The Nationals lost their fourth straight after Miles Mikolas dug them into a hole and the lineup was held hitless by Martin Perez into the seventh inning
Maybe it's a perverse take, but if the Nats were going to reveal that they aren't really a contender yet, I'm glad they did it this week as opposed to, say, next week.
Toboni has a job to do, and it's hard enough without the noise from the "go all in now" crowd.
This is another dead season now counting the 7th and another gross waste of time as the Lerners are fooling everyone they are not serious about having a good team and fan experience just one they can sell to visitor fans. It;s sad and madding how much this team is a fraud they throwing out crappy players and leaving good ones to die on the vine in MiLB. We have high draft picks that play like low picks in the 8th round and Two players who had great first parts of the season and once again going right back to the failure of the second half
As a fanbase we can’t let ourselves shift the goalposts, by all means this is already a successful season and one had I seen only the record blind would have accepted in a flash during the preseason. To instead feel frustrated at more likely than not missing the playoffs almost feels greedy given the state of the franchise last July. And yet I am very frustrated.
With all that said, if it’s really true that there are multiple calls coming in on Griffin and Garcia, I think you have to take them. It’s a sell high unlike anyone could have predicted. The depth is there to replace Garcia with Ortiz (I want to acknowledge that I don’t think the quality of bat will be equal yet, but the writing was on the wall what the plan was when he was brought over), and if a major league pitcher comes over in a Garcia package, a sell of Foster should happen as well.
I would hate to be Paul Toboni right now because it really feels like this isn’t about the X’s and O’s but entirely the Jimmies and Joes. I think a trade of either (or both) is going to devestate the clubhouse and really could lead to a permanent slide. Fans will be ravenous too, it’s almost waving the white flag (and who knows, I think Ortiz will slot in nicely and Early will provide value instantly as well). Interesting few days ahead, I think even if they had gone on a barnstorm and won the Blue Jays series and these last three, I think Griffin and Garcia still would’ve been traded.
I think they’ll start playing better once the deadline passes.
Also…you can’t play sloppy ball against good teams and win. That’s why they’ve lost 3 of 4 (so far) in Atlanta. They learned the same lesson against the Yankees.
I agree and support shifting the focus to getting the best roster together for 2027 at this point. That means appropriate trade and roster decisions. Let go of those who have already shown they won’t be on that team and replace with others who can demonstrate they may be worth a roster spot... some via trade and hopefully some via the minors. Then fill in some gaps in the offseason with select free agents and via necessary trades. Big decisions like CJ get pushed to the offseason as the piece together a roster with enough experience, talent, and pitching to push for a wildcard.
4 late unearned runs the real difference tonight, even is pitching dug them an early hole,..And methinks it is no coincidence that only when they were down 8-0 and game effectively over that they finally hit with RISP. Bad defense and bad pitching, not to mention lame situational hitting, not a formula for success…
The team is flawed, of course, but further advanced than even Toboni thought. He needs to mature his thinking. Now it is no longer about simply selling for prospects and letting the best define where the remaining gaps are in future years. Now, he must assess and add strategically to get to the next level next year. Because next year, the expectation will not just be 500 ball. It will be playoffs.
Brad Lord pitched tonight. I forget if it was Harrisburg or Rochester.
Maybe it's a perverse take, but if the Nats were going to reveal that they aren't really a contender yet, I'm glad they did it this week as opposed to, say, next week.
Toboni has a job to do, and it's hard enough without the noise from the "go all in now" crowd.
Don't get swept. 😞
This is another dead season now counting the 7th and another gross waste of time as the Lerners are fooling everyone they are not serious about having a good team and fan experience just one they can sell to visitor fans. It;s sad and madding how much this team is a fraud they throwing out crappy players and leaving good ones to die on the vine in MiLB. We have high draft picks that play like low picks in the 8th round and Two players who had great first parts of the season and once again going right back to the failure of the second half
As a fanbase we can’t let ourselves shift the goalposts, by all means this is already a successful season and one had I seen only the record blind would have accepted in a flash during the preseason. To instead feel frustrated at more likely than not missing the playoffs almost feels greedy given the state of the franchise last July. And yet I am very frustrated.
With all that said, if it’s really true that there are multiple calls coming in on Griffin and Garcia, I think you have to take them. It’s a sell high unlike anyone could have predicted. The depth is there to replace Garcia with Ortiz (I want to acknowledge that I don’t think the quality of bat will be equal yet, but the writing was on the wall what the plan was when he was brought over), and if a major league pitcher comes over in a Garcia package, a sell of Foster should happen as well.
I would hate to be Paul Toboni right now because it really feels like this isn’t about the X’s and O’s but entirely the Jimmies and Joes. I think a trade of either (or both) is going to devestate the clubhouse and really could lead to a permanent slide. Fans will be ravenous too, it’s almost waving the white flag (and who knows, I think Ortiz will slot in nicely and Early will provide value instantly as well). Interesting few days ahead, I think even if they had gone on a barnstorm and won the Blue Jays series and these last three, I think Griffin and Garcia still would’ve been traded.
I think they’ll start playing better once the deadline passes.
Also…you can’t play sloppy ball against good teams and win. That’s why they’ve lost 3 of 4 (so far) in Atlanta. They learned the same lesson against the Yankees.
I agree and support shifting the focus to getting the best roster together for 2027 at this point. That means appropriate trade and roster decisions. Let go of those who have already shown they won’t be on that team and replace with others who can demonstrate they may be worth a roster spot... some via trade and hopefully some via the minors. Then fill in some gaps in the offseason with select free agents and via necessary trades. Big decisions like CJ get pushed to the offseason as the piece together a roster with enough experience, talent, and pitching to push for a wildcard.
4 late unearned runs the real difference tonight, even is pitching dug them an early hole,..And methinks it is no coincidence that only when they were down 8-0 and game effectively over that they finally hit with RISP. Bad defense and bad pitching, not to mention lame situational hitting, not a formula for success…
The team is flawed, of course, but further advanced than even Toboni thought. He needs to mature his thinking. Now it is no longer about simply selling for prospects and letting the best define where the remaining gaps are in future years. Now, he must assess and add strategically to get to the next level next year. Because next year, the expectation will not just be 500 ball. It will be playoffs.