The Washington Nationals still can’t beat divisional opponents

· Yahoo Sports

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 06: Luis Arraez #4 of the Philadelphia Phillies is thrown out at home plate in the first inning during a game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on August 6, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Nats playoff dreams got buried this week with a 1-7 road trip against the Braves and Phillies. These veteran laden squads taught the young Nats a lesson and showed they were not ready yet. In a season where the Nats have taken so many steps in the right direction, winning against divisional foes remains a challenge.

On the season, the Nats have gone 11-24 against NL East foes according to my count. If you take out the last place Mets, the Nats are 7-21. These numbers are why the Nats are not going to be battling for a playoff spot down the stretch. If the Nats did not have such massive issues with the Marlins and did not blow all those leads against the Phillies, we could be in a very different spot.

However, the reality is that the Nats sit here on August 7th with a 56-61 record and have their tail between their legs. The roster is now depleted due to trades and injuries. It also looks like the confidence is starting to waiver. Given the lack of pitching on this roster, this day was likely inevitable, but it is still painful.

This week showed that the Nats still have a long way to go to catch these monsters of the east. You are not going to be a playoff team if you cannot beat teams in your own division. The inability to pitch to these veteran lineups is probably a reason Paul Toboni invested so heavily in pitching at the deadline.

Elite offense makes a team fun, but you need pitching to win championships. This lack of pitching shows up the most against teams that see your arms consistently. Braves and Phillies hitters were just all over Nats pitching this week.

That Braves series was particularly ugly. It just felt like the Braves took the Nats soul that weekend. Even Braves writers were struck at how much they absolutely buried the Nats. They showed this team levels.

As you would expect from a team that has been bad for a long time, teams in the division have feasted on the Nats. However, even last year it was not this bad. In 2025, the Nats went 21-31 against the NL East. The Nats would have to go on a real run to match that number this season.

Heading into 2027, whenever that season starts, a big goal needs to be winning against divisional foes. Teams like the Phillies and Braves in particular are measuring sticks for this team. Back in 2012, we knew that team was legit because they kept beating the Phillies, who had slapped them around for years.

Those Phillies, who feature former Nats extremely prominently will always be the ultimate measuring stick for this team. They are our biggest rival and have ruled the division with the Braves this decade. You cannot beat teams like this if you go 0 for 11 with RISP like the Nats did on Tuesday.

Under the new regime, this team has made a lot of progress. The offense has exploded and there has been so much development. However, this team is not where they need to be yet. It would be unrealistic for the regime to turn everything around in one year. Next year though, this team is going to have to be a lot better against the NL East.

This season has raised expectations moving forward. If the Nats are not in the playoff hunt down the stretch, that will be disappointing. This puts even more pressure on this group to beat the beasts of the east, which they have not shown the ability to do yet. Hopefully that will come as this team gains experience.

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