Washington Nationals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Mitchell Parker was sharp in Sunday's win over the Milwaukee Brewers, pitching six shutout innings with three hits allowed to go with three walks and three strikeouts. It was the sixth win of the season for the left-hander who evened his season record at 6-6. Parker's ERA is now 4.06 and he is sporting a 1.19 WHIP. This outing shows a bit of the 24-year-old's potential, but his limited strikeout upside and modest ratios make him a bit of a risky option in most fantasy leagues.

Washington Nationals right-hander Kyle Finnegan allowed two hits on two unearned runs while striking out one over 1 1/3 inning to earn the save in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Finnegan was called on in the eighth inning to protect a four-run lead. He allowed two inherited runs through a wild pitch and an RBI single to Brewers catcher Gary Sanchez. Finnegan bounced back and earned a four-save in Saturday's victory. The 32-year-old needed 18 pitches to notch his 29th save of the season. Before Saturday's appearance, Finnegan yielded six runs over his 1 1/3 innings. He owns a 3.38 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 45:14 K: BB across 45 1/3 innings in 2024. Finnegan is Washington's primary closer, and fantasy managers should continue to roll with him in all leagues as he continues to rack up saves in 2024.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (groin) left Wednesday's game early after being hit by a bounced ball in the groin. Riley Adams eventually replaced Ruiz later in the game. Andrew Golden of the Washington Post reported that Nationals skipper Dave Martinez is concerned about the severity of the injury. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to the Nationals lineup prior to Friday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The switch-hitting catcher has struggled in the batter's box this season with a .216/.248/.334 line but has held a stellar 11.2% K rate. Adams would get a majority of the starts behind the dish if Ruiz were to be sidelined for an extended period, but he should be faded in all DFS competitions this weekend as he currently sits with a modest .233 AVG.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher DJ Herz was once again impressive on the mound during Sunday's outing against the St. Louis Cardinals. The rookie left-hander struck out eight batters while allowing two runs in five innings of work. For the second time in a row Herz threw under 80 pitches before being yanked from the game. To be fair, the Nationals don't have much incentive to push their prized southpaw to his limits given their place in the standings.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz homered and drove in three runs in Saturday's 14-3 rout of the Cardinals. It was his eighth home run of the season but his only hit of the game, going 1-for-6 at the plate, while the RBIs pushed his season total to 33. For a contact-hitter like Ruiz, it's perplexing to see him batting just .217 on the season, however, he's been better in July, hitting .261 with four of his eight home runs coming this month. The backstop's 87.8% contact rate, low 11.3% strikeout rate, and xBA of .268 could mean things should keep trending up for the switch-hitter.