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August 3, 2025 / Nat Anacostia

‘Any opportunity to play in the big leagues is a blessing’: Nats July in review

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The Nationals opened July in last place in the NL East. A week later, they had said goodbye to their manager and general manager. An interim GM oversaw the team’s selections in the MLB draft, with the Nats making the first, overall selection. Two Nats represented the team at the All-Star Game. The team traded away six players, receiving 10 prospects in return. And they ended the month still in last place.

The month began with the Nats at home facing the team with the best record in the American League, the Tigers. The first scheduled game was rained out, so the game was made up the next afternoon as part of a doubleheader. In the first game, the Nats were blown out in an 11–2 loss. The Nats won the second game and won again the next day to win the series from the Tigers. The next day the Nats were facing the Red Sox at 11 am for their traditional Independence Day game. The game was another blowout loss, 11–2 and was followed by a 10–3 drubbing the next day. The Sox completed the sweep the next day, and after the game we received the news that Mike Rizzo and Davey Martinez were fired, with Mike DeBartolo appointed as interim GM and Miguel Cairo as interim manager. The Nats’ record on the home stand was 2–4.

Cairo’s first game as manager came in St. Louis, where the Nats had a three-game series against the Cardinals. The Nats lost the first game (their fourth consecutive loss) and won the second but were blown out 8 to 1 in the third game. Their next series was played in Milwaukee against the Brewers. The Nats lost the first game. In the second game, they scored two runs in the eighth inning and one in the ninth to take a 5–3 lead into the bottom of the ninth. However, the Brewers scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to walk off the Nats, in what was one of the few closely contested games played by the Nats in the first half of July. The final game of the series was another blow out, an 8–1 loss to the Brewers for the series sweep. The Nats finished the road trip with a 1–5 record, and went into the All-Star break with a 38–58 record.

For the first time since 2009 and 2010 (when they selected Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper), the Nationals had the first overall pick in the MLB draft. In somewhat of a surprise, they used it to pick Eli Willits, a high school shortstop from Oklahoma whose father (Reggie Willits) had played for the Angels and coached for the Yankees. Willits signed for less than the slot value, and the Nats were able to use the savings to sign several other high school players for more than their slot values.

In the All-Star Game the Nats were represented by James Wood and MacKenzie Gore, the first All-Star appearances for both players. Gore pitched one inning and retired all three batters he faced, while Wood appeared as a pinch hitter and grounded out in his only plate appearance. Wood also participated in the home run derby, but his 16 home runs fell just short of the threshold required to get him into the next round. Unfortunately, like several other past derby participants, Wood went into a slump for most of the month of July.

After the break, the Nats opened the second half at home against the Padres. In the first game they rallied to score two runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the score at two runs apiece. But in the top of the eighth, Finnegan surrendered five runs for a 7–2 loss, their fifth consecutive loss. The Nats won the second game but were blown out 8 to 1 in the final game. They did better in their next series against the Reds, winning the first two games. In the final game, however, they were shut out by Nick Lodolo, who pitched a 9-inning, 4-hit shutout. The Nats’ record for the home stand was 3–3.

The month concluded with a road trip to Minnesota and Houston. In the first game against the Twins, the Nats were shut out again in a 1–0 loss. Zebby Matthews pitched 6 scoreless innings and combined with the Twins bullpen for the shutout. The Nats offense came back for the next two games, with the Nats beating the Twins by scores of 9 to 3 and 7 to 2, with Jake Irvin starting and winning before his home-town family and friends in the final game. Against the Astros, who were in first place in the AL West, the Nats won the first game 2–1, but lost the next two games, getting blown out 9–1 in the final game. For the road trip, the Nats’ record was 3–3.

For the whole month, their record was 9–15, and they ended the month with a 44–64 record, 17½ games behind the division-leading Mets.

Roster moves

On July 2, right-handed relief pitcher Andry Lara made his major league debut, pitching 3 scoreless innings and striking out 4 against the Tigers. The 22-year-old Venezuelan was signed by the Nationals in 2019 at age 16.

On July 6, left-handed pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara made his major league debut, starting against the Red Sox. He lasted only 2⅔ innings and gave up 4 runs on 7 hits. The 27-year-old Japanese pitcher has pitched nine seasons for the Chunichi Dragons in Nippon Professional Baseball and was an NPB All Star in 2023. In January the Nationals signed him to a two-year major league contract, making him the first free agent that the Nats have signed directly from Asia.

On July 9, right-handed relief pitcher Luis Garcia (no relation to Luis Garcia, Jr.) made his debut with the Nationals, pitching a scoreless inning with 2 strikeouts against the Cardinals. Five days earlier he had been released by the Dodgers. It turned out that his stay with the Nats would last only three weeks, as he was dealt to the Angels in a trade deadline deal. Over his 13 major league seasons, Garcia had also pitched for the Phillies, Angels, Rangers, Cardinals, Padres, and Red Sox.

On July 22, left-handed relief pitcher Konnor Pilkington made his debut with the Nationals, pitching 2 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts. The 27-year-old had signed a minor league contract with the Nats in December. He had pitched 16 games for the Guardians in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

On July 2, Trevor Williams gave up 7 runs on 9 hits in 3 innings as part of the Nationals 11–2 loss to the Tigers. Two days later, Williams went on the disabled list, and a few days after that he was out for the rest of the season with season-ending surgery for a partial UCL tear.

On July 8, Mason Thompson returned to the Nats for the first time since September 2023. He missed the 2024 season recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. Derek Law, who has not pitched for the Nats this season and has pitched just 4 rehabilitation games in the minors, learned he had to have surgery to repair a partially torn flexor tendon in his right elbow. He will not pitch again until early to mid-2026, after his contract with the Nats will have expired. Keibert Ruiz went back on the concussion injured list on July 8 after suffering another concussion in just his second game back. He remained on the IL for the rest of the month. We also learned that top pitching prospect Travis Sykora needed Tommy John surgery, which will cause him to miss the rest of this season and most or all of 2026.

Before the trade deadline, the Nats traded six players. Amed Rosario went to the Yankees for two prospects, a pitcher and an outfielder. In 46 games with the Nats, Rosario hit .270/.310/.426 with 5 home runs and 18 RBI. Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia (the pitcher) went to the Angels for a pitcher and a first baseman. Chafin went 1–1 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.600 WHIP in 26 games with the Nats. Garcia went 0–0 with a 0.90 ERA and 0.700 WHIP in 10 games with the Nats. Michael Soroka went to the Cubs for an infielder and an outfielder, both highly rated. In 16 games (all starts) for the Nats, Soroka went 3–8 with a 4.87 ERA, 4.12 FIP, and 1.131 WHIP. His xERA of 3.33 suggested that he suffered from quite a bit of tough luck while pitching for the Nats.

Kyle Finnegan went to the Tigers for two pitching prospects. In six seasons with the Nats (2020–2025), Finnegan pitched 331 games with a 23–30 record and 108 saves, pitching with a 3.66 ERA and 1.315 WHIP. Only Chad Cordero has had more saves as a National (with 113). Alex Call went to the Dodgers for two pitching prospects, with both rated among the team’s top 20 prospects. Call was the only player traded who still had several years of club control left, but the Nats’ outfield was crowded, so he faced diminished playing time. Originally picked up off waivers in 2022, in four seasons with the Nats, Call played 265 games and hit .243/.342/.373 with 19 home runs and 91 RBI.

Overall, the Nats’ trade deadline transactions were unsurprising. Despite speculation that MacKenzie Gore might be traded, the team did not deal their ace (who will be under team control through 2027). Hopefully, that might be an indication that ownership thinks that the Nats could be competitive in 2026. Josh Bell and Paul DeJong were not traded; I believe the reason was that there simply weren’t any teams interested in acquiring them.

Record:

9–15 (.375)

Pythagorean Record:

8–16 (4.04 R/G – 5.79 RA/G)

July MVP:

  • Josh Bell (.338/.443/.486, 2 HR, 11 R, 9 RBI, 88 PA, 167 wRC+, 0.6 fWAR).

Starting pitcher of the month:

  • Brad Lord (0–0, 3.24 RA/9, 7 G, 2 GS, 16⅔ IP, 4.9 K/9, 0.840 WHIP, 0.4 RA9-WAR, 0.5 fWAR; these statistics include his 7⅓ IP as a relief pitcher).

Relief pitcher of the month:

  • Luis Garcia (0-0, 0.90 RA/9, 10 G, 10 IP, 6.3 K/9, 0.700 WHIP, 3.52 RE24, 2 shutdowns, 0 meltdown, 0.4 RA9-WAR, 0.1 fWAR).

Worst month:

  • Kyle Finnegan (0–2, 11.25 RA/9, 10 G, 8 IP, 7.9 K/9, 1.750 WHIP, –6.69 RE24, 2 shutdowns, 2 meltdowns, –0.6 RA9-WAR, 0.0 fWAR).

Best starts:

It’s a tie between:

  • MacKenzie Gore (July 9, 8–2 win over the Cardinals in St. Louis) pitched 6 innings, giving up 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7 for a game score of 64.
  • Michael Soroka (July 23, 5–0 loss to the Reds at home) pitched 5⅔ innings, giving up 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6 for a game score of 64.

Worst start:

  • MacKenzie Gore (July 20, 8–1 loss to the Padres at home) gave up 8 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks in 2⅓ innings with 2 strikeouts for a game score of 8.

Tough losses:

  • Jake Irvin (July 13, 8–1 loss to the Brewers in Milwaukee) pitched 5 innings and gave up 3 unearned runs on 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 5 for a game score of 57.
  • Michael Soroka (July 23, 5–0 loss to the Reds at home); see “Best starts” above.
  • MacKenzie Gore (July 25, 1–0 loss to the Twins in Minneapolis) pitched 5 innings and gave up 1 run on 1 hit and 6 walks while striking out 4 for a game score of 59.

Cheap win:

  • Mitchell Parker (July 26, 9–3 win over the Twins in Minneapolis) pitched 5⅔ innings and gave up 2 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4 for a game score of 48.

Biggest shutdown:

  • Kyle Finnegan (July 28, 2–1 win over the Astros in Houston). The Nats had taken a 2–1 lead in the top of the seventh, and Luis Garcia and Jose A Ferrer had each pitched a scoreless inning to hold the lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Finnegan came in for the save. He induced groundouts from the first two batters, then struck out the third batter, Jacob Melton, to secure the win. (Win probability added/WPA +.195).

Worst meltdown:

  • Kyle Finnegan (July 12, 6–5 loss to the Brewers in Milwaukee). In the eighth and ninth innings, the Nats had come from behind to take a 5–3 lead, when Finnegan got the call in the bottom of the ninth to close it out. To the first three Brewers batters, Finnegan surrendered a single, a walk, and a game-tying double. The next batter grounded out, making the first out while advancing the runner to third base. Next came an intentional walk, then Caleb Durbin singled to right field for the walk off. (WPA –0.912).

Clutch hit:

  • Brady House (July 12, 6–5 loss to the Brewers in Milwaukee). In the top of the eighth inning, House came to bat with two outs, Nathaniel Lowe on second base, and the Nats trailing 3–2. In the fourth inning, House had hit his first career home run. This time he launched a slider into the left field’s second deck for his second home run and gave the Nats a 4–3 lead. (WPA +.528) However, as seen above in “Worst meltdown”, the Nats were unable to hold the lead and lost the game.
  • The biggest clutch hit in a game the Nats won was hit by Nathaniel Lowe (July 2, 9–4 win over the Tigers in the second game of a doubleheader at home). Trailing 4–3 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the first three Nats batters reached on two singles and a walk, loading the bases with no outs. Lowe hit one into the right field corner, clearing the bases with a triple and giving the Nats a 6–4 lead. (WPA +.259)

Choke:

  • Riley Adams (July 8, 4–2 loss to the Cardinals in St. Louis). Trailing the Cardinals 3–2 in the top of the fourth inning, Adams came to bat with one out and runners on first and third. He grounded into an inning-ending double play. (WPA –.148).

Memorable fielding plays:

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