{"id":8394,"date":"2026-07-31T04:34:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T04:34:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=8394"},"modified":"2026-07-31T04:34:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T04:34:22","slug":"garcia-chases-the-cycle-but-nationals-cant-catch-the-braves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=8394","title":{"rendered":"Garc\u00eda chases the cycle, but Nationals can\u2019t catch the Braves"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Luis Garc\u00eda Jr. arrives at third base after his seventh-inning triple. He also homered and doubled in Thursday night’s loss. (Dale Zanine\/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

ATLANTA \u2014 Luis Garc\u00eda Jr. knows what this weekend means. Even as he attempts not to pay attention, he understands that it could be his last in a Washington Nationals uniform, the only one he\u2019s ever worn in MLB. His name is circulating in trade rumors, and, with Monday\u2019s deadline quickly approaching, there is a chance the Nationals could move him.<\/p>

Read more Trump claims breakthrough on Hamas disarmament, Gaza transition<\/a><\/p>\n

Whether that happens depends largely how this four-game series against the Atlanta Braves plays out. A good showing will keep the Nationals in the hunt and help convince the front office not only to keep the team intact, but also to add pieces that can help them contend. A poor performance will push them further out of the playoff picture, perhaps persuading the team to trade players like Garc\u00eda to acquire pieces who can help them in the future.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Garc\u00eda did his part to help push them in the right direction, hitting a home run, a triple and a double to finish a single shy of the cycle. Daylen Lile contributed with two home runs. But starter Jake Irvin gave up five runs in his return from the injured list, and the Nationals wasted opportunities with runners in scoring position in the 5-4 loss.<\/p>\n

The Nationals (55-55) are 2 1\/2 games out of the third National League wild-card spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally frustrating,\u201d Garc\u00eda said through an interpreter. \u201cAs much as personally I had a really good night at the end of the day you want to go home with a win.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Nationals\u2019 trade deadline fate isn\u2019t decided yet. But the pressure on the team to perform in these next three games is now sky high if the clubhouse is to stay intact.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love this team,\u201d Garc\u00eda Jr. said before the game. \u201cI love this clubhouse. I love this organization. This is the organization that gave me the opportunity to play baseball, and I want to stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even with the heightened stakes, and with most of the team playing in meaningful games after the all-star break for the first time, the clubhouse has remained calm. Garc\u00eda said he\u2019s heard from President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni multiple times to make sure \u2018things are clear\u2019 about where he stands. CJ Abrams, who\u2019s name has also been floated in rumor mills, said he\u2019s been pretty chill this deadline because Toboni, like he\u2019s done with Garc\u00eda, has been communicating with him.<\/p>\n

Manager Blake Butera has been checking in with players, too. While he\u2019ll probably be looped in early to potential moves, the power ultimately rests with the front office. Butera doesn\u2019t know what the outcome will be for his players, but he wants to be a resource if they need him.<\/p>\n

He thinks the clubhouse is handling the uncertainty as well, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think anyone likes this time of year,\u201d Butera said. \u201cI think it\u2019s a good sign that these guys don\u2019t want to leave, I think that means there\u2019s something special here, and I think we\u2019re doing a good job that these guys are not worried about it, but it\u2019s in their heads.\u201d<\/p>

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Thursday\u2019s loss doesn\u2019t drastically alter much for the Nationals, they still have three more games in Atlanta to fight their way up the standings before the deadline. Time, though, is starting to run out. And this one, like so many of their losses, could have easily gone their way.<\/p>\n

Irvin was expected to be limited to around 75 pitches in his first start back since a shoulder strain sidelined him two months ago. He was efficient through the first five innings, allowing three runs. Irvin said he spent his rehab starts fine-tuning his cutter and changeup and throwing it in different counts, which he was able to translate to the first five innings of his outing.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Jake Irvin made his first start since a shoulder strain sidelined him two months ago. (Kevin C. Cox\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

With Irvin\u2019s pitch count hovering around 50, Butera sent his starter out for the sixth, and he issued back-to-back walks. That ended his start, and Ozzie Albies hit a two-RBI single off Carson Palmquist to give the Braves a 5-3 lead.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was really efficient,\u201d Butera said of Irvin. \u201cHe was in the zone a ton until that sixth inning and that was also the first time he\u2019s had a sixth up since he came down.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Nationals jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the fourth inning thanks to the solo home run from Garc\u00eda and two from Lile. They scored one more run in the seventh inning after James Wood walked and Garc\u00eda hit a triple. They had other chances throughout the game to add on, but went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position, failing to move runners in critical spots.<\/p>\n

The team needs to be more selective in those situations, Butera said, and is expanding the zone too much.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese guys want to win so bad,\u201d Butera said. \u201cI think everybody wants to be the hero. I love that they want it that badly, but its honing that in a little bit and understanding that you almost need to do less at those times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Note: <\/b>Left-hander Mitchell Parker underwent a ligament repair with an internal brace Wednesday. The recovery timeline is typically 12 to 15 months.<\/p>

Read more In first use of decades-old court, DOJ aims to deport alleged ISIS adherent<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As trade rumors swirl, the Nationals’ hitting standout has a home run, triple and double in a 5-4 loss at Atlanta.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nGarc\u00eda chases the cycle, but Nationals can\u2019t catch the Braves - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=8394\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Garc\u00eda chases the cycle, but Nationals can\u2019t catch the Braves - Moving Insider USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As trade rumors swirl, the Nationals' hitting standout has a home run, triple and double in a 5-4 loss at Atlanta.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=8394\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Moving Insider USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-31T04:34:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/327883bbc75a164dfe8702cec8ee3821-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=8394#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=8394\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03\"},\"headline\":\"Garc\u00eda chases the cycle, but Nationals can\u2019t catch the Braves\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-31T04:34:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=8394\"},\"wordCount\":983,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=8394#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/2569cd7f9c8fb13c11344180553a2af0-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=8394#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=8394\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=8394\",\"name\":\"Garc\u00eda chases the cycle, but Nationals can\u2019t catch the Braves - Moving Insider USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=8394#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=8394#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/2569cd7f9c8fb13c11344180553a2af0-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-31T04:34:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=8394#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=8394\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=8394#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/2569cd7f9c8fb13c11344180553a2af0-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/2569cd7f9c8fb13c11344180553a2af0-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Jul 30, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Luis Garc\u00eda Jr. (2) reacts after sliding into third base after hitting a triple against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Truist Park. 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