CLEVELAND — After just about every series, Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera is asked what he learned about his team and how it performed against strong opponents.

He had plenty to celebrate Wednesday at the conclusion of a six-game road trip against some of the league’s best teams.

“I really wish we came away with a win today, but overall, going on the road to play Atlanta and Cleveland, two teams that are doing what they’ve done this year, and to come out 4-2, I thought we had chances to win all six,” Butera said after Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Guardians. “It seems like the way we’re playing right now, the way we’re pitching it, our at-bats, I know we didn’t score a ton of runs today, but when you’re facing an arm like Gavin Williams, and you’re facing a bullpen like that, happy with how we played.”

Just past Memorial Day, an early checkpoint for most baseball teams, the Nationals are sitting in second place in the National League East, tied with the Philadelphia Phillies as of Wednesday afternoon and ahead of the Miami Marlins and New York Mets.

Advertise with us

That Washington is sitting above .500 in late May is a surprising development for an organization with a young lineup in the first year of a new regime. And though it’s far too early to look at wild-card standings, the Nationals are only two games back of a postseason spot.

It’s getting harder to ignore the Nationals’ quality play of late, which has included wins over some impressive teams. The Nationals wrapped their six-game road trip against the NL East-leading Braves and the AL Central-leading Guardians with two series wins, and they were competitive in their two losses.

“These are close games,” said right-hander Miles Mikolas, who allowed two unearned runs over 3 2/3 innings. “We’re hanging in there against really good teams. I think that shows what kind of team we are.”

The Nationals (29-28) led 1-0 entering the fifth inning, when the game got away from them. Cleveland catcher Austin Hedges reached base on a fielding error. Mikolas, who entered in the second inning as a bulk reliever, induced a pop-up by Brayan Rocchio in the next at-bat before allowing a double to rookie Travis Bazzana.

“I got down in the count right there, and I tried to throw him a sinker,” Mikolas said of the Bazzana at-bat. “It’s a fastball count, not a spot where I want to get more behind in the count to him, so I’m trying to throw a strike right there, and I think he got a not great pitch, and he went down there and got it.”

Advertise with us

José Ramírez’s sacrifice fly tied the game, and Mikolas was replaced by left-hander Richard Lovelady. Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter hammered a first-pitch slider for a two-out RBI single that gave Cleveland a 2-1 lead.

First baseman Kyle Manzardo reached base on a single, and Angel Martinez’s RBI single extended the lead to 3-1. Lovelady walked third baseman Daniel Schneemann to load the bases, but he stopped the bleeding after getting center fielder Steven Kwan to line out to shortstop CJ Abrams.

Mikolas was solid in his bulk outing and said he liked that he was aggressive in the zone, forcing Cleveland to adjust to him rather than the other way around. After Lovelady surrendered a run, relievers Orlando Ribalta and Clayton Beeter each threw a scoreless inning to keep the game within reach.

The Nationals staged a rally in the ninth inning, starting with back-to-back singles by Abrams and third baseman Curtis Mead. Mead scored on left fielder Daylen Lile’s sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 3-2, but Guardians closer Cade Smith struck out designated hitter José Tena and second baseman Jorbit Vivas to end the rally.

“CJ just continues to do special things with the bat,” Butera said. “You love when he’s up in big situations with the double there early to take the lead, and then he gets a base hit to put himself on base as a tying run there against one of the best closers in baseball.”

Advertise with us

Abrams has been phenomenal this season, posting a .937 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. His two-out RBI double in the third inning was Washington’s lone hit with runners in scoring position, a situation that he thrives in with a .390 average.

“I’m [just] looking for a good pitch to put a good swing on,” he said.

The Nationals fell to 9-9 in one-run games. Mikolas said that those “nitty-gritty” games build a team’s culture. Each loss on the road trip was by one run.

Resilience will matter for the Nationals this season and beyond as they continue to establish their identity. They took a step forward in that department over the past six games.

“We got a chance to win a game, we’re gonna go out there and try to win it and stay in these games,” Mikolas said. “I think you put a lot of pressure on teams, knowing that they can’t just put you away and kind of forget about you.”