Washington Nationals
Postgamer: The Nats have a 4-game winning streak!
The Washington Nationals notched another come-from-behind win to make this a 4-game winning streak! An Andres Chaparro homer plus a Daylen Lile ‘s 3-run pinch-hit home run sealed the deal for the offense. And Erik Tolman closed the door with a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 3rd save since his call-up. The Nats put 5-earnies on All-Star Cristopher Sanchez of the Phillies. Nats’ starter Jackson Kent kept the game close as he gave up three runs, and the Nats bullpen threw 4.0 scoreless against Philadelphia for one of their best performances as they only allowed one base runner. Another tidbit is this win notched the 71st win of this 2026 season with 10 games to go. Those 71 wins are tied for the most by a Nationals team since 2019. Of course the hope is the Nats can keep winning and finish with many more wins. The umpiring was poor tonight, and a key missed balk turned into a pick-off of Nasim Nunez that was one of a few questionable non-calls. Dylan Crews was called out at first base and was one of those 50-50 calls that manager Blake Butera decided not to challenge. Also, the homeplate ump, Malachi Moore was challenged on balls and strikes on the ABS system four times. He could have been challenged several more times. This game was managed so well by Blake Butera to not only bring in Lile to pinch-hit in the 7th inning, but also the way he went to Tolman to…
Game #152 A quick 2-game series with the Phillies
The Washington Nationals come into this game on a 3-game winning streak, and all three games were come-from-behind wins. Tonight, the Nats start a 2-game series with the Phillies. After this game, there are just 10 games remaining in this season as the Nats have been officially eliminated from the postseason. This game will feature lefty Cristopher Sanchez for Philadelphia, and the Nats will go with young lefty Jackson Kent. On the Vegas lines, this game has the Nats as big underdogs. On the pitching rehab front, LHP Connelly Early has a scheduled rehab start tonight in Buffalo for Triple-A Rochester. And LHP DJ Herz is in Nationals Park today throwing a side session. With Cade Cavalli starting tomorrow, and a day-off on Thursday, will we see Herz pitch for the Nats on Friday? Lastly, RHP Josiah Gray will continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester and pitch out of the bullpen. 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 3-wins to reach that mark. There are 11 games remaining in this 2026 season. To avoid a 90 loss season, the Nats need to get 3-games in the win column to get to 73 wins. It won’t be easy, but can the Nats go 3-8 to finish this season? The remaining schedule includes these two games against the Phillies, then the Nats travel to St. Louis for three games for…
Building the 2027 roster with key free agent spending
The Washington Nationals payroll gets a major reset after this season. All of those non-performing and bad contracts are off the books per the MLB calculation. The Stephen Strasburg deal valued at $35 million is off those books even though the Nats might still be paying him under his retirement agreement. Where do we believe the Nats payroll will be at? After giving sizeable ‘arb’ raises to CJ Abrams, Jake Irvin, and Jacob Young along with Cade Cavalli ‘s $4 million deal, the Nats CBT payroll should be around $79 million. That would increase significantly if minimum payrolls are reset per a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). This could be a moving number. But based on last year and going with and increase to $1,000,000 as the minimum player salary, we feel confident in that $79 million number. The Nats are still paying Keibert Ruiz under his long-term contract, and finally that deal looks good for the team. We kept Josiah Gray in the numbers, and of course you can question whether or not Paul Toboni will keep Irvin who will be due a number around $5 million. If Toboni non-tenders Irvin and Gray, that $79 million number will be closer to $75 million. Ownership knows these numbers. And as mentioned, on cash flow, they are still paying Strasburg, and the Nats will continue to pay Max Scherzer a deferred amount of $15 million, which he will continue to receive annually from the team through 2028. For the next two…
If only we could splice together time…
Hollywood magic is amazing when you think about how they would splice together actual film celluloid before the digital age. Throw on some pixie dust, and you could splice together time to be seamless and believable. The Los Angeles Angels’ home stadium is minutes from the original Disneyland in Orange County. When the Washington Nationals swept the Angels this weekend, my mind wandered back to 45 days earlier to July 29ᵗʰ. What if? You know, what if the Nats had played this Angels series on that date and went to +5-games over.500? We have a Nats’ fan in our midst who is one of Hollywood’s most-gifted film editors in Kevin Nibley, and he could recreate this as a digital mirage. Wink wink. But what if that was real? Instead of getting swept by the Braves at the end of July to the beginning of August, the Nats swept the Angels. If only we could swap out segments of time then the Nats would have been buyers at the trade deadline and got a shutdown closer — and Tom Cosgrove would not have that blown-save-loss on August 3ʳᵈ, right? While we are all about movie magic, maybe the Nats blown-saves would have stopped at No. 27 before that Cosgrove meltdown. Some say everything happens for a reason in a divine line of destiny. And we snap back to the reality that the Nats started that meltdown from 2-games over.500 to their current 11-games under.500. A 13 game swing in the wrong…
Postgamer: Nats Sweep Angels in Another Late Comeback Win!
After an horrific road trip out west, the Washington Nationals returned home and swept the Los Angeles Angels with three late inning comeback wins. The Nats tacked three blown saves on the Angels in each of the games this weekend. As bad as the Nats’ bullpen has been, the Angels were worse in this series. Credit to the Nats for not mailing it in, and pushing hard late in each game to win these tight games. When the Nats made mistakes, teammates would pick those players up. This was good to see during this series. The Nationals had their share of mistakes in the game, but came up clutch when the game mattered most. The Nats two best players made mistakes, and Ryan Zimmerman was on the microphone and called out James Wood for not hustling during a bases loaded slow grounder to shortstop. Zim said, ❝… You’re supposed to be running hard all the time.❞ The Nats wouldn’t score that inning. Clearer audio and that shot of Wood in the dugout with Butera in front of him at the end. (This video via @js9inningsmedia) pic.twitter.com/6ZO4Rcg2F2 — Nats.Talk (@TalkNats) September 14, 2026 Later, it was CJ Abrams booting what looked like a routine ground ball double play that eventually led to two runs scoring and a 4-2 deficit in the 8ᵗʰ inning. But the Nats showed that they weren’t laying down and scored four runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-4 lead. The Nats 8ᵗʰ inning…
Game #151 Nats go for the sweep!
The Washington Nationals have put together two of their best comeback wins this weekend. Those wins will allow the Nats to go for a series sweep today against the Angels. In today’s afternoon game, the Nats have switched things up and will now pitch Riley Cornelio in this one. Jake Irvin was originally slated as today’s starter, and manager Blake Butera will have Irvin as his bulk starter as he pieces together his pitching staff for this one. With a day-off tomorrow, he can push a little harder on his pitching staff. Also, the team has another scheduled day-off on Thursday. The Nationals made some more roster moves today as they sent Eddy Yean back to Triple-A to give the team 13-pitchers. The team welcomed back Nasim Nunez who returned from his leave on the bereavement list. With Nunez, the Nats have 15 position players. Expect a move after the game to open up a spot for possibly Josiah Gray and/or DJ Herz. A note on yesterday’s starter, Andrew Alvarez, who was close to a no-hitter yesterday, and finished 7.0 scoreless with a 1-hitter. He pushed his ERA down to a very respectable 3.35 in 102.0 innings of work and his FanGraphs WAR improved to +2.3. To those who were upset (like me) about the trade of Jake Bennett to the Red Sox, Bennett’s ERA is 3.69 with a WAR of +2.1 in 105.0 innings of work. Since the World Series season of 2019, the Nationals have not won more…
Postgamer: The 69ᵗʰ win is as sweet as honey!
The script got flipped again in this game as the Washington Nationals got a walk-off win in an extra innings thriller. After the Nats suffered their 39ᵗʰ blown-save of the season, they turned the tables on the Angels again and put a blown-save on their closer. The Nats fell behind 5-4 going into the bottom of the 9ᵗʰ and the Nats put the pressure on the Angels for their second consecutive blown-save. The Nats were 1-70 this season when trailing in the 9ᵗʰ inning. With Andrew Alvarez as the starter, he had a no-hitter going into the 6ᵗʰ inning and gave up a single to break it up. The lefty remained in the game to go a full 7.0 innings of shutout baseball with 8 strikeouts on 97 pitches and his ERA improved to 3.35. Unfortunately Alvarez’s 4-0 lead evaporated quickly as Brad Lord pitched the 8ᵗʰ inning and gave up three runs. Will Dion would start the 9ᵗʰ inning and gave up the lead and left with a 5-4 deficit. Jack Sinclair would close-out that inning, and then pitch a scoreless 10ᵗʰ to earn him his first MLB win. “Winning should always feel good — but we have to find ways to protect 4-run leads late in the game. That starts with me. I have to do a better job of finding ways to make sure we win those games.” “Yeah, look, I spent some time trying to figure that out. At the end of the day, I felt…
Game #150 Nats will go for a series win today!
The Washington Nationals needed a win last night — and they got it. One of the best comeback wins of the season by this Nats team. Today, the Nats will go for a series win. In today’s afternoon game, the Nats will have LHP Andrew Alvarez on the mound. He has been one of the most pleasant surprises of this season with his +2.1 WAR in just about a half-season of production. The Nationals made some more roster moves in a surprise they sent Clayton Beeter to Triple-A. He had one of his best relief appearances of his season last night with a 1-2-3 eighth inning that was highlighted by a strikeout of Mike Trout. Sending Beeter to the minors now will save the Nats from using a minor league option as he will be there less than 20 days. Up in Beeter’s place is LHP Richard Lovelady who returns from the 60-day IL. There was an injury concern with Harry Ford who hurt his wrist/hand on a swing. He was not put on the IL today. We will see where this goes. The Nationals claimed right-handed pitcher Chase Hampton off outright waivers from the New York Yankees and optioned him to Double-A Harrisburg. To make room for Hampton on the 40-man roster, the Nats transferred right-handed pitcher Matt Waldron to the 60-day Injured List. 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…
The MLB Draft Lottery Odds
In the last CBA, one of the major changes was an anti-tanking provision that would change the old drafting order for the mid-summer annual draft that used to be based solely on worst record to best record. The new system is a lottery ball system based on pre-determined odds. The worst 3-teams all have the same odds of picking first. Based on the 2022 standings, the Washington Nationals lost 107 games and under the old system would have picked first and taken Paul Skenes. But based on the lottery system, the Pirates went from the fourth worst record to getting the first pick — and the Nats picked second and drafted Dylan Crews. In 2025, the lottery ball bounced in the Nats favor and they got the No. 1 pick and chose Eli Willits. Last year, the Nats had the third worst record in baseball, but were ineligible for the draft lottery and picked 11ᵗʰ and chose Chris Hacopian in the 2026 draft. The same happened to the Nationals in the 2024 draft when they picked 10ᵗʰ and drafted Seaver King. You will see the odds are so small in difference at less than 3 percent from the fourth worst team to rest of the draft picks. Also note that teams based on market size can be ineligible for the draft lottery. This year the Giants are ineligible based on market size because they were in the draft lottery last year. The Pirates are ineligible because they picked in the…
Postgamer: Nats turned the tables on the opposing bullpen!
The Washington Nationals had only one come-from-behind win going into the 8th or 9th inning this year, and just got their second win tonight. This time — it was the Nats who pinned a blown-save-loss on an opposing bullpen to win this one by a final score of 4-3. The 7-game losing streak is officially over. This game was played in the backdrop of the emotions of the 25th year after the 9/11 tragedy. The Nationals honored the 184 individuals who were killed in the 9/11 attack at the Pentagon with 184 seats in Section 107 that were roped-off and draped in bunting in their remembrance. The Nats got a great start by Cade Cavalli who pitched 6.0+ innings of 2-run baseball and was bailed out by Will Dion and Harry Ford in the 7th inning. With no outs, and two runners on-base, Ford picked off the base runner at second base for the first out in the inning. The rest was Dion getting the final two outs. In a 2-1 deficit, the Nats started the 8th inning with an LoW (lead-off walk) from Brady House, a bloop hit from CJ Abrams, and a Dylan Crews bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Andrew Pinckney entered as a pinch-hitter and got a long sac fly to tie the game. Then it was Jorbit Vivas with the hit of the game with a lefty-on-lefty long double in the right field corner to make it a 4-2 game. Watching some…
Game #149 Cavalli has to be the stopper!
The Washington Nationals are back home and hoping it is home sweet home. After a disappointing road trip out west, the Nats have their ace, Cade Cavalli, on the mound to be the stopper on this long losing streak. Today is also a somber day as we are 25 years removed from the tragedy of 9/11 in 2021. The Nationals will honor first responders and service members that will include a memorial stair run inside Nationals Park by the Marine Barracks Washington, and as part of the Patriotic Series, today is Heroes Day with the annual Fallen Heroes Tribute. Additionally, 184 seats in Section 107 will remain reserved and draped in bunting in remembrance of the 184 individuals who were killed in the 9/11 attack at the Pentagon. About 10 minutes before first pitch, the Nationals will have a tribute for both Kurt Suzuki and Adam Eaton who return as manager and coach respectively with the Los Angeles Angels. The Nationals recalled outfielder Andrew Pinckney from Triple-A Rochester and placed infielder Nasim Nuñez on the Bereavement List on Thursday. Pinckney, 25, hit.273 with a triple, homer, two RBI, one walk, one stolen base and six runs scored in 13 games during his first stint with Washington from Aug. 4 to Sept. 2. 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 14 games remaining…
The try-out month and a look to the future!
There are just 14 games remaining in the Washington Nationals season for 2026. After the trade deadline, new opportunities arose for players, and the roster expansion on Sept. 1 along with the turnover in the bullpen, we have several new Nats’ players to evaluate for the future. The sample sizes will remain small. If we take a look at FanGraphs WAR, there is clarity at the top of the chart of the players who have contributed positively to the team as their sample sizes are large. The one surprise: Andrew Alvarez. He has quickly climbed to the top of the charts at No. 5 overall with only 95.0 innings of work and a +2.1 WAR. Coming into the season, there are a lot more surprise contributors at the top of the FanGraphs chart who weren’t expected to be there like Cade Cavalli at No. 2 and Jacob Young at No. 4. Those are both positives. Then you have the surges from both Dylan Crews and Brady House as positive contributors. The next tier is evaluating what you have in players like Jorbit Vivas, Andres Chaparro, and Yohandy Morales who are all in positive WAR. Conversely, there are a lot of question marks at the bottom of the chart. Most of them have been fired from their employment from the Washington Nationals. The ones that remain will be part of the debate as to what role they should have in the future like Nasim Nunez, Jose Tena, Yovanny Cruz, Luis Perales…