Finally.
After seven straight series losses in their last June series, the Washington Nationals won.
This past series in Anaheim wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t clean, and it wasn’t expected to be great after a lengthy road trip. It was necessary, though. After trudging through one of the worst months in recent franchise history, the Nationals finally ended June with something to show for it: a series win over the Los Angeles Angels.
It didn’t erase the pain of 19 losses in 26 days, but it offered a brief glimpse at how this team might claw its way forward.
There was no single collapse, just a slow, painful month across almost every front. The rotation began to buckle under the weight of long-term injuries and inexperience. The bullpen lost the command and confidence it had shown for a short stretch. While the bats, once a quietly reliable group, fell eerily silent. Entering the final weekend of June, Washington was averaging just 3.4 runs per game during the month, with a run differential scraping the bottom of the league standings.
There was always something off for the Nationals in June, from the eleven-game skid to the bats going silent, giving MacKenzie Gore no run support, or the bullpen blowing a game late into the night for fans back in DC. June was not a fun time to be a Washington fan. With the trade deadline looming, the storylines will shift to who the Nationals will trade in the lead-up to the July 31 deadline.
The first game against the Angels was a rare offensive explosion for Washington; every starting position player recorded at least one run batted in in a 15–9 win, marking the team’s highest run total in nearly two years. This wasn’t power-driven; it was those scrappy Nationals with their aggressive baserunning, timely singles, and the kind of chaos young teams thrive on.
Of course, the second game brought reality back into focus with an 8–2 loss, but the finale was where grit finally met execution.
In a game where Washington trailed multiple times, it was Drew Millas, making his first MLB start Sunday, who delivered the go-ahead knock in the 11th. The rookie catcher’s RBI single set the stage for CJ Abrams to blow the door open with a two-run triple.
This game wasn’t won by stars. It was won by bench pieces, grinders, and prospects still trying to prove they belong in the bigs.
[INSERT YOUR ANALYSIS HERE: could touch on Millas’s journey, development curve, or how this kind of moment echoes the Nationals’ ethos of scrappiness.]
For Millas, that hit could unlock his confidence moving forward, despite starter Keibert Ruiz being eligible to return from injury on Tuesday. No matter what Tuesday might signal for Millas, even if he goes back to AAA Rochester, his bat has had recent struggles in the minors, and a game-winning knock could be significant in the long run.
It might’ve gone unnoticed by casual fans, but history was made in the box score: James Wood was intentionally walked four times. It was the first time a Nationals player had ever been walked intentionally in four consecutive plate appearances. The last MLB player to get that kind of treatment? Barry Bonds.
Wood’s presence is already reshaping how opponents pitch to Washington’s lineup. He’s not just a prospect anymore; he’s becoming a superstar.
Wood needs some help around him, so teams don’t just walk Wood all the time, but as touched on before:
James Wood needs to be with the Nationals for a long time.
Washington didn’t use much of Kyle Finnegan on their nine-game western road trip. Only facing two batters going into his appearance against Los Angeles on Sunday, he was the hero of the day. He pitched three scoreless, hitless innings in extra innings to secure the Nationals’ 7–4 win over the Angels. It was the first time in his career he recorded nine outs in a single outing, and he did it with just 30 pitches, 20 for strikes. He entered in the ninth with the game tied, navigated through the 10th and 11th, and sealed the win by inducing a groundout from Christian Moore on his final pitch.
It was a gutsy, career-best performance that capped off Washington’s first series win in nearly a month.
This series victory won’t save the season, but it might shift the tone of the clubhouse. Going into a six-game homestand with Detroit and Boston, things aren’t going to get easier for the Nationals. It may give Davey Martinez some clarity on which pieces are worth building around, and which are just filling gaps that could be on the move.
For a young, evolving core, this wasn’t just a win. It was a reminder: they can fight back.
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