The Bushslappers snuck into the playoffs last year with an 81-81 record - the first time in franchise history (going all the way back to the Columbia Crusaders days) that the franchise earned a playoff spot.What went right: The Bushslappers actually put in a great run in the second and third quarters of the season. Carlos Beltran and Alfonso Soriano put up excellent numbers. Esteban German, who was in platoon roles early on, earned regular playing time and ended up hitting .350 over 329 at bats with a .953 OPS. The bullpen's co-closers Jonathon Papelbon and Joe Nathan were lights out and provided the Slappers with some confidence in the late innings. D.C.'s 13 wins after trailing after 7 innings tied for the most in the league.
What went wrong: At the beginning and ending of the season, the Slappers were mediocre. The Slappers backed into the playoffs, despite a 4-game losing streak to finish the season. Jose Reyes and Matt Holliday (who was traded midseason) had subpar years. The starting rotation was inconsistent at best. Anibal Sanchez led the team in ERA (4.57) despite a 7-13 record. Three of the five starters had losing records and three of the five had ERAs of 5.00 or higher.
D.C. will need to beef up their starting rotation and awaken those underachieving bats to keep up with the other Morris Division teams. They got the playoff hex out of the way and now will be looking forward to posting their first winning record.
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