Well, we are reaching the end of the season. The Nationals stand two games away from their stated, and admittedly pathetic, goal of 72 wins — one better than last year. They have 5 games remaining, two against the Mets and three against the Phillies, all on the road. Given that the Nats are 30-46 on the road this year, these last two wins should be tough. That said, the Mets seem desperate to see the Phillies in the playoffs this year, and the Nats have won three of the last four against Queens’ finest, including last night’s 13-4 win. Lets face it, anytime your team gives up a home run to Ryan Langerhans you know you are in trouble.

One Hill of a Pitcher
Shawn Hill has been one of the bright spots for the Nationals this year. His 4-5 record and 3.42 era don’t reveal the quality of his season. For example, he has three games this year where he has given up 2 earned runs or fewer in at least 6 innings pitched, and yet had didn’t get a decision. Hill is one of the pitchers that the Nationals are counting on to bolster their rotation next year. Hill has been suffering from an injury since Spring Training, and will undergo surgery on his right elbow to release a radial nerve, which is the same injury that John Patterson had. Hopefully, Shawn will not follow down Patterson’s path, even if it leads to a former Miss D.C. Svrluga has a good breakdown of Shawn Hill’s career here.

The Descent of Lopez
There is an interesting little tidbit in one of Svrluga’s posts about the last game at RFK. Apparently, Felipe Lopez is the one player that Barry knew who “declined to take a shift” handing out t-shirts to fans before the game on Sunday. Lopez has been accused throughout the year of having attitude problems. Last year, he was considered an important building block for this team. This year he is only hitting .241 with a .306 OBP. These numbers, combined with attitude problems, make you wonder whether Lopez is still an important part of this team. Many have speculated that the reason Bowden wants to bring back Guzman this year is to remind Felipe that this team has other middle infielders ready to step in.

Briefly Noted
There really isn’t a lot to find about a team that is 70-87 and has 5 games left to play.

Meaningless statistic of the week: Washington left fielders are second in the National League in being hit by pitches with 13. Way to lean into them guys!