Bottom of lineup, bullpen bring end to losing streak (updated)

Salvation for the Nationals came not from Juan Soto or Josh Bell. It came not from Josiah Gray or Keibert Ruiz or Luis García. It did not come from any member of their rotation.

No, when the Nats needed to put a stop to a pair of nine-game losing streaks – one of them overall, one of them specifically to the Braves – they turned to the bottom of their lineup and five members of their bullpen.

Yes, it’s true. The Nationals won a ballgame today, toppling the Braves 7-3 to close a wretched final stretch of a wretched first half of the season on an uplifting note at last. 

"It's been a long time," Soto said with a laugh, "but finally we did it."

The formula to produce this curly W bore no resemblance to the one they used to try to win any other game in the last week-plus.

Harvey optioned to Triple-A, Cruz sits again

Needing fresh arms to get them through today’s first-half finale, the Nationals called up Cory Abbott from Triple-A and optioned Hunter Harvey to Rochester.

Abbott, who has been a starter in the minors, is available to pitch multiple innings in relief this afternoon, which is already a bullpen game. Erasmo Ramirez will start, going two or three innings before manager Davey Martinez begins summoning a parade of other relievers the rest of the game.

Harvey’s demotion has less to do with performance and more to do with the fact he still has options and his recent lengthy stint on the injured list with a pronator strain in his forearm. The right-hander gave up two runs while throwing 28 pitches during Saturday’s loss to the Braves, the first time he’s been scored upon in seven big league appearances this season (sandwiched around the IL stint).

“He’s been a guy that’s been injured,” Martinez said. “He’s got four days off (the All-Star break) down there coming up. We’re just going to give him a little breather and get him back. We want him to pitch multiple innings, work on his breaking ball a little bit more, and then we’ll get him back up here as soon as we can.”

The Nationals found themselves in this predicament due to Tuesday’s rainout against the Mariners. That created a doubleheader Wednesday, and thus a stretch of six games in five days to close out the season’s first half.

Game 94 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

The first half of the season comes to a close today, and not a moment too soon for a Nationals club that has sunk to new depths previously thought unreachable. They enter today’s game on a nine-game losing streak (their first since 2008), having also lost nine straight to the Braves over the last month, having lost 15 of their last 16 games overall and owning the majors’ worst record at 30-63. (Oh, and there’s also that little matter about Juan Soto.)

So it’s against that backdrop they’ll try to snap the losing streak and somehow head into the All-Star break on a positive note. But to do that, they’ll need to score a lot more runs than they’ve been scoring, especially early. They’ll have to do that against Spencer Strider, the Atlanta rookie who completely overwhelmed them in a start here last month. So, good luck with that.

And then to add one more challenge to the afternoon, the Nationals are going with a bullpen game today. This is their sixth game in five days, so they were either going to have to call up a fill-in starter from the minors or go with all bullpen arms. They could’ve activated Josh Rogers off the 15-day injured list, but the lefty will be making another rehab start today for Triple-A Rochester. So they’ll have to make do with a bunch of guys out of their bullpen. On the bright side, they don’t have another game to play until Friday at Arizona, so Davey Martinez doesn’t have to worry about holding anyone back.

ATLANTA BRAVES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where:
Nationals Park

Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of storms late, 85 degrees, wind 6 mph out to center field

NATIONALS
2B César Hernández
C Keibert Ruiz
RF Juan Soto
1B Josh Bell
SS Luis García
LF Yadiel Hernandez
DH Maikel Franco
3B Ehire Adrianza
CF Victor Robles

Nats lose ninth straight after long rain delay (updated)

If money alone isn’t going to be enough to keep Juan Soto in Washington for the long haul – and today’s revelation that Soto recently turned down a 15-year, $440 million extension suggests it is indeed about more than just money, at least at this juncture of the process – the best thing the Nationals can do to convince their young star to stay is to start winning ballgames.

That, as it turns out, is an even more daunting task these days than coming up with a contract number Soto will accept.

Today’s 6-3 loss to the Braves, which included a 1-hour, 49-minute rain delay in the eighth inning, was the Nationals’ ninth consecutive loss, their ninth in a row to Atlanta, their 15th in their last 16 games overall. This is their first nine-game losing streak since 2008, when they lost a club-record 12 in a row. At 30-63, they own the worst record in the majors and would need to go an unlikely 33-36 the rest of the way just to avoid finishing with 100 losses.

All of which begs the question: Why would Soto agree to a new deal, even if it set records, before seeing some evidence of improvement from the franchise he helped win a World Series only three years ago?

“I mean, at the end of the day, you’re going to get what you deserve, we all know that,” manager Davey Martinez said before the game. “And for me, I hope it’s here. Because I love the kid. I don’t ever think that he’s anything else but a Washington National, and that’s the way I’m going to view it right now. He is a Washington National.”

Game 93 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

Will today be the day? Will the Nationals end their dual eight-game losing streaks (one of them overall, one of them against the Braves)? Will they actually be able to play this late-afternoon game as scheduled, given the likelihood of thunderstorms in the area? All we can do is wait and see on all counts.

The challenge, as always, is stiff, because the Nationals simply haven’t been able to get both a quality pitching performance and early run production against the Braves during these last eight games they’ve played against them. They guy they’re facing today, Max Fried, is very good. But the Nats have actually enjoyed some modest success against the lefty: In their last head-to-head encounter, they scored four runs in 5 2/3 innings off him, and that was with Juan Soto out of the lineup.

At the same time, though, the Nationals need a good start from Paolo Espino, who has not been great in recent outings. Over his last three starts, the wily veteran has allowed 10 runs on 17 hits while totaling only 12 innings. That includes a four-inning start Sunday in Atlanta in which he allowed two runs on six hits and was pulled with his pitch count at 65.

ATLANTA BRAVES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where:
Nationals Park

Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Thunderstorms, 82 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
LF Lane Thomas
2B César Hernández
RF Juan Soto
1B Josh Bell
DH Keibert Ruiz
3B Maikel Franco
SS Alcides Escobar
C Tres Barrera
CF Victor Robles

Same old story for Nats in another loss to Braves (updated)

The Nationals took the field tonight for the 92nd time this season. An enthusiastic, Friday night crowd of 30,409 settled in for what everyone hoped would be an entertaining, hopefully competitive, maybe even victorious ballgame from the local club.

And then the top of the first – featuring another throwing error by Luis García, another poorly played grounder by Maikel Franco and another towering home run served up by Patrick Corbin – came and went, and anybody who has been paying any attention to this team knew none of those hopes would become reality.

An 8-4 thrashing at the hands of the Braves once again revealed to the world who exactly these Nationals are. They are a team that has lost eight straight games. They are a team that has lost eight straight games to Atlanta. They are a team that has lost 24 of its last 26 games to division opponents. And they are a team that has lost 14 of its last 15 games overall.

That last cover-your-eyes fact may be the toughest to accept of all, because this is the first team in Nationals history to lose 14 of 15 within a single season. The 59-win 2008 and 2009 clubs did it over a stretch that included the end of the earlier season and the start of the subsequent season. But neither did it within its own season.

"They've got to understand that this organization was a winner for a long time," manager Davey Martinez said. "This happens to the best of the best. But we've got to battle back. We've got to keep playing. Forget about what happened today, come back tomorrow and go 1-0. That's the mentality. "

Game 92 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

GettyImages-1213375119

How do the Nationals end a seven-game losing streak and a seven-game losing streak to the Braves? How do they win for only the second time in their last 15 games and for only the eighth time in 42 games against National League East opponents this season? How about scoring some early runs and playing with a lead for a change?

It hasn’t been happening with any regularity, and it has been a real problem. Even though the rotation has done a decent job and the bullpen has done a very good job this month, the lineup continues to be feeble with runners in scoring position, aside from a few big hits late in games that typically come too little too late.

So perhaps tonight there could be an early barrage of runs off Braves starter Ian Anderson, who enters with a 4.98 ERA and 1.512 WHIP. This is the third time the Nationals have faced the right-hander in the last month. They scored four runs in four innings off him June 13, then were held to two runs in 5 1/3 innings Sunday in Atlanta. Each time, he walked four batters, so patience is key.

Patrick Corbin starts for the Nats, and you know the drill at this point. If he can locate his fastball early and make his slider look like a strike, he’s got a chance to be successful. If he doesn’t, we’ve seen what the results look like.

ATLANTA BRAVES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where:
Nationals Park

Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 84 degrees, wind 6 mph right field to left field

Clippard thrives in emotional return to Nats Park

The restaurants and condos and everything else that has sprung up around Nationals Park since 2014 felt unfamiliar to Tyler Clippard, who never got to enjoy the benefits of a reinvigorated Navy Yard during his first stint with the Nationals.

Once he jogged in from the home bullpen Thursday night to cheers from an appreciative fan base that remembers what he meant to this organization and found himself on the mound again, that’s when everything seemed right with the world.

“It felt like I was home,” Clippard said. “It was a familiar feeling, for sure. Having the curly W on me gives me a lot of confidence, for whatever reason. I just feel good out there. That’s how I felt today. It was a lot of fun.”

It certainly helps when you also pitch two scoreless innings, which is exactly what the 37-year-old did in his 415th career appearance for the Nationals, but his first in eight seasons. After bouncing around between eight different franchises since 2015, Clippard rejoined the Nationals this spring on a minor league contract, then spent the last three months making his case at Triple-A Rochester to be called up.

The call finally came Wednesday, when Clippard made the long drive to D.C. and arrived in time for the nightcap of a split doubleheader against the Mariners, having spent much of that time reminiscing about the path that led him back here.

Nats fall to Braves again in Sánchez's return (updated)

Why was Aníbal Sánchez – 38 years old, out of the majors for nearly two seasons, surely not part of the Nationals’ long-term plan – starting against the Braves tonight on South Capitol Street? Because the Nats simply did not have any other viable options at this point.

Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross are injured. So are Jackson Tetreault and Evan Lee. Josh Rogers is still working his way back from the injured list. Joan Adon needs to spend some time at Triple-A to get some things straightened out. Cade Cavalli and Cole Henry have been deemed by the organization not ready for their big league debuts.

So here Davey Martinez found himself tonight, handing the ball to a stalwart of his 2019 World Series rotation who hadn’t come close to pitching up to that standard since. And though he did get charged with the loss after serving up two homers in five innings during a 5-4 defeat, it’s hard to deny Sánchez looked far better than anyone reasonably expected he would at the outset.

"He pitched really well overall," Martinez said. "The first inning, I think he had a little bit of jitters, believe it or not. But then he settled down, and he was throwing the ball really, really well."

The Nationals lost for the 13th time in 14 games – they’ve also lost seven straight to the Braves over the last month – not because of their aging starting pitcher, but because of yet another too-little, too-late offensive performance.

Game 91 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

The National League East has been good to the Nationals through much of their history. They won four division titles between 2012-17 and often beat up on their lesser rivals. That is no longer the case, though. The narrative has completely flipped on its head, and right now the last thing the Nats want to be doing is facing a fellow NL East opponent.

Unfortunately, they’re about to open a four-game series with the Braves. The same Braves team that just swept them at Truist Park last weekend. The same Braves team that swept them last month at Nationals Park. The same Braves team that along with its NL East counterparts has gone a collective 33-7 against the Nationals this season.

Who are the Nats sending to the mound tonight in hopes of reversing that trend? That would be Aníbal Sánchez, the 38-year-old right-hander making his first major league start in two years. It’s been a long road back for Sánchez, who struggled in 2020, sat out 2021 and then signed a minor league deal with the Nationals this spring, only to spend the next 3 1/2 months on the injured list with a cervical nerve impingement. What can be expected of him tonight against a tough Atlanta lineup? Probably best to set the expectation bar low.

Kyle Wright gets the start for the Braves, his second straight against the Nats. Five days ago, he held them to three runs on eight hits while pitching into the eighth inning. He did surrender two home runs in that game: one to Juan Soto, the other to Yadiel Hernandez.

ATLANTA BRAVES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where:
Nationals Park

Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of storms, 83 degrees, wind 5 mph out to center field

Sánchez set to make first MLB start in two years

Aníbal Sánchez last took the mound for a major league game Sept. 26, 2020, going 5 1/3 innings to beat the Mets. Since then, he has sat out an entire season, re-signed with the Nationals on a minor league deal, thought he made the Opening Day 2022 roster, proceeded to spend the next 3 1/2 months on the injured list with a neck ailment suffered on the charter flight north from spring training and made four minor league rehab starts.

All of which will lead to the sight of Sánchez taking the mound at Nationals Park on Thursday to face the Braves, his first big league start in nearly 22 months.

“He’s excited about it, and I’m excited for him,” manager Davey Martinez said Tuesday in announcing the decision. “He put himself through a lot to get back.”

Yes, he did. What initially figured to be a minor annoyance, a quick stint on the IL to begin the season, instead turned into an agonizing wait for Sánchez, who at various points along the way thought he was healthy again, only to experience more neck discomfort when he tried to ramp up his throwing program.

At last, though, he’s good to go. The 38-year-old made it through one rehab start at the club’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, then three starts for Triple-A Rochester, and convinced team officials he was ready to come off the IL and finally make his season debut.

For Garrett, long journey to D.C. was worth it

Reed Garrett got the call around midnight on Tuesday, having only just arrived in Scranton, Pa., with his Triple-A Rochester teammates a few hours earlier. The Nationals were calling him and fellow reliever Francisco Perez up, and because there weren’t any good flight options, his best bet was to rent a car and make the four-hour drive to Washington.

So it was that Garrett found himself behind the wheel, with Perez riding shotgun, on the road to D.C., then eventually into Tuesday night’s game against the Braves. It may have sounded like a stressful trip to some, but for the 29-year-old right-hander, it sure beat the travels he endured the last two seasons.

“Reflecting on it, it’s been a wild journey,” he said. “But it’s all been worth it.”

The journey began in Henrico, Va., where Garrett was born. It included life growing up in the Richmond area rooting for the Braves, though he believes the first major league game he ever attended was at RFK Stadium to see the Nationals.

A 16th round pick of the Rangers in 2014 out of Virginia Military Institute, Garrett would be selected by the Tigers in the 2019 Rule 5 draft and make his major league debut that season, only to be sent back to Texas after 13 disappointing appearances.

Tetreault roughed up in debut, Nats drop third straight (updated)

Jackson Tetreault found himself standing on the mound at Nationals Park at 7:06 p.m., a 26-year-old, seventh-round pick in the 2017 draft realizing a lifelong dream, starting a big league game. And when the right-hander proceeded to strike out Braves leadoff man Ronald Acuña Jr. on a high, 97-mph fastball, the impossible seemed possible, if only for a fleeting moment.

That moment indeed was fleeting, because the Acuña strikeout was followed by a no-doubt Dansby Swanson homer to left, which was followed by another run an inning later, which was followed by five more runs (including two more homers) the inning after that, leaving the Nats in a big hole they wouldn’t escape en route to a 10-4 loss.

"Early on, I just made sure I looked around, took it all in, said hi to the family, all that," Tetreault said. "But after that, it was good. Obviously not the result I was looking for, but I'm not going to shy away. I'm eager to get back out there and throw again. Just happy to get the first one under my belt. An awesome experience."

That Tetreault, who isn’t listed among the organization’s top prospects, found himself in this situation was more a reflection of the drastic pitching predicament the Nationals found themselves in than of his particular resume. After Stephen Strasburg went on the 15-day injured list with a stress reaction in his ribs and Josiah Gray had to be scratched from Monday night’s start after warming up just before a lengthy rain delay, the Nats simply needed somebody to start this game capable of throwing 90 or more pitches.

And with their higher-ranked prospects all off-schedule, the call was placed to Tetreault, who last started for Triple-A Rochester on Thursday and thus was good to go.

Strasburg has stress reaction in ribs, Strange-Gordon DFA

The Nationals formally placed Stephen Strasburg on the 15-day injured list today with a stress reaction of his second and third ribs, a diagnosis that doesn’t necessarily offer an optimistic or pessimistic outlook on the right-hander’s timetable to return but is related to the thoracic outlet surgery he had last summer and ensures he’ll be out for a not-insignificant period of time while letting this latest injury heal.

Strasburg is scheduled to fly to Southern California to be examined by specialist Neal ElAttrache, the noted orthopedist who just performed teammate Joe Ross’ second Tommy John surgery last week.

“This surgery, you just don’t know where it’s going to go,” Martinez said of pitchers who have attempted to return from thoracic outlet surgery. “I’ve seen a lot of guys go through this and not come out of it good right away. I’ve seen guys come out of it where they pitch for many years. We’re just going to have to wait. There’s no timeline right now for Stephen. He’s going to go see another specialist, and then we’ll know more.”

Strasburg had just completed a yearlong rehab process from last summer’s career-altering surgery, making his return to a big league mound Thursday night in Miami. Though he gave up seven runs in 4 2/3 innings, with a fastball velocity that averaged 90-91 mph, the 33-year-old was genuinely encouraged with how he felt physically and was prepared to make his next start in five days.

But during a standard bullpen session Saturday, Strasburg noted something didn’t feel right. And on Sunday, shortly after the Nationals announced him as their scheduled starter for tonight’s game against the Braves, he informed the club of this new bout of discomfort, leading to an MRI on Monday.

Game 64 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

First we thought Stephen Strasburg would be starting tonight. Then we thought Josiah Gray would be starting tonight. Neither is, Strasburg because of an injury that today put him on the 15-day injured list, Gray because he wasn’t ready to bounce back after completing a full warmup session before Monday night’s game was delayed by rain.

So who’s starting for the Nationals tonight against a Braves team that has won 12 in a row to climb back into the NL East race? That would be Jackson Tetreault. Who’s Jackson Tetreault, you ask? He’s a 26-year-old right-hander drafted in the seventh round in 2017. In 12 starts at Triple-A Rochester, he went 5-3 with a 4.19 ERA and 1.293 WHIP, striking out 52 while walking 24. He’s not officially ranked among the organization’s top 30 prospects, but he made his most recent start Thursday and that means he was already on schedule for tonight, something the club’s other potential pitching options were not.

So, welcome to the majors, Jackson. Now, go out there and hold Ronald Acuña Jr., Dansby Swanson, Austin Riley and Co. in check for at least five solid innings, OK?

The Nationals could help their rookie starter out with some early run support. To do that, they’ll have to produce against lefty Max Fried, who enters 6-2 with a 2.64 ERA but hasn’t been as successful in his career against the Nats. Old stats don’t mean a whole lot, given how different this current lineup looks compared to previous ones. But they did get to Fried for three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings when they met earlier this year in Atlanta.

In addition to selecting Tetreault's contract, the Nationals have also selected the contract of right-hander Reed Garrett from Rochester and recalled lefty Francisco Pérez. Along with Strasburg's latest stop on the IL, the team made space for the three by optioning reliever Jordan Weems to Rochester and designating utility player Dee Strange-Gordon for assignment.

Nats have questions that need to be answered today

In a season that's already featured more than a fair share of bad days, Monday was about as bad as it gets for the Nationals. Between injuries to star players, a rain delay, altered pitching plans and a 9-5 loss to the Braves, nothing went right for the club.

And now the Nats have to pick up the pieces from all that and take the field against the red-hot Braves again tonight, with the rest of this 11-games-in-10-days homestand still looming.

Here’s a rundown of what needs to be sorted out before today is over …

* How’s Stephen Strasburg?
Davey Martinez didn’t want to offer up any update on Strasburg late Monday night: “We’ll talk about Stephen tomorrow, if that’s OK,” the manager said. “I’ll know a lot more tomorrow about Stephen.”

Chances are, Martinez already knew something about the results of the MRI performed on Strasburg earlier in the day. But given all the other fires he was trying to put out after a game that nearly ended at midnight, he didn’t want to go into any more detail yet.

Gray scratched after rain delay, Nats lose to Braves (updated)

As he warmed up in the right field bullpen, Josiah Gray’s task for the evening was clear. Give the Nationals a chance to beat the Braves tonight? Sure. But more important than that, go deep enough in the game to alleviate pressure on a pitching staff that faces a daunting task this week with eight games scheduled over the next seven days, and with a replacement starter already needed Tuesday as Stephen Strasburg heads back to the injured list.

So consider what happened right around 7 p.m. as a worst-case scenario for the Nats. With rain falling and a heavy storm cell fast approaching, the grounds crew rolled out the tarp, the start of the game ultimately was delayed 1 hour, 33 minutes and Gray (because he had already warmed up) was scratched altogether out of caution by the organization.

"He sat for a very, very long time, and I'm not going to do that to him," manager Davey Martinez said. "I mean, he was in uncharted waters right there, so I decided after an hour and a half that we weren't going to send him out, and he was good."

This game was now in the hands of an already depleted bullpen, with Erasmo Ramírez charged with the unenviable task of starting the game and going as far as he could possibly go.

The ensuing results shouldn’t have surprised anyone. Ramírez gave up six runs in three innings, and the Nationals slogged their way through a 9-5 loss that brought a fitting conclusion to a downtrodden day for the organization.

Strasburg going back on IL after reporting discomfort

Stephen Strasburg is going back on the injured list after reporting discomfort following his bullpen session over the weekend, bringing the Nationals right-hander’s attempted return from thoracic outlet surgery to a screeching halt.

Strasburg had come out of Thursday’s start in Miami – his first big league outing in more than a year – genuinely encouraged about the way he felt physically, and the Nationals had already announced him as their scheduled starter for Tuesday’s home game against the Braves.

But after throwing off the bullpen mound Saturday in his typical between-starts regimen, the 33-year-old informed club officials he “didn’t feel right, some discomfort,” according to manager Davey Martinez.

Strasburg went to have an MRI test today; the team is still waiting for results, but Martinez already announced he’ll be placed back on the IL and won’t start Tuesday as initially planned.

“Like I said before, this surgery, this thoracic outlet thing, you just don’t know,” the manager said. “We don’t know if this is the same issue or not yet, but we’ll know more as soon as we get the MRI and the doctors read the image. But it stinks because he was all excited to be back. But hopefully it’s just a minor setback.”

Game 63 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

The Nationals spent the weekend taking advantage of a good Brewers club going through a rough stretch, extending Milwaukee’s losing streak to eight games before falling in Sunday’s finale. Now they’ll have to try to go up against a Braves team that’s absolutely on fire right now.

Atlanta enters the week on an 11-game winning streak, outscoring its opponents by 44 runs. The defending World Series champions were off to a ragged start to their season, but they’ve figured something out here recently and come to town on a roll.

Josiah Gray gets the start, and he’ll be looking to duplicate what he did at Truist Park back in April, when he held the Braves to one hit over five scoreless innings. The young righty also had a 10-strikeout game in Atlanta last summer, so he’s proven he can have some success against this very tough lineup.

The Nationals, who exploded for seven homers Friday and Saturday but were shut down Sunday, go up against Ian Anderson, who actually hasn’t faced them since he was a rookie in 2020. Davey Martinez is again going with Lane Thomas, who has gotten hot over the last few weeks, in center field leading off.

ATLANTA BRAVES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where:
Nationals Park

Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 86 degrees, wind 5 mph out to center field