August 10, 2026 [LINK / comment]
Fans literally swarmed into Nationals Park late on Saturday afternoon, hoping to snag one of the shirt & shorts sets that were being given away as part of the "Hawaiian Night" promotion. In spite of hassles with traffic and Metro farecards, Jacqueline and I, along with our niece Shary,* managed to arrive in time to take advantage of the promotion. I must say, the quality was quite satisfactory! It was a beautiful sunny day, although quite warm, and we made sure to get seats that were not exposed to the sun.
Scenes from Nationals Park on August 8, which was being celebrated as "Hawaiian Night." Hawaii (which some people spell with an apostrophe: "Hawai'i"), was actually admitted as the 50th state on August 21, 1960. [Nats' Starting pitcher Andrew Alvarez did very well but unfortunately was not credited with the win.]
Nationals Park from the northwest corner as players warmed up for the game.
The Nats perhaps had good reason to be a bit edgy: the last time they played the Reds (in Cincinnati on May 14), they lost 15-1! As the game got underway, starting pitcher Andrew Alvarez gave up two singles and a walk in the first two innings, but he kept his cool and no damage was done. The Reds' starting pitcher Chase Burns retired the first six batters he faced, showing that he is indeed of All-Star quality. (He had an astounding 13-1 record before this game.) The Nats got their first hit in the 3rd inning, a leadoff single by Jose Tena. Two batters later, C.J. Abrams doubled and Tena went to third. Then, on an 0-2 count, newly acquired Abimelec Ortiz singled to left field, bringing in both baserunners to score. That guy is having a heck of a debut with the Nationals. I got a good look at his wide face, and it occurred to me that he might be a relative of the Red Sox' retired stocky superstar David Ortiz. Not so, evidently. David is from the Dominican Republic, while Abimelec is from Puerto Rico.
No Reds batter reached base in the 3rd, 4th, or 5th innings, and Alvarez seemed to be in complete control. But right after Sal Stewart singled in the 6th inning, manager Blake Butera replaced Alvarez with Max Kranick. Dane Meyers popped out, but then Eugenio Suarez hit a home run into the left field (visitors') bullpen, and the game was tied. Argh! There went Alvarez's hope to get credit as the winning pitcher. Instantly fans (including me) groaned about the Nationals' woeful bullpen, and many of us wondered aloud why Alvarez was replaced so suddenly. His pitch count was only 73, after all. But it really didn't matter because Dylan Crews ignited a rally with a leadoff double in the bottom of the 6th, followed by an RBI single by Daylen Lile, a double by Keibert Ruiz, and a walk issued to Nasim Nuñez to load the bases. That was enough for Reds manager Terry Francona (yes, the former Red Sox boss!), and the night was over for Chase Burns.
In the 6th inning, Reds manager Terry Francona took the ball from a dejected Chase Burns, while his team mates confer on the mound.
In response to the pitching change, Blake Butera had Andres Chaparro pinch hit for designated hitter Jose Tena with just 1 out. Frankly, I have regarded Chaparro with disdain for much of this season, as he often exhibits poor plate discipline and chokes in clutch situations, but not this time! On a 1-1 count he smashed a bases-loaded double down the left field line, probably the decisive play of the game.
Fans reacted with whooping exhilaration when Andres Chaparro hit a clutch bases-loaded double in the 6th inning, BUT ...
For some reason, Nasim Nuñez tried to score all the way from first base on that play, and was easily thrown out at home. As one of the TV announcers said of the Nats' 3rd-base coach, "not the greatest of sends by Victor Estevez..." [Nuñez leads the majors in stolen bases with 40, which probably influenced the coach's decision.] But the next batter, Jacob Young hit a single to bring home Chaparro, who had reached 3rd base on a wild pitch. So, the Nats had a 6-2 lead after all. With their often-shaky bullpen, every run counts!
... Nasim Nuñez was out by a mile at home plate after shortstop Elly de la Cruz relayed the ball from left field with a blazing-fast strike to the Reds catcher Jose Trevino.
In the 7th inning, Yovanny Cruz (recently acquired from the Yankees in the big trade for Luis Garcia) took the mound and got into a bit of a jam, with runners on 1st and 3rd, but struck out Elly de la Cruz. Nats reliever Clayton Beeter got through the 8th inning just fine, just giving up a walk. In the bottom of the 8th, Chaparro hit an RBI single (the Reds' challenge of the call at first base was denied), and two batters later C.J. Abrams batted him in with a single to center field. Fans in Nationals Park (which was over 3/4 full, with 32,602 in attendance) were elated beyond measure, celebrating a big lead after so many recent tough losses. In the top of the 9th Tom Cosgrove struck out the first two batters and induced a fly ball out from Ivan Johnson to end the game on a triumphant note. Final score: Nats 8, Reds 2.
* I have to say, it was one of the most enjoyable Nats games I have seen in a long time. My niece Shary was very happy to be given an official certificate for her first game at Nationals Park! One noteworthy tidbit about that game: the only change in the lineup was for the designated hitter. All 8 position players put in a full 9 innings! Since the Nationals' roster has recently gone through some upheaval thanks in part to the trades over the past couple weeks, I thought it would help to show some of the new Nats' faces. This composite image includes some veterans as well as recent arrivals:
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Andrew Alvarez, Clayton Beeter, Jorbit Vivas, Keibert Ruiz, Daylen Lile (who was interviewed by Alexa Datt near the dugout after the game), Jose Tena, Dylan Crews, Andres Chaparro, wide-faced Abimelec Ortiz, and C.J. Abrams.
In the game on Sunday, which was broadcast [carried] by NBC's streaming service "Peacock," the Reds took a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning, but things quickly swung in the home team's favor. Three Nats players singled (including an RBI by Keibert Ruiz), and then Jacob Young gave his team the lead with a sacrifice fly. In the 3rd inning, Abimelec Ortiz hit a solo homer. Brad Lord (just back from the injured list) was replaced by Will Dion (part of the trade with the Cleveland Guardians for Foster Griffin), and did just fine for three innings, only giving up one hit. He was replaced by Trevor Williams (who missed the first four months of this year due to injury), who got through the 8th inning without allowing any runs. Then former Yankee Jake Bird took the mound in the top of the 9th, pitching for the first time as a National. (He had been on the IL at the time of the trade.) He did just fine in his debut with Washington: a 1-2-3 inning that gave the Nats an easy 7-1 win, and their first series sweep at home this year! (The swept the Brewers in Milwaukee in April.)
So, the Nationals are back to within two games of .500 (59-61), and have at least regained some of their confidence as the final quarter of the 2026 season is about to get underway. [Since none of them homered during the weekend, the team lead is home runs is down to just 4 (171 vs. 167) over the #2-ranked New York Yankees. The longer that James Wood remains on the IL, the more the team's dominance in a wide variety of offensive statistical categories become jeopardized.] Today the Nats have their first day of rest since July 23: that's 17 straight days with a game! Tomorrow the Chicago Cubs will arrive in Washington for a 3-game series, and then the Nats head to the Queens to play the Mets, [who just beat the Braves in Atlanta].
On a side note, the L.A. Dodgers came within inches of losing their 8th straight game in Phoenix on Saturday, as the Diamondbacks tied the game 1-1 with back-to-back triples to start the bottom of the 9th inning. But then they blew an easy opportunity to score the game-winning run, and ended up losing after 10 innings. Even so, the Dodgers lost again on Sunday.