Washington Nationals

By winning seven straight games and 18 of their past 23, the Washington Nationals have surged back to relevancy. They've been extremely inconsistent all year, but an ultra-talented core and World Series-winning manager are now thinking in concert and executing to perfection with a few weeks of the season to spare.

Sound familiar? It should.

The Washington Nationals are infamous for protecting Stephen Strasburg during the 2012 season, setting an innings limit on him.

While they were careful with Strasburg, it seems the opposite is true for their young offensive star, Bryce Harper.

The Washington Nationals are surging and will enter September in contention for a playoff spot. Entering the final day of August, the Nationals are 16-10 in the month, which has given them a reason to play meaningful baseball in September.

The pieces of the puzzle have been coming together for Washington. Perhaps they were not able to handle the early season hype that surrounded the team, but, as for now, they have a chance for redemption.

Scott Boras is at it again, and this time it concerns Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper.

According to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, Boras has laid out a case for a 12-year contract extension for Harper:

When Bryce Harper was chosen by the Washington Nationals as the first overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft, he had played for most of his amateur career as a catcher.

In just three-plus years, it's safe to say he's picked up the nuances of the outfield fairly well.

The title of "ace" of a team's pitching staff is often bestowed upon a pitcher as if it were a nickname. It is prematurely applied to any and all types of pitcher, like a "Player of The Week" award. 

But ace is not a label to be categorized with lesser distinctions, such as: 

The Washington Nationals answered the call Friday evening, defeating the Colorado Rockies 2-1 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

Friday night’s victory marks three-straight wins for the Nationals.

From the get-go, Stephen Strasburg was too much to handle.

The Washington Nationals decided to recall infielder Anthony Rendon to the 25-man roster on Tuesday, one of many moves the team made as Jayson Werth returned from the disabled list and Danny Espinosa took his place. 

May has come and gone, and the Washington Nationals are still struggling to stay above the .500 mark. At 27-27, it's time for Davey Johnson's club to step it up and play more consistent baseball.

Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg was forced to leave Friday's game against the Atlanta Braves with an undisclosed injury, according to ESPN senior baseball analyst Jim Bowden via Twitter: