Nationals Notebook: Curtain coming down for Corbin

Patrick Corbin was supposed to be the final piece of the puzzle to a starting rotation that was going to put the Washington Nationals over the top when he signed his six-year, $140-million contract in 2019.

And by going 14-7 with an ERA of 3.25 in the regular season before contributing in the postseason (he was the winning pitcher in Game Seven of the World Series), the left-hander did exactly that.

Unfortunately, what followed has been a semi-nightmare for a one-time All Star: 29-69 with an ERA of 5.69. Three straight seasons where he’s led the NL in losses, and his 12 defeats in 2024 are the most in the bigs again.

Injuries to the rotation (Josiah Gray, Trevor Williams) has kept the team from being able to move Corbin into the bullpen. This is the final year of that deal, and while a turnaround is highly unlikely, there’s something to be said about the veteran still going out every fifth day and trying to correct a course that has been awry since the COVID season.

Patrick Corbin stands at 99 career Major League wins. One hopes he gets to 100 sooner rather than later.

Rendon Returns: As we’re on the subject of long-term contracts, the Los Angeles Angels’ visit to D.C. this past weekend was the first time ex-National Anthony Rendon played in D.C. since the 2019 World Series (his homer off Zack Grienke in Game Seven ignited the series-winning rally).

It was a chance to celebrate what was (Rendon led the league in runs scored as well as in RBI while in Washington) while also wondering, “what if?” As in, what if they were able to re-sign the All Star?

The infielder signed a seven-year contract worth $245 million to play in L.A., and while one wanted to keep “Tony Two Bags” in Washington, one sees how the move has cursed the Angels. In his final season with the Nats, Rendon hit .319 while scoring 117 runs. In four-plus seasons with L.A., Rendon has scored a total of 105 runs (in 237 games) while batting .249.

He’s also notched fewer homers (22 to 34) and RBI (117 to 126) in that time than in his final season with the Nationals. Washington may have had problems replacing Rendon (19 different third basemen have played for the team since he left), but the Angels have played 28 different men at that position since Rendon arrived.

The Nats may have gotten minimal production from Stephen Strasburg after he signed his contract that winter, but you could make the case that the Rendon deal was just as bad for L.A..

Digesting the Division: Philadelphia (69-49) lost three of four to Arizona, allowing 23 runs in the last two defeats. The Phillies have dropped 10 of 14 and their ERA in August (5.57) is the seventh-highest in MLB. Atlanta (61-56) has already posted a six-game losing streak this month and their starting rotation has posted one victory in August.

Part of the New York Mets’ (61-57) surge from the outhouse to Wild Card race has been the performance of pitcher Sean Manaea. The lefthander leads the staff with eight wins, 125 strikeouts and owns the best starter’s ERA at 3.44. The Nationals (54-65) still have a ten-game cushion in fourth place as Miami (44-75) is potentially a week away from clinching a losing season.

Break Up the Birds: The Orioles (70-49) became the first team in the MLB to post 70 wins over the weekend. I looked high and low but that does not merit a parade, banner or flag. After taking two of three over the weekend in Tampa Bay, the O’s remain tied for first place in the AL East with the New York Yankees (they play one more series against the Pinstripes in late September).

And while Anthony Santander (10 of his 35 homers have come since the All Star break) is enjoying one heck of a walk year, rookie Colton Cowser is batting .356 with 21 runs scored and 20 RBI in 22 games played since the midsummer classic.

Diamonds Direct Diamond King: James Wood led the team with two homers, seven runs scored, five walks and three steals. He also drove in five.

Last Week’s Heroes: Alex Call in his second week back batted .406 with six RBI while Luis Garcia Jr. went .333 at the plate with five RBI. Mitchell Parker tossed six and a third scoreless innings in his lone start while Jacob Barnes threw 5.2 scoreless frames over four outings. Derek Law tossed six scoreless innings over three games while posting a victory in relief.

Last Week’s Humbled: MacKenzie Gore’s misery continues as the left-hander allowed five runs over five innings in one start (a win) while allowing four unearned runs in his other start (a loss). For the record, he didn’t do himself any favors Sunday, with four walks in the fourth (he loaded the bases twice).

Patrick Corbin coughed up eight runs in 10 innings over two starts while Jake Irvin surrendered five runs over five frames. C.J. Abrams hit .167 while dealing with back spasms that shelved the shortstop for the Angels series while Travis Blankenhorn (.125) and Harold Ramirez (0-for-9) also endured rough weeks at the plate.

Trading deadline pickup and recent call-up José Tena split a thumbnail while trying to field a ball Sunday (X-rays on his thumb came back negative).

Game to Watch: Tuesday and Wednesday, the Nationals are in Baltimore, and I’m looking forward to the Wednesday showdown between D.J. Herz and Dean Kremer. Herz’ outing last Thursday was shortened due to a rain delay while Kramer could have used some rainouts this month (his ERA is 8.68 in two August starts).

Game to Miss: Friday, the Nats begin a series in Philadelphia with Patrick Corbin pitching. We’ve already seen him struggle against the team that he debuted with (Arizona) and the one that drafted him (Los Angeles Angels). How about a few of his former teammates? Like Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, plus ex-National Bryce Harper? I’ll skip this reunion.

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