Washington Nationals News Page 5 - MLB

Riley Cornelio - Works into third as Tuesday's opener Cornelio allowed one hit and three walks while striking out four batters across 2.2 innings while serving as the Nationals' opener in the team's 3-1 win over the Tigers on Tuesday.

Impact Tuesday was Cornelio's third start of the season, and although he ran his pitch count up to 60 (33 strikes), he did enough to keep the Tigers off the board until turning the keys over to Jackson Kent in the third frame. Cornelio has a 3.89 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 38:28 K:BB across 34.2 major-league innings this season, with the 26-year-old right-hander also spending time in the minors with Triple-A Rochester.

SEPTEMBER 23 • ROTOWIRE

CJ Abrams - Crushes two homers Tuesday Abrams went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI during the Nationals' 3-1 win over the Tigers on Tuesday.

Impact Abrams supplied all of the offense for the Nationals on Tuesday, starting with a solo homer in the second inning before giving Washington the lead for good with a two-run bomb in the seventh. He's gone long three times in as many games, and Tuesday was his third multi-HR game of the season. Abrams has an .835 OPS with 33 steals, 33 home runs and 102 RBI across 638 plate appearances in 2026.

SEPTEMBER 23 • ROTOWIRE

Dabo Swinney Explains Why Clemson RB Chris Johnson Jr. Was Benched vs. North Carolina Clemson’s running back room came alive in the Tigers’ win over North Carolina this past weekend, but there was a key omission from a snap st...

SEPTEMBER 23 • SI.COM

King's '26 breakout reaches the playoffs with clutch HR in Triple-A finals Seaver King’s 2026 breakout has officially reached the postseason. The Nationals’ No. 4 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 68 prospect overall...

SEPTEMBER 23 • MLB.COM

Tigers and Nationals play, winner secures 3-game series

The Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals meet on Wednesday with the winner claiming the three-game series

SEPTEMBER 23 • Associated Press

Jackson Kent - Relegated to Triple-A The Nationals optioned Kent to Triple-A Rochester after Tuesday's game against the Tigers.

Impact Kent gave up one run in four innings on six hits and two walks while striking out three batters Tuesday, but his reward for picking up his second big-league win of the season will be finishing the year in the minors. The 23-year-old lefty will close the book on 2026 with a 5.94 ERA and 1.79 WHIP alongside a 30:25 K:BB across 36.1 innings.

SEPTEMBER 23 • ROTOWIRE

Richard Lovelady - Starting bullpen game Lovelady will start Wednesday's game against the Tigers, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Impact Lovelady will make his sixth start of the season while the Nationals lean on their bullpen to get through Wednesday's series finale. The 31-year-old southpaw has given up three runs (one earned) in 2.1 innings since returning from the injured list and will likely remain in the game for only an inning or two.

SEPTEMBER 23 • ROTOWIRE

With monster night, Abrams joins Nats' exclusive 100+ RBI club DETROIT -- Not since the 2019 season has a Nationals player driven in 100 runs. CJ Abrams reached that mark on Tuesday in the Nationals’ 3-1...

SEPTEMBER 23 • MLB.COM

CJ Abrams homers twice, drives in three runs as Nationals beat Tigers 3-1

CJ Abrams hit a tiebreaking two-run homer and added a solo shot to give the Washington Nationals a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night

SEPTEMBER 23 • Associated Press

Cavalli shut down for final week after major 2026 breakout DETROIT -- With Cade Cavalli's first full season in the Major Leagues being a dominant success, the Nationals have decided to shut him down...

SEPTEMBER 22 • MLB.COM

Nationals Won't Pitch Cade Cavalli Again This Season, This Is Why That's Smart The Washington Nationals only have a handful of games remaining in the 2026 season, and after exceeding expectations for the majority of the...

SEPTEMBER 22 • SI.COM

Cade Cavalli - Shut down for season Cavalli will not make another start this season, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.

Impact Cavalli is healthy, as this is purely a workload-related shutdown. The right-hander reached the 200-strikeout mark in his last outing and, at 169.2 innings for the season, is almost 50 innings past last year's total, so it makes sense for the Nationals to pull the plug. Cavalli -- who signed a four-year, $47 million contract extension last week -- will finish with a 13-5 record, 3.02 ERA and 200:48 K:BB over 169.2 frames covering 32 starts.

SEPTEMBER 22 • ROTOWIRE

Jacob Young - Excluded from Tusday's lineup Young is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game in Detroit.

Impact While Young gets a breather, Dylan Crews will slide over to center field Tuesday and will be flanked by Daylen Lile in left field and James Wood in right field. Yohandy Morales will receive a start in the designated hitter spot.

SEPTEMBER 22 • ROTOWIRE

Abimelec Ortiz - Exiting starting nine Ortiz is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's contest in Detroit.

Impact Ortiz has been in and out of the Nationals' lineup this month, starting 10 of 18 games. It will be Andres Chaparro manning first base for the Nationals on Tuesday.

SEPTEMBER 22 • ROTOWIRE

Nationals Pluck Notable Front Office Member Away From Astros The Washington Nationals are getting set for a huge offseason. After using the 2026 campaign as an evaluation period for members throughout...

SEPTEMBER 22 • SI.COM

Riley Cornelio - Working as opener Cornelio will be the Nationals' opener for Tuesday's game in Detroit, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Impact Cornelio was used as a starting pitcher some earlier this season in the minors and has recorded more than three outs in 13 of 16 appearances for the Nationals, so he'll be capable of covering multiple innings, if needed. Jackson Kent is poised to fill a bulk relief role Tuesday.

SEPTEMBER 22 • ROTOWIRE

Jackson Kent - Following opener Tuesday Kent will be used in bulk relief in Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Impact Kent's first seven traditional starts haven't gone well, as he's posted a 6.40 ERA and 27:23 K:BB in 32.1 innings, so the Nationals will try something new. Riley Cornelio will serve as an opener for Washington.

SEPTEMBER 22 • ROTOWIRE

Tigers try to keep home win streak going, host the Nationals

The Detroit Tigers host the Washington Nationals trying to continue a five-game home winning streak

SEPTEMBER 22 • Associated Press

Wait 'til next year: 6 candidates to achieve their postseason hopes ... in 2027 As we enter the final week of the MLB season, we will wave 12 teams into the playoff field, which means we wave goodbye to 18 others. Some o...

SEPTEMBER 22 • MLB.COM

17 months later, Herz is back where he belongs DETROIT -- The last 17 months culminated in one moment at 6:46 p.m. ET on Monday evening. DJ Herz emerged from the steps of the visitors' du...

SEPTEMBER 22 • MLB.COM

Yohandy Morales - Cranks homer off bench Morales went 1-for-1 with a two-run home run in Monday's 9-2 loss to the Tigers.

Impact With lefty Drew Sommers on the mound, Morales entered the game off the bench and launched an opposite-field two-run homer in the eighth inning. The 24-year-old has hit well, going 11-for-36 (.306) with three homers, eight RBI, nine runs and a stolen base across 13 games since being promoted. His playing time has been fairly sporadic, though, as Andres Chaparro and Abimelec Ortiz also compete for at-bats at first base and designated hitter.

SEPTEMBER 22 • ROTOWIRE

DJ Herz - Charged with loss in season debut Herz (0-1) took the loss Monday, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks over four innings against the Tigers. He struck out four.

Impact Herz ran into trouble early, surrendering a pair of runs in the first inning and two more runs in the fourth before departing at 63 pitches (39 strikes). While the results were uneven, it was a positive step for the southpaw to be back on a big-league mound for the first time since 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2025. The 25-year-old is tentatively scheduled to take the ball again Sunday against the Mets to close the regular season, potentially with a slightly elevated workload.

SEPTEMBER 22 • ROTOWIRE

Bateman exits with apparent injury after outstanding sliding catch BALTIMORE -- Brett Bateman left Monday night’s game with an injury after making a sliding catch in center, one more cruel twist at the end o...

SEPTEMBER 22 • MLB.COM

James Wood Made a Comment That Should Catch the Attention of Every Nationals Fan Back on Saturday, the Washington Nationals had to rally in extra innings to secure a victory after they blew yet another late-game lead. How...

SEPTEMBER 21 • SI.COM

Nationals Surprisingly Release Former Top Pitching Prospect After Activating DJ Herz As expected, left-hander DJ Herz is set to make his return for the Washington Nationals on Monday. Following a lengthy absence due to Tommy...

SEPTEMBER 21 • SI.COM

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Tigers and Nationals play, winner secures 3-game series

CJ Abrams homers twice, drives in three runs as Nationals beat Tigers 3-1

Tigers try to keep home win streak going, host the Nationals

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Tigers and Nationals play, winner secures 3-game series

CJ Abrams homers twice, drives in three runs as Nationals beat Tigers 3-1

Tigers try to keep home win streak going, host the Nationals