The Jonathan Papelbon era in Washington is finally finished and nobody is sorry.
Forget the Washington Nationals reliever choking teammate Bryce Harper late last season.
That had nothing to do with his release Aug. 13. Instead, two crummy partial seasons in Washington had everything to do with it. Papelbon just wasn't very good.
It's time for the Nats to get serious. They're 22 games above .500 with an 8.5-game lead in the National League East and reaching the playoffs is a near certainty. That means no more evolving. They need to play for today, so they'll be successful during the postseason. Otherwise, tomorrow won't be a long-term certainty.
