Good morning, Washington Nationals fans.

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, May 7.

Welcome to the Morning Briefing! Haden here. I’m back after a bout with food poisoning — definitely don’t recommend it. Let’s talk about this upcoming O’s series and shuffling in the bullpen.

Leading this Morning’s Briefing: Nats shuffle bullpen pieces; DFA Barnes

The Nationals announced that left-handed pitcher Robert Garcia has returned from the injured list, and Matt Barnes was DFA’d as the corresponding move. With the move, the Nationals will finally have a lefty in the bullpen again. Garcia, who has a 6.48 ERA and 3.02 FIP, will definitely see action against the Orioles in the next two days.

The Orioles have two of the hottest left-handed bats in the league; rookie corner outfielder Colton Cowser broke out in a big way with a .928 OPS in 32 games and young shortstop Gunnar Henderson has a .914 OPS in 35 games. Even if Garcia simply forces O’s manager Brandon Hyde to pinch hit for Cowser, it’ll be a boon for the Nationals right-handed heavy bullpen.

Garcia has excelled since joining the Nationals. Since being selected off waivers on August 1 last season, Garcia’s 27.9 percent strikeout rate ranks 41st and his 3.36 FIP ranks 53rd among the 151 qualified relievers. He does this at a high volume too. He’s not elite, but he’s the best middle-innings reliever the Nationals have had in a long, long time.

DFAing Matt Barnes is a head-scratcher though. Sure, his 6.75 ERA is the second-highest among Nats pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched. An ERA estimator like Fielding Independent Pitching is much more bullish on Barnes though, as his 3.52 FIP is lower than Jordan Weems, Kyle Finnegan, and Tanner Rainey. From a results and statistics standpoint, Barnes should not be the first name on the block.

Rainey has struggled hard. From any statistical angle you want to take, he is likely the worst bullpen arm on the team. But recovery from TJ surgery is not linear, and I understand not wanting to cut bait on a guy that you think will be healthy and under club control in 2025.

The guy right behind Rainey on all of those ERA estimators is Weems, but the 31-year-old also offers three additional years of control. He also provides high-end velocity that not many other Nationals can.

Maybe there were too many guys with the last name Barnes on the team and it was too confusing. Maybe Rizzo is thinking long-term and wants the guys with extra years of control on the roster instead.

Tonight the Nationals will play the Orioles in the first of two games. First pitch is at 6:45 pm ET and the Nationals broadcast should be on MASN. RHP Corbin Burnes (3-1, 2.61 ERA) will take the mound for the O’s while it is RHP Trevor Williams’s (3-0, 2.27 ERA) turn in the rotation for the Nationals. You can read more about the matchup below.

Young Washington Nats led by CJ Abrams are exceeding expectations will welcome Orioles to D.C.

Richard • May 7, 2024

In just a few hours, the Washington Nationals will welcome their Beltway neighbors to the north, the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles, for a two-game series. This matchup is an interesting time for both franchises, with developments on the field and within their ownership structures. Since David Rubenstein purchased the Orioles, the relationship between…

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Washington Nationals Minor League Updates

No new games yesterday. Here is what happened over the weekend around the Minor League Washington Nationals system in case you missed it:

• Fredericksburg Nationals: The Fredericksburg Nationals lost to the Down East Ducks 6-4 to win the series finale. Fredericksburg Nationals are now 18-9 after winning four of six on the week. The Fredericksburg Nationals will begin a two-week road trip on Tuesday, May 7th, against the Charleston Riverdogs.
• Wilmington Blue Rocks: The Wilimington Blue Rock’s game yesterday against the Hudson Valley Renages was postponed due to Rain. The game will be made up on June 8th.
• Harrisburg Senators: The Harrisburg Senators lost the Altoona Curve 2-6 despite good performances from Dylan Crews and Brady House.  Dylan Crews had an RBI, and Brady House went 2-3 in the loss yesterday.
• Rochester Red Wings: After dropping their contest Saturday afternoon, Cocos Locos de Rochester (Rochester Red Wings) secured a series split with Syracuse Sunday afternoon, taking the finale by a score of 6-1. Rochester was propelled by multi-hit performances from RF Travis Blankenhorn and C Drew Millas, while RHP Jackson Rutledge allowed just three hits across 6.0 innings of work in his sixth start of the season.

Featured Stories of the Day

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