Andrew Golden is a sports enterprise and features writer for The Baltimore Banner who also covers baseball. Golden previously worked at The Washington Post for five years and most recently covered the Washington Nationals. Prior to joining the Post, Andrew was an intern at the Chicago Tribune and The Kansas City Star while earning his degree in journalism and African American studies from Northwestern University. Golden is from Reisterstown, Maryland, and graduated from McDonogh School in Owings Mills.
In the final four innings, the Giants intentionally walked Abrams and Wood three times, daring any of the other Washington hitters to beat them. And, for the most part, they couldnât.
Nationals starter Foster Griffin worked into pitcherâs counts early and often. So, trailing in the fifth inning, the Pirates started to counter Griffinâs aggression with some of their own.
Parker was one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball last season statistically. Coming out of the bullpen Tuesday, he flipped the script immediately.
Cavalli struggled to locate anything other than his changeup. He wasnât the sole reason the Nationals fell on Monday night. But his performance set the tone for what followed.
The Nationals are playing a more inspired brand of baseball. Still, the parade route shouldnât be mapped out yet. Thereâs too much thatâs unknown.
It seemed wherever the Nationals hit the baseball Monday night, they found a hole in the infield. Washington finished with 17 hits, 14 of them singles.
The Nationals finished 33 outs below average in 2025, second worst in the majors. They have made a concerted effort this spring to improve their defense.