The Nationals are down to their final 32 games, and the math around the finish line is getting tighter by the day.
Avoiding a 100-loss season would take just two more wins. Getting out of the 90-loss range would require 12. And if Washington is going to somehow finish above .500, the Nats would need to go 21-11 the rest of the way.
That kind of finish would have sounded pretty good back in February. Once this team gave fans a real taste of winning baseball, though, the appetite changed fast.
Washington was sitting one game out of a Wild Card spot on July 26, and now a winning season feels like a long shot. The calendar is no longer helping the Nationals, even if there are still reasons to think better days are ahead.
One of the clearest bright spots has been Cade Cavalli. His season looked shaky on April 13, when he was pulled after 1⅓ innings in his fourth start with a 4.60 ERA and a rough 12 walks against 13 strikeouts.
Since then, he’s turned things around in a big way, posting a 3.05 ERA with a 5:1 K/BB rate. That kind of growth makes him look more and more like a true №1 starter.
The offense still leads all of baseball, but the lineup has not looked the same without James Wood, who has been out for more than two weeks with an oblique injury. Then CJ Abrams hurt his ankle, and yesterday’s group looked more like a Spring Training travel roster than a big league lineup.
That opens the door for possible minor league callups, and Seaver King is one name that has earned a look. There have been 40-man roster arguments against it, but there are just as many reasons Washington should make the move.
The bullpen has also started to trend in the right direction, which matters this time of year. Yovanny Cruz had the blown-save loss last week, but outside of that, the group has shown more promise lately. Andrew Alvarez added another encouraging outing yesterday, working around damage and allowing just one run before Jacob deGrom simply overpowered the Nationals.
There are still plenty of individual questions left to answer over these final games. Dylan Crews remains a debate, and Brady House helped his case by drawing two walks and collecting Washington’s only hit yesterday. House also moved ahead of Daylen Lile in OPS, which only adds to the uncertainty around Lile after a season where nearly everyone else in the lineup has surged.
So the Nationals are heading into the stretch run with a mix of uncertainty and opportunity. The games may not have the same shine they did a month ago, but they still matter for evaluation. Some of it may feel like a limp to the finish, but it’s still baseball, and these last 32 games can tell the club plenty.
In Other News...
Nationals Pitching Did Enough But A Familiar Problem Ruined It
Andrew Alvarez gave the Nationals a start they could live with, and the bullpen backed it up well enough to keep the game within reach in Texas. Against a Rangers lineup that can punish mistakes, Washingtons pitchers did their part for much of the night, but Jacob deGrom made the difference for the home club and left the Nationals with very little margin for error.
The problem, as so often has been the case, was offense. Washington could not put together much against deGrom or the Rangers staff, and the lack of run support wasted a respectable effort on the mound. Blake Butera pointed to deGroms ability and noted the bullpens recent improvement, but the bigger concern for the Nationals remains the same familiar one: until the lineup starts giving its pitchers something to work with, nights like this will keep ending the same way. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Suddenly Have A CJ Abrams Question They Cant Ignore
CJ Abrams availability suddenly became a real concern after the Nationals shortstop rolled his left ankle stepping on second base against the Rangers and missed the next game. Manager Blake Butera said Abrams has a sprained ankle and is considered day to day, which at least leaves Washington with some hope this is a short-term issue rather than something that lingers into a bigger absence.
The next step is the medical check, with Abrams set to see the team physician and possibly go through imaging as the Nationals try to sort out how much time he might lose. If he avoids the injured list, Washington could have a workaround ready in the form of designated hitter duty before he returns to the field, but for now the club is waiting to find out how the ankle responds. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Prospect Is Creating A Debate Washington Cant Ignore
Seaver King has turned his first full season into one of the more intriguing developments in the Nationals system. The clubs No. 4 prospect and the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft has long been viewed as a polished hitter, but this year he has started to add a layer of power that was not always the loudest part of his profile. With 18 homers already and career highs in hits and RBIs, he has climbed into the conversation as one of Washingtons most productive minor league players.
The timing matters, too, because the surge has come after a left oblique strain interrupted his season and cost him nearly all of last month. Since getting back on the field, King has kept hitting at a level that puts him among the top bats in the minors, with the kind of averages and on-base production that make evaluators pay attention. For the Nationals, the debate is no longer just about how good King can be, but how quickly this version of him starts forcing a bigger conversation. [Read more 🡒]