It's very early in the season but the Nationals are currently atop the National League East with a 7-3 record. With their $81 million payroll they are beating the Phillies who are loaded with stars and spend $175 million annually.
What's going on? There are a couple of factors:
1) Phenom pitcher Stephen Strasburg is healthy and pitching well. He's 1-0 this year with 14 strikeouts and a 0.69 Earned Run Average (ERA).
2) Manager Davey Johnson has been able to institute his system in the organization since taking over for Jim Riggleman midway through the season.
3) The whole rotation is pitching great with a combined ERA of 1.99 - Ross Detwiler and Jordan Zimmerman are pitching really strong.
4) Adam LaRoche, Ian Desmond, and Jayson Werth all have batting averages above .340.
5) Most importantly they seem to believe in themselves and be having fun.
Let's hope they have a better than .500 winning percentage for the first time and bring some excitement to DC baseball!
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