Baseball season, as the saying goes, is a marathon, not a sprint. Still, with only 18 games in the books, I am already beginning to wonder if it is time to worry about the Washington Nationals.  After being swept by the Atlanta Braves and struggling to take just 1 of 3 games from the New York Mets, the Nats now own a very mediocre 10-8 record. Though expectations for this club are in the stratosphere, the Nats have limped through April with a multitude of unforeseen problems. Bad pitching, throwing errors, poor base-running. To make matters worse, Atlanta is having their best start to a season in about two decades.

Indeed, it appears that this Washington Nationals club is in some trouble. But is it time to panic? Not yet. At least, that’s what famed Washington Post sports columnist Tom Boswell seems to think. Earlier today, Boswell hosted a live chat during which he was asked whether or not he is worried about the Nats. Here is just a snippet of Boswell’s long, detailed response:

The Nats are playing poorly. Not atrociously. But they are lucky to be 10-8. Their actual play probably deserves 8-10 or worse. They are overanxious at the plate in tight games, like Werth swinging at a 3-0 pitcher’s pitch in the 8th on Sunday to kill a rally with a GIDP. They make base-running blunders or misjudgments, like Span getting throw out at 2nd by 8 feet on Sunday. Or they make errors on simple plays, like Desmond’s wide throw to 1st on Sunday. Or they have a lapse of concentration, like Harper’s embarrassing misplay of a routine single yesterday. Or they have an almost team-wide case of poor command of pitches, which sometimes means you’re just trying too hard.As is almost always the case when good teams play this way, it is NOT aa case of not trying hard enough or not caring enough. It is almost always the opposite — trying too hard, trying to “pick up the team” too much by doing too much yourself. It’s just April, for crying out loud. Just relax and play the game and enjoy. But that is far harder to do than to say.

I tweeted yesterday during the game that:  “the Nats must make 3-4-5 brutal mental mistakes or errors on easy plays in most of their games. 5 today. Pressing in April. Expectations rob joy.”

I got an e-mail after the game from a Nationals fan who said that she felt the team missed Michael Morse’s loose presence and felt it was obvious that the Nats were pressing, trying too hard, burdened by expectations — a team of analytical introverts who “need a clown” to help them relax.

I think that’s probably close to the case but not something that’s going to be as easily fixed as a few practical jokes or more chuckles on the bench. The Nats may miss Mark DeRosa as much as Morse.He was smart (Wharton degree), tough (Penn QB) and funny in a clubhouse way that seemed spontaneous but was also always part of setting team tone. It’s rare to see a player who doesn’t produce much, like DeRosa, who’s part of chemistry.

BUT the primary problem, IMO, is not the absence of Morse (or any one else). It’s the introduction of high expectations, criticism, judgment, Game 5. Some teams aren’t especially bothered by it. The Nats seem to be. You can’t know its importance until you see it play out. The reason that “expectations rob joy” is kind of a cliche is because it’s true. The Nats will have to learn to deal with it.

I like Boswell’s line of thinking, and it’s fairly similar to thoughts I’ve been having lately about the Nats. The Washington Nationals are victims of the extremely high expectations of baseball fans and and media in DC and beyond.

To be fair, high expectations are perfectly reasonable for a club as good as the Nats. The roster is talented, deep, and well-built. And considering that the front office somehow managed to improve in the offseason on a roster that already had such little downside, it only makes sense that many fans and media everywhere consider anything other than a World Series appearance to be a failure for this team. Indeed, one could argue that the Nationals, at least on paper, are unbeatable over the long haul.

Still, these are humans we’re talking about. Aside from the hours spent at the ballpark each day, these players have a lot of time on their hands. And to fill that time, they watch SportsCenter, they read the papers, and they listen to the sports talk radio stations. For anyone to assume otherwise would be somewhat naive. And as they tune into the media commentary, they are bombarded with the unrelenting pressure that comes with being at the top.

The Nats have a huge target painted on their backs, and they know it. All eyes in the National League are focused on them. There is no margin for error. Is this pressure, or at least the Nats’ perception of it, the reason for their struggles? I can’t say for sure. But it wouldn’t surprise me if this were a contributing factor so early in the season.

The more important question is, where will the Nationals go from here?

Only time will tell. That answer is simple and rather unsatisfactory for those who demand instant gratification. But to me, that’s the beauty of baseball. What appears to be a lost cause in April could turn out to be a gem by October. There are so many months ahead on the calendar, so much baseball yet to be played. Eighteen games, in the grand scheme, is of little account.

Still, as so many teams have discovered at summer’s end, a bad April could indeed come back to haunt you. As such, the Nationals need to get their act together—now. The good news is this: The Nationals are armed with arguably the deepest pitching rotation in baseball, a defense loaded with Gold Glove talent, multiple Silver Slugger winners, a reigning Rookie of the Year, and a manager with half a century of experience in the game.

Simply put, the Nats might look bad now, but they are definitely capable of turning things around quickly and in dramatic fashion. So, like Tom Boswell, I am certainly concerned about the Nats’ shaky start. But I am not worried. Not yet. Talk to me at the All-Star break.

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Read Tom Boswell’s full article here.