My wife and I got on a plane for Madrid as the Nationals were in the midst of losing their fifth game in a row to complete a sweep for the Mets on June 12. Things looked pretty ugly already, but they had a perfect opportunity to get right against the two worst teams in the National League at home, with one of those teams on pace to be the worst team in the 125 years since the creation of the American League - the Colorado Rockies, who arrived in DC at 14-57. Instead of bouncing back, the Nats needed an extra-inning walk-off bomb by James Wood to avoid getting swept by both the Marlins and the Rockies a whole week later. In that 11-game skid they lost in just about every conceivable way, and the team looks absolutely rudderless. That was the case before Davey threw his players under the bus by absolving himself and his coaching staff (one of whom has quit his post in the middle of multiple plays on television) of any responsibility for the team’s struggles.

Look, Davey is good at the relationship stuff, but even that had to have run its course after that press conference. He’s never been a strong tactical mind, and straight-up abysmal at preparation. Seven losing records in seven Aprils as manager. A team-wide habit of struggling in the first inning. No apparent plan in the batter’s box beyond “swing at strikes.” Habitually late to make pitching changes. If he can’t do any of that stuff and he’s pointing the finger at the poor execution by his players? Yeah, he had to go. There should also be no sacred cows on his coaching staff at this point, although I can’t imagine everyone is canned.

As for Rizzo, it cannot be ignored that his internal development record has been pretty bad for awhile. The best homegrown player in the last decade is Juan Soto, who would be an even bigger feather in the cap if Rizzo had not felt compelled to trade him at the age of 23. The second-best such player is either Luis García Jr. or Jake Irvin, a second baseman who can’t field and who doesn’t hit well enough to be a full-time DH, and a fourth or fifth starter masquerading as a #2 on this team. He went on his weekly radio appearance on 106.7 last week and couldn’t stop highlighting the World Series from six years ago, while his rebuild - excuse me, ‘retool’ - is taking on water at an alarming rate. Without a clear-cut, obvious choice at the top of the board, he could not be allowed to make the team’s third-ever 1-1 draft choice next week. Again, it was time.

Getting rid of the GM and manager won’t solve the issues if ownership continues to refuse to invest in the team. It isn’t just player payroll - let’s not forget that the Nationals don’t even have the same level of hitting technology as a standard well-run local batting cage. Mark Lerner finally woke up and did something - now he has to prove that he will not keep the Nats both poor and in the Dark Ages. Or, you know, sell the team.

After two flat matinee appearances on Friday and Saturday - the first of those on national television in a standalone holiday time slot - the Nationals elected to call up Shinnosuke Ogasawara for his MLB debut. Ogasawara was signed from Japan over the winter and was not great at AAA Rochester early before quickly getting hurt; he was promoted straight from a rehab stint at high-A Wilmington. As has been the case with virtually every starting pitcher for the last six weeks, Ogasawara was unprepared for his first inning and allowed four runs before he had recorded two outs. The Nats chipped away a bit but never got closer than two as the Red Sox completed a sweep with a 6-4 win in front of what was effectively a home crowd for them. It could have been a weekend series from 2010.

Brady House put together a day full of professional plate appearances in his three-hit day, Daylen Lile extended his hitting streak, and Brad Lord, Cole Henry, and Jose A. Ferrer combined for 4.1 strong innings out of the bullpen. So some homegrown guys did okay.

There should be more dismissals sometime today. That newly minted interim GM Mike DeBartolo didn’t immediately announce that interim manager Miguel Cairo would seem to indicate that more pink slips are coming. If Cairo doesn’t get the call, the most likely option is probably Rochester Red Wings skipper Matt LeCroy. Cairo (bench coach), Darnell Coles (hitting), Jim Hickey (pitching), Ricky Gutierrez (3rd base and infield), Ricky Bones (bullpen), and Henry Blanco (catching) all have to be feeling somewhat nervous right now. Gerardo Parra (1st base and outfield) and Sean Doolittle (pitching strategist) may be safer as very popular former players with a shorter coaching track record - but maybe not.

Then the sights will eventually turn to offseason hires. I think it’s painfully obvious that the GM and manager hires have to come from outside the organization, and I expect to see that (but not until November). I’ll have some more thoughts on options for those later this week.

Just before the headlines were dominated by the two major firings—which seemed to happen in the blink of an eye—the big story in Nationals land was James Wood and MacKenzie Gore earning spots in this year’s All-Star Game in Atlanta.

MacKenzie Gore, 26, has emerged as the anchor of the Nationals’ pitching staff in 2025. Entering Sunday, Gore ranked second in the National League with 131 strikeouts (fifth in MLB) and fourth in MLB with 11.30 strikeouts per nine innings. His 104.1 innings pitched are the eighth-most in the NL, and he’s logged at least six innings in 13 starts—tied for fourth in the league.

James Wood, 22, has quickly established himself as one of the National League’s top hitters and a cornerstone of the Nationals’ future. Through the All-Star break, Wood leads NL outfielders and ranks among league leaders in several categories:

Wood is also one of just five MLB players with at least 20 home runs and 10 stolen bases, joining elite company like Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto.

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📌 Washington Nationals Announce Major Leadership Changes: A New Era Begins (The Nats Report)

📌 Nats Make Changes Amid Lost Season (Yahoo!)

📌 The Athletic’s Version (The Athletic)