Winless West Coast trip shows how far Nationals have to go

SAN DIEGO — The margin for error is slim with the Nationals these days, and that frustration is bubbling to the surface.

Ty France’s checked swing resulted in ball one instead of a strikeout, which changed the complexion of the third inning. Instead of an inning-ending strikeout. France’s RBI single found the gap between Andrés Chaparro and Nasim Nuñez.

Jackson Merrill then gave the Padres the lead with his two-run triple. Jacob Young was shaken up after crashing into the wall in center field trying to make the catch. After the play, manager Blake Butera ran from the dugout and made a beeline toward first-base umpire Emile Jimenez.

Butera laid into Jimenez, seemingly irate at the check-swing call that led to the three runs that flipped Wednesday’s 8-2 loss. The Nationals are limping to the finish line of this once surprising season.

Washington finished its West Coast road trip 0-6 with three blown saves — including breaking the 121-loss White Sox’ 2024 record for blown saves in a season.

“Thought it should have been strike three to get us out of the inning,” Butera said of his ejection. “Obviously, didn’t call it and wasn’t the last out of the inning. Wanted to stand up for these guys.”

This trip highlighted how close the Nationals are and how far they have to go in their development. While their high-powered, timely offense led to a breakout first half, it has taken a step back after the trades of Curtis Mead and Luis García Jr.

There are times when the offense can still carry the team, but the unit as a whole is far less consistent without those pillars at the corners.

Finishing the season strong is important for a roster is composed of young players.

“You grow a lot from losses,” Young said. “The only time you really lose is if you don’t learn. So figure out a way to learn from these losses. A lot of these guys are getting good experience that are just getting up here. A lot of them are really good. They’ve been put in some tough spots, and we’re going to see what they’re made of.

“I think that’s something that’s going to help next year. You know, they’re used to these spots, and they can kind of get on a roll instead of being just first time up here kind of shell-shocked.”

But losing in the present — especially after tasting success in the first half — is hard. Butera said the position players are frustrated but that their aggravation doesn’t show.

“They come in every day with energy,” Butera said. “It’s been honestly pretty amazing, given the fact that we’ve blown 38 saves and they keep coming back the next day ready to play. A lot of times, after those terrible endings, they come back [the next day] and take the lead and start off in a good spot. I credit this group a ton for the resiliency that they showed this year, and it’s something that’s only going to help them move forward.”

A sluggish start to next season would not be ideal for the organization as it charts a way back to the postseason. The group has maintained energy through the low points, which has led to the resiliency the team possessed for most of this season.

The Nationals have overacvhieved by winning more games (67-81) than last season (66-96), but it would leave a sour taste if the season ended in a whimper.

“I don’t think they’ll ever face anything this long or as difficult as this has been,” Butera said. “And I think the smaller stretches are just going to be super easy compared to what they’ve had to go through this year.”

This article has been updated.