The Washington Nationals open today at 1.0 game from a Wild Card slot as the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Arizona Diamondbacks are both tied for the final spot in the Wild Card race and playing each other. With a Nats win today coupled with a Diamondbacks loss, the Nats would be in a tie for the final Wild Card spot with the Pirates. What the Nats really needs to get on a long winning streak. We say that all the time.
After this game, the Nationals will depart on their Delta charter jet from Dulles Airport to Atlanta. The hope as always is to get the win on a getaway game for a happy flight.
The Nats optioned RHP Gus Varland to Triple-A and activated Trevor Williams. Manager Blake Butera made the point in the postgame last night that Williams would work out of the bullpen. The 40-man roster now sits at 39. The Nats have another decision coming up for Jake Irvin who could start tomorrow in Atlanta.
Butera will go with a more balanced lineup today, and CJ Abrams will be at the DH today to get him off of his feet on defense.
❝They were really patient and waited for a really good pitch to hit, and they weren’t trying to do too much – especially when we got bases loaded. They stayed stubborn and did a really good job of seeing pitches and seeing strikes and working the at-bats. Obviously getting the pitch count up to where we got it to and getting [Shane Bieber] out of the game in the first was big.❞
On offense, the Nats have the 1st in MLB for the most runs scored this season at 594 runs, and that is an impressive 5.50 runs per game. With the Nats pitching giving up 4.75 earned runs per game, the difference is really those pesky unearned runs due to the errors. Overall, the Nats have a +31 run differential on the season.
The FanGraphs WAR chart is now large in its sample size. You can certainly start to extrapolate the numbers for the full-season. The OAA defense stat is now giving us a picture of what the Nats have — and don’t have.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Washington Nationals
Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. 1st Pitch: 1:05 PM EDT TV: Nationals.TV Radio: 106.7 The Fan radio and via the MLB app. On Sirius/XM, tune to Channel 177 for the home broadcast and the road team is online only.
I said that my goal is to make the Nationals the envy of sport.
To me, that means an organization defined by our relentless pursuit of excellence, strengthened by our connection to each other and fueled by our positive energy. As a result, we become an organization that players and staff are itching to join because they know it’s where they will develop and thrive most; a place that energizes our loyal fans and attracts new ones, and where success is achieved – and sustained – over time.
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