The Nationals continued their dominance over the A.L. Central teams with another series win against the Kansas City Royals. Washington came out victorious twice in a three-game series against the Royals, winning the first two games. They finished the week off winning one of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jeimer Candelario and Keibert Ruiz had monster weeks at the plate, adding contact and power to the batting order. Here’s what happened last week in Nationals baseball:

Dethroned

The Nats made their first trip to Kansas City after nine years to face the Royals in a three-game series. Washington’s return didn’t disappoint, as the series began with a 12–10 Nationals victory on May 26. Luis Garcia had the best game of his career, collecting six hits — becoming the first National to achieve this feat since Anthony Rendon in 2017 — with two RBIs. A massive sixth inning powered the Nationals to overcome the ten runs given up by the pitching staff. Joey Meneses, Corey Dickerson and Garcia all drove in runs in the sixth. The offense slowed down in the May 27 penultimate game of the series, but the team still pulled off a 4–2 victory. Washington recreated their sixth-inning explosion, this time with CJ Abrams, Dickerson and Ruiz, who scored the only runs of the game. Unfortunately, the Nationals couldn’t execute a sweep on May 28, losing a close 3–2 game. The pitching stayed solid until the seventh inning, when they blew a 2–0 lead. Chad Kuhl, after recently being moved to the bullpen, killed the Nats’ two-run advantage by giving up home runs in the seventh and eighth innings and a walk-off single.

Outmatched

The first game in the Nats’ three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers was a lackluster on the offensive side. Washington only scored one run in the May 29 game, coming from an Abrams single in the second inning. The Dodgers’ scoring came in the fifth inning, where J.D. Martinez, Freddie Freeman and James Outman all drove in runs, resulting in a 6–1 Nationals loss. The next game, on May 30, had more offense on both sides, but resulted in a worse outcome for Washington, the Nats taking a 9–3 defeat. Meneses started the scoring with a single in the top of the third inning. L.A. responded with three runs in the bottom of the third, coming from a Max Muncy double, a Martinez sac fly and Jason Hayward single. The offense stopped for both teams until the seventh inning, when Ruiz homered against his former team, followed by a Luis Gacia single. Martinez continued his strong run at the plate with another homer in the bottom of the seventh. Then finally, Freeman and Mookie Betts closed out the scoring for the Dodgers with two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Washington avoided the sweep with a 10-6 victory in the series finale on May 31. The game started with lots of home runs. Betts and Will Smith homered for L.A. in the bottom of the first, while Ruiz and Abrams homered for the Nationals in the top of the second. Both teams scored a lone run in the third inning bringing the score to 4–3 in favor of the Dodgers. The Nats took the lead in the fifth with a Candelario two-run dinger. The Dodgers tied the game in the seventh, but Washington immediately took the lead back with a Garcia solo shot. Betts hit his second home run of the game in the eighth inning, then Ruiz launched his own second home run in the top of the ninth to secure a Nationals win.

A Look Ahead

The Nationals will begin June with a homestand. Their opening series will be their first of the season against former Nationals Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and  Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies on June 2. Then, the Nats will face the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second time this season in a three-game set beginning June 8.