  Steady progress part of Nationals’ master plan  The Washington
Nationals have their sights set higher. Their goals for this
charmed 2012 season are weightier things, like winning the
National League East, the pennant and, yes, even possibly the
World Series.  But they must take the requisite steps to get
there first.  They must cross off things such as clinching their
first postseason berth (a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on
Thursday night would assure them of at least a spot in the one-
game wild-card playoff).  They can still mark their improvements
in other ways. They can look at an organization just three
seasons removed from back-to-back 100-loss campaigns and see how
far they've come.  In winning their 90th game Wednesday, the
Nationals became the fifth team since 1901 with three straight
seasons in which they improved by 10 or more wins over the
previous year, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.  In 2009,
the Nationals won just 59 of 162 games. In 2010, they jumped to
69 wins, and in 2011 they l