Nationals' Early-Season Woes Strike Again in 2020

The Washington Nationals are no strangers to starting slow. But do they have enough time to turn it around and defend their title in the abbreviated 2020 season?

If the Washington Nationals’ goal was to follow last season’s road map en route to defending their World Series title, then so far everything is going according to plan.

Through nine games—or 15% of their 60-game schedule—the Nats are 4-5, good for a .444 winning percentage. Through 24 games last season (roughly 15% of a 162-game schedule), the team was 11-13. Washington would famously sink to 19-31 (.380) before turning the season around en route to the franchise’s first title.

So the bright side is simple: they’ve been here before. But can they turn things around quickly enough?

Wednesday’s game against the Mets quickly turned into a nightmare scenario when three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer exited the game after just 27 pitches with what’s being reported as a tweaked right hamstring. Meanwhile, Washington’s lineup made Mets starter Rick Porcello look like he’d turned back the clock to his 2016 Cy Young campaign as the Nats limped to a 3-1 defeat. The game did feature the welcomed return of Juan Soto, who went 2-for-4 and drove in Washington’s lone run.

Through nine games, the Nationals are batting .243/.295/.394 as a team. Their weighted runs created plus—a catch-all hitting statistic similar to OPS+ in which 100 represents the league average—is currently 87, meaning that, as a team, they are 13% worse than league average.

The Nationals have hit only eight home runs in nine games. Only three teams have fewer homers, and one of those three clubs, the Cardinals, has played only five games.

The seriousness of Scherzer's injury is not yet known, though having him miss any time would hurt the Nats in such a short season. Patrick Corbin has been strong through two starts, but the other Nationals starters—Erick Fedde, Austin Voth and Aníbal Sánchez—have combined for a 4.43 ERA over 20 1/3 innings with seven walks and eight homers allowed. Stephen Strasburg, the reigning World Series MVP who re-signed with the Nats for seven years and $245 million. has not pitched yet in 2020 due to a right-hand injury. The bullpen has been a saving grace, though, with a 1.53 ERA in 35 1/3 innings. 

In this regard, Washington isn't using the same exact formula as last season, when its relievers had the worst ERA in the National League. Nationals starters, meanwhile, had a 3.53 ERA last year, good for second best in the majors.

There’s certainly time for a turnaround, and if Scherzer’s injury is indeed minor then there’s reason to believe their pitching will keep the Nationals in the hunt. Scherzer, for his part, didn’t sound too concerned about his hamstring in his postgame press conference. 

The NL East standings are currently a bit wonky, with the 5-1 Marlins alone in first place. If it feels silly to be on standings-watch when teams have yet to hit double-digit games, well, it is. But MLB’s timetable this year is not one that offers much room for a wait-and-see approach.

Quick Hits

• Shohei Ohtani said he’d be willing to focusing solely on hitting or pitching if the Angels approached him about it, “but I would like to leave the window open to do both.” Ohtani hasn’t made it through a season fully healthy while pitching and hitting since 2016.

• MLB reportedly sent a memo to all 30 teams outlining more stringent COVID-19 protocols, which include requiring masks to be worn at all times in the dugout, clubhouse, team hotels and public places.

• Fernando Tatís Jr.’s homer off Ross Stripling clocked in with a 112.1-mph exit velocity, good for his hardest-hit ball of the year. The Padres lost to the Dodgers, 7-6.

FERNANDO TATÍS JR.! ☄️

(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/Sjbj1v4Tqj

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 6, 2020

• Mike Trout hit two home runs in Wednesday's game vs. the Mariners. He’s now homered in both games he’s played since the birth of his son, Beckham Aaron Trout, proving once again that Dad Strength is a very real thing.