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A Wild-Card Race Worth Chasing
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ยท Proof that no one seems to want to win this thing: Entering today none of the four teams has a record better than 9-6 this month. The Astros are 9-6. The Nationals, Marlins and Phillies are 8-7.
"I said a month and a half ago," says Astros second baseman Craig Biggio, "that it's going down to the last weekend somewhere."
Every team chasing the wild card, in fact, is flawed by definition; none is good enough to win its own division.
The Marlins are alarmingly power-challenged -- at one point this summer, they went nearly a month without a single homer from someone besides Carlos Delgado or Miguel Cabrera -- and have struggled to find dependable No. 4 and No. 5 starters.
The Astros are last in the league in on-base percentage, and their lineup -- especially with third baseman Morgan Ensberg nursing a sore hand -- is nearly devoid of dangerous hitters. They are also 12 games under .500 on the road.
The Phillies have plenty of excellent Nos. 3 and 4 starters, but they lack dominant pitchers at the front end of their rotation, especially when compared to the others.
The Nationals? Well, where to begin? They essentially have three starting pitchers. They are last in the majors in hitting and runs scored. And they sometimes don't get along with each other, or with their manager.
Thursday Morning: Nats at Mets
Standings at the start of the day:
| Team | W | L | GB |
| Florida | 78 | 68 | -- |
| Philadelphia | 78 | 68 | -- |
| Houston | 77 | 68 | 1/2 |
| Washington | 75 | 71 | 3 |
One can tell a lot about these creatures called professional baseball players by observing them in their natural habitat.
Having had their locker room music taken away recently by their manager, Frank Robinson, the Nationals have had to find other ways to occupy their time.
At 11:30 a.m. Thursday, in the cramped visitors' clubhouse at Shea Stadium, the Nationals are in chill-out mode. Video of Jae Seo, that day's pitcher for the Mets, is playing on a television screen. Preston Wilson is the only Nationals player watching it. Livan Hernandez, the Nationals' starting pitcher, sits at his locker in blue athletic shorts and flip-flops, with his back to the room, eating pancakes. Rookie reliever Jason Bergmann is on the couch, reading Maxim magazine. Second baseman Jose Vidro, out with an in flamed right knee, lies on the couch, nearly asleep.
