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June 3, 2023 / Nat Anacostia

‘I’m proud of the guys’: Nats’ May in review

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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:

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