The longtime shortstop acquitted himself well to his new position in a 6-2 loss.
When CJ Abrams took the field for Sunday’s game against the Miami Marlins, he headed to second base for the first time in his Washington Nationals tenure.
Read more Trump says he will report NBC host to FCC for ‘rebuke or punishment’
The franchise shortstop is no longer a shortstop, with Nasim Nuñez taking over for him, at least temporarily. While Abrams has been one of the best hitters at the position this season — even earning the starting spot at July’s All-Star Game — he entered the day with 19 errors (tied for the second most among shortstops) and minus-12 fielding runs (the second worst).
On Sunday, Abrams did his job at second, but the bullpen, for the 35th time this season, blew the save as the Nationals fell to the visiting Marlins, 6-2. After rookie Andrew Alvarez pitched six scoreless innings in his best start yet, Max Kranick and Tom Cosgrove combined to allow six runs in the ninth, denying Washington (65-74) its first four-game winning streak in more than two months.
“There’s no way to sugarcoat that one,” Manager Blake Butera said. “That’s about as bad as it gets, as frustrating as it gets.”
For Abrams, the timing of the move — though not necessarily the decision itself — was a surprise. Butera announced the decision more than two weeks ago, the Nationals opting to do it now instead of next spring so Abrams has time to work the kinks out in the offseason. The plan was to put him through a transition period, with Abrams working on second pregame before making the switch, but a rolled ankle took him out of the field altogether for eight days.
Aside from six starts in 2022 with the San Diego Padres, Abrams has been a shortstop his entire career. He still sees that as his long-term position, and after dealing beloved clubhouse leader Luis García Jr. at the deadline, Washington could have risked a morale problem from one of its top contributors. But Abrams, Butera said, was a “total pro” about the decision.
“It’s just baseball,” Abrams said after Sunday’s game. “Just go out there and play, try to get a win.”
The Nationals have two top shortstop prospects who could be in the majors within the next two years. Seaver King, 23, is at Class AAA Rochester, and 18-year-old Eli Willits, who is seen as the shortstop of the future, in high Class A Wilmington. Until they are ready, Nuñez — one of the best defenders on the team — is more than capable of handling the position.
On Sunday, Alvarez pitched six innings, striking out six and allowing only two hard-hit balls. Abrams didn’t have much work to do, but he handled the balls that went his way with ease. In the second inning, he teamed up with Nuñez and Andrés Chaparro to turn a double play. Two innings later, Abrams handled an easy pop-up from Otto Lopez.
In the sixth inning, Abrams got his first real test when Esteury Ruiz hit a soft line drive up the middle. Abrams ranged to his right, jumped into the air and reached back to snag it without breaking a sweat.
Read more Karl Ravech’s last Little call
“I thought he turned a nice double play, and a nice play on that soft liner to center field,” Butera said. “I thought he looked good.”
The Nationals’ minimal scoring came from a Nuñez RBI double in the fifth inning and a Daylen Lile sacrifice fly in the eighth. After Alvarez’s strong start and two scoreless innings from Clayton Beeter, that looked like it would be enough, until the ninth.
Kranick took over and quickly loaded the bases via a bunt single and two walks. With one out, Cosgrove tried to wrap things up. He hit Jakob Marsee with a sweeper to bring in one run, and Joe Mack followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 2.
That’s where the score should have remained, but after Andrew Pinckney made the running catch in left-center and threw the ball to third, Jorbit Vivas didn’t stay ahead of it and Cosgrove didn’t cover the Marlins’ dugout steps. The ball bounced out of play, and Miami took the lead.
“The ball’s in the air, there’s a giant hole in the dugout, I need to go directly there,” Cosgrove said. “For whatever reason, I’m jogging over there, watching the ball, hoping [Vivas] catches it selfishly. I didn’t do my job, straight up.”
Then things went from bad to worse. After Heriberto Hernández walked, he and Marsee pulled off a double steal. The left-handed Cosgrove saw Hernández break toward second, wound up for a throw to Abrams, then turned around to see Marsee bolting home. Three pitches later, Lopez crushed a fastball into the visitors’ bullpen to make it 6-2 Marlins.
By the time the Nationals finally got the third out on a routine groundball to Nuñez, the team was being booed relentlessly from what little crowd remained. Any of the positive vibes from Abrams’s successful transition to second had evaporated.
“It was just a straight-up embarrassing inning,” Cosgrove said. “I didn’t do a single thing right.”
Note: James Wood hit a home run in his rehab appearance with Class AA Harrisburg on Sunday. The two-time all-star played six innings in left field, his first game action since he went on the injured list Aug. 4 with a left oblique strain.
Read more These Democrats used to be Republicans — and hope that will help them win midterms
