Washington Nationals 2025 Season

THE LEAD

Nats fans had a collective “RUH ROH!” moment in the bottom of the sixth inning yesterday when Michael Soroka shook his head and made a gesture after throwing his third pitch to Andrés Giménez, the first batter of the inning. Head trainer Paul Lessard and manager Davey Martinez came out to the mound, and Soroka departed without throwing another pitch or even attempting a toss from the mound. After the game Davey described what happened as a biceps cramp (which could mean anything), but surely the Nats will have Soroka - their biggest free agent signing this winter at $9 million in the Lerners’ new scrimp-and-save era - get an MRI to see if there is any structural damage to his arm.

 Washington Nationals 2025 Season

Game Recap

Bob Carpenter told listeners multiple times last night that Toronto starter Bowden Francis, who was moved from the bullpen to the rotation partway through last year, had carried not one but two no-hitters into the ninth in 2024 - and for a while it looked like he might do that against the Nats. Francis kept the Nats off balance and also got every borderline call (seriously, the umpire scorecard showed a 7-0 difference in borderline strike zone calls favoring the Jays), inducing mostly weak contact through the first five innings (Dylan Crews put a charge into one that was caught on the center field warning track, but that was about it).

With one out in the sixth, CJ Abrams launched a missile into right field for his first home run of the year, followed two pitches later by James Wood doing what he does best in fading a fly ball 388 feet over the left field fence. Those back-to-back home runs wound up being the only runs that the Nats scored, however, although they threatened again in the eighth before Josh Bell’s deep fly ball died in Davis Schneider’s glove in the left field corner with two men on, and the Jays won 5-2.

The bullpen was once again an adventure after Soroka’s departure, with Lucas Sims only retiring one hitter (he turned the 1-2 count he inherited on Giménez into a walk) and Colin Poche walking the bases loaded in relief of him before escaping. Eduardo Sálazar turned in one good inning but then started getting knocked around in the eighth before Brad Lord turned the tables from his debut appearance and recorded three outs on six pitches.

 Analysis

Pitching Moves Coming?

Should Soroka be injured enough to require an IL stint, what moves might the Nationals make? They could, in theory, call up Shinnosuke Ogasawara to take his place in the rotation, but Ogasawara got hit around pretty badly in spring training and probably still needs some time to adjust to the MLB pitching schedule and baseball. Another option is to stretch out Lord and call up Jackson Rutledge to the big league bullpen, and the Nats might possibly have tipped their hand last night when they brought in Lord - ostensibly their long reliever - in the eighth inning to clean up Salazar’s mess instead of holding onto him to potentially pitch more than an inning in relief of Trevor Williams today. Still another option would be to call up Andry Lara (already on the 40-man) for a spot start.

What do you think the Nationals should do?? Leave your thoughts in the Comment Section below!

AD

Wake up with Peet’s Coffee and the Morning Briefing

Peet’s Coffee is crafted for those who crave delicious coffee without the brewing; this versatile blend holds its own in any creation. Silky-smooth and delicious, hot or cold, it takes just one tablespoon and a couple of moments to whip up whatever cup you're craving. Order yours today to take advantage of their limited-time intro price.

 WHAT WE THINK THE NATIONALS FRONT OFFICE IS READING

Speed Reads

📌 Athletics get new beginning in Sacramento, but get blown out by Cubs in home opener (USA Today)

📌 Opening Series Analysis of the Washington Nationals (Talk Nats)

📌 Braves' Jurickson Profar suspended 80 games for violating MLB's PED policy (Yahoo! Sports)