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If the Nationals Can’t Beat the Rockies, Who Can They Be Trusted To Beat?

The Washington Nationals' season has taken a turn for the worst.
Jun 18, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Mitchell Parker (70) reacts after giving up a solo home run to Colorado Rockies first baseman Michael Toglia (4) during the sixth inning at Nationals Park.
Jun 18, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Mitchell Parker (70) reacts after giving up a solo home run to Colorado Rockies first baseman Michael Toglia (4) during the sixth inning at Nationals Park. | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

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The Washington Nationals have lost three in a row to the Colorado Rockies, extending their losing streak to eleven games.

A reminder: the Rockies are on pace to have one of the worst, if not the worst, records in the history of baseball. They had the fewest wins through 70 games since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders at just 13. That team just beat the Nationals three times in a row.

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Washington has one more chance tonight to take care of business against Colorado to avoid a four-game sweep. The Rockies have one sweep all season, against the Miami Marlins at the start of the month. They're the same Marlins team that is tied for last place in the National League East with the Nationals after appearing to be a clear fifth-place write-in.

These are hard times for Dave Martinez, whose hot seat discussion seems to become more complex by the day.

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez walking on the field in a red shirt.
May 14, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez (4) makes a pitching change against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what's going on. James Wood is slashing .255/.364/.436 in June. Those are not electric numbers compared to the ones he's put up all season, but they aren't terrible. CJ Abrams is playing perfectly within his range in the month as well, slashing .271/.348/.390 with four doubles.

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Kyle Finnegan had a bad day on Monday, allowing three hits and two home runs for three earned runs in an inning of work. But before that, June saw him bring his ERA down from 2.61 to 2.16. He's been the main focus of many of the Nationals' fire sale discussions - there's never a shortage of teams looking for a closer.

It's not going to get any easier, either. Washington's next four opponents are the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels, and Detroit Tigers. That's the sort of stretch that can turn a bad skid into total free fall, and the Nationals are staring that down.

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Anders Pryor
ANDERS PRYOR

Anders Pryor is an MLB writer and contributor at On SI a part of the Sports Illustrated network. He graduated from Villanova University with a degree in Journalism and spent his senior year interning with the sports desk at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Anders loves spending his free time running in the park and being with friends.

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