Washington Nationals clinch National League East title
By Hayden Kane
The Washington Nationals vowed to put together a full season of good baseball in 2014. Haunted by what could have been in a 2013 season that fell short because of a bad start, the Nationals were a team on a mission this season.
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As far as the regular season is concerned, the Nationals reached their goal on Tuesday night. Washington clinched a National League East division crown with their 3-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
Even with a stated mission to not sputter out of the gates in 2014, the Nationals still found themselves off to a slow start. For much of the first half of this season it was the Braves in first place with the Miami Marlins hanging around near the top of the division. Once the Nationals got healthy they proved to be too much, but it is not as if this team has dominated since the beginning.
With a stacked starting rotation and studs in the lineup like Bryce Harper and Ian Desmond, this Nationals team looks like a group to be reckoned with in the playoffs. The first team in baseball to clinch their division, this Washington team might finally be set up to meet the sky-high expectations set for them.
In order to have a chance to do so, the Nationals needed to handle their business and reach the postseason. They officially accomplished that goal on Tuesday.
Desmond keyed this victory with a deep two run home run, while Tanner Roark delivered another outstanding start for Washington.
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