The Washington Nationals have done it again. After doing something they hadn't accomplished since 2021 on Monday evening by getting above .500, the road warrior Nationals went out and doubled it. Heading into Wednesday, the Nationals now stand at 29-27, and the good times just continue to roll for Blake Butera's club.
Make no mistake about it, the Nationals would love to become the second road team to finish a series sweep in the city of Cleveland this week, but they will certainly have to earn it. However, if things can go any similar way to how the first 2 games have gone in this series, they might just pull it off and head back home 3 games above .500 before taking on San Diego.
So how did the team pull it off on Tuesday?
Wood's Wizardry
The first guy that needs more attention is James Wood. As if the man who hit an inside-the-park grand slam just last week needed more validation, Wood has caught fire in recent weeks. He has homered in both games against the Guardians, and is now up to 15 overall to accompany his .964 OPS, one of the best marks in baseball.
At this point, Wood is likely a frontrunner to occupy a starting outfield spot in the All-Star Game for the National League, and hopefully he won't be the only member of the team to make the team and possibly even start. If Wood keeps playing like this and the Nationals keep winning, keep an eye on him to creep into the NL MVP conversation.
Curly W for Cavalli
We also need to talk about Cade Cavalli, who has completely rebounded from some tough outings early on this season. On Wednesday, he allowed just 5 hits and 1 earned run while striking out 7 and walking just 2 batters. It was the righty's 3rd consecutive quality start, and he is blossoming into the ace so many have wanted him to be.
Given the recent performance of the rotation overall, Cavalli's continued development into a middle of the rotation or even frontline arm will be huge for the next generation of the Nationals' rotation. Fans can now begin to dream about a potential future rotation with Cavalli along with top prospects like Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana, among others.
Keibert Keeps on Crushing
This will be discussed in a separate article by someone from the site at some point, but the recent turnaround of Keibert Ruiz has been an astonishing development. The 27-year-old backstop tallied another 2 hits with another pair of RBIs on Tuesday, and he has begun to look like a completely different player at the plate.
His .763 OPS is on track to be the best of his career, and he is making much more solid contact overall. Perhaps an updated hitting philosophy is benefitting Ruiz similarly to the way it is helping Jacob Young, in that they aren't being taught to hit the ball directly into the ground (someone arrest Darnell Coles). Whatever it is, Ruiz might just prove himself to be the team's catcher of the future after all, especially given prized offseason acquisition Harry Ford's struggles.
Do you think the Nationals can complete the sweep of the Guardians in Cleveland today? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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