Washington Nationals
Accountability and Humility. How’s about an apology to the fans?
The difference a day makes. Put 60 days together and you have two months. The Washington Nationals were a team trying to shock the baseball world two months ago on July 10. The Nats were 48-46 that morning, and the debate that day would center on whether the team would be buyers at the trade deadline. The clear need was to fix that horrific bullpen. That night, blown save №26 happened with a loss as Matt Krook melted down like a flame on ice. Rewind back to nearly a year ago when President of Baseball Operations, Paul Toboni, was hired by the Lerner ownership group. Toboni likes successory quotes that you see on those motivational posters. So why not quote Morgan Wootten, the goat of Dematha basketball. Stay local, buy local. ❝Late DeMatha High School coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Morgan Wootten often talked about a winning effort being the precursor to actual wins. The same is true in baseball. What players and coaches do –or– don’t do, shows up every [game] in the box score in black and white. That’s the kind of visible scoreboard I embrace. I talked about humility; I think you have to be open-minded and curious about learning new things. [Hall of Fame basketball coach] Gregg Popovich talks about ‘getting over yourself.’ We want people that have gotten over themselves and don’t take themselves too seriously. I intend to take accountability… ❞ — Toboni said in the offseason Now let’s get back to today…
Game #148 The finale in San Diego
The Washington Nationals are now in a long losing streak. Their last win was back on September 1. There were also three blown-save-losses in the past week. Today would be a key win for the Nats ahead of their flight back to Washington, D.C. after today’s game. There will be a lot of baggage brought on that plane — the mental type of baggage. Setting the MLB record for most blown saves will haunt players. It’s not just the pitching, it is the defense that has also contributed to losses. Everyone should share in this, and accountability should be front and center. Since the World Series season of 2019, the Nationals have not won more than 71 games in a season. Can these Nats surpass that number? That would take 5-wins to reach that mark. There are 15 games remaining in this 2026 season. To avoid a 90 loss season, the Nats need to get 6-games in the win column to get to 73 wins. ❝Failures in life, we can either look at and put our head down and accept it, or we can face it head on and take something from it and learn from it. That’s what I’m hoping we do.❞ — said manager Blake Butera after last night’s game On offense, the Nats have the second most runs scored in MLB this season at 754 runs, and that is an impressive 5.12 runs per game. With the Nats pitching giving up 4.72 earned runs per game, the…
Dylan Crews is a bright spot in a bad week!
When you have one of those bad stretches, sometimes it just helps to find some good in between the negativity. Slowly, Dylan Crews is starting to figure things out. This is what the Washington Nationals hoped for when they demoted him to Triple-A near the end of Spring Training. Coming back to the Nats on May 19 ᵗʰ, Crews didn’t look great after his first 25-games this season as he was batting.189 with a.567 OPS. But for those who understood the goal, this was always going to be a process to reach the better results. Obviously, not everyone outside of the team grasped that process. The team’s №2 draft pick in 2023 came with high expectations. There were some who were writing Crews off as a bust, and even some media people wanted him sent back to Triple-A and traded. From Crews’ 26 ᵗʰ game until now, he has a.708 OPS. And with his two doubles last night, six of Crews’ last seven hits have all gone for extra bases (5 doubles, 1 home run). The five doubles are the most in MLB over this span. That’s progress. In his past 69 games, Crews is figuring out how to get more consistent launch angle with a marked increase in the month of September. His issue has not been about hitting the ball hard — Crews does that well at 90.4 mph of average exit velo. That ranks him in the top-27 percent of baseball for his entire season. The adjustment…
Game #147 Nats need a Curly W
If it feels like a long time since the Washington Nationals have won a game, it is not your imagination. The last Nats’ win was exactly a week ago to start the month of September with a late win against the Braves. Today is a scheduled bullpen game with Riley Cornelio as the opener. We will see how long and how effective he can be. He will go up against Casey Mize who the Padres acquired at the trade deadline with the Tigers. Mize has struggled overall since the trade with a 6.67 ERA in his six starts for San Diego. Since the World Series season of 2019, the Nationals have not won more than 71 games in a season. Can these Nats surpass that number? That would take 5-wins to reach that mark. There are 16 games remaining in this 2026 season. To avoid a 90 loss season, the Nats need to get 6-games in the win column to get to 73 wins. Contributing to the loss yesterday was some questionable defense such as a ball not caught at the wall by James Wood as the ball hit off of his glove and ruled a double, and the other two runs in the 3-2 loss were from a nonchalant underhand toss by Jorbit Vivas that was ruled out and over-turned to safe. That led to two more runs scoring. Both miscues added over 20 pitches to starter Jake Irvin ‘s pitch count. That start was probably his best start…
A Deep Dive on the 37 Blown Saves
Not all blown saves are created equally. The blown save rules are complex, and sometimes not fair. Of the 37 blown saves the Washington Nationals have had in the 2026 season, there have been 22 games lost of the team’s 79 total losses. That translates to 27.8 percent of the losses have come from blown saves. And yes, the Nats have won 11 games in which they had blown saves. If you think the numbers are off because they don’t add up to 37, that is because there were four games that the team had two blown saves recorded. The Nats have had 71 games with save opportunities. That is a lot of games so the team isn’t the worst in blown save percentages. They are third to last. But contrast the Nats with the Tampa Bay Rays who have had 72 save opportunities and only have blown 17 games and not all of those were losses. Of the Nats 22 blown saves that turned into losses, there were 15 that were blown-save-losses. That means the pitcher with the blown save also took the loss. If you are going to have a blown save, at least keep the game tied, right?!? The team leader in blown saves is Clayton Beeter (7) followed by Mitchell Parker (5), Tom Cosgrove (3), Richard Lovelady (3), Orlando Ribalta (3), Yovanny Cruz (2), Cole Henry (2), Brad Lord (2), PJ Poulin (2), Gus Varland (2), Riley Cornelio (1), Will Dion (1), Max Kranick (1), Matt…
Game #146 Nats turn the page to San Diego
The Washington Nationals have to turn the page from the disaster in Chavez Ravine. For the next three days, the Nats are in San Diego and must turn the page. What better way to get started than go to a new city. The Nats have Jake Irvin as their starter and he goes up against former Nats’ farmhand Nick Pivetta. Some concerning news came out of the postgame media session last night, Orlando Ribalta would be place on the 15-day Injured List (retroactive to 9/4) with right forearm inflammation, and recalled Yovanny Cruz from Triple-A Rochester to take Ribalta’s spot on the active roster. If the Nats need another roster spot, Ribalta could be move to the 60-day roster as it is not expected that he will return this season. Since the World Series season of 2019, the Nationals have not won more than 71 games in a season. Can these Nats surpass that number? That would take 5-wins to reach that mark. There are 17 games remaining in this 2026 season. To avoid a 90 loss season, the Nats need to get 6-games in the win column to get to 73 wins. And to get to a winning season, the Nats would have to go 15-2 to finish the season. After this series, the Nationals will fly home on Wednesday ahead of a scheduled day-off on Thursday. The Nats have a weekend series with the Los Angeles Angels. ❝They’ve all gotten here in different ways, and I think that’s…
Blown Save №37 — Nats tied a record you don’t want!
Let’s just say it, Albert Hammond was full of it when he sung, “It Never Rains in Southern California” in 1972. The pregame had a Pacific storm blow in with heavy rain, and the game started on-time with drizzle. There was one short downpour mid-game. There is no crying in baseball, and the rain might have masked the tears from the young Washington Nationals fan sitting in front of me. He told me he was frustrated. Can you blame him? We are all frustrated. At some point, the luck has to turn for the better, right? There is no way the Washington Nationals had another blown-save loss against the Dodgers. It was a bad dream that became a reality. This one tied the all-time record of 37 blown saves. In this one, it was a Washington Nationals 5-4 lead in the 8ᵗʰ inning that would turn into déjà vu all over again. You saw it the night before. This time it was Will Dion who had two outs and gave up a harmless single but then the dreaded walk followed by a 3-run homer. Just a slightly different Hollywood script from the night before that went walk, single, then the 3-run homer. Add insult to injury, the Nats best reliever this season, Orlando Ribalta has forearm soreness and will most likely be shutdown for the remainder of the season. The Nationals should have gone 4-2 against the Dodgers this season instead of 0-6. Of course the reigning World Series champs…
Game #145 Finale with the Dodgers is a salvage game!
The Washington Nationals almost pulled off the comeback last night for their second night in a row of making it interesting. On Saturday night, it was back to the all too familiar blown save to ruin another great game. In tonight’s Sunday night finale with the Dodgers, the Nationals have Andrew Alvarez on the mound tonight at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California. He has turned his season into one of the most encouraging stories going into the offseason. Tonight will certainly be a good test for Alvarez on a big stage. Since the World Series season of 2019, the Nationals have not won more than 71 games in a season. Can these Nats surpass that number? That would take 5-wins to reach that mark. There are 18 games remaining in this 2026 season. To avoid a 90 loss season, the Nats need to get 6-games in the win column to get to 73 wins. And to get to a winning season, the Nats would have to go 15-3 to finish the season. After this game, the Nationals will travel by bus to San Diego for a 3-game series starting on Monday. ❝They’ve all gotten here in different ways, and I think that’s the case with almost all Major League players. You learn when times are tough, how did you respond vs. the guy that maybe had the clear path up here? And I don’t think any of the ones that we have really gotten recently have had…
Blown Save №36 was déjà vu all over again
For those who stayed up past their bed time hoping that the Washington Nationals 4-2 lead would turn into the team’s first win over the Dodgers — uh no, it was déjà vu all over again. You’ve seen this before. Clayton Beeter’s first blown save of the season was against the Dodgers in Nationals Park on April 5ᵗʰ, and that was the team’s second blown save of the young season at the time. Here we are now at 36 blown saves for this Nats’ bullpen that tied the 2021 Washington Nationals, and just one from tying the record 37 blown saves by the 2024 Chicago White Sox. These ignominious records are not the type to be proud of. In fact, this horrific bullpen is one of the main reasons as to why the Nats are not in the playoff hunt. Go to mid-May when President of Baseball Operations, Paul Toboni, admitted that when the team record was 23-24 that they could have been at least 5-games better. ❝We could be 4-or-5 games above.500 right now,❞ Toboni said in mid-May. Ask that same question now, and Toboni would need to adjust those numbers. Last night marked Beeter’s 7ᵗʰ blown save of the season and his 5ᵗʰ loss. We didn’t even include Beeter in our ‘locks’ for our 2027 bullpen projections this past week. While Beeter will take most of the blame for the loss after issuing a walk and then a single followed by a 3-run homer in his two-thirds of…
Game #144 Cavalli on the mound against the Dodgers
The Washington Nationals almost pulled off the comeback last night. A slip-and-fall, a bad slide at third base, an error, and a double that bounced over the wall cost the Nats 4 runs in a 5-3 loss. The Nationals have Cade Cavalli, their ace, on the mound tonight at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California. Since the World Series season of 2019, the Nationals have not won more than 71 games in a season. Can these Nats surpass that number? That would take 5-wins to reach that mark. There are 19 games remaining in this 2026 season. To avoid a 90 loss season, the Nats need to get 6-games in the win column to get to 73 wins. And to get to a winning season, the Nats would have to go 15-4 to finish the season. The 41st pitcher appeared for the Nats this season. Last night, it was reliever Jack Sinclair who pitched a perfect 8th inning in his MLB debut. The first batter he faced was lefty Max Muncy in a 10-pitch battle before striking him out on an 85.1 mph sweeper, and from there — Sinclair rolled to a perfect 1-2-3 inning. ❝They’ve all kind of created their own unique paths to get here. You learn when times are tough, how did you respond versus the guy that maybe had the clear path up here? Each of them has had difficulties along their journey.❞ — said manager Blake Butera On offense, the Nats have the…
Building the Next Blueprint: 2027 Nats’ Position Player Outlook
As the Washington Nationals build through their multi-year rebuild, 2027 shapes up as a potential inflection point for this team. The 2026 team proved that by coaching up players that they can improve. Without the season being fully complete, we have pointed out before that output went up by over 20 percent for the five full-time players who returned for the 2026 season. By the time Opening Day 2027 arrives, the organization’s young core will feature proven Big League experience, while a high-ceiling pipeline of prospect talent prepares to enter the frame. With James Wood, CJ Abrams, Keibert Ruiz, Daylen Lile, and Jacob Young proving to be locks for starting spots, we have to fill-in the other four spots. The 2027 position player group offers a mix of established dynamic talents, corner-infield projects, and elite upcoming draft picks starting with Seaver King — and then year-over-year a more steady group. The Anchors: Outfield The Outfield The defining image of Washington’s future centers on its dynamic outfield group. James Wood (LF/DH): Wood continues to be the crown jewel of the position group. With light-tower power and a massive strike zone that he continues to master, Wood projects as the centerpiece of the 2027 lineup, hitting in the heart of the order. Dylan Crews (RF): With advanced defensive tools for right field, Crews provides an upside as his pedigree starts with one of the most highly decorated college baseball players ever. His season is showing promise and certainly would be a 4th…
Game #143 Nats have a weekend against the Dodgers
The Washington Nationals are winners of 5-of-7 games and have surpassed their win total from the 2025 season, with 20 more games to play. Of course this weekend, they play the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers. The Nationals have Jackson Kent as the scheduled starter on two days of extra rest as he pitched 106 pitches last weekend, and that was a career high for him as a pro. The Nats did make a number of roster moves today with right-hander reliever Joe Glassey getting promoted to Triple-A with RHP Jack Sinclair promoted to the Nats. He takes the place of Max Kranick who was DFA’d. Also,LHP Tom Cosgrove cleared outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Rochester. Since the World Series season of 2019, the Nationals have not won more than 71 games in a season. Can these Nats surpass that number? That would take 5-wins to reach that mark. There are 20 games remaining in this 2026 season. To avoid a 90 loss season, the Nats need to get 6-games in the win column to get to 73 wins. And to get to a winning season, the Nats would have to go 15-5 to finish the season. ❝Wanted to push-back Jackson Kent, just after all the pitches he threw in his last start.❞ — said manager Blake Butera on Tuesday On offense, the Nats have the second most runs scored in MLB this season at 735 runs, and that is an impressive 5.18 runs per game. With the…