Daylen Lile is spending the dog days of summer the way every club hopes one of its young hitters will: scorching the ball and stacking up loud at-bats.
On Thursday at Nationals Park, Lile and Keibert Ruiz each went deep as the Nationals beat the Rockies 7-1 and split the four-game series. Lile kept rolling through what has become another big August finish, the same kind of late-summer surge he delivered last year when he led the Majors in extra-base hits, batting average and slugging percentage after August 21.
This time around, the numbers are still popping. In seven games since August 21, Lile is batting .429 (12-for-28) with two doubles, three homers, nine RBI and seven runs scored.
He has also turned in four multi-hit games over that stretch. His latest blast came in the fifth inning, when he opened the frame with his 18th home run of the season, a 399-foot shot that left the bat at 104.5 mph.
He finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
Ruiz added his own power in the eighth, sending a two-run homer over the right-field wall for his ninth of the season. He also doubled in the seventh and has now hit safely in 12 of his last 16 games.
Jake Irvin gave the Nationals exactly what they needed after a shaky start threatened to send the afternoon sideways. The right-hander had spent two months on the IL with a shoulder strain and had allowed 20 earned runs in his last five starts, so when he walked three of the first five Rockies he faced, it looked like another long day could be coming.
Instead, Irvin dug in. He worked through a pair of bases-loaded jams, gave up just one run on Brett Sullivan’s RBI single in the third, and limited the damage despite a season-high six walks. Over 4 1/3 innings, he struck out six, allowed three hits and threw 94 pitches, 53 for strikes.
Jacob Young also chipped in across the board, collecting a single, double, two stolen bases, a walk and a run scored. He has now hit safely in 13 of his last 19 games.
In Other News...
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For Washington, the intrigue goes beyond a hot first month in the minors. Hacopian is still years from the majors, but his status matters in a broader roster picture because a possible 2027 MLB lockout has already become part of the conversation around player development and flexibility. Players outside the 40-man roster would remain in the minors, which is one reason young prospects like Hacopian are being watched so closely as the organization builds for the future. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Collapse Now Has CJ Abrams At The Center Of It
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CJ Abrams has become one of the players at the center of that conversation, not because of one isolated issue but because the shortstop has been asked to adjust while the losses keep piling up. The larger concern in Washington is no longer just results on the field. It is whether the group can restore some edge and accountability before the season slips any further out of reach. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Rout Just Pushed A Slumping Team To A Public Breaking Point
An early lead quickly turned into another ugly afternoon for the Nationals, who were beaten by the Rockies and watched the game swing hard in the wrong direction. Washingtons August has been defined by inconsistency on the mound and a lineup thinned by injuries, and this one fit the pattern far too neatly after the club could not hold onto the opening momentum.
Blake Buteras postgame comments made clear how much the loss stood out even against that backdrop. The manager publicly questioned the teams effort and performance, a sharp acknowledgment from a club that has spent much of the month searching for something sturdier than flashes and frustration. With the skid continuing, the bigger concern is no longer just the score from one game but how quickly this group can stop the slide from becoming its identity. [Read more 🡒]