Good morning, Washington Nationals fans.

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, May 30.

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Welcome to the Morning (Afternoon) Briefing! The Nationals win game three. Let’s talk about that as we head to game four.

Leading this Morning Briefing: Lane Thomas saw the ball well

To say Lane Thomas saw the ball well in the Nationals’ 7-2 win last night would be an understatement. He went 3-4 with a home run, a double, and a strikeout, with every hit classified as a hard hit. Funnily enough, his single had the highest exit velocity.

Keibert Ruiz and Joey Gallo also had big games, both getting two hits with a double.

Thomas hits 3-run homer, leading to Nationals' 7-2 win over Braves

Kelsey Tucker • May 30, 2024

ATLANTA – In a high-stakes matchup, the Washington Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 7-2, led by Lane Thomas's explosive performance and MacKenzie Gore's dominant pitching. The game started with Spencer Schwellenbach making his major league debut for the Braves. Schwellenbach (0-1), who had never pitched above Double-A, laste…

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CJ Abrams had a rough night. While going hitless and having an error in the field is a rough night, Abrams took it a step forward, striking out in four of his five plate appearances.

MacKenzie Gore, of course, was dominant, striking out 10 Braves in 5.1 innings. That is two days in a row that a Nationals starter struck out 10 hitters. All eyes are now on Trevor Williams to continue the streak.

That’s right. The Nationals will send Trevor Williams (4-0, 2.29 ERA) to the mound to secure the series victory. The Braves will send former National, RHP Reynaldo López (2-2, 1.75 ERA) to the mound to try and even the series. First pitch is at 7:20 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on MASN.

The Mets and this Jorge López Ordeal

Last night was a strange night for the Mets. Jorge López was ejected from a game after arguing a check swing call with the third base umpire. As he walked to the dugout, López tossed his glove into the stands.

In a post-game interview, López was clearly frustrated. In a snippet that SNY posted on Twitter, he said, “I think I have been looking the worst teammate in probably the whole f****** MLB.” While the story could have ended there, SNY said in its tweet that López instead said the Mets were the worst team in MLB. They then doubled down on the narrative, asking López if that is what he indeed said later in the night. López said, “Probably. The team DFA’d López later that night.

While we are not talking about an All-Star reliever, López has been solid this season. He has a 3.65 ERA in 26.1 innings. His 4.65 FIP is a run higher, but that’s the mark of the worst reliever in a bullpen on a good team, not someone that would be DFA’d by a 22-33 team.

López had a bad night and then had to deal with the infamous New York media afterward while speaking in a second language, all likely after learning that he had just let go from his job. Hopefully, he finds a nice landing spot soon.

Down in the Minors

Featured Story of the Day

Skenes dominant in start against Tigers via MLB.com

Fangraphs dropped Nationals’ top 32 prospects via Fangraphs

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