate generations of fans that had a lukewarm investment in the Redskins to begin with after years of losing and ineptitude.  And where once there was no viable alternative for these fans to turn to, the Capitals, Nationals, and Wizards find themselves in advantageous positions to woo these fans to their cause.  The winds of change are already blowing in the DC area, and the fans are responding by raising their sails in the opposite direction of Redskins Park.  The causes of these changes go beyond mere brotherhood between the other three DC franchises.  It is rooted in the success that the other three teams are experiencing in contrast to the Burgundy and Gold.  The Capitals and Wizards have legitimate chances this summer to make it to their conference and league finals, The Nationals are expected to be a contender for the World Series, and all three teams have superstars that are recognized as being in the top tier of players in their respective leagues.  These factors have placed these three franchises in a position to steal a generation of fans from the Washington Redskins, and the portents of these shifting allegiances can be seen in various areas.  The first sign of this lost fandom can be seen in jersey sales.

The Redskins jersey sales for the 2016 season show that they have very little to offer young fans in the area of recognizable, and marketable, superstars unlike their DC counterparts.  The NFLshop and Dick's Sporting Goods have lists of their top selling jerseys for the 2016 season.  While these probably do not constitute all of the NFL jersey's sold in 2016, it is not good news for the Redskins when none of their players crack the Top 25 jersey sales on either site, and Ryan Kerrigan and Kirk Cousins round out the Top 40 on the Dicks list at #39 and #40 respectively.  Just to give perspective on how far down that is, Tyler Eifert, Joe Haden, and Sammy Watkins all sold more jerseys at Dicks than Kerrigan and Cousins.  Compare that to Alex Ovechkin, who has the 7th highest selling jersey on shopnhl, and Bryce Harper, who as of 2015 had the 5th highest selling jersey in the MLB.  This is quantitative proof that the Nationals and Capitals are outpacing the Redskins in the area of marketable superstars, and while John Wall doesn't crack the NBA's top jersey sales he is being marketed as the next big superstar by the Wizards who are suddenly catching fire.  Contrast this with how the Redskins have passively undermined their franchise quarterback, and it is not hard to see that  a generation of DC fans have grown up with other heroes to root for that do not wear Burgundy and Gold.  It has become cooler for young kids to have a Bryce Harper jersey than it is to have  Kirk Cousins jersey (if you can find one).  But the NFL is about marketing the team, not the individual player, right?  If that is the case then the Redskins are still losing ground to the other three teams.

Forbes Magazine puts out their list of most valuable teams for every major sports league.  Please look at the pages for the Caps, Wizards, Nationals, and Redskins to see what they are worth, but an analysis of some of the information on these sites show that the Redskins may be losing ground in popularity to the other three DC teams.  Forbes has four areas of how the team's value is broken down, but the one that is most telling is the percentage of value attributed to the team's brand.  The Redskins' brand only accounts for 7.5% of their overall value, which is worth about $221 million in absolute value according to Forbes.  None of the other teams match that total amount of money, but all the other teams have a higher percentage brand value relative to their overall worth than the Redskins.  The Wizards are at 9.8%, The Nats are at 11.0%, and The Caps are at 12.3%.  This means that these other teams spend more time promoting their brand than the Redskins, and it can be seen with the promotions and slogans they have put out over the past decade.  The Caps have Rock the Red.  The Nationals have #Nattitude.  The Wizards have #DCRising.  The Redskins have...........HTTR?  It is hard to think of one for them, right?  The other three teams have done more to connect with the fans through brand promotion than the Redskins, and the fans have taken notice by buying jerseys, merchandise, and tickets for the Nats, Caps, and Wiz at a higher clip than they have for the Redskins.  If you're still not convinced just look at the total revenue for each team since 2008, which is provided on the Forbes site.  

The Redskins have the lowest increase in total team revenue (36%) from 2008-2016 than any other DC Sports team.  Even the Wizards have managed to show a 38% increase in total revenue according to Forbes, and their play over that span of time may have been worse than the Redskins.  It is also worth mentioning that the Caps increased their revenue by 86%, and that Nats increased their revenue by 91% over that same time span.  The Redskins total revenue ($447 Million projected for 2016) dwarfs all other teams, but the slowing growth rate shows that the other teams are gaining in popularity by the increase in the amount of money they are pulling in.  And the argument that "Well, these teams were so small that they were due for a large increase, and the NFL is such a moneymaking leviathan that the room for growth in that league is less" doesn't hold up.  Not only have the Redskins shown the least amount of revenue growth for DC sports teams, they have the lowest revenue growth for all 32 NFL teams in that span according to Forbes.  And it is not even close.  All other NFL teams have seen at least a 50% increase in their revenue over that time frame, and that includes teams like the Browns (57% increase), Jaguars (68% increase), and Bills (58% increase).  So the lack of revenue growth cannot be attributed to something that is inherent within the NFL. It is another sign that the Redskins are losing fans to the other three DC Sports teams by not gaining as much money through merchandising and ticket sales.  One needs to look no further than the Redskins having to remove seats from FedEx Field to see the loss of ticket sales.  But all of these numbers pale in comparison to the one thing that sways any fan to a certain team.  Winning.

All of these jersey sales, brand percentages, and increase revenue growth are all based on winning.  The Capitals and Nationals have been able to experience sustained success over the past 8-10 years, and the Wizards may be beginning their time as NBA contenders.  All three have legitimate shots to make a run at a championship, and the Wizards and Capitals have a chance to bring post season championships to the DC area before the Redskins can take a snap for their 2017 season.  If they are able to do that, and the Nationals at least win the NL Pennant this fall, it would herald a new age in DC sports fandom.  The Redskins may have to play second or third fiddle to teams that have marketed themselves better, organized themselves better, and won better than they have over the last 10 years.  At no time have we seen the Redskins's popularity among the DC fan base as vulnerable as it is right now, and the financial numbers seem to indicate that is not some poetic musing.  It is a reality that the Redskins are losing their absolute rule over this area's fan base, and one championship from any of the other three teams could make this even more of a reality.