The Washington Nationals are in the home stretch of the 2012 Major League Baseball season, but seem to only have a slightly firm grip on their lead in the National League standings.
The Nats have gone just 5-5 in their last 10 contests and are currently in the midst of a three-game losing streak. As a result, they sit just 5.5 games ahead of the second-place Atlanta Braves in the NL East standings.
The Braves are currently leading the Wild Card standings and gained some ground on the Nats in the division when they swept them over the weekend in Atlanta. But even with those losses, the Nationals still remain atop the National League Division standings with the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants following close behind.
The Nationals host the Los Angeles Dodgers this week, who enter the series trying to move up in the Wild Card standings. LA is just 1.5 games back of the St. Louis Cardinals for the second Wild Card spot and they could be a real threat to the Nats beginning with their double-header on Wednesday afternoon.
For more on the Nats, head over to Federal Baseball, and continue to check out SB Nation DC for the latest news and updates.