The Washington Nationals have officially watched the 2026 regular season flip after dropping eight of the last nine and 15 of the last 17 away games to drop to 61-71 overall
The Washington Nationals have officially completed the nine game road trip with just one win and two sweeps against them after dropping game three against the Miami Marlins, 6-2, on Sunday afternoon.
For a team that was once dominant on the road, Washington now falls to 34-35 in road games as Sunday marked the third consecutive game the Nationals scored exactly two runs. The Nationals scored just 20 runs throughout the road trip, including 14 over the eight losses. It also came courtesy of three one-run losses and a blown save to inch the Nationals just four blown games away from tying the MLB record with 30 regular games left.
The string of losses also came with star infielder CJ Abrams sidelined over the last four games after suffering an ankle sprain in the 6-0 win vs. Texas, leading the Nationals to account for 18 hits and six runs over the next four losses. Though manager Blake Butera expressed confidence that Abrams could return as early as this weekend, that did not materialize as the Nationals look to mitigate the absence of both Abrams and James Wood.
With the team now sitting 61-69 overall with losses in 15 over the last 17 road games, the season has officially shifted from even remotely close to competitive baseball to shifting attention toward 2027 and beyond with the loss dropping the Nationals to ten games out of the final Wild Card spot in addition to sixth overall in the projected 2027 MLB Draft order. For a Nationals team that has outperformed expectations until August yet with a clear emphasis on developing and acquiring the pieces for a more competitive roster in the years ahead, Washington has reached the inflection point of its 2026 regular season.
The question becomes how soon, if at all, either James Wood or CJ Abrams make their return to the diamond with the offense absent without the two-time All Star selections, while the Nationals have left the door open for Connelly Early to make his Nationals debut after being traded to the organization ahead of the deadline. The team moved Early to the 60 day injured list over the weekend, making him eligible to make a potential debut as early as next week, though the Nationals have yet to comment on any specified timeframe for a return. Early arrived in Washington battling left elbow inflammation suffered during a late June appearance with the Boston Red Sox.
Washington is set to return back to Nationals Park for a ten-game homestead beginning Monday night with the Colorado Rockies arriving for a four game series.
