García showed promise, now needs to show consistency

García showed promise, now needs to show consistency
PLAYER REVIEW: LUIS GARCÍA Age on opening day 2022: 21 How acquired: Signed as international free agent, July 2016 MLB service time: 1 year, 37 days 2021 salary: $570,500 Contract status: Under team control, arbitration-eligible in 2024, free agent in 2027 2021 stats: 70 G, 247 PA, 236 AB, 29 R, 57 H, 18 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 0 SB, 2 CS, 11 BB, 43 SO, .242 AVG, .275 OBP, .411 SLG, .686 OPS, 86 OPS+, 1 DRS (at 2B), minus-3 DRS (at SS), minus-0.2 fWAR, 0.3 bWAR Quotable: "He's made...

Defensive drop-off after trade deadline hurt Nationals

Defensive drop-off after trade deadline hurt Nationals
The Nationals entered the 2021 season determined to be a better defensive club after ranking last in the majors in that department during the previous, pandemic-shortened season. And in late July, a quick glance at the sport's defensive rankings showed they indeed had achieved that goal. On the morning of July 30, the Nationals as a team ranked sixth in Defensive Runs Saved, a massive improvement from 2020. Of course, by the end of that day, their roster looked nothing like it did 24 hours...

Parra activated, García sits again, Adon could pitch Sunday

Parra activated, García sits again, Adon could pitch Sunday
Gerardo Parra is getting one last shot to finish the season on the field, but it appears Luis García's season may have already ended. Parra was activated off the 10-day injured list prior to this afternoon's game against the Red Sox, with left-hander Josh Rogers placed on the IL with a right hamstring strain. It's a fortuitous break for Parra, who last played Sept. 4 before being taken off the roster with inflammation in his right knee. The popular veteran outfielder, whose future beyond...

Nats fall to Rockies in rain-delayed marathon road finale (updated)

Nats fall to Rockies in rain-delayed marathon road finale (updated)
They played two-plus innings in a little more than an hour before the heavy rain arrived in Colorado, then waited through a two-hour delay before taking the field again. They then played 6 1/2 more innings across nearly three more hours, each team using up most of its expanded bullpen, all in a vain attempt simply to complete this 159th game of a season that long ago was lost by both participants. And when it finally ended, when the Nationals lost 10-5 some 5 hours and 57 minutes after Rockies...

Soto's streak ends at 12, Nats lose in extras again (updated)

Soto's streak ends at 12, Nats lose in extras again (updated)
As captivating as it is to watch Juan Soto step to the plate and continually find ways to reach base, the truth is he can't carry the Nationals on his own. He needs some support around him. And you may be surprised to know he has had a healthy amount of support for a couple of months now, even after the Nats' late July sell-off. They entered tonight's game in Cincinnati having scored 181 runs since Aug. 15, most in the National League. And then they added seven more to the total, getting a...

Game 154 lineups: Nats at Reds (updated)

Game 154 lineups: Nats at Reds (updated)
What's this, a winning streak? By the Nationals? Why, yes, it is. Three in a row by manager Davey Martinez's bunch after Thursday night's 3-2 victory over the Reds in Cincinnati. It's the club's first three-game winning streak since Aug. 17-20. These guys haven't won four in a row since June 27-30, which brought them to their high point of the season at 40-38 thanks to Trea Turner's third career cycle. Things have gone just a little bit downhill since then, I suppose you could say. But...

Game 155 lineups: Nats at Reds

Game 155 lineups: Nats at Reds
October is a week away and right-hander Erick Fedde (7-8, 4.66 ERA) is still searching for consistency. Though he's won three out of four decisions since Aug. 17, he's got a 5.05 ERA over that span, allowing opponents to slash .274/.308/.527. But his strikeouts have ticked up: 42 over his past 35 2/3 innings. Fedde is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in two career starts against the Reds, who are trying to remain relevant in the National League wild card race. In one lifetime start at Great American Ball...

Game 153 lineups: Nats at Reds

Game 153 lineups: Nats at Reds
The Nationals have finally completed the National League East portion of their 2021 schedule. They played all 76 required games against the Braves, Mets, Phillies and Marlins, going a combined 30-46 along the way. (Not great, obviously.) So what's left on the slate? Three series against non-division opponents: the Reds, Rockies and Red Sox. It begins in Cincinnati with a four-game series that opens tonight. The Reds are trying to hang on the race for the final NL wild card berth, a wild race...

Garcia's power, Rainey's return and Cavalli's mixed results

Garcia's power, Rainey's return and Cavalli's mixed results
Juan Soto and Josiah Gray stole the show Wednesday night in Miami, but there were some other notable developments during the Nationals' 7-5 win over the Marlins, plus one that took place in Worcester, Mass., of all places ... * Luis García had another big night at the plate, again showing off his power stroke. The 21-year-old second baseman went 2-for-5 with a double and a homer, helping provide some early offense for the Nats and continuing his late-season surge. García is now batting...

Another big night from Soto ensures Gray's first win (updated)

Another big night from Soto ensures Gray's first win (updated)
Juan Soto, unquestionably, is having a remarkable season. The Nationals, unquestionably, are not. And those two facts might just be on a collision course in a week and a half, when members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America have to decide if the latter disqualifies the former from earning their National League MVP vote. Yes, Soto has very much thrust himself into that age-old debate with his late-season surge at the plate for a team that tonight won its 63rd game, 7-5 over the...

Late mistakes cost Nationals in 10-inning loss (updated)

Late mistakes cost Nationals in 10-inning loss (updated)
There is little sense at this point judging a Nationals-Marlins game on the performance of the two clubs after five or six innings. As much as they've faced each other in the last month, everyone should understand by now every game is going to be decided late, either by the bullpens or by some other manner of back-and-forth chaos. So it was again tonight in Miami, where the two teams at the bottom of the National League East standings engaged in another high-scoring affair that went right down...

Could Martinez shake up the lineup over the last two weeks?

Could Martinez shake up the lineup over the last two weeks?
It ain't broke, don't fix it. A common phrase that Nationals manager Davey Martinez is taking to heart over the last month or so of the season as it pertains to his lineup. Ever since Lane Thomas solidified his role in the leadoff spot on Aug. 28, Martinez's lineups have mostly looked like this: CF Lane ThomasSS Alcides EscobarRF Juan Soto1B Josh BellLF Yadiel Hernandez3B Carter KieboomC Keibert Ruiz2B Luis GarcíaPitcher's spot Those top four spots haven't changed, essentially, and for...

Pitching staff finally takes advantage of run support (updated)

Pitching staff finally takes advantage of run support (updated)
The Nationals got their customary production today from a lineup that has quietly turned into a legitimate strength but too often has been wasted by ineffective pitching performances, especially from those charged with taking the mound late in games. Eight times since Aug. 25, this team had scored five or more runs. And proceeded to lose all eight games, the longest such streak in major league history. So when they looked up at the scoreboard in Pittsburgh this afternoon and saw five runs on...

Nats battle Braves one final time before falling in 10th (updated)

Nats battle Braves one final time before falling in 10th (updated)
If the final month of this lost season is about giving young players a chance to grow and establish their place within the Nationals' plans in 2022 and beyond, tonight's 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Braves provided no shortage of evidence for several potential building blocks on the roster. In both positive and negative ways. The positives: Carter Kieboom and Lane Thomas delivered clutch hits in the late innings. Luis García produced a highlight-reel sequence at the plate and in the field in...

Newcomer Rogers beats Mets, halts skid at seven (updated)

Newcomer Rogers beats Mets, halts skid at seven (updated)
An unknown quantity produced some much-needed quality for the Nationals on Saturday night. Lefty Josh Rogers - whose contract was selected from Triple-A Rochester to start the nightcap of a doubleheader because he was on turn and filled a need - threw 5 2/3 innings of four-hit, three-run ball as the Nationals beat the Mets 4-3 to snap a seven-game losing streak. Employing a herky-jerky old-school windup with an occasional hint of hesitation, Rogers gave the Nationals the length they needed to...

Rogers joins Nationals, will start nightcap vs. Mets

Rogers joins Nationals, will start nightcap vs. Mets
The Nationals have selected the contract of left-hander Josh Rogers from Triple-A Rochester, and he will be the 29th man for today's doubleheader against the Mets and will start the nightcap. "He'll start the second game," manager Davey Martinez said during his morning Zoom briefing with reporters. "Four-pitch mix and he throws strikes. ... Wanna give him a shot and see what he can do." Rogers, 27, was 7-3 with a 3.70 ERA in 14 games, including 13 starts, for Rochester this season. He...

Nats rally in ninth, but fall 6-2 in 10 innings (updated)

Nats rally in ninth, but fall 6-2 in 10 innings (updated)
A last-of-the-ninth rally nearly made up for eight innings of Nationals offensive struggles, but an out-of-contention club playing only for pride (and to stay in fourth place in the National League East) opened a five-game holiday weekend series with another loss. The Mets tallied four times in the 10th inning off Austin Voth for a 6-2 victory that extended Washington's losing streak to six games. "The guys are competing," manager Davey Martinez said in his postgame Zoom session with the...

Inexperienced Nats once again hand game to Phillies (updated)

Inexperienced Nats once again hand game to Phillies (updated)
The Nationals understand there are going to be growing pains as they play out the string of a season that has now long since morphed from one with legitimate visions of success into one that is solely about starting a difficult organizational rebuild. But it's one thing when those growing pains come in the form of rallies made possible by a superior opponent's performance. It's quite another when they come in the form they did this afternoon during a nightmare of a 7-6 loss to the...

How many current players are locks for the 2022 roster?

How many current players are locks for the 2022 roster?
On Sunday afternoon, Lane Thomas became the 54th player to appear in a game for the Nationals this season. That's an exceptionally high number, only three shy of the club record set way back in 2006. And with 44 games still to go, and more players likely to join the roster before this is over, it's quite possible this year's team will establish a new record. The pertinent question right now, though, isn't how many guys will play for the Nationals in 2021. It's how many of the guys...

Game 117 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

Game 117 lineups: Nats vs. Braves
And we're back. If it feels like Friday night's game just ended, that's because it did. The Nationals and Braves find themselves in the unfortunate position of not only having just played a game that ended at 1:19 a.m. but having their next game scheduled to start at 6:05 p.m., an hour early to accommodate the planned postgame fireworks show. And, yes, it's important to remember that the fireworks remain planned for postgame tonight. In order for them to actually take place, this game will...