This Stood Out as Nationals Split Their Four-Game Series With Mets
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The Washington Nationals gave their fans quite the experience during their seven-game home set against two rivals in the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets.
Not only were they able to take the series against their Beltway foes by winning two out of three, but they also split their four-game set against the Mets in a matchup that had everything from a blowout defeat to explosive offensive performances to a pitcher's duel.
Unfortunately, the Nationals weren't able to win the finale on Thursday. And with that, they will hit the road for their upcoming six-game stretch with a record of 25-26.
Nationals Couldn't Get Over the .500 Hump
Something Washington wanted to accomplish for the longest time was being a .500 ballclub in the month of May. They finally reached that point on May 16. However, they weren't able to ride the wave of momentum, as they dropped two in a row against the Orioles and Mets on May 17 and May 18, respectively.
But the Nationals rebounded to win the next two and get their record back to even. It also gave them another chance to get above the .500 mark in the finale on Thursday. But for the second consecutive time when facing that opportunity, they weren't able to achieve it.
That is disappointing considering the stretch Washington has ahead of them, as their next six games will come against two first-place teams in the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Guardians. And with the first-place San Diego Padres on deck after that, it's unclear when the next time the Nationals will get the opportunity to own a winning record.
Cade Cavalli Continues to Flash His Ace Upside
The numbers might not necessarily say that Cade Cavalli is performing like an ace with his season ERA sitting at 3.86 after 11 starts, but the eye test tells a different story. The 27-year-old continues to get better and better with each outing. And on Thursday, he threw seven innings where he gave up two earned runs on four hits with nine strikeouts and just one walk. He is continuing to showcase his high-end strikeout potential while also keeping his command under control.
Growing as a starter this season was something Washington wanted to see from the right-hander. And with two months under his belt, he is starting to prove that he can be the ace of this staff after having impressive performances throughout the early part of this campaign.
Zack Littell Has Turned His Season Around
May has been kind to Zack Littell. Following a disastrous start to his campaign, the veteran right-hander has posted an ERA of 2.55 and a 3-0 record across his four outings this month. Brought out of the bullpen behind an opener for two of them and used as the starting pitcher for the other two, Littell has performed in the fashion that Washington envisioned when they signed him to a deal this spring.
Against the Mets, Littell went five innings where he allowed just two earned runs across five innings. He struck out three and walked none, which is a great sign for him going forward. And now that the 30-year-old has shown that he can still get major league hitters out on a consistent basis, that is an important development for the Nationals.
Offense Can Score Runs at Home
Something that was notable during the early part of the season was how much better this group performed on the road compared to at home. Not only did the pitching staff have better numbers away from Nationals Park, but the offense was noticeably more potent away from home, too.
However, that was not the case against New York. Across their four games, Washington scored 25 total runs. That equated to 6.25 runs per contest, which is a huge jump compared to what they were doing earlier in the year. And when factoring in the three contests against Baltimore in the series prior, the Nationals plated 44 runs, which was good for 6.29 runs per game.
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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