Nationals’ midterm grades: It’s tough to sugarcoat last place

The National League East is playing out as Vegas predicted in March. The top four teams occupy the top two spots in each league's standings. Washington's last place in the standings is not a playoff berth but a 100-loss season. The Nationals need to finish 32-36 to avoid a losing season, but there are stars in their class. They need 31 wins over 94 games.

The Washington Nationals' starting pitching is struggling. The team's starting rotation has a combined ERA of 5.74. Patrick Corbin is 4-12 with a 5-87 ERA. Stephen Strasburg has played just 4.2 innings this year. Joe Ross had Tommy John surgery. Manager Davey Martinez is excited about the team’s young pitchers.

Josiah Gray is the star student of the group. He has seven wins and an ERA of 1.13 in June.

The Nationals are 8-12 with a 4.36 ERA and have the fewest saves (15) and save opportunities (24) in the big leagues. The team has had to use 21 pitchers and three position players this year.

Carl Edwards Jr. owns the best ERA (3.15) among relief pitchers with more than 20 appearances. Kyle Finnegan has 12 holds in the first half of the season.

The Nats are last in the league in terms of team defense. They have made 60 errors this season, which is the third most in MLB. Their fielding percentage is fourth worst in baseball.

Keibert Ruiz and Victor Robles are playing well up the middle.

The Nats are last in the league in terms of runs scored. Their 94 runs at the All-Star break lead the majors. The team's leadoff hitter has a .283 on-base percentage. In the middle of the lineup, the team has 57 RBI.

Juan Soto has 20 home runs and is hitting .409 in July. Josh Bell is a .311 hitter with 13 home run and 50 RBI. The Nationals are last in the group.