As the Nats head home after a nine-game West Coast road trip, they face off in a three-game series against perennial powerhouse Houston who has been struggling mightily to start the season. Will the Astros begin their resurgence or will the Nats enjoy some home cooking?
Nats Week in Review (April 19-25)
Game 19 Of The Regular Season, Game One Of The Week
This one didn’t start off well for the Nats as they fell behind 3-0 in the second inning. Starter MacKenzie Gore wasn’t particularly sharp lasting only four innings. The Nats managed to get a run back in the third, but Houston responded and never let the Nats get a lead.
This was a very pedestrian game with no homers by either team. The Nats losing ways at home continued in a 5-3 defeat.
Game 20 Of The Regular Season, Game Two Of The Week
This one also did not look promising for the Nats. After leading 2-1 after five innings, the Astros notched three runs in the late innings and took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth. Another home loss looked certain.
But these Nats refused to quit. Starting pitcher Trevor Williams had already done his part in keeping the Nats in it. Then they tied it up with two runs in the bottom of the ninth. And then the Nats won it 5-4 in the bottom of the tenth. Finally another home win.
Game 21 Of The Regular Season, Game Three Of The Week
Could the Nats actually win a home series? The home record got their answer early. In the bottom of the first inning, the Nats pushed across three runs. In a surprising turn of events, they were never threatened.
Starting pitcher Mitchell Parker was outstanding. In fact he was so good that manager Davey Martinez actually let him start and finish the seventh inning. The Nats kept up the pressure and even though they had another game without a dinger, they cruised to a 6-0 victory to pull within a game of the .500 mark on the season. Just in time for a three-game series against a Dodgers team with revenge on their minds.
Game 22 Of The Regular Season, Game Four Of The Week
In his best performance of the season, Patrick Corbin pitched five innings and gave up zero earned runs. Unfortunately, the relievers weren’t up to the task. Mr. 700M dollar man Shohei Ohtani hit a bomb for the Dodgers.
The Nats bats were quiet again except for C.J. Abrams who had three hits on the night. The Nats were only able to score once and went down to defeat, 4-1.
Game 23 Of The Regular Season, Game Five Of The Week
Suspense is not a word that would describe this outing for the Nats. Starter Jake Irvin gave up six runs on twelve hits in 4 2/3 innings. That’s almost the good news.
The Dodgers outhit the Nats by 20-3. It was a mess. With the outcome never in doubt, LA cruised to an 11-2 victory to at least accomplish what the Nats did in LA by winning two of three. Could the Nats rebound or would the Dodgers come to the park with their brooms?
Game 24 Of The Regular Season, Game Six Of The Week
In a game that was eerily similar to the finale in Dodgers Stadium, it almost ended up with the exact same score with the other team winning.
The only real difference is that the Nats were able to avoid the shutout by scoring one run in the bottom of the ninth. The result was another loss this time by 2-1. No sense blaming the pitchers. They did their job. Unfortunately, it was another instance where the bars were too quiet. The Dodgers had their revenge and a sweep.
Observations
The pitching looks promising if not always consistent. Hitting is becoming a real concern. Lane Thomas is on the IL. Pitcher Josiah Gray should return soon.
The record on the season now stands at 10-14. A four-game set against the Marlins in Little Havana is next. Can the Nats get back on track?
Nats Week in Review: Week One
Nats Week in Review: Week Two
Nats Week in Review: Week Three
Main Image: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
