Cade Cavalli gets the ball tonight as the Nationals try to turn a rough stretch into something sturdier. Washington hasn’t won since CJ Abrams twisted his ankle, and with Abrams back in the lineup as the DH, the club has a better-looking offensive setup than it has had lately.
The timing matters, too. There are only 29 games left in the regular season, so every win starts to carry more weight. The Nationals need two more victories to avoid a 100-loss season, 12 more to stay clear of 90 losses, and a 21-8 finish to reach a winning record.
For now, the hope is that Cavalli can be the stopper. The Nats are leaning on him as their ace of diamonds, trying to get a Curly W and snap the skid.
Help may not be on the way from Triple-A just yet, even though Seaver King and Trey Lipscomb are still tearing the cover off the ball there. But with August ending in a week, roster expansion is coming on the final day of the month, when clubs can go to 28 players. That puts the spotlight on the front office and what moves might come next.
The offense has at least given Washington something to work with. The Nationals rank second in MLB with 682 runs scored, good for 5.17 per game.
The pitching staff, meanwhile, has allowed 4.68 earned runs per game, and the gap has been shaped by the unearned runs tied to errors. Even with that, Washington owns a +10 run differential.
Blake Butera’s bullpen chart is in place, and the larger sample sizes now make the season-long numbers easier to read. FanGraphs WAR is becoming more reliable as the year wears on, and OAA is starting to show what this Nationals team does well - and what it still lacks.
In Other News...
Marlins Still Finished The Sweep After One Play Stole The Spotlight
For one moment in Miami, Jacob Young made the kind of play that can change the mood of an entire game. The Nationals center fielder went up and brought back a drive that had looked headed for the seats, drawing praise afterward from pitcher Jackson Kent, manager Blake Butera and even Marlins manager Clayton McCullough.
It was the sort of highlight Washington could point to and still not feel much better about the final result. The Nationals still left town with a sweep hanging over them, and at 61-71, the bigger picture remains the same: the flashes are there, but too often they are buried under losses. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Just Opened A Real Door For Seaver King
CJ Abrams has given the Nationals plenty at the plate in 2026, but his glove has remained a problem, and the numbers have kept him near the bottom of the defensive leaderboard at shortstop. For a club still sorting out its long-term infield picture, that kind of split production matters, especially when the defense behind the pitching staff cant afford many more shaky nights.
Seaver King is suddenly closer to the conversation than he was a few weeks ago. The 2024 draftee has taken a step forward in the minors this season, and Washington now has a cleaner path to evaluate what he can do at the position that has been unsettled all year. If the progress keeps coming, the Nationals may not have to wait long before deciding whether King is part of the everyday answer on the left side of the infield. [Read more 🡒]
Jacob Young Is Forcing A Nationals Outfield Rethink
Jacob Young has spent this season doing more than just holding down center field for the Nationals. The 27-year-old has long been valued for his elite defense, but he has also taken a real step forward at the plate, giving Washington a more complete player than the one it thought it had a year ago. His .703 OPS and 95 wRC+ are still not superstar numbers, but they represent meaningful progress for a player whose glove was always the carrying tool.
The bigger issue for the Nationals is what that growth means for the rest of their outfield picture. Young has outplayed higher-profile young names like Dylan Crews and Robert Hassell, and he credits a revamped hitting approach developed at Driveline for the turnaround. With Young now looking like a legitimate everyday piece instead of just a defensive specialist, Washington has to reassess how much of its outfield future is actually settled and how much is still up for grabs. [Read more 🡒]