And those internal expectations “are not predicated on wins and losses,” acting general manager Mike Rizzo said Monday just minutes after announcing the firing of former manager Manny Acta. “We’re looking at many objectives. One of them is to continue to play the game as hard as [the players] did under [Acta]. And we’re going to continue to stress the fundamentals. We need everyone to look at themselves and take accountability for the season they’re having.”

On the field, that’s about all the Nats have left to play for. Off it there are a host of issues that need to be resolved. Paramount is the signing of No. 1 draft pick Stephen Strasburg, the right-handed pitcher from San Diego State whom the team hopes can anchor its starting rotation for years to come. Sources say the two sides have been in contact since the draft on June 9. But the Nats are proceeding cautiously — perhaps mindful of last year’s public war of words with draft pick Aaron Crow that turned personal. That acrimony played a part in Crow turning down the team’s final offer as the deadline to sign draft picks expired. Washington has until Aug. 17 to get Strasburg under contract or it loses his rights.

Then there is the status of the front office itself. Rizzo is still the acting general manager with no guarantee of a job beyond this season. Meanwhile, Jim Riggleman has taken over for Acta. But barring a strong second half, his stay may be temporary. Those changes will be taken care of in time. But for now, the players themselves still have 74 games left to go — and a long time to think about how they ended up in this position.

“Every once in while we’ll be sitting around in the locker room and someone will have the standings up on their laptop or a newspaper out and just shake their heads,” said relief pitcher Jason Bergmann. “We brought in guys like [Adam] Dunn and [Josh] Willingham and [Scott] Olsen. We’re still healthier than we were last year. It’s always ‘How are we this bad?’ We know we had so much more potential.”

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