The Washington Nationals left New York, dropping their tenth straight game at Citi Field, with many questions about what’s ahead. While CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore showed flashes of star potential, the rest of the team couldn’t follow. From a late-game bullpen collapse in Game 1, to being blanked in Game 2, and then showing too little, too late in Game 3, the sweep exposed Washington’s lingering and frustrating problems: a leaky bullpen, ongoing struggles vs. lefties, and an offense that disappears for innings at a time. Here’s a closer look at how the series unfolded and what it reveals moving forward.

Game 1: Not Gore’d Enough As Gotham Bats Explode Late In Walk-Off Win

Early Offense Gives Gore Rare Run Support

After a quiet homestand offensively, the Nationals got off to a strong start in the series. CJ Abrams, coming off a quiet homestand, sparked the offense with a leadoff double. Two batters later, Nathaniel Lowe crushed a two-run home run to give Washington an early 2-0 lead.

Quick look at Davey Martinez’s feelings on the lead:

MacKenzie Gore, who has often suffered from a lack of run support, had a rare cushion to work with. He entered the game with one of the lowest run support rates in the league at 3.65, but made good on the lead, punching out six batters over six innings. Despite surrendering a two-run homer to Juan Soto, Gore kept the game under control with a sharp curveball and well-placed fastballs.

Abrams added an RBI double and a solo homer, showing strong signs of breaking out of his slump. For the first time in a while, the Nationals looked alive at the plate, and Gore gave them a legitimate chance to win.

But as Gore exited, the game slipped away. Brad Lord held it down briefly, but the Nationals missed a chance to add insurance in the 7th. In the 8th, Juan Soto doubled in a run after a walk, and Pete Alonso tied it with a laser double off the wall.

Kyle Finnegan and Edwin Diaz tossed clean 9th innings, but in the 10th, Cole Henry surrendered a walk-off single to Jeff McNeil on the first pitch. Handing Washington a crushing loss.

While Gore continues to perform like a front-line starter, Washington’s second-to-last bullpen once again proved to be unreliable with the game on the line.

Nats Look Checked Out In Game 2 As Bats Go Cold Once Again In June

Coming off a walk-off loss, Washington looked to bounce back against David Peterson, a lefty the team hoped to attack with a righty-heavy lineup consisting mainly of bench players. Washington looked to create some spark as they entered the game ranked last in MLB in batting average against LHP over the last month with a .198 AVG.

Despite adjustments, the offense was lifeless. Peterson cruised to his first career complete game shutout, allowing just six hits while Brandon Nimmo slugged two home runs for New York.

Jake Irvin, who has pitched deep into games before, struggled with efficiency. He tossed 100 pitches in five innings, allowing four runs, including a homer to Juan Soto and another to Lindor.

Washington mustered just one extra-base hit and couldn’t cash in on its few opportunities. Brzykcy and Rutledge did a decent job in relief, but the offensive struggles stole the story.

While the Nats’ inability to hit lefties remains glaring, the lineup changes didn’t deliver any real results.

Too Little, Too Late as the Nats Lose Their 10th Straight in Sweep at Citi Field

Looking to avoid the sweep, the Nationals faced Kodai Senga, who entered with MLB’s lowest ERA at 1.47. James Wood singled in the 1st, but the offense went dormant for seven innings afterward.

Michael Soroka struggled early, walking two and giving up a three-run homer to Jeff McNeil in the 1st inning. Another solo shot in the 5th eventually made it 4-0.

Things looked bleak until the 9th inning, when CJ Abrams led off with a single. James Wood followed with his third hit of the game, and a rally was suddenly on. Luis García Jr. and Josh Bell each added RBI singles, cutting it to 4-2. José Tena’s groundout brought in another run, but Keibert Ruiz grounded out with the tying run on third.

While the lineup found a spark too late, the Nats are capable of pressure late, but defensive lapses and early-game silence made it meaningless.

Series Takeaways: More Than A Fluke

  • CJ Abrams looks like the face of the franchise, posting three extra-base hits in Game 1 and continuing his aggressive approach.
  • MacKenzie Gore is shoving despite poor run support, now leading MLB in strikeouts with 114.
  • James Wood continues showing why he’s a future star, racking up five hits across the series.

But None Of It Matters If:

  • The defense continues to cost extra bases and runs, as the Nationals rank last in Fielding Run-Value (FRV). (A stat that measures how many runs a team’s defense saves or costs compared to an average MLB team. Positive is good (saving runs), negative is bad (giving up extra runs).) With a rate of -26.

End Of My Nationals Rant

Washington now heads home with an overall record of 30-38, losers of five straight, and 2-8 in their last 10 games. With a seven-game homestand on the horizon against the Marlins and Rockies, the Nats need to win both series, which could reset the tone before a brutal West Coast stretch. The Nats need to get right. If not now, when?

Read More MLB News From Stadium Rant Here: MLB News