April 12, 2026 [LINK / comment]
Nationals sweep the Brewers!
The Washington Nationals were hosting the L.A. Dodgers for their home opener on Friday April 3, a beautiful day for a ball game. The Nats jumped on top 3-0 in the first inning, thanks to a home run by C.J. Abrams, who is having one heck of an early season. The Nats' starting pitcher Miles Mikolas got the first six outs, but then totally lost it in the third inning, when the Dodgers scored 5 times. By the time Mikolas was replaced in the 5th inning, he had given up 11 earned runs. The rest of the game didn't really matter in a 13-6 blowout. On Saturday, starting pitcher Jake Irvin got roughed up in the early innings, and the final score was 10-5. On Sunday afternoon, after a 2-hour rain delay, the Nats tried mightily to avoid getting swept, and had a 6-3 lead going into the 8th inning. But unfortunately the Dodgers staged a 4-run rally, as relief pitcher Cionel Perez proved utterly ineffective, not even recording a single out. Final score: L.A. 8, Nats 6. Getting swept by the mega-salary L.A. Dodgers surprised no one.
The next day the Nats welcomed the St. Louis Cardinals to town, and showed spunk on the heels of that distressing sweep by scoring twice in the first inning. But the Cards gradually came back and had a 6-3 lead by the middle of the 8th inning. That's when the Nats pulled off an incredible 6-run rally, featuring home runs by James Wood, Brady House, and C.J. Abrams. Final score: Nats 9, Cards 6. On Tuesday the Nats were ahead 5-3 until the Cards tied it in the 8th inning, and the visitors eked out a 7-6 victory in 10 innings. That was a big lost opportunity. On Wednesday Mikolas was on the mound, and fared little better than in his first two starts, as the Nats lost the game, 6-1, and thus, the series.
After a day of rest, the Nats flew west to Milwaukee to face the 8-4 Brewers in American Family Field. The Nats scored twice in the first inning, but a home run by Jake Bauers immediately put the Brewers on top, 3-2. The Nats tied it 3-3 on a double by Jacob Young in the 7th inning, and in the 9th inning they managed to score four times by three well-executed bunts and two singles. And so, the Nats won it, 7-3. On Saturday it was a scoreless game until the 5th inning, when the Nats took a 2-0 lead. Starting pitcher Foster Griffin had a no-hitter going into the 6th inning, and after he was replaced the Brewers loaded the bases but couldn't quite score. In the bottom of the 9th William Contreras hit a lead-off homer, and the the Brewers again loaded the bases but failed to score. Nats 3, Brewers 1. And today, it was a thrilling, back-and-forth game in which James Wood homered for the third day in a row. The Nats took a 6-3 lead in the 7th inning, but the Brewers quickly tied it in the bottom of the inning. The decisive play of the game was in the top of the 8th inning when Keibert Ruiz singled up the middle on a low pitch, scoring two runs that made possible the 8-6 victory which sealed the Nats' first sweep of the year! With a quite respectable 7-8 record, the Nats are now tied with the Phillies for third place in the National League East Division, just behind the Marlins. The 10-6 Atlanta Braves lead the division.
Tomorrow the Nats head to Pittsburgh for a four-game series against the first-place (!) Pirates. (The Brewers had been in first place before getting swept by the Nats.) Cade Cavalli will face the Pirates' ace pitcher Paul Skenes, a daunting challenge, but the way the Nationals' batters have been playing this year, anything is possible. Believe it or not, the Nationals' team batting average (.272) ranks #4 in the majors, close behind the Braves and Astros, and their home run total (17) is tied for 5th place.
Nats' pitchers are a mixed bag
To the surprise of few people, the Washington Nationals' pitchers this year are not exactly ready for prime time. Their relief pitchers keep blowing leads late in the game, and some of their starting pitchers probably won't last long at the rate they're going. In any case, here is the starting rotation for the time being, including their ERAs and innings pitched:
- Cade Cavalli (2.51 ERA, 14.1 IP)
- Miles Mikolas* (12.41 ERA, 12.1 IP)
- Jake Irvin (7.07 ERA, 14.0 IP)
- Foster Griffin* (1.76 ERA, 15.1 IP)
- Zach Littell* (4.20 ERA, 15.0 IP)
As for the relievers, Brad Lord, Clayton Beeter, and PJ Poulin seem OK, but Cionel Perez*, Ken Waldichuk*, Cole Henry, and Andre Granillo* have been pretty shaky so far. In today's game against the Brewers, Gus Varland* got his first save with the Nationals, just barely. I hope he continues to improve.
* Asterisks indicate new pitchers for the Nationals this year.
MORE baseball on TV!!!
My last blog post discussed the big news that NBC will be carrying games on most Sunday nights, including tonight's 13-1 blowout of the Cleveland Guardians by the Atlanta Braves. NBC will also show games on a few other days besides Sunday during the summer months, ending on Labor Day, September 7. But wait, there's more! I recently learned that the Gray Media television stations in the Washington Nationals' area (including WHSV Channel 3 here in the Shenandoah Valley) will be carrying ten Nationals games on Friday nights, beginning this Friday on April 17! Whoopeee!!! As of this year, the Nationals are no longer bound to MASN, which is controlled by the Baltimore Orioles, and this spring "Nationals TV" began operations. I gave it a one-week free trial, but learned to my chagrin that my "smart" TV can't download the necessary MLB software to get the signal. I can watch on my iPhone, but the "mirroring" technique to transfer the signal to the TV is prone to frequent signal glitches. For the time being, I'm afraid it's not worth the $19.99 monthly charge. In any case, these new arrangements are another sign that Rob Manfred understands the need to adapt to the new era of Internet-based media.
Progressive Field update
I made some partial corrections to the Progressive Field diagram, taking into account renovations that have been made over the past two years. The main change is that most of the upper deck in right field and along the third base side past the infield has been permanently removed, replaced with new rooftop party areas. In 2015 most of the upper deck in right field (including the portion wrapping around the right field foul pole) was covered up with tarpaulin and temporary structures catering to partiers. The portion of the upper deck from the corner of the grandstand inward has now been restored to its original seating function. The 2025 version diagram now includes the "H" (home) and "V" (visitor) labels next to the respective dugouts. (I need to check to be sure about which bullpen is which, but when the two bullpens are adjacent and parallel to each other, the home team usually occupies the one closer to the field.) As indicated on that page, that diagram is a "work in progress," subject to future corrections.
Also, I got rid of the old (small-size) photos and replaced them with larger-size photos, including this one that I took from the upper deck behind home plate in 2012. (Disclaimer: I made slight digital edits to make the background sky look more appealing.) Beautiful, isn't it?
Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Guardians (then known as the "Indians"), on August 7, 2012.