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Washington Post
2 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Josh Bell and James Wood keep raking as Nats continue to cook on the road
PHOENIX — If every positive trend and tendency from the Washington Nationals season was a dial in a control room, Friday night's 9-7 dispatching of the Arizona Diamondbacks — the team's ninth win in their last 12 games — was a metaphor for what happens when those dials reached 100. For all that was quantifiable — and we'll get to that soon — the night's preeminent trend was a bit easier to put into qualitative terms. After a night game in Seattle went to extra innings Thursday, the team's flight touched down in Phoenix around 3 a.m. Friday. In the clubhouse before the game, players compared how many hours of sleep they had gotten. They weren't the sorts of numbers that health experts look fondly upon. It was a ripe opportunity, then, to come out flat. Behind a barrage of offense, they did anything but. 'That's the tough part about the big leagues,' said right-hander Jake Irvin, who labored through five challenging innings, allowing six runs on 10 hits. 'You're going to travel coast to coast. You're going to have long nights like that. These guys are professionals. They came in, handled their business like any other day, and just got after it.' It was no secret this offseason that the Nationals (27-30) believed their next positive step as a franchise would be the result of young talent progressing and include a whole lot more power at the plate. Suffice it to say, each has come to fruition. Home runs from James Wood and Josh Bell gave the Nationals 60 home runs through 57 games. Last year, it took until Game No. 74 to reach that mark. Only five teams have improved their slugging percentage year-over-year by a higher mark. Loud sounds were amplified by a closed roof at Chase Field. And for the first time since April 2019, they scored at least nine runs in three straight games. 'If you can get the ball in the air here,' Bell said, 'you will be rewarded.' There was, of course, more nuance to their offense against Arizona (27-30). Robert Hassell III's compact swing and advanced approach has translated across his first couple weeks in the majors; he worked a 10-pitch at-bat against Arizona right-hander Merrill Kelly (six runs, five innings) in the first before a hard liner to center provided a 2-0 Nationals lead. To lead off the third, Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno called for a cutter up in the zone, leaving his knees to get his glove where he needed. Kelly obliged his request. Wood made contact at the back of the plate it and hit a rocket into the seats in left field for his 16th home run (fifth-most in MLB). Josh Bell, who a day earlier said he was finally out of the 'dark place' that his swing had taken him, crushed a booming 430-foot, three-run shot later in the frame, his third straight day with a homer. That gave Washington a 6-4 lead. 'I mean, we talked about in spring — we know that we can be an offensive threat,' Bell said. 'Right now, it seems like it's a different person every night. Aside from Woody. It seems like it's every night for him. So it's definitely fun to be a part of it.' '[The hitting coaches], Chris Johnson, Darnell Coles, I mean, they've been nailing these guys,' Hassell said. 'Making sure we have all the information. It's almost like we faced them before we face them. So that's a good feeling.' But a confluence of trends tied the game back at 6 in the bottom of the inning. Irvin has given Washington some of its best starts this season, but his numbers have often dipped in his next start after longer outings; he followed eight scoreless innings in his previous outing by conceding four runs Friday in the first. He has allowed more balls in play this year. Which meant that, in the third, an infield defense that ranks 29th in outs above average (OAA) helped two runs come across — and an outfield defense that has been a top-10 unit this month by OAA saved three runs, as a seed from Hassell nailed Eugenio Suarez at home and a perfectly-timed leap by right fielder Daylen Lile robbed a two-run homer to end the inning. And after José Tena, CJ Abrams and Wood walked in the sixth, Nathaniel Lowe — hitting .300 with runners in scoring position — smacked a broken-bat single to right field that scored two and pushed Washington ahead 8-6. Hassell added another hard single in the seventh for a 9-6 lead. That turned it over to, perhaps, the freshest development for Washington. In early May, the Nationals had the highest bullpen ERA in baseball. But as the days passed, Manager Dave Martinez began to have just a little more faith in his young relievers. Pitchers such as Cole Henry, who Martinez said before the game he is now fully comfortable with in high leverage roles. Pitchers such as Brad Lord, who was entrusted with the seventh and eighth and responded with six big outs, including three strikeouts. He said he felt an adrenaline rush when he ran out of the bullpen. 'And who doesn't love a good adrenaline rush?' Lord said. At the end, though, they still called 0n old reliable — Kyle Finnegan — to close it out for his 16th save. Note: Martinez said Jacob Young (shoulder) will head out on a rehab assignment upon the team's return to Washington if all goes well with his progression. The outfielder has not played since May 17 in Baltimore.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Washington Nationals vs Arizona Diamondbacks Game Thread
The Nationals are riding high after a 9-3 extra inning win clinched a series victory in Seattle. Now they go to the desert to take on the Diamondbacks. The Snakes have been struggling recently, but they have a dynamic offense and their three best starters are lined up to face the Nats. For the first time in a little while, Davey Martinez is switching things up in the lineup. After a rough night behind the plate, Keibert Ruiz is getting the night off in favor of Riley Adams. Adams will slot into the seven whole, while Luis Garcia Jr. moves up to the cleanup spot after a four hit night. Jake Irvin will take the mound coming off an 8 inning masterclass against the Giants. Advertisement The D-Backs have an intimidating lineup, with Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte leading the way. Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo has always had a great glove, but he is having an offensive breakout this season. The lineup is not why the Snakes are under .500. Neither is starter Merill Kelly who has long been one of the most reliable, underrated pitchers in the game. Game Info: Stadium: Chase Field Time: 9:40 PM EST TV: MASN 2 Radio: 106.7 The Fan and DC 87.7 Follow along as the Nationals look to continue this successful road trip. The boys have been coming of age lately, and hopefully that continues. Comment down below and let's go Nats! Advertisement More from
NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Nationals at Diamondbacks Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, trends and stats for May 30
Its Friday, May 30 and the Nationals (26-30) are in Phoenix to take on the Diamondbacks (27-29). Jake Irvin is slated to take the mound for Washington against Merrill Kelly for Arizona. The Nationals closed out their series with the Mariners with a 9-3 win in ten innings last night in Seattle. Josh Bell went yard as part of Washington's seven-run tenth inning to help secure the series win. Arizona was off yesterday following back-to-back losses to the Pirates including a 10-1 smack on Wednesday. Zac Gallen opened the floodgates allowing five earned runs over five innings for the home team. Lets dive into the opener in this series and find a sweat or two. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long. Game details & how to watch Nationals at Diamondbacks Date: Friday, May 30, 2025 Time: 9:40PM EST Site: Chase Field City: Phoenix, AZ Network/Streaming: MASN2, ARID Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out. Odds for the Nationals at the Diamondbacks The latest odds as of Friday: Moneyline: Nationals (+181), Diamondbacks (-219) Spread: Diamondbacks -1.5 Total: 8.0 runs Probable starting pitchers for Nationals at Diamondbacks Pitching matchup for May 30, 2025: Jake Irvin vs. Merrill Kelly Nationals: Jake Irvin (4-1, 3.42 ERA) Last outing: 5/24 vs. San Francisco - 8IP, 0ER, 3H, 2BB, 7KsDiamondbacks: Merrill Kelly (5-2, 3.52 ERA) Last outing: 5/24 at St. Louis - 6IP, 4ER, 6H, 1BB, 6Ks Nationals: Jake Irvin (4-1, 3.42 ERA) Last outing: 5/24 vs. San Francisco - 8IP, 0ER, 3H, 2BB, 7Ks Diamondbacks: Merrill Kelly (5-2, 3.52 ERA) Last outing: 5/24 at St. Louis - 6IP, 4ER, 6H, 1BB, 6Ks Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type! Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Nationals at Diamondbacks The Diamondbacks have won their last 3 against the Nationals with Merrill Kelly as the starting pitcher With Merrill Kelly starting the Over was 5-2 (71%) in the Diamondbacks' home games last season The Diamondbacks have failed to cover the Run Line in 7 straight games when they've held a rest advantage CJ Abrams is 2-24 (.083) in his last 6 games Corbin Carroll is 5-39 (.128) in his last 9 games If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports! Expert picks & predictions for tonight's game between the Nationals and the Diamondbacks Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Nationals and the Diamondbacks: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Arizona Diamondbacks on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Washington Nationals at +1.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0. Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Garcia leads Nationals against the Diamondbacks after 4-hit game
Washington Nationals (26-30, fourth in the NL East) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (27-29, fourth in the NL West) Phoenix; Friday, 9:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Nationals: Jake Irvin (4-1, 3.42 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 47 strikeouts); Diamondbacks: Merrill Kelly (5-2, 3.52 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 58 strikeouts) Advertisement BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Diamondbacks -221, Nationals +182; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals take on the Arizona Diamondbacks after Luis Garcia had four hits on Thursday in a 9-3 win over the Mariners. Arizona has a 14-15 record at home and a 27-29 record overall. Diamondbacks hitters have a collective .445 slugging percentage to rank third in the NL. Washington has a 26-30 record overall and a 13-16 record in road games. The Nationals have gone 21-8 in games when they record at least eight hits. The teams meet Friday for the fourth time this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Corbin Carroll leads the Diamondbacks with 16 home runs while slugging .560. Gabriel Moreno is 14 for 36 with four doubles, a triple, three home runs and six RBIs over the past 10 games. Advertisement James Wood leads the Nationals with 15 home runs while slugging .571. Garcia is 13 for 37 with five doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Diamondbacks: 3-7, .241 batting average, 4.39 ERA, outscored by eight runs Nationals: 7-3, .265 batting average, 3.56 ERA, outscored opponents by 18 runs INJURIES: Diamondbacks: Eduardo Rodriguez: 15-Day IL (shoulder), A.J. Puk: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jordan Montgomery: 60-Day IL (elbow), Blake Walston: 60-Day IL (elbow) Nationals: Jacob Young: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Dylan Crews: 10-Day IL (back), Paul DeJong: 10-Day IL (face), Orlando Ribalta: 15-Day IL (biceps), Derek Law: 15-Day IL (forearm), DJ Herz: 60-Day IL (elbow), Mason Thompson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Josiah Gray: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Washington Post
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Jake Irvin's gem and James Wood's blast guide the Nats past the Giants
It is in Jake Irvin's nature to take the ball for as long as his team will let him. On Saturday, in the Washington Nationals' 3-0 dispatching of the San Francisco Giants at Nationals Park, it appeared as though he would never let go. He entered the sixth inning with his velocity dipping but got three soft outs on five pitches. He entered the seventh in danger of a quick hook but got out of the frame in four pitches, walking back to the dugout before Robert Hassell III had secured the third out in center field. Between innings, he told pitching strategist Sean Doolittle that he was going nine. With two outs in the eighth, he walked Mike Yastrzemski, got two strikes on Heliot Ramos and let the moment linger. Many of the 36,873 at Nationals Park rose. A curveball came next. A strikeout and a euphoric fist pump from Irvin followed. Before Irvin walked Yastrzemski, Manager Dave Martinez was considering letting the right-hander pitch the ninth. His pitches above the strike zone to Yastrzemski told Martinez that Irvin was beginning to feel some fatigue. 'But, man, what a performance,' Martinez said. 'He was a hell of a lawyer, I could tell you that. He tried to go back out in the ninth. And I'm a better judge.' 'I thought we were going to do it,' Irvin said. 'At the end of the day, the only thoughts really going through the head, though, were, 'Go pitch to pitch and just keep making guys earn it.'' His final line: eight innings, three hits, two walks and seven strikeouts on 96 pitches. Upon learning he wasn't going to pitch the ninth, Irvin bent backward and let out an exasperated sigh before telling Martinez he understood. It was the second time this year he pitched into the eighth. Backed by James Wood's first-inning, two-run homer, Washington cruised behind him. It has not been the easiest season for Irvin. His strikeout rate is down, and his hard-hit rate is up. He has worked and worked to get his velocity back to where he wants it, with his fastball sitting about 2 mph slower than it did last year. Between starts, it has been a point of frustration. On game day, he has navigated around it, and he said he felt especially good Saturday thanks to six days of rest. 'The biggest thing for him is he stays in the moment,' Martinez said. 'He understands what he needs to do. He doesn't panic. He makes pitches when he has to. ... He's very confident in what he's trying to do and how he wants to pitch to hitters. Even though some of his stuff wasn't great at times, he knows how to get outs, and that's what makes him who he is.' The Nationals (24-28) have won six of their past seven games. Irvin left the mound with a 3.42 ERA. The Giants (30-22) did not hit a single ball over 100 mph. The game was over in 1 hour 52 minutes — the Nationals' quickest game since a 2-0 loss in Pittsburgh on Sept. 14, 2023, lasted 1:50 — and was finished off with a diving catch by Daylen Lile in right field. Closer Kyle Finnegan was unavailable, so Jorge López earned his first save with a 1-2-3 ninth. On Friday, a day after pitching against the Atlanta Braves, Finnegan felt some arm fatigue while playing catch. Before Saturday's game, he felt it again and was at less than 100 percent — about 75 to 80 percent, Martinez said. Finnegan and his manager said the fatigue was in his shoulder. Imaging came back negative. 'I feel fine — just abundance of caution,' Finnegan said. 'I think it's important to listen to your body and knock things out before they become an issue. And I think that's what taking an extra day does.' The Nationals' starting pitchers entered Saturday with a 5.38 ERA in May, which ranked 28th in MLB. But Washington has hung around because its batters and the bullpen have taken steps forward during the starters' rough patch. Irvin, to his credit, has a 2.45 ERA this month. On Saturday, he lived in and around the strike zone to a degree that, even by his standards, stood out. The Giants weren't chasing a lot, but they laid off a good chunk of what he threw in the zone. Only once did they truly threaten, putting men on first and second with no outs in the fourth, thanks in part to a fielding error by the usually sure-handed Irvin. He followed by inducing a double play, then got Willy Adames to swing past a high heater to end the inning. Irvin shook his head. He allowed just one more hit after that. 'Whether it's a swing and miss or a quick out and weak contact, that's what we're hunting for,' Irvin said. Wood did enough in the first to put Washington ahead for good. Though Giants left-hander Kyle Harrison's 12th pitch was located such that it belonged on a scouting report from roughly a year ago, it wasn't inside enough to trick Wood. The 22-year-old took a thigh-high pitch and pulled it on a line, sending it careening over the fence and off the wall to the left of the Nationals' bullpen in right field. The two-run shot drove in Amed Rosario and put Washington ahead to stay. 'It's tough to practice [against that location],' Wood said. 'But got to be ready for whatever and just get ready to hit.' Singles by Luis García Jr. and Lile put runners on first and third in the seventh, and Hassell's dribbler down the first base line scored García with an insurance run — and was his first major league RBI.
