As baseball season begins, the Washington Nationals need to figure out a strategy to make it to the playoffs, after coming up short last season.

After a heart-breaking loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2012 postseason, the Nationals failed to make the postseason in 2013. With solid performances from outfielder Jason Werth and shortstop Ian Desmond, the Nationals came close, yet were unable to make the postseason. Many fans question what the Nationals can do this year in order make this season’s outcome better.

According to sophomore Adam Newburger, in order to make the playoffs the Nationals need to “solidify their bullpen positions” in order to win more games.

The Nationals struggled in many areas last year. The Nationals found difficulty in keeping a winning streak going. They failed many times to score with men on base and their pitching did not live up to expectations.

“Drew Storen is very shaky,” sophomore Charles Grody said. “He can pitch great one day, then allow a lot of runs the next day.”

Another factor that hurt the Nationals was injuries. Many valuable players were injured, such as Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg.

“Stephen Strasburg needs to avoid any injuries this year,” Grody said. “He got injured too much last year.”

While injuries did hurt the Nationals, their over-all performance was not up to par with other teams. CHS students remain hopeful that the Nationals season will be better than the last one.

“Hopefully, the Nationals can remain healthy,” Grody said. “Their bullpen is not as solid as the Braves, their rivals, but if they score enough runs, it should not be a big issue.”

With a record of 86-76, the Nationals came in second place in the National League East divison. The Nationals need to find a way this season to become number one again.