National League East report: Nationals show signs of life

The Washington Nationals were prohibitive favorites to win the National League East this season but spent most of the first three months of the season failing to realize their potential. Just as things hit rock bottom last week, Washington appeared to fall even deeper. Then, all of a sudden the Nationals turned things around.

Washington lost 17 of 22 games, including five defeats in a row heading into their weekend series against the Miami Marlins. The Nationals fell below .500 (42-43) and things were looking grim. Then on Thursday the Nationals fell behind, 9-0, in the fourth inning.

But things started to pick up for Washington after that nine-run deficit, thanks to a 14-run outburst and a 14-12 win. Trea Turner had two home runs and eight RBI in this win.

A walk-off win on Friday was followed by another offensive outburst on Saturday, an 18-4 blowout that included a career game for Mark Reynolds. The veteran first baseman was 5-for-5 with two home runs and a double, and drove in a whopping 10 runs to tie a Nationals franchise record.

There have been three games in the majors this season with eight or more runs batted in, and two of them came from the Nationals in a three-day span. Didi Gregorius of the New York Yankees also drove in eight on Apr. 3.

Reynolds, who has been a part-time player this season, had things in perspective after doubling his career high in RBI in a game.

Reynolds started again on Sunday and doubled, singled and walked, and even pitched for the final out in the ninth inning, but the Nationals saw their win streak snapped at three games.

Washington remains five games back in the NL East, with a pair of teams tied at the top of the division. After falling 17-7 to Washington on June 29 the Philadelphia Phillies have allowed just 19 runs total in their last seven games, six of which were wins.

The Phillies remain in a virtual tie with the Atlanta Braves, who had two players named to the starting lineup and four players total on the National League All-Star team.

The only hiccup in Atlanta was on Sunday, when 2017 All-Star outfielder Ender Inciarte was pulled from a game after failing to hustle.

The New York Mets were blanked in back-to-back games at home over the weekend by Tampa Bay, including Nathan Eovaldi taking a perfect game into the seventh inning on Sunday. It continued a free fall for New York.

The Mets swept the Arizona Diamondbacks in three games from May 18-20, but haven’t won a single series since. New York is 0-11-3 in series during that time, and 12-32 in games. At 35-51 (.407) the Mets are on pace for 96 losses in 2018. They started the season 11-1.