Nationals rally past Angels 4-3 behind late Vivas double, snap seven-game losing streak

The Washington Nationals finally found a way to finish a close game.

Washington rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning Friday night and held on for a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels at Nationals Park, snapping a seven-game losing streak and ending one of the club’s most frustrating stretches of the season. Jorbit Vivas delivered the biggest swing of the night with a two-run double that turned a one-run deficit into a 4-2 Washington lead.

The Nationals improved to 68-81 while the Angels fell to 56-91. Washington finished with six hits while Los Angeles managed only four, but the game remained tight from the opening inning until the final out. For a Nationals team that had repeatedly watched late leads disappear during its recent skid, winning a one-run game carried considerably more significance than an ordinary September victory.

Washington returned home after an 0-6 West Coast trip that included three losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers and three more against the San Diego Padres. The Nationals had dropped seven consecutive games overall and had blown a Major League-record 38 saves this season before Friday. With only a few weeks remaining in the regular season, the focus has increasingly shifted toward evaluating young players and seeing which pieces can become part of the next competitive Nationals roster.

Trout strikes first

Mike Trout gave Los Angeles the first lead almost immediately.

Cade Cavalli opened the game by striking out Zach Neto, but Trout followed with a solo home run to put the Angels ahead 1-0 in the first inning. It was Trout’s 21st home run of the season and the 425th of his career, while also marking his first career homer at Nationals Park.

The home run ended a 27-game homerless stretch for Trout. Even in a difficult season for the Angels, the three-time American League MVP remains capable of changing a game with one swing, and Cavalli learned that quickly Friday night. Trout’s blast gave Los Angeles an early advantage before Washington had taken its first turn at the plate.

Cavalli did not allow the home run to derail his outing.

The right-hander settled in and delivered another encouraging performance in what has become an important season for his development. Cavalli worked six innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs while walking two and striking out nine. He threw 96 pitches, including 60 strikes, and largely prevented an Angels lineup featuring Trout, Neto and several young hitters from generating sustained offense.

Nationals struggle to cash in early

Washington had opportunities against Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi but initially struggled to capitalize.

Brady House singled and CJ Abrams doubled in the third inning to put runners at second and third. Kikuchi escaped by retiring Dylan Crews, keeping Los Angeles in front and leaving Washington searching for its first run. It became an early example of what has been a recurring problem for the Nationals: creating traffic on the bases without consistently producing the hit needed to convert the opportunity.

Washington finally broke through one inning later.

Harry Ford drew a walk and stole second base before Vivas walked, putting two runners aboard. After Jacob Young struck out, James Wood came through with two outs, ripping a single into left field that brought Ford home and tied the game at 1. The ball left Wood’s bat at 104.8 mph, another example of the tremendous raw power and exit velocity that have made him one of the most important young players in the Nationals’ organization.

Wood’s hit gave Washington life, but Kikuchi prevented the inning from becoming anything larger.

The veteran left-hander completed four innings, allowing three hits and one run while walking four and striking out five. Washington forced Kikuchi to work, with the Angels starter needing 88 pitches to get through those four innings, but the Nationals still entered the middle portion of the game with only one run.

Cavalli keeps Washington close

Cavalli continued giving Washington a chance.

His nine strikeouts highlighted an outing in which Los Angeles simply could not put together a big inning. The Angels collected only three hits against him, with Trout’s homer accounting for their only early run. Cavalli repeatedly worked out of situations without allowing the game to get away from Washington.

Christian Moore eventually put Los Angeles back ahead with an RBI single, giving the Angels a 2-1 advantage. Cavalli’s night ended after six innings with Washington trailing, but his performance kept the deficit manageable enough for the Nationals to eventually mount a comeback.

For Washington, that may have been the most important part of his start.

Young teams will not always provide immediate offensive support, and pitchers sometimes have to keep games within reach until something changes. Cavalli did exactly that Friday. He did not earn the pitching victory, but Washington probably does not win without his six innings.

The Nationals bullpen then prevented the Angels from adding to their advantage.

Wade Dion worked a scoreless inning, while Clayton Beeter followed with another scoreless frame. Beeter ultimately earned the victory, improving to 6-5. The pair provided exactly what Washington needed after an exhausting stretch in which bullpen failures had played such a significant role in the team’s losing streak.

Everything changes in the eighth

Washington entered the bottom of the eighth trailing 2-1.

Considering how the previous week had unfolded, another narrow loss would have felt painfully familiar. Instead, the Nationals finally produced the kind of late rally that had so often been produced against them.

House began the inning by drawing a walk against Samy Natera Jr. Abrams followed with a line-drive single, and Crews dropped down a soft bunt that allowed him to reach and loaded the bases with nobody out. Suddenly, Washington had completely changed the pressure of the game.

Yohandy Morales grounded into a force play for the first out, but the Nationals remained in excellent position.

Manager Blake Butera then turned to Andrew Pinckney to pinch-hit for Ford. Pinckney lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing Washington to bring home the tying run. Instead of chasing one big swing, the Nationals had constructed the inning with a walk, a single, a bunt and a sacrifice fly.

Then came Vivas.

With Morales having stolen second base and two outs in the inning, Vivas worked the count to 2-2 against Natera. He then drove a slider into right field for a two-run double, scoring Crews and Morales and turning a 2-2 game into a 4-2 Washington advantage.

Vivas’ double traveled 303 feet and did not require overwhelming exit velocity to become the biggest hit of the game. At 84.2 mph off the bat, it was more about placement than power. After a week filled with almost everything going wrong for Washington, the Nationals finally had a ball fall their way at precisely the right moment.

Natera was charged with all three eighth-inning runs and took the loss.

Washington had managed only three hits through the first seven innings against Kikuchi and three Angels relievers. The Nationals then collected three hits and three runs against Natera in two-thirds of an inning. Baseball games can change quickly, and Friday’s eighth inning was a perfect example.

One more scare

Of course, nothing has come easily for Washington’s bullpen this season.

The Angels made one final push in the ninth inning. Moore doubled home a run, trimming Washington’s advantage to 4-3 and immediately bringing memories of the Nationals’ late-game struggles back into focus.

This time, however, Washington closed the door.

Erik Tolman secured the final out and earned his second save of the season, preserving the one-run victory. Three days after the Nationals established the Major League record for blown saves in a season, simply getting through the ninth inning with the lead intact represented a meaningful accomplishment.

There was no dramatic collapse. No lead disappeared. No walk-off celebration occurred in the opposing dugout.

Washington finished the game.

That may sound like a low standard, but after seven consecutive losses and an 0-6 trip through California, it mattered.

Young Nationals deliver

Friday’s win also featured several players Washington hopes will become part of its future.

Wood delivered the game-tying RBI single in the fourth. House started the decisive eighth-inning rally with a walk. Abrams followed with a single. Crews executed the bunt that loaded the bases. Morales reached during the rally and stole second. Pinckney contributed the sacrifice fly. Vivas finished everything with the decisive double.

That is exactly the kind of sequence Washington wants to see during the final weeks of a rebuilding season.

The Nationals are not playing meaningful September baseball in terms of the postseason standings, but these games still matter for player development. The organization needs to determine which young hitters can handle major league pitching, which pitchers can be trusted in difficult situations and which players can form the core of the next Nationals team capable of contending.

Friday provided several positive answers.

Cavalli continues strong season

Cavalli’s performance deserves particular attention.

He entered the game with a 12-5 record and a 3.12 ERA and again looked capable of anchoring Washington’s rotation. Nine strikeouts in six innings against Los Angeles gave him another strong statistical outing and continued what has developed into an encouraging season.

His line — six innings, three hits, two earned runs, two walks and nine strikeouts — reflects the type of starter Washington desperately needs as it tries to build around its young position players.

The Nationals can spend money in free agency. They can make trades. They can continue developing prospects.

However, building a sustainable winner becomes considerably easier if Cavalli establishes himself as a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter.

Friday was another step in that direction.

Washington finally changes the ending

The most important number from Friday was not Cavalli’s nine strikeouts or Vivas’ two RBIs.

It was one.

One win.

Washington entered the night having lost seven consecutive games. The Nationals had just returned from a disastrous road trip and had watched repeated late-inning failures turn potentially competitive games into losses. They needed something positive, even if the postseason was no longer realistically part of the conversation.

They finally got it.

The Nationals will continue their series against the Angels on Saturday at Nationals Park. Instead of entering the game trying to stop an eight-game skid, Washington will have an opportunity to win a series and begin building some momentum during the final weeks of the 2026 season.

MSB Take

This is exactly the type of win the Nationals need during the final weeks of the season.

Washington is not headed to the postseason, so wins and losses cannot be evaluated only through the standings anymore. Development matters, and Friday night’s victory was largely driven by the young players the Nationals need to become the foundation of their future.

Cavalli struck out nine and gave Washington six quality innings. Wood delivered a clutch two-out hit. House reached base to begin the eighth-inning rally. Abrams followed with a hit. Crews used his speed and baseball instincts to reach on a bunt. Morales stole second. Pinckney produced the sacrifice fly. Vivas delivered the biggest hit.

That is a much more meaningful formula than watching a collection of short-term veterans carry the team to a meaningless September victory.

Vivas deserves plenty of credit. With two outs and the game tied, he did not try to hit a five-run homer. He stayed in the at-bat and drove the pitch into right field. The result was the decisive two-run double.

Cavalli may have been even more important.

Washington needs starting pitching if this rebuild is eventually going to work. Cavalli has the type of talent to become a major part of that rotation, and another nine-strikeout performance reinforces why the Nationals have remained patient with him.

The ninth inning was not comfortable, and that is probably fitting considering how Washington’s season has unfolded. The Angels pulled within one run and gave Nationals fans another reason to wonder whether another late lead was about to disappear.

This time it did not.

For one night, Washington’s young lineup created the comeback and its bullpen protected it.

After seven straight losses, that is progress.