The Nationals Season So Far + How It Looks Down the Road

With the second half of the season underway, let’s take a look at how the Nationals performed in their first 90 games.

The first 90 games of the season have passed, and a lot has happened. The baseball community has marveled at pitching-and-hitting weapon Shohei Ohtani as he takes the league by storm. Domingo Germán pitched the first perfect game in 11 years against the Oakland Athletics, the 24th perfect game to date. There’s a reason MLB viewership is up seven percent from last year. 

Last year the Washington Nationals ended the season with the worst record in the league at 55-107. Understandably, this led to low expectations for their 2023 season, with most people predicting they wouldn’t break out of the last spot in the NL East. 

The Washington Nationals ended spring training with a record of 13-3-12. With the second half of the season under way, let’s take a look at the Washington National’s performance in their first 90 games.

First 30

Going up against three of the soon-to-be most intimidating powerhouse baseball clubs of the MLB this season would not help the Nationals have a positive start. The first series of the season had the Nationals face the Braves, which ended with the Nats winning one and the Braves taking the series with two. Immediately following was the Rays, who would end up sweeping the Nats at home. The Orioles also swept the Nationals in a two game series. The first series win wouldn’t come until week three when the Nationals came out on top against the Minnesota Twins 2-1. The Nats ended the first 30 games with a record of 12-18. 

Second 30

The performance for the Nats in the second 30 games didn’t shift that much. They ended the second 30 with a record of 13-17. The Marlins and Diamondback sweeps accounted for one third of their losses, and out of the ten series they only won three. 

Last 30

The last 30 games of the season saw the Nationals go 11-19. The Reds struck fire with the addition of Elly De La Cruz, which aided their four-game sweep over the Nats. The Nats also faced trouble against the Marlins, where they were swept in a three game series. In the last 30 games the Nats had series wins over the Mariners, Phillies, Padres and Rangers. 

Even though the National’s season has been lackluster so far, the future looks bright. Josiah Gray is having one of his best pitching seasons of his career. He earned an all-star appearance by throwing a 2.39 road ERA — second best in the MLB — and a 3.41 ERA in the first half of the season. His all-star appearance saw him throw a perfect inning. Gray is a focal point for the Nationals rebuild and will likely be around for a while. Lane Thomas has been a pleasant surprise as well — with a .295 batting average and 109 hits so far in the season, Thomas has been crucial to the Nationals’ offensive vitality.

On top of Thomas’s stellar hitting performance, the Nationals drafted Dylan Crews with the no. 2 pick in the MLB draft. Crews helped the LSU Tigers win this year’s national championship by batting .426 with 18 home runs and 70 RBIs. His incredible season performance earned him the Golden Spikes award, which is awarded annually to the best amateur baseball player in the U.S. 

The Nationals have been in the rebuild process since their 2019 World Series win. The Juan Soto trade led to the Nationals acquiring six new players, a fresh core that will be the center of the Nationals rebuild. It is still too early to determine whether this trade has played out for the better; the future of the Nationals remains one to watch.

To learn more about the Nationals and catch some games, visit their website and follow them on Instagram. 

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Max Abbatiello