Nationals Get Swept During West Coast Trip, Here's the Good and the Bad
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The Washington Nationals entered Wednesday's contest against the San Diego Padres as sole owners of a major league record following their 38th blown save the night prior.
This young group had done a good job of picking themselves up off the mat after suffering some body blows over the course of the season. However, following a prolonged period of poor play and crushing defeats, it felt like only a matter of time before that would change.
While the Nationals jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning during the finale against the Padres, things unraveled the half-frame after that when San Diego scored three runs and took the lead on a dropped ball by the normally sure-handed center fielder Jacob Young when he collided into the wall while attempting a catch.
Manager Blake Butera was ejected after that. He believed that Ty France didn't check his swing a couple of at-bats prior, which would have ended the inning with Washington up 2-0. Instead, France had an RBI single and then he later scored the go-ahead run. That seems to be clear frustration that boiled over for Butera, who has seen his team lose in just about every possible way during this six-game road trip.
Is there anything to take away from this series that was positive for the Nationals? There are few things, even if the majority were negative.
The Good
Here's a positive: Dylan Crews flashed the high-end of his potential in Los Angeles and San Diego. Across those six games, he went 8-for-23 with a homer, four doubles and five RBIs. His wRC+ was well above the league average, which was nice to see against a championship contender in the Dodgers and a playoff hopeful in the Padres.
It's been a tough year once again for Crews. While a good majority of his teammates enjoyed some career-best seasons in 2026, that has not been the case for the former No. 2 overall pick. There is real concern about his long-term viability as an everyday player. But what he did during this road trip was a good step in the right direction.
The Bad
The pitching staff was a disaster again. Not only did the relief staff continue to cough up leads, but the starting rotation also had issues.
Overall, the staff gave up a total of 35 runs. That was good for 5.83 runs per game. It's awfully hard to win baseball games that way, and after some of the younger arms had encouraging moments at times following their callups, it has been a struggle as of late.
It's clear that Washington has to address their starting rotation and bullpen before next season, because there is no way the front office can operate with the same lackluster approach that they took this past winter.
The Good
Cade Cavalli continues to be elite this season, and that was no different against Los Angeles during his lone start of this West Coast swing.
Facing the two-time defending World Series champions that has a lineup littered with future Hall of Famers and All-Stars, Cavalli allowed just two earned runs on four hits across six innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. While he did hit a batter, the high-end strikeout stuff combined with top-level control has become a calling card for the right-hander. And that has allowed him to put together a head-turning season that he and this organization were expecting.
With Cavalli leading this rotation for the near future, that at least gives the front office a bonafide ace to build around.
The Bad
Pretty much everything besides Crews performing well and Cavalli looking sharp was bad during this West Coast road trip. However, something that continues to stand out is the struggles of CJ Abrams.
Against the Dodgers and Padres, the star shortstop went 2-for-23 with 11 strikeouts. While one of his hits was a home run to get him to the 30-homer mark, it has not been a good stretch for Abrams. In fact, he's had his patented second half struggles with a .228/.307/.451 slash line. While he has hit 10 longballs across 46 games following the All-Star break, he's been hitting under .200 in August and September, which has not helped matters for his team.
Of course, Abrams isn't the only player in the lineup who had a bad showing out west. But he's one of the best players on the team and is one of the leaders in the clubhouse. So it's no surprise that back-to-back sweeps occurred while he was ice-cold at the plate.
The Ugly
Wednesday's loss put Washington's record at 67-81, which ensures they will not have a winning record this season. That means they will not finish above .500 for the seventh year in a row, which is the longest in franchise history since they moved to the nation's capital in 2005. It's also the longest streak they've had since the first 10 seasons of the franchise's existence from 1969-1978.
It's been a tough stretch since they won the World Series in 2019. And even though there is hope that brighter days are ahead based on the talent they have in their pipeline, it's not clear when that is going to come.
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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