The Nationals’ improvement at the big league level this year was important, no doubt. It wouldn’t have meant much, though, if they didn’t also see improvement at the minor league level.

This organization’s attempt to rebuild itself back into a perennial contender won’t be realized unless enough homegrown players emerge from its farm system in the next two years to supplement what’s already on the 26-man roster. In some regards, what happened nightly in Rochester, Harrisburg, Wilmington, Fredericksburg and West Palm Beach this season mattered even more than what happened in D.C.

By all accounts, the Nationals are pleased with the results. A farm system that rated in the lower-third of the sport only 18 months ago now rates in the upper-third, with several of baseball’s top prospects headlining the list.

“The best part of the minor league season was that all the players that we really were looking forward to take a step forward, we believe have,” general manager Mike Rizzo said. “We think that was a success in that regard.”

Not every prospect improved, though, and there is now evidence the organization isn’t 100 percent satisfied with the 2023 season. DeJon Watson, the Nationals director of player development the last two years, won’t be back in 2024, a source familiar with the decision confirmed. (The Washington Post was first to report the news Monday evening.)

A collective sigh of relief emanated from the visitors’ dugout in Atlanta late Friday night when Kyle Finnegan recorded the final out of a 10-6 victory over the Braves, the out that ensured the Nationals would finish the 2023 season with at least 70 wins.

That number had been on everyone’s minds for a while. One month earlier, with the team playing its best baseball in years, it looked like a stone-cold lock. By the time the final week of September arrived, it was suddenly in doubt.

A late-season regression turned what could’ve been a remarkable turnaround – a club record, 20-game improvement from the previous year – into something less rousing. Even so, win No. 70 (and then win No. 71 in Sunday’s finale) was significant for an organization that was an abysmal 55-107 last season.

“Every win is important,” manager Davey Martinez said. “But to get to 70 – when, honestly, when we started the season, we didn’t know what to expect – it feels good.”

It also raised the bar for next season. Another 16-game improvement would turn this 71-win last place club into an 87-win wild card contender.

ATLANTA – The 2023 Nationals didn’t have many defining characteristics, but here are two that stood out: 1) They were excellent at scoring runs in the first inning, and 2) They always battled through the ninth inning (and sometimes beyond).

That combo was on full display during today’s finale. The Nats jumped out to a quick lead, gave it back, then rallied late to re-take the lead and ultimately escape town with an uplifting, 10-9 victory over the Braves in Game 162.

Some of the least experienced players on the roster made it happen. Trailing by a run entering the ninth, rookie catcher Drew Millas drew a bases-loaded walk off Atlanta’s Michael Tonkin to tie the game. Moments later, rookie center fielder Jacob Young drilled a two-run single to not only give his team the lead, but give closer Kyle Finnegan a little bit of cushion for the bottom of the ninth.

"When those moments come as a young guy, you try to do your best and help your team," said Young, who was playing his 33rd big league game. "They're new situations for most of us. To experience those for the first time, you hopefully get used to them for the future."

And when Finnegan finished it off (in spite of a solo Marcell Ozuna homer and a subsequent Michael Harris II double), he secured his 28th save and the Nationals’ 71st victory, a 16-game improvement from the previous season that hasn’t been lost on the players, management or fans.

ATLANTA – When he last appeared in a ballgame for the Nationals, Victor Robles was enjoying one of the best-sustained stretches of his career. Over 126 plate appearances to begin the season, the enigmatic center fielder was batting .299 with a .385 on-base percentage and a revamped approach at the plate that had club officials as encouraged as they had been in a long time.

That, unfortunately, was way back on June 20. Which was six weeks removed from the initial back injury that ruined his season.

Robles hasn’t been back on the field since, and today he ends the season on the 60-day injured list, his 2023 campaign wasted, his future with the organization up in the air.

There has been progress in recent months, just not enough to get Robles into actual baseball activities. But the Nationals are hopeful he’ll be ready for that soon, and that he will be able to participate in winter ball in his native Dominican Republic to help make up for all the lost time.

“We think his back is healthy right now,” general manager Mike Rizzo said. “He’s doing his rehab workouts. He’s going to begin baseball workouts soon. And hopefully he’ll get some time in the winter league and recoup some of the at-bats he missed with all the injuries this year.”

ATLANTA – The day has come. It’s Game 162. The final game of the 2023 season for the Nationals. There have been a lot of positives this year, and there have been some negatives. Across the board, though, it’s safe to say most people inside and outside the organization are encouraged by the events of the last six months. The outcome of today’s game won’t change any of that, but it would certainly be nice to end on a high note and finish a respectable 5-8 against the 104-win Braves on top of that.

Jackson Rutledge accounted for one of those wins, his first career win, only seven days ago. The rookie right-hander impressed against this Atlanta lineup, allowing one run over five innings on 86 pitches. It’ll be interesting to see if he goes about it with the same game plan today, or if he tries to change anything up in the rematch against the best-hitting team in the majors.

Davey Martinez has some new faces in his lineup for the finale, most notably Alex Call in left field and Drew Millas behind the plate against Braves left-hander Dylan Dodd. Keibert Ruiz is still playing, though, just serving as the designated hitter, with Joey Meneses (who needs two RBIs to reach 90) at first base. Perhaps the most notable thing at stake today for the Nats: CJ Abrams needs one more stolen base to break Trea Turner’s single-season club record of 46. If he reaches at any point, you have to assume he’s going to be running.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Truist Park
Gametime: 3:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 80 degrees, wind 6 mph left field to right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
1B Joey Meneses
DH Keibert Ruiz
3B Carter Kieboom
2B Ildemaro Vargas
LF Alex Call
C Drew Millas
CF Jacob Young

ATLANTA – Davey Martinez was prepared to go to his “A” bullpen again tonight, prepared to ask Hunter Harvey and Kyle Finnegan to close out one more game that was there for the taking late.

Just one problem: The Nationals lineup couldn’t do its part to make up a two-run deficit to the Braves. Or score after the first inning, for that matter.

Despite jumping out to a quick lead against Atlanta ace Spencer Strider, the Nats went silent at the plate the rest of the night and wound up losing 5-3 in the season’s penultimate game.

So instead of handing the ball to Harvey and Finnegan at the end, Martinez instead went to Cory Abbott and, ultimately, Tanner Rainey, who pitched the bottom of the eighth in his first major league appearance since July 10, 2022, after which he needed Tommy John surgery.

Rainey, at one point last season the Nationals’ closer, tossed a scoreless inning allowing an infield single and a walk on 18 pitches, his fastball hitting 96-97 mph, his slider striking out Orlando Arcia. It was just one more step – albeit a big one – in a long-term rehab plan the team hopes ends with the hard-throwing right-hander holding a prominent role in next year’s bullpen.

ATLANTA – Mike Rizzo and Davey Martinez both learned they would be back in 2024 within the last month. The fate of Martinez’s coaching staff, though, remains undecided heading into the season’s final weekend.

Each of the Nationals’ eight official major league coaches, not to mention other uniformed coaching personnel, is on an expiring contract. It appears each will head home after Sunday’s finale and await word from the organization about the plan for 2024.

“I’m going to sit down with Riz and talk a lot about what needs to transpire for next year,” Martinez said earlier this week when asked if he expects any changes to his staff. “We haven’t talked yet about that. I’m just trying to finish up our exit meetings with players.”

One year ago, Martinez already knew every member of his staff would be returning, each having signed two-year deals the previous winter. That’s not the case this time around, though given the club’s progress from 55 to at least 70 wins, it stands to reason most (if not all) of the coaches will return.

“You think about where we’re at right now, we win a few more games and we’ve won a lot more games than we did last year,” Martinez said. “Developing young players, that’s what we’ve done. They have gotten a lot better. I’m really happy about that and excited about that.”

ATLANTA – The Nationals got their coveted 70th win of the season Friday night, and it took everything they had to get there. Davey Martinez used six relievers after pulling Trevor Williams in the fourth inning. Which means he may not have as many options tonight.

The problem: Joan Adon hasn’t exactly shown a propensity for pitching deep in games. The 25-year-old right-hander has reached the sixth inning in only three of his nine starts, and he’s taken the loss in his last three outings. If Adon can’t provide length tonight, Martinez may have no choice but to use the likes of Thaddeus Ward or Cory Abbott in a situation of consequence. We also could see Tanner Rainey make his season debut tonight.

The Nationals lineup exploded for 10 runs Friday night, blasting five homers to match a season high. That came against fill-in starter Allan Winans. Tonight, they face Spencer Strider, who seeks his 20th win and to get closer to the 300-strikeout mark in his final tune-up before the postseason. The Nats did score four runs in 5 2/3 innings against Strider last weekend, so it’s not necessarily a lost cause.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Truist Park
Gametime: 7:20 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 80 degrees, wind 3 mph in from left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
DH Joey Meneses
C Keibert Ruiz
2B Luis García
1B Dominic Smith
3B Carter Kieboom
LF Jake Alu
CF Jacob Young

ATLANTA – Twelve times this season, Hunter Harvey has been asked to record at least four outs. And 12 times, he’s answered the call when the Nationals needed him to do it.

In many ways, that’s a win in itself.

Given his extensive injury history, Harvey has often been treated with kid gloves, held to one inning, prevented from pitching on consecutive days, anything to try to keep him from going back on the injured list again.

The Nats, though, have been more willing to ease off the reins this year. And for the most part, they’ve been rewarded for it.

Harvey will end the season healthy and productive. He missed a month in midsummer with a right elbow strain, but his willingness to speak up about it at the first sign of trouble perhaps allowed his IL stint to be as short as possible. And he hasn’t missed a beat since returning: In 17 appearances since Aug. 15, he’s got a 1.86 ERA, 21 strikeouts and only one walk.

ATLANTA – With his typically station-to-station lineup suddenly in home run mode, Davey Martinez decided midway through tonight’s series opener at Truist Park he was going to go all-in in search of win No. 70.

That number, arbitrary as it may be, was a stated goal for the Nationals and their manager in recent weeks, a nice round number that would represent a 15-game improvement from last season, no small achievement (even if it’s still a long way from the number required to play in October).

So when presented with the opportunity to beat the Braves tonight in Game 160, Martinez went for it. He fired every bullet he had in his bullpen, trying to coax every last out from his best arms against an Atlanta club that had already secured 103 wins, a division title and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

That meant five – yes, five – mid-inning pitching changes. It meant asking Hunter Harvey to record five outs on 31 pitches. And it ultimately meant asking Kyle Finnegan to pitch the ninth to finish off a 10-6 victory that secured that coveted 70th win.

"It's nice getting to 70 wins, especially after last year," Harvey said. "Everybody thinking we're not a great team, and then coming out and winning 70 is awesome. I'm just glad to be a part of it."

ATLANTA – The symmetry wasn’t lost on Tanner Rainey.

As he stood at his locker at Truist Park, a member of the Nationals’ active roster for the first time in 14 months, the right-hander couldn’t help but think about the fact he was in this exact same location the last time he was a member of the active roster, before he tore his elbow ligament, before he required Tommy John surgery.

When manager Davey Martinez told him earlier this week he was going to come off the 60-day injured list and make his long-awaited return for the final series of the season, Rainey thought about the full-circle nature of his story.

“I kind of had a feeling,” he said. “I had spoken to Davey, and he told me that it was possibly for this trip, which is kind of weird. This was my last outing last year, as well. In July, I threw two innings here and that was the last outing. To return here, it’s a little weird.”

Weird, but joyous as well. It’s been a long road back for Rainey, who hasn’t pitched in a major league game since those two scoreless innings against the Braves on July 10, 2022. Three days later, he went on the IL. A few weeks after that, he had surgery to replace the torn elbow ligament.

ATLANTA – Hello from Truist Park, where the Nationals and Braves wrap up the regular season this weekend. The Nats, as you probably know, are hoping to win at least one more game and finish the year with 70 victories. The Braves, meanwhile, have already clinched home-field advantage all the way through the World Series, so there’s really nothing at stake for them at a team level. They’re still really, really good, though.

Trevor Williams will try to contain that potent lineup, making his first start in 13 days. The right-hander has really struggled in the second half but hopes to end his year on something of a positive note, his role entering 2024 not entirely clear (though he’s owed $7 million regardless). The bullpen is fresh, so Davey Martinez could turn to that group early, including Tanner Rainey, who has finally been activated off the 60-day injured list 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery. To clear a spot for him, Robert Garcia went on paternity leave and Riley Adams was transferred to the 60-day IL.

The Nats lineup includes most of the usual suspects, with a few guys moving up or down in order. Joey Meneses will bat third against Braves right-hander Allan Winans, with Keibert Ruiz hitting cleanup. Carter Kieboom gets the start at third base in his hometown.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Truist Park
Gametime: 7:20 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 76 degrees, wind 3 mph in from center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
DH Joey Meneses
C Keibert Ruiz
2B Luis García
3B Carter Kieboom
1B Dominic Smith
LF Jake Alu
CF Jacob Young

We have reached the final weekend of the 2023 season, with the Nationals closing things up in Atlanta against a Braves team that already locked up a sixth straight division title and owns the majors’ best record.

In the big picture, there’s not a whole lot at stake at Truist Park over the next three nights. Which isn’t to say there’s nothing at stake. On a smaller scale, and for several individual players, there are goals still within reach.

Here are a few things to watch for in Games 160, 161 and 162 …

* Nats try to get to 70
Does it matter if the Nationals finish with 69 wins, 70 wins, 71 wins or 72 wins? Not really. But there is a symbolic reason for them to want to at least get to 70. After going 55-107 last season, a 15-game improvement would be considerable. And there’s just something that makes 70 wins sound more respectable than 69 wins.

Not long ago, 70 appeared to be a lock, and 75 or more was within reach. Following back-to-back wins in Miami in late-August, the Nats were 61-69, which equated to 76-86 over the full season. But they’ve gone a dismal 8-21 since then, and now they find themselves still needing to eke out one more win this weekend to at least get to 70.

BALTIMORE – The Nationals have been this version of the Orioles before, a team loaded with young talent cruising toward a division title with visions of October glory on the horizon.

And the Orioles have been this version of the Nationals before, a team trying to climb the mountain again, enduring growing pains now in the hopes they’ll be rewarded someday in the near future.

Four years ago, they were at opposite ends of the spectrum, the Nats winning their long-awaited first World Series title while the Orioles suffered the second of three 100-loss seasons during their rebuild. Now the roles have been reversed.

With a 5-1 loss tonight at Camden Yards, the Nationals completed the 2023 version of the Battle of the Beltways with zero wins, four losses and only one total run scored. The only saving grace? By virtue of the Rays’ win in Boston, they weren't subjected to the sight of Baltimore celebrating its first division title in nine years in person. When it happens later this week, the Nats will be in Atlanta, playing their final series of the year.

They’ll need to win one of those final three games, by the way, to get to the 70-win mark, a symbolic goal that would represent significant improvement from last year’s 55-107 mark.

BALTIMORE – Ildemaro Vargas didn’t need to do anything yet. The Nationals utility man will have four years, seven days of big league service time at the end of the week, so he would’ve been eligible for arbitration this winter, able to negotiate his salary at a later date.

For Vargas, though, the appeal of wrapping up talks now and heading home for the offseason secure in knowing everything was already taken care of was strong.

“As a professional baseball (player), I know how the situation is,” he said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “And there is some calmness and relief to be able to go home into the offseason knowing I already have a contract made, just for peace of mind for myself and my family.”

So Vargas and the Nats made the unconventional move to come to terms on a 2024 contract today, with four games still to go in the season. Terms weren’t announced, but he’ll be back next season, earning a raise from the $975,000 salary he made this year.

Vargas joined the Nationals in August 2022, called up from Triple-A Rochester after Ehire Adrianza was traded to the Braves. He has remained part of the big league roster every day since, establishing himself as one of Davey Martinez’s most-trusted bench players and a popular veteran voice in a clubhouse loaded with younger players.

BALTIMORE – Sure, the Nationals would love to win a game against the Orioles before season’s end. But first, they’d like to just score a run against them.

These two teams have played 27 innings against each other so far in 2023, and the Nats have yet to score in any of them. They’ve gone 0-3 by a combined score of 6-0, having twice been shut out 1-0, including Tuesday night here at Camden Yards. So perhaps tonight’s the night they finally see somebody in a curly W helmet safely cross the plate.

Patrick Corbin gets the ball for his final start of the season. The left-hander has been better this year, to be sure. But he still enters with a 5.13 ERA, 1.466 WHIP and league-leading 14 losses. In order to end his season with a sub-5.00 ERA, Corbin would need to either go seven innings allowing one earned run or five scoreless innings.

The Orioles, by the way, have a chance to clinch the American League East title tonight. They need to win and have the Rays lose to the Red Sox, so there will be plenty of scoreboard watching taking place at Camden Yards.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Where: Camden Yards
Gametime: 6:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 68 degrees, wind 7 mph in from center field

BALTIMORE – The Nationals, believe it or not, haven’t been shut out often this season. Tuesday night’s 1-0 loss to the Orioles was only their eighth shutout loss this year. Only seven major league clubs have failed to score fewer times in 2023.

There are two odd facts about the Nats’ shutouts, though. They’ve all come in April, August or September. And three of them have now come at the hands of the Orioles.

The Nationals were shut out four times in the season’s first 18 games, including back-to-back times by Baltimore on South Capitol Street. One of those was a 1-0 loss to Dean Kremer. The other was a 4-0 loss to Kyle Bradish.

Wouldn’t you know Tuesday’s game was a 1-0 loss to Bradish, who tossed the first eight innings before handing over the ninth to closer Yennier Cano.

Tuesday also was the Nats’ fourth shutout loss in their last 43 games, these recent offensive struggles coming after a long streak in which they always scored runs. They went 97 games from mid-April to early-August without ever being shut out.

BALTIMORE – It shouldn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. The results of tonight’s start weren’t going to define Josiah Gray’s season, in either direction. But it’s funny how a slight disparity in certain numbers can feel significant in the baseball world, and this was one of those cases.

Gray entered his final outing of the year with an ERA of exactly 4.00. If he could hold the Orioles to two or fewer runs in five or more innings, he would lower that number. If not, he would raise it.

So when the 25-year-old proceeded to allow just one run (a leadoff homer, at that) over six strong innings, it felt important. He didn’t get the win, because the Nationals lineup once again was shut out by Baltimore in a 1-0 loss at Camden Yards. But on a purely personal level, Gray can now rest easy knowing the back of his baseball card will forever show a 3.91 ERA for his 2023 season.

Sure, it’s a far cry from the sparkling 2.77 mark he held at the end of May, or the 3.30 mark he held when he was selected for his first All-Star Game in early July. But anybody who watches baseball with any regularity can tell you the difference between an ERA that starts with a 3 and an ERA that starts with a 4.

"I think anytime you can finish on a strong outing, it takes you into the offseason with a positive mindset," Gray said. "You feel like you can kind of check that box. I've been able to have a last couple good outings, but this one feels sweet going into the offseason knowing some of the changes I've made over the last three outings have bred results. I can focus on those things and look forward to the offseason being positive."

BALTIMORE – Time is running out, but there’s still a chance Tanner Rainey pitches for the Nationals before season’s end.

Rainey, who has spent the year rehabbing from last summer’s Tommy John surgery, traveled with the team for this week’s final road trip and could be activated off the 60-day injured list either Wednesday here in Baltimore or Friday in Atlanta.

“I’m trying to think of ways to get him on the roster,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We might have to do that.”

Rainey already spent a month on a minor league rehab assignment, totaling 12 innings for three different affiliates. Though his surgically repaired elbow felt strong at the end of that stretch, he still wasn’t satisfied with his mechanics and consistency from outing to outing, so the Nationals brought him to D.C. to throw a bullpen session and then a simulated game last week.

Martinez has talked for months about the value in having Rainey pitch in the majors this season, even if it’s only one or two appearances, to give him peace of mind heading into the winter. The Nationals envision the 30-year-old right-hander playing a significant role in the back end of a 2024 bullpen that will also return Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey.

BALTIMORE – Hello from Camden Yards, where we’ve got a rare late-September edition of the Battle of the Beltways. The stakes the next two nights are quite different for these teams, with the Nationals down to the final five games of their season and the Orioles trying to clinch their first division title since 2014. Their magic number is three, so it can’t happen tonight, but it could happen Wednesday night depending on what the Rays do against the Red Sox.

The Nats will try to do their part to prevent the celebration from happening while they’re in town, beginning tonight with Josiah Gray on the mound. The right-hander is coming off a strong outing against the White Sox, allowing one run over five innings. He enters with an ERA of exactly 4.00, so a good start tonight could help him wrap up the year with an ERA that begins with a three, which would be nice.

Kyle Bradish gets the ball for the Orioles, looking to lower his ERA under 3.00, which would be quite the accomplishment for the 27-year-old right-hander. Bradish faced the Nationals way back on April 19 in D.C., tossing six scoreless for his first win of the season.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Where: Camden Yards
Gametime: 6:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 62 degrees, wind 10 mph in from center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
C Keibert Ruiz
DH Joey Meneses
2B Luis García
1B Dominic Smith
3B Ildemaro Vargas
LF Jake Alu
CF Jacob Young