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 Washington Nationals recouped the final game of a three-game series at the Atlanta Braves. The Nats lost the first game in a tight frustrating fashion. But Washington won the last game against the beasts of the NL East by a solid margin thanks to a couple of two-run blasts by Jeimer Candelario and Dominic Smith. I should also mention a game saving catch by Alex Call. More on that below.
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.
How many baseball players have had a pseudo holiday named after them before they played their first MLB game? That might add just a little bit more pressure. To help appreciate how well it went from 2010 until 2019, below is my Twelve Best Days of “Strasmas,” ranked. Feel free to add to the list.
An average crowd of just over 30,000 turned out for a battle for fourth place over the weekend in our nation’s capital. The Washington Nationals won the first game of a three-game set to briefly tie the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East division at 25-32. But the Phillies used eight home runs to win two of the three games. The Nats hit only two homers and are now back in sole possession of fifth place.
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 Washington Nationals won the last two games of a three-games series versus the Detroit Tigers over the weekend. After losing their fourth game in a row on Friday night, the Nats righted the ship and won their second series out of the last four.
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.
