On July 30, 2024, a night after squandering a four-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, the Nationals were shut out in record-setting fashion, 17-0, by the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
The 17-run margin topped the 24-8 drubbing by the Padres on July 16, 2021, just before Nats’ GM Mike Rizzo began the teardown of the veteran team that won the 2019 World Series. Obviously, the margin of this shutout, the league-leading 13th of the season, also set a new mark.
The long descent of Patrick Corbin continued as he set a team record by allowing 11 runs. He did it in just three innings. All but one of the runs was earned as his record fell to 2-10. Seven other Washington pitchers had endured giving up 10 runs in a game, but none managed to surrender 11.
After climbing to a game under .500 (37-38) on June 21, the 2024 Nats started to lose momentum. As the month ended, the team learned that opening-day starter and 2023 All-Star Josiah Gray would need Tommy John surgery and that top pitching prospect Cade Cavalli was nowhere near returning.
The Nats were shut out five times in July alone. By losing again on August 1, they left Arizona on a four-game losing streak at 49-60, having traded two of their best hitters and two of their top relievers for prospects as the trade deadline approached. Before this series, the Nationals had never before been swept in a series in Arizona.
The slump coincided with several rough outings by starters Jake Irvin, Mackenzie Gore and the rookie surprises Mitchell Parker and DJ Hertz. The lefty Hertz was sent to AAA Rochester over the All-Star break so the Nationals could limit his innings, but he clearly had shown that his stuff plays in the majors.
Starting with the May 22 start by Jake Irvin, the rotation combined for 17 games in which the four young pitchers went six innings or more and gave up no more than three runs — what MLB calls a “quality start,” although if your opposing starter is decent and your offense is cold, three runs in six innings often means a loss as the Nats would learn. Even so, during a 40-game stretch through July 4, the Nats were 20-20 as they continued to hover around .500 for the season.
The positive stretch ended on a high note with a 1-0 Independence Day victory over the Mets. Irvin allowed one hit in eight innings. From then through August 9, the Nats’ starters recorded just five quality starts as Washington fell 12 games under .500.
Even as the Nats starters steadied themselves a bit, as evidenced by Parker pitching into the seventh on August 9, Gore continued to struggle in the August 11 game in which he walked a career high six batters (in four innings) and the Nats bullpen walked seven more for a team-record-tying 13 walks. Washington pitchers had previous issued 13 base-on-balls on August 10, 2008, against Milwaukee.
Let’s hope it’s just growing pains for four pitchers who have shown flashes of stardom. With the Nationals anticipating the return of injured Trevor Williams and perhaps even Cavalli by September, the team should have plenty of starting pitching in the goal to improve on 2023 and kept the rebuild progressing.
Washington baseball history 