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July 3, 2025 / Nat Anacostia

‘We haven’t done as well as we’d like’: Nats June in review

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After a rare winning record during May, the Nationals were hoping that their momentum would carry forward into June. Instead, their offense collapsed, they endured an 11-game losing streak, and they had the worst record in the major leagues for the month of June.

June opened with the Nats in Arizona playing the Diamondbacks in the final game of a road trip. In their last four games of May their offense had exploded, as they scored at least 9 runs in each game against the Mariners and the D-backs. But, in what would prove to be an omen for the new month, the Nats only scored a single run on June 1, losing the game 3–1, but they still won the series two games to one and ended the road trip with a 4–2 record.

Returning to DC, the Nationals faced the Cubs, who held first place in the NL Central division. In the first game they let an early lead slip away, but in game 2 they shut out the Cubs 2–0, with MacKenzie Gore giving up only 3 hits in 7 scoreless innings. They then lost the third game by a 7–1 score, having scored only 6 runs in the three-game series. Next came three games against the Rangers. In the first game the Nats won another 2–0 shutout, with Michael Soroka giving up only 2 hits in 6 scoreless innings in a 1 hour, 50-minute game (the fastest 9-inning game in team history). At this point the Nats had a 30–33 record. But before their next win was recorded almost two weeks later, their record had dropped to 30–44. In game 2 of the Rangers series, it was the Nats’ turn to be shut out as Jacob DeGrom allowed only 2 hits in 7 scoreless innings. The Nats then lost the finale, losing the series and ending the home stand with a 2–4 record, having scored only 10 runs in the six-game stretch.

Next came a quick 3-game road trip to New York to play the then division-leading Mets. In the first game, the Nats were ahead going into the 8th inning, but the Mets scored two in the bottom of the 8th to tie it, then won it in the 10th inning. The Nats lost the second game 5–0 as David Peterson pitched a now-rare 9-inning shutout. In the third game, the Nats scored three runs in the top of the 9th and had runners at second and third with one out but were unable to complete a comeback and fell to the Mets 4–3, completing the three-game sweep.

Returning home, the Nats expected to have an opportunity to rebound as they faced the two teams with the worst records in the National League—the Marlins and the Rockies. The first game against the Marlins was a rare slugfest, with the Marlins jumping out to an early lead and the Nats ultimately unable to catch them—final score, Marlins 11, Nats 9. In game 2, the Nats again made a late effort, scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth and getting the tying and go-ahead runs on 1st and 3rd with no outs, but were unable to score them and lost 4 to 3. Game 3 was the same old story of not enough offense as the fell 3 to 1 for the series sweep and their eighth consecutive loss.

The first game of the Rockies series on June 16 featured the major league debut of third baseman Brady House. The 22-year-old right-handed hitter had 13 home runs, 15 doubles, and a .304 average in 65 games at Rochester this season. He was the Nats first-round pick in the 2021 draft (11th overall) as a shortstop but switched to third base after missing much of the 2022 season with a back injury. Meanwhile, long-time Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos returned to Washington to formally retire from baseball at age 37.

Entering the series, the Rockies had an historically bad 14–57 record, by far the worst in baseball. But in the first game they shocked the Nats, who entered the 9th inning with a 4–3 lead, by scoring three runs in the top of the 9th to beat the Nats 6–4. The Nats went on to lose the next two games by scores of 10 to 6 and 3 to 1, giving the Nationals an 11-game losing streak, one shy of the club record of 12 consecutive losses in August 2008. Over the 11-game span they allowed 60 runs (5.5 per game) but scored only 33 (3 per game). As we’ll see in the section “Tough losses” below, the starting pitchers for the most part did their job, but poor relief pitching, lack of offense, and poor timing doomed the team.

On June 19, their luck finally turned, but just barely. In the final fourth game of the Rockies series, the two teams were tied 2–2 after nine innings. After a scoreless tenth inning, the Rockies scored a run in the top of the 11th to take the lead. In the bottom of the inning, the Nats were down to their final out when James Wood belted a walk-off 2-run home run to win the game and end the losing streak. Wood’s blast should enter the pantheon of historic Nationals home runs. The Nats’ record for the home stand was 1–6.

Next came a 9-game road trip to California. It began in Los Angeles facing the division-leading Dodgers. In the first game the Nats ended up just short, losing the game 6 to 5. They then won the second game and led the third game 3–0 after five innings but then surrendered 13 runs in innings 6 through 8 for a 13–7 loss. Next up came a series against the Padres in San Diego. The Nats won the first game 10–6 but lost the next two games by a single run each, 4 to 3 and 1 to 0, with Pivetta pitching 7 innings for the Padres in the shutout.

The road trip concluded with a three-game series against the Angels in Anaheim. In the first game, the Nats were behind 9–8 after five innings but scored 7 unanswered runs in innings 6 through 9 for a 15–9 win. They lost the second game 8–2 and were trailing in the third game but scored a run in the top of the ninth to tie the game, before scoring three more in the top of the 11th for the win. The Angels showed their respect by issuing four consecutive intentional walks to James Wood, making him the first player to get four intentional passes in a game since Barry Bonds in September 2004. The Nats’ record for their road trip was 4–5.

The Nationals’ record for the month of June was 7–19, a .269 winning percentage that was worst in the majors and the Nats’ worst monthly W-L record since July 2022, when they went 6–19. After starting the month with a 28–30 record, in 3rd place in the NL East, 8 games behind the Mets and Phillies who were then tied for 1st place, they ended the month in last place with a 35–49 record, 14½ games behind the division-leading Phillies.

On June 14, right-handed relief pitcher Ryan Loutos made his debut with the Nationals. The Nats claimed the 26-year-old on waivers from the Dodgers; Loutos had made two major league appearances for the Dodgers earlier this season and three appearances for the Cardinals in 2024. He took the place of Andrew Chafin, who went on the 15-day injured list with a hamstring strain. The other notable injury was to Keibert Ruiz, who was struck in the head by a foul ball while seated in the dugout, after which he was placed on the 7-day concussion injured list.

Record:

7–19 (.269)

Pythagorean Record:

9–17 (3.92 R/G – 5.19 RA/G)

June MVP:

  • CJ Abrams (.308/.368/.505, 4 HR, 20 R, 12 RBI, 8 SB, 0 CS, 117 PA, 142 wRC+, 1.1 fWAR).

Starting pitcher of the month:

  • MacKenzie Gore (1–3, 3.23 RA/9, 5 GS, 30⅔ IP, 8.2 K/9, .299 opp OBP, 0.9 RA9-WAR, 0.7 fWAR).

Relief pitcher of the month:

  • Brad Lord (1-0, 1.04 RA/9, 13 G, 17⅓ IP, 6.2 K/9, .212 opp OBP, 4.28 RE24, 5 shutdowns, 3 meltdowns, 0.9 RA9-WAR, 0.2 fWAR).

Worst month:

  • Keibert Ruiz (.167/.164/.204, 0 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI, 55 PA, –6 wRC+, –0.7 fWAR).

Best start:

  • MacKenzie Gore (June 4, 2–0 win over the Cubs at home) pitched 7 scoreless innings, giving up 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7 for a game score of 77.

Worst start:

  • Jake Irvin (June 27, 15–9 win over the Angels in Anaheim) gave up 9 runs (8 earned) on 9 hits and 4 walks in 4⅓ innings with 5 strikeouts for a game score of 12. The Nats later came back from the 9–8 deficit to win the game.

Tough losses:

  • Mitchell Parker (June 7, 5–0 loss to the Rangers at home) pitched 6 innings and gave up 2 unearned runs on 4 hits and no walks while striking out 5 for a game score of 65.
  • Trevor Williams (June 14, 4–3 loss to the Marlins at home) pitched 5⅓ innings and gave up 2 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3 for a game score of 50.
  • MacKenzie Gore (June 15, 3–1 loss to the Marlins at home) pitched 6 innings and gave up 2 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk while striking out 5 for a game score of 52.
  • Michael Soroka (June 17, 10–6 loss to the Rockies at home) pitched 6 innings and gave up 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9 for a game score of 57.
  • Mitchell Parker (June 18, 3–1 loss to the Rockies at home) pitched 6 innings and gave up 1 run on 6 hits and no walks while striking out 8 for a game score of 64.
  • MacKenzie Gore (June 25, 1–0 loss to the Padres in San Diego) pitched 6 innings and gave up 1 run on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6 for a game score of 61.

Cheap win:

  • Mitchell Parker (June 23, 10–6 win over the Padres in San Diego) pitched 6 innings and gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 1 for a game score of 47.

Biggest shutdown:

  • Kyle Finnegan (June 29, 7–4 win in 11 innings over the Angels in Anaheim). Finnegan was well rested, having faced only two batters (both in non-save situations) in the previous 9 days. The Nats had scored a run in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 4 runs apiece, and Finnegan got the call to preserve the tie in the bottom of the inning. He issued a leadoff walk, then retired the next two batters on a flyball and a groundout, before getting the final out on a caught stealing, having thrown 12 pitches. The Nats didn’t score in the top of the 10th, so Finnegan was back out there in the bottom of the 10th, this time with an automatic runner on second. He needed only 7 pitches to get a flyball, a strikeout, and a groundout to complete the frame. The Nats scored three runs in the top of the 11, making the score 7–4. For the first time in his career, Finnegan came out again for a third inning of work. This time he needed 11 pitches to get a strikeout followed by two groundouts to secure the victory for the Nats. (Win probability added/WPA +.546).

Worst meltdown:

  • Kyle Finnegan (June 16, 6–4 loss to the Rockies at home). The Nats were ahead 4 to 3 when Finnegan got the call to close it out in the top of the ninth. The first batter he faced, Hunter Goodman, blasted a fastball over the fence in left-center to tie the game. Finnegan then got a flyball for the first out, but the next batter singled. Then came a pop fly for the second out and a stolen base. Then on a 1–2 count, Mickey Moniak turned on another fastball and slugged it into the right-field bullpen, putting the Nats behind 6–4. The sixth batter then grounded out to end the inning, but the damage had been done. (WPA –0.752).

Clutch hit / Walk off:

  • James Wood (June 19, 4–3 win over the Rockies in 11 innings at home). The Rockies had scored in the top of the 11th to take a 3–2 lead, threatening the Nats with their 12th consecutive loss. When Wood came to bat in the bottom of the inning, Riley Adams, the automatic runner, was at third and the Nats were down to their final out. On a 1–0 count, Wood launched the ball 428 feet over the center field fence, breaking the losing streak and giving Wood his first career walk-off home run. (WPA +.840)

Choke:

  • James Wood (June 14, 4–3 loss to the Marlins at home). Trailing the Marlins 4–1 entering the bottom of the 9th, the Nats had rallied to score two runs and had the bases loaded with two outs when Wood stepped to the plate. On a 1–2 fastball, Wood popped out to end the game. (WPA –.270).

Memorable fielding plays:

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