Such proclamations are probably premature, given the nature of minor-league baseball with its half system and the focus on development over winning (though contrary to the naysayers, it is possible to do both).
Such was the case on the first Saturday in June. The team had lost back-to-back games for the first time in more than three weeks and the first-half title within reach.
Liam Sullivan was making his tenth start since being demoted in April and had done little to dissuade the notion that his dexterity had been the sole reason Washington was giving him so many chances.
All he did was dominate the Howlers for six innings, allowing one hit, no walks, and striking out six while facing the minimum. Perhaps that will shut up the haters for a little while, but it could also be the sign that the Nats’ patience is about to pay off.
Meanwhile, Washington’s #1 and #8 prospects, teenagers Eli Willits(18) and Gavin Fien(19), put on a show with the former going 3-for-4 with a triple and three runs scored, and the latter driving in five with a pair of sacrifice flies, and a three-run single that was aided by Willits’s speed as the Nats’ 2025 #1 pick scored from first on an 0-2 pitch to bust open a 4-0 game.
A pair of 24-y.o. relievers closed out the game to complete the three-hit shutout, with Gus Hughes allowing two hits over two innings and Jacob Roberts wobbling through the 9th with back-to-back walks before getting a strikeout and rolling a game-ending double play.
The FredNats’ 40th win of the half wasn’t quite enough to clinch the title as the WarBirds pulled another game out of their tailfeathers to delay the inevitable.
This afternoon, Fredericksburg concludes the series with a rematch of Carson Fischer taking the hill opposite Miguel Flores taking his second turn in the series.