Nationals One Step Closer to Making Unwanted Major League Baseball History
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Before their West Coast road trip got underway, the one game the Washington Nationals could circle as a possible victory was on Sept. 5.
That's because, despite facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, their ace Cade Cavalli was scheduled to start. The right-hander has performed like one of the best pitchers in baseball over his last 10-plus outings, and even though Tyler Glasnow was set to pitch on the other side, the Nationals have delivered more often than not when Cavalli is on the mound.
Following some early struggles by Cavalli where he got his team into a 2-0 deficit in the first inning, Washington battled back and put themselves in a position to secure the win after they went up 4-2 in the top of the seventh. But, once again, this bullpen's woes came to fruition when they coughed up another lead. And now, the Nationals are just one more blown save away from making some unwanted Major League Baseball history.
Nationals One Blown Save Away From Tying MLB Record
In the bottom of the seventh inning on Saturday, just a half-frame after Washington put themselves up 4-2 following an RBI double from Daylen Lile, right-hander Clayton Beeter took over on the mound for Cavalli.
Beeter, who had been circled as a possible closer for the Nationals this season, has been up and down throughout the year. The negative end of the spectrum was on display during this outing, as he proceeded to give up a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh that put the Dodgers up 5-4 and ultimately resulted in Washington being credited with their 36th blown save of the season.
That now puts them one back of the MLB record, set by the Chicago White Sox in 2024 when they had one of the worst seasons in Major League Baseball history.
The Nationals' front office, led by president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, did not give that unit a ton of attention this past winter despite the struggles this franchise's relief staff has had over the past few years. So if Washington is going to take that next step forward to get out of their rebuilding stage and into contention, then it's clear that a major overhaul has to happen to that position group.
This final stretch of the 2026 season should be an evaluation period for every single reliever in that bullpen, as everyone should have to earn their spots on the roster heading into 2027.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai