The Washington Nationals have shown plenty of promise this season behind an offense that currently leads the majors with 288 runs scored, but this past weekend, they went toe-to-toe with the NL East-leading Braves and took two of three in Atlanta.
Instead of outslugging the Braves, it was the Nats’ starting pitching that made the difference, as they shut out Atlanta over the three-games series.
For all we know, this might not be sustainable. There have been nights when this lineup has failed to bring home runners (19 left on base Monday night against the Mets) and the pitching staff is one or two injuries away from being underwater. Jake Irvin is on the injured list with shoulder tightness.
But as pools across the D.C. area begin to open, the Nationals are giving fans a reason to watch.
Digesting the Division: Atlanta (36-18) dropped two of three against the Nats over the weekend, with their best pitcher, Chris Sale (7-3, 1.89 ERA), not scheduled to start the series. Washington (27-27) is a half-game ahead of Philadelphia (26-27) for second place after the Phillies dropped four of six at home to Cincinnati and Cleveland.
Miami (25-29) swept the New York Mets (22-31) to maintain its stranglehold on fourth place, winning the series finale on a walk-off grand slam by Heriberto Hern谩ndez in a 4-0 win. The Mets’ consolation is that Juan Soto is beginning to heat up, with seven of his 10 homers and 13 of his 21 RBI coming this month.
O’s Woes: The Birds (23-30) bounced back from getting swept by first-place Tampa Bay by taking two of three from AL Central cellar-dweller Detroit, but they open this week by hosting the Rays.
Diamond King: CJ Abrams homered twice while driving in seven. His 45 RBI are tied for the most in the majors and sit just 20 shy of his career high, with two-thirds of the season remaining.
Last Week’s Heroes: James Wood hit .333 with a homer and five RBI while scoring six runs. Keibert Ruiz hit .357, while Dylan Crews hit his first home run after returning to the majors.
Jake Irvin struck out 13 over nine innings in his two starts before going on the injured list with shoulder tightness. Foster Griffin went 2-0 with 11 strikeouts over 11 innings, while Richard Lovelady tallied two saves.
Last Week’s Humbled: Paxton Schultz allowed six runs while getting three outs and Mitchell Parker surrendered three runs over four frames. Drew Millas hit .182, while Jos茅 Tena batted .125 and Luis Garcia Jr. went .105 at the plate.
Game to Watch: Saturday, the Nats host San Diego as Foster Griffin (6-2, 3.63 ERA) looks to continue his strong start in D.C. The Padres counter with Michael King (4-2, 2.31 ERA).
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
漏 2026 草莓传媒. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
