Everybody knows that April showers bring May flowers. The question for the Washington Nationals is: Should their April power make teams cower?

The Nats have spent the entire first month of the season atop the National League East. Of course, they've also spent the entire first month of the season playing a schedule that's softer than a Charmin-wrapped marshmallow. So far, Washington has played the Braves, Marlins and Phillies six times each and the Twins three times. Not exactly what you'd call a gantlet. Add it all up, and the combined winning percentage of their opponents is .462, which ranks as the third-cushiest calendar in the majors.

On top of that, Washington is just 2-4 against the Phillies, who have a 12-10 record against the league's third-toughest schedule and who appear to be better than expected -- Philly completed a three-game sweep of the Nats that ended with Washington's offense posting 22 straight scoreless innings and counting.

In other words, it's easy to understand why folks around baseball hesitate to accept Washington's 14-7 record as the real deal. But that's why God created litmus tests. And what better litmus test could there be than a three-city, 10-game road trip against the Cardinals, Royals and Cubs?

Gulp.

If you're keeping score at home, that's three teams that made the playoffs last year, including the reigning world champs. Three teams that have combined for a .625 winning percentage and a run differential of plus-122. That's a whopping 210 runs better than the combined minus-88 of Washington's first four foes.

Double gulp.

But this is the big leagues, where the big boys put on their big-boy pants and play ball, no matter the opponent. With that in mind, here are 10 tasty tidbits -- one for each day of Washington's wandering -- to keep in mind as the Nationals embark on their magical midwestern mystery tour.

1. Marathon road trips don't always spell doom. During the last four years, which is pretty much since the whole time they've been good, the Nationals have taken a three-city road trip on 15 occasions. On those trips, they're a combined 78-67 (.538). Not too shabby.

2. Not all marathon road trips are created equal. "It's one of the tougher trips I think I've probably ever been on," said first baseman Ryan Zimmerman. "You enjoy the challenge. I think you get to see what we’re really made of. Go out and play three really, really good teams." Making it even more challenging is that one of those teams has been a historically unkind host. Since 2005, when the Nationals came into existence, they've won just one of 11 series in St. Louis, been swept five times, and are 7-27 (.206) when visiting the Cards.

3. The Nats might be a mirage. Give the Phillies credit for being better than advertised. Still, getting swept by them -- in D.C. -- suggests that the Nationals aren't as good as the 14-4 record they boasted before that series indicated. Not that there's anything wrong with playing .667 ball over the first three weeks of the season. "If somebody told me we'd start off 14-7, I'd be very, very happy," said manager Dusty Baker. "We kind of spoiled everybody by starting the way we did, so we'll get it back together."

4. If the Nats are a mirage, then so are the Royals and Cardinals. Sure, Washington had a cupcake kickoff to the season. But you could say the same for K.C. and St. Louis. While the Nationals rank 28th in strength of schedule (that .462 opponents win percentage mentioned earlier), the Royals and Cards rank 20th and 23rd, respectively (.490 and .478). And the Nats have a better record than both of them. Maybe that's why ESPN.com's RPI (relative power index) -- which incorporates all that number-crunchy kind of stuff -- has Washington ranked 12th overall, ahead of K.C. (14th) and St. Louis (19th). So there's that.

5. Cards and Cubs can mash. 21, 26, 29, 30. No, those aren't tonight's lottery numbers. Instead, that's where the four teams that Washington has played rank in runs per game. Meanwhile, the Cardinals and Cubs rank first and second, and the club that ranks third (Pittsburgh) isn't particularly close behind.

6. Good pitching still beats good hitting. Washington's pitching staff owns a 2.35 ERA, lowest in the league. As mentioned above, the Nats haven't exactly been facing murderer's row, but a rotation anchored by Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg and is as deep as any in the game could cool off the Cards and Cubs in a hurry.

7. Nats bats need to wake up. Outside of Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy, both of whom are among the NL's top 10 in OPS, Washington's offense has been sleepwalking through much of April. Its 3.9 runs per game ranks ninth in the National League, and in their last 11 contests, that number has dropped to 3.0, worst in the NL.

8. Reinforcements are coming. The bottom half of the order has been especially lifeless without catcher Wilson Ramos, who's currently on bereavement leave and has missed the last three games, all Nats losses. But Ramos, who's hitting .316, is expected back soon. As for the top of the order, that should get a boost when Ben Revere comes back. Baker said that his leadoff hitter -- who hasn’t played since suffering an oblique injury on Opening Day -- might be back for the Cubs series, and not a moment too soon. This season, Washington's leadoff men have posted a .220 on-base percentage, worst in the majors.

9. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. When it comes to starting pitching, the matchup gods appear to be on the Nationals' side. In St. Louis, they're scheduled to miss Adam Wainwright and Michael Wacha. In Kansas City, they avoid Yordano Ventura and Ian Kennedy. And in the four-game set in Chicago, they're slated to miss Jon Lester. That's pretty good livin' right there.

10. .500 is the new .667. What all of Washington's doubters are missing is that at some point over the course of the season, the stronger teams have to play the weaker teams. When that happens, it's about taking care of business. And judging by the Nats' 14-7 record, they can take care of business. When it comes to playing good teams on the road, taking care of business can be as simple as keeping your head above water and hoping to go 5-5. Not that Harper wants to hear it. "Going into it, you don't want to think about splitting," said the reigning MVP. "You want to think about winning every single game." If that happens, there'll be no doubt about who the best team in baseball is.