The Nationals have put themselves in position to chase a sweep Sunday after back-to-back comeback wins against the Angels, and they’ll do it with a slightly different look on the mound.
Riley Cornelio is now set to start the afternoon game, replacing Jake Irvin, who had originally been lined up for the assignment. With a day off Monday and another scheduled off day Thursday, manager Blake Butera has a little more room to work through the pitching staff as he pieces together the rest of the series.
Washington also made a pair of roster moves Sunday. Eddy Yean was sent back to Triple-A to create room for a 13-pitcher staff, while Nasim Nunez returned from the bereavement list. That gives the Nationals 15 position players, and another move is expected after the game to open a spot for possibly Josiah Gray and/or DJ Herz.
Saturday’s starter, Andrew Alvarez, came within reach of a no-hitter before finishing with 7.0 scoreless innings and a one-hitter. His ERA dropped to 3.35 across 102.0 innings, and his FanGraphs WAR climbed to +2.3. The trade chatter around Jake Bennett is still lingering for some, and Bennett’s numbers with the Red Sox were also noted: a 3.69 ERA and +2.1 WAR in 105.0 innings.
The bigger picture is still there for Washington. Since the World Series season of 2019, the Nationals haven’t won more than 71 games in a year.
They’re trying to get past that number now, and they need three more wins to reach it with 12 games left in the 2026 season. To avoid a 90-loss finish, they need four more victories to get to 73.
That would mean going 4-8 the rest of the way, starting with today’s game against the Angels, then two against the Phillies in the middle of the week, followed by three in St. Louis, three in Detroit, and the final three at home against the Mets in what could become a fight for fourth place in the NL East.
Butera was asked about the athleticism of his young stars, James Wood and CJ Abrams, and didn’t hold back.
❝The athleticism - [ James Wood and CJ Abrams ] are both dynamic players and bring so much to the table outside of when they’re in the batter’s box. I think, honestly, our job is just to set them free and let them go play and do what they do best.
… They’re both total-package players, and I’m lucky just to be able to sit there and watch them do their thing. I’m happy they’re on our team.❞
Offensively, the Nationals have piled up 766 runs, the third-most in MLB this season, good for 5.10 runs per game. Their pitching staff has allowed 4.74 earned runs per game, and the source material points to the gap being widened by unearned runs tied to errors. As a team, Washington sits at a +2 run differential.
The season-long numbers are now big enough to start telling the story in a more complete way, with FanGraphs WAR and OAA offering a clearer view of what this Nationals team has and what it still lacks.
In Other News...
Nationals Face A Winter Debate Their Young Lineup Just Created
James Woods reaction to the Nationals trade-deadline selloff landed as a reminder of where this rebuild stands now: firmly in the long view, with young players increasingly driving the conversation. Washington has built real offensive depth, with several promising bats giving the lineup a more stable foundation than it had a year ago. Even with the deadline moves clearing the way for a slower climb, the clubs message has stayed consistent under Paul Toboni - this is about constructing something sustainable, not forcing a shortcut back into the race.
The harder part of that vision is what comes next, because young talent can make the future look brighter without solving every current problem. The Nationals know the bullpen still remains an issue, which is why the winter figures to bring a different kind of debate than the one they had at the deadline. With the lineup now showing signs of life and the front office committed to patience, the question is how aggressively Washington should try to support the core it has already started to assemble. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Suddenly Face A Tough Call On Connelly Early
A rainout has left the Nationals sorting through the next step for Connelly Early, whose scheduled Double-A outing disappeared before he could get a real test in game action. Washington wants him to have some kind of mound work before the end of the season, and the options now on the table are a stop in Rochester or a live session in D.C. as the club tries to keep his buildup moving.
The timing is what makes this tricky. Early would need to come off the injured list and get onto the mound quickly if the Nationals want him available before the schedule runs out, and there is not much margin for error with the season winding down. For a team still trying to map out its late-season pitching picture, a missed start has turned into a small but meaningful decision about how soon Early might be ready for the next level. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Prospects Are Starting To Force A Bigger Conversation
Rochesters comeback win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre offered another reminder that the Nationals upper minors are starting to push more names into the conversation. The Red Wings dug out of a 6-0 hole and finished off a 7-6 victory, with Riley Adams coming through on the go-ahead RBI single and Chandler Champlain working the start while giving up four runs on six hits over four innings.
Harrisburg added to the buzz with a 9-3 win over New Hampshire, powered by four home runs and strong showings from Jarlin Susana and Luke Young. Between the results in Triple-A and Double-A, theres a growing sense that Washington has more depth moving through the system than it did a year ago, even if the next wave is still sorting out exactly who will force the clubs hand first. [Read more 🡒]