The Chicago Cubs avenged an earlier series loss to the Washington Nationals and evened the season score at three games apiece. In game one, the Nats road the long ball and an effective bullpen to victory. However, the Washington relief corps collapsed late in the last two games. With better hitting with runners in scoring position, the Cubs ran away with the series at home.
The Washington Nationals’ struggles at home and against teams with winning records continued. The Cincinnati Reds swept all four games in DC and showed why they are one of the hottest teams in baseball. The Big Red Machine outhomered (7-2) and outran (12-2 steals) the Nats in the series. These statistics also support a troubling season long trend for the Nationals.
The surging Miami Marlins swept the Washington Nationals for the second time this season. After going 14-15 in May, the Nats skidded to a 3-11 record through the first fourteen games in June.
The Nats could have folded after they lost game two to the defending MLB champions in gut-wrenching fashion. The Nats could have folded after they lost another lead in the bottom of the ninth in game three. But the Nationals would not allow themselves to crumble and won their second series road finale in row. Washington finished a six-game road trip at two contenders with two wins and four losses.
The first place Arizona Diamondbacks overwhelmed the last place Washington Nationals in a two-game series shortened by bad air quality in the Washington, DC metro area. The two-game sweep by the Diamondbacks tied them for the NL lead in wins (37) with the Atlanta Braves. The D-backs piled up 27 hits in 18 innings.
The Nats salvaged the series finale with a road comeback victory over the best team in the National League.
The Washington Nationals made their first trip to Kansas City since 2016. But after winning the first two games, the Nats could not complete the sweep.
On a day that was more like classic San Diego weather, the Nats let the rubber game slip away in crushing fashion. Padres INF Rougned Odor hit a ninth inning two-out 3-run HR that sliced through Nats fans’ hearts.
The Miami Marlins took all three games from the Washington Nationals in Florida this week. Washington got swept for the first time since the second series of the season versus the Tampa Bay Rays. The Nats lost three straight for the first time since April 27 to April 29.
Miami enjoyed a little bit of luck here and there throughout the series. In taking the first two games by just a run, the Marlins are now 14-1 in one run games on the year. With a -52 run differential, that record in tight games is not sustainable.
But a three-game losing streak stings no matter how you slice it. The losses seemed like a “garden variety” sweep at the hands of a division rival. However, not being able to sustain momentum from series to series remains a troubling trend for these Nats. Too many strikeouts and not enough hits in the clutch doomed the Nats in South Florida.
The Nats record fell to 18-26. They haven’t been eight games under .500 since May 1. They got very close to crawling within four games of .500 in game 1 of the series.
The Washington Nationals took two of three games at the San Francisco Giants this week and improved to 16-21. The Nats finished a productive road trip 3-3. Washington has won four of their last six series and sport a winning road record of 10-9.
