After beating the Braves last night, and after losses by Colorado, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia, the Washington Nationals are firmly in the thick of the National League Wild Card race.
The Nationals sit just 2.5 games back of the second Wild Card slot (currently occupied by the 40-36 Brewers) and trail the 40-35 Rockies by 3.0 games.
The Nationals’ ultimate goal is still to overtake Philadelphia and Atlanta and win their fifth N.L. East title in eight years. However, with the Braves still 6.5 games ahead of Washington, the Wild Card is more than an acceptable consolation prize.