Offense silenced as Nationals swept by Marlins

Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of Nasim Nuñez’s value.

The Nationals’ diminutive second baseman doesn’t hit for power or average, so it’s easy to overlook his contributions. In Wednesday’s game, his impact was clear.

Right-hander Clayton Beeter had loaded the bases with one out in the eighth inning when Marlins third baseman Javier Sanoja hit a ground ball toward Nuñez that he fielded cleanly before throwing a strike home to prevent a run and record the second out of the inning. It was a heady play by Nuñez, who’s one of the best defenders on the team.

In a twist, the Nationals’ pitching and defense were holding up the team but the foundation was shaky and eventually fell apart. Beeter allowed a two-run single to Joe Mack that gave Miami the lead. The Marlins added a run in the ninth to win 4-1 and sweep the series. ​

“Miami came in and they punched us in the mouth,” manager Blake Butera said. “It’s up to us to go into this day off, use it to reset and flush it, and be ready to go in Arizona on Friday.”

Sounding the alarm after a series is silly, especially when the sample of the Nationals’ offense producing is much more expansive. For those who were on last year’s team, it’s helpful to keep a big-picture perspective.

“Last year, we were way worse than that,” said Beeter, who joined the team midseason after being traded from the Yankees. “We’ve been playing some good ball and put ourselves in a position where we can afford the three-game skid.”

But, for this team to hover near .500, it will need the offense to do more damage than it did against the Marlins.

While the Nationals’ explosiveness on offense has been the main reason for the team’s unexpected success, the lineup got off to a rough start in its first series of June. That they had a chance to tie the game in the ninth is a testament to the pitching — particularly the bullpen. ​

Right-hander Brad Lord struck out pinch-hitter Owen Caissie in the sixth inning with runners on first and second to end the frame. With runners on first and third in the seventh, right-hander Orlando Ribalta struck out All-Star outfielder Kyle Stowers to end the inning.

“[Lord’s] been awesome for us all year,” Butera said, “and he gave us a chance to win that game.”

The pitching staff did its best to bide time for the offense, but Marlins right-hander Max Meyer threw seven strong innings, allowing one run on two hits, with seven strikeouts and two walks. His fastball sat at 95 mph, and his sweeper gave the Nationals fits. The Nationals had short at-bats against Meyer, who needed just 92 pitches.

He was aggressive getting ahead in counts, and his off-speed stuff stifled the Nationals’ hitters.

“It was one of those series,” left fielder Daylen Lile said. “It’s baseball. It happens.”

The offense totaled seven runs across three games. The bats will need to put more pressure on the Diamondbacks’ pitching staff if the Nationals want to get back in the win column.

Coming off a May that saw the Nationals post their best record in a month since August 2023, the team isn’t hanging its heads after this setback. That’s important for this young group as it continues to grow together.

The confidence they’ve built over the first two months of the season is necessary through setbacks and adversity. The Nationals proved they could beat three contenders (Braves, Guardians and Padres). After dropping their first series against the Marlins in May, they responded with a series win against the Reds.

That resiliency is necessary over the course of a 162-game season. Butera said the staff will regroup Thursday and figure out the adjustments that need to be made as the team heads to the West Coast.

“Our confidence is not getting torn down just because of one series,” Lile said. “We still have a lot of confidence in our offense, so we just move on to the next series.”