Washington Nationals 2025 Season

THE LEAD

During the television broadcast last night, Ryan Zimmerman said exactly what I have been saying for a year and a half, that a young MacKenzie Gore and a young Stephen Strasburg were very similar in how they were prone to melting down if anything went wrong behind them: a cheap single, an error, a missed strike by the ump, you name it. Zimmerman said that eventually Strasburg realized how good he was and was able to get over those in-game hurdles and maintain focus - and last night was a perfect example of how much better Gore has been mentally all season long as compared to last year himself. Facing the best offense in the National League, Gore allowed singles to each of the first three batters he faced - Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, and Carson Kelly - to load the bases right away in front of early MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong. The 2024 version of Gore either surrenders a grand slam or a triple or something along those lines, but this year’s edition went strikeout-strikeout-harmless foul popup to Houdini his way out of the inning after 24 pitches before allowing only one more Cub to get past first base (on a bang-bang steal) over the ensuing six innings. It was a masterful performance against a very good team, and hopefully opened some more eyes around the game as to Gore’s growth into a borderline ace.

 Washington Nationals 2025 Season

Game Recap

While Gore was busy shutting down the Cubs over seven innings, Cubs starter Matthew Boyd carried a perfect game into the sixth, throwing just 45 pitches in the first five innings. Nasim Nuñez ended the perfecto with a one-out walk in the sixth before Boyd picked him off, upon which Robert Hassell III immediately broke up the no-hitter with a single to right. Boyd got out of that inning easily enough, but Amed Rosario took his first pitch of the seventh into the Nationals’ bullpen (directly to the glove of one of the bullpen catchers) to give the Nats a slim lead. In the eighth, with Alex Call on first base after a single, Nuñez had one of the best at-bats of the season, fouling off several pitches before ripping a double down the left field line for a much-needed insurance run and ending Boyd’s night. Kyle Finnegan made the top of the ninth interesting as he is wont to do, allowing two singles, but nailed it down in the end for his seventeenth save.

 STORY TYPE

Lord Be With Us

Let’s not lose sight of what another Nats youngster did last night. Tasked with holding the 1-0 lead in the top of the eighth provided by Rosario’s home run, Brad Lord took the hill to face the Cubs’ 9-1-2 hitters and generated three easy groundouts around a walk in one of his first stints as a true setup man. Whatever role(s) Lord winds up occupying in his career, he looks like a keeper. His fastball averages about a foot and a half of arm-side run, meaning that it tails in hard on right-handed hitters and away from lefties. His changeup fades even more, up to almost two feet, and he has a slider as well that breaks enough to his glove side to keep hitters honest. I still think Lord should be a starter, but we did this dance with Tanner Roark several years ago and it looks like we will do it again with Lord. Let’s hope he gets more high-leverage situations to prove his mettle going forward.

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 WHAT WE THINK THE NATIONALS FRONT OFFICE IS READING

Speed Reads

📌 Key Deadline Players (The Athletic)

📌 Jake Mintz’s NL All-Stars (Yahoo!)

📌 Are These Disappointments Real? (ESPN)