Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Perfect in non-save outing
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Finnegan struck out one over a perfect inning in Tuesday's extra-inning loss to the Mets.
Finnegan entered in the top of the ninth in a 2-2 game and fired a perfect frame. The 32-year-old has delivered four consecutive scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk over that stretch. Finnegan owns the third-most saves in baseball with 22.
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Nationals' DJ Herz: Rights ship with 10 Ks
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Herz didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Mets, allowing one run on five hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts across 5.2 innings.
After dazzling with 13 strikeouts over six scoreless innings June 15, Herz yielded eight runs (seven earned) with six strikeouts and four home runs across his next two starts. However, he stopped the skid Tuesday and allowed just one run, which came on a solo homer by Francisco Lindor in the fifth. Though the 23-year-old owns a 4.67 ERA, he's flashed tantalizing fantasy upside as a rookie and is on track to face the Cardinals, who've scored the fourth fewest runs per game this season, in his next start.
The Nationals transferred Ferrer's (shoulder) rehab assignment to Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Ferrer appeared in one game in the Florida Complex League, allowing one run on two hits while striking out one batter in 1.1 innings. He'll now join Harrisburg in order to rehab against some tougher competition, though it's still unclear whether he'll report to the Nationals or Triple-A Rochester once he's activated off the 60-day IL.
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Nationals' Josiah Gray: Timeline pushed back
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Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Tuesday that the club will wait to send Gray (elbow) for an MRI until around the All-Star break, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
The right-hander experienced elbow discomfort and more fatigue than normal during his rehab start with Triple-A Rochester on Sunday, and it appears he'll be shut down from throwing for at least the next couple weeks. Gray was in the latter stages of the rehab assignment and was soon expected to rejoin the Nationals, so it's a big blow for both him and the rotation. Depending on when he's actually sent for imaging, Gray shouldn't be expected back until at least sometime in August.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Idle Tuesday
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Garcia is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
With the Nationals facing a left-handed pitcher for a second straight game, Garcia will yield to Ildemaro Vargas at second base once again. Garcia owns a .677 OPS with seven home runs and 11 stolen bases this season.
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Nationals' Jesse Winker: Absent from lineup
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Winker is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Winker will dodge a matchup with southpaw Sean Manaea on Tuesday. Harold Ramirez will bat third and DH.
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Nationals' Josiah Gray: Reports elbow discomfort
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Gray experienced elbow discomfort and felt more fatigued than normal during Sunday's rehab start at Triple-A Rochester, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports. Gray will undergo testing in the coming days.
Gray compared the discomfort to what he felt in April when he sustained the right flexor strain, a concerning sign for the 26-year-old, who was close to activation before the setback. Gray surrendered seven runs across three innings Sunday before reporting the pain. He'll continue to be evaluated over the coming days as the severity of the setback is determined.
Harvey (2-4) took the loss Monday against the Mets, surrendering five runs (four earned) on three hits over two-thirds of an inning as the Nationals fell 9-7 in 10 innings.
The final frame was a disaster for Harvey and the Nats -- after the right-hander hit Harrison Bader with a pitch, J.D. Martinez crushed a splitter over the heart of the plate for a three-run shot before extra-base hits by Tyrone Taylor and Francisco Alvarez chased Harvey from the game. The normally reliable set-up man has been tagged for eight earned runs in his last four appearances, and his ERA has more than doubled over the last month, going from 2.08 after an appearance June 2 to 4.24 following Monday's outing.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: On base three times in loss
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Abrams went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored in Monday's extra-inning loss to the Mets.
The streaky leadoff hitter has drawn five free passes over the last three games, and over his last 20 contests Abrams is slashing a blistering .408/.512/.690 with three homers, five steals, 15 RBI and 18 runs. The peaks have outweighed the valleys so far in 2024 for the 23-year-old shortstop -- Abrams' .860 OPS is nearly a 150-point improvement on his .712 mark from last season.
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Nationals' Keibert Ruiz: Three hits in Monday's loss
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Ruiz went 3-for-5 with an RBI in Monday's extra-inning loss to the Mets.
It was the backstop's first three-hit performance since March 30, but his third multi-hit effort in his last five starts. Ruiz is showing signs of life at the plate, and over his last 11 games he's batting .289 (11-for-38) with three doubles.
Nationals' James Wood: Collects first hit in debut
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Wood went 1-for-4 with a walk in Monday's 9-7 loss to the Mets.
The 21-year-old recorded a hit in his first major-league plate appearance, knocking a single to left off David Peterson. Wood later worked a five-pitch walk in the 10th inning. After slashing .353/.463/.595 in 231 plate appearances at Triple-A, the Washington outfielder appears set to play every day in left field for the Nationals. Wood has all the tools to be a fantasy star, as he reached double-digits in both homers and steals -- 10 apiece -- with 37 RBI and 44 runs scored in 52 games with Rochester before his call-up.
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Nationals' MacKenzie Gore: Fans eight in no-decision
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Gore did not factor into the decision in Monday's 9-7 loss to the Mets, allowing one run on five hits and one walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out eight.
The Washington southpaw created an incredible 21 whiffs to collect his eight punchouts, and he left the game with the Nationals ahead 2-0 only to watch Derek Law immediately cough up the lead. This was a bounce-back performance for Gore as he struggled in five June starts with a 5.13 ERA across 26.1 innings. The 25-year-old's season ERA now stands at 3.47 with 107:29 K:BB over 90.2 innings. He is tentatively scheduled to make his next outing against the Cardinals at home this weekend.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Sitting against southpaw
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Garcia is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.
With southpaw David Peterson on the bump for the Mets, the lefty-hitting Garcia will head to the bench in the series opener. Ildemaro Vargas will fill in for Garcia at the keystone.
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Nationals' Jesse Winker: Out against left-hander
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Winker is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.
Winker is poised to become the Nationals' primary designated hitter after the club designated Eddie Rosario for assignment and called up James Wood from Triple-A Rochester to play left field on an everyday basis. The lefty-hitting Winker will begin the four-game series with the Mets on the bench, however, with New York sending left-hander David Peterson to the mound. Harold Ramirez will serve as the DH on Monday.
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Nationals' James Wood: Batting sixth in major-league debut
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Wood will start in left field and bat sixth in Monday's contest versus the Mets.
The left-handed-hitting Wood will go up against southpaw David Peterson in his major-league debut. Left-handers didn't bother the 21-year-old at all this season at Triple-A Rochester. In fact, he performed a bit better versus them (1.089 OPS) than against righties (1.047 OPS).
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Swipes 14th bag
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Abrams went 1-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base in Sunday's loss to the Rays.
The Nationals had only three hits on the afternoon, so while Abrams was busy on the basepaths, his efforts couldn't generate any offense. The 23-year-old shortstop had been slumping heading into June, but he wrapped up the month with a dazzling .373/.464/.663 slash line in 97 plate appearances, adding four of his 13 homers on the season and six of his 14 steals.
