WASHINGTON D.C., DC — No one expected much from the rebuilding Washington Nationals in 2023, but the team has been surprising with their play as of late.
The team has won six of their last eight series, and they just beat Boston two out of three at home thanks to players who are breaking out offensively.
And even though they’re not in contention in 2023, their recent run is giving Nats fans something to look forward to in the future.
Host Ryan Clary of Locked On Nationals discussed the Nats series win over the Red Sox and talked about which players stood out to him this past week.
“You saw what the main difference was with this ballclub over the past few days and really over the past few weeks, and it has been the offense,” Clary said. He added that getting guys like Stone Garrett into the lineup has really helped the team go on this run they’ve been on over the past month or so.
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Both Garrett and Joey Meneses had a big series against Boston this week. Meneses helped the Nats win the series on Thursday with five RBI—he hit two doubles and scored twice. The fun part about this is Meneses is a former Red Sox player. He was a part of their Double-A and Triple-A teams in 2021 before joining the Nationals organization in 2022, so he was playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
Meneses said about being let go by Boston, “It didn’t feel real good when they let me go, but at the same time, I feel like it taught me a lot. It taught me to work hard, keep working, and I think it created a better work ethic in the end to never give up.” The 31-year-old infielder reached a career-high with those five runs batted in, and it’s a season-high for a Nationals player in 2023.
Garrett, the player Meneses tied with that RBI total, hit two solo home runs in Wednesday’s 6-2 Nationals win, and he added a double and three runs batted in on Thursday. Garrett has a 1.062 OPS in August and is playing his way into the lineup.
Clary also talked about the Nats prospects who are waiting in the wings and who could make their debuts later this season. Out of those players, James Wood and Dylan Crews are likely the ones getting called in September.
For right now, guys like Meneses and Garrett are giving Nats fans a reason to watch games during the dog days of August.
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