Bryce Harper has long since grown accustomed to the towering home runs, the frequent trots around the bases, the hordes of reporters waiting at his locker after every game.
Fueled by their 22-year-old slugger’s torrid recent stretch, the Washington Nationals are right where their championship-hungry fans always expected them to be. They have won five consecutive games, including two against the New York Yankees earlier this week, and moved into sole possession of first place in the National League East for the first time this season.
After a sluggish start, the team picked by Las Vegas oddsmakers to win the World Series is finally playing up to its lofty expectations.
“We knew we were going to play baseball like we were supposed to,” first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. “There’s going to be times where you don’t play good like we did at the beginning of the year. The key is obviously to not have long stretches like that. When it happens at the beginning of the year, everyone overreacts and puts too much into it. We just kind of stayed the course, kept working hard and doing what we do every day, and knew it would turn around.”
Less than four weeks ago, the Nationals had lost six consecutive games and occupied last place in the division, raising questions of whether the team had been overrated by the experts. Then, on April 28, the Nats rallied from an eight-run deficit to beat the Atlanta Braves, 13-12. Nationals second baseman Dan Uggla, who was cut by the Braves last season and is still under contract with the team, hit the go-ahead three-run home run in the ninth inning.
Washington has won 16 of 20 games since, going from worst to first in the division.
The scorching stretch has included a number of come-from-behind victories and 10 games decided by two runs or fewer, of which the Nationals have won nine. It has included a 19-game hitting streak by catcher Wilson Ramos, which ended Wednesday. And it’s featured marquee free agent Max Scherzer, the former Detroit Tigers star who has turned in a string of dominant outings while also introducing a new style of celebratory postgame antics, dousing teammates with chocolate syrup after walk-off wins.
Above all else, however, Washington’s winning streak has revolved around Harper, its star right fielder. Entering Friday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies, he leads the National League in nearly every major offensive category, from home runs (15) and runs (37) to on-base percentage (. 472). He has hit 10 homers in his past 13 games, including three in a single afternoon May 6.
This, Harper has repeatedly said, is how he expects to play. It hasn’t surprised him, nor his manager.
“You can’t expect a pace like this for a whole season,” manager Matt Williams said. “Am I surprised? No, because the talent is extraordinary. But there are times where he’s going to hit into a double play like he did [Tuesday] night, and that’s OK, too, because that’s part of the process.”
“If he maintains the mindset he has right now, he can be very, very special,” Williams added.
Harper was named the National League Player of the Week for each of the past two weeks, becoming just the 10th player in history to achieve such a feat. Standing in front of his locker Tuesday afternoon, he was asked about the nature of his accomplishment.
“Hopefully I win it again. Truly,” Harper said. “I just want to come in every single day and have some fun and enjoy it. The biggest thing that we’re doing right now is we’re winning ballgames. We’re playing great as a team, and the whole team could’ve won that award. It’s a lot of fun to be part of a club like this.”
The team has thrived even when its star player finds himself unwillingly benched.
Harper and Williams were each ejected for the second time in six games Wednesday night following an argument with home plate umpire Marvin Hudson. But even without their most formidable hitter in the lineup, the Nationals still rallied to win, 3-2. Despite injuries to infielder Anthony Rendon and left fielder Jayson Werth, their lineup is humming. The starting pitching, anchored by Scherzer and Jordan Zimmermann, is improving with each start. And the team’s once-porous defense has been stout as the wins have mounted.
The doldrums of April are now a distant memory for these Nationals. After sputtering out of the gate, they, like their budding superstar, have since risen to meet their own expectations.
“The biggest thing to be said is there’s no difference in this clubhouse, from when we’re struggling to when things are going well,” closer Drew Storen said. “We’re the same people. We all come in every day, doing the same stuff. And that’s really important, because you can’t ride the highs and lows throughout a season. It’s going to wear on you. We’ve really stayed with it and trusted what we’re doing.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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