Crews finds swing during Nats' 15-7 rout of Marlins (updated)

MIAMI – This has not been, by any measure, the rookie season Dylan Crews or the Nationals expected. There was a sluggish start at the plate. Then a lengthy stint on the injured list. And though there have been encouraging moments here and then since his return last month, there still hasn’t been enough consistent production to get anyone excited about a guy who was supposed to be one of the most exciting young players in baseball.

There are nights, though, like this one when Crews does remind everyone just how much difference he can make. And that’s what the Nats must cling to as they look ahead to a 2026 lineup they hope is much more consistently productive than the 2025 version was, with Crews certain to be a key figure.

The version of the 23-year-old outfielder who showed up tonight during a 15-7 thumping of the Marlins was exactly the kind of player the Nationals thought they were getting with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He went 3-for-5, ripping a clutch single up the middle to drive in the go-ahead run back when the game was close, hustling his way to swipe an extra base thanks to a nifty slide around the tag and then capping it all off with a no-doubt, three-run homer to turn this game into a rout.

"We've been working hard every day," he said. "It's just good to get some results, get a few knocks today."

Crews’ efforts – combined with plenty of others including a two-homer, six-RBI night from Josh Bell – helped lead the Nationals to their sixth win in seven games to begin the month of September. It’s a dramatic turnaround after three straight months in which they couldn’t even win 10 games, and it has probably saved them from the ignominy of a 100-loss season. Now 59-84, they need to go only 4-15 the rest of the way to avoid the century mark.

The Nats opened this final month with a three-game sweep of the Marlins in D.C. They followed that up with an impressive weekend series victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Now they have a chance to keep the good times rolling with four straight in Miami against a division opponent they have clearly outmatched here over the last week.

"If we want to get to where we want to get to, these are the days that count the most for us," Crews said. "Playing these good teams and finishing strong ... if we want to get to October, we have to finish strong in September."

Cade Cavalli has played a significant role in this run, the right-hander having now beaten the Marlins in back-to-back starts. He was sharper last Tuesday at Nationals Park, striking out six over five innings, but he was still plenty effective tonight in the rematch.

Despite inducing only three swings-and-misses – none with his four-seam fastball or curveball – Cavalli remained quite effective, inducing a bunch of ground balls. That included two first-inning comebackers that required nice defensive plays on his part.

"I thought it was a good thing," he said of the low number of whiffs. "It kept the pitch count down. We were getting early outs. It's not always about the swing-and-miss or the strikeouts. It's how we get to go deep in ballgames."

With the organization watching his workload very carefully down the stretch, Cavalli was pulled after only 61 pitches over five innings. He’s now up to 106 1/3 innings combined between the majors and minors in his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery.

"He's got nasty stuff," Cairo said. "He's got a good fastball, good changeup, good curveball. And he throws strikes. He attacks hitters. He's a warrior in there."

The Nationals gave Cavalli more than enough run support to earn his third major league win. They got a towering home run from García that landed seven rows deep into the empty second deck in right field. They got a towering, two-run homer from Bell on the day after the veteran slugger produced the game-winner in Chicago. Then they got another towering, two-run homer from Bell one inning later, this one also reaching the second deck in right field before ricocheting back down to the field.

"I feel like I'm on time right now. The bat path is working for me," he said. "I think it starts with one swing, and I think it started in Chicago. Hopefully I can ride the wave and keep getting these type of results."

In the bigger picture, Crews’ performance may have been the most important aspect of tonight’s game, because it was sorely needed.

The rookie hadn’t driven in a run in his previous 14 games. After briefly getting his batting average up to .204, he had seen it fall back below the Mendoza Line over the weekend. It felt like he was perpetually in an 0-2 count, fighting for his life.

Tonight, Crews rediscovered his swing. He showed it on his fourth-inning single, a 108.8 mph laser up the middle that scored García and gave the Nats a 2-1 lead. And then he showed his hustle, taking second on the throw and impressively avoiding a tag that was initially called out by Mike Estabrook but was overturned on replay review.

And then he really showed it on his fifth-inning homer, turning on an inside fastball from Seth Martinez and sending it flying 409 feet to left for his first home run since May 20, the same night he strained his oblique muscle, necessitating a three-month stint on the IL.

"It's a good thing when you're pulling baseballs in the air like that," he said. "I think it's a good sign that I'm in the right spot. Just need to keep things going moving forward."

With three hits on the night, Crews raised his batting average to .208, his OPS to .637. It’s far too late for him to finish his first full season with memorable stats. But it’s not too late for him to end his first full season on an uplifting note.

"Play with my hair on fire," he said. "I think at the end of the day, I've just got to be myself. That's showing up every day, putting in the work, finishing strong, trying to get as many wins as we can finishing out this year. I don't think anybody's really worried about numbers right now. It's September. We're going to go out and try to win as much as we can and finish strong."

"I believe in him," Cairo said. "I know he did it before. He's going to be fine. He's going to be good. It was nice to see him get a couple knocks today and homer. It was nice to see him grinding. At the end of the day, it will pay off. And you saw the results today."