Washington Nationals: Playoff chances take another huge blow

The Washington Nationals face an uphill battle in their push to the postseason. With Stephen Strasburg on the shelf, their chances take another huge blow.

It is safe to say that 2018 has not gone as planned for the Washington Nationals. With a new manager at the helm, All-Star week being held in their city, and Bryce Harper primed to have a historic season in his contract year, this appeared to be the Nats’ year to finally go all the way.

Instead, the Nats find themselves seven games back in the division race in late-July. Nobody saw this coming, but the Nats have a legitimate, if not likely, shot at missing the postseason. The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves are both playing well, making the Nats’ path to the postseason a difficult one, to say the least.

While the Nats are currently on the outside looking in as far as the playoff picture is concerned, they could make a run and get right back into the hunt. However, they need to play nearly perfect for that to happen. They have finally received most of their stars back from the disabled list, and they cannot afford another significant injury.

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Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened on Thursday, when Stephen Strasburg was placed on the disabled list just hours before he was scheduled to start against Miami.

Strasburg has established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball when healthy, but he has shown an inability to remain healthy at times throughout his career. He has made at least one trip to the disabled list in eight of his nine seasons.

Now, Strasburg finds himself back on the disabled list, after making just one start in his return from a shoulder injury. This time, he is on the shelf with a pinched nerve in his neck, which may or may not be related to his previous shoulder injury.

If Strasburg is going to miss a significant period of time, the Nats’ playoff chances take an enormous blow. The starting rotation has been an uncharacteristic weakness in 2018, partially due to his absence. Erick Fedde, Jefry Rodriguez, Austin Voth, and Tommy Milone have been asked to start crucial games, which says a lot about the Nats’ forgettable season.

Last year, Strasburg posted otherworldly numbers after returning from the disabled list. The Nats had hoped that he would repeat that performance, leading them on their postseason push, but they will have to wait at least a couple weeks for that to happen.

The Washington Nationals have been snakebit from day one. Losing Stephen Strasburg is just the latest chapter in a series of unfortunate events.