Good morning, Washington Nationals fans.

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, July 2.

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Welcome to the Morning Briefing! Haden here. The Grimace Mets defeated the Washington Nationals last night. Let’s talk about it.

Leading this Morning's Briefing: The Nats lose to the Mets in Wood’s debut

Last night, there was an aura in the ballpark that has not been felt in a long time. National fans were excited to watch James Wood make his major league debut. Wood is the beginning of the end of the rebuild as the Nationals’ top prospect with generational upside. With Wood in the majors with other young producers like CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, and Jake Irvin, it becomes easier and easier to dream of a playoff berth.

The debut did not have a storybook ending though. Early in the game, Gore was cruising. Through the first five innings, he had struck out seven. In the top of the sixth, he allowed the leadoff runner to single. He followed that up with a quick strikeout and flyout. Manager Davey Martinez called upon the bullpen to finish out the frame with a runner on second.

Of course, Martinez called on Derek Law to get the last out of the inning. The third pitch to Mark Vientos drove in the runner. In the following at-bat, CJ Abrams struggled to field a grounder, putting two runners on. A Francisco Alvarez double drove them in, giving the Mets a 3-2 lead.

In the bottom of the eighth, de ja vu happened to allow the Nationals to score the tying run. The Nationals had a chance to create a long inning, but on the first pitch, Ildemaro Vargas attempted to bunt for a hit. He was thrown out as he attempted to dive into first base.

Hunter Harvey collapsed in the top of the tenth, with almost every batted ball being a deep flyball, including a home run, triple, and double. Jordan Weems allowed a home run when he came in to close out the frame.

James Wood had a great game. He singled in his first big league at-bat. He drew a crucial walk in the 10th to extend the game. He wreaked havoc on the basepaths on a swinging bunt, causing a bad throw from the pitcher to advance to second.

He once again though has to face a lefty on the mound as the matchup is actually Sean Manaea (5-3, 3.89 ERA) against DJ Herz tonight. First pitch is at 6:45 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on MASN.

Down in the Minors

Rochester Red Wings

Rochester Red Wings Report: Looking Back At An Eventful First Half

Dan Glickman • Jul 2, 2024

Hello. For those who don't remember me, I'm Dan Glickman. I'm a writer for Rochester, N.Y.'s local Pickin' Splinters website, where I serve as (among other things) one of its writers on the Rochester Red Wings, the AAA affiliate of your Washington Nationals. I also run the

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Featured Story of the Day

Rosters Announced for the 2024 All-Star Futures Game

The Nats Report News Room • Jul 2, 2024

Rosters for the 2024 All-Star Futures Game and selections to participate in the all-new MLB Futures Skills Showcase were announced earlier today on MLB Network. The 25th edition of the Futures Game will be played at 4:00 p.m. (ET)/3:00 p.m. (CT) on Saturday, July 13th, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, and will be immediately followed by the hitt…

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