ST. LOUIS — The move made sense in the moment: Nationals Manager Dave Martinez lifted Jesse Winker for a pinch hitter in the top of sixth with the bases loaded in a two-run game. St. Louis had brought in a left-hander and Winker is a lefty.
Washington, D.C
On a night the Nats deal Jesse Winker, they also blow out the Cardinals
Martinez said he didn’t know about the pending trade when he made the move. He simply liked the matchup.
“I’m excited, right?” Winker said after the game. “I’m going to be a part of a great team that’s been winning a lot. It’s a wonderful opportunity. And then, obviously, I’m extremely thankful for everybody here. The opportunity to come and play every day. I’m so thankful for Mike Rizz0 and Davey. They really took a chance on me and I feel like I owe them a lot for that.”
The move is the second the Nationals have made this month leading up to Tuesday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline. They dealt reliever Hunter Harvey to the Royals on July 14 for third baseman Cayden Wallace and a draft pick that turned into catcher Caleb Lomativa.
There’s a good chance they are not done dealing. Reliever Dylan Floro, on an expiring contract, could be an attractive option for a contender. Likewise, closer Kyle Finnegan and outfielder Lane Thomas, both under team control through 2025, could be on the move before Tuesday as well.
As for the game, which started after a rain delay of 124 minutes, the decision to pinch-hit for Winker paid dividends. Harold Ramirez hit a two-run double that ignited a seven-run burst that effectively ended the competitive portion of the evening. The Nationals stranded the bases loaded in the previous two innings before Ramirez broke through.
That hit was the first of four in a row surrendered by Matthew Liberatore. Juan Yepez followed with a two-run single before James Wood roped a double to center. Keibert Ruiz followed with a three-run homer to make it 9-0. Ramirez added an RBI single in the Nationals’ four-run ninth.
“It started out as a weird game, I think we left 12 runners on base,” Martinez said. “But we came through in big moments as well. The boys just started working good at-bats, getting the ball in the zone, not chasing and really driving the ball in the gaps.”
In his final night as a National, Winker finished 2 for 3 with an RBI before being pulled.
The Nationals signed Winker to a minor league deal this offseason, hoping that he would return to the all-star form he displayed in 2021. In 2022 with Seattle, Winker struggled at the plate. Last season, he hit .199 in 61 games with the Milwaukee Brewers. But Winker, 30, was one of the Nationals’ most consistent hitters, batting .257, with a .793 OPS. He was tied for second on the team in home runs (11) and third in RBI (45). And he became a clubhouse leader and role model for his younger teammates, specifically shortstop CJ Abrams. Martinez raved about Winker’s energy and preparation.
“I think we all leaned on him a little bit,” said Wood, who went 4 for 4. “It’s tough but we always wish him the best. Not too much of the best, obviously, he’s staying in our division, but yeah, he’s great.”
The Nationals filled this roster this year with bounce-back candidates such as Winker, Joey Gallo Eddie Rosario and Nick Senzel, hoping that any of them could reap a reward. Winker’s renaissance paid dividends. Last year, the Nationals traded infielder Jeimer Candelario to the Chicago Cubs for two prospects, one of which was left-handed pitcher DJ Herz, who is part of Washington’s starting rotation. The Nationals hope the Winker trade can help them bolster their roster in the same fashion.
Winker said this was the first time in his career that his name has been floated at the trade deadline, making it hard for him to compartmentalize baseball and the weight of the rumors. Once Harvey was traded before the break, he understood that he might be traded, too. It didn’t seem to affect him Saturday.
Winker contributed in his final game, delivering a bloop single in the third to put the Nationals up 2-0. Jake Irvin, who cruised through 5⅓ innings, ended his start by yielding a two-run homer to Willson Contreras in the sixth.
Winker now heads up I-95 to the Mets, a division rival which is in the thick of a heated wild card race. And in September, he’ll have a chance to face the former teammates he said goodbye to Saturday night.
“I just hope the guys here take it easy on me,” Winker said, smiling. “Or, there’s a lot of good pitchers here. I just hope they take it easy on me.”
WASHINGTON (7News) — Four women were hospitalized, including one who was critically hurt, after a rollover crash early Saturday morning in Southeast D.C.
According to the D.C. Fire and EMS Department (DCFEMS), the crash happened on the inbound side of Suitland Parkway near Sheridan Road SE.
DC Fire and EMS said a vehicle rolled over and came to rest on its roof.
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Emergency crews responded to the scene and treated four women.
According to DCFEMS, three women were taken to nearby hospitals with injuries considered non-serious and non-life-threatening.
A fourth woman was injured critically and was airlifted by helicopter to a trauma center for treatment.
There is no word on what led to the crash. The incident remains under investigation.
WASHINGTON (7News) — Washington, D.C., is no stranger to weekends filled with activities, but high-profile events over the next few days means security will be ramped up.
In addition to games at Nationals Park and Audi Field, as well as concerts at the RFK Stadium campus festival grounds, there will be World Cup watch parties on the National Mall.
But the main event is the UFC fight at the White House.
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“I can’t wait, I’m looking forward to it! This is my birthday present,” said Amanda Craig, who is visiting from Ireland.
With an event of this scale comes security in full force.
Most roads around the White House and National Mall will be shut down for the weekend.
“We’ve seen a lot of them around. We’ve seen the military police and everything. You definitely feel very secure,” said Ciaron Barr, who traveled from Ireland for the UFC fights.
Officers from city and federal agencies are working together to secure the area around the White House.
“We’re at a full activation. So what that means is that all MPD officers are working. They’ll be on 12-hour shifts to make sure we have adequate staffing across the District for these events and to be inside our patrol districts,” said Metropolitan Police Department Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll at a press conference earlier in the week.
However, people in town for the events told 7News the inconvenience of the road closures actually provides peace of mind.
“Security feels good. The road closures are a little bit of a hassle, but we’ve been able to work around it just fine. I feel pretty good. I feel pretty safe,” said Rendi Crabb, who is in town for the UFC events.
Jacob Mishler, also in town for the fight, added: “If we came here and didn’t see a lot of security, we were going to be a little bit cautious about how we went about the event. It seems like they’ve got things taken care of. I feel pretty comfortable.”
Security is not the only aspect of public safety top of mind.
The heat and humidity is expected to be unrelenting this weekend.
MPD posted a video on X providing safety tips, including how to avoid heat illness.
“We’ve been very diligent on keeping bottles of water on us. There’s been plenty of water to fill up the bottles. But yes, the heat and temperatures have been a concern,” said Robert Fowler, who is in town to go to UFC events.
Storms are also a possibility.
One group of friends told 7News they are not worried about this.
“If there’s a thunderstorm at home, we’re in our front yard watching it, so we keep our eyes on the thunderstorms,” said Carly Mishler, who is in town for UFC. “We have four sets of eyes on the thunderstorms, so we’ve got a lot of people looking out for us.”
Public safety leaders are also urging visitors to make a plan in the event of an emergency.
“The more information you can give as a caller to the 911 call takers, the better they’re going to be able to both identify the location that you’re in and help first responders get to you, whether that’s cross streets, identifying the nearest cross streets you’re at, or identifying easily recognizable monuments,” said D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Director Clint Osborn at a press conference earlier in the week.
WASHINGTON – Officials with the Arkansas National Guard said 100 soldiers have been deployed to Washington, D.C.
Officials said the Thursday deployment was of 100 members of the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The deployment is federally funded, they added.
The deployed soldiers are part of a routine rotational relief for members of the Arkansas Guard’s 142nd Field Artillery Brigade, currently in Washington.
They are deployed to assist the metropolitan police force as part of the “D.C. Safe and Beautiful” summer operation, officials said. Duties for the mission include visible presence patrols aimed at reducing crime and maintaining public safety, officials added.
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