Irvin shines in hometown, Nats win second straight series (updated)

irvin @ MIN

MINNEAPOLIS – Jake Irvin had been looking forward to this day for more than a year, from the moment Major League Baseball released its 2025 schedule during the 2024 All-Star break. The Bloomington, Minn., native had just missed pitching at Target Field the last time the Nationals played here in April 2023, called up to make his big league debut in D.C. less than two weeks later.

And when the time finally came this afternoon, Irvin wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.

With seven innings of two-run ball, Minnesota’s own gave a gathering of friends and family in attendance that numbered in the hundreds plenty of reason to cheer. And with a second straight offensive surge from a lineup that had been shut out in its two previous games, the Nationals cruised to a 7-2 victory over the Twins.

That’s now four of six for the Nats over the last week, winners of back-to-back series for the first time in nearly a month. They’re still 19 games under .500, poised to deal away several more veterans before Thursday’s trade deadline. But they are at least starting to play better baseball after a dismal start to their summer that cost their longtime general manager and manager their jobs.

"We're playing with energy. We're doing the little things the right way," said interim manager Miguel Cairo, now 6-9 since replacing Davey Martinez. "We got men on third twice and we got RBIs. So we're doing the little things the right way, what we're supposed to do as a team. It's been good. We're going to keep doing it. We're going to keep preaching that."

Crews to begin rehab assignment Tuesday, Tena recalled from Triple-A

Dylan Crews

MINNEAPOLIS – Dylan Crews is ready to begin his long-awaited rehab assignment.

Crews, who has missed the last two months with a strained left oblique muscle, will join Triple-A Rochester to begin playing games Tuesday, the final step before his eventual return to the Nationals’ active roster. The Red Wings play on the road this week in Charlotte.

The club has taken a cautious approach with the 23-year-old outfielder, bringing him along slowly and making sure he crossed off every item on his checklist before clearing him to play in games. This last week offered him his first chance to face live pitching in the cage to go along with the regular rounds of batting practice, defensive drills and baserunning exercises he had already been participating prior to that.

“I know it took maybe a little bit longer than some people would’ve wanted it to,” he said. “But we’re trying to make sure it’s all right, and that way we don’t have to restart and have to do this whole thing all over again.”

Crews initially hurt himself on a checked swing May 20, landing on the 15-day injured list the following afternoon. He was transferred to the 60-day IL earlier this week, a procedural move needed to open a spot on the 40-man roster for left-hander Konnor Pilkington. The Nats will need to clear another 40-man spot before Crews can be activated.

Game 105 lineups: Nats at Twins

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MINNEAPOLIS – It turned out to be an eventful Saturday night for the Nationals. They beat the Twins, 9-3, snapping out of their two-game offensive funk in a big way. Jacob Young had to depart early after getting hit on his right index finger while trying to bunt, and Alex Call came off the bench to drive in three runs in his place. Then the club traded Amed Rosario to the Yankees for a 26-year-old pitcher and an 18-year-old outfielder at night’s end.

What does today have in store? The Nats will have another shot at winning a series, and they’ll have Jake Irvin on the mound for what will be a very meaningful start for the right-hander. The Minnesota native has been looking forward to his first big league start at Target Field since the day the 2025 schedule was released last summer, and that day has finally arrived. He’s going to have a lot of family and friends in attendance. It’s up to him to control those emotions and go out and pitch well.

The Nationals lineup will be facing an opener in Cole Sands. The Twins right-hander shouldn’t go more than two innings, tops. It remains to be seen how Rocco Baldelli manages the rest of the game. With Rosario off to the Bronx and Young day-to-day with a finger contusion, the Nats have recalled infielder José Tena to give them some more depth for the time being.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MINNESOTA TWINS
Where:
Target Field

Gametime: 2:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 90 degrees, wind 12 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Josh Bell
1B Nathaniel Lowe
CF Alex Call
RF Daylen Lile
3B Paul DeJong
C Riley Adams

Rosario goes to Yankees in Nats' first trade before deadline

Amed Rosario

MINNEAPOLIS – The first of several likely dominoes to fall before Thursday’s trade deadline came down late tonight when the Nationals dealt infielder Amed Rosario to the Yankees for 26-year-old right-hander Clayton Beeter and 18-year-old outfielder Browm Martinez.

The trade, which was officially announced shortly after the Nats’ 9-3 victory over the Twins, sends Rosario to a perennial contender for the stretch run in exchange for two younger players. It’s the first trade completed by interim general manager Mike DeBartolo.

“When I heard where I was going, I kind of didn’t believe it,” Rosario, who spent the first four years of his career in New York playing for the Mets, said via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “I don’t know what happened in that moment. … At some point, I kind of knew I was going to get traded. But I didn’t know it was going to be today.”

Beeter, rated as the Yankees’ 20th best prospect by MLB Pipeline, has five games of big league experience over the last two seasons but was immediately optioned to Triple-A Rochester after the trade was announced. A second round pick of the Dodgers in 2020 who was sent to New York two years later for Joey Gallo, Beeter has been a starter through most of his minor league career but was pitching out of the bullpen this season. Over 323 2/3 total minor league innings, he has a 3.64 ERA, 1.319 WHIP and 13 strikeouts per nine innings. The red flag: He has walked 5.1 batters per nine innings.

Martinez only signed his first professional contract last year and has played in the Dominican Summer League since. The right-handed-hitting outfielder has played 56 total games over parts of two seasons, batting .320 with a .426 on-base percentage, three homers, 35 RBIs and 34 stolen bases.

Call delivers in place of injured Young as Nats blast Twins (updated)

Alex Call

MINNEAPOLIS – Alex Call was watching from the dugout as Jacob Young attempted to bunt in the top of the third tonight. He saw his teammate foul that bunt off, but in the process get struck by the pitch on his right index finger, leaving him shaking his hand in obvious pain.

So while the Nationals tended to Young and ultimately escorted him off the field with what the club termed a contusion, Call readied himself to take over the at-bat with an 0-2 count already in place.

Call promptly delivered the Nats’ first run-scoring hit in 96 hours. Then for good measure he launched an opposite-field homer four innings later to help lead his team to a 9-3 victory over the Twins in the closest thing the outfielder can have to a homecoming game in the major leagues.

Though he will go out of his way to make sure you know he’s not from Minnesota, Call is from nearby River Falls, Wisc., just on the other side of the Mississippi River. And if ever there was a night to come through off the bench, this was most certainly it.

"I take the best of Minnesota and the best of Wisconsin," he said. "I'm a Packer fan, but I was a Twins fan. This is a really special area, and I'm a Midwest kid. The River Falls community is where I'm from. It's shaped me into who I am. It's a part of me, and it's fun to be back here."

101-mph fastball latest sign of García's return

Luis Garcia

MINNEAPOLIS – Luis Garcia didn’t even realize it until he got back to the dugout after throwing his final pitch in the bottom of the seventh Friday night.

Someone mentioned to the Nationals reliever the velocity of that final pitch: a fastball to the Twins’ Ryan Jeffers, who grounded out to short: 100.7 mph.

“I wasn’t looking,” he said. “I was just trying to throw strikes.”

Garcia did throw strikes during his 1-2-3 inning at Target Field, with seven of his nine pitches qualifying. But most notable to anyone paying attention were his velocity readings on the stadium radar gun. Eyes opened when he reached 99.9 mph on one offering. Then before that one had time to fully register, he uncorked that 100.7 mph heater to Jeffers.

“It’s the hardest I’ve thrown since ’22, I think,” Garcia said.

Game 104 lineups: Nats at Twins

Mitchell Parker

MINNEAPOLIS – It’s a new day, and another opportunity for the Nationals to do something they haven’t done in either of their last two games: Score a run. Yes, they’ve been shut out twice in a row. They haven’t scored a run of any type since Riley Adams’ two-run single in the bottom of the sixth Tuesday night against the Reds. Even if they get on the board early tonight, it would snap a roughly 96-hour scoreless streak.

Miguel Cairo certainly needs more from the top two guys in his lineup. CJ Abrams is 1 for his last 21, with one walk and seven strikeouts. James Wood is 4 for his last 38, with five walks and 19 strikeouts. It’s tough for this team to be good offensively when its top two offensive players aren’t producing.

The Nationals will be facing an All-Star tonight in Joe Ryan, the 29-year-old right-hander who is 10-4 with a 2.63 ERA and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Ryan’s name has come up in trade rumors, so this could be a particularly big start for him leading up to Thursday’s leaguewide deadline.

Mitchell Parker gets the ball for the Nats, coming off a quality start against the Padres and having had a full week of rest, with MacKenzie Gore bumped up to start Friday night’s series opener here.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MINNESOTA TWINS
Where:
Target Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 89 degrees, wind 9 mph out to left field

Nats suffer second straight shutout loss (updated)

MacKenzie Gore

MINNEAPOLIS – If the Nationals believed a day off in the Land of 10,000 Lakes would do them good and allow them to return to action tonight with no residual effects of their shutout loss Wednesday in D.C., they were greatly mistaken.

The Nats batters who dug in tonight against the Twins’ Zebby Matthews looked no better than the guys who dug in Wednesday afternoon against the Reds’ Nick Lodolo. They made quick outs. They drew zero walks. They scored zero runs.

And when it was all over, they had once again wasted MacKenzie Gore’s pitching efforts, trudging out of Target Field on the wrong end of a 1-0 ballgame, their second straight shutout loss.

The Nationals haven’t scored a run in 21 innings now, their last runners to cross the plate coming way back in the sixth inning Tuesday night via Riley Adams’ two-run single. They’ve barely even given themselves a chance to score again since.

"We didn't hit," interim manager Miguel Cairo said. "We got three hits, I think. Sometimes it goes like that. They got three hits, too. They just got one more run than us."

Nats go over total draft pool with Petry signing; Crews still rehabbing with club

Ethan Petry South Carolina

MINNEAPOLIS – The Nationals signed second-round pick Ethan Petry today and in the process went over their total slot pool for this year’s draft.

Petry, an outfielder from South Carolina who hit 54 homers over the last three seasons, signed for $2.09 million, a source familiar with the deal confirmed. That’s slightly above Major League Baseball’s recommended slot value for the 49th overall pick in the draft ($1,984,200).

Petry was the last of the Nats’ top 10 selections to sign, so they’ve now locked up everyone who was subject to the draft pool. He joins third-round pick Landon Harmon ($2.5 million), fourth-round pick Miguel Sime Jr. ($2 million) and fifth-round pick Coy James ($2.5 million) in receiving above-slot bonuses. Petry is the lone college player from that group.

No. 1 overall pick Eli Willits officially signed last weekend for $8.2 million, a record amount for a high school player but nearly $3 million below slow value for the top choice in the draft this year. The Nationals managed to apply those savings, plus money saved with below-slot bonuses for their sixth through 10th round picks, to lure the three other high school draftees to sign instead of honoring their college commitments.

All told, the Nationals spent $17,365,000 on their top 10 picks, exceeding their MLB-designated draft pool of $16,597,800 by $767,200. That makes them subject to a league-imposed 75 percent tax on their overages, which equates to an extra $575,400 spent this year on draft picks.

Game 103 lineups: Nats at Twins

MacKenzie Gore

MINNEAPOLIS – Hello from Target Field, where they fly pennants honoring the 1924, 1925 and 1933 Washington Senators, just as they do at Nationals Park. I’ll let you all decide on your own which franchise you believe has the right to claim those titles, or perhaps you believe both do. It does make for a fun debate, though.

The Nationals are in town to face the Twins this weekend, hoping to build off their series win over the Reds. To get this one off on the right foot, they’ll need MacKenzie Gore to get himself back on track after his worst start of the season. Gore was roughed up by the Padres on Sunday to the tune of eight runs and eight hits in only 2 1/3 innings, his worst outing as a member of the Nats. A return to form would certainly be nice.

The lineup is facing an unknown opponent in Zebby Matthews, a 25-year-old right-hander with a career 6.53 ERA despite 11 strikeouts per nine innings. The key stat, it would appear: Opponents are batting a ridiculous .406 and slugging .531 off Matthews’ four-seam fastball, a pitch he throws 44 percent of the time. The Nationals typically are a good fastball-hitting team. You’d like to think this should be a favorable matchup for them.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MINNESOTA TWINS
Where:
Target Field
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 84 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Josh Bell
1B Nathaniel Lowe
3B Brady House
RF Daylen Lile
C Riley Adams
CF Jacob Young

Potential trade pieces playing well at perfect time; Nats sign two more draft picks

Josh Bell

Interim general manager Mike DeBartolo has already conceded the Nationals will be sellers at next week’s trade deadline. And he also mentioned he’s not looking to trade the team’s top young players, such as MacKenzie Gore, though he said he would answer the phone if another team called to ask.

That likely just leaves veterans on expiring contracts to be traded as two-month rentals. The price tags for such players are usually low, but teams may become desperate as they look to reload their rosters ahead of playoff runs.

Luckily, the Nats have a handful of such players. And even more fortunately, those players are trending in the right direction at the right time.

Perhaps the most positive development has been Josh Bell’s recent surge.

After slashing just .151/.254/.289 through his first 45 games this season, the switch-hitter is now slashing .298/.374/.497 with an .871 OPS, nine doubles, seven home runs, 23 RBIs and 17 walks to 19 strikeouts over his last 43 games. Even better, he’s slashing .309/.389/.491 with an .880 OPS over his last 32 and has homered in back-to-back games.

Young makes another Catch of the Year candidate

Jacob Young robbery

Jacob Young is no stranger to making incredible defensive plays in center field. Since becoming a full-time major leaguer last year, the 25-year-old has been one of the most electric outfielders in the sport.

So while it wasn’t a surprise Young made a miraculous catch to rob Will Benson of a home run yesterday, it was still a play that should draw plenty of praise. And a highlight that should be remembered from an otherwise forgettable 5-0 loss to the Reds.

With Cincinnati having already extended its lead to 3-0 in the eighth inning, it looked like Benson was going to add more with a two-run homer off Jackson Rutledge. He hit the right-hander's elevated first-pitch fastball 103.1 mph off the bat and it traveled 400 feet to straightaway center.

But he needed 401 feet to beat Young.

The 5-foot-11 center fielder ran back and climbed the wall with two literal steps to reach over and bring the ball back for the final out of the inning, sending a loud roar of approval from the crowd ringing across Nationals Park and putting a lot of astounded looks on players’ faces.

Nats shut out by Lodolo in loss to Reds (updated)

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In order for the Nationals to accomplish something they hadn’t in two months, they would need to build on the offensive outputs they posted in each of the first two games against the Reds.

They claimed victories in those outings in very different ways, setting up an opportunity for their first three-game sweep since mid-May against the Orioles in Baltimore. On Monday, they jumped out to a big early lead and held on late. On Tuesday, they stayed patient against a tough starter, who they eventually got to the second time through the order, and relied on the bullpen.

Unfortunately, the Nats were victims of another feat, something that has happened to them more recently than their own sweep.

Neither version of the offense showed up this afternoon, as the Nats were shut out by Nick Lodolo in a 5-0 loss in front of 21,567 fans on camp day at Nationals Park.

Lodolo became the third pitcher to toss a complete-game shutout against the Nationals this season, joining Erick Fedde (who was coincidentally designated for assignment by the Cardinals today after going 3-10 with a 5.22 ERA) on May 9 and David Peterson with the Mets on June 11.

Game 102 lineups: Nats vs. Reds

CJ Abrams

Good morning and welcome to a rare combination around these parts. First, we have a getaway game starting at noon. But even more rare is the Nationals’ chance at a three-game sweep.

Yes, the Nats have not swept a three-game set since mid-May against the Orioles in Baltimore. And their opponent, the Reds, have not been swept at all this year. The Nationals held on after an offensive outburst to win Monday’s series opener. Then they used timely hitting and an impressive collective effort from Brad Lord and a makeshift bullpen to take Game 2 last night.

How will they fare today?

On the bump will be Michael Soroka, who is 3-7 with a 5.10 ERA and 1.147 WHIP in 14 starts. He didn’t get to face the Reds in Cincinnati back in early May, but he was strong in his first start of the second half, holding the Padres to just one run in five innings.

Nick Lodolo will go for Cincy. The southpaw is 7-6 with a 3.33 ERA and 1.082 WHIP in 20 starts this year. But the Nats knocked him around for seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in 5 ⅓ innings on May 3 at Great American Ball Park.

With adjustments at plate and on mound, Nats take series from Reds (updated)

Brad Lord

Rarely do the Nationals make you wait to find out if it’s going to be a good night at the plate or a bad night at the plate. You usually know right away in the first or second inning if they’ve got an opposing starter figured out. If they do, great. If they don’t, it’s probably going to be a long night.

So consider what the Nats did tonight against Chase Burns an important step in the right direction. The Reds’ rookie phenom made them look silly for four innings with an upper-90s fastball and a low-90s slider that produced 10 strikeouts. And then they began to make some adjustments along the way and took him down in the fifth and sixth.

That later-than-usual offensive surge, combined with an impressive, all-hands-on-deck pitching performance from Brad Lord and a makeshift bullpen put the Nationals in position to celebrate a well-earned 6-1 victory over Cincinnati.

It’s only the Nats’ third series win in their last 14 attempts. And they’ll have a chance Wednesday afternoon to do something they haven’t done since mid-May in Baltimore: sweep a three-game series.

"It's always fun to win a series before the series is over, that's for sure," center fielder Jacob Young said. "The chance to sweep is awesome. But it feels great to win a series early like that and have a chance to sweep tomorrow and kind of get the second half going."

Pilkington replaces Thompson in bullpen, Sime officially signs for $2 million

Konnor Pilkington

Needing a fresh arm to help an overtaxed bullpen, the Nationals promoted left-hander Konnor Pilkington from Triple-A Rochester today, a move that led to the demotion of Mason Thompson and the transfer of Dylan Crews to the 60-day injured list.

With Brad Lord making his return to the rotation tonight against the Reds but likely to only throw three or four innings, the Nats knew they were going to need to lean on their bullpen to get through this game. That problem was only exacerbated when MacKenzie Gore failed to make it out of the third inning Sunday against the Padres and Jake Irvin didn’t make it out of the fourth inning in Monday night’s series opener against the Reds.

So the call was placed to Rochester, where Pilkington had been pitching well (2.59 ERA, 1.200 WHIP in 36 games) in a multi-inning relief role. The 27-year-old has 16 games of major league experience with the Guardians, including 11 starts in 2022, and he has a newfound appreciation for the significance of a return from Triple-A.

“You understand how much it actually means to get the call, being able to be in the big leagues,” he said. “That makes it extremely special this time, just as special as every other time. When I was with Cleveland, I got the opportunity to be in the big leagues with them. Moved on and signed with (the Nationals) this offseason, and the main goal is to help the team win. Whether that’s in the big leagues or in Triple-A, or wherever they need me, that’s the kind of guy I am, the kind of pitcher I am.”

Pilkington, who lasted pitched Sunday and said he’s available if needed tonight in relief of Lord, takes over the active roster spot previously held by Thompson, who had only recently returned from the second Tommy John surgery of his career.

Game 101 lineups: Nats vs. Reds

Brad Lord

The Nationals actually won a series opener Monday night, outlasting the Reds 10-8, thanks to their best offensive performance in a while. Which means they’ve now got two chances to win one game and win the series. That’s easier said than done, of course.

To pull it off tonight, the Nats will need to piece together nine innings from a pitching staff that’s not in great shape. Miguel Cairo had to burn up everybody in his bullpen the last two days after MacKenzie Gore failed to get out of the third inning and Jake Irvin failed to get out of the fourth inning. This would normally be the time to ask for length out of tonight’s starter, but Brad Lord is making his first start May 6. He’s been an effective reliever, but he hasn’t thrown more than 38 pitches in any appearance since then, so don’t count on more than three or maybe four innings from him tonight.

With that in mind, the Nats made a roster move today. They called up left-hander Konnor Pilkington from Triple-A Rochester, giving them a reliever who can provide some length behind Lord if needed. Mason Thompson was optioned to Rochester and Dylan Crews was transferred to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster (but that doesn’t change Crews’ eligibility to return once he’s deemed ready).

The Nationals would love to bust out for 10 runs again, but they’ll have to do it against one of the most dynamic young starting pitchers in the game. Chase Burns, the No. 2 pick in last summer’s draft, makes his fifth career start for the Reds. The right-hander throws an upper-90s fastball and a low-90s slider, so that’s what the Nats have in store tonight at the plate.

CINCINNATI REDS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where:
Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 83 degrees, wind 7 mph in from right field

Nationals select contract of Konnor Pilkington, option Mason Thompson

Konnor Pilkington

The Washington Nationals selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Konnor Pilkington from Triple-A Rochester and optioned right-handed pitcher Mason Thompson to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday. To make room for Pilkington on the 40-man roster, outfielder Dylan Crews has been transferred to the 60-day Injured List. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcements.

Pilkington, 27, joins the Nationals after he went 4–3 with a 2.59 ERA with 50 strikeouts and two saves in 41.2 innings for Triple-A Rochester this season. Since April 1, he has allowed the fewest earned runs (8) and hits (21) of any Triple-A pitcher (min. 40.0 IP). His 1.74 ERA in that span ranks fifth in all of Triple-A and first among Triple-A lefties. (min. 40.0 IP).

In his most recent 12 outings for the Red Wings, Pilkington did not allow a run and held opponents to a .098 average (4-for-41) in 13.1 innings. Over his last 17 outings in Rochester, he allowed just one earned run in 17.1 innings of work. In all, 28 of Pilkington’s 36 appearances this season, including both of his 3.0-inning starts, were scoreless.

A native of Pascagoula, Miss., Pilkington signed with the Nationals as a Minor League free agent on Dec. 3, 2024. He pitched in 16 games in the Major Leagues with Cleveland between 2022–23 and went 1–2 with a 2.88 ERA in 15 games (11 starts) in 2022 and made one scoreless 2.0-inning appearance out of the bullpen in 2023.

Thompson, 27, had a 13.50 ERA in six appearances out of the bullpen with the Nationals this season.

With less focus on homers, more focus on line drives, Bell has finally surged back

Josh Bell

Back in May, when his batting average was in the low .130s and his OPS dipped below .500, Josh Bell made a conscious decision to stop doing what he intended to do all season for the Nationals.

His plan all along was to seek more home runs, believing a high slugging percentage was more important than any other stat at this stage of his career and in this current baseball environment. The results were ugly, so the veteran designated hitter revamped his swing in-season with hitting coach Darnell Coles and decided to forget about home runs and just focus on hitting the ball hard on a line.

“I just tried to lower my launch angle, tried to focus on squaring up the ball as best as I can, try to get my OPS over .600,” he said. “So I’ve done that. Now I’m fighting for seven. We’ll see where we go from there.”

As Bell spoke late Monday night following the Nationals’ 10-8 win over the Reds, his OPS for the season officially resided at .695. What he may not have realized was that he did actually get it over the .700 for a brief while a couple hours earlier after he launched a solo homer into the second deck in right field. It may have been his first homer since June 27, but it was just one of many well-struck base hits for the 32-year-old over a sustained stretch.

The infamous Josh Bell early season slump has long been replaced by the infamous Josh Bell midseason surge. After slashing just .151/.254/.289 through his first 45 games this season, he’s now slashing a very healthy .297/.371/.480 over his last 42 games.

Nats score early, often to take series opener vs. Reds (updated)

Josh Bell

OK, so maybe this victory wasn’t as smooth and convincing as it appeared it might be when the home team busted out with seven early runs against the Reds tonight.

The Nationals, though, haven’t won nearly enough games this summer to get picky about how they win. Any win is a good win right now, and tonight’s 10-8 slugfest on South Capitol Street should be considered as beautiful as any crisply played ballgame.

Thanks to an early seven-run explosion keyed by the resurgent James Wood and Josh Bell, then some much-needed tack-on offense in the middle innings and a surprisingly effective bullpen performance after Jake Irvin endured through his shortest start in two seasons, the Nationals won a series opener for the first time since June 26 in Anaheim, long before Miguel Cairo replaced Davey Martinez as manager.

"You see when it's coming," Cairo said. "Those were good at-bats today. We didn't score and just stop. We kept going, and we put good at-bats together. It was beautiful to get 10 runs today."

This game, of course, still included a harrowing top of the ninth from Kyle Finnegan, the slumping closer who allowed three of the first four batters he faced to reach, two of them scoring, before finishing it off with the tying run standing at the plate.