PHOENIX — The Washington Nationals didn’t fairly ease into the season’s second half Friday. Earlier than taking the sector in opposition to the Arizona Diamondbacks, they shuffled their bullpen, added two veterans on minor league contracts, signed a lot of their draft class and moved a variety of gamers up and down their farm system.
Washington
Nationals start the second half with a bevy of moves, then get crushed
Possibly the all-star break necessitated this reminder: There may be nonetheless enterprise apart from whether or not Juan Soto will probably be traded within the subsequent two weeks. The present, as they are saying, should go on.
The Nationals dropped the sequence opener at Chase Area, 10-1, with the Diamondbacks attending to Patrick Corbin. The left-hander yielded 5 runs in 5 innings in opposition to his former group, his ERA rising to six.02. Ketel Marte beat him for a three-run homer within the third. Zac Gallen, Arizona’s starter, blanked Washington for seven innings and carried a no-hitter into the sixth. It was damaged up on César Hernández’s broken-bat infield single, a cheapy that nicked Gallen’s glove and trickled behind the mound.
The Nationals managed simply 5 base runners. They’ve misplaced 16 of their previous 18 video games. Their 31-64 document is the worst in Main League Baseball.
“After we hit the ball arduous, it’s on the bottom,” Supervisor Dave Martinez mentioned after the defeat. “We will’t get the ball within the air. We received to begin driving balls.”
Forward of Friday’s loss, the Nationals recalled reliever Hunter Harvey from Class AAA Rochester, reinstated reliever Victor Arano from the injured listing and put Tyler Clippard, one other reliever, on the 15-day IL with a groin pressure. Harvey, optioned proper earlier than the all-star break, was capable of be promoted once more rapidly as a result of he changed the injured Clippard. Arano’s roster spot was open after the Nationals optioned right-hander Cory Abbott on Sunday. Clippard, 37, made one look for the Nationals — throwing two scoreless innings — earlier than he felt ache whereas warming July 16.
Harvey pitched the seventh in opposition to Arizona, permitting a run on Marte’s triple and a sacrifice fly by Christian Walker. Within the eighth, Arano was burned by Maikel Franco’s error on a routine grounder and two tender singles. Then he issued back-to-back walks, the second bringing in a run. A Marte sacrifice fly made it three runs (one earned) charged to Arano because the Diamondbacks (41-52) stretched their result in 10-0.
Away from Phoenix on Friday, the Nationals added two veterans by way of minor league free company: outfielder David Dahl and right-hander Daniel Ponce de Leon. The membership additionally formally introduced a reunion with utility man Dee Unusual-Gordon, who agreed to a minor league deal final weekend.
Dahl, 28 and a former high prospect for the Colorado Rockies, had not too long ago hit effectively for the Nashville Sounds, the Class AAA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. However in search of one other alternative within the majors, Dahl opted out of his contract this month. Between 2016 and 2019, he thrived for the Rockies whereas wholesome. The issue, although, has been his skill to remain on the sector. Following his tough 2020, which adopted an all-star season in 2019, the Nationals have been thinking about Dahl earlier than he signed a one-year take care of Texas. He then struggled with the Rangers and was designated for task midseason.
Ponce de Leon, 30, made 57 appearances in components of 4 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. This 12 months, he had been with the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle, opting out of his take care of the Mariners this month. He logged a excessive ERA (7.95), strikeout price (10.1 per 9 innings) and stroll price (5.3 per 9) in 71⅓ innings with Class AAA Tacoma. His expertise and flexibility make him an honest match as a depth arm. Ponce de Leon has been a starter and a multi-inning reliever and even pitched in some high-leverage spots for the Cardinals. All 16 of his appearances for the Rainiers have been begins.
He and Dahl will start their Nationals tenures with Rochester. Unusual-Gordon was ramping up in West Palm Seashore, Fla., on the group’s spring coaching facility and can be a part of the Purple Wings, too.
“[Dahl] was swinging the bat rather well down at Triple-A,” mentioned Martinez, nodding to Dahl’s .294 batting common, .357 on-base proportion and .468 slugging proportion with the Sounds. “We favored him up to now. The large factor with him is to maintain him wholesome. Hopefully he can go down there and swing the bat like he was swinging early on, and we’ll see what occurs. You by no means have sufficient depth.”
On Friday afternoon, the low-hanging fruit was to name Dahl the eventual alternative for Soto. Ponce de Leon, equally, may exchange whoever replaces a reliever who’s shipped out on the Aug. 2 commerce deadline. Planning to dump or not, it doesn’t damage to take some possibilities on the retread market and pad the system. The Nationals predict to want a couple of new gamers quickly.
Which draft picks have the Nationals signed? First-round decide Elijah Inexperienced (outfielder, IMG Academy in Florida), second-round decide Jake Bennett (left-handed pitcher, Oklahoma), third-round decide Trey Lipscomb (third baseman, Tennessee), fourth-round decide Brenner Cox (outfielder, Rock Hill Excessive in Texas), fifth-round decide Jared McKenzie (outfielder, Baylor), sixth-round decide Nate Ochoa (shortstop, Notre Dame Catholic Excessive in Ontario), eighth-round decide Probability Huff (right-handed pitcher, Georgia Tech), ninth-round decide Maxwell Romero Jr. (catcher, Miami) and Tenth-round decide Murphy Stehly (third baseman, Texas).
That leaves seventh-round decide Riley Cornelio (right-handed pitcher, TCU) as the one unsigned participant among the many Nationals’ high 10 picks. Late Friday evening, Baseball America reported that Inexperienced signed for $6.5 million — $2,300 over the slot worth for the No. 5 decide. By signing Stehly for $10,000, per studies — effectively beneath the slot worth of $154,800 — Washington saved cash that it may unfold to different choices.
Who moved across the system? Second baseman Darren Baker, infielder Omar Meregildo and catcher Israel Pineda have been promoted to Class AA Harrisburg. First baseman Leandro Emiliani, infielder Junior Martina and right-hander Todd Peterson have been promoted to excessive Class A Wilmington. First baseman Will Frizzell, infielder Paul Witt and right-hander Jose Atencio have been promoted from the Florida Complicated League to low Class A Fredericksburg. And to make room for Pineda in Harrisburg, catcher Drew Millas was reinstated from the injured listing and despatched to Wilmington.