The term “dog days of summer” originated with astronomy: this is the time of year that Canis Major (the dog star) is prevalent in the sky. And while May and July also have 31 days, August feels like the longest month of the season.
The novelty of a new season is long gone while the playoffs remain 50 or so games away. There’s not even a trading deadline or All Star game to look forward to and even the teams that aren’t in contention haven’t been officially eliminated.
The Nationals are on the fringe of Wild Card contention (nine games out of the final playoff spot in the NL) and eventually we’ll be providing a “tragic number” for elimination.
Last week began with a sweep in Arizona and it felt like the season-ending slide was underway: from blowing a six-run lead, to allowing 17 runs, to getting shut out by the Diamondbacks. But wouldn’t you know, the Nats bounce back by taking two of three from NL Central-leading Milwaukee.
This isn’t over, yet…
Deadline Deals: Last week we figured there would be a little more movement before the trading deadline, with Lane Thomas and Dylan Floro the last two to become former Nationals.
Thomas is a former deadline deal arrival (for Jon Lester in 2021) and was one of the better players on this roster during the reboot. He also has one more season of team-control and had a career year in 2023. The Nats’ loss is Cleveland’s gain as they prepare their playoff push while more prospects come into the organization.
Floro is another bargain bin pickup Mike Rizzo was able to turn into potential. And if all goes well over the next 12 months, the Nationals will be buyers instead of sellers this time in 2025.
Digesting the Division: Philadelphia (66-45) snapped a six-game losing streak Sunday in Seattle, while getting a gem from Zack Wheeler (nine strikeouts over eight scoreless innings).
Atlanta (60-51) lost two straight in Miami to slip back into a tie for the top Wild Card spot with surging San Diego (11-3 since the All Star break) while the New York Mets (58-53) are a game and a half out of the last playoff spot after dropping two straight to the Los Angeles Angels.
Washington (51-61) remains seven and a half games behind the Mets and nine games ahead of Miami (42-70).
Break up the Birds: Baltimore (67-46) split their series with AL Central-leading Cleveland in a potential postseason preview, putting 16 runs on the board while winning both weekend games. Back in town is prime prospect Jackson Holliday, who belted a grand slam in his return to majors and batted 6-13 against the Guardians.
Diamonds Direct Diamond King: Alex Call returned to the big leagues in a big way, hitting .571 with four RBI.
Last Week’s Heroes: Luis Garcia Jr. batted .526 with two homers, three RBI and five runs scored while James Wood went .350 at the plate with five RBI.
Mitchell Parker tossed six scoreless innings Sunday to even the rookie’s record at 6-6 on the season while DJ Herz also posted a victory, throwing five scoreless frames Saturday.
Kyle Finnegan bounced back from Monday night’s rough outing in Arizona to notch his 29th and 30th saves of the season over the weekend.
Last Week’s Humbled: Patrick Corbin, while going for his 100th career victory, allowed 10 earned runs over three innings at Arizona. Robert Garcia coughed up four runs over two innings while Jose Ferrer surrendered three runs over 1.1 frames. Tre Lipscomb and Travis Blankenhorn each went 1-12 at the plate (.083 batting average) while Harold Ramirez hit .167.
Game to Watch: Wednesday the Nats host San Francisco and while Jake Irvin tries to get back to .500 it’s the Giants pitcher who’s coming off the no-hitter we want to see. Blake Snell (1-3, 4.29 ERA) has dealt with multiple stints on the Injured List this season but finally looks like he’s returning to the form that won his second Cy Young Award last season.
Game to Miss: Sunday the Nats wrap up their series with the Los Angeles Angels at 11:35 — in the morning! And while MacKenzie Gore is worth getting up early on a weekend to watch pitch, Davis Daniel (1-2, 4.91 ERA) is not.
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