Nationals Notebook: Teetering on the precipice
Believe it or not with just 12 games left in the regular season, the Washington Nationals are technically in contention because the team has 84 losses while three teams chasing the final Wild Card berth each have 78 wins.
So with the next Nats loss or a win by either Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins or the Chicago Cubs, Washington will officially be out of the postseason party.
But last week was big for the past, present, and future of the club. The present has been secured with general manager Mike Rizzo signing a multiyear extension. The future had its night with prime pitching prospect Jackson Rutledge making his Major League debut. Will they be able to put their streak of last place finishes (three straight) in the past? Time is running out on the team that’s already almost out of it.
Digesting the Division: Atlanta (96-53) despite getting swept by Miami remains in the driver’s seat for home field in the playoffs. Matt Olson (52 home runs with 129 RBI) is having one of those seasons people will look back at years from now and still say wow. Philadelphia (81-68) leads the Wild Card and has a magic number of 10. They also play 10 of their final 13 games against clubs with losing records. Miami (78-72) is tied for the final playoff spot with Arizona thanks to their sweeping of the Braves, and one whole game separates fifth from seventh place in the NL. They play nine of their last 12 games against losing teams. The New York Mets (69-80) try to play spoiler with their last four series coming against the Phillies and Marlins, meaning that Washington (66-84) might still be able to slip out of the cellar.
Break up the Birds: Baltimore (93-56) looked like they were teetering entering Saturday’s game with Tampa Bay. A four-game losing streak had eroded their AL East lead, but the Orioles responded with an 8-0 shutout before finishing the series with a 5-4 11th inning win that secured a split as well as clinched a playoff berth. We get a potential playoff preview this week with a three-game series at the defending World Series champion Houston Astros. But the road to the division title is in the O’s hands.
Last Week’s Heroes: Joey Meneses hit .360 with four RBI while 429 with three RBI while CJ Abrams homered twice while scoring four runs. Patrick Corbin had two strong starts, allowing three runs over 12.2 innings while posting his 10th win of the season (first 10-game winner in Washington since 2019). Josiah Gray struck out 10 in his start (a hard-luck 2-0 loss). Robert Garcia tossed 5.1 scoreless innings over four appearances and notched the win Sunday while Jose A. Ferrer posted 3.1 scoreless frames over three outings.
Last Week’s Humbled: Trevor Williams allowed three runs over two innings in his lone start of the week, while Jackson Rutledge surrendered seven runs in 3.2 innings during his big league debut. Kyle Finnegan allowed four runs over 1.2 innings. Lane Thomas hit .097 with zero walks and eight strikeouts while Jacob Young batted 1-21 and Travis Blankenhorn went 0-9 at the plate.
Game to Watch: The Chicago White Sox come to Washington this week and Tuesday we get another look at the rookie Rutledge and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can improve upon after a less than ideal debut. If he can make the necessary strides, we’ve got ourselves a rotation piece in 2024.
Game to Miss: Barring something unforeseen, Trevor Williams will be back in 2024 for the second season of his two-year contract. Even though he hasn’t been outstanding, Williams has been available, making 29 starts while posting a 6-10 record with an ERA of 5.55. You know what you’re going to get with the 31-year old, and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing it’s not a compelling reason to watch in late September.