An Unofficial Washington Nationals Support Group.
We all know how the last three games have gone, but it is time to turn the page and move on to the Orioles series. As has been mentioned at length, this Nats team has been resilient this season. However, this upcoming stretch is the biggest test yet. It is tough to drop three games […]
In case your head has been under a rock lately, you would know that the Nationals bullpen is god awful. It feels like we are at the point where Paul Toboni needs to just throw stuff at the wall and hope something sticks. Along those lines, I am taking a look at a few even […]
After a third straight bullpen meltdown, we saw a different side of Blake Butera. His answers were short and to the point. He was asked about what went wrong with the bullpen, and he simply said “they did not throw strikes and didn’t execute” and when he was asked about his takeaway from the game […]
The Nats have lost in truly heartbreaking fashion back to back nights. However, they still have a chance to salvage a split tonight. It will be a tall task though. Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez is on the mound, and he is having a truly special season. The big news for the Nats is that CJ […]
To say that the Nationals’ bullpen has been bad might be the understatement of the century. They’re not just struggling, they’re performing at a level so poor that they redefine the definition of a “bad bullpen”. The group consistently posts some of the worst pitch-based metrics in Major League Baseball, continuously displaying its ineptitude in […]
This series has exposed the Washington Nationals fatal flaw. They cannot close out games to save their life. Nationals pitchers who come in the game in the 9th inning of a close game feel like fish out of water. The Nationals have already blown 23 saves as a team, while no other team has blown […]
The loss last night was absolutely devastating, but at this point, the boys are almost used to it. They have bounced back from demoralizing bullpen meltdowns before, and they will try to do it again tonight. We will also see a new arm for the first time in this one. After being scratched last night, […]
Clearly, Paul Toboni and the front office knew that they needed to shake up the bullpen in some way. It started with demoting Paxton Schultz for Carson Palmquist. Now, the Nats claimed veteran righty Justin Lawrence off waivers from the Twins. Lawrence has had a rough year, but has been successful in the past and […]
As we all know, the Nationals need guys with louder stuff in the bullpen. They rank last in stuff+ and whiff rate among relievers. However, I think they have a potential solution sitting in their Triple-A rotation. Paul Toboni needs to unleash Luis Perales, and make him a high velocity bullpen arm. Right now, the […]
With Trea Turner at the plate, Brad Lord and the Washington Nationals were one strike away from completing another emotional win over the Phillies. In what felt like an hour later, Trea Turner came to the plate again in the top of the 9th to single and make it 14-8 Phillies. I would say I […]
The Nats took game one of a massive 4 game set against the Phillies thanks to a dominant outing by Foster Griffin. Now, they will look to take full control of the series tonight in game two. A win tonight would be a true statement for the upstart Nats. With a lefty on the mound, […]
Nasim Nunez’s speed and defense have always been exceptional. However, for most of this season, the bat has been so bad that fans questioned whether the juice was worth the squeeze. At the end of May, Nunez’s OPS started with a 4, but he has been red hot in June. It has been a wild […]
After the game, Foster Griffin told me, “You are not done until the manager shakes your hand and says you are done”. Last night, that hand shake did not come until one out in the 8th inning. When Blake Butera took the ball from Griffin, the crowd that stuck through a long rain delay erupted […]
Blake Butera did not downplay the magnitude of this series. While he said this one counts the same as the rest, the players are aware of what is at stake in this 4 game set against the Phillies. This is a major measuring stick series for this group which surprisingly finds themselves in wild card […]
In a rubber match for the series yesterday afternoon, the Nationals hung around against the Rays, taking a 3-2 lead into the 7th inning, but were unable to hold onto it, as a Jonny DeLuca 2-run blast off Orlando Ribalta in the bottom of the 7th gave the Rays a 1-run lead they would hold […]
Five hours before first pitch in Wilmington on the Saturday before Father’s Day, Eli Willits sat down with me in the visiting dugout at Frawley Stadium. I was warned that the 18 year old was a very professional and serious kid. They were not wrong, but after talking to him, I gained insights into the […]
The Nats got into a bullpen battle with the Rays, and inevitably that did not end well. Tampa got three scoreless innings out of their bullpen, while Gus Varland and Orlando Ribalta both faltered for the Nats. The crushing blow came in the 7th, when Jonny DeLuca hit a 2-run homer off a hanging slider […]
After the Rays took game one, the Nats grinded out a one run win in game two of the three game set. That sets the stage for a rubber match this afternoon. The Nats will look to win yet another series, while the Rays look to stay hot at home. Blake Butera made a few […]
Yesterday, we saw the best of Dylan Crews. He was hitting rifles all over the yard, including a 442 foot nuke to give the Nats an insurance run they desperately needed. This was Dylan Crews at his best, something we unfortunately do not see often enough. Crews has these great games, they just do not […]
We are roughly 3 weeks away from the 2026 MLB Draft, where, after being locked out of the top 9 picks of the draft like they were in 2024, the Nationals will be picking 11th overall, with picks 42nd, 78th, and 106th overall coming on the rest of day one as well. It will be […]
The Nats dropped the first game of the Rays series in a fairly sleepy contest. In each of the last two games, the Nats ferocious offense has been quiet. They will look to bounce back and avoid a rare series loss. As we saw last night though, this Rays team is a tough nut to […]
Seaver King has gotten off to a very interesting start to his Triple-A career. Overall, he has put up good numbers, especially after a big game last night. King is hitting .296 with an .860 OPS in 24 games so far. Yesterday, he went 3 for 4 with a homer and a double, and showed […]
The Nats have been playing good baseball lately, but they have a tough test this weekend. As usual, the Rays have been punching above their weight this year. They do not have a ton of power, but they make a ton of contact and have great pitching, which will be a test for the Nats. […]
The Nationals, disregarding their 1st series of the month, are on an 8-4 tear as we head into the second half of June. They find themselves sitting just 1.0 game back of the 2nd place Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East race, and currently hold the last Wild Card spot. After winning their 4th straight […]
The Nationals and Rays are facing off this weekend, and these two teams suddenly have very deep ties. In a lot of ways, the Rays are the model organization that the Nats are trying to become, though hopefully with a bit more spending. Between Blake Butera, Curtis Mead, Michael Johns and Ani Kilambi, there are […]