Nationals’ offense taps into small ball, breaks out of slump in big win over Rockies

The Nationals’ offense found the perfect pick-me-up opponent in the Rockies to cure their offensive woes.

With Luís Garcia Jr. and Curtis Mead gone, and James Wood on the 10-day injured list (oblique strain), 70 of the team’s 184 homers this season are gone. The only team to have more homers in the first half of the season was the Yankees.

Without that power in the lineup, manager Blake Butera acknowledged during the team’s weekend series against the Marlins that the offense was going to have to look different. For four innings, the offense looked listless against a downtrodden Rockies team. The Nationals weren’t putting together poor at-bats and going up to the plate hacking, but the results weren’t there as the Nationals were being no-hit through four innings.

But the dam broke after Jacob Young’s fifth-inning leadoff single. Jorbit Vivas followed suit with a first-pitch single to give the Nationals a great scoring opportunity. Nasim Nuñez executed a well-placed bunt toward third baseman Willi Castro. Nuñez’s blazing speed caused Castro to rush the throw and it missed the glove of Connor Norby, who was covering first base, and trickled into foul territory to score two runs and tie the game for the Nationals.

All-Star CJ Abrams continued the scoring binge with an RBI double and subsequent steal of third base. He then scored on an RBI groundout by Abimelec Ortiz.

They landed another blow when Daylen Lile recorded a two-out double and elected to steal third. Rockies catcher Brett Sullivan tried to gun him down, but Sullivan’s throwing error allowed Lile to score the fifth run of the frame.

The Nationals’ version of small ball in the fifth inning — two stolen bases and just one ball hit with an exit velocity above 100 mph — propelled the team to a 13-3 win over the Rockies, snapping a four-game losing streak. Staff ace Cade Cavalli delivered another brilliant start, throwing six innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts and a walk.

“One small mistake on their end ended up being huge,” Butera said. “We were able to take advantage of that and capitalize, and I think that’s what good teams do. I was happy we could continue to roll with that momentum.”

Energy was a big word in the Nationals’ clubhouse after Monday’s win. The team had been lacking it after posting a 1-8 record on their nine-game road trip. Abrams returning from an ankle sprain boosted the morale, as did Cavalli being on the mound and Lile going 3-for-5 with five RBIs.

Abrams said that it’s fun being in the game with Cavalli on the mound because the right-hander has electric stuff and intense competitiveness. Feeding off Cavalli’s energy led to the five-run fifth inning.

Sensing the team’s verve was low to begin the game, Cavalli walked around the dugout to just be around the guys and lift their spirits around the third and fourth inning.

“Sure enough, in the fifth, it just all happened,” Cavalli said. “We popped off.”

Butera said pregame that he reminded the players of the great privilege they have to play in the majors and that they need to maximize their window.

The Nationals’ lineup resembled its first-half ways for the first time in a long time, drawing eight walks and recording 13 hits. They were patient, opportunistic and did damage when they received a pitch they could drive. It was a much-needed response from the team after the lackluster road trip.

“We’ve been struggling to score runs, right?” Butera said. “Once we cracked it open a little bit, and some runs started across the plate, you could sense some energy, almost like a weight off the shoulders.

“You’re gonna go through these these struggles throughout the course of the season. And like I said, you want to make sure the the times you’re not going well are shorter.”

Twenty-nine games remain in the Nationals’ season, a campaign that has been filled with electric highs and crushing lows. But this isn’t a team riding out the end of its contention window; most of the roster is under 30, and all of the key cornerstones going forward are in their mid-20s.

So Lile finishing a triple shy of the cycle and flashing glimpses of the electric hitter he was to end 2025 is important for the Nationals as they continue to identify pieces for the future.

“This is around the time like last year where everything started to click,” Lile said. “I feel like today was one of those days.”

Finishing the season on a high note is not only important in building momentum for next season, but also showing the fan base what the organization is building for the future.

“We’re here, so let’s go compete at our best, and our hardest,” Cavalli said. “It’s a special opportunity to be in the big leagues, and I think that every guy realizes it here. We’re still extremely young. We’re having fun together, and we’re just trying to win ball games.”