This past week, the Nationals went on the road for two interleague series with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox, Unfortunately, both Sox teams got the best of the Nats for two out of three in each series. Boston is understandable because they’re doing better than expected, but Chicago has the worst record in the American League, so that’s inexcusable.
Washington’s lone win against the Red Sox at Fenway Park came on Friday night, as the Nats won 5-1, while the team took Game One of a Tuesday doubleheader with the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field for a 6-3 victory.
However, the Nationals’ two losses against Boston were the results of the bullpen not coming through late in the first contest and fielding errors in the second, while the team was shut out in both losses against Chicago.
After these six games, Washington currently sits at a .227 batting average (22nd in the MLB) and a .665 OPS (24th in the majors), so something clearly isn’t right with the team’s hitting right now.
In the Nationals’ two shutout losses to the White Sox, the team went a combined 0-for-17 with RISP, as they went 0-for-9 in Tuesday’s loss and 0-for-8 in Wednesday’s defeat.
To make matters worse, Washington went up against a familiar foe in former Nats pitcher Erick Fedde, who went seven innings and struck out six batters for Chicago’s 4-0 victory on Tuesday evening. Fedde previously played for the Nationals from 2017-2022 and was part of the 2019 World Series championship team.
Meanwhile in Boston, the Nats’ first loss came as the game was tied at 2-2 heading into the eighth inning when reliever Robert Garcia gave up a 2-RBI double from Rafael Devers that put Boston up 4-2. Garcia had replaced starter Jake Irvin who had a solid seven-inning performance.
The second loss to the Red Sox came on Sunday when Victor Robles dropped a routine fly for an error, which led to Ceddanne Rafaela hitting a two-run double, and then Jarren Duran scoring on a MacKenzie Gore wild pitch, all in the second inning.
On the positive side of things, right after the Red Sox series, Eddie Rosario was named the National League Player of the Week. Over five games against Baltimore and Boston, Rosario had three home runs and five RBIs with a .467 AVG, a .600 OBP, and a 1.133 SLG, which was a remarkable turnaround compared to how he started the season.
In Washington’s 5-1 victory against the Red Sox, Patrick Corbin secured his first win of the year, while Trey Lipscomb’s two-run single opened the floodgates for more runs, courtesy of Joey Meneses, Rosario, and Robles.
Meanwhile, the Nationals took the first half of a Tuesday doubleheader in Chicago, which was the result of rainy weather the previous day. With the game tied at 3-3 in the top of the eighth, Washington got key hits from Keibert Ruiz, Lipscomb, and Robles for their lone win against the White Sox.
Next up, the Nationals will remain on the road for their first NL series since late April, as they visit the divisional rival Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
