Four months in, Nats have the "it" factor
With another 10-run explosion from a lineup that didn't seem to miss Curtis Mead at all, the Nationals bolstered their case to try to win now
The Nationals traded Curtis Mead late Saturday night in an attempt to bolster their pitching staff, both in the short and long term. Connelly Early, if he really is ready to come off the IL by mid-August, is going to fill a significant void in a rotation desperate for another quality arm.
The trade-off, of course, was the loss of one of the most-productive members of the Nats lineup, one who came into his own this year and won over teammates, coaches and fans alike with his performance and positive attitude.
Well-reasoned as the trade may be, surely they would feel some negative effects of Mead’s departure during Sunday’s series finale against the Diamondbacks. Right?
“These guys believe in one another,” manager Blake Butera countered. “They don’t feel like it’s one singular person that’s driving this thing. They feel like it’s a collective effort. Of course we’re sad to see Curtis leave, but it opens up opportunity. That’s what these guys know, and they’ve been made very well aware of. We’ve got to keep the train rolling.”
Does 10 runs on 15 hits – four of them homers, five more of them doubles – qualify as rolling?
