The Washington Nationals have been fighting to stay around the .500 mark so far in 2026. They had a good chance to even their record heading into the weekend after a victory on Friday over the Miami Marlins, but they ended up soiling their own chances with 2 straight losses to drop the series.
Heading into their next series against the Cincinnati Reds, the Nationals will be looking to right the ship in a sense, as they continue to play solid ball overall and exceed expectations as a whole. The developments on the farm have been drastic, as many of the prospects who came back in the MacKenzie Gore deal have been tremendous so far.
Speaking of the former Nationals ace, how is he looking so far in 2026 for those who have not kept up? The answer is basically the same as when he was with Washington: inconsistent. His flashes have been very good, as he had struck out 25 batters through his first 3 starts, while only issuing 5 walks.
Since then, however, things have gotten progressively worse, as Gore has struggled pretty mightily so far in the month of May. So far this month through 2 starts, Gore owns an 8.00 ERA and 1.78 WHIP to go along with an even 6:6 K:BB ratio, not exactly the kind of numbers you want to see. His most recent start against the New York Yankees saw him surrender 5 earned runs in just 5.1 innings, just 1 start after he lasted only 3.2 innings.
Gore's overall 2026 numbers through 8 starts are not great, with a 2-3 record to go along with a 5.18 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, as well as his 48:21 K:BB ratio so far in 40.0 total innings. There is no doubt the talent is there with Gore, but as was the case when he was with the Nationals, getting him to consistently tap into it is the hard part.
His Baseball Savant page indicates some slightly improved underlying metrics compared to last season, although the sample size is smaller. For a guy who cost the Rangers a huge chunk of their already thin farm system, there is no doubt he has not lived up to expectations so far. For us Nationals fans, we can sit back and breathe a bit easier as of today knowing that Paul Toboni and the front office made the right decision.
What do you think of MacKenzie Gore's overall numbers for the 2026 season? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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