Future of Nationals Starter Feels Uncertain After Achieving Unfortunate Feat
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August has not gotten off to a good start for the Washington Nationals, who were blown out by the Milwaukee Brewers.
In their first game after the trade deadline, the Nationals were smoked by a talented Brewers team.
Washington came into the game off a pretty solid trade deadline. They were able to move a lot of their expiring veteran assets for prospects, and with the team still rebuilding, that is important.
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Unfortunately, that rebuild feels like it is still going to be a couple of years' process at least. While some of the young talent have performed well for Washington, others have struggled.
Both MacKenzie Gore and James Wood have been able to have breakout campaigns, but it hasn’t been enough to help much in the win column. This is a team that still needs a lot of help in different areas, and that is going to take time.
One player that they were hopeful was going to take a step forward was 25-year-old pitcher Mitchell Parker. The southpaw started in 29 games for the Nationals in the 2024 campaign and looked pretty good for the most part.
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Overall, he totaled a 7-10 record with a 4.29 ERA. Certainly, respectable numbers in a rookie season, and he figured to be a staple in the rotation going forward.
Unfortunately, he has taken a step back in his sophomore campaign, which was highlighted by joining in bad company against the Brewers.
Mitchell Parker is the 6th pitcher in Nationals/Expos franchise history with 12+ hits and 8+ runs allowed in a start of 4 or fewer IP, joining:
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) August 2, 2025
Shayne Bennett (1999)
Carl Pavano (2001)
Tanner Roark (2015)
Trevor Williams (2023)
Patrick Corbin (2024)
In the loss, he allowed 12 hits and eight earned runs in just four innings of work. He became the sixth pitcher in franchise history to accomplish that unfortunate feat, and he saw his ERA jump to north of 5.00.
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While he is still just 25 years old, it has been a disappointing year for Parker overall. The southpaw got off to a strong start to the campaign, but things have gone downhill since.
As the Nationals start to try and figure out how to get better, improving the rotation is going to have to be at the top of the list. Even though Parker might once have been a piece of the puzzle for the future, that has become uncertain as of now.
During the last two months of the campaign, Washington would be wise to try some young arms from their system and try to figure out if they have any in-house options that might be able to help for 2026.
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Nick Ziegler is an alumnus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He has been working in sports media covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL for nearly a decade with various publications online. With his free time, Nick enjoys being at the Jersey Shore with his wife, daughter, and their golden retriever. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NickZiegler20.