After achieving an unusual winning record in August, the Nationals faced a much tougher schedule in September.* Eighteen of their 27 games would be against teams that would ultimately make the playoffs, with 15 of them coming against division winners. Capping it off, their last nine games would be seven games against the team with the best record in baseball—the Atlanta Braves—interspersed with two games against the team with the best record in the American League (the Orioles).
*(Note: For this post, I’m counting the final game of the regular season on October 1 in “September.”)
Ultimately, the Nats were unable to consistently win, as they ended the month with a 9–18 record and the season with a 71–91 record. That seasonal record did represent an improvement of 16 games from their 55–107 record the previous year. The Nats finished in last place in the NL East, but they trailed the Mets by just 3½ games and had better records than three other teams (the Rockies, Royals, and A’s) and the same record as the Cardinals.
The Nats opened September at home, having lost the first game of a four-game series against the Marlins. They went on to lose all of the other three games, including an 11-inning heartbreaker in Game 2 and a 9th-inning meltdown in Game 4. For the season, the Nats record against the Marlins was 2–11, and combined for the last two seasons it was 6–26. The Marlins literally would not have made the playoffs without their success against the Nats.
The homestand continued with a two-game series against the Mets. The Nats lost the first game (their sixth consecutive loss) but won the second game with a one-run walk-off to split the series. The homestand concluded with a three-game series against the Dodgers who held the second-best record in the NL. The Nats lost the first and third games but managed an 11-inning one-run walk-off win in Game 2. The Nats were 2–7 on the homestand. The Dodgers series seemed especially long as all three games included rain delays.
Next came a 7-game road trip to Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. The Nats won the first game against the Pirates but lost the next three. They also lost their first two games against the Central Division-champion Brewers (the second coming on a heartbreaking eighth inning grand slam by the Brew Crew) before finally eking out a one-run, 11th inning victory in their final game. The Nats’ record for the road trip was 2–5.
Returning home, the Nats had a three-game series against the lowly White Sox before finishing their home games with a series against the mighty Braves. The Nats lost the first game against the South Siders, then came from behind to win the second game by a single run (at this point, four of the Nats’ five wins in the month had come by one-run margins) before scoring 13 runs to win the third game in blowout fashion. The next night the Nats were blown out 10–3 by the Braves, which was followed by losses in Games 2 and 4, though the Nats won Game 3 by a single run. The Nats were 3–4 on their homestand.
The season concluded with two games in Baltimore against the Orioles and a three-game series in Atlanta against the Braves. The Nats lost the first game against the Orioles 1–0, with the only run coming on a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first. It was the third time that Nats had been shut out by the O’s in the three games they had played against their cross-league rivals. In the next game, the Nats finally managed to score a run, though they lost by a score of 5 to 1. Against the Braves, the Nats hit five home runs in the first game to win 10 to 6, then lost the second, but won the third game in a wild 10 to 9 back-and-forth contest, winning the series and ending the season with a W. In the final game, CJ Abrams set a Nationals record when he recorded his 47th stolen base, surpassing Trea Turner‘s old record of 46 set in 2017.
Looking at roster changes, on September 1 Travis Blankenhorn, a 27-year-old left fielder who had spent brief stints with the Twins and the Mets during 2020 to 2022, made his debut with the Nats with the expansion of the roster to 28 players. Blankenhorn had signed with the Nats during the off-season as a minor-league free agent. On September 6, Riley Adams suffered a fractured hamate bone on a foul ball, ending his season. On September 8, Luis Garcia returned to the Nats after a five-week demotion to Rochester. His batting record over the remainder of the season was somewhat improved over his pre-demotion record. On September 13, 24-year-old starting pitcher Jackson Rutledge made his major league debut, replacing MacKenzie Gore in the starting rotation after Gore went on the injured list with a blister. Rutledge was the Nats’ first round draft pick in 2017 (no. 17 overall), Rutledge remained in the six-man rotation and made four starts during the month, with two of them going well and the other two not well. Finally, on September 30 long-time Nat reliever Tanner Rainey made his first appearance since July 2022 as he returned from Tommy John surgery.
On September 13, the Nationals announced a multi-year extension of general manager Mike Rizzo‘s contract.
Finally, there were a couple of retirements. Sean Doolittle, who had split the season between the injured list and pitching in Rochester, announced his retirement. During his 5 seasons with the Nationals (2017–2020 and 2022), he pitched in 153 games with a 2.92 ERA and earned 75 saves. He was a key member of the 2019 World Series championship team as well as the 2017 divisional champions. He and his wife were outspoken advocates for the Washington DC community. Sean was given a nice ceremony at Nationals Park recognizing his career. Tyler Clippard‘s retirement announcement was made with less fanfare. He had been released by the Nationals in August 2022, but the Nats were his last team. Over 8 seasons with the Nats (2008–2014 and 2022) he pitched 418 games (a Nationals record) with a 2.72 ERA and earned 74 saves. If I were putting together a Nationals all-time all-star team, I’d select 2009–14 Clip as my relief ace.
The biggest story regarding retirements, however, was the surprising absence of a retirement announcement by Stephen Strasburg after widespread reports in late August that it would be coming on September 9. On September 8, Mark Lerner released a rather odd statement saying that there would not be a retirement announcement event, and while he praised Strasburg, he concluded the statement saying, “we look forward to seeing Stephen when we report to spring training.” Because it has been widely reported that Strasburg is no longer capable of pitching, the sentence about spring training seemed especially bizarre. Overall, the whole episode led to enormous amounts of speculation and can fairly be described as a public relations disaster for the team. I hope the team has not damaged its relationship with Strasburg. We did see a couple of nice appreciations of Strasburg, though, such as this one from Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post and this one from Michael Baumann of Fangraphs. (His not retiring contributes to an issue for the team in protecting their prospects, which I will discuss in an addendum at the end of this post.)
Record:
9–18 (.333)
Pythagorean Record:
10–17 (4.41 R/G – 5.81 RA/G)
September MVP:
- Josiah Gray (1–2, 2.95 RA/9, 4 GS, 21⅓ IP, 9.7 K/9, .322 opp OBP, 0.8 RA9-WAR).
Position player of the month:
- Jacob Young (.264/.330/.341, 0 HR, 8 R, 12 RBI, 12 SB, 0 CS, 103 PA, 86 wRC+, 0.7 fWAR). Ordinarily, I’d be skeptical of giving this award to a player with a below-average batting record based mostly on his excellence in base running and defense during his first full month in the majors. In this case, however, I’m making an exception. The handful of Nats players who hit better than Young this month (Luis Garcia, Ildemaro Vargas, Dominic Smith) didn’t hit that much better than him, and Young’s advantages in base running and defense were so apparent. Young’s arrival and quality of play have been a wonderful surprise, and I really hope that he can continue to hit well enough to allow us to continue to enjoy his base running and defense for years to come.
Relief pitcher of the month:
- Robert Garcia (2–2, 4.40 RA/9, 13 G, 13⅓ IP, 8.8 K/9, .357 opp OBP, 6.53 RE24, 0.77 WPA, 2 shutdowns, 1 meltdown, 0.1 RA9-WAR). Hunter Harvey (3.00 RA/9, 10.5 K/9, 7 shutdowns, 1 meltdown) is an honorable mention, but I gave the nod to Garcia reflecting his advantage in the RE24 and WPA statistics.
Worst month:
- Trevor Williams (0–2, 13.17 RA/9, 4 G, 13⅔ IP, 7.9 K/9, .519 opp OBP, –0.8 RA9-WAR). He’s got another year left on his contract, but he really hasn’t looked good in the second half of this season.
Best start this month:
- Josiah Gray (September 14, 2–0 loss to the Pirates in Pittsburgh) pitched 6⅓ innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and no walks while striking out 10 for a game score of 65. It’s hard to win when your team doesn’t score. This one also qualifies as a “tough loss” (see below).
Worst start:
- Trevor Williams (September 2, 11–5 loss to the Marlins at home) gave up 9 runs (8 earned runs) on 12 hits and no walks in 4 innings with 3 strikeouts for a game score of 7. When he was pulled from the game, the Nats were trailing 9–1.
Tough losses:
- Josiah Gray (September 14, 2–0 loss to the Pirates in Pittsburgh) pitched 6⅓ innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and no walks while striking out 10 for a game score of 65.
- Josiah Gray (September 26, 1–0 loss to the Orioles in Baltimore) pitched 6 innings, giving up 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 for a game score of 63.
Cheap wins:
None
Biggest shutdown:
- Robert Garcia (September 17, 2–1 win over the Brewers in Milwaukee). Patrick Corbin, Hunter Harvey, and Kyle Finnegan had combined to keep the Brewers to one run in nine innings, but Brandon Woodruff and the Brewers bullpen had likewise limited the Nats to one run. Garcia got the call to pitch the 10th and 11th innings. With the automatic runner, it’s really tough to keep the other team scoreless, but when the Nats didn’t score in the top of the 10th, Garcia had to keep the Brewers scoreless for two innings. The 10th inning was scary—after striking out the leadoff man, Garcia gave up a single and a walk to load the bases. But a groundball resulted in a force-out at home and was followed by another groundout that got him out of the 10th. With a one-run lead in the bottom of the 11th, the first batter Garcia faced sacrificed the automatic runner to third. The Nats then issued an intentional walk and Garcia got a 3–2 double play to secure the win. (Win probability added/WPA +.760).
Worst meltdown:
- Kyle Finnegan (September 16, 9–5 loss to the Brewers in Milwaukee). With the game tied 5 to 5, Finnegan got the call with one out in the bottom of the 8th and the bases empty. He gave up a double and a single, then a groundout moved the runners to second and third with two outs. He walked the next batter to load the bases and then gave up a grand slam to Mark Canha. A fly out ended the inning, with the Nats left trailing 9 to 5. (WPA –.423).
Walk offs:
- Jacob Young (September 6, 3–2 win over the Mets at home) came to bat with one out in the bottom of the ninth, the score tied at 2–2, and runners on second and third. He hit a ground ball single up the middle to drive in the winning run.
- Michael Chavis (September 9, 7–6 win over the Dodgers in 11 innings at home) was the automatic runner in the bottom of the 11th. After a sacrifice bunt moved him to third, he was there with two outs when the Mets pitcher threw a wild pitch allowing him to race home.
Clutch hit:
- Joey Meneses (September 19, 4–3 win over the White Sox at home). The Nats were trailing 2 to 1 when Joey came in as a pinch hitter with runners on first and third and two outs. He hammered a slider into the left field bullpen, giving the Nats a 4–2 lead. (WPA +.505).
Choke:
- CJ Abrams (September 17, 2–1 win over the Brewers in Milwaukee). In the top of the eighth, the game was tied when Abrams came to bat with one out and runners on first and third. He grounded into a double play, ending the inning. (WPA –.250)
- Lane Thomas (September 13, 7–6 loss to the Pirates in Pittsburgh). After 4 innings, the Nats were trailing 7–1, but they gradually clawed back, finally getting the score to 7–6 in the top of the ninth. Lane came to bat with two outs and the bases loaded. He gave it a big swing but flied out to deep center-right field. (WPA –.235)
Memorable fielding plays:
- CJ Abrams made a flashy diving play to throw out the hitter.
- Jacob Young jumped into the wall to make this catch.
- Later in the same game, Alex Call made a diving catch near the right field line.
- Luis Garcia went into center field to make an over-the-shoulder basket catch.
- Michael Chavis and Drew Millas combined for this 3–2 double play to secure the win in the bottom of the 11th inning.
Addendum (the coming purge):
Every year, baseball teams have to release players or designate them for assignment to free up spots on the 40-man roster to protect prospects who will become eligible for the Rule 5 draft. This year, however, the Nats are in an unusual position with respect to the number of players who will need to be culled from their roster. During the offseason, the players who had been on the 60-day injured list have to go back on the 40-man roster. I believe the Nats ended the season with 7 men on the 60-day list, so that boosts their total to 47 players. Most seasons, the addition of the injured players to the roster is offset by the loss of the players who are moving on to free agency, but this year, I believe the Nats only have 1 player eligible for free agency (Carl Edwards, Jr.).
What this means is that the Nats will have to trade away, release, or DFA at least six players just to get down to 40 plus any additional players who will need to be released for however many new prospects they want to protect from the Rule 5 draft. In other words, we’re going to be saying goodbye to a lot of players, including some whom I imagine the Nats would prefer to keep if they could.
If Strasburg’s retirement announcement had been able to go forward, my understanding is that it would have freed up his spot on the 40-man roster. With that spot not available, there’s one more player the team will have to cut loose.
In August, the Nationals had their first monthly winning record, 17–11, since June 2021. Were they really a much-improved team? Their run differential (runs scored minus runs allowed) for the month was –15, which was not that different from earlier months in the year. That suggests that their overall offensive and defensive skills weren’t much changed. What had changed? They were winning lots of close games in the late innings. Their record in one-run games during the month was 10–2. But for games that weren’t close, they sometimes looked bad. If we define a blow-out as a game decided by 7 or more runs, the Nats were on the losing end in all four blow outs played this month.
Regardless, the wins will remain part of their record, and by late August the Nats had passed the Mets and moved out of the cellar of the NL East standings. They ended the month with a 62–73 record, 27 games behind the Braves, who held the best record in baseball.
The team’s roster was in flux during the month. Recall that Jeimer Candelario had been traded away at the end of July. In early August, the Nats also optioned the slumping Luis Garcia to Rochester, leaving both second and third bases open. Ildemaro Vargas initially took over at third, and Jake Alu was called up to play second. The Nats also released Corey Dickerson and called up Blake Rutherford, a 26-year-old left-handed outfielder, to take over Dickerson’s place as a platoon outfielder. Rutherford, a 2016 first-round draft pick for the Yankees who was later traded to the White Sox system, had disappointed in the higher minors and was signed by the Nats to a minor league contract after becoming a minor league free agent last winter. He made his major league debut on August 4.
In mid-month, Carter Kieboom was called up and began playing regularly at third base. He homered in his first MLB plate appearance in more than two years. On August 23, Stone Garrett suffered a fractured fibula in a tragic attempt to make a spectactular catch at the wall of Yankees Stadium, ending a remarkable season for the young outfielder. Rutherford was also optioned back to Rochester, and Alu began playing left field as needed. Jacob Young, a 24-year-old who was drafted by the Nats in 2021 in the 7th round, was called up and made his major league debut on August 26, and appears to have taken over the center field position. He can clearly field his position—we’ll see if he can hit better than Alex Call has. Also, 25-year-old catcher Drew Millas was called up and made his major league debut on August 28. Millas had been drafted by the Oakland A’s in 2019 and was acquired by the Nats as part of the 2021 trade deadline deal for Yan Gomes and Josh Harrison.
On the pitching side of things, early in the month the Nats claimed 27-year-old left-handed relief pitcher Robert Garcia off waivers from the Marlins. Garcia, age 27, had pitched one major league game for the Marlins before being let go on waivers as the Marlins became buyers at the trade deadline. By the end of the month, he had become the Nats’ go-to lefty in the bullpen. Joan Adon was called up to start a game while Trevor Williams was on bereavement leave. He pitched well in that game and stuck around, as the Nats decided to move to a six-man rotation in an effort to avoid over-extending the innings of their young pitchers. (A downside of the six-man rotation was cutting back to just seven relief pitchers, placing more burden on the bullpen, especially with the large number of close games.) In mid-August, Hunter Harvey returned from about a month on the injured list.
Early in the month, Paolo Espino was released. Espino had pitched 82 games (including 39 starts) for the Nats from 2020 to 2023. While not blessed with a great arm, from late 2020 through about June 2022 he was a reliable pitcher, making the most of the talents he did have until things went downhill for him in late 2022 and 2023. Later in the month, Carl Edwards Jr. suffered a setback in his attempt to return from the injured list when it was reported that he had a stress facture in his right scapula, shutting him down for the rest of the season. Finally, we learned that Stephen Strasburg has decided to announce his retirement, having never come back from his 2021 thoracic outlet surgery. From 2012 to 2019, Strasburg was regularly one of the best pitchers in baseball and, along with Ryan Zimmerman, was one of the long-time faces of the team.
The month opened with the Nats at home playing the last two games of a three-game series against the Brewers. They split the two games and having already won the first game, won the series. Their win in the third game was a ninth inning walk-off.
Next came a road trip to Cincinnati and Philadelphia. The Reds had swept the Nats in a four-game series in Washington in early July, but the Nats were able to pay them back by sweeping the three-game series against the Reds. The series against the Phillies was tougher, with the Nats losing three of four. The Nats’ only win, coming in the second game, was a come-from-behind one-run victory. In the third game, the Nats were no hit by Michael Lorenzen, a pitcher the Phillies had just acquired at the trade deadline. It was the first time the Nats had been no hit since moving to Washington. For the road trip as a whole, their record was 4–3.
Returning home, the Nats faced the Oakland A’s, who possessed the worst record in baseball. The Nats swept the three-game series, though the victories in the last two games were by one run apiece and came walk-off style in the ninth inning. The A’s were followed by the more formidable Red Sox, and the Nats were able to beat them two games to one. The home stand concluded with the Phillies, with the third game being the Little League Classic, which was played in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (I count this as part of the home stand because the Nats were the home team.) The Nats took two games of three, though I note that their victories were each by margins of one run, whereas their loss was by a 9-run margin. For the home stand, the Nats were 7–2.
On their next road trip, they played the Yankees, Marlins, and Blue Jays. They took two games of three against the Bronx Bombers, though again each of the Nats’ wins were with one-run margins, whereas their loss was by an 8-run margin. In Miami, they took the first two games against the Marlins before losing the finale. (Prior to the series, the Nats record against the Marlins was 0–6). The road trip concluded in Toronto, where the Blue Jays took two games of three against the Nats. The Nats’ record on the road trip was 5–4. The month concluded with the Nats at home losing the opening game of a four-game series against the Marlins.
On August 21, Davey Martinez was reported to have agreed to a two-year extension as manager. Mike Rizzo was also reported to be in talks for a contract extension as general manager, though there was no announcement of an agreement before the end of the month.
Record:
17–11 (.607)
Pythagorean Record:
12–16 (4.29 R/G – 4.82 RA/G)
August MVP:
- Jake Irvin (0–0, 2.35 RA/9, 4 GS, 23 IP, 8.6 K/9, .309 opp OBP, 1.0 RA9-WAR).
Position player of the month:
- Keibert Ruiz (.311/.380/.533, 5 HR, 13 R, 16 RBI, 100 PA, 146 wRC+, 0.7 fWAR).
Relief pitcher of the month:
- Kyle Finnegan (2–0, 2.63 RA/9, 14 G, 13⅔ IP, 9.2 K/9, .291 opp OBP, 2.90 RE24, 8 shutdowns, 0 meltdowns, 0.5 RA9-WAR).
Worst month:
- Cory Abbott (1–1, 18.69 RA/9, 3 G, 4⅓ IP, 12.5 K/9, .500 opp OBP, –0.6 RA9-WAR). After a dreadful meltdown in which he gave up 8 runs in an inning, Abbott was optioned back to Rochester.
Best start this month:
- MacKenzie Gore (August 16, 6–2 win over the Red Sox at home) pitched 6⅓ shutout innings, giving up 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 7 for a game score of 76. The Nats were ahead 2–0 when Gore was pulled from the game in the top of the seventh, but the Red Sox scored 2 in the top of the eighth to tie it, so Gore wasn’t credited with the win. The Nats scored 4 in the bottom of the 8th for the win.
Worst start:
A tie between
- Joan Adon (August 18, 8–7 win over the Phillies at home) gave up 6 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in 4 innings with 3 strikeouts for a game score of 27. The Nats came back in the bottom of the fourth and scored 6 runs to take back the lead, and the bullpen held onto it for 5 innings for the win.
- Patrick Corbin (August 30, 7–0 loss to the Blue Jays in Toronto) gave up 6 runs on 10 hits and 1 walk in 5 innings with 5 strikeouts for a game score of 27.
Tough loss:
- Trevor Williams (August 27, 2–1 loss to the Marlins in Miami) gave up 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks in 7 innings while striking out 5, for a game score of 62.
Cheap wins:
None
Biggest shutdown:
- Andres Machado (August 4, 6–3 win over the Reds in Cincinnati). The game was tied at 3 runs apiece in the bottom of the ninth, and there were runners at first and second with one out when Machado got the call. He struck out Fairchild, then an intentional walk was issued to Elly de la Cruz, loading the bases. Machado then got Nick Senzel to line out to second, ending the inning (Win probability added/WPA +.218).
Worst meltdown:
- Cory Abbott (August 19, 12–3 loss to the Phillies at home). The rest of the Nats bullpen was exhausted, so Abbott was called on to pitch the top of the eighth with the score tied 3 to 3, understanding that there was no one available to bail him out if he got into trouble. The first batter he faced, Trea Turner, hit a home run, giving the Phillies the lead. That was followed by a single, a ground out, three more singles (scoring two more runs), a walk to fill the bases, a sacrifice fly, a three-run home run, and finally another home run to Turner, before Abbottt finally got a strikeout to end the inning. He gave up a total of 8 runs on 7 hits (including 3 home runs) and a walk. (WPA –.498).
Clutch hits:
Usually, I just report the hit with the most impact in terms of win probability added, but this time there were lots of late-inning clutch hits, and the one that happened to have the most win probability added was a bit anticlimactic (involving an error), so I thought I’d report a bunch of clutch hits.
- Alex Call & Jeter Downs (August 13, 8–7 win over the A’s at home). The Nats were trailing 7–2 going into the bottom of the ninth, but after three singles, a sacrifice fly, and three walks, the score was 7–5 with the bases loaded and two outs when Alex Call came to bat. He hit a sharp grounder to shortstop that was booted, allowing the two runs to score and tying the game. (WPA +.462). The next batter, Jeter Downs, then singled in the winning run, capping a 6-run rally in the bottom of the ninth. (WPA +.365)
- Joey Meneses (August 8, 5–4 win over the Phillies in Philadelphia). The game was tied in the top of the ninth with the bases empty and one out when Meneses went deep on Craig Kimbrel, giving the Nationals the lead. (WPA +.377). In the seventh inning, he had already hit a home run to tie the game.
- Keibert Ruiz (August 12, 3–2 win over the A’s at home). Leading off the bottom of the ninth in a tie game, Ruiz launched a home run for the walk-off win. (WPA +.360)
- Alex Call (August 24, 6–5 win over the Yankees in New York). Trailing 3–2 with two outs in the top of the seventh, Call hit a two-run home run to give the Nats the lead. (WPA +.416)
- Jake Alu (August 26, 3–2 win over the Marlins in Miami) came to bat with the Nats trailing 2–1, two outs in the top of the ninth, and runners at first and second. He worked the count full and then hit a single up the middle to tie the game. (WPA +.359) A passed ball then allowed Michael Chavis to score the go-ahead run.
Choke:
- Jacob Young (August 27, 2–1 loss to the Marlins in Miami). The Nats were trailing by a run, and there were runners on first and second with one out in the top of the ninth when Young came to bat, still looking for his first MLB hit. He grounded into a double play, ending the game. (WPA –.281)
Memorable fielding plays:
- CJ Abrams went deep in the hole and whirled to throw out the runner.
- Ildemaro Vargas chased down a foul ball and slid into a gate to catch it.
- Alex Call made an impressive sliding catch on a bloop fly.
- Blake Rutherford chased a fly ball into the corner and dove to make the catch.
- Jacob Young made a great throw to gun down a runner and prevent a run from scoring.
The Nationals played for a respectable 12–14 record in the month, finishing the month as they started, in last place in the NL East. As in the last two years, the month of July ended with team acting as sellers at the trade deadline. This season, only one player—Jeimer Candelario—was traded away, but he was playing at an all-star level this season and will be missed.
The month opened with the Nats in Philadelphia, playing the last two games of a three-game series. In game 2, the Nats were blown out 19–4, but they managed to win game 3 by a single run, giving them the series victory. They finished their nine-game road trip with a 6–3 record.
Returning to Washington, the Nationals played a four-game series against the hot Reds, tied for the NL Central Division lead, who had just called up rookie phenom Elly De La Cruz. The Reds swept the Nats in a series that included two one-run losses (as well as a 9–2 blowout). Next came the Rangers, who were on top of the AL West. Davey Martinez moved CJ Abrams to the leadoff position, and Abrams would respond with a notable improvement in his hitting. The Nats took two games of three for a series win going into the All-Star Game break.
Josiah Gray represented the Nats on the victorious NL All-Star Team, and he pitched the third inning, setting down the side. The MLB amateur draft also took place during the break. The Nats had the second overall pick and used it to select Dylan Crews, a highly touted outfielder from Louisiana State University. Baseball America rated Crews as #4 on their list of Top 100 Prospects (just ahead of #5 James Wood).
After the break, the Nats opened a road trip against the Cardinals in St. Louis. The first game was suspended due to rain and had to be completed the next day—the Nats won it in ten innings. But they lost the next two games and the series. CJ Abrams won the NL Player of the Week Award (which, because of the All-Star break, was based on just three games) after hitting 6-for-13 with a double, a triple, two stolen bases, and 7 runs scored in the St. Louis series. The road trip concluded in Chicago, where the Nats again lost the series two games to one, including a 17–3 blowout loss in game 2. Their record on the road trip was 2–4. Hunter Harvey, who had been the Nats’ closer, went on the injured list with a right elbow strain.
Returning home, the Nats faced the Giants, who were tied for second place in the NL West. The Nats won all three games for a series sweep, their first three-game sweep since June 2021. Their win in game 2 was a 10–1 blowout over the Giants. The Nats then took two games of three against the Rockies, coming from behind late to win the last two games by one run apiece. The Nats’ record for the home stand was 5–1.
Next came a four-game road trip to New York to play the Mets. In the first game, it was the Nats’ turn to give up the lead in the bottom of the eighth and lose by one run. In game 2, Max Scherzer allowed only one run in another Mets victory. But in game 3, the Nats won over a dispirited Mets team that had just learned that Scherzer had been traded to the Rangers. But the Mets won game 4, winning the series three games to one. The Nats’ final game of the month was played at home against the Brewers, the first of a three-game series, and the Nats won the game 5 to 3. Just before the game, the Nats announced that Jeimer Candelario had been traded to the Cubs for a pair of second-tier prospects.
Making his major league debut on July 1 was Jose Ferrer, a 23-year-old left-handed reliever. Also debuting for the Nationals in July was 29-year-old right-handed reliever Rico Garcia, who had been granted free agency after being designated for assignment by the Oakland A’s and was signed by the Nats. He had also previously pitched for the Rockies, Giants, and Orioles.
Record:
12–14 (.462)
Pythagorean Record:
10–16 (4.85 R/G – 6.04 RA/G)
July MVP:
- CJ Abrams (.327/.391/.500, 3 HR, 24 R, 8 RBI, 16 SB, 141 wRC+, 1.2 fWAR).
Pitcher of the month:
- Kyle Finnegan (1–0, 1.54 RA/9, 11 G, 11⅔ IP, 7.7 K/9, .200 opp OBP, 5.68 RE24, 6 shutdowns, 3 meltdowns, 0.7 RA9-WAR).
Starting pitcher of the month:
- Josiah Gray (1–2, 3.91 RA/9, 4 GS, 23 IP, 6.3 K/9, .375 opp OBP, 0.5 RA9-WAR).
Worst month:
A tie between
- Amos Willingham (0–2, 10.00 RA/9, 9 G, 9 IP, 7.0 K/9, .447 opp OBP, –0.4 RA9-WAR), and
- Mason Thompson (0–2, 9.00 RA/9, 9 G, 8 IP, 4.5 K/9, .462 opp OBP, –0.4 RA9-WAR).
Best start this month:
- Josiah Gray (July 27, 2–1 loss to the Mets in New York) pitched 6 shutout innings, giving up 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4 for a game score of 69. The Nats were ahead 1–0 when Gray was pulled from the game after six innings, but the Mets scored 2 in the bottom of the eighth for the win.
Worst start:
- MacKenzie Gore (July 1, 19–4 loss to the Phillies in Philadelphia) gave up 7 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in 2⅔ innings with 3 strikeouts for a game score of 18.
Tough loss:
- Jake Irvin (July 3, 3–2 loss to the Reds at home) gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk in 6 innings while striking out 3, for a game score of 50.
Cheap wins:
- Trevor Williams (July 2, 5–4 win over the Phillies in Philadelphia) gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings while striking out 1, for a game score of 42.
- Jake Irvin (July 8, 8–3 win over the Rangers at home) gave up 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings while striking out 1, for a game score of 48.
- MacKenzie Gore (July 17, 7–5 win over the Cubs in Chicago) gave up 5 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in 6⅓ innings while striking out 6, for a game score of 45.
- Patrick Corbin (July 29, 11–6 win over the Mets in New York) gave up 4 runs on 6 hits and no walks in 5⅔ innings while striking out 2, for a game score of 43.
Biggest shutdown:
- Kyle Finnegan (July 2, 5–4 win over the Phillies in Philadelphia). The Nats’ lead had just dropped to one run with an RBI double hit by Castellanos. There was one out in the bottom of the seventh, a runner on second, and the Nats were ahead 5–4 when Finnegan got the call. Finnegan walked Bryce Harper but then got Realmuto to ground into an inning-ending double play. He stayed on to pitch the eighth, where he gave up a walk and a single but again got out of the inning with a double play. (Win probability added/WPA +.293)
Worst meltdown:
- Mason Thompson (July 27, 2–1 loss to the Mets in New York). The Nats were ahead 1 to 0 when Thompson got the call to pitch the bottom of the eighth. After getting Lindor to fly out, he gave up consecutive singles to McNeil and Alonso and an RBI single to Vogelbach, tying the game. A pinch runner came in for Vogelbach, and Thompson threw a wild pitch, advancing the runners to second and third. He then hit the next batter, loading the bases with one out, when Davey Martinez pulled Thompson (WPA –0.497). Kyle Finnegan was brought in, but it immediately started raining hard, so Finnegan had to wait until after a rain delay to try to get out of the jam. When he returned to the mound after the delay, he gave up the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly before getting out of the inning.
Clutch hit:
- Joey Meneses (July 25, 6–5 win over the Rockies at home). The Nats were trailing 5–3 in the bottom of the eighth when Meneses came to bat with no outs and runners on second and third. He launched a home run into the left field seats, giving the Nats the lead (WPA +.400).
Choke:
- Keibert Ruiz (July 6, 5–4 loss to the Reds at home in 10 innings). The Reds had hit a home run to score 2 in the top of the tenth, while Lane Thomas had led off the bottom of the inning with an RBI single to get one run back. When Ruiz came to bat, the Nats were still trailing the Reds 5–4 but had the tying runner on third and the winning runner second with two outs. Ruiz swung at a 1–1 pitch at the bottom of the zone and hit a weak fly ball into center field to end the game. (WPA –.245)
Memorable fielding plays:
- Jeimer Candelario made a fine diving play.
- Luis Garcia made a diving stop and a throw from his knees.
- Alex Call made a leaping catch at the wall.
- Lane Thomas made a great throw to home plate, saving a run.
- Alex Call laid out to make this diving catch.
- Luis Garcia made this backhanded play.
- CJ Abrams makes an outstanding play at short.
After a hopeful May, the Nationals in June went into a severe slump. From June 3 to 20, the team went 2–13. They were playing some tough opponents, including the division-leading Braves and Diamondbacks, and had some tough losses. Later in the month, the team’s fortunes began to pick up, as they went 6–3 from June 21 to 30. For the month as a whole, they had a 9–16 record, ending the month in last place in the NL East, 21 games behind the Braves, with a 33–48 record that was the second worst record in the National League and the fourth worst in MLB.
The month began with the Nats at home, opening a home stand against the Phililies, who were only one game ahead of the Nats in the NL East. The Nats rallied in the eighth inning to win the first game 8 to 7, briefly slipping into a tie for fourth place with the Phillies. But they lost the next two, with the final game an 11 to 3 blowout loss. (The Phillies would go on to post an 18–8 record for June and ended the month in third place in the NL East with a 43–38 record.) Next came the red-hot Diamondbacks, who had just moved into a tie with the Dodgers for the lead in the NL West. The Nats lost two games. The third game was postponed because of hazardous air quality due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. The Nats were 1–4 on the home stand.
The Nats’ next road trip began in Atlanta, where the division-leading Braves won two of three tightly competed games. Then they played against the Astros in Houston, for the Nationals first return to Minute Maid Park since winning Game 7 of the 2019 World Series. The Astros won the first two games. In the second game, the Nats rallied to tie it in the top of the ninth, only to lose the game in the bottom of the inning on a play that was reminiscent of Trea Turner‘s interference call in Game 6 of the 2019 World Series—except that this time the umpires failed to call interference, thereby allowing the Astros runner from third to score the winning run. Davey Martinez had a meltdown, which would not be his last one this month. The Nats came back to win the final game of the series in extra innings, giving them a 2–4 record on the road trip.
Returning home, the Nats faced the Marlins, now second place in the NL East. The Nats were swept by the Fish in the three-game series for the second time this year. Since the beginning of the 2022 season, the Nats now have a 4–21 record against the Marlins. After losing the first two games of the next series against the Cardinals, the Nats had lost five straight and 13 of their last 15 games. The second game of the series included a dugout confrontation between MacKenzie Gore and Victor Robles, who had missed a routine flyball to center field. (Robles, who had just returned from the injured list, went back on the IL the next day with back spasms.) The Nats managed to win the third game against the Cardinals on a wet afternoon. The Nats had one final game on the home stand, the rescheduled game against the Diamondbacks that had been postponed two weeks earlier. They lost it, giving them a 1–6 record on the home stand.
The next game was in San Diego against the Padres, and the Nats were trounced 13–3. But they came back and won the next two games, giving them their first series victory in June. They followed this with a series in Seattle against the Mariners, where again they lost the first game and won the next two. After a travel day, the Nats opened the final series of their road trip in Philadelphia, where they won the first game 2 to 1, having won 5 of the 7 games on the road trip that were played in June.
The Nats’ weak record during June reflected poor hitting and relief pitching. Their weighted runs created (wRC+), an overall measure of hitting, was 85 during June, ranking 23rd among the 30 teams. Their 21 home runs ranked 28th. Only Lane Thomas, Jeimer Candelario, and Stone Garrett hit well during June. And the relief pitchers’ ERA of 5.30 for June ranked 26th in baseball. The starters’ ERA was 4.43 for June, which ranked near the middle of the pack at 18th.
Several players made their debuts with Nationals during June. Derek Hill, age 27, who was a non-roster invite to spring training, took over center field duties starting on June 21 when Robles went on the injured list again. (Alex Call had been optioned to Rochester when Robles first returned from the IL.) From 2020 to 2022, Hill had played 95 games for the Tigers. Lefty reliever Joe La Sorsa debuted with the Nats on June 23. La Sorsa, age 25, had been claimed from the Rays off waivers two weeks earlier, and had only two games of major league experience. Amos Willingham, a 24-year-old relief pitcher who was drafted by the Nats in the 17th round in 2019, made his major league debut on June 28 in a middle relief role.
The Washington Post reported that Stephen Strasburg was no longer able to participate in any rehabilitation activities, and that the Nationals did not have any disability insurance policy on his contract. The most reasonable assumption is that his career sadly is over, though he remains under contract through 2026 (and will be owed deferred money through 2029).
Record:
9–16 (.360)
Pythagorean Record:
9–16 (3.80 R/G – 5.12 RA/G)
June MVP:
Lane Thomas (.340/.374/.640, 6 HR, 21 R, 17 RBI, 169 wRC+, 1.1 fWAR).
Starting pitcher of the month:
Josiah Gray (2–1, 4.28 RA/9, 6 GS, 33⅔ IP, 9.4 K/9, .324 opp OBP, 0.6 RA9-WAR).
Reliever of the month:
Kyle Finnegan (1–1, 1.59 RA/9, 9 G, 11⅓ IP, 6.4 K/9, .214 opp OBP, 4.09 RE24, 6 shutdowns, 1 meltdown, 0.7 RA9-WAR).
Worst month:
A tie between Corey Dickerson (.226/.236/.283, 0 HR, 1 R, 5 RBI, 36 wRC+, –0.6 fWAR) and Chad Kuhl (0–1, 10.64 RA/9, 8 G, 11 IP, 5.7 K/9, .483 opp OBP, –0.6 RA9-WAR). On June 26, Kuhl was released by the Nationals.
Best start this month:
Patrick Corbin (June 28, 4–1 win over the Mariners in Seattle) pitched 7 shutout innings, giving up 5 hits and no walks while striking out 9 for a game score of 76.
Worst start:
Patrick Corbin‘s previous start (June 23, 13–3 loss to the Padres in San Diego), when he gave up 7 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings, with 3 strikeouts, for a game score of 25.
Tough losses:
- Patrick Corbin (June 13, 6–1 loss to the Astros in Houston) gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks in 5 innings while striking out 5, for a game score of 51.
- Jake Irvin (June 22, 5–3 loss to the Diamondbacks in Phoenix) gave up 2 runs (1 earned run) on 5 hits and 1 walk in 6 innings while striking out 6, for a game score of 61. He left the game with the Nats trailing 2–1.
Cheap wins:
- None
Biggest shutdown:
Jordan Weems (June 27, 7–4 win over the Mariners in Seattle in 11 innings). In the top of the eighth, the Nats tied the score at 4 runs apiece, where it stood at the end of the ninth. The Nats had failed to score a run in the top of the tenth, when Weems got the call to pitch in the bottom of the tenth. An intentional walk was issued to J.P. Crawford, and then things gotten very dangerous when Weems walked Julio Rodriguez, loading the bases. But he got out of the jam, getting a foul pop-up, a strikeout, and a ground out to get out of the inning with the tie intact. The Nats scored three runs in the top of the 11th, and Weems closed out the game in the bottom of the inning on a fly out followed by two strikeouts. (Win probability added/WPA +.382)
Worst meltdown:
Kyle Finnegan (June 9, 3–2 loss to the Braves in Atlanta). The Nats were ahead 2 to 1 when Finnegan took the mound in the bottom of the eighth. He gave up singles to Sean Murphy and Eddie Rosario, and the runners advanced to second and third on an error. Finnegan then got a pop-fly for the first out. The second out came with a grounder to first that also allowed the tying run to score. Orlando Arcia then singled, driving in the go-ahead run (WPA –.523). The Braves closed out their 3–2 win in the top of the ninth.
Clutch hit:
Dominic Smith (June 14, 5–4 loss to the Astros in Houston). The Nats were behind 4–3 with one out in the top of the ninth with Ildemaro Vargas on first when Smith came to bat. He launched a triple into the right-center gap, tying the game (WPA +.508). Unfortunately, the Nats were unable to score Smith, and Hunter Harvey allowed the Astros to score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth (with some help from the umpires who failed to call a runner interference play).
If you would prefer a clutch hit in a Nats victory, the runner-up is Lane Thomas (June 27, 7–4 win over the Mariners in Seattle) who hit a double down the right field line to drive in two runs in the top of the 11th inning. (WPA +.484)
Choke:
Jeimer Candelario (June 17, 5–2 loss to the Marlins at home). In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Nats were trailing the Marlins 3–1 but had runners on first and third with no outs when Candelario came to bat. He grounded into a double play, and while it scored a run, it killed the Nats hope for a game-tying rally. (WPA –.217)
Memorable fielding plays:
- Alex Call ran down a sharply hit ball and made a fine diving catch.
- Lane Thomas made a nice catch against the wall.
- Alex Call robbed a home run from Michael Harris II.
Each year since 2013, I’ve put together an NL All-Star Team to see which Nationals deserve to be selected. To avoid personal bias, the selections are made by formulas and based on wins above replacement (WAR). For the first time, this year there weren’t any Nationals players who qualified solely based on their statistics. However, because every team must be represented, I’ve also developed a method for selecting players from teams that otherwise wouldn’t have qualified.
My method is based on each player’s WAR for the current season (2023), last season (2022), and their whole career.* I give the most weight to the current season, but in contrast to many writers, I feel strongly that all-star selections should not just be based on statistics for the first three months of the season. For most players, that’s just too small a sample, and many of the worst All-Star team selections have gone to players who simply got hot in the early months of the season without demonstrating any persistent greatness.
* For the details of my method, see my post from last year, “Soto and Cruz make my 2022 NL All-Star Team.”
To cut to the chase, the player I’ve selected to represent the Nationals on the 2023 NL All-Star Team is Jeimer Candelario. A point total is calculated for each player based on the WAR statistics for the current season, last season, and his career. Candelario received 17.7 points, which is 69 percent of the point total for the last position player selected. The next best Nats position player was Lane Thomas with 12.7 points. I also did similar comparisons for the starting pitcher (Josiah Gray) and the relief pitcher (Hunter Harvey) with the most points—13.6 points for Gray and 6.2 points for Harvey. Relative to the last starting pitcher selected, Gray’s point total was 59%, and Harvey’s point total was 54% of the last relief pitcher’s. Based on this information, my method selected Candelario as the most qualified National for the All-Star team.
Here is my 2023 NL All-Star Team, with point totals in parentheses:
Starters
C – Sean Murphy – Braves (26.3)
1B – Freddie Freeman – Dodgers (33.9)
2B – Luis Arraez – Marlins (20.3)
3B – Nolan Arenado – Cardinals (26.6)
SS – Francisco Lindor – Mets (29.9)
OF – Mookie Betts – Dodgers (32.3)
CF – Brandon Nimmo – Mets (24.3)
OF – Ronald Acuna Jr. – Braves (31.2)
DH – Andrew McCutchen – Pirates (13.7)
SP – Clayton Kershaw – Dodgers (28.9)
Reserves
C – Will Smith – Dodgers (22.8)
1B – Paul Goldschmidt – Cardinals (32.5)
2B – Nico Hoerner – Cubs (19.3)
3B – Manny Machado – Padres (25.7)
3B – Jeimer Candelario – Nationals (17.7) (*selected so the Nationals would be represented)
SS – Dansby Swanson – Cubs (29.6)
SS – Xander Bogaerts – Padres (25.8)
OF – Juan Soto – Padres (25.1)
CF – Michael Harris II – Braves (17.3)
OF – Corbin Carroll – Diamondbacks (23.8)
DH – Jorge Soler – Marlins (12.9)
SP – Zac Gallen – Diamondbacks (27.6)
SP – Justin Verlander – Mets (25.3)
SP – Marcus Stroman – Cubs (23.3)
SP – Sandy Alcantara – Marlins (23.2)
SP – Zack Wheeler – Phillies (23.1)
SP – Logan Webb – Giants (20.6) (*selected so the Giants would be represented)
RP – David Robertson – Mets (13.6)
RP – Alexis Diaz – Reds (13.2)
RP – Josh Hader – Padres (11.8)
RP – Devin Williams – Brewers (11.4)
RP – Daniel Bard – Rockies (10.0) (*selected so the Rockies would be represented)
As the Nationals entered May, they were still trying to shake their reputation as the worst team in baseball. They managed to play competitive baseball all month and finished the month with a 14–15 record. Maybe that doesn’t sound like much, but it’s the team’s best monthly record since June 2021 (when Max Scherzer was still pitching for the Nats and Kyle Schwarber was hitting 16 home runs in 18 games). At the end of May, the Nats remained in last place in the NL East, 9 games behind the division-leading Braves and 1½ games behind the fourth-place Phillies. Their .429 winning percentage was 26th of the 30 MLB teams.
The Nats opened the month at home with a four-game series against the Cubs. After losing the first game, the Nats won the next three, with a one-run margin of victory in the last two. Their record for the home stand was 4–3. Chad Kuhl went on the injured list, and Jake Irvin was called up to take his place as a starter. Irvin made his major league debut on May 3 and pitched well enough that when Kuhl came off the injured list, Irvin stayed in the rotation. The Nats had drafted Irvin, now age 26, in the fourth round of the 2018 draft.
The Nats then embarked on a western road trip. They lost two of three to the Diamondbacks and took two of three from the Giants, giving them a 3–3 record on the trip. Games 2 and 3 in Phoenix featured dramatic late rallies by the Nationals, with the bullpen surrendering the lead in Game 2 but holding on to secure the win in Game 3. Victor Robles was injured in Game 2 (back spasms) and remained on the injured list the rest of the month, with Alex Call taking over in center field. Jake Alu, a 26-year old that the Nats had drafted in the 24th round in 2019, made his major league debut on May 9 and played four games before Corey Dickerson returned from the injured list.
Back home, the Nats played a four-game series against the Mets. They won two of the games to split the series. The brief home stand was followed by a similarly brief road trip to Miami, where the Nats were swept by the Marlins. All three games were hard fought, with the Nats losing the first two by one run each, and the finale by two runs.
The next home stand began with a three-game series against the Tigers. The Nats lost the first game, then won the next two to win the series. They then faced the Padres, and lost two of three, giving them a 3–3 record for the home stand.
The month concluded with a road trip that began in Kansas City. The Nats won the first two games of a three-game series but were unable to sweep the series when an exhausted bullpen was unable to keep the lead in the final game. The month concluded with a three-game series in Los Angeles that began on Memorial Day. The Nats lost the first two games but won the third, giving them a 3–3 record on the road trip.
Record:
14–15 (.483)
Pythagorean Record:
14–15 (4.69 R/G – 4.76 RA/G)
May MVP:
Jeimer Candelario (.295/.385/.526, 3 HR, 13 R, 11 RBI, 145 wRC+, 1.3 fWAR). Excellent defense at third base boosts him ahead of runner-up Lane Thomas (.303/.352/.580, 8 HR, 0.9 fWAR) for this month’s award.
Starting pitcher of the month:
Josiah Gray (2–1, 3.21 RA/9, 5 GS, 28 IP, 6.4 K/9, .349 opp OBP, 0.9 RA9-WAR). Among the Nats’ starters during May, Gray was the best at keeping opponents from scoring, though I have to admit that some of his other statistics (K/9, FIP, opponents OBP) have me concerned about whether he’ll be able to maintain this pace.
Reliever of the month:
Kyle Finnegan (2–1, 3.75 RA/9, 12 G, 12 IP, 12.0 K/9, .370 opp OBP, 0.64 RE24, 8 shutdowns, 2 meltdowns, 0.3 RA9-WAR). Frankly, none of the relievers had a great month, but Finnegan’s 8 shutdowns merit some respect.
Worst month:
Mason Thompson (1–0, 10.61 RA/9, 10 G, 9⅓ IP, 6.8 K/9, .438 opp OBP, –0.5 RA9-WAR). It was a really tough month for him following an excellent April..
Best start this month:
MacKenzie Gore (May 28, 3–2 loss to the Royals in Kansas City) pitched 7 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 11 for a game score of 77. He left the game with the Nats ahead 2–1, but the bullpen gave up two runs for the loss.
Worst start:
Jake Irvin (May 19, 8–6 loss to the Tigers at home), gave up 6 runs (4 earned runs) on 5 hits and 4 walks in 2⅔ innings, with 1 strikeout, for a game score of 25.
Tough loss:
- Trevor Williams (May 18, 5–3 loss to the Marlins in Miami) gave up 3 runs on 5 hits and 1 walk in 6 innings while striking out 5, for a game score of 54.
Cheap wins:
- Patrick Corbin (May 15, 10–3 win over the Mets at home) gave up 2 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk in 6 innings while striking out 1 (game score of 48).
- Patrick Corbin (May 26, 12–10 win over the Royals in Kansas City) gave up 6 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks in 6 innings while striking out 6 (game score of 37).
Biggest shutdown:
Hunter Harvey (May 7, 9–8 win over the Diamondbacks in Phoenix). It was the night after the Nats had come back to score five runs in the top of the ninth and take a one-run lead, only to lose the game in the bottom of the inning with Kyle Finnegan on the mound. This night, a similar scenario had played out, with the Nats scoring three runs in the top of the ninth to take a 9–8 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Harvey got the call. He got a ground out, then gave up a walk. The next batter lined out to third, and Harvey got the final batter on a strikeout. It was his first career save. (Win probability added/WPA +.203)
Worst meltdown:
Hunter Harvey (May 16, 5–4 loss to the Marlins in Miami). Once again, the Nats had come from behind, scoring 3 runs in the top of the eighth to take a 4–2 lead. After Kyle Finnegan had pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth, Harvey got the call in the bottom of the ninth. He got the first two batters on a fly ball and a strikeout, he then gave up a double followed by a run-scoring single. A pinch runner stole second, putting the tying run in scoring position. Harvey was facing Jorge Soler, and on a 3–2 count, Soler blasted a fastball over the left-center fence, giving the Marlins the walk-off win. (WPA –.916)
Clutch hit:
Lane Thomas (May 7, 8–7 loss to the Diamondbacks in Phoenix). The Nats had already come back to score three runs in the top of the ninth. Thomas came to bat with two outs, a runner on second, and the Nats trailing 6–5. On a 1–2 pitch, Thomas blasted a home run into the left-field seats, giving the Nats a 7–6 lead. (WPA +.694). Unfortunately, Kyle Finnegan was unable to hold the lead and surrendered two runs in the bottom of the frame.
The runner-up in this category came from Joey Meneses the next night (May 8, 9–8 win over the Diamondbacks in Phoenix). Again, the Nats were in the top of the ninth, trailing the D-backs 8–6. Meneses came to bat with no outs and runners on first and third. He lofted a hanging 0–1 slider over the left field fence, giving the Nats a 9–8 lead that they would not lose. (WPA +.532)
Choke:
Keibert Ruiz (May 18, 5–3 loss to the Marlins in Miami). In the top of the eighth inning, the Nats were rallying, having scored two runs to bring their deficit to one run. When Ruiz came to the plate, he Nats were trailing 4–3, and there was one out and with runners on first and second. He grounded to second base for an inning-ending double play. (WPA –.210)
Memorable fielding plays:
- Alex Call made a great diving catch.
- CJ Abrams made a leaping catch to end this game.
- Keibert Ruiz loves picking off runners who stray from first. This pick-off got the Nats out of a bases-loaded jam.
As the Nationals started the season, they were often picked as the worst team in baseball. They finished the month in last place in the NL East, with a 10–17 record and trailing the division-leading Braves by 8 games. They did not, however, have the worst record in baseball—they were tied for 24th among the 30 MLB teams.
The Nats opened the season at home against the Braves, losing the first two games before winning the third one. They next hosted the Rays, who swept a three game series against the Nats. (The Rays would go on to start the season 13–0.) The Nats were 1–5 on the home stand.
Due to a rule change, the Nats will be seeing many more American League teams this season. Starting this year, each team will play a series against every team in the other league (as opposed to just five or six teams in the past), and as a result will play fewer games against each of the teams in their own division (13 rather than 19).
The Nats first road trip was to the West, where they played four games against the Rockies and three against the Angels. They split the series with the Rockies, and lost two of three to the Angels, for a record of 3–4 on the trip.
Returning home, they faced the Guardians and lost two of three. The Orioles then swept a 2 game series, shutting out the Nats in both games and giving the Nats a 1–4 record on the home stand. Starting with their third game against the Rockies and continuing through their first game against the Orioles, the Nats played nine consecutive games that were determined by one or two runs. Their record during the nine-game span was 3–6.
Their next road trip began with a three-game series against the Twins. These would be the three coldest games in Nationals history, with temperatures as the games started of 37, 35, and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The players bundled up and the Nats seemed to do well in the cold, winning the first two games before losing the third. They next played the Mets in New York City and again won the first two games before losing the third. They finished their road trip with a 4–2 record.
The month concluded at home with a 3-game series against the Pirates, (who, to everyone’s surprise, had the best record in the National League). The Friday night game was rained out, and was made up with a doubleheader the next day. The Pirates swept the doubleheader, including a 16–1 blowout in the second game, but the Nats won on Sunday to make the series two games to one for the Pirates.
A number of players made their debuts with the team this month. On opening day, Jeimer Candelario, Dominic Smith, and Corey Dickerson made their debuts—these players were all discussed in my last post on off-season transactions. Also discussed in that article were starting pitchers Trevor Williams, who debuted with the Nats in game 4, and Chad Kuhl, who debuted with the Nats in the game 5, and relief pitcher Thaddeus Ward, the Rule V draft pick who made his major league debut in game 2. Stone Garrett joined the team after Dickerson was injured early in the season, debuting with the Nats in game 5. Garrett hit well in limited playing time. Jeter Downs was called up after an injury to Ildemaro Vargas and debuted with the Nats in game 26.
Not discussed in that article was starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore, who was acquired from the Padres last summer as part of the Juan Soto trade. He had pitched 16 games last season for the Padres, but was injured and not able to start for the Nationals after the trade. Gore debuted with the Nats in game 3 and pitched well the rest of the month. Also not discussed in that article were several non-roster invitees who made the opening roster. Relief pitcher Hobie Harris, who had played in the minor league systems of the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Brewers, made his major league debut in game 2. Lefty relief pitcher Anthony Banda, who had pitched since 2017 for the Diamondbacks, Rays, Mets, Pirates, Blue Jays, and Yankees, made his debut with the Nats in game 2. The month did not go well for Banda, and he ended it designated for assignment. Infielder Michael Chavis, who had played since 2019 for the Red Sox and Pirates, made his debut with the Nats in game 5.
During the month, the team was slightly below average in pitching and well below average in hitting. The starting pitching seems improved from last season, with three of the five starters pitching fairly well in April. The relief pitching remains a relative strength for the team, with near-average performance on a team that is below average in many areas. The hitters had batting averages that were slightly above the major league average and walk rates that were somewhat below the league average. But as power hitters, they were far below average. The Nats hit only 15 home runs in March/April, ranking last among the 30 major league teams.
Record:
10–17 (.370)
Pythagorean Record:
11–16 (3.85 R/G – 4.81 RA/G)
April MVP:
Josiah Gray (2–4, 2.67 RA/9, 6 GS, 33⅔ IP, 8.3 K/9, .319 opp OBP, 1.2 RA9-WAR). He had three consecutive losing starts where he pitched well but had zero run support.
Position player of the month:
Jeimer Candelario (.239/.292/.404, 4 HR, 12 R, 14 RBI, 86 wRC+, 0.5 fWAR). Solid defense at third and a bit of power bumps him ahead of the other potential candidates for this award.
Reliever of the month:
Mason Thompson (2–2, 2.37 RA/9, 11 G, 19 IP, 8.1 K/9, .217 opp OBP, 5.03 RE24, 4 shutdowns, 1 meltdown, 0.6 RA9-WAR).
Worst month:
Chad Kuhl (0–2, 9.41 RA/9, 5 G, 22 IP, 7.4 K/9, .415 opp OBP, –0.7 RA9-WAR). It was a tough month for him all around, with his wife going through cancer treatment and Chad ending the month on the injured list. Our best wishes to both of them.
Best start this month:
Josiah Gray (April 25, 5–0 win over the Mets in New York) pitched 6 scoreless innings, giving up 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 9 for a game score of 72.
Worst start:
Chad Kuhl (April 29, 16–1 loss to the Pirates at home in the second game of a doubleheader), gave up 8 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks in 3⅔ innings, with 4 strikeouts, for a game score of 15.
Tough losses:
- Josiah Gray (April 6, 1–0 loss to the Rockies in Denver) gave up 1 run on 8 hits and 1 walk in 6 innings while striking out 6, for a game score of 57.
- Josiah Gray (April 11, 2–0 loss to the Angels in Anaheim) gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks in 5⅔ innings while striking out 3 (game score of 54). The opposing pitcher was Shohei Ohtani.
- Josiah Gray (April 18, 1–0 loss to the Orioles at home) gave up 1 run on 4 hits and 4 walks in 5 innings while striking out 3 (game score of 54).
- MacKenzie Gore (April 19, 4–0 loss to the Orioles at home) gave up 3 runs on 3 hits and 4 walks in 6 innings while striking out 7 (game score of 57).
- Patrick Corbin (April 23, 3–1 loss to the Twins in Minneapolis) gave up 3 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings while striking out 6 (game score of 50).
Cheap win:
- Patrick Corbin (April 10, 6–4 win over the Angels in Anaheim) gave up 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings while striking out 3 (game score of 37).
Biggest shutdown:
Hunter Harvey (April 26, 4–1 win over the Mets in New York) came into the game in the bottom of the seventh with one out, runners on second and third, and the Nats leading 3–1. He struck out Starling Marte and Francisco Lindor to get out of the inning unscathed. He came back for the eighth (with the Nats now leading 4–1) and retired the side on a strikeout and two ground outs. (win probability added/WPA +.272)
Worst meltdown:
Kyle Finnegan (April 4, 10–6 loss to the Rays at home). The Nats were ahead 6–5 when Finnegan got the call to get the save in the top of the ninth. He immediately gave up home runs to Luke Raley and Josh Lowe, putting the Nats behind. He walked the next batter (who stole second but was thrown out trying to steal third), then gave up a single followed by a double. Yandy Diaz then hit a 3-run home run, and the Nats trailed 10–6. Hobie Harris got the call to get the final two outs. Finnegan had faced 6 batters and gave up 5 runs on 5 hits (including 3 home runs and a double) and a walk. (WPA –.821) This was the Rays’ fifth consecutive win; they would go on to open the season 13–0.
Clutch hit:
CJ Abrams (April 27, 9–8 loss to the Mets in New York). The Nats were trailing 7–4 when Abrams came to bat in the top of the eighth with one out and the bases loaded. Abrams lofted a cutter into the Nats bullpen in right-center field for a grand slam, putting the Nats ahead 8–7 (WPA +.565). Unfortunately, the Nats’ bullpen was unable to hold the lead, surrendering two runs in the bottom of the frame.
Choke:
Jeimer Candelario (April 29, 6–3 loss to the Pirates at home in game 1 of a doubleheader). Trailing 1–0 in the bottom of the third, the bases were loaded and there were no outs. Candelario hit a sharp liner to the shortstop, who was able to double off CJ Abrams at second base. (WPA –.200). The next batter, Joey Meneses, grounded out to end the inning, with the Nats unable to score.
Memorable fielding plays:
- On opening day, Victor Robles made a dramatic, leaping catch leaping against the center field wall.
- Lane Thomas gunned down a runner attempting to go first to third.
- Alex Call ran a long way to make a sliding catch.
- Jeimer Candelario made a great bare-handed play.
- CJ Abrams made a fantastic, running catch.
The Nationals entered September facing a daunting schedule. With 32 games left to play before the season’s scheduled end on October 5, 25 of them were against teams still in playoff contention. Furthermore, 6 of the 7 games to be played against teams that were not in contention would be against the Marlins, against whom the Nats held a 1–12 record. Furthermore, 25 of their 32 remaining games would be against National League East rivals, against whom the Nats had a 9–42 record. Fangraphs rated their strength-of-schedule for the rest of the season as the second most difficult in the majors.
Their record for September and October, 11–21, was not good—their .344 winning percentage ranked 27th among the 30 teams. But for the Nats it marked a slight improvement from their .338 winning percentage entering the month, and considering their tough schedule, it felt like the team’s fortunes were looking up a bit after a truly sad July and August. Their season did end on a sour note, though, with the Nats enduring blowout losses in four of their last five games. The Nats finished with a 55–107 record, the worst in baseball and the worst in the Nationals’ 18-year history.
The month began with the Nats at home, playing the final game of a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics. The Nats won the ten-inning game, giving them their first walk-off win of the season and a series victory of two games to one. The home stand ended with a 3–3 record.
Next came a road trip to face the Mets, Cardinals, and Phillies. In New York, the Nats won the Mets series, two games to one. Moving to St. Louis for a four-game series with the Cardinals, the Nats won the first and last games, splitting the series. They could have won the third game and the series if they hadn’t blown a 4-run lead in the ninth inning. The final game marked the 324th game that Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina had played together as battery mates, tying the all-time record. Keibert Ruiz went on the injured list and was out for the rest of the season. The Nats ended their road trip in Philadelphia, where they were swept in a three-game series against the Phillies, giving them a record of 4–6 on the trip.
Their next home stand began with two games against the Orioles. The O’s won both games. They then faced the Marlins, and won the first two before dropping the finale, giving them a 2–3 record for the home stand. After their second victory against the Marlins, their record over the previous 16 games was 8–8, and they had scored 80 runs and allowed 68 during the span. But the rest of the month wouldn’t go as well.
They headed south on their next road trip to face the Braves and the Marlins. With the Braves trailing the NL East leading Mets by a single game, the Nats were hoping to play spoiler, but the Braves took the series, two games to one. The Nats also fell to the Marlins, two games to one, for a 2–4 road trip.
Back in Washington for their final home stand, the Nats again faced the Braves for three games, followed by four games scheduled in three days against the Phillies. The Nats had avoided blowout losses so far in September, but that ended with the first two games of the Braves series, with the Nats losing 8–0 and 8–2. They managed to come back and win the finale 3 to 2 in 10 innings.
Against the Phillies, the Nats were scheduled to play Friday night, a doubleheader on Saturday, and an afternoon game on Sunday. But the remnants of Hurricane Ian were headed toward Washington, with rain forecast to begin on Friday evening and lasting through the weekend. One game of the Saturday doubleheader was moved up to Friday afternoon. The Nats lost, as the Phillies stole bases easily while the Nats were thrown out on the bases. (An article about the game at Fangraphs by Ben Clemens documented the Nats’ sloppy play.) The Friday evening game was washed out, but the Nats and Phillies managed to play two games on Saturday and another on Sunday through light to medium rain, wind, and generally sloppy conditions. The last three games were all blowouts, with the Nats winning the first, 13 to 4, and losing the others 8–2 and 8–1.
The final series was against the Mets in New York City. The Mets had just been swept by the Braves, leaving them two games out. They still had a small chance of winning the division, but they would need to sweep the Nats without the Braves winning any of their games against the Marlins. The bad weather followed the Nats to New York, and Monday’s game was rescheduled for a Tuesday doubleheader. The Mets swept the three-game series, including 8–0 and 9–2 blowouts in the final two games of the season. But the Mets were unable to win the division title, as the Braves managed to win one of their two games against the Marlins. The Mets and Braves ended the season tied, but the Braves held the tie breaker with their 10–9 record in head to head games. The Nats finished the season 46 games behind and with a 5-game losing streak. They also set the record for the divisional play era for the lowest winning percentage against divisional rivals, with a 17–59 (.224) record.
There were only a few significant roster moves made in September. Jake McGee was designated for assignment and released. Israel Pineda, a 22-year old Venezuelan catcher from the Nats system, was called up after Ruiz’s injury and made his major league debut. Tommy Romero, whom the Nats had picked up on waivers from the Rays, made one start—giving up 8 runs in 3⅔ innings in one of those end-of-season blowout losses against the Phillies. Nelson Cruz didn’t go on the injured list, but his last game was September 13, as he battled with an eye problem. That allowed Luke Voit to become the DH and Joey Meneses to move to first base, which improved the team’s defense.
While the Nat’s defense was still sometimes sloppy, the defensive talent was much better than it had been earlier in the season. The offense, however, was weak. Nats batters avoided strikeouts and hit for a good average (.255 in September/October, which was second in the NL), but their 26 home runs in the month ranked 14th in the NL. Relief pitching was a strength, with the Nats’ relievers posting a 2.74 ERA in the month, 3rd in the NL. But the starting pitching was their Achilles heel. The starters’ 6.22 ERA in the month ranked last in MLB.
Record:
11–21 (.344)
Pythagorean Record:
12–20 (3.69 R/G – 4.81 RA/G)
September/October MVP:
Joey Meneses (.318/.366/.543, 7 HR, 17 R, 23 RBI, 148 wRC+, 0.8 fWAR). While it remains unclear whether the 30-year old rookie will have an important long-term role on the team, his amazing first two months in the majors have been really delightful to watch. Over the span since his August 2 debut, he ranks second in the National League is batting average, third in slugging, tied for third in home runs, and fourth in weighted runs created (wRC+). If he had delivered this performance on a contending team, I think it would have been a big national story.
Pitcher of the month:
Anibal Sanchez (3–1, 2.74 RA/9, 5 GS, 23 IP, 6.3 K/9, .289 opp OBP, 0.8 RA9-WAR). While he doesn’t go deep into games, he was by far the most reliable of the Nats’ starters this month.
Reliever of the month:
Erasmo Ramirez (0–1, 3.00 RA/9, 12 G, 18 IP, 9.4 K/9, .229 opp OBP, 3.21 RE24, 2 shutdowns, 2 meltdowns, 0.3 RA9-WAR). The relievers were good as a whole, but no one had an especially dominant month, so this award could have gone to any of a half dozen Nats relievers.
Worst month:
Shared by Riley Adams (.155/.197/.310, 2 HR, 6 R, 4 RBI, 19 G, –0.6 fWAR) and Erick Fedde (1–4, 8.10 RA/9, 6 G, 26⅔ IP, 4.7 K/9, .397 opp OBP, –0.6 RA9-WAR).
Best start this month:
Patrick Corbin (September 3, 7–1 win over the Mets in New York) pitched 7 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits and 1 walk and striking out 5 for a game score of 71.
Worst start:
Erick Fedde (October 5, 9–2 loss to the Mets in New York in the final game of the year), who gave up 9 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks in 2⅓ innings, with 1 strikeout, for a game score of 2.
Tough loss:
- Anibal Sanchez (September 18, 3–1 loss to the Marlins in Miami) gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings, while striking out 3, for a game score of 57. He had the bad luck to be facing Sandy Alcantara that afternoon, who pitched a complete game and gave up only 1 run.
Cheap win:
- Anibal Sanchez (October 1, 13–4 win over the Phillies in the first game of a doubleheader at home) gave up 4 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings, while striking out 6, for a game score of 44. It was the last Nationals win of the season.
Biggest shutdown:
Kyle Finnegan (September 28, 3–2 win over the Braves at home) came into the game in the top of the ninth with the score tied 2–2. He gave up a single, but got three outs on a grounder, a fly ball, and a strikeout. He came back for the tenth with the automatic runner on second and retired Acuna, Swanson, and Harris on a fly ball, a ground out, and a pop fly, without allowing a run (win probability added/WPA +.448). In the bottom of the tenth, CJ Abrams hit a walk-off single.
Worst meltdown:
Kyle Finnegan (September 7, 6–5 loss to the Cardinals in St. Louis). The Nats were ahead 5–1 when Finnegan got the call to pitch the bottom of the ninth. He gave up a single to Donovan, followed by a walk to Goldschmidt and a double to Arenado—still no outs and it was now 5–2. A groundout by Dickerson scored another runner and advanced Arenado to third—it was now one out and 5–3. A walk to O’Neill and a strikeout by Gorman, and there were two outs with the score still 5–3. Molina hit a line drive single to left, making it 5–4. Finally, Edman drove a fly ball to left field just off Alex Call‘s glove, and the Cardinals won. Finnegan faced 8 batters and got 2 outs, while surrendering 5 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. (WPA –.985) This was the worst meltdown by a Nats reliever in the twelve years I’ve been doing this blog.
Clutch hit:
Joey Meneses (September 1, 7–5 win over the Athletics at home in 10 innings). After nine innings, the game was tied at 3 runs apiece. The A’s then scored two in the top of the tenth to take a 5–3 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Keibert Ruiz hit a one-out single to drive in the automatic runner. After a strikeout and a walk, Meneses came to bat with two outs, runners on first and second, and the Nats trailing 5–4. He slugged a 2–2 pitch over the out-of-town scoreboard for the Nats’ first walk-off win of the season. (WPA +.828)
Choke:
Luke Voit (September 20, 3–2 loss to the Braves in Atlanta). Trailing 3–1 in the top of the ninth and facing Braves closer Kenley Jansen, the Nats staged a little rally with two bunt singles and an RBI groundball single around two strikeouts. With the Braves’ lead down to 3–2 and runners on second and third, they issued an intentional pass to Joey Meneses to load the bases, bringing Voit to the plate. He launched a flyball to deep center field, but it fell short of the track and ended the game. (WPA –.233)
Memorable hits:
- Joey Meneses hit an inside-the-park home run.
Memorable fielding plays:
- CJ Abrams ranged deep into the hole to field this sharply hit grounder, and broadcaster Bob Carpenter initially called it a base hit, not believing that Abrams could come up with it. Abrams also pulled off this slick double play. And this diving stop. It’s fun watching this talented young athlete make spectacular plays.
- Alex Call made a diving catch that saved at least two runs.
- Lane Thomas made a strong throw to nail a runner at second. And he gunned down another runner at third.
- Victor Robles continues to make spectacular plays. Here’s a diving catch of a line drive. In this play he made a great catch and then doubled off a runner.
- Luis Garcia started this difficult double play.
Nats Noodles 