Episode Details

The Washington Nationals swept the Cincinnati Reds with a 7-1 win on Sunday, completing their first three-game sweep since April and moving to 59-61, just two games under .500.
But the biggest story isn't the sweep. It's the bullpen.
Washington used four relievers to cover all nine innings, allowing just one run, four hits and zero walks. Brad Lord set the tone, Will Dion earned his first MLB win with three scoreless innings, Trevor Williams continued his remarkable return from elbow surgery, and Jake Bird closed out the ninth.
After a brutal seven-game losing streak, the Nationals have now won four of their last five games.
In this episode of the Nats Minutecast Podcast, we break down why this new-look bullpen suddenly looks different, why Will Dion could be much more than a left-handed matchup option, and whether Trevor Williams has become an unexpected weapon for Blake Butera.
We also look at Abimelec Ortiz, who continues to make his case at first base following the Luis García Jr. trade. Ortiz homered and singled against Cincinnati, raising his early MLB OPS to .895.
Plus, Keibert Ruiz continued his offensive resurgence, Daylen Lile delivered a key two-out RBI, and Andrés Chaparro provided the two-run double that blew the game open.
The Nationals still have plenty of problems to solve, including the open rotation spot created by Zack Littell's departure and the injury to James Wood. But after the trades, the losing streak and a brutal 17-games-in-17-days stretch, Washington finally has something it hasn't had much of lately:
Momentum.
The Cubs are next.
The question is whether this sweep was simply a great weekend in Washington, or the beginning of a legitimate second-half push.
#Nationals #Nats #MLB #Natitude #WashingtonNationals #NatsMinutecast

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