Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams catches a ground ball during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Sunday, July 9, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Almost a year after trading Juan Soto, the Washington Nationals are struggling as expected – and it will still be a while before that deal can be fully evaluated.
The Nationals received a massive package of players from San Diego in exchange for the star outfielder, in part because Soto wasn’t due to become a free agent for more than two years. (By contrast, if the Los Angeles Angels were actually to trade Shohei Ohtani this year, his pending free agency could complicate their attempts to land a big haul in return.)
The Padres traded first baseman Luke Voit, left-hander MacKenzie Gore, shortstop C.J. Abrams, outfielder Robert Hassell III, outfielder James Wood and right-hander Jarlin Susana for Soto. A year later, Abrams is Washington’s starting shortstop, hitting .264 with 16 stolen bases. Gore is 4-7 with a 4.42 ERA, although his 108 strikeouts in 89 2/3 innings suggest he still has a good deal of upside.
As for the rest, Wood is the No. 4-ranked prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, but he’s still at Double-A along with Hassell. The 19-year-old Susana is at the Class A level. Voit left the Nationals via free agency and is now in the New York Mets’ system.
The bright spot of Washington’s rebuild this year – All-Star right-hander Josiah Gray – was acquired back in 2021 in the deal that sent Trea Turner and Max Scherzer to the Dodgers. If the prospects in the Soto deal progress like that, the Nationals should improve eventually, but it could take time.
RISING
Baltimore has followed its worst stretch of the season with its best. After dropping six of seven, the Orioles have won eight in a row to pull within a game of a Tampa Bay team that looked like it might run away with the AL East. Now the Dodgers come to Camden Yards for what could be a fascinating series – and remarkably, Baltimore enters Monday’s matchup four games better than Los Angeles.
FALLING
The Arizona Diamondbacks hadn’t lost more than three in a row all season, but now they’re on a four-game skid for the second time this month. They’re just a half-game ahead of Philadelphia for the National League’s final wild card, and they can’t look to the schedule for a reprieve, with three games coming up at Atlanta.
TRIVIA TIME
A big reason for Baltimore’s impressive record is that the Orioles have 33 come-from-behind victories – tied for first in the majors with Cincinnati – and they’ve lost only 14 games after leading.
Only one team has lost fewer games after leading. Which is it?
LINE OF THE WEEK
Corbin Burnes struck out 13 in six two-hit innings in the heat and humidity of Cincinnati on Friday night, helping the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Reds 1-0.
COMEBACKS OF THE WEEK
The Astros and Angels finished the week with a couple of wild games in California. On Saturday night, Houston led 9-3 in the seventh inning and had a 98.4% chance of winning according to Baseball Savant. Then Los Angeles scored six runs in the bottom of the inning, tying it on a three-run homer by Mike Moustakas.
The Astros went back ahead 12-9, only for the Angels to come back again with three runs in the bottom of the ninth. Los Angeles finally won 13-12 in 10 innings.
Houston didn’t have to wait long for some payback. The following night, the Angels led 7-3 in the eighth ( win probability: 98.1% ) before Chas McCormick hit a two-run homer for the Astros. Houston then scored four in the ninth, with Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker both homering, and won 9-8.
TRIVIA ANSWER
The Boston Red Sox have only 13 blown-lead losses.
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Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
