We were rubbing our eyes last Sunday as we watched the Nationals sweep the Florida Marlins to win their first series of the year. Then they took 3 of 4 from the Braves and knocked them out of first place in the NL East, and now we’re asking ourselves, “Who the hell are these guys?”

With only two of their regular starters hitting over .250 and none of them within shouting distance of .300, they had looked absolutely abysmal offensively in plummeting to the worst record in baseball. But the return of Cristian Guzman, some spunky play from rookie catcher Jesus Flores, and vastly improved pitching combined to help the Nats win 6 out of their past 7 during this current 10 game home stand. Of course, there’s always this explanation, from Braves punk/3B Chipper Jones: “It was all us. It had nothing to do with them. You pitch bad, you play bad defense, you don’t hit — you lose.”

Interleague play begins this weekend, and with local “rivals” the Orioles set to visit RFK this weekend, it’s a good time for the team to hit their stride. Everybody’s (read: the Nationals front office and MASN, who’s carrying the games locally) trying to play up the “Beltway series” like it’s some great rivalry. It’s not yet, but there’s no reason why we shouldn’t hate them like bitter enemies. Remember folks, as Capitol Punishment points out, Baltimore is the city that killed Barbaro.