The Nationals head into the All-Star break with plenty still hanging in the balance, and the first half left them right in the middle of the fight. Washington sits at 48-49, fourth in the NL East and four games back in the wild-card chase, but the numbers around the lineup tell a team that has kept itself alive. The Nats are tied for first in total runs scored, lead the majors in stolen bases, and finished the first half with a +7 point differential.
There’s also no shortage of individual production to spotlight. James Wood has been the club’s power engine, leading Washington in home runs with 28, hits with 103, slugging percentage at .575, and walks with 79.
CJ Abrams has put together an All-Star first half of his own, pacing all NL shortstops in home runs with 20, RBIs with 67, and slugging percentage at .510. On the pitching side, Foster Griffin has been the team’s steadier arm, leading the Nationals in wins with 10, ERA at 2.77, and WHIP at 1.02.
May stood out as Washington’s best month, with the club going 16-12 and finishing the month 31-29. That stretch included the return of Dylan Crews, James Woods' inside the park grand slam against the Mets, Curtis Meads' two home run game against the Guardians, and Jake Irvin's seven strikeout win against the Braves when the Nats only allowed one hit all game. The best individual outing of the first half came on June 30 against the Boston Red Sox, when Cade Cavalli struck out a career-high 13 and gave up just one hit over seven innings.
If there’s one area that still looms over the second half, it’s the bullpen. Washington has the most blown saves in baseball with 28, and that has helped drag the club to four games out in the wild-card race.
With the trade deadline three weeks away, the front office is running out of time to patch that problem with a reliever. Manager Blake Butera put it plainly: “We wanna win every game.
There are a lot of games we should've won till this point; the record is what the record is. At the end of the day, we're just focused on trying to win every game.”
The break arrives after another frustrating finish against the Yankees, a series sweep that sent Washington under .500. James Wood still made history in the loss, launching his tenth leadoff home run of the season to set the franchise record for most leadoff homers in team history.
Cavalli was sharp again, working six innings, allowing two runs, and striking out five. But the late damage fell on Andrew Alvarez, who took the loss after Ryan Yarbrough picked up the win in relief.
Wood finished that game 1-for-2 with a homer and two walks, Curtis Mead added a solo shot, and José Tena went 2-for-2. The Nationals went just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and the crowd at Yankee Stadium was listed at 33,699.
Butera also praised Cavalli afterward, saying, “He threw the ball great… Only giving up two against this lineup, I thought he'd play through the whole game.”
There was roster movement mixed in with the break, too. First baseman/designated hitter Abimelec Ortiz made his MLB debut, while Matt Krook was designated for assignment after appearing in three games for Washington.
Ortiz was one of the players the Nationals acquired from the Rangers in the MacKenzie Gore trade, and he became the first player from that group to reach the majors for Washington. In Rochester, he hit .235 with a .481 slugging percentage, and in his debut he went 1-for-2 with a double in the bottom of the fourth.
Ortiz described the moment in Spanish, saying, “It made me want to cry because I was thinking about all of the years, the trials, all the tests, all the difficulties that I have gone through to be able to reach the top level.”
Krook’s brief run with the Nationals ended after he threw 2.2 innings across three games, allowing three hits, two runs, one hit batter, two walks, and two strikeouts.
In Other News...
Yankees Sweep Left Nationals Fans With One Big First Half Debate
The first half ended with an uncomfortable reminder of how far the Nationals still have to go, even after a season that has offered more progress than most expected. A three-game sweep by the Yankees at Nationals Park sent Washington into the All-Star break with a sour finish, but it did not erase the fact that the club reached 48 wins before the break, matching a franchise mark it had only reached once outside of 2017.
James Wood and CJ Abrams have helped give the lineup a more dangerous core, and there are nights when that growth shows up clearly enough to make the bigger picture look encouraging. The problem, as the Yankees exposed again, is how little margin the roster has when the bullpen is asked to cover for a thin lineup and a staff that cannot always carry the load on its own. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Fans Just Got Another Rochester Move To Worry About
Rochesters trip through the International League has become the kind of thing Nationals fans have learned to watch closely, and Friday night brought another reminder why. The Red Wings fell 6-5 in 10 innings to Worcester after a late bullpen stumble, while Harrisburg dropped a 3-2 decision in 10 and Wilmington also came up short, leaving Fredericksburg as the lone affiliate to finish on the right side of the scoreboard with an 8-6 win over Myrtle Beach.
Amid the results, Rochester also got a roster tweak that fits the usual midseason churn around the system, with left-hander Erik Tolman activated from the Development List and added to the club. Those moves matter because every shuffle at Triple-A can ripple back to Washington, especially when the Red Wings are trying to steady a staff that has been asked to cover a lot of ground lately. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Suddenly Face A Tough Robert Hassell Decision Before The Deadline
Robert Hassell IIIs path through the Nationals organization has taken another turn, and it comes at a time when every roster move feels tied to the bigger deadline picture. Washington designated the former top prospect for assignment on July 5, and the move quickly shifted the conversation from his long-term development to what kind of short-term value he might still carry for a club looking to shore up its bullpen.
Hassell is still in the organization after clearing waivers and being sent to Triple-A Rochester, but that does not mean his name is out of the rumor mill. The Nationals could still view him as a possible trade piece if they decide to chase relief help before the deadline, though his market is murky after the recent setback. For a player once seen as a significant part of the return in the James Wood deal, the next step may say as much about Washingtons bullpen needs as it does about Hassells future. [Read more 🡒]