Fate may have dealt the Washington Nationals a fatal blow on Thursday night when leadoff man Denard Span went on the disabled list with inflammation in his left hip.
The Nats may have beaten the Padres by a score of 4-2 last night to remain 6.5 games behind the Mets, but it was a costly win to be sure.
The Nationals were counting on Span to give the team a boost as they tried to catch the Mets in the standings, but team sources say that the centerfielder may be gone for the season.
Despite three trips to the DL, when he has played Span has batted .301 with five home runs and 11 stolen bases, and the Nationals are 36-25 when he starts.
Meanwhile, Baseball Prospectus now calculates the Mets’ postseason odds at a season-high 93.3 percent, while the Nationals chances reduced to 8.2 percent.
Given the Mets’ remarkable play and their ease of schedule, it’s almost impossible for them to not claim the NL East at this point, and avoid the dreaded one-game wild card round.
As an example, even if the Mets were to go 15-20 over the remaining 35 games of the season, the Nationals would have to go 23-13 over their remaining 36 games to catch them, and they’d have to do it with a weakened squad.
