Nationals’ Andrew Alvarez’s stellar second half puts him firmly in mix for rotation spot in 2027

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It wasn’t Andrew Alvarez’s most pristine outing. Nor was it the ending he wanted to a sterling rookie campaign.

After allowing two runs in the second inning, Alvarez still had to deal with runners on first and second with one out. He responded resoundingly by recording back-to-back strikeouts to keep the Nationals’ deficit at one. After pitching a scoreless fourth, he allowed two more runs on solo homers in the fifth to make his pitching line look rough: five runs on seven hits in the Nationals’ 7-6 win over the New York Mets on Friday night.

But Alvarez recorded seven strikeouts and allowed just three walks, a sign of the progress he’s made. All season, the Nationals’ coaching staff has pleaded with him to trust his stuff in the strike zone. He ran into trouble earlier in the year by walking too many guys.

The problems for the lefty come when he’s spraying uncompetitive pitches outside of the zone, upping his pitch count and leading to shorter starts. But, in the second half, Alvarez has been steady as the Nationals have worked to determine who will be helpful next season.

Entering Friday, Alvarez had a 2.44 ERA in the second half. A quiet individual, Alvarez shows his competitive side out of the limelight. Before an August game that Alvarez was set to start, manager Blake Butera remembered the lefty’s attitude after he had allowed just two runs in Washington’s 6-3 loss to Philadelphia.

“Being ejected from the game that night actually gave me another glimpse into Andrew Alvarez because I was sitting in my office watching the game on TV, and he came up in the clubhouse pretty upset with him hitting the batter that ultimately led to him coming out of the game,” Butera said in August. “I don’t think he knew I was in there, and he was just yelling at himself in his locker. And I’m like, ‘Man, he really cares and sets a high standard for himself.’”

Alvarez ran into turbulence in July. For the month, he posted a 5.14 ERA that resulted in the team sending him back to Triple-A Rochester.

Pregame Friday, Butera said the strides Alvarez made this season “seem real,” which portends well for the Nationals’ pitching staff. The poor outing shouldn’t overshadow a tremendous year for the pitcher. It could end with him holding a rotation spot in 2027.