With the back-to-back weekend wins, the Nats moved to 54-52 on the year, continuing their recent surge higher above .500. With the Marlins recently going on an 11 game losing streak, the Nats have reclaimed their spot in 3rd in the NL East, arguably the best division in baseball this year. Currently only now sitting 2.5 games out of 2nd place in the NL East behind the Phillies, the real race to watch is the one for the NL Wild Card Spots. With the win yesterday the Nats continued their push to be sitting in a playoff position, now just 1 game out of the 3rd spot. Only one game out of current playoff contention, and already trading for a dominant young starting pitcher, all signs seem to currently point towards the Nats making their first playoff push since 2019. This week’s game could be the last deciding factor.

In case you missed it over the weekend, the Nats made their “first trade deadline move”, acquiring 24 year old LHP Connelly Early from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Curtis Mead. Early has had a great season so far, and is one of the most promising young arms in the league. Despite currently sitting on 15 day-IL, Early has started in 17 games, compiling an ERA of 3.44 and a win-loss of 7-5 on the year. Although the bullpen has been the weaker part of the pitching rotation, Early’s production so far this year would easily make him the 3rd best starting arm the Nats have, and give even more depth for a playoff push as Jake Irvin made his rehab start the other day as well.

With the trade deadline now less than a week away, the Nats will continue to look at potential trades and moves, hopefully continuing their hunt for bullpen arms, while keeping together the main core. In order to do this however, talks surrounding trading All-Star CJ Abrams have to be silenced. There are no Nats fans that would be able to bear seeing their superstar in Abrams traded. He deserves a blank check and to continue his journey shattering Nats franchise records, like his one he broke yesterday… Talks surrounding Foster Griffin have also emerged and are worth monitoring in the upcoming days, as despite him also being an All-Star, and the Nats starting ace this year, he is older and could yield an extremely high return for the Nats future. Although there are always going to be opinions about who should stay and who goes, there is one common goal in mind: make the moves that best benefits the Nats playoff hopes.

Filling Curtis Mead’s spot on the roster will also be no easy task as the youngster provided the Nats with countless unforgettable moments in his breakout year, however Nats 3rd basemen Brady House will attempt to do the job. Breaking out in spring training this year, House started the season with the Nats in 44 games, struggling to get going and leading to his reassignment back down to Rochester in late May. However, he continued to rake in Rochester, and not missing a step in his return to Washington. In his first start back yesterday, House went 2-5 with 2 doubles, 2 runs and an RBI. Hopefully he can keep up similar production as the Nats look to the young star to fill the hole the new pitching acquisition created.

Final Score: Nationals 10, Diamondbacks 7

Date: July 27, 2026

Location: Nats Park

Winning Pitcher: Riley Cornelio ([2–1], 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K)

Losing Pitcher: Jonathan Loaisiga ([2–3], 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K)

Key Hitters:

Team RISP: [3-for-12]

Errors: Nats 0, Diamondbacks 1

Attendance: 21,341

Next Game: vs. Toronto Blue Jays, Tonight, 6:45 PM ET, Nats Park

Probables: Nats — Andrew Alvarez, Blue Jays — Max Scherzer

Key Storyline: Can the Nats make it 3 straight victories in old National’s legendary Mad Max Scherzer’s return to Nats park?

The Rochester Red Wings, the Nats Triple-A affiliate, improved to 59-41 on the year after holding off Buffalo for a 5-4 victory yesterday to continue holding first place in the International League. Rochester's offense produced eight hits, with Andrew Pinckney having a quiet but important performance, finishing 1-for-4 with a double, walk, two runs scored, and an RBI, The Red Wings bullpen was the real hero however, combining for eight strikeouts over the final five innings, with Zach Penrod earning his fourth save of the season.

The Harrisburg Senators, Nats Double-A affiliate, fell 6-2 to Reading, dropping their record to 48-46 on the season. Branden Boissiere continued his hot stretch at the plate, collecting a double and driving in a run. Despite the loss, Harrisburg remains right in the thick of the Eastern League playoff race as the second half of the season continues to push forward.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Nats High-A affiliate, outlasted Hudson Valley 6-4 in 10 innings to improve to 48-47 on the season. Jacob Walsh delivered the biggest swing of the afternoon, launching a walk-off two-run home run in the 10th inning to seal the victory. Nats number one overall pick and prospect Eli Willits reached base three times, drove in a run, and stole three bases, in another impressive offensive performance as well.

The Fredericksburg Nationals, Nats Single-A affiliate, dropped a tight 2-1 decision to Fayetteville but remain comfortably in first place in the Carolina League at 60-36 on the season. The FredNats managed just three hits on the afternoon, with Juan Cruz recording a triple and Manuel Cabrera driving in the club's lone run.