The Washington Nationals wrapped up their series with Arizona by outslugging the Diamondbacks 10-7 Sunday, taking two of three from the team they’re chasing for the National League’s third Wild Card spot.
One week before the trade deadline, the Nats are making their case for being buyers rather than sellers. Washington is 6-3 since the All-Star break, but the club still made a notable move Saturday night, sending one of its bigger bats, Curtis Mead, to Boston in exchange for pitching prospect Connerly Early.
Despite career highs of 17 home runs and 48 RBIs, Mead wasn’t viewed as part of the Nationals’ long-term plans. His departure clears the way for Brady House’s return to the big leagues. House went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI on Sunday.
The deal also brings in a pitching prospect whom Nationals Director of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni helped draft during his time with the Red Sox. The question now: Will more moves follow before Aug. 3?
Digesting the Division: Atlanta (62-43) remains in first place, getting a major boost from catcher Drake Baldwin, who’s batting .435 with five home runs and 10 RBIs since the All-Star break.
Philadelphia (56-49 entering Sunday Night Baseball) has lost three straight series, giving the Braves some breathing room atop the division.
Washington sits in third place, while Miami (52-54) has lost 12 straight and slipped from contender to pretender. The Marlins have scored just 30 runs during the skid.
The New York Mets (43-62) are now without Juan Soto, who landed on the 10-day injured list because of a calf injury.
O’s Woes: Consecutive series losses have kept the Orioles (51-55) below .500 and 2.5 games out of the final American League Wild Card spot, currently held by Cleveland.
One bright spot since the All-Star break has been Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who is hitting .370 with three home runs and nine RBIs since being called up from the minors.
Diamond King: CJ Abrams hit .577 with six home runs and 12 RBIs, notching his 27th home run of the season, a new Nationals record for shortstop. When he was made the cleanup hitter coming out of spring training there was some surprise, but the All-Star along with James Wood is the primary source of production for the highest-scoring offense in baseball.
Last Week’s Heroes: James Wood homered twice Sunday to reach 30 for the season, becoming the first National to do so in consecutive seasons since Adam Dunn in 2009 and 2010.
Dylan Crews batted .438, while Brady House hit a pair of doubles Sunday in his first game back in the big leagues. Cade Cavalli struck out eight over six innings, while Riley Cornelio posted a pair of wins in relief and Clayton Beeter notched two saves.
Last Week’s Humbled: Miles Mikolas allowed six runs over 7.2 innings, while Carson Palmquist coughed up six runs over three frames. The catching combination of Keibert Ruiz (2-13 at the plate) and Harry Ford (1-9) struggled offensively.
Game to Watch: Toronto drops by the District this week, with former Nationals legend Max Scherzer slated to start for the Blue Jays. There was once a time when Max made every one of his starts must-see, and it’ll be intriguing to see him back on the mound in D.C.
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