The Washington Nationals knew they would have a less-than-soft start to their schedule, highlighted by series against the last three National League champions, plus bellwether meetings with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets.
In the middle is this 10-game road trip that might not look too tough on its face (Miami, Pittsburgh and Colorado all missed the playoffs last season). But surprises lurk in April — San Francisco (13-3) suddenly leads the NL West and the Marlins look a little bit better than last year’s last-place team, which took two of three from the Nats.
And while the Pirates and Rockies are both currently in last place of their respective divisions, each is only a hot home stand away from the rest of the pack. And both host a sub-.500 Washington team this week.
Digesting the Division: Atop the NL East are the New York Mets (10-5), who have won four straight series after the season’s opening weekend. Philadelphia (9-6) dropped consecutive series at Atlanta and St Louis. Miami (8-7) is fresh from winning two of three from Washington (6-9), while Atlanta (4-11) took two of three from the Phillies over the weekend.
O’s Woes: At 6-9, the Birds are in last place of the AL East, and the early returns on prime prospect Jackson Holliday are not promising. After hitting .189 in limited action last year, the 21-year-old is batting .213 with one walk and 12 strikeouts.
Diamonds Direct Diamond King: James Wood hit four homers with eight RBI and looks to have taken the necessary next step in his development.
Last Week’s Heroes: Keibert Ruiz hit .435 while scoring three runs and driving in four. Jacob Young batted .462 while Nathaniel Lowe drove in seven. Kyle Finnegan tallied two more saves while Brad Lord tossed three solid innings in his first Major League start. MacKenzie Gore struck out seven while allowing two runs over six innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Last Week’s Humbled: Gore coughed up four runs on eight hits and three walks to Miami in his next start, while Luke Sims allowed six runs on 2.1 innings of relief. Dylan Crews hit .143 while Paul DeJong batted .130.
Game to Watch: Mackenzie Gore pitches Friday at Colorado. Until further notice, every start for the lefthander will be must-watch from a standpoint of seeing how he either maintains momentum from a previous start or bounces back from a disappointing outing.
Game to Miss: Saturday or Sunday the Capitals will begin their first round playoff series. Washington last won a playoff series seven years ago, when they captured the Stanley Cup. As good as Alex Ovechkin’s chase to 895 was, a deep playoff run would make 2025 even more memorable. And that requires watching every game, even if it conflicts with Nationals-Rockies.
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