Good Morning Washington Nationals Fan,

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, August 31st. My name is Haden Raymer. Let’s talk about last night’s loss.

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Leading today’s Morning Briefing: Nationals lose to the Blue Jays

Last night the Washington Nationals lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 7-0. Chris Bassitt tossed a dominant game, allowing three hits and a walk over eight innings. Jacob Young got his first extra-base hit, a double. Joey Meneses went 2-4. Keibert Ruiz and Carter Kieboom were the only other Nats to record a hit.

Patrick Corbin got roughed up. He allowed 10 hits in the five innings that he pitched and allowed six runs.

Your Nats Report Player of the Game is Joey Meneses for his 2-4 performance.

This was the first series loss for the Nationals since the beginning of the month when they lost a four-game series to the Phillies. It’s been a good stretch of the games for the Nationals, but this could signal for the Nationals to go back to their previous form for the rest of the season.

Watching these games, Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore look exhausted. Gray has seen a sizeable drop in his strikeout rate and an even bigger jump in his walk rate in the second half. In the month of August, his strikeout percentage was a below-average 18.9%. His walk rate was 17.9%.

Gore’s case is even more pressing. While Gore’s strikeout percentage has only dropped by about five percent, he has thrown significantly more innings than he did last season. In 2022, he threw 87 innings. So far this season he has thrown 132.1 innings. With a guy that has a recent injury history like Gore, it may be time to shut him down.

Thankfully, arms are acquirable right now. Former National Lucas Giolito was placed on waivers the other day by the Angels. By the end of today, he will be playing for a different team. Thad Ward has been building back up in the minors, and will likely take over for one of these guys. But for the future of the team, they need to be shut down.

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Must read on the Nats Report: Stephen Strasburg’s Impact on the Washington Nationals

Stephen Strasburg's journey serves as an inspiration to aspiring young pitchers, reminding them that with dedication and determination, they too can achieve greatness on the mound.

Richard recently shared his thoughts on Stephen Strasburg and his impact on the Washington Nationals on the Nats Report, Check it out here.

Down on the Farm

The Rochester Red Wings won against the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 8-4. Travis Blankenhorn went 1-4 with a home run. Blake Rutherford went 1-4 with a triple. You can read our game recap here.

The Harrisburg Senators lost 4-2 to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. Dylan Crews sat after getting hit in the helmet by a pitch on Tuesday. Robert Hassell III went 2-4 with a double and a stolen base. James Wood and Trey Lipscomb both recorded a hit.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks lost 9-3 against the Hudson Valley Renegades. Jake Bennett continues to look completely different after missing significant time, allowing seven earned runs over 2.2 innings. Yohandy Morales went 2-4 with a double and a walk, improving his eight-game OPS to .931. Andrew Pinckney went 2-3 with two walks. All either of these two players have done since joining this organization is rake, and it will be interesting to see how aggressive they are with them next season.

The FredNats won 9-6 over the Lynchburg Hillcats. Christian Vaquero went 3-5 with a triple and a home run. Johnathan Thomas stole his 54th and 55th base. Marcus Brown hit his first professional home run. You can read our full game recap here.

Featured Story of the Day

Who should the Nats call up with roster expansion? via TalkNats