When the Washington Nationals last faced the Baltimore Orioles, in early May, Washington was playing .500 baseball. The playoffs seemed like a real possibility for the Nats. Trevor Williams won the first of that two-game set and was enjoying perhaps the best season of his career.
Soon thereafter, however, Williams injured his elbow. He hasn’t pitched since, and while Washington has shown continued tenacity, the team slipped below .500 without him and its playoff hopes have faded away. The Nats dealt a handful of veterans as the trade deadline neared and clearly don’t expect to contend until 2025 at the earliest.
Baltimore, meanwhile, sits atop the AL East with 70 wins, tied with the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians for the most wins in the majors.
Take nothing for granted
You’d think that the two games in Baltimore should easily be won by the Orioles, given the relative positions of the two clubs in their respective divisions. While that might be the way to bet, you can count on the Nats not rolling over for the O’s. Washington just took two of three from the Los Angeles Angels, winning each of the first two games of the series in 10th-inning walk-off fashion. Throughout this frustrating season, Washington has demonstrated the ability to give all their opponents a run for their money – with the notable exception of the San Diego Padres.
Keep an eye on these Nats
Alex Call is making the most of the opportunity presented to him when Lane Thomas was traded to the Guardians. Call is batting .457 with 10 RBIs in his most recent 13 games with Washington. During the same time frame, Luis Garcia has been hammering the ball at a .419 clip, and mid-season call-up James Wood is hitting .318. Even Keibert Ruiz, whose average hovered around .200 during the first half of the season, has a respectable .268 average recently.
Who’s pitching – and who’s not
Jake Irvin and DJ Herz are expected to start for the Nationals in the two games, and should give Washington a fighting chance. Irvin has struggled a bit recently but leads the team in wins. Herz has been inconsistent since his mid-season call-up, but a pleasant surprise overall, and has a 2.35 ERA in his last two starts. And perhaps most importantly, snakebitten lefty Patrick Corbin is not scheduled to pitch against the Orioles.
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