Unheralded Nats go the extra mile to finish off winning stretch
Behind the likes of Jose Tena and Paxton Schultz, the Nationals won in extra innings to finish a grueling 17-game stretch with a winning record
CHICAGO – They’d been talking about this stretch – 17 games in 17 days – pretty much since it began. The Nationals knew they had an especially grueling April schedule, and it only got tougher when they saw a string of starting pitchers fail to give them more than five innings at a time and three relievers land on the IL (perhaps, gulp, from overuse caused by the rotation woes).
They’ve been making roster moves nearly every day, establishing a shuttle back and forth to Rochester that is allowing somebody to rack up some major frequent-flier miles. Join the big-league club for a day, hope you contribute in some way, then prepare to head back to Triple-A.
It all sounds like a recipe for disaster, something you’d expect from a team languishing in last place and dealing with low morale. Except that’s not the case here. Look at the standings after today’s 2-1, 10-inning victory over the White Sox. The Nationals just completed this grueling stretch of the schedule with a winning record of 9-8.
“I know it wasn’t an easy start to the season in terms of the schedule and everything. And we’ve made some mistakes, no doubt, along the way,” manager Blake Butera said. “But the one thing I couldn’t be more proud of is just the way these guys have worked every single day, and the openness and willingness to continue to get better and learn from their mistakes and continue to grow and want to continue to compete and work.
“And you look up 17 games later, and we have a winning record out of that stretch? Just really, really proud of the effort here.”
