By the sixth inning, DJ Herz had mastered his strikeout strut. He had done it 10 times entering the frame, and with each ensuing punchout, his stalk around the mound became just a bit more pronounced.
Washington, D.C
Rookie DJ Herz delivers historic dominance as the Nats blank Marlins
His last hitter in the Nationals’ 4-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday afternoon at Nationals Park was Tim Anderson, who had fanned twice. Herz got up 0-2, and Anderson asked for time in a bid to disrupt Herz’s timing. Nothing else worked to that point, so maybe a few extra seconds could rattle the 23-year-old rookie.
No chance. Two pitches later, Herz threw a 93-mph fastball by Anderson for his 13th and final strikeout. And when Anderson swung through the pitch, Herz showed off more than a strut. This time, he turned his back to the home dugout, backpedaled and put his hands out before shaking his glove.
“This outing, I wanted to control my body language a little bit more, be a little better at that,” Herz said. “The first five innings, it was perfect. And then I got the last strikeout, and I kind of had a feeling that I was done. And I just let my emotions fly a little bit.”
Before his start, Herz said he had a conversation with Jake Irvin about wanting to be emotionless on the mound. “I just wanted to go out there and be a stone-cold killer.”
Mission accomplished. The only blemish in his six innings was a Jake Burger single that got past Trey Lipscomb to start the fifth inning. The Nationals (34-36) have won seven of eight and will go for a series sweep Sunday.
Manager Dave Martinez pulled Herz after the sixth. The numbers: one hit, 13 strikeouts, 84 pitches, 57 for strikes. And perhaps most important to Herz: no walks.
“He and [catcher Drew] Millas worked really good and very quick,” Martinez said. “And they did get into that rhythm, and he was feeling it.”
In a Nationals season that will be defined by the growth of the team’s young starters, Herz could be the surprise of the bunch. The team knew Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin would be big league contributors this season, and Mitchell Parker has been a welcome addition. But Herz, a 6-foot-2 left-hander acquired from the Cubs at the trade deadline last season in the Jeimer Candelario deal, delivered one of the best starts in the majors this season.
Per OptaStats, his 68.4 strikeout percentage (13 of the 19 hitters faced) was the second highest by an MLB rookie in the modern era with a minimum of 15 batters faced, trailing only the Cubs’ Kerry Wood in his 20-strikeout game from 1998. His strikeout total was the most by a Nationals pitcher since Max Scherzer fanned 14 in May 2021.
“Everything was working tonight, so we couldn’t really go wrong,” Millas said.
One more fact from the start that has local appeal: Herz became one of two MLB pitchers with a start of at least 13 strikeouts and no walks in one of his first three outings since 1901 — the other being Stephen Strasburg in his debut June 8, 2010. Pretty good company, especially for a guy who didn’t make it out of the fifth inning in each of his first two starts. He was on a pitch limit in his major league debut. And in the second, it took him 87 pitches to get through 4⅓ innings.
Herz couldn’t consistently throw his best pitch, his change-up, in the zone in his first two outings. But he told pitching strategist Sean Doolittle that he felt different entering this start.
This time around, Herz was efficient in the first four innings as he racked up the strikeouts. He struck out four and threw just 24 pitches in the first two innings. In the third, Herz struck out the side and followed that up with one more in the fourth. He retired the first 12 Marlins before Burger’s single.
“The game didn’t speed up. That’s probably the most calm and relaxed I was,” Herz said. “It’s all about, for me at least, getting comfortable. That might take a little time, but it’s starting to come now.”
The Nationals’ offense jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first when Lane Thomas doubled, Jesse Winker — who exited in the third inning and will get an MRI exam on his right knee — singled and Joey Meneses hit a sacrifice fly. Thomas hit his second home run in as many days in the third inning to extend the Nationals’ lead. Meneses added a two-run blast in the eighth.
Herz, meanwhile, induced 21 whiffs in 45 swings, including 13 on four-seam fastballs. The Marlins swung through fastballs right down the middle. They watched change-ups paint the corners for called strikes and shook their heads. They chased in the dirt. And as each Marlins hitter slumped back to the dugout, Herz continued to strut.
“I mean, it still doesn’t feel real,” Herz said. “I’m super blessed. That was my probably my best game I’ve ever pitched. And to do it at this level, it’s a great feeling.”
Notes: The Nationals announced they agreed to terms on a minor league contract with outfielder Harold Ramirez, who will report to Class AAA Rochester. Ramirez, 29, is a six-year major league veteran who was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays last week. He also had stints with the Miami Marlins and Cleveland Guardians. Ramirez hit .313 with 12 home runs and a .813 OPS a season ago but hasn’t produced the same pop this season; he’s hitting .268 with a .589 OPS and only four of his hits have been for extra bases. . . .
Cade Cavalli threw two innings and around 45 pitches in a live bullpen session Saturday afternoon, facing Trey Lipscomb and Nasim Nuñez. Cavalli said his arm felt good as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery.
Washington, D.C
The director of the Congressional Budget Office—known for its gloomy national debt data—is very optimistic that a crisis will be avoided entirely | Fortune
Dr Phillip Swagel is an optimist, both by nature and when he looks at the U.S. economy.
This fact is perhaps at odds with what one might assume: Swagel is the director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the nonpartisan agency that offers independent budgetary and economic analysis to Congress.
Very often—an inevitable occupational hazard—the subject of national debt and the interest the U.S. Treasury pays to maintain is its central focus. The numbers are eye-watering: Public debt stands at more than $39 trillion. The interest expense on that borrowing now exceeds $1 trillion a year. Indeed, the latest budget update from the CBO highlights that the government—according to preliminary estimates—paid out nearly $530 billion between October 2025, when the fiscal year starts, and March 2026. This equates to more than $88 billion in interest payments a month, or more than $22 billion a week.
The CBO’s figures are routinely cited by policymakers, think tanks, and lobbyists as alarming evidence that the U.S. needs to find a more sustainable fiscal path or risk dire straits.
Swagel doesn’t subscribe to the notion that the U.S. will face a crisis of its own making. His justification is simple: He was at the Treasury during the 2008 financial crisis, and joined the CBO months before the COVID pandemic began. He has watched as the U.S. economy, seemingly against all odds, has clawed its way out of economic crises before.
That’s not to say Swagel isn’t a staunch advocate of setting the U.S. on a more sustainable fiscal path—rather, he trusts the people in power to do so when the time comes.
Why the optimism?
Among those concerned about national debt are notable names: JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, and Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is also worried about federal spending and has endorsed a plan floated by Berkshire Hathaway founder Warren Buffett that would render members of Congress ineligible for reelection if they allow deficits to exceed 3% of GDP.
On the other hand, optimistic economists suggest that, despite the value of the debt, it’s not actually an issue: the bond market is holding steady, indicating a reliable market of buyers. Likewise, the U.S.’s own central bank buys huge swaths of the debt, meaning, in the simplest of layman’s terms, the economy can essentially print its own money. There are holes in this argument, not least the fact that Fed chairman nominee Kevin Warsh has suggested he would like to reduce the Fed’s balance sheet and may therefore be less inclined to finance borrowing.
Swagel’s positive outlook doesn’t rely on the argument that a crisis hasn’t happened yet, so therefore it never will: “[My optimism] is rooted in my experience,” Swagel tells Fortune in an exclusive interview in Washington D.C. “First being at Treasury during the financial crisis and seeing very difficult times and the country coming together with an effective response—not saying it’s perfect, lots of controversy—but it was effective.”
“The second thing is policymakers are smart, they’re thoughtful. Interacting with members of Congress makes me optimistic. I know you read about all the squabbles … I’m completely aware of this, but the policymakers that are thinking about these things are thoughtful and effective. Not necessarily always effective at passing legislation, but that’s part of our political system, it was set up to make it difficult ot pass legislation.”
Decisions on the horizon
Swagel’s optimism that Congress will be pushed into action will be tested sooner rather than later, likely at some point in the next six years, he told Fortune. This is partly due to the fact that, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) both Social Security and Medicare will become insolvent within that time period.
“Making progress to address the fiscal trajectory would be a positive for the U.S. economy,” Swagel said. “Credible steps would lead to lower interest rates that would make the subsequent adjustment easier, there is a reward to virtue. It’s a positive thing, we can’t go on [with] the scolding narrative. My sense is that members of Congress understand the fiscal situation, it’s not that everyone single one has looked at our one-pager of numbers and understands the debt to the third decimal point, but they understand something needs to be done.”
“It doesn’t have to be done immediately, but at some point reasonably soon.”
Swagel is of the opinion that bond investors haven’t increased risk premiums not because they’re not worried about a fiscal crisis, but because they have priced in preventative action from Congress—in his mind “a vote of confidence that my optimism is not misplaced.”
“As a country, we face up to these problems. It’s not happening now, I’m not sure it’s going to happen in the rest of this year or even the next year, or the next two years. But we will face up to it, and the market in some sense expects us to, because otherwise interest rates would be higher,” he explained.
The Cheesecake Factory
The role of the CBO, to some extent, is to provide policymakers with their options if and when they do choose to take action on federal deficits. It’s a menu not unlike the Cheesecake Factory, Swagel says: Large, inclusive of a range of modifications and options, and delivered without judgement.
“Right now it’s maybe a pick three, and you’re looking at a six or seven course menu,” joked Caleb Quakenbush, director of fiscal policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, in an interview with Fortune. “The longer you delay, the more you’re gonna have to add to your tab, and those options become more expensive.”
Indeed, economists and analysts aren’t necessarily worried about the absolute level of government debt, rather the debt-to-GDP ratio. Depending on whom you ask, the debt-to-GDP ratio stands at around 122% of GDP at present. This measure demonstrates an economy’s spending versus its growth, and the risk associated with lending to a nation that isn’t growing fast enough to handle its spending. To rebalance that ratio, an economy could either cut spending or increase growth—the latter being by far the less painful option.
The growth option is becoming less feasible, Michael Peterson, CEO of fiscal think tank the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, told Fortune in an exclusive interview: “I think it requires government action because we’ve waited so long. We’ve added so many trillions, and the current deficit is so big at 6% that the level of growth you would need really exceeds what is feasible.
“Growth needs to be a part of it, but it’s sort of a vicious cycle. The longer we delay, the more debt we have, the slower growth is going to be. The more we get this under control, I think the greater optimism there is, interest rates go down, more growth comes from that. It’s sort of a virtuous or vicious cycle depending on your policy response.”
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Seventy-two veterans took a trip Saturday to our nation’s capital to visit memorials honoring their service in the armed forces.
This year marks the 12th trip to Washington, D.C. for Honor Flight Tallahassee.
Early Saturday morning, veterans and their guardians met to take a charter flight up to D.C.
Throughout the day, veterans were taken to the World War II memorial, as well as the Korean and Vietnam War memorials. The veterans also visited Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
More Tallahassee news:
The day ended with a wonderful welcome home celebration.
Our Jacob Murphey, Julia Miller, Taylor Viles, and Grace Temple accompanied the veterans, capturing moments from throughout the day.
The team will have live coverage from Washington, D.C. on Monday to share more from the day’s events.
We will continue to have coverage throughout the month of May, leading up to our Honor Flight special on Memorial Day.
To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Nextdoor and X (Twitter).
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4 things to know about the weather:
- Chances of rain in the morning
- Gusty Sunday
- Chilly Monday
- Temps will rise again through the work week
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
After a nice and warm Saturday, changes arrive for part two of the weekend.
The first half of your Sunday will have a chance for showers. Winds will pick up with our next system and are expected to gust to about 20-30 mph. Cooler air will settle in, and lows Sunday night fall into the 40s.
Highs temps Monday will reach only into the mid to upper 50s.
However, temperatures will rise through the week, so you won’t need your jackets every day.
QuickCast
SUNDAY:
Showers, then partly cloudy
Wind: NW 10-15 mph
Gusts @ 30 mph
HIGH: Lower 60s
MONDAY:
Partly cloudy
Wind: NW 10-15 mph
Gusts @ 25 mph
HIGH: Upper 50s
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.
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