Timing is everything.
After wrapping up June with a fantastic 19-9 record, the Washington Nationals began July just two games behind the first place New York Mets in the NL East. That 19-9 record featured an 11-7 record against the worst division in baseball (their own) and home sweeps of the Pittsburgh Pirates (3) and the Tampa Bay Rays (2).
As hot as the Nats were, though, it seemed clear at the time that the Nats were about to play a stretch that would make or break the season.