PHOENIX -- It had been nearly two years since the Nationals had completed a month with a winning record. The Nats broke that streak in May by going 15-12, playing above .500 for the first time since August 2023.
“It’s a good sign,” manager Dave Martinez said. “It’s all about competing every day, being consistent every day. We saw that this month. Now we’ve just got to sustain it and keep it going.”
However, in the club's first June game, it fell 3-1 in the series finale vs. the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
The Nationals overcame a seven-game losing skid from May 6-13 to go 11-4 from May 14 through the end of the month. During that stretch, they tied for the best record with the Cubs and Yankees and ranked fourth among all teams in runs per game (5.8).
“We should get used to it,” said first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, a member of the 2023 World Series champion Rangers. “We play this game to win. Ideally, you show up every day with a chance to compete and win. Losing is not why we play at all.”
This 4-2 road trip to Seattle and Phoenix sparked an offensive turnaround that produced 38 runs -- including nine before the first out on Saturday -- across a four-game winning streak. The Nationals plated nine-plus runs in four consecutive road games for the first time in team history. It had not been done by an away team since the Astros on Sept. 16-22, 2021.
“[We learned] that we can win, especially against good teams like Seattle and the Diamondbacks,” catcher Keibert Ruiz said. “Overall, it was a good road trip and we’ve just got to take the positives and keep going.”
Here are key takeaways from May:
Wood’s month of dominance
Leading the offensive production, James Wood slugged his way into multiple leaderboards in May.
He concluded the month hitting safely in 12 of his last 13 games (dating back to May 16) with four doubles, five home runs, 19 RBIs, nine walks, four stolen bases and 14 runs scored during that stretch. Only Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs) and Rafael Devers (Red Sox) drove in more runs (20 each) in that span.
Among all NL players in 27 games in May, Wood notably ranked behind only Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner in hits, and Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber and Freeman in slugging percentage. He ranked:
- Hits: 35, 3rd
- Slugging percentage: .604, 4th
- Extra-base hits: 15, tied-4th
- OPS: 1.014, 5th
- RBIs: 23, 5th
- Batting average: .330, 6th
- OBP: .410, 6th
- Stolen bases: 6, tied-6th
- Home runs: 7, tied-7th
Young arms emerge
The Nationals went with a youth movement to turn around their bullpen. From Opening Day through May 11, the Nationals’ bullpen had a league-high 7.13 ERA. From May 12-31, the relievers recorded a 3.56 ERA.
In one month, the Nats designated left-hander Colin Poche for assignment on May 1, released righty Lucas Sims on May 10 and DFA’d Jorge López on Saturday.
A spark of their recent relief success has been the trio of Cole Henry, Brad Lord and Jackson Rutledge, who converted from starters to relievers in Spring Training. Henry notably ended the month on a 14-inning scoreless streak and held opponents to a .070 batting average in his last 12 appearances.
“Our young guys are doing a lot better,” Martinez said. “I want to give them the opportunity to go out there and, like I said, let's see what we have here, let’s see what we have in the future. We're trying to build something special.”
Callups and turnarounds
At the same time rookie outfielders Robert Hassell III and Daylen Lile took their first road trips, veteran designated hitter Josh Bell hit his stride out West.
Hassell slashed .333/.333/.481 on the road trip with nine hits, one double and his first big league home run. Lile showcased his speed and athleticism with four hits, three doubles (including a 423-foot double that just missed a homer), one triple, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Bell, meanwhile, overcame his offensive struggles and pummeled a home run in three consecutive games. He batted 9-for-23 (.391) and drove in seven runs between Seattle and Phoenix.
The Nationals return to Washington, D.C., to open a six-game homestand against the Cubs and Rangers on Tuesday.
“I would encourage the group to get used to winning because that’s what we strive to do every day,” Lowe said. “But we’ll take this month and obviously keep going into June and look for another winning month.”