The month of June has been excellent for the Nationals. Heading into tonight’s game against the Pahrts, they are 13 – 1 at home and 5 – 4 on the road. They started the month a mere game over .500, but have since gotten to 13 over. They now lead the NL East by 2.5 games over the surging Braves. Thus far, the Nats have taken advantage of the scheduling about as much as a team can. Provided they win the Pittsburgh series, they will be in just about as good a position as possible entering the dog days of summer, which appears to be the most critical stretch of the season.

In July, the Nats play on 27 of 31 days, with July 11 – 13 off for the All-Star Break. Only 11 July games are at home, as opposed to the 17 in June. August only 12 games at RFK, with a stretch of 13 game road trip in three times zone. That roadtrip is bookended by the only off days of the month.

If the Nats can stay afloat, they are in good position to make something in September and the first two days of October. They have 29 games scheduled in the last 32 days of the season, with 19 of them at RFK. July and August might be grueling, but they get rewarded in September if they can keep it going.