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The Washington Nationals acquired right-handed pitchers Sean Paul Liñan and Eriq Swan from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Alex Call on Thursday. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcement.
Liñan, 20, is Los Angeles’ №19 prospect, according to Baseball America and its №20 prospect, per MLBPipeline.com. He ranked third in the Dodgers’ system with 101 strikeouts in 74.1 innings pitched this season. He went 3–3 with a 2.78 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP and a .186 opponents’ batting average in 18 games (14 starts) between Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, High-A Great Lakes and Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2025 — his fourth professional season.
Liñan opened the season by striking out at least 10 batters in three of his first four outings. He went 2–1 with a 0.87 ERA (2 ER/20.2 IP), 40 strikeouts, four walks and a .116 opponents’ average (8-for-69) in those first four outings with Rancho Cucamonga on his way to being named California League Pitcher of the Month in April.
A native of Cartagena, Colombia, Liñan signed with Los Angeles as an international free agent on January 15, 2022. He has recorded 11.9 strikeouts per 9.0 innings, a 3.51 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 3.73 career ERA in 50 professional outings (25 starts). Liñan went 10–4 with a 4.39 ERA and 138 strikeouts in a combined 106.2 innings across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Swan, 23, is the Dodgers №16 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com and №24 prospect according to Baseball America. He ranks seventh in the Dodgers Minor League system with 69.0 innings pitched and tied for seventh with 77 strikeouts this season. Overall, he is 4–3 with a 4.43 ERA and a .198 opponents’ average in 16 games (14 starts) for High-A Great Lakes this season.
The Washington Nationals acquired right-handed pitchers Josh Randall and R.J. Sales from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Kyle Finnegan on Thursday. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcement.
Randall, 22, is Detroit’s No. 15 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com and its No. 20 prospect, per Baseball America. He went 5-5 with a 3.92 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 17 starts between Single-A Lakeland and High-A West Michigan this season. He tossed 5.0 innings of one-hit, shutout ball with six strikeouts and zero walks in his High-A debut on July 27.
In seven starts dating to June 7, Randall went 4-1 with a 2.78 ERA (11 ER/35.2 IP) with 29 strikeouts against just eight walks. He struck out 15 batters and walked just two in four starts during the month of July (13.1 IP).
A third-round pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of San Diego, Randall appeared in two games with Single-A Lakeland following the draft, posting a 4.50 ERA (2 ER/4.0 IP) with two strikeouts and zero walks.
Sales, 22, went 4-3 with a 2.71 ERA, 63 strikeouts, 17 walks and a .236 opponents’ batting average in 16 games (15 starts) for Single-A Lakeland in his first professional season this year. Over his last seven starts, Sales fanned 38 batters, walked just eight and pitched to a 2.48 ERA (8 ER/29.0 IP).
The Washington Nationals acquired right-handed pitcher Clayton Beeter and outfielder Browm Martinez from the New York Yankees in exchange for infielder Amed Rosario on Saturday. Beeter has been optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcement.
Beeter, 26, struck out 39 batters in 23.2 innings across 21 Minor League outings this season, his first as a full-time reliever. He went 1-1 with two saves, a 3.80 ERA and a .212 opponents' batting average between Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Double-A Somerset and High-A Tampa. From May 23 through June 27, Beeter enjoyed his best stretch of the season, pitching to a 0.73 ERA (1 ER/12.1 IP) with 22 strikeouts and a .143 opponents’ average (6-for-42, 2B) in 11 outings with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
New York's No. 20 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com and its No. 23 prospect, per Baseball America, Beeter made two appearances out of the Yankees' bullpen across two Major League stints this season, going 0-1 with a 14.73 ERA. He made New York's Opening Day roster in 2024 and made his Major League debut on March 29 of that year at Houston. He posted scoreless relief in three appearances, pitching to a 4.91 ERA with five strikeouts and one walk.
Selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in Competitive Balance Round B of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Tech University, Beeter is 13-18 with a 3.67 ERA and 13.00 strikeouts per 9.0 innings and a .206 opponents' batting average in 113 Minor League outings. He represented the Yankees in the 2023 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and finished that season ranked second in New York’s system with a career-high 165 strikeouts and a .216 opponent’s batting average in 131.2 innings. Beeter was acquired by the Yankees from the Dodgers in exchange for Joey Gallo on Aug. 2, 2022.
Martinez, 18, is in his second professional season after signing with the Yankees as an international free agent on January 15, 2024. He's hit .320 with eight doubles, three homers, 35 RBI, 21 walks, 34 stolen bases and 42 runs scored in 56 games for the DSL Yankees over the last two seasons.
The Washington Nationals acquired left-handed pitcher Jake Eder and first baseman Sam Brown from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for right-handed pitcher Luis Garcia and left-handed pitcher Andrew Chafin on Wednesday. Eder has been optioned to Triple-A Rochester and right-handed pitcher Zach Brzykcy has been recalled from Triple-A Rochester. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcements.
Eder, 26, is Los Angeles’ No. 24 prospect, according to Baseball America. He has appeared in eight Major League games for the Angels, posting a 4.91 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 18.1 innings pitched. In his last Major League outing on July 23 at New York (NL), he struck out seven batters and issued just one walk in 6.0 innings of work out of the Angels’ bullpen (7 H, 5 ER). He was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on July 24 and is 2-7 with a 6.11 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 13 Triple-A outings this season.
A starter at the Minor League level, Eder has recorded 10.3 strikeouts per 9.0 innings in 66 career starts since being selected by Miami in the fourth round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of Vanderbilt University. He was acquired by the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Jake Burger on Aug. 1, 2023, and by the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for cash considerations on March 31, 2025. In 2024, he was tied for third among White Sox farmhands with 122 strikeouts.
Brown, 23, is in his second professional season after being selected by the Angels in the 12th round of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft out of Washington State University. He ranks among Angles Minor Leaguers in walks (T5th, 46), triples (T7th, 4) and on-base percentage (8th, .350). In 92 games for Double-A Rocket City, Brown is hitting .244 with 12 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 40 RBI, 46 walks, two stolen bases and 92 runs scored.
The left-handed hitting Brown has appeared at first base (183 G), designated hitter (31 G), right field (6 G) and left field (2 G) so far in his professional career.
The Washington Nationals acquired shortstop Ronny Cruz and outfielder Christian Franklin from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka on Wednesday. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcement.
Cruz, 18, is Chicago’s No. 13 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com and No. 17 prospect according to Baseball America. In his first professional season in 2025, he is hitting .270 with 10 doubles, six triples, two home runs, 21 RBI, 10 walks, 10 stolen bases and 20 runs scored in 48 games for the Arizona League Cubs.
Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, before moving to Florida for his final two years of high school, Cruz was selected by the Cubs in the third round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of Miami Christian School (Fla.).
Franklin, 25, the Cubs No. 14 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, led the Cubs Minor League system in walks (63) and ranked in runs (2nd, 61), triples (T3rd, 4), on-base percentage (5th, .393), doubles (5th, 20), extra-base hits (T7th, 32), OPS (7th, .820), hits (7th, 85), and slugging (8th, .427) in 86 games for Triple-A Iowa this season. He also hit .265 with eight home runs, 41 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 61 runs scored in 2025.
The right-handed hitting Franklin ranks 10th in all of Minor League Baseball over the last two seasons with 134 walks. He has hit .261 with 53 doubles, 10 triples, 26 home runs, 143 RBI, 208 walks, 63 stolen bases, and 208 runs scored in 307 career Minor League games over five seasons, while playing 122 games in center field, 79 games in right field and 74 games in left field.
It’s hard to imagine any trade deadline that approaches the Nationals’ 2021 trade deadline in terms of both volume and significant names. Over those wild 36 hours, former general manager Mike Rizzo made six deals involving eight veterans in exchange for 12 prospects, kickstarting an organizational rebuild that still continues to this day.
Mike DeBartolo probably won’t match his predecessor, but as Major League Baseball’s official deadline day arrives, the interim GM is already showing a willingness to be exceptionally active.
It began Saturday night when the Nationals dealt infielder Amed Rosario to the Yankees for minor leaguers Clayton Beeter and Browm Martinez. It continued Wednesday afternoon when they sent relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia together to the Angels for left-hander Jake Eder and first baseman Sam Brown. And it didn’t let up Wednesday night when (with the team still en route home from Houston to D.C.) Michael Soroka was traded to the Cubs for infielder Ronny Cruz and outfielder Christian Franklin (both top-15-ranked prospects in Chicago’s farm system).
All this before the actual deadline day, which figures to be plenty active in its own right.
DeBartolo has now dealt four of the team’s seven veterans on expiring contracts. He’s still got Kyle Finnegan, Josh Bell and Paul DeJong on the docket before the 6 p.m. deadline.
The Nationals continued their sell-off this evening by sending right-hander Michael Soroka to the Cubs, a source confirmed to MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman.
In return, the Nats are getting 18-year-old infielder Ronny Cruz and 25-year-old outfielder Christian Franklin.
Soroka, signed to a one-year, $9 million contract in December, finishes his time with the Nats with a 3-8 record, 4.87 ERA, 1.131 WHIP and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings over 16 starts.
Though his last start was his shortest with Washington both in terms of innings (3 ⅓) and pitches (74), he only surrendered two runs on four hits and no walks with four strikeouts. That helped make Soroka’s underlying numbers – 3.32 xERA and 4.12 FIP – more desirable than his traditional stats.
Soroka is also good in short spurts. Going back to his success as a reliever last year with the White Sox, he posted a 2.75 ERA and 1.222 WHIP in 16 appearances out of the bullpen. Through the first three innings this year, Soroka had a 3.00 ERA. The deeper in the game he got, the worse he got: In innings four through six, he had a 7.66 ERA.
HOUSTON – The Nationals’ final ballgame before the 2025 trade deadline offered a stark reminder why they’re in full-scale sell mode for the fifth straight year.
Despite the presence of their ace on the mound and an unaccomplished rookie starting for the opposition, the Nats were roughed up by the Astros during a 9-1 blowout loss that saw MacKenzie Gore’s recent struggles continue and interim manager Miguel Cairo get ejected for the first time.
Gore, whose name has emerged as a potential trade candidate – more so by contenders interested in acquiring an All-Star lefty with two-plus years of club control than by the Nationals themselves – this month, endured through his third consecutive shaky outing, this one bringing out some negative emotions from the 26-year-old.
Gore was charged with six runs in 5 1/3 innings, surrendering a pair of homers while also seeing his command go awry at times. He has now allowed 15 runs while walking 10 batters over his last 12 2/3 innings, during which time his ERA has jumped from 3.02 to 3.80.
Whether any potentially interested contenders view these recent struggles as reason to reduce their offers to interim general manager Mike DeBartolo in advance of Thursday night’s trade deadline remains to be seen. Either way, Gore unquestionably is now mired in the worst stretch of an otherwise fantastic season.
HOUSTON – The Nationals traded two more veterans on one-year deals prior to today’s series finale against the Astros, sending relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis García together to the Angels in exchange for two minor leaguers.
The trade, which was officially announced minutes before today’s game, sends two experienced bullpen arms acquired in-season to an Angels club trying to get into the American League wild card race and brings minor league left-hander Jake Eder and first baseman Sam Brown to the Nationals organization.
With roughly 28 hours to go until Thursday’s 6 p.m. Eastern trade deadline, interim general manager Mike DeBartolo is expected to be busy. He already dealt infielder Amed Rosario to the Yankees following Saturday night’s game in Minnesota, and he’s still shopping three more veterans on expiring contracts in Kyle Finnegan, Josh Bell and Paul DeJong. DeBartolo also appears willing to listen to offers for players who remain under club control beyond this season, including first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and staff ace MacKenzie Gore, who starts this afternoon against Houston.
Chafin and García both were mid-season pickups by the Nationals, who desperately needed bullpen help at the time. Chafin, 35, joined the club in early May and wound up posting a 2.70 ERA in 26 appearances facing mostly left-handed hitters. García, 38, just joined the club three weeks ago as DeBartolo’s first official acquisition after replacing longtime GM Mike Rizzo and immediately paid dividends with only one run allowed in 10 appearances.
Given their rental status, Chafin and García did not bring back a significant haul, but both Eder and Brown give the Nats young players who could ultimately develop into big leaguers.
HOUSTON – We have reached the final day of this road trip and the final game before the trade deadline. As things currently stand, the Nationals have made only one move this week, sending Amed Rosario to the Yankees after Saturday night’s game in Minnesota. Be prepared for a lot more activity between now and 6 p.m. Thursday.
In the meantime, there’s a game to be played this afternoon against the Astros, and the Nats have a chance to win their third straight series if they can beat the Astros. They’ve got their ace on the mound for what should be a fascinating start. Is this MacKenzie Gore’s final outing before a trade? How will Miguel Cairo manage this start with that in mind, pulling him early to avoid risk of injury or struggles or letting him go to give everything he’s got? Where is Gore’s mind right now as he prepares to take the mound?
A Nationals lineup that has struck out a whopping 33 times through the first two games of this series will look to make more contact today against Houston starter Ryan Gusto. The 26-year-old rookie has bounced back and forth between the rotation and bullpen, making 13 starts and 10 relief appearances and compiling a 5.18 ERA and 1.475 WHIP. He was roughed up by the Athletics last time out to the tune of eight runs in only 3 1/3 innings.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: Daikin Park
Gametime: 2:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors
NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Josh Bell
1B Nathaniel Lowe
3B Paul DeJong
RF Daylen Lile
C Drew Millas
CF Jacob Young
HOUSTON – Michael Soroka took the mound tonight knowing there was a good chance it would be his final start for the Nationals, knowing the better he pitched, the more attractive he might make himself to any interested contenders.
He then found out that’s easier said than done, especially when the opposing lineup makes you work as much as the Astros did.
Unable to complete four innings for the first time this season due to a high pitch count, Soroka didn’t figure in the decision in the Nats’ eventual 7-4 loss. The bullpen was charged with the final five runs, turning a once-tied game into a relatively comfortable victory for Houston.
But the spotlight tonight was squarely on Soroka, who took the mound less than 48 hours before the trade deadline and once again turned in a start that included a combination of positive and negative developments.
Houston’s hitters put up a massive fight from the get-go, battling tough pitches and prolonging at-bats. Their first four batters saw a combined 28 pitches, and a whopping 13 of those were fouled off. Cam Smith then got a pitch he could do something with and sent it down the right field line for an RBI double and a 1-0 lead.
HOUSTON – Kyle Finnegan has been here before, the trade deadline fast approaching, his name bandied about as a potential target to be acquired by a contending team, the Nationals fielding offers for their veteran closer.
It happened in 2023, and he wasn’t traded. It happened in 2024, and he wasn’t traded. This time, the odds would seem to be tilted heavily toward an actual trade, given his pending status as a free agent and the Nats’ continued status at the bottom of the National League East. But Finnegan insists he’s less engaged with the process this time around.
“I definitely care way less and have been following it way less after three, four years of it,” he said. “If it happens, it happens. I’m happy here. Obviously, as players, you want to play in the postseason. I’m just really not thinking about it. I’m way more concerned with what I’m trying to do out on the field. I’m here until I’m not.”
Does Finnegan understand the irony of that sentiment, that he stressed more about getting traded in the years when he was less likely to be traded?
“The chatter’s always been out there, but I understand how the game works. And this year is probably the most likely scenario,” he said. “But at the same time, I feel like the team’s not going to get rid of guys just to get rid of them. They have to feel like they get a fair deal coming back. As likely as it is, I won’t believe it until it happens.”
HOUSTON – The Nationals (gulp) are currently on a winning streak. Three in a row. The first time they’ve done that since that trip to Seattle and Arizona two months ago. (Or maybe it was a lifetime ago.) And tonight they’ll look to make it four in a row against an Astros club that’s hanging onto first place in the American League West but is currently teetering, having lost five games in a row (the first four to the Athletics).
This very well may be Michael Soroka’s final start for the Nats. The 27-year-old right-hander has proven to be a solid addition to the team, his 4.85 ERA not really in concert with how well he’s pitched (1.128 WHIP, 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings). The right-hander has been good of late, with only four runs allowed over his last 14 2/3 innings. You have to think some team out there is willing to make Mike DeBartolo a reasonable offer for him before Thursday’s trade deadline, but it would help if he pitches well again tonight.
A Nationals lineup that scored two runs and won Monday night despite striking out 19 times faces a bit less imposing opposing starter than Framber Valdez in Jason Alexander. The 32-year-old right-hander (who is NOT the actor who played George Costanza on "Seinfeld") makes only his third big league start of the season, only his 14th career start, having been roughed up by the A’s last time out to the tune of five runs and 11 hits in six innings. Maybe he’d be better off pursuing his other dream of pretending to be an architect …
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: Daikin Park
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors
NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Josh Bell
1B Nathaniel Lowe
3B Brady House
RF Daylen Lile
C Riley Adams
CF Jacob Young
HOUSTON – One of the most significant months in recent Nationals history already included the firing of their longtime general manager and manager. Then it featured a rare opportunity to select the No. 1 overall player in the MLB Draft. On Monday, we got news the organization's top pitching prospect needs Tommy John surgery. And now the month is about to conclude with a potentially active trade deadline that will probably include several veterans dealt before 6 p.m. Thursday, with perhaps a chance of someone younger and more prominent also departing.
Given all that, it's understandable if you haven't been paying close attention to what's actually happening on the field. Here's an update for you: The Nats have won five of their last seven games, including a taut 2-1 nailbiter over the Astros on Monday night during which they became only the fifth team in MLB history to win a nine-inning game despite striking out 19 times.
So there should be no shortage of topics to discuss today in our latest Q&A entry. As always, submit your questions in the comments section below, then check back throughout the morning for my replies ...
HOUSTON – To beat the Astros on a night in which Framber Valdez’s curveball was untouchable, the Nationals were going to need an equally effective outing from starter-turned-reliever-turned-starter Brad Lord, just enough offense from a lineup missing James Wood to give themselves a lead and then zeros from their bullpen to close things out.
When they found a way to get all of that and walk out of Daikin Park with a 2-1 victory, it might well have represented the most impressive victory of the still-nascent Miguel Cairo Era.
Behind 5 1/3 standout innings from Lord, clutch hits from Nathaniel Lowe and Riley Adams and 3 2/3 scoreless innings from the bullpen, the Nationals emerged on top in a pitchers’ duel and won for the fifth time in their last seven games. To have done that against one of the toughest opponents on their recent schedule, against their ace nonetheless, made it particularly notable.
"It's exciting, because you have to play a clean game," Lowe said. "And especially against a first-place team, you have to play a clean game anyway. We did that today."
Adams’ solo homer in the seventh off reliever Bryan King proved the difference, an opposite-field blast for his third homer in his last 11 games, equaling the total from his first 31 games.
HOUSTON – Travis Sykora, the Nationals’ top pitching prospect, needs Tommy John surgery after a recent MRI revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament.
It’s a significant blow for the 21-year-old, who was trending toward being big league-ready sometime in 2026. Now he’s likely to miss most, if not all, of that season while recovering from the elbow surgery.
Sykora hadn’t pitched since July 5, when he departed his second start with Double-A Harrisburg after only one inning. Initial exams on his arm suggested he had not suffered a significant injury, and the organization’s medical staff decided to shut him down for two-to-three weeks before resuming a throwing program. A club source at the time compared the situation to that of fellow prospect Jarlin Susana, who recently returned to the mound after two months on the minor league injured list following his own shutdown period.
Sykora did not, however, get an MRI after first experiencing symptoms, according to multiple sources. That test was finally performed recently after the right-hander wasn’t showing signs of progress, with the results showing he actually had suffered a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament.
Surgery to reconstruct the ligament is now scheduled to take place in two weeks.
HOUSTON – Hello from Daikin Park in downtown Houston. No, it’s no longer Minute Maid Park. The memories of October 2019 from this place, however, remain, regardless of the stadium’s name.
The Nationals kick off the second leg of their road trip tonight with the opener of a three-game series against the Astros. They just took two of three from the Twins in Minnesota, this after taking two of three from the Reds in D.C. Could they actually pull off three straight series victories? This one should be a stiffer challenge than the last two, especially with Astros ace Framber Valdez on the mound tonight.
Given that tough matchup against one of the best lefties in the league, Miguel Cairo has a very different looking lineup for this one. Most notably, James Wood is not playing for only the second time in his major league career. Wood has been in a significant slump (7-for-64, eight walks, 32 strikeouts over his last 17 games) so you can understand why Cairo may believe it’s a good time to give the young star a physical and mental breather.
Brad Lord, meanwhile, makes his second start since rejoining the rotation. After tossing four innings of one-run ball against Cincinnati, the rookie right-hander should be good to build up to a heavier workload. He threw 50 pitches in that game, so perhaps 65 or so tonight if all goes well?
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: Daikin Park
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors
MINNEAPOLIS – The Nationals departed the Twin Cities after Sunday’s victory with a roster that experienced only one change over the course of the weekend, with Jose Tena replacing the traded Amed Rosario.
By the time the team departs Houston following Wednesday’s game, there’s a decent chance that roster will have undergone even more change.
With Major League Baseball’s trade deadline now fast approaching, we’ve reached that point in the season where anything and everything can happen, and usually does. Though the deadline doesn’t arrive until 6 p.m. Eastern Thursday (an off-day for the Nationals), plenty of deals will be consummated these next three days as teams look to get a jump on the process and add key players for a few extra games.
We’ve known for a while the Nats were going to be active. Once they endured through a miserable 7-19 month of June, and certainly once ownership made the decision July 6 to fire general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez, it became clear they would once again be deadline sellers and not buyers for the fifth consecutive year.
Some of these recent deadline periods have included only a handful of trade candidates. This one, though, includes a bunch, because the Nationals entered the weekend with seven veteran players on expiring contracts: Rosario, designated hitter Josh Bell, infielder Paul DeJong, starter Michael Soroka and relievers Kyle Finnegan, Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia. Rosario was dealt to the Yankees late Saturday night for a pair of prospects. The others all have a good chance of being dealt at some point over the next 82 hours.
MINNEAPOLIS – Jake Irvin had been looking forward to this day for more than a year, from the moment Major League Baseball released its 2025 schedule during the 2024 All-Star break. The Bloomington, Minn., native had just missed pitching at Target Field the last time the Nationals played here in April 2023, called up to make his big league debut in D.C. less than two weeks later.
And when the time finally came this afternoon, Irvin wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.
With seven innings of two-run ball, Minnesota’s own gave a gathering of friends and family in attendance that numbered in the hundreds plenty of reason to cheer. And with a second straight offensive surge from a lineup that had been shut out in its two previous games, the Nationals cruised to a 7-2 victory over the Twins.
That’s now four of six for the Nats over the last week, winners of back-to-back series for the first time in nearly a month. They’re still 19 games under .500, poised to deal away several more veterans before Thursday’s trade deadline. But they are at least starting to play better baseball after a dismal start to their summer that cost their longtime general manager and manager their jobs.
"We're playing with energy. We're doing the little things the right way," said interim manager Miguel Cairo, now 6-9 since replacing Davey Martinez. "We got men on third twice and we got RBIs. So we're doing the little things the right way, what we're supposed to do as a team. It's been good. We're going to keep doing it. We're going to keep preaching that."
MINNEAPOLIS – Dylan Crews is ready to begin his long-awaited rehab assignment.
Crews, who has missed the last two months with a strained left oblique muscle, will join Triple-A Rochester to begin playing games Tuesday, the final step before his eventual return to the Nationals’ active roster. The Red Wings play on the road this week in Charlotte.
The club has taken a cautious approach with the 23-year-old outfielder, bringing him along slowly and making sure he crossed off every item on his checklist before clearing him to play in games. This last week offered him his first chance to face live pitching in the cage to go along with the regular rounds of batting practice, defensive drills and baserunning exercises he had already been participating prior to that.
“I know it took maybe a little bit longer than some people would’ve wanted it to,” he said. “But we’re trying to make sure it’s all right, and that way we don’t have to restart and have to do this whole thing all over again.”
Crews initially hurt himself on a checked swing May 20, landing on the 15-day injured list the following afternoon. He was transferred to the 60-day IL earlier this week, a procedural move needed to open a spot on the 40-man roster for left-hander Konnor Pilkington. The Nats will need to clear another 40-man spot before Crews can be activated.
