Tracking the Nats’ historic chase of the ’62 Mets

Current Record: 4-9 (.307, 4.5 GB)

Projected Record: 50-112

Number of First Basemen Covered in Baby Oil as They Took the Field: 1

Announced Attendance: 16,316

Actual Attendance Estimated by People Unlucky Enough to Be at RFK Last Night: 1,631-4,079

Parsing the Win: Nats 5, Atlanta 1. Sell your stocks, buy gold, and get up to that cabin in northern Ontario—-the Nats are streaking, and the new owners of the NL East basement, the Phillies, are coming to town tomorrow. Last night pitcher Matt Chico got his first major-league win, and the fact that he did it with a 37-pitch first inning and five walks says less about the horrible weather than Chico’s stamina. He lasted until the top of the sixth. Moreover, the bats came alive in an old-school, small-ball manner. Ryan Zimmerman broke his slump with a single, an RBI single, and two runs.

Thomas Boswell Adjectives of the Day: “remarkably crisp,” “bone-cold,” “loony”