Nationals Look to End Their Longstanding Curse Against Orioles

The Washington Nationals are two games under .500 on May 15 with a record of 21-23.

After beating the Cincinnati Reds in the first two contests of their three-game set, the Nationals were just one win away from having a .500 record in the month of May for the first time since 2024. And if this sounds like a familiar conversation, that's because, according to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic (subscription required), Washington has been one game under the .500 mark 15 times since May 15, 2024. And they have lost all 15 of those games.

"We've been teasing (that .500 mark) for a while here," Jacob Young said. "Hopefully, we can kind of get over that hump and start going the other way."

Nationals Have Chance to Break Their Curse Against the Orioles

Washington Nationals pitcher PJ Poulin | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The Nationals were staring .500 right in the face on Thursday. With two wins under their belts against the Reds and Foster Griffin ready to take the mound in the finale, it seemed like a forgone conclusion that Washington would get to that key mark. But when the game ended and the score was 15-1 in favor of Cincinnati, the realization that they squandered another opportunity to even up their record hit the players like a ton of bricks, as the clubhouse was reportedly solemn and quiet.

But that's in the past. Washington has a chance to get to .500 at home across their next seven contests. Facing both the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets, this is a chance for them to finally get over the hump like Young suggested. And by facing an Orioles squad that has an 8-12 road record and a staff ERA of 5.27 when away from home, there is a good opportunity for the Nationals to break their longstanding curse during this Beltway rivalry.

Blake Butera Not Caught Up in Nationals Record

Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

While the players have getting to .500 as a main goal of theirs, manager Blake Butera isn't caught up in that right now. Instead, he is focused on getting his team to improve every time they step on the field, which will help them get to where they want to be in the long haul.

"I'm just not too caught up in our record here on (May 14). We want to win every day. So whatever our record is, our job is to go out there and play our best game every day. ... I mean, what's our record, 21-23? If our goal is to be 22-22, like, I don't know (what) that does for us. Our goal is just to keep getting better every day. I know it might sound like cliche or whatever, but that really is what these guys are focused on doing," Butera stated.

Still, it always feels a bit better when a team is playing winning baseball. And as Washington gets ready for another opportunity to get to .500 or better, they are hoping they can finally get past that hurdle this time around.

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