Don't Worry Mets and Phillies, You'll Play Washington Too

There are many teams whose records won't crack the .500 mark in 2009. Chief among them are the Washington Nationals.

The Nationals are the last team in the majors with no wins, going 0-6 to open the season. They are also the only team in the NL East with a sub-.500 record.

So far, the Braves and Marlins have each swept Washington, putting both Atlanta and Florida on top of the division with 5-1 records.

I am not trying to take anything away from the Braves and Marlins. Both teams also won their series' against the Mets and Phillies.

The Marlins beat the Mets in two of their three games in Florida while the Braves beat the Phillies in two out of three games in Philadelphia.

The co-leaders of the NL East are having great starts to the season, but I think a lot of the thanks should go to the Washington Nationals, the doormat of the division.

But don't worry, Mets and Phillies fans. You will get your turn to take a bite out of the Nationals, too.

The Phillies start a four game series with the Nationals on Monday in Washington. As long as the Nationals don't suddenly get hot, I think the Phillies will take them on a very long ride.

The Mets will need to wait a bit longer for their turn, which will come on April 24 in New York. It will be only the Mets' second homestand as they take up residence in new CitiField.

In the Mets' first series against the Nationals in 2008, they swept Washington in a three-game series.

Let's hope they can do it again.