As losing streak hits nine, Nationals debut a foundational piece
Brady House looked up at the big scoreboard in center field ahead of his first at-bat on Monday night, ready for his hard launch from the Washington Nationals' long-term plans into their short-term needs. To keep with the rhythms of what got him to Washington, House sought to keep his routine: from the calm expression on his face to the way he smacked on his wad of gum. And against the Colorado Rockies, there was something else familiar in his approach.
He swung hard at the first pitch he saw.
House sent Carson Palmquist's outside fastball out to right for a routine flyout, part of an 0-for-3 night at the plate that included a walk. The result was secondary to what his debut symbolized: The latest arrival in a steady march of top prospects to the major leagues. Specifically, House represented the potential for something the Nationals have lacked since they won the World Series in 2019: a homegrown, power-hitting everyday third baseman.
'He looked like he belonged here,' Manager Dave Martinez said. 'Which is awesome.'
His debut marked the first tangible return on a long investment. In the present, it didn't do enough to alter the spiraling fortunes of a team that lost its ninth straight, this one 6-4 on a pair of crushing home runs yielded by closer Kyle Finnegan in the ninth inning.
The Nationals (30-42) fell to a season-low 12 games under .500, with their past four losses coming against the dregs of the National League — a three-game sweep at Nationals Park by the Marlins, then Finnegan's meltdown to the historically inept Rockies (15-57). Finnegan attributed some of his performance to, 'trying to do too much.' When asked what that meant, he added, 'I don't think it's a secret what's been going on with our team. Just really wanting to get a win, get back in the win column.'
Finnegan, who hadn't allowed a home run all season before Monday, heard boos from many of the 11,370 remaining at Nats Park.
'That's maybe a little bit of what we've been struggling with,' Finnegan said. 'Guys trying to make a big moment for our team, trying to snap us out of it, whatever. But we just got to focus on the things that are in our control.'
Right-hander Jake Irvin allowed three runs in six innings, conceding a two-run homer to Hunter Goodman in the first and an RBI single from Michael Toglia in the fifth.
'The skid looks tough, and it has been tough,' Irvin said. 'But we're pulling for each other. We believe in each other. And we know we're going to get through this.'
In the bottom of the fifth, the Nationals took a rare lead behind
a pair of homers from 22-year-old outfielders — a second-deck solo shot from just-recalled Daylen Lile, the first homer of his career, and an opposite-field, two-run blast from James Wood. They took that 4-3 lead into the ninth.
'That was the best feeling in the world,' Lile said of his homer.
House's call-up comes amid the team's worst stretch of play this season. While an MLB Network segment on the Nationals' recent skid played silently on clubhouse televisions, House stood at his locker at the front of the clubhouse and gave a big, toothy grin when addressing reporters. He was excited. Ready.
He had, according to Martinez, accidentally interrupted the coach's meeting to reintroduce himself to the staff. And after he was done, he slipped into a pair of flip-flops and reclined in a chair at Zach Brzykcy's locker for an extended chat with the team's young relievers.
That big, toothy grin came back when he walked up to Luis García Jr., who asked House, 'Ready for your first day?'
'Ready, bro,' House responded.
The Nationals trust he is. That is, in part, because of the strides he has made at the plate this year; the improved plate discipline, the higher exit velocities, the clean swing from his 6-foot-4 frame, all of it. But it's also because of who he is. Last September, Rochester Manager Matt LeCroy said he felt House — the Nationals' first-round pick in the 2021 draft (No. 11 overall) — was cut from the same cloth as Wood and Dylan Crews. Steady. A bit of a soft talker.
'When he does well, you don't really know it,' LeCroy said. 'And when he's not doing so well, you don't know that either.'
He will be the team's everyday third baseman from here on out, though Martinez said he may hit lower in the lineup against right-handed starters. Batting sixth Monday, he looked ready from the outset. Rockies leadoff hitter Jordan Beck hit a grounder his way on the first play of the game; House double tapped the ball in his glove and delivered a strike to first baseman Andres Chaparro. In the fourth, Brenton Doyle hit a slow roller his way, a difficult play even at this level; House scooped it and rifled a throw to first from a low arm slot to close out the inning.
'I don't think I know what it means right now,' House said, when asked what his debut meant to him, 'because I've dreamed about it since I started playing baseball.'
House fills some necessary holes. First, the position itself. From 2005 through 2019, when Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon were its primary inhabitants, no team in baseball accumulated more FanGraphs' wins above replacement from third base than the Nationals (64.3 WAR). Over the past six seasons, as the organization searched for Rendon's replacement, the Nationals have racked up just 2.6 WAR from the spot. That's the worst mark in MLB. But House brings an MLB-ready glove and legit power, both of which Washington has lacked of late.
He didn't swing at a single pitch in his second time up in the fourth. After falling behind 0-2, he watched four straight pitches go by and trotted to first. He had learned something already. He struck out looking on a fastball down the middle in the sixth and started walking to the dugout before home plate umpire Erich Bacchus rang him up. Growing pains. Representing the tying run with no outs in the ninth, he worked a 3-2 count before grounding into a double play on a 100.5 mph heater.
Whether the Nationals can weather this current storm remains to be seen. For now, they seek any iota of stability they can find. And in their new third basemen, they believe they have found some.
Notes: Paul DeJong (broken nose) and Mason Thompson (Tommy John surgery) will begin rehab assignments on Tuesday with Class AA Harrisburg, according to Martinez. With House expected to play third base every day, Martinez said DeJong will take reps at shortstop and designated hitter. ...
Derek Law, who threw a simulated game on Monday afternoon, will join DeJong and Thompson in Harrisburg on Thursday for his rehab assignment. Law has been dealing with forearm inflammation since spring training.
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