WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Nationals are once again stuck in neutral, sitting seven games under .500 after being swept by the St. Louis Cardinals. The numbers are discouraging, and it’s fair to ask if Dave Martinez has lost his edge with a roster that, at least on paper, should be showing more progress.

A day after being shut out by former National Erick Fedde-a game that prompted Martinez to call his team “flat” for the first time this season-the Nats fell again, this time to Andre Pallante, who allowed just one run over 7⅓ innings (a solo homer by Dylan Crews). St. Louis, now on a seven-game win streak, improved to 21-19, while Washington’s offseason acquisitions-brought in to stabilize the roster-have yet to make a meaningful impact.

Trevor Williams, re-signed to a two-year, $14 million deal, has not come close to replicating his 2024 form. After posting a 2.03 ERA in 13 starts last year, Williams now owns a 5.88 ERA. A pivotal moment came when a borderline pitch was called a ball, extending an inning that led to a 4-0 Cardinals lead. Williams admitted, “The one that I want back is the one to Nootbaar. He’s a good hitter, and I really have to focus and know where my misses are to him. ... That was the dagger.”

A major issue remains the lack of reliever depth. Outside of Kyle Finnegan-who recently reached 100 career saves-the bullpen is filled with unproven arms and lacks late-inning, high-leverage experience. This has forced the Nationals to stretch their starters, often keeping them in games longer than ideal, leading to fatigue and declining effectiveness.

The bullpen crisis has also rippled through the minors. With the big-league bullpen in flux, the Nationals have pulled Triple-A starters from Rochester to fill immediate needs, weakening minor league depth and causing the affiliate’s pitching staff to implode. This constant shuffling disrupts player development and undermines organizational stability.

The result is a team that struggles to hold leads and close out games, turning winnable contests into losses and compounding the Nationals’ woes. Ugly stuff, indeed. Until the front office addresses the bullpen crisis with experienced arms and a more sustainable development plan, the path back to winning baseball will remain steep and uncertain.

CJ Abrams, James Wood, and MacKenzie Gore form an exciting young core, but they need help. That support has been lacking for most of the season. The starting pitching has cooled off after a promising start, and there are still many holes in the lineup.

Fans have been patient throughout the rebuild, but frustration is mounting. The question lingers: has this team actually improved from where they were the last couple of years? Another 71-91 season-matching last year’s record-would be maddening for a fanbase eager for progress.

Wood, Gore, and Abrams are doing their part, but the rest of the roster still needs significant work. I hope I’m wrong and the Nats can put together a big winning streak, but being a Nationals fan is a helpless feeling right now.

After Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Cardinals, Martinez showed rare emotion and frustration in his post-game press conference. He didn’t mince words after the latest comeback attempt fell short: “Don’t just go up there and swing just to swing... Two things need to happen: We need to stop walking guys and hitting guys, and we need to accept our walks. It's the bottom line. We need to accept our walks and stop chasing. It's how we're gonna get runs. It's how we're gonna come back and start winning games.”

Before Sunday’s game, Martinez tried to stay optimistic, saying: “For us to score first, you see the difference in the dugout: ‘OK, everything’s going to be OK… The constant fighting back, we’ve been really good at it. But to score first and say: ‘OK, now we just go out and play baseball,’ it gives our pitcher a little bit of relief.”

The numbers support him: entering Sunday, the Nationals were 12-6 when scoring first.

Davey Martinez’s contract includes an option for next year. At this point, not picking it up might be preferable to another season of stagnation. Letting a new manager choose his staff and direction could be the spark this team needs. The lack of depth and talent isn’t entirely on Martinez, but it’s clear the current voices in the dugout aren’t resonating enough to get results.

It’s not just Martinez who should be under scrutiny. In a recent poll by The Athletic, baseball executives ranked the Nationals’ front office in the bottom third of MLB, with only one fifth-place vote-far behind division rivals like the Braves and Phillies. The Dodgers, by contrast, topped the list with 300 points.

A shake-up seems inevitable-most likely starting with the hitting coach. Offseason rumors suggested that if the team didn’t compete this year, a complete house cleaning could follow, though that likely won’t happen until after the season.

Now, with another road trip to Atlanta and Baltimore on deck, it’s hard not to wonder if Dave Martinez’s time with the Nationals is coming to an end. Is it time for some fresh blood in the dugout-or even the front office?

Stay tuned… Oh, we want to know what YOU think!