(Not Quite) Instant Analysis: Nats 8, Reds 2

The Nationals strung together a flurry of clutch hits during a four-run rally in the sixth, with Andrés Chaparro coming off the bench to lead the way

Photo by Billy Sabatini / ALL-PRO REELS

The 2026 Nationals, it should be absolutely clear by now, will always seek a platoon advantage whenever possible. That strategy hasn’t always served them well when they’re trying to play matchups with their subpar bullpen. But it sure has paid off more often than not when they sub out their own hitters to match up with opposing relievers.

Never was that more on display than during tonight’s 8-2 win over the Reds, in which Blake Butera was burned by a platoon-based pitching change in the top of the sixth only to make up for it with a perfectly timed pinch-hit move in the bottom of that inning.

Leading 2-0 through five thanks to Abimelec Ortiz’s third-inning single off Chase Burns and a string of zeros delivered by Andrew Alvarez, the Nats saw the lead vanish in the sixth when Butera pulled Alvarez in favor of Max Kranick and watched as the right-hander served up the game-tying homer to Eugenio Suárez.

No problem, because the Nationals flipped the script in the bottom of the inning, with Butera having Andrés Chaparro pinch-hit for José Tena after Reds manager Terry Francona replaced Burns with left-hander Sam Moll. Chaparro immediately delivered a two-run double down the left-field line to highlight a four-run rally that gave his team the lead right back. Chaparro would add an RBI single in the eighth to pad the lead, completing a 2-for-2, three-RBI night off the bench.

“It’s definitely a challenge for everybody on the bench, not knowing when you’re going to be needed, when you’re going to come,” Chaparro said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “But it’s really important, the work we put in, but also the work the coaches do for us getting us prepared every day, telling us the scenarios, we might we face in that inning.”

The bullpen then duplicated its efforts from Friday night’s 5-3 win, with newcomer Yovanny Cruz again tossing a scoreless seventh before Clayton Beeter (who got the save in the series opener) pitched the eighth. Orlando Ribalta was warming to close it out, but Butera instead went to Tom Cosgrove after his team extended the lead to six runs. The Nationals (58-61) have now won two in a row and will go for the sweep Sunday afternoon.

“We couldn’t wait to get home,” Butera said. “Going on the road for eight in a row against two really good teams, back-to-back, four-game series, is not easy. And when it’s not going your way, you’re looking for some support. You’re looking for some positivity. And when you come back home … it just provides that spark we needed.”

HITTING HIGHLIGHT: If you thought the Nationals were in for a long night against Burns, you were sorely mistaken. Though the Reds ace got off to a strong start, the Nats did make him work early, and that may have paid off later. By the time they got to the bottom of the sixth, they were seeing Burns for the third time, with his pitch count approaching the 80s (and eventually the 90s).

“It felt like a grind,” Butera said. “I thought our at-bats were really good, because we just stayed really convicted in our plans and didn’t fall victim to what he was trying to do, getting us to chase. … I thought we just stayed really, really stubborn in our approach with getting a good pitch to hit.”

Three straight hits by Dylan Crews, Daylen Lile and Keibert Ruiz set the tone for the sixth, and when Nasim Nuñez drew a one-out walk to load the bases, Francona felt he had no choice but to pull his starter at 96 pitches. The Hall-of-Fame manager signaled for Moll, but that played directly into Butera’s hands. Butera sent up Chaparro to pinch-hit for Tena and watched as the right-handed slugger drilled a two-run double down the left-field line. Jacob Young then lined an RBI single to center, also taking advantage of the platoon matchup, to complete a four-run rally that gave the Nationals a comfortable lead.

“He continues to give us good at-bats,” Butera said of Chaparro. “Having an option like him off the bench when they bring a lefty in has been awesome for me, and for us, of course. Really proud of him.”

PITCHING HIGHLIGHT: This was the best Alvarez has looked in a while. The left-hander can frustrate coaches and fans alike when he nibbles around the zone, gives up free passes and piles up his pitch count. But tonight he attacked Cincinnati’s hitters and was rewarded for it, carrying a shutout into the sixth inning on a mere 66 pitches.

“Definitely execution, and just preparation, too,” Alvarez said of the difference in his aggressive approach tonight. “I’ve been doing my studying, but I’ve been adding more to it and trying to add more video and just gaining confidence through that.”

He returned to the mound for the seventh and retired Elly De La Cruz before allowing a slow roller of a single to Sal Stewart. With the Nats leading 2-0, there was no reason to believe Alvarez was fading. But with back-to-back right-handed hitters due up, Butera walked to the mound and signaled for Kranick as the crowd murmured.

“He was up into the mid-to-upper 70s, pitch-count-wise,” the manager said. “That’s kind of where we’ve been keeping him, and kind of where he starts to tail off a little bit. Didn’t want to run him too far, and that was a pretty good right-handed pocket there with some pretty good hitters. Thought that was the right time to go to the bullpen.”

Alvarez got a well-deserved ovation as he returned to the dugout, and though he ultimately was charged with a run after Suarez homered off Kranick, he could certainly still hold his head high after a fantastic start.

NOTABLE: DJ Herz made a rehab start for Single-A Fredericksburg tonight, allowing two hits and a walk but striking out three over his one inning of work. The left-hander, still recovering from his 2025 Tommy John surgery, had appeared close to returning from the IL earlier this summer but was shut down with a flexor muscle strain after his June 16 rehab start for Fredericksburg.

TRANSACTION: The Nationals optioned left-hander Carson Palmquist to Triple-A Rochester following tonight’s game. They’ll make a corresponding move Sunday morning, likely seeking another right-hander for the bullpen.

UP NEXT: It’s a quick turnaround to Sunday’s 12:15 p.m. series finale (which is a Peacock/NBCSN exclusive broadcast). The Nats will be throwing a bullpen game, choosing not to fill Zack Littell’s vacant rotation spot until later in the homestand. Brad Lord will get the start, with Trevor Williams an option to follow him out of the bullpen. Right-hander Brady Singer starts for Cincinnati. TV: Peacock/NBCSN RADIO: 106.7 FM