Good Thursday morning, Washington Nationals fans!Today is May 6, 2021.  Upcoming Games

  • Thursday, May 6, 2021: Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals; 7:05 pm EDT
  • Friday, May 7, 2021: Washington Nationals vs. New York Yankees; 7:05 pm EDT
  • Saturday, May 8, 2021: Washington Nationals vs. New York Yankees; 1:05 pm EDT
  • Sunday, May 9, 2021: Washington Nationals vs. New York Yankees; 1:05 pm EDT
  • Tuesday, May 11, 2021: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals; 7:05 pm EDT

This Morning Briefing was written by Richard and edited by Brynne

Today’s Top Story: Nationals rally but come up short against Braves

Going into the series against the Atlanta Braves, the Nationals were on a four-game winning streak, having swept the Miami Marlins, and were in first place in the NL East.

Oh, how things can change in an instant. The Nationals have lost the two final games against the Braves and are now in fourth place in the NL East, a game and half out of first place.

Yesterday, Erick Fedde took the mound to continue to perform well during his last couple outings. Last night Fedde went only five innings, giving up five runs on five hits, including two home runs. Not a good performance at all.

Despite Fedde’s lackluster performance last night, reliever Kyle Finnegan had a great outing last night in the fifth inning. Finnegan had an immaculate inning, striking out the side on nine pitches. This was the fifth immaculate inning in Nationals history.
When meeting with reporters after the game, Finnegan addressed his performance.

“I’m grateful for every day that I have here, and to be able to do something like that is something I’ll remember for the rest of my career.”

The only other Washington Nationals pitchers to have an immaculate inning include Stephen Strasburg (June 3, 2019 vs. Marlins), Max Scherzer (June 5, 2018 vs. Rays and May 14, 2017 vs. Phillies) and Jordan Zimmermann (May 6, 2011 vs. Marlins).
Finnegan has a 3.55 ERA and leads the Nats’ relievers with 12 2/3 innings pitched over 13 games.

On the other side of the ball, Trea Turner continued to hit and score runs. Last night, Turner hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth, and Yan Gomes hit another solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. Gomes's batting average is now at .273, and he has an OPS of .783. Turner continues to have a great season; his batting average is now at .314 with an OPS of .922.
Other Nationals during the night weren’t so successful. Kyle Schwarber went 3-0 and lowered his batting average to .181, and Josh Harrison, who usually has had success at the plate, went 4-0, leaving his batting average at .324.


Tonight, the Nationals are going to look to not get swept by the Braves as they send Jon Lester to the mound. Hopefully, the Nationals can head to New York to face the Yankees on a somewhat high note.

(More later today in today’s GameNotes) Don't forget that today's game is going to be on YouTube.com at 4:00 pm EDT Speaking of the upcoming New York Yankee series…

Nationals head to New York to face Yankees starting tomorrow night

Looking to turn things around, the Washington Nationals are heading to New York to face the New York Yankees. Before the series starts, Brandon will have our series preview, which will take a look at the pitching matchups for the series.

According to reports, the Nationals are going to be sending Patrick Corbin to kick off the series and then Max Scherzer on Saturday and Joe Ross on Sunday to end the series.

From the Nats Report Archives: What should the Nationals do with Stephen Strasburg?

From the Nats Report Archives: After this latest injury, serious questions need to be asked about Stephen Strasburg's longevity.

From the article: “On Tuesday, April 13, when the Washington Nationals played against the St. Louis Cardinals, many observed right away that something looked off for the right-hander.  Strasburg ended up throwing just 88 pitches, and allowed eight runs off of eight hits, issued five walks, and struck out three. In between innings, a TV camera that was pointed at the tunnel behind the Nats dugout at Busch Stadium, showed Strasburg rubbing his neck and right shoulder.”

Read the full article here.

MLB News: Willie Mays, oldest living Hall of Famer, turns 90


Today, the baseball world is celebrating Hall of Famer Willie Mays. Mays turns 90 today, and MLB.com celebrates the moment.
“Willie Mays is the greatest all-around player who ever lived, whose legendary career started at the Polo Grounds with the New York Giants in 1951. It means that for so many lifelong fans, he is the greatest player they never really saw. Even for the ones who did see him at his best, in the 1950s and ’60s, in New York and San Francisco, they go mostly on memories now, ones that No. 24 burned into their imagination forever.There was never a ‘Last Dance’ documentary for the dazzling and complete player known as the ‘Say Hey Kid.’ It doesn’t change who he was and what he could do on a ballfield, which is to say everything. Tim McCarver, who played against Willie Mays, who was a catcher and so often had Mays standing right there in front of him in the batter’s box, was talking about Mays on Monday. ‘As his opponent,’ Tim said, ‘you had to make sure you didn’t fall under his spell. Because that was the trap you could fall into being on the same field with him. You could be spellbound at the things he could do and the way he could do them.’”

Read the full article on MLB.com here.

Must Reads: Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball Headlines

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