Good morning, Washington Nationals fans.

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, May 31.

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Welcome to the Morning Briefing! The Nationals won game four. Let’s talk about that as the team heads to Cleveland for a weekend series.

Leading this Morning Briefing: Lineup does just enough to win game 3-1

Nationals’ starting pitchers continue to do the heavy lifting in these games. This time, Trevor Williams threw 5 2/3 innings while striking out four batters, issuing two walks, and allowing one run. Williams improved to a 5-0 record. While the team remains third in pitching WAR, they continue to widen the gap between themselves and the teams fifth and below.

The bullpen of course was excellent for the Nationals yesterday. Dylan Floro punched two out. Hunter Harvey threw a scoreless inning. Kyle Finnegan allowed one baserunner while earning a save.

While I’ll dive into the numbers more on Monday, the offense continues to struggle for the Nats. The team had just four players with an OPS that starts with a seven in the lineup yesterday. Two of those players, CJ Abrams and Ildemaro Vargas, have struggled lately.

Rochester Red Wings

Rochester Red Wings re-bound from getting shut out and beat the St. Paul Saints

Richard • May 30, 2024

Rochester, NY — A couple of hours after being shut out by the St. Paul Saints, the Rochester Red Wings rebounded and won this morning in Rochester, 6-3. Rochester Red Wing’s record is now 27-23. RHP DJ Herz got the start for the Red Wings this morning. He pitched 5.1 innings, giving up one run on one hit, stri…

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The team desperately needs its veterans to get hot, most notably Lane Thomas (.605 OPS), Joey Gallo (.592 OPS), Keibert Ruiz (.554 OPS), and Eddie Rosario (.599 OPS).

Unfortunately for the Nationals, they now head to Cleveland, who have a 37-19 record. Tonight they take on breakout sensation RHP Tanner Bibee (3-1, 3.99 ERA) with Patrick Corbin on the mound. The team should hope they have the lead entering the ninth, otherwise, they have to face Emmanuel Clase, who has a 0.33 ERA in 27.1 innings. He has already notched 17 saves for the Guardians.

First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on MASN.

Down in the Minors

Pitching yesterday with the Wilmington BlueRocks, RHP Cade Cavalli pitched 2.2 innings, giving up two runs on zero hits (a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly); he struck out five and walked three.

Featured Story of the Day

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