We say it over and over…and over that DEFENSE MATTERS. It is part of the little things. A botched play ruled a hit should not be excused by poor fielding mechanics. Before we get to that, let’s start with the positives that Trey Lipscomb, sans a few poor throws, is Gold Glove quality at third base. Jacob Young is Gold Glove quality at center field. Ildemaro Vargas continues as a solid defensive replacement, and Joey Gallo really is a good defender. All of that is backed up by several defensive analytical sites.
The Washington Nationals arrived in Texas on their American Airlines charter late last night while celebrating a 4-game sweep in Miami that took the team to the .500 mark. A win tonight by the Nats would get the team above .500 for the first time since July 1 of 2021. For Nationals’ fans, it has been a long three years, in waiting, to see their team experience a sustained modicum of successes.
80% of the Juan Soto trade in one photo frame; Photo by Andrew Lang for TalkNats
Expect by June 14, the Washington Nationals will have a very different looking roster if the team stays competitive. There are players on the mend like Cade Cavalli (mid-June from TJ), Stone Garrett (leg and ankle), Victor Robles (hamstring), Lane Thomas (knee MCL), Joey Gallo (shoulder AC joint), Josiah Gray (forearm muscle), and Robert Garcia (flu). And then you have top prospect James Wood healthy and ready in Triple-A Rochester.
The Washington Nationals are coming off of one of their most improbable wins in their history, with a comeback from 7-runs down. With 23-runs scored in their past two games and three wins in this four game series, the Nats could win a rare four game series today. The last time they won a series of four or more games was on September 26, 2019 as they took a five game series from the Phillies. Yes, 2019. These scrappy Nats don’t give up, and they fight until the end. With a win today, the Nats would also reach the .500 mark for the first time, this late into a season, since July 2, 2021.
The Washington Nationals stormed back like a Florida hurricane to turn a 7-0 deficit into a 12-9 win over the Miami Marlins. The Nationals have won the first 3-games in this series with the finale tomorrow in a weekend wrap-around series. The team moves to 13-14 and gets those cosmic tumblers ticking a little more — that anything is possible.
The Washington Nationals got a laugher win in Miami, and needed it. While the game not start off as a laugher, the Nats ran away with the game in the fifth inning capped by a Jesse Winker grand slam. At the top of the 9th inning, the Nationals had an 11-1 lead. The Marlins didn’t opt to pitch a position player, but manager Dave Martinez inserted Tanner Rainey for the 9th inning. Rainey gave up more runs than the Marlins had scored in the previous 17 innings off of Nats pitching. The good news, the Nationals have now won the first two games of this four game series.
The Washington Nationals came away with a win to open their series in Miami by a final score of 3-1. It took a while for the Nationals’ offense to push across some runs, and the highlight of the game happened on a 2-run single by Joey Meneses to score CJ Abrams on the back-end of the play with a Matrix slide that was impressive.
The Washington Nationals start their first of thirteen games this season against the Miami Marlins. While the Nats have been dealing with injuries, the Marlins have been decimated with injuries on their pitching staff. The Nats are in fourth place in the NL East, and the Marlins are in the cellar.
The Washington Nationals have a problem. A big problem. And the first key step in admitting you have a problem is: acceptance. How’s about we start with a fact that the Nationals are fourth from last in baseball in runs scored per game at 3.50. That is only ahead of the White Sox, A’s, and Marlins, and nothing to brag about. While the team has a few players performing well, most are hanging near or under Mendoza. It begs the question, is the problem the teacher or the students?
The Washington Nationals were crushed last night 11-2 in the final score. But when you dig into the numbers and watch the game, two key plays that weren’t made at first base resulted in three runs. Two runs came off of a scoop of a throw that Trey Lipscomb couldn’t handle at first base from Luis Garcia Jr. Another on a double down the line past a lunging Lipscomb put up another run. Other plays were hard grounders past the middle infielders. Suffice it to say if just the two plays were made at first base, starter Jake Irvin easily finishes 5.0 innings at a 3-2 score — worst case. Instead, he exited during the fifth inning at a score of 6-2, and the Nats’ bullpen imploded for five more runs, and gave up 13 balls contacted at 100 mph or over.
In total, the Dodgers hit 18 balls at 100 mph and over, and amazingly 14 were hits. Contrastingly, the Nats smoked eight balls at 100 mph and over and only two were hits. The difference between the two teams on those triple-digit balls was a .778 batting average versus .250. It was more than BABIP luck as the Nats’ bullpen, especially Tanner Rainey, was serving up meatballs with a 9.125 inch circumference as the hors d’oeuvres before the main meal and dessert. But yes, BABIP, poor positioning, and lackluster defense all played its parts in last night’s feast for Dem Bums.
