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October 3, 2024 / Nat Anacostia

‘They fought hard all year long’: Nats’ September in review

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The Nationals opened the month of September at home, playing the Cubs in the last game of a home stand. The Cubs won in a 14 to 1 blowout in which the Nats exhibited bad pitching and dreadful defensive play. With the rosters now expanded, Darren Baker (a 25-year-old utility player and the son of Dusty Baker) and Zach Brzykcy (a 25-year-old right-handed relief pitcher) both made their major league debuts in the ninth inning of the game. The Nats had drafted Baker in the 10th round in 2021, while Brzykcy had signed in 2020 as an undrafted free agent, then missed 2023 with Tommy John surgery. The Nats were swept by the Cubs in their three-game series and went 2–4 during the home stand.

The Nats’ next road trip took them first to Miami to play two games against the Marlins. They won the first game. In the second game they were unable to hold onto the lead after MacKenzie Gore took a potential perfect game into the sixth inning, and they were walked off in the 10th inning. Their next stop was Pittsburgh, where they had a four-game series against the Pirates. They lost the first game, then won both games of a Saturday doubleheader that had to be played after the Friday night game was rained out. DJ Herz pitched five no-hit innings in the opening game of the doubleheader, and in the nightcap, they rallied in the ninth inning to score four runs and take the lead. The next day the Nats lost the final game, splitting the series and giving them a 3–3 record on the road trip.

Travis Blankenhorn was designated for assignment and elected free agency, ending his tenure with the Nationals. Over his two seasons with the Nats, Blankenhorn played in 23 games and hit .145/.232/.210 with 1 home run and 6 RBI.

The next home stand opened with a two-game set against the Braves. In the first game, the Nats were shut out (the first of five shutout losses this month) in a 12–0 blowout. They came back to win the second game 5–1, splitting the series, with Jake Irvin carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning. The Nats finished with an 8–5 record against the Braves, which was the first time since 2017 that they’ve won the seasonal battle against that division rival. The home stand concluded with a four-game series against the Marlins. The Nats lost the first game but won the next three, giving them an 11–2 seasonal record against the Fish. They were 4–2 on the home stand.

The first half of September had gone well for the Nationals, who had a 7–6 monthly record through September 15. In the second half of the month, the Nats faced tougher opponents and things started to go very badly.

Their road trip opened in New York against the Mets, who after a rough start in April and May had played very well and were tied with the Braves for second place in the NL East and the last playoff spot. In the first game, the Nats took a 1–0 lead into the bottom of the eighth but were unable to hold it and wound up losing 2–1 in the 10th inning. That was followed by two blowout losses in which the Nats were beat 10–1 and 10–0. The Nats’ seasonal record against the Mets was 2–11, which meant that the Nationals played a key role in the Mets making it to the postseason.

The Nats’ next series was four games in Chicago against the Cubs. They lost the first game 7–6 in a back-and-forth contest. In the second game, Trevor Williams returned to the mound for the first time since May 30 and pitched well, but the bats were hibernating and the Nats lost 3–1. The following morning came the shocking news that CJ Abrams was being optioned to Triple-A Rochester for “an internal issue”. Abrams was reported to have been out all night at a Chicago casino until 8:30 am before the day game that was played on the previous day. The demotion was controversial and was regarded as risky, with some commenters saying the matter should have been handled quietly without embarrassing the player, and others applauding Mike Rizzo for enforcing standards of discipline. The Nats won their next game 5–1, with Gore taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning before surrendering a home run. They were shut out 5–0 in the rain-delayed final game, lost the series three games to one, and recorded a 1–6 record on the road trip.

Their final home stand began with a three-game series against the Royals, who were fighting for a playoff spot. The first game was scoreless through nine innings, and the Nats lost 1–0 in ten, giving up the deciding run on an error. The next night they lost 3–0 for their third consecutive shutout. (The Nats had been shut out for three consecutive games only once before—in August 2018.) They managed to score in the final game of the series but still lost 7–4 in what seems likely to have been Corbin’s final start for the Nats, as the Royals swept the series.

The home stand and the season concluded with a three-game series against the NL East-champion Phillies, with Stone Garrett returning to the lineup, 13 months after breaking his leg in Yankee Stadium. In the first game, Garrett hit a 2-run home run in his first plate appearance back, as the Nats’ bats finally exploded, and they beat the Phillies in a 9–1 blowout. Facing Cy Young-candidate Zack Wheeler in the second game, the Nats outscored the Phillies 6–3 for their second win. The season’s final game was a 6–3 loss, but the Nats were battling to the end, having loaded the bases only to have the game end on a fly ball from Juan Yepez that was caught in front of the wall—a ball that if it had been hit in July might have produced a walk-off win. For the season, the Nats went 4–9 against the division champion Phillies.

The Nats’ record for September was 10–16, and their season record was 71–91, the same record as last season. The Nats finished 24 games behind the Phillies and 18 games behind the second-place Mets and Braves, who tied for the last wild card slot. In terms of the win-loss record, it may have been a disappointing season for the Nationals, but, looking at several young players beginning to establish themselves, I think it was a more hopeful season than any the Nationals have had since 2019.

Record:

10–16 (.385)

Pythagorean Record:

8–18 (3.31 R/G – 4.92 RA/G)

September MVP:

  • MacKenzie Gore (2–1, 3.14 RA/9, 5 GS, 28⅔ IP, 11.0 K/9, .229 opp OBP, 0.9 RA9-WAR).

Position player of the month:

  • James Wood (.248/.321/.446, 4 HR, 13 R, 10 RBI, 3 SB, 1 CS, 112 PA, 112 wRC+, 0.3 fWAR). September was a bad month for most of the Nationals hitters.

Relief pitcher of the month:

  • Jose A. Ferrer (1-0, 2.20 RA/9, 13 G, 16⅓ IP, 6.6 K/9, .226 opp OBP, 4.81 RE24, 6 shutdowns, 1 meltdown, 0.6 RA9-WAR).

Worst month:

  • Jacob Barnes (0–1, 14.14 RA/9, 10 G, 7 IP, 9.0 K/9, .475 opp OBP, –9.76 RE24, 0 shutdown, 5 meltdowns, –0.6 RA9-WAR).

Best start:

  • MacKenzie Gore (September 21, 5–1 win over the Cubs in Chicago) pitched 7 innings giving up 1 run on 1 hit and 3 walks while striking out 9 for a game score of 77. The only hit he allowed was a solo home run hit by Patrick Wisdom with one out in the bottom of the seventh.

Worst start:

  • DJ Herz (September 18, 10–0 loss to the Mets in New York) gave up 7 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in 3⅓ innings with 5 strikeouts for a game score of 22.

Tough losses:

  • Mitchell Parker (September 1, 14–1 loss to the Cubs at home) pitched 6 innings and gave up 4 runs (3 earned runs) on 7 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8 for a game score of 51.
  • Trevor Williams (September 20, 3–1 loss to the Cubs in Chicago) pitched 5 innings and gave up 1 run on 3 hits and no walks while striking out 7 for a game score of 64.
  • DJ Herz (September 25, 3–0 loss to the Royals at home) pitched 5 innings and gave up 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3 for a game score of 57.

Cheap wins:

  • None

Biggest shutdown:

  • Jose A. Ferrer (September 24, 1–0 loss to the Royals in 10 innings at home). The game was a scoreless tie when Ferrer got the call to pitch the top of the eighth. He retired the side on two fly balls and a groundout, then was asked to go out again in the ninth. He got two strikeouts and a groundout to keep the game tied. (Win probability added/WPA +.245). Then, with Kyle Finnegan coming on for the tenth inning, the Royals’ automatic runner scored on an error, and the Nats lost when they were unable to plate a run.

Worst meltdown:

  • Derek Law (September 12, 6–3 loss to the Marlins at home). When Law got the call with one out in the top of the seventh, there was a runner on first and the Nats were ahead 3–2. On his first pitch he got a ground ball to shortstop for a double play, getting him out of the inning. It looked like it had been an easy and successful outing, but Law was asked to come back out for the eighth inning and proceeded to give up a double, a walk, and a single that tied the game. Then another single loaded the bases, and there were still no outs. On the next ground ball, the CJ Abrams conceded the go-ahead run to try for a double play, but after getting the force at second, Luis Garcia, Jr. made a bad throw and another runner scored. Davey Martinez pulled Law from the game with the Nats now down 5–3 with only one out. (WPA –.511). 

Walk offs:

  • None

Clutch hit:

  • Ildemaro Vargas (September 7, 8–6 win over the Pirates in the second game of a doubleheader in Pittsburgh). When Vargas was sent to the plate as a pinch hitter, the Pirates were ahead 6–5 with two outs in the top of the ninth, the Nats had runners at first and second, and Aroldis Chapman was trying to close out the game for the Pirates. On a 3–2 count, Vargas flicked the ball into right field. Connor Joe dove for the ball but wasn’t able to come up with it, and both runners scored to put the Nats ahead.  (WPA +.673).

Choke:

  • Andres Chaparro (September 19, 7–6 loss to the Cubs in Chicago). The Nats were behind 7 to 6 in the top of the ninth, but after James Wood stole second, they had runners on second and third with two outs. Chaparro then hit a fly ball to left field for the final out. (WPA –.200).

Memorable fielding plays:

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Filed under Month in review