The Washington Nationals need to turn the page pretty quickly from their early week defeat. After the Nationals evened the series with a triumphant victory on Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays, their offense fell flat while the bullpen let the game get out of hand late on Wednesday. Heading into this weekend, you could say that this is the most important Nationals series since their final one of 2019.
As of now, it appears as if nobody really knows whether or not the Nationals will choose to buy or sell at this year's deadline, and this upcoming 4-game set against the Atlanta Braves could ultimately push the team in either direction. Of course, the team has already traded for Connelly Early, but we do not yet know if they will move guys like Foster Griffin as well. The Nationals are now 2.0 games back of the final spot, currently occupied by the Philadelphia Phillies, but they also are only a single game above .500 as it stands now.
Fortunately, after welcoming back Trevor Williams from the 60-day Injured List yesterday, a game in which he actually appeared out of the bullpen and looked solid, the Nationals are continuing to get healthy. The Nationals had optioned lefty Andrew Alvarez back to AAA Rochester to work on somethings, and we now know who will be taking his place in the rotation again.
Jake Irvin activated from IL to start series opener against Braves
As the headline reads, righty Jake Irvin is coming back from the Injured List to start tonight's series opener against the Braves, and the Nationals will play in a nationally televised game tonight on ESPN for the first time in what feels like forever. Irvin has been out for upwards of 2 months with a shoulder strain, and the last time he actually appeared in the majors was also against the Braves.
Irvin has struggled overall this season, although some of his underlying metrics would indicate he has actually been slightly improved this year under new coaching. He will carry a 2-4 record, 5.23 ERA, and 1.355 WHIP into tonight's start against the Braves, but his 58 strikeouts in 51.2 innings pitched so far this year would have him on pace to finish with his best strikeout rate in his career.
Hopefully, there is not too much rust to knock off for Irvin tonight, as the Nationals realistically need to take at least 3 out of 4 games in Atlanta to stay in the hunt for the Wild Card ahead of the deadline. It's a lot of pressure for a guy who hasn't appeared in the majors in 2 months, but we can only hope Irvin is ready for the moment.
What are your expectations for Jake Irvin in his first start off the IL? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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