Nationals 4, Cubs 3: Alex Call(s) game for three in a row

The Nationals grabbed their third straight win Thursday to take their four-game weekday set with the Cubs, as Lane Thomas cranked a 3-run homer in the second inning and Alex Call hit the dramatic walk-off home run to finish off a game that went sideways in the eighth inning after starter Patrick Corbin went into that eighth inning with a one-hit shutout with no walks and six strikeouts, and that one hit came from a pop-up that was lost in the sun.

The Cubs went to their closer in a tie game in the ninth inning, and Call walked it off on Brad Boxberger‘s first pitch. A grooved 90.7 mph fastball that Call ambushed and pulled it just inside the left field foul pole as the ball eventually got scooped up on the stairway between Sections 106 and 107 by a lucky fan.

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Game #31 on getaway day before the team heads West!

The Washington Nationals are 7-5 since that trip in the cold weather in Minnesota. This is the best baseball the team has played since mid-August of last year when the team had similar results. The last time the team won three consecutive games was September 3-5 of 2022, and Patrick Corbin was a key part of that winning streak. He pitched a 7.0 inning gem to beat the Mets 7-1. With a taxed “A” bullpen, manager Dave Martinez might have to rely on some “B” bullpen today even if his team has a lead.

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Nationals 2, Cubs 1: Jake Irvin solid in major-league debut

Photo by Andrew Lang for TalkNats

Jake Irvin took the mound Wednesday for his major-league debut, and the 6-foot-6 right-hander did not disappoint, while the bullpen took care of their struggling offense in the low-scoring victory.

With this win, Washington is only two games back now of the Phillies.

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Game #30 the Jake Irvin debut!

The Washington Nationals had a need for a starter for today even before Chad Kuhl was placed on the 15-day IL. Friday’s rainout changed everything in the rotation, and the Nats’ braintrust had several options until they started Paolo Espino for Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, then used Cory Abbott in two innings of relief on Monday night, and Joan Adon in Rochester last night, making it apparent that it was going to be Jake Irvin. Some thought it could have been Jackson Rutledge from Double-A Harrisburg or just a bullpen start. Now, it is Irvin with a golden opportunity as the Nats do need a fifth starter to go five days from now. If you remember, Abbott was called up to replace Kuhl on the roster, and he seemed to be the presumptive starter…until he was used in relief for those two innings.

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Juan Soto’s hitting struggles — explained

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Nationals’ Jake Irvin to make major-league debut Wednesday; Cory Abbott optioned back to Triple-A Rochester

After the National’s 4-1 win Tuesday night, Nationals manager Davey Martinez told reporters, and anyone watching the postgame show, that Jake Irvin will start for the Nationals on Wednesday in his MLB debut. The Nationals optioned Cory Abbott to Class AAA Rochester in the corresponding move.

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Nationals 4, Cubs 1: CJ Abrams and Trevor Williams lead the way

Trevor Williams hurled a substantial 5 1/3 innings Thursday while CJ Abrams was 3-for-3 on the day as the Nationals cruised to a 4-1 win over the Cubs, their 11th win on the young season.

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Game #29 The Nats need a starter for tomorrow!

The Washington Nationals had a tough first inning and went flat on their way to a loss last night. Cory Abbott was promoted yesterday from Triple-A and the presumptive starter for tomorrow…until he pitched 2.0 innings last night. That took him out of the running to start tomorrow’s game unless he did some sort of “opener” thing which makes little sense. The candidates seem to be Joan Adon, Paolo Espino, and Jake Irvin for tomorrow’s start. But if Adon starts tonight as scheduled for Rochester, he will clearly not be the pick to pitch tomorrow night’s game in Nationals Park. Espino has the experience over Irvin, so we will see how this shakes out.

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We turn to May with 28-games in the books. How do the Nats look?

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TalkNats source: Nationals sign Tyler Danish to minor-league deal

Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

The Nationals have signed Tyler Danish to a minor-league deal, Steve Mears of TalkNats reported Monday.

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