2018 Walsh Cup
For the first time, no third-level college teams took part. 10 Leinster counties, plus Antrim, competed. Longford and Louth entered the second-ranked Kehoe Cup.


2018 Walsh Cup
Wexford were the 2018 champions, beating Kilkenny 3-2 in a free-taking competition after the final ended level on 1-24 each after extra time. This was the first inter-county hurling game to be decided by the taking of frees.


2018 Walsh Cup, Format
There are 11 teams, in three groups of 3 teams and one group of 2 teams. In the three-team groups, each team plays the other teams once. In the two-team group, the teams play each other twice. Two points are awarded for a win and one for a draw.


2018 Waltham Forest London Borough Council election
The 2018 Waltham Forest Council election was held on 3 May 2018 to elect members of Waltham Forest London Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.


2018 Wandsworth London Borough Council election
The 2018 Wandsworth Council election took place on 3 May 2018 to elect members of Wandsworth Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.


2018 Wandsworth London Borough Council election
The Conservative Party retained control of the council with a reduced majority, although the Labour Party made 7 gains and won the popular vote across the borough by a narrow margin.


2018 Wandsworth London Borough Council election, Overall results
The Conservatives retained control of the council, winning 33 seats (down 8). Labour won 26 (up 7), while 1 seat was won by an independent, Malcolm Grimston.


2018 Wandsworth London Borough Council election, Ward results
Malcolm Grimston was elected in 2014 as a Conservative, before becoming an Independent. Changes are shown from the 2014 election.


2018 Waratah Cup
The 2018 Waratah Cup was the 16th season of Football NSW's knockout competition. The Preliminary Rounds are now a part of the FFA Cup competition. The 5 winners from the FFA Cup preliminary Seventh Round qualified for the Waratah Cup.


2018 Waratah Cup
The Cup was won by APIA Leichhardt Tigers, their 5th title.


2018 Waratah Cup, Preliminary rounds
New South Wales clubs, other than Northern NSW and A-League clubs, participate in the FFA Cup via the preliminary rounds. The competition is for all Senior Men's teams of the National Premier Leagues NSW, NPL 2, NPL 3, NSW State League, as well as Association teams which applied to participate.


2018 Waratah Cup, Preliminary rounds
A total of 169 clubs entered into the competition, and the five qualifiers were:


2018 Waratah Cup, Elimination Playoff
Two of the qualifiers played-off to reduce the remaining teams to 4 teams, with the match played on 13 June.


2018 Waratah Cup, Semi finals
A total of 4 teams took part in this stage of the competition, with the matches played on 27 June.


2018 Warrington Wolves season
This article details the Warrington Wolves Rugby League Football Club's 2018 season. This is the Wolves' 23rd consecutive season in the Super League.


2018 Warriors FC season
The 2018 season is Warriors' 23rd consecutive season in the top flight of Singapore football and in the S.League. Along with the S.League, the club will also compete in the Prime League, the Singapore Cup and the Singapore League Cup.


2018 Warriors FC season, Transfers, Pre-Season transfers, Out
Note 1: Gabriel Quak was initially signed to a deal but released after Navy FC wanted to sign him.


2018 Warriors FC season, Transfers, Pre-Season transfers, Out
Note 2: Ridhuan Muhammad was released by Borneo FC after the Cup Competition, thus making him a free agent.


2018 Warriors FC season, Transfers, Pre-Season transfers, Out
Note 3: Baihakki Khaizan moved to Muangthong United but was loaned to Udon Thani before the new season start.


2018 Washington House of Representatives election
The 2018 Washington House of Representatives elections took place as part of the biennial United States elections. Washington state voters elected state representatives in all 98 seats of the House, electing 2 state representatives in each of the 49 Washington state legislative districts. State representatives serve two-year terms in the Washington House of Representatives. A statewide map of Washington's state legislative districts is provided by the Washington State Legislature .


2018 Washington House of Representatives election
A top two primary election on August 7, 2018 determined which candidates appeared on the November 6 general election ballot. Each candidate is allowed to write in her or his party preference so that it appears as she or he desires on the ballot.


2018 Washington House of Representatives election
Democrats increased their 50–48 majority in the 2016 elections by flipping seven seats to hold 57 seats to Republicans' 41.


2018 Washington House of Representatives election
Only three districts, the 10th, 19th, and 42nd, elected their two representatives from different parties.


2018 Washington Huskies baseball team
The 2018 Washington Huskies baseball team were representing the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington in the 2018 NCAA Division I baseball season. Head Coach Lindsay Meggs was in his 9th year coaching the Huskies. They play their home games at Husky Ballpark and were members of the Pac-12 Conference.


2018 Washington Huskies baseball team
The Huskies finished third in the Pac-12. They won the Conway Regional and Fullerton Super Regional to reach the 2018 College World Series, their first time advancing to Omaha.


2018 Washington Huskies baseball team, Rankings
^ Collegiate Baseball ranks 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. † NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. * New poll was not released for this week so for comparison purposes the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.


2018 Washington Huskies football team
The 2018 Washington Huskies football team represented the University of Washington during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Chris Petersen led the team in his fifth season as head coach. Washington competed as a member of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference and played their home games on campus at Husky Stadium in Seattle.


2018 Washington Huskies football team
The Huskies began the year ranked sixth in the preseason AP Poll and were the preseason favorites to win the Pac-12. In their first game of the year, Washington lost to then-No. 9 Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game played in Atlanta. The team rebounded and won the following five games before losing on the road to rival Oregon in overtime, and again two weeks later against California. With the Pac-12 North Division title on the line, Washington defeated in-state rival and seventh-ranked Washington State on the road in the 111th Apple Cup. The Huskies won their second Pac-12 title in three years by defeating Utah in the 2018 Pac-12 Football Championship Game. The team was invited to the Rose Bowl, where they were defeated by Ohio State to end the year at 10–4, 7–2 in conference play.


2018 Washington Huskies football team
Washington was led offensively by senior quarterback Jake Browning, who threw for 3,192 yards and 16 touchdowns, and senior running back Myles Gaskin, who rushed for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns. Browning became the school's all-time passing leader on September 29 in the team's game against BYU, while Gaskin added to his all-time career rushing records that he set in 2017. The Husky defense was led by senior linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven, who led the Pac-12 in tackles and was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Burr-Kirven was named a first-team All-American by several selectors including the Associated Press.


2018 Washington Huskies football team, Previous season
The Huskies finished the 2017 season 10–3, 7–2 in Pac-12 play to win a share of the North Division title with Stanford. Due to their head-to-head loss to Stanford, they did not represent the North Division in the Pac-12 Championship Game. They were invited to the Fiesta Bowl where they lost to Penn State.


2018 Washington Huskies football team, Preseason, Transfers
The Huskies added 1 player and lost 7 players due to transfers.


2018 Washington Huskies football team, Preseason, Pac-12 Media Day
The 2018 Pac-12 media day took place on July 25, 2018 in Hollywood, California. Chris Petersen (HC), Jake Browning (QB) & Jojo McIntosh (DB) at Pac-12 Media Day. The Pac-12 media poll was released with the Huskies predicted to win the Pac-12 North division title and Pac-12 overall.


2018 Washington Huskies football team, Awards and honors, Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week
Pac-12 Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Burr-Kirven


2018 Washington Huskies football team, Postseason, NFL Scouting Combine
Nine members of the 2018 team were invited to participate in drills at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine held between February 26 and March 4, 2019 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.


2018 Washington Huskies football team, Postseason, NFL Draft
The following Washington players were either selected or signed as undrafted free agents following the draft.


2018 Washington Initiative 1631
The Washington Carbon Emissions Fee and Revenue Allocation Initiative, also known as Initiative 1631 or the Protect Washington Act was a ballot initiative that appeared on ballots in the State of Washington in the November 2018 election. The initiative proposed to reduce pollution by levying a fee on greenhouse gas emissions generated within the state of Washington, and using that revenue to support air quality and energy projects, as well as water quality and forest health initiatives. The measure failed with 56.3% of voters rejecting it.


2018 Washington Initiative 1631, Ballot title
Initiative Measure No. 1631 concerns pollution. This measure would charge pollution fees on sources of greenhouse gas pollutants and use the revenue to reduce pollution, promote clean energy, and address climate impacts, under oversight of a public board. Should this measure be enacted into law?


2018 Washington Initiative 1631, Measure design
The measure stated that, beginning on January 1, 2020, a fee of $15 would be enacted on each metric ton of carbon emitted in the state of Washington. The fee would increase by $2 every year until the state's greenhouse gas emissions target for 2035 is met, and the state's emissions target for 2050 is on track to be met.


2018 Washington Initiative 1631, Measure design
These goals had previously been set by the Washington State Legislature, which passed a law in 2008 that required the state to reduce its emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, 25% below 1990 levels by 2035, and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. As of 2018, the state is not on track to achieve those goals.


2018 Washington Initiative 1631, Background
Environmental advocates in Washington had previously attempted to pass carbon pricing measures. Washington Initiative 732, a "tax swap" proposal to levy a tax on carbon emissions and simultaneously reduce the state's sales tax, had appeared on the ballot in the 2016 election, but failed to pass. Initiative 1631 differed in that it proposed to use revenue from carbon fees to invest in projects to reduce pollution. These include projects related to transportation, energy efficiency, carbon sequestrations in farms and forests, and clean energy. The initiative also proposed to invest over $250 million in climate adaptation in the areas of forestry and water conservation. The particular projects funded would be determined by a board appointed by the Governor of Washington that would be directed to invest 70% of the revenue in clean energy.


2018 Washington Initiative 1631, Support
The initiative was drafted by a broad coalition of labor, faith, social justice, health, tribal, and environmental justice groups, such as Front and Centered, a coalition of people of color and low-income people advocating for a just transition. It was also supported by Carbon Washington, the organization that had put Initiative 732 on the ballot. Other organizations that supported the initiative included Stand.earth, The Nature Conservancy, and local chapters of 350.org and the Sierra Club. Elected officials who supported this initiative included United States Representative Pramila Jayapal and Washington Governor Jay Inslee.


2018 Washington Initiative 1631, Opposition
The "No on 1631" campaign was sponsored by the Western States Petroleum Association. The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers and its members spent over $30 million to defeat the measure. Companies that funded the campaign against the initiative included Cascade Natural Gas, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, and Phillips 66. Atmospheric sciences professor Cliff Mass opposed the initiative.


2018 Washington Initiative 1631, Opposition
Others opposed the measure because section 9(c) specifically exempted "Fossil fuels directly or eventually supplied to a light and power business for purposes of generating electricity" from the carbon tax. This meant that coal, gas, and diesel power plants would not directly be responsible for paying the carbon tax. However the majority of electricity generation in Washington state is derived from renewable sources. A 2017 report by The Washington Post indicated that 68% of electricity generated in Washington state comes from hydropower and 7% is from wind turbines.


2018 Washington Initiative 1631, Opposition
The same analysis further indicated that only 4% of Washington's energy comes from burning coal, all of which is generated by the Centralia Power Plant. This plant will begin phasing out its two coal boilers beginning in the year 2020 and transition completely to natural gas by the year 2025. Natural gas currently accounts for only 10% of Washington's energy generation, according to the Washington Post analysis.


2018 Washington Initiative 1631, Opposition
Ultimately, the initiative did not pass during the 2018 November election.


2018 Washington Initiative 1639
Initiative 1639 was a Washington state ballot initiative concerning firearms regulation that was passed into law on November 6, 2018. The initiative altered the gun laws in Washington by defining the term "semiautomatic assault rifle" to include all semiautomatic rifles, raising the minimum age for purchasing semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21. It also imposes a 10-day waiting period before being allowed to claim a rifle from a firearms dealer, and expanded background checks to include medical records requiring a waiver of HIPAA rights. ()


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Scope and impact
Initiative 1639 was passed into law by a vote of 59 percent to 41 percent in a public referendum that took place on November 6, 2018. The initiative concerned the regulation of firearms and made several amendments to state law: the minimum age of purchase of semiautomatic rifles was raised from 18 to 21, the extent of mandatory background checks for semiautomatic weapons purchasers was expanded, and requirements for home storage of firearms were established. The restrictions created by the legislation did not extend to single shot or bolt action rifles and the new regulations generally mirrored those already in place for handguns. According to The Seattle Times it was the most "ambitious" gun control legislation in the history of the state.


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Scope and impact
The increased age limit for "semiautomatic assault firearm" purchases went into effect on January 1, 2019, but the provision defining such firearms did not go into effect until July 1, 2019, along with other provisions of the law.


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Campaign
The petition drive to place the initiative on the 2018 general election ballot raised $5.3 million, with funding coming from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and others. The proposed initiative was also supported by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who had previously proposed a statewide ban on semi-automatic rifles in response to the 2016 Mukilteo shooting. The National Rifle Association and other groups opposed to the measure raised approximately $600,000 to campaign against it. Questions about whether the form of the petitions submitted by initiative backers complied with state law resulted in the measure being temporarily blocked from the ballot by order of the Thurston County Superior Court, though a subsequent ruling by the Washington State Supreme Court quashed the lower court injunction.


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Results
Initiative Measure 1639 passed with 59.35% voting Yes and 40.65%, with 1,839,475 Yes votes and 1,259,681 No votes, out of a total of  3,099,156 votes cast.


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Legal challenges, Lawsuit
A lawsuit seeking to have the law overturned has been filed in federal court by the National Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation. In August 2020, this challenge was dismissed in Federal court. As of August 31, 2020, this challenge has been handed over to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Legal challenges, Enforcement refusals, Background
The Revised Code of Washington establishes the state's 39 sheriffs as the "chief executive officer and conservator of the peace" of their respective counties and charges each to "keep and preserve the peace in their respective counties, and quiet and suppress all affrays, riots, unlawful assemblies and insurrections" and to "defend the county against those who ... endanger the public peace or safety".


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Legal challenges, Enforcement refusals, Background
In what has been described as an "atypical"  situation, a number of county sheriffs have gone on record stating they do not intend to apply the provisions of Initiative 1639 in their counties. Some sheriffs have said they believe Initiative 1639 violates Article I, Section 24 of the Constitution of Washington, which says:


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Legal challenges, Enforcement refusals, Background
The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Legal challenges, Enforcement refusals, Background
Others have said the law is incongruous in that it would prohibit private ownership of semiautomatic firearms by 18-, 19-, and 20-year-old military veterans who were otherwise determined qualified to bear them by the United States Armed Forces as indicated by their military service. Still other sheriffs have said provisions of the legislation requiring certain measures of home security for privately owned firearms are either impossible to enforce in practice, or are a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits "unreasonable search".


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Legal challenges, Enforcement refusals, Background
On February 12, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued an open letter to law enforcement refusing to enforce the initiative. Ferguson wrote that Initiative 1639 should be presumed constitutional as "no court has ruled that this initiative is unconstitutional." Ferguson said if law enforcement refused to perform enhanced background checks on semiautomatic rifle purchases as required by the initiative, they could be held liable if a prohibited individual gets a gun and uses it in a crime. The sheriffs of Franklin and Lincoln counties said that the required background checks would be performed, despite their belief that the initiative is unconstitutional.


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Legal challenges, Enforcement refusals, Disposition of sheriffs
As of February 2019, the sheriffs of 12 of Washington's 39 counties — specifically Adams, Benton, Ferry, Grant, Grays Harbor, Kittitas, Klickitat, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Stevens, and Yakima counties, representing 1.4 million people, or 19% of the state's 7.5 million population — said they will not enforce the law, though some have indicated they will only refuse to do so until the final adjudication of pending lawsuits against the legislation.


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Legal challenges, Enforcement refusals, Disposition of sheriffs
The sheriff of Spokane County said he will not enforce the law, but accused other sheriffs who similarly stated they would not enforce it of "grandstanding".


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Legal challenges, Enforcement refusals, Disposition of sheriffs
The sheriffs of Lewis and Wahkiakum counties said they will apply the law in cases where they are aware it was transgressed, but would not take any steps to actively seek out or investigate violators. After warnings from the State Attorney General, two sheriffs who had initially said they would not enforce it, of Franklin, and Lincoln counties, said they would perform the background checks required by the law.


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Legal challenges, Enforcement refusals, Disposition of sheriffs
The sheriff of Cowlitz County has said he is undecided about whether or not to apply the law in his county.


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Legal challenges, Enforcement refusals, Disposition of sheriffs
The sheriffs of 13 counties, with a total population of 4.8 million, or 64% of the state, specifically Asotin, Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Douglas, Island, Jefferson, King, Pierce, Thurston, Walla Walla, Whatcom, and Whitman counties, said they will enforce the law, though several said they personally opposed it.


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Legal challenges, Enforcement refusals, Public reaction
In an editorial, The News Tribune denounced sheriffs who refused to apply the law as "agitators" and accused them of rebellion, writing that the sheriffs who said they would refuse to enforce the law were usurping the legislative and judicial role. In an editorial, the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin described Initiative 1639 as a "lousy" law but said the sheriffs of the state's counties should enforce it, a position also taken by the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.


2018 Washington Initiative 1639, Legal challenges, Enforcement refusals, Public reaction
In early February 2019, several pseudonymous Facebook posts threatened to assassinate sheriffs who refused to enforce the law, specifically naming Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich. A representative of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, which campaigned for the legislation, condemned the threats.


2018 Washington Mystics season
The 2018 WNBA season is the 21st for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association which began on May 20, 2018. The Mystics qualified for the WNBA Playoffs and reached the WNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.


2018 Washington Mystics season
The Mystics started the season strong with a 5–1 record in May. Their only loss came to eventual league champions Seattle. However, the team couldn't carry this momentum into June, where they went 5–5. The Mystics lost 4 of their first 5 games in June, but turned it around in the second half of the month, winning 4 of their last 5. The up and down season continued into July, where they again went 5–5. The Mystics finished the season just like the started it, strongly. With a 7–1 August record, the team secured a first round playoff bye, and the third overall seed. The Mystics won seven straight games before dropping their season finale against Minnesota. Their final record of 22–12 tied a franchise best, previously set in 2010.


2018 Washington Mystics season
The Mystics hosted a second round playoff game against the Los Angeles Sparks and won 96–64. This win saw them advance to the semifinals where they met the Atlanta Dream. In the best of five series, the Mystics won the final two games to advance to the 2018 WNBA Finals against the Storm. An injury to star Elena Delle Donne in the semifinals hampered her in the finals, and the Mystics were swept 0–3.


2018 Washington Nationals season
The 2018 Washington Nationals season was the Nationals' 14th season as the baseball franchise of Major League Baseball in the District of Columbia, the 11th season at Nationals Park, and the 50th since the original team was started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The regular season began on March 29, 2018, and ended on September 30, 2018.


2018 Washington Nationals season
Nationals Park hosted the 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 17, 2018, the first time it hosted a Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It was the fifth MLB All-Star Game held in Washington, D.C., and the first since 1969.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Team news
The Washington Nationals announced on October 20, 2017, that manager Dusty Baker and his coaching staff would not return for the 2018 season. Baker had originally been hired after the 2015 season to a two-year deal as manager, which the Nationals opted not to extend.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Team news
Among the candidates interviewed for the managerial opening were Chicago Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez, former Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell, and New York Mets hitting coach Kevin Long. The Washington Post reported October 29 that Martinez and the Nationals had agreed on a three-year contract with an option for the 2021 season. The hiring was officially announced October 30.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Team news
General manager Mike Rizzo said the Nationals chose to zero in on "someone who is progressive, someone who can connect with and communicate well with our players, and someone who embraces the analytical side of the game" and concluded Martinez — who had played for the Montreal Expos years before the team moved to Washington, D.C., and had won the 2016 World Series with the Cubs as manager Joe Maddon's longtime bench coach — was best suited for the job. Long was announced as the Nationals' hitting coach on November 2.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Team news
The Nationals rehired Bob Henley as third base coach, also announcing November 9 that former Arizona Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale had been hired as bench coach, former St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Derek Lilliquist had been hired as pitching coach, and former Seattle Mariners bench coach Tim Bogar had been hired as first base coach. Former major league utilityman Joe Dillon was also hired to support Long as assistant hitting coach. The Nationals rounded out Martinez's staff on November 15, announcing that Cubs quality assurance coach Henry Blanco had been hired as bullpen coach.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Team news
The Nationals had the largest free agent class in Major League Baseball, losing right-handed relievers Matt Albers, Joe Blanton, and Brandon Kintzler; left-handed reliever Óliver Pérez; starting pitcher Edwin Jackson; backup catcher José Lobatón; utility players Stephen Drew and Howie Kendrick; and outfielders Alejandro De Aza, Ryan Raburn, and Jayson Werth to free agency as their contracts expired. First baseman and left fielder Adam Lind also became a free agent as the Nationals declined his option. Catcher Matt Wieters decided to exercise his $10.5 million player option, remaining a National for another season.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Team news
The Nationals signed nearly half of their departing free agents to new contracts: Kintzler agreed to a new deal including club and player options for the 2019 season to stay in Washington, and Kendrick agreed to a two-year deal to return, while Jackson, Raburn, and De Aza re-signed with the Nationals on minor league deals.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Team news
The team elected to tender one-year contracts to all three of its arbitration-eligible players — third baseman Anthony Rendon, right-handed pitcher Tanner Roark, and outfielder Michael A. Taylor — after having previously reached a one-year extension agreement for right fielder Bryce Harper, who had also been eligible for arbitration in his final year before free agency, for the 2018 season back in May. The team avoided arbitration with all three players, with salary agreements for each being announced January 12, 2018.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Team news
Rizzo stated the Nationals were primarily interested in adding right-handed relief pitching, along with "depth" for their starting rotation and bench, during the off-season.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Team news
Among the free agents Washington was linked to, with varying reports on their level of interest: catchers Alex Avila (ultimately signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks) and Jonathan Lucroy (ultimately signed by the Oakland Athletics); right-handed relievers Wade Davis (ultimately signed by the Colorado Rockies), Greg Holland, Addison Reed (ultimately signed by the Minnesota Twins), and Hector Rondon (ultimately signed by the Houston Astros); right-handed starting pitchers Jake Arrieta (ultimately signed by the Philadelphia Phillies); Alex Cobb (ultimately signed by the Baltimore Orioles), and Lance Lynn (ultimately signed by the Minnesota Twins); and Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher and outfielder Shohei Ohtani (ultimately signed by the Los Angeles Angels).


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Team news
They were also connected to Lind, who had contributed to the team's 2017 season, prior to signing free agent Matt Adams to serve as a backup first baseman and outfielder, as well as to Albers, another 2017 National, before re-signing Kintzler.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Team news
Media reports also connected the Nationals to potential trade candidates like catcher J. T. Realmuto and outfielders Marcell Ozuna (ultimately traded to the St. Louis Cardinals) and Christian Yelich (ultimately traded to the Milwaukee Brewers), all of the Miami Marlins; right-handed starting pitcher Gerrit Cole of the Pittsburgh Pirates (ultimately traded to the Houston Astros); and right-handed starting pitchers Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi (ultimately traded to the Minnesota Twins), both of the Tampa Bay Rays.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Team news
Amid a fairly quiet off-season on the trade front, the Nationals made a deal with the division-rival New York Mets shortly before opening their spring training camp to acquire utility infielder Matt Reynolds for cash considerations. A rumored trade of Wieters to the Athletics during spring training did not materialize, with Oakland instead signing the free agent Lucroy to a major league contract.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Team news
The Nationals' streak of seasons, dating back to their inaugural 2005 season, of not having a player on their active roster test positive for performance-enhancing drugs came to an end February 7, 2018, when Major League Baseball handed catcher Raudy Read an 80-game suspension over a positive test for the banned steroid Boldenone. Read was placed on the restricted list.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
The Nationals held spring training at their facility at The Ballpark of The Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Florida, which they shared with the 2017 World Series champion Houston Astros. It was their second year at the facility. On February 16, the Nationals and Astros signed a 12-year deal for the naming rights to the stadium with FITTEAM, an event brand partnership and organic products firm in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, resulting in the facility being renamed FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches effective that day. Astros, Nationals, and FITTEAM executives held a ceremony behind home plate on February 21, 2018, to officially unveil the new name and a new logo for the facility reflecting the name change.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
The Nationals announced 21 non-roster invitees to major league spring training on February 13, 2018: pitchers Tim Collins, Jimmy Cordero, Brady Dragmire, David Goforth, Ismael Guillón, Bryan Harper, Edwin Jackson, Jaron Long, Román Méndez, Tommy Milone, Chris Smith, and César Vargas; catchers Taylor Gushue, Spencer Kieboom, Miguel Montero, and Jhonatan Solano; infielders Osvaldo Abreu, Reid Brignac, and Chris Dominguez; and outfielders Ryan Raburn and Moises Sierra. Pitchers and catchers reported to camp the following day, and position players followed on February 19.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
The Nationals announced reliever Koda Glover was dealing with a recurrence of the right shoulder inflammation that had prematurely ended his season in 2017, leading the team to shut him down by February 18. Following the Nationals' signing of Joaquin Benoit to contend for a spot in the major league bullpen, starting pitcher Joe Ross, still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery in July 2017, was placed on the 60-day disabled list effective February 21.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
Washington sent Milone to the mound to start the opener of Grapefruit League action on February 23, an "away" game for the Nationals at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches against the Astros. Both teams elected to wear the caps of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School baseball team to honor students and staff slain on February 14 in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in nearby Parkland, Florida. Houston took the lead in the third inning with a two-run home run by catcher Max Stassi off Long, who came on in relief of Milone after two scoreless innings.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
The Nationals struck back in the fifth inning, with the third baseman Dominguez driving home left fielder Andrew Stevenson after he doubled and then being brought home on an RBI single by first baseman Jose Marmolejos. But the tie game was short-lived, as Dragmire took the mound in the bottom of the fifth and immediately surrendered a solo home run to Astros third baseman J. D. Davis. Both teams were effectively kept off the board for the rest of the game, and the Astros won 3–2.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, entering his final season before expected free agency in the winter, suffered an ingrown toenail that required minor surgery on February 28. He was one of several Nationals reported to be dealing with minor injuries, with outfielders Raburn  and Michael A. Taylor both scratched from early spring contests with side tightness and first basemen Ryan Zimmerman and Matt Adams also missing several games early in the spring with fleeting health concerns: "stiffness" for Zimmerman and a foot blister for Adams.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
Additionally, the Nationals were cautious in their handling of second baseman Daniel Murphy and outfielder Adam Eaton, both recovering from knee surgeries in 2017. Reliever Wander Suero injured his side during an appearance out of the bullpen on March 8, prompting the Nationals to shut him down and option him to minor league camp; fellow right-hander Benoit was shut down in mid-March with a forearm strain. A. J. Cole, attempting to win a spot in the starting rotation, missed a mid-March start due to illness. Shortstop Trea Turner also underwent a procedure on March 19 to remove an ingrown toenail, prompting manager Dave Martinez to quip, "That's been the trend of spring."


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
Minor-league spring training began in the first week of March, and on March 5, the Nationals sent left-handed pitcher Seth Romero home to Houston indefinitely from minor-league camp for repeated curfew violations. Romero – the Nationals' first-round pick in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft and ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 5 prospect in the Nationals organization – had been suspended twice and finally dismissed permanently for rules violations during his college career with the University of Houston Cougars baseball team, raising concerns about his character, but the Nationals did not cut ties with him. Instead, they gave him a list of things he had to do to earn his way back into the organization, with the expectation that he would meet those requirements and play in the Nationals' farm system again sometime during the 2018 season.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
The Nationals made a late addition to their slate of non-roster invitees on March 17, 2018, signing starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league camp. Hellickson was reportedly brought into the organization to compete for the last spot in the major league rotation, along with Erick Fedde, Cole, Jackson, and Milone. The team announced March 23 that Cole would start the season in the major league rotation, with Hellickson working to build up his stamina as a starter.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
The Nationals informed Montero the following day that he would open the year as the major league backup catcher behind Matt Wieters. The day after that, the Nationals optioned utilitymen Matt Reynolds and Adrián Sánchez to the minor leagues, leaving the team with an extra reliever in the bullpen and a four-man bench at the end of the preseason.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
Veteran first baseman Ryan Zimmerman's 2018 spring training regimen was extremely unusual and perhaps unprecedented, sparking much discussion and debate among fans and the press. During the spring he appeared in only one major-league game, against the New York Mets at First Data Field at Port St. Lucie, Florida, on March 2, going 1-for-2 with a line out to right fielder Jay Bruce in the first inning and a soft liner into center field for a double off pitcher Hansel Robles in the fourth inning.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
Otherwise, he stayed out of the public eye, playing strictly in simulated and minor-league games on the back fields of the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches complex, virtually unobserved by fans and the press. A reported bout Zimmerman had with back stiffness early in spring training led to speculation among fans and the press that Zimmerman and the Nationals were trying to hide an injury from public scrutiny, but the Nationals' staff denied it.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
They explained that Zimmerman disliked the conventional spring training regimen, seeing himself a needing only 50 at-bats to prepare himself for the regular season, and that he had proposed to manager Dave Martinez early in the 2018 edition of spring training that he restrict himself to the back fields and prepare for the regular season at his own pace to ensure that he would be in the best possible health when the season began, and Martinez had approved of the plan under the assumption that, as a veteran, Zimmerman could be trusted to prepare in a way that was best for him.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
By playing in the more controlled environment of simulated and minor league games, he enjoyed far more flexibility than in Grapefruit League games; he could prepare at his own pace, batting – even leading off – in every inning or skipping at-bats, all while having a choice as to whether to play in the field or not from inning to inning. The Nationals' staff assured reporters that Zimmerman was getting plenty of at-bats, looked good on the back fields, and would be fully ready for Opening Day.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
In discussions with the press about his unusual spring training plan, Zimmerman dismissed concerns about his health and preparedness for the regular season, good-naturedly arguing that his success or failure during the regular season would be the best way to judge his spring regimen, and that by early in the regular season fans and reporters would forget all about spring training.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
By Opening Day, Zimmerman revealed that he had avoided baserunning and fielding entirely so as to better manage his chronic problems with an arthritic shoulder and plantar fasciitis, and that in simulated and minor-league games he had often had eight at-bats a day rather than the two or three he would have had in Grapefruit League games, and he entered the regular season fully healthy.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Offseason, Spring training
The Nationals won their penultimate spring training game, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 4–2 on March 25 at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches with starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg striking out 10 Cardinals, most of them regulars, in 52⁄3 innings. They broke camp that day and headed north to Washington, where they completed spring training with an exhibition game at Nationals Park against the Minnesota Twins on March 27. With 23,877 fans looking on – and Zimmerman choosing not to play – the Twins beat the Nationals 3-1, and Washington finished spring training with a Grapefruit League record of 13–17–2.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, Opening Day, Game recap
The Nationals' 2018 regular season began a day later than planned when the Cincinnati Reds made the unusual decision to postpone a game more than 24 hours before the scheduled first pitch, announcing on March 28 that because of a rainy forecast the March 29 Opening Day game at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati – the earliest opening day in MLB history excluding international openers – would be postponed until March 30, a date previously scheduled as an off day specifically for the purpose of rescheduling the opener in the event it was postponed. The decision came too late for the Nationals to delay their departure from Washington, and they arrived in Cincinnati on the afternoon of March 28.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, Opening Day, Game recap
Max Scherzer got the Opening Day start for Washington, striking out eight of the first 11 Reds he faced, including seven in a row. He pitched six shutout innings in which he threw 100 pitches and struck out ten Reds, the 65th 10-strikeout game of his career. The trio of Brandon Kintzler, Ryan Madson, and closer Sean Doolittle pitched the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings and preserved the shutout.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, Opening Day, Game recap
On offense, the Nationals got on the board early. In the top of the first inning left fielder Adam Eaton led off with a single and right fielder Bryce Harper singled with one out, advancing Eaton to third.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, Opening Day, Game recap
First baseman Ryan Zimmerman, making his first appearance against major-league pitching since an early Grapefruit League game on March 2, then hit a ground ball to Cincinnati third baseman Eugenio Suárez that looked like it would result in an inning-ending double-play, but after Suárez threw to second baseman Scooter Gennett to force out Harper, Harper's slide into the base prompted Gennett to bounce his throw to first baseman Joey Votto; Votto could not handle the bounce, and Zimmerman was safe at first on a fielder's choice, allowing Eaton to score what proved to be the decisive run.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, Opening Day, Game recap
It was the only run Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey gave up in his own six innings of work, but Bailey took the loss. The Nationals tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth when center fielder Michael A. Taylor "manufactured" a run by leading off with a single, stealing second base, advancing to third on a groundout by catcher Matt Wieters, and scoring on a sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Brian Goodwin. Doolittle then hammered down the save in the bottom of the ninth, striking out two of the four batters he faced in the inning, and the Nationals won 2–0.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, Opening Day, Game recap
The game took place before 43,878 fans, the largest regular-season crowd in the history of Great American Ball Park. It was Nationals manager Dave Martinez's first career win as a manager.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, Record vs. opponents
The October 1 tiebreaker games were regular-season games that are included here.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
The Washington Nationals opened their season with a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, led by left fielder Adam Eaton, who returned from missing eleven months due to a knee injury in April 2017 to go 8-for-13 (.615), including two doubles, two home runs, and a game-opening hit in all three contests, with seven runs scored, five RBIs, and only one strikeout. He went 5-for-5 in the second game of the series on March 31. Eaton and his teammates combined for eight home runs in the series, eclipsing the team record of six over the first three games of a season. On April 2, Eaton was named National League Player of the Week.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
The Nationals began their next series on April 2 by beating the Atlanta Braves 8–1, winning the first four games of the regular season for the first time since arriving in Washington, It was the first 4–0 start for the franchise since the Montreal Expos won their first four games in 1983.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
They dropped their first game of the year to the Braves on April 3, as starting pitcher A. J. Cole hit his first major league home run in the second inning but surrendered 10 earned runs, tying a franchise record for earned runs allowed in a start and taking the loss. Right fielder Bryce Harper homered in his third consecutive game in the 13–6 loss.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
The Nationals returned to Washington with a record of 4–2.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
Immediately upon their return, general manager Mike Rizzo signed a two-year contract extension with the Nationals reportedly worth $4 million a year that would keep him in Washington through the end of the 2020 season, and the Nationals announced the deal on the morning of their home opener on April 7. Facing the New York Mets in the Nationals' season opener on April 5, Stephen Strasburg struggled after a strong first inning, ultimately surrendering four earned runs over six innings and being saddled with the loss; the Mets hit three home runs in the contest, including a Jay Bruce grand slam off reliever Brandon Kintzler in the seventh inning that iced the game.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
Eaton left the game in the top of the sixth inning with a minor ankle injury, a worrying development for the Nationals after his season-ending injury in April 2017. The Nationals challenged Mets starter Jacob deGrom in the sixth, loading the bases with no outs, but failed to score, and Washington shortstop Trea Turner argued with umpire Doug Eddings over an inning-ending called strike and was ejected from the game for the first time in his career. The loss dropped the Nationals' record in home openers to 5–9 overall and 4–7 at Nationals Park, with first baseman Ryan Zimmerman's limited spring training regimen coming under renewed scrutiny as he struggled at the plate.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
With Eaton day-to-day following his removal from the home opener, the Nationals opted to expand their bench by adding utilityman Matt Reynolds, recalling him from the Class-AAA Syracuse Chiefs on April 7. Catcher Miguel Montero was placed on the paternity list and the Nationals purchased the contract of veteran catcher Jhonatan Solano, who had last appeared in the major leagues in the 2015 season, from Syracuse to replace him.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
Left-handed reliever Enny Romero, who had struggled in spring training and over the first seven games of the season, was designated for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster for Solano. Manager Dave Martinez also confirmed that Cole would remain in the rotation following his 10-run outing against the Braves, but that his next start would be skipped.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
Despite the changes, the Mets followed up their victory in the Nationals' home opener by completing a three-game sweep of the Nationals even though the Nationals had scored first in each game and despite a stand-out offensive performance by Harper, who, playing in only the ninth game of the season on April 8, had already become the first player in MLB history with at least six home runs (leading the National League) and 13 walks in his team's first 10 or fewer games. Kintzler took both losses in relief, following up his disastrous relief appearance in the home opener.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
Martinez was ejected from the latter game on April 8 after protesting home plate umpire Marty Foster's decision to eject third baseman Anthony Rendon for tossing his bat after a called third strike; it was the first ejection of Martinez's managerial career, and he got his money's worth, throwing his ballcap down and kicking at the dirt around home plate before leaving the field of play. The Nationals completed the Mets series with a record of 4–5, their first sub-.500 regular-season record since August 2015, ending an MLB-best 961 straight days at .500 or better. The Nationals' losing streak stretched to five games with the sweep at the hands of the division-rival Mets, their longest since a stretch of seven straight losses in June 2016.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
The Nationals snapped their losing streak behind a 102-pitch, complete-game shutout from Scherzer against the Braves at Nationals Park on April 9, his ninth complete game and fifth shutout in his career, in which he allowed two hits and struck out 10 Braves, issuing no walks and not allowing any Brave to reach second base. Second baseman Howie Kendrick provided all the offense the Nationals needed or would receive in the 2–0 contest with a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
Scherzer also notched his first career stolen base on his first career stolen base attempt, singling and then swiping second in the seventh inning off the battery of Atlanta reliever Peter Moylan and catcher Kurt Suzuki; it was the first time in history a Nationals pitcher stole a base. Scherzer's start was nearly matched the following day by Strasburg, who pitched eight shutout innings en route to a 4–1 win over Atlanta. The Nationals activated Montero before the game, although he did not play in it, and placed Solano on the 10-day disabled list with bone chips in his elbow.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
Eaton was assigned to the 10-day disabled list as well on April 11 with a bone bruise in his ankle. To fill his spot on the roster, the Nationals selected the contract of outfielder Moisés Sierra from Class-AAA Syracuse. Montero was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot for Sierra. The Nationals also activated Wieters from the disabled list after he had played in one rehab game at Class-A Advanced Potomac.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
Washington was unable to complete a three-game sweep of the Braves later that day, as while Cole was much more effective in his second start of the year, giving up two runs and pitching one out into the sixth inning, and the Nationals were able to force extra innings, veteran setup man Ryan Madson surrendered two runs in the twelfth inning to allow the Braves to win 5–3.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
With their offense slumping, the Nationals followed the loss to Atlanta with two more losses at Nationals Park to the Colorado Rockies. The three-game skid dropped the Nationals' record to 6–8, the first time they had been two games under .500 since May 15, 2015. The second loss to the Rockies dropped them to 2–8 in their past ten games; their last two such stretches had come in 2013 and 2015, the last two seasons in which they had not made the playoffs.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
The Nationals won on April 14 behind another gem by Scherzer—in which he gave up a two-run homer in the first inning but then retired the next 20 batters in a row before leaving the game after seven innings—but dropped the rubber game against Colorado the next day, with Doolittle serving up a go-ahead home run to Rockies outfielder and former Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond in the ninth inning to lose it.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
The Nationals went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position in the game, falling 6–5 despite ten walks, a hit batter, three wild pitches, and a passed ball by Colorado, and the Nationals completed a disappointing 10-game home stand having gone 3–7. Scherzer was named National League Player of the Week for the period April 9–15, the fourth Player of the Week award of his career, and his second as a National, the previous one having come for the final week of the 2015 season.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
The Nationals made several roster moves on April 16, optioning reliever Trevor Gott to the Class-AAA Syracuse Chiefs, placing catcher Jhonatan Solano on the 60-day disabled list, moving Cole to the bullpen, and activating pitcher Jeremy Hellickson to make his first start as a National in the game that evening against the Mets at Citi Field. Hellickson left the game in the fifth inning with his team trailing the Mets 2–1, and relievers Matt Grace and Cole proceeded to give up four runs between them, creating a five-run deficit by the eighth inning.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
However, the Nationals finally cracked deGrom after another dominant outing from the Mets ace and mounted a furious sustained rally, reeling off six runs against deGrom and the New York bullpen in the eight inning and adding a seventh unanswered run on a solo home run by the second baseman Kendrick in the ninth to stun the Mets 8–6 while delivering Cole his first win of the year.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
On April 17, the Nationals placed outfielder Brian Goodwin on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to April 16 due to a wrist injury he had suffered while fielding a ball the previous week and called up outfielder Andrew Stevenson from Syracuse. That evening, they clinched a series win over the Mets, winning 5–2, with Turner posting a standout defensive game at shortstop, evening their record at 9–9.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
On April 18, Zimmerman broke out of his early-season slump with two homers, a triple, and four RBIs, Roark gave up only two hits and two runs in seven innings of work, and the Nationals led 4–2 after 71⁄2 innings, but they missed a series sweep of the Mets thanks to a disastrous eighth inning in which the bullpen faced 12 batters and gave up nine runs.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
During the inning, Madson surrendered six runs on five hits and got only two outs; Sammy Solís relieved him and walked the only two batters he faced, walking in a run; and Cole took over and immediately gave up a grand slam to New York center fielder Yoenis Céspedes before getting the final out. The Mets went on to win 11-5, and the Nationals again fell below .500 on the season.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
Cole, who had pitched to a 13.06 ERA in 101⁄3 innings of work for Washington, was designated for assignment on April 20. The Nationals selected the contract of veteran right-hander Carlos Torres from Class-AAA Syracuse the same day.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
That evening, the Nationals opened a series in Los Angeles against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a game that was promoted as probably the best pitching match-up of the 2018 regular season: It pitted two three-time Cy Young Award winners against each other as starting pitchers for only the tenth time in MLB history, in the form of Scherzer and Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. Struggling uncharacteristically, Kershaw quickly fell behind and ultimately allowed four runs to take the loss, with Scherzer outdueling the left-hander.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
On April 21, the Nationals placed Grace on the 10-day disabled list with a groin injury and recalled Gott from Syracuse to replace him in the bullpen, and on April 22, they placed Rendon—who had not played since fouling a ball off his big toe on April 13, but had remained off the disabled list in the belief that it would heal quickly—on the 10-day disabled list and called up reliever Austin L. Adams from Syracuse. Meanwhile, they dropped the last two games of their series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
Strasburg gave up two solo home runs on April 21 but lost what was otherwise a pitcher's duel to Los Angeles starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, who led the Dodgers in Washington's first shutout of the young season; the following evening, on ESPN's nationally televised Sunday night game, the Nationals held a 3–0 lead into the sixth inning behind a strong start by Hellickson before the Dodgers rallied to tie the game and then take the lead, winning 4–3 to drop the Nationals to 3–3 on their road trip and 10–12 on the season.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
The Nationals' losing streak continued in San Francisco against the Giants, stretching to four before the visitors salvaged the last game of the three-game set.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
The turnover on the struggling team's roster continued, with Washington on April 24 placing reliever Shawn Kelley, who had given up a decisive home run to the Giants the previous evening, on the 10-day disabled list, making him the fourth National to go on the disabled list since the start of the road trip; on the same day, they optioned Matt Reynolds to Syracuse and called up outfielder Rafael Bautista and infielder Adrián Sánchez from their Class-AAA affiliate.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
The Nationals' offense exploded on April 25 with a season-high 18 hits, five of them authored by Turner in just the second five-hit game of his career, plus four by Stevenson, starting in left field and adding to his tally of just 10 major league hits coming into the game. The game ended with a 15–2 Washington victory that snapped the team's skid and marked a season high in runs scored for the team.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
The Nationals returned to Nationals Park on April 27 to open a 10-day, 10-game homestand with a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. They lost the first two games of the series, using every reliever in their bullpen on April 28. On April 29, they optioned Adams, who had walked in the winning run on April 28, to Syracuse and called up pitcher Austin Voth from Syracuse.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
They won the final game of the Arizona series on April 29, and on April 30, they optioned Voth (who did not appear in a major league contest) back to Syracuse and called up right-handed reliever Wander Suero from the Chiefs. That evening, they closed out the month by opening a four-game series at Nationals Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a win, giving them back-to-back victories for the first time since April 16–17 and for only the third time since opening the season 4–0.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
All told, the Nationals began April by completing a three-game sweep of the Reds, but with subsequent skids including a two-out-of-three series loss to the Braves on the road, a sweep by the Mets in their first home series of the season, a two-of-three loss to the Rockies at home, a West Coast swing in which they won just one game in three against both the Dodgers and the Giants, and a two-of-three loss to the visiting Diamondbacks.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
Aside from their sweep of the Reds, the Nationals' only series wins of the month were when they hosted the Braves in their second home series of the year and when they visited the Mets to begin their second roadtrip of the season. The Nationals finished April in fourth place in the National League East Division with a 13-16 record. Their 11-16 record in April made it their first losing month since a 12–17 performance in August 2015 and gave them their worst monthly winning percentage (.407) since they went 11-16 in July 2013.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, March–April
After a hot start, Bryce Harper found himself in a 5-for-35 slump at the end of April, but he finished the month with 38 walks on the season, the second-most walks in a season by April 30 in MLB history. Scherzer was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for April after running up a 1.62 ERA over 39 innings of work in the month and commanding the MLB lead in strikeouts with 57 and wins with five.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
On May 1, for the second game of the Pittsburgh series, manager Dave Martinez decided to shake up the lineup by having right fielder Bryce Harper bat leadoff for the first time since 2013, hoping that it would give more at-bats and force opposing pitchers to pitch to him instead of routine walking him. The move paid off, as Harper broke out with his first home run in two weeks.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
With additional offense from left fielder Matt Adams and shortstop Trea Turner drove in three runs, the Nationals jumped out to a 12–2 lead behind another strong outing by starter Max Scherzer and hung on for a 12–4 win. Wander Suero, after 212 minor league games over eight seasons, made his major-league debut when he relieved Scherzer and pitched a scoreless two-thirds of an inning. The win gave the Nationals their first three-game winning streak since they opened the season 4–0 and improved their record to 14–16.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
The streak stretched to four, marking the first time they had had four consecutive victories since the first four games of the season, as starter Stephen Strasburg led the Nationals to a third win over the Pirates on May 2 with an 11-strikeout performance backed by Harper, Adams, and second baseman Howie Kendrick. The Nationals completed a four-game sweep of the Pirates on May 3, evening their record at 16–16 as closer Sean Doolittle converted his first five-out save in nearly three years. It was Washington's first five-game winning streak since early September 2017.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
The Nationals welcomed the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies to Nationals Park on May 4 to begin a three-game series, winning the opener to edge above .500 for the first time since April 10 and activating third baseman Anthony Rendon from the 10-day disabled list, as he had recovered from a hairline fracture in his toe, on May 5. Infielder Adrián Sánchez was optioned to the Class-AAA Syracuse Chiefs in a corresponding move.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
However, the Nationals dropped the second game of the series to the Phillies, and the winning streak came to an end in a 3–1 loss that dropped the Nationals back to .500.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
The following afternoon saw a contest between the previous two Cy Young Award winners, Scherzer and Phillies starter Jake Arrieta; while Arrieta pitched well, allowing just one run on Adams' fifth homer of the month in his six innings of work, Scherzer had an historic game: By the fourth inning, he had already struck out 10 Phillies for the 69th game of his career with 10 or more strikeouts, at one point he struck out seven in a row, and he left the game after 61⁄3 innings with 15 strikeouts on 111 pitches, 71 of them strikes, his highest strikeout total in a game since his 20-strikeout complete game in May 2016, and he became the first MLB pitcher in history to strike out at least 15 batters in no more than 61⁄3 innings.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
Despite a Phillies rally, the Nationals struck back for their first walk-off win of the season, with second baseman Wilmer Difo singling home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as Phillies closer Héctor Neris failed to record an out. The final score was 5–4, with Washington getting back over .500 with the victory.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
The Nationals optioned outfielder Rafael Bautista to Syracuse on May 7 and activated right-handed reliever Shawn Kelley from the 10-day disabled list. They began a seven-game road trip that evening and took two out of three games from the San Diego Padres, climbing ahead of the fading New York Mets into third place in the National League East on May 8. They moved on to a four-game series at Arizona.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
After beating the Diamondbacks in their first extra-inning win of the season on May 10, they made a number of roster moves on May 11, moving outfielder Adam Eaton—who had undergone arthroscopic surgery on his nagging ankle injury—from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list retroactive to April 9, placed catcher Matt Wieters on the 10-day disabled list after he suffered a hamstring injury in the May 10 game, and called up catcher Spencer Kieboom from Syracuse for his first taste of major league action since a solitary pinch-hit appearance in October 2016.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
Scherzer started on May 11 and struck out 11 Diamondbacks on 99 pitches over seven innings while driving in the deciding run on a ground-rule double in the fourth inning, as the Nationals won, 3–1, for the 11th time in 13 games and moved to 11⁄2 games out of first place in the National League East.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
After suffering a back injury in a game during the previous homestand, first baseman Ryan Zimmerman landed on the 10-day disabled list on May 12 with what the Nationals described as a right oblique strain, retroactive to May 10, as he was held out of several games on the roadtrip. The same day, they called up first baseman Mark Reynolds from Class-AAA Syracuse and moved right-handed pitcher Joaquín Benoit from the 10-day to the 60-day disabled list to make room on the 40-man roster for Reynolds.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
Reynolds did not play as the Nationals topped Arizona again on May 12 behind starter Jeremy Hellickson's bid for a perfect game, which he carried into the seventh inning while extending a scoreless streak to 121⁄3 innings. The right-handed slugger made his season debut in the final game of the four-game set, leading Washington to the rare four-game sweep on the road as he homered twice against his former team, including a go-ahead two-run shot in the eighth inning that gave the Nationals their winning margin in the 6–4 contest.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
The Nationals experienced an unusually long layoff as a two-game homestand against the New York Yankees scheduled to start May 15 was rained out; the teams were able to begin the first game, which was suspended at a 3–3 tie midway through the fifth inning, but it was ultimately continued to June 18 as inclement weather prevented any further action. The first game of a three-game set at Nationals Park against the Los Angeles Dodgers was also rescheduled as part of a May 19 doubleheader.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
The time off did not appear to serve Washington well, as although rookie catcher Kieboom made his first career start and recorded his first major league hit in the first game of the day, the Nationals lost both ends of the doubleheader, as well as the services of stalwart utilityman Kendrick for the remainder of the season when he ruptured his Achilles tendon on a play in left field in the first game.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
After placing Kendrick on the disabled list in between games, the Nationals recalled infielder Adrián Sánchez from Class-AAA Syracuse as the 26th man, as well as right-handed pitcher Jefry Rodríguez from the Class-AA Harrisburg Senators in his first major league posting. The following day, Rodríguez was optioned back to Harrisburg without having appeared in a game, and the Nationals elected to promote outfielder Juan Soto from their Class-AA affiliate, designating outfielder Moisés Sierra—who had not notched a hit in nearly one month—for assignment.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
In earning the promotion, Soto completed a meteoric ascent to the major leagues, as the Nationals' 19-year-old second-ranked prospect had started the season with the Class-A Hagerstown Suns before making brief stopovers with the High-A Potomac Nationals and Class-AA Senators en route to Washington, amassing a .362 batting average with 14 home runs. Soto made his major league debut that evening, appearing as a pinch-hitter and striking out swinging as the Nationals were swept by the Dodgers, 7–2, following a poor outing by Washington's starter Strasburg. The three-game skid marked the Nationals' worst of the month, a disappointment exacerbated as the team lost another key player, setup man Ryan Madson, to the disabled list with a pectoral strain.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
Soto and the Nationals fared better on May 21, as the teenage left fielder made his first career start and hit the first pitch he saw from San Diego Padres starter Robbie Erlin into the left field seats at Nationals Park for an opposite-field, three-run home run.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
Left-handed relief pitcher Tim Collins, whose contract was purchased from Class-AAA Syracuse to replace Madson in the bullpen—Kendrick was transferred to the 60-day disabled list to make room on the 40-man roster—also made his season debut in the May 21 game, appearing for the first time in a major league game since the 2014 World Series and pitching a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
The Nationals went on to thrash the Padres 10–2, then walked off over the visitors in the ninth inning 2–1 the following day as center fielder Michael A. Taylor doubled home Soto, who reached base in all four of his plate appearances, for the winning run. However, they dropped the final game of the three-game series on May 23 as spot starter Erick Fedde, recalled for the day from Class-AAA Syracuse for his season debut and fourth career start, was outdueled by San Diego ace Tyson Ross. To make room for Fedde on the roster, the Nationals designated Carlos Torres for assignment after a string of mixed results for the veteran right-hander out of the bullpen. That bullpen spot was filled on May 25 as the Nationals selected the contract of 30-year-old right-hander Justin Miller from Syracuse.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
Scherzer led the Nationals to a series-opening 9–5 win against the division-rival Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on May 25, despite giving up a season-high four runs and only striking out four Marlins in the game, with Adams and Taylor each providing a two-run home run to back the staff ace.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
The Nationals again rallied to win 4–1 on May 26, with the second baseman Difo homering off the left-field foul pole to tie the game in the eighth inning and the first baseman Reynolds putting the visitors on top for good in the ninth inning with a home run of his own. Miller, making his season debut and his first major league appearance since the 2016 season, earned the win in relief with a scoreless outing. The Nationals completed the sweep behind a five-inning start by Strasburg on May 27.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
Washington kept on rolling as it swept the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in a three-game interleague set that included two shutouts. Gio González pitched the Nationals to a 6–0 finish on May 28. The second game of the series on May 29 was a closer affair, finishing 3–2, but Hellickson was able to claim his first win of the year over his former team while Soto contributed with his first career three-hit game.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
Scherzer shut the Orioles down on May 30 in a 2–0 win to finish the sweep, scattering two hits and a walk over eight innings while striking out twelve. The six-game winning streak put them a half-game ahead of the Atlanta Braves for first place in the National League East Division for the first time since April 3.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
Despite getting Madson back from his brief disabled-list stint on May 31, optioning fellow right-handed reliever Trevor Gott to Syracuse to make room on the active roster, the Nationals finished the month on a sour note as they were denied their twentieth victory of May by Sean Newcomb and the Atlanta Braves, who defeated Washington starter Tanner Roark in a 4–2 game at SunTrust Park to retake first place in the National League East. The Nationals thus finished May in second, a half-game behind Atlanta, with a 19–7 record for the month and a 32–23 record overall.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, May
All told, they recorded seven series wins in the month, four of them sweeps: a four-game sweep of the Pirates that began in April, another four-game sweep of the Diamondbacks, and back-to-back sweeps of three-game series against the Marlins and Orioles. They lost only one series in May, itself a three-game sweep at the hands of the visiting Dodgers. Scherzer was honored as National League Pitcher of the Month for the second month in a row, recording a 2.21 ERA for the month and leading the major leagues in May strikeouts with 63.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
The month of June got off to a poor start for the Nationals as they were shut out for only the second time of the season by Atlanta Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
A lethargic offense in the third game of the series on June 2 received a shot in the arm from 19-year-old left fielder Juan Soto, who homered to tie the game in the seventh inning, and then Max Scherzer, as the Nationals ace pinch-hit and singled in the fourteenth inning, then scored from first base on a triple by second baseman Wilmer Difo to give the Nationals a late lead. Catcher Spencer Kieboom also delivered with his first career RBI, driving in Difo to round out the 5–3 finish.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
The Nationals bullpen also contributed seven innings without allowing a baserunner, with reliever Justin Miller throwing a career-high three innings to earn the win. On the heels of the dramatic extra-innings victory, the Nationals placed reliever Tim Collins on paternity leave June 3 and recalled Jefry Rodríguez from the Class-AA Harrisburg Senators for the second time of the season to serve as a long reliever if necessary. As it turned out, the Nationals needed Rodríguez after starter Jeremy Hellickson exited in the first inning due to a hamstring injury on a play at first base.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
In his major league debut, Rodríguez contributed 42⁄3 innings while allowing just one run inherited from Hellickson. However, when manager Dave Martinez turned to starter Tanner Roark in the ninth inning with his bullpen severely depleted, Roark surrendered a two-run walk-off home run to Charlie Culberson, with the Braves winning 4–2.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
The Nationals reinstated Collins from paternity leave and fellow left-handed reliever Matt Grace from the disabled list on June 5, optioning Rodríguez back to Class-AA Harrisburg and placing Hellickson on the 10-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain. That evening, Scherzer took the mound and earned his league-leading tenth win of the season against the Tampa Bay Rays in interleague play at Nationals Park, striking out thirteen Rays over eight innings—including three batters in a nine-pitch inning.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
With Rays reliever Jonny Venters making his first career start on June 6, the Nationals hammered him for five runs in 1⁄3 innings en route to an 11–2 win and a sweep of the two-game set, with third baseman Anthony Rendon celebrating his 28th birthday with a four-hit performance. Washington suffered its second blow to the rotation in less than a week's time on June 8, as starter Stephen Strasburg struggled to a loss and exited after two innings with right shoulder discomfort in a home game against the San Francisco Giants.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
With Strasburg headed to the 10-day disabled list with shoulder inflammation, the Nationals also released injured outfielder Rafael Bautista from and optioned reliever Wander Suero to the Class-AAA Syracuse Chiefs on June 9, clearing roster space to activate outfielder Adam Eaton from the 60-day disabled list. The June 9 game was a Nationals victory also marked by the appearance of Lord Stanley's Cup before (and during) the game, presented by the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League, who had won the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals days earlier.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
However, it also saw starter Gio González struggle to his shortest outing of the season and setup man Brandon Kintzler suffer an arm injury that caused him to leave the game. Kintzler was placed on the disabled list with a right forearm flexor strain on June 10 along with Strasburg, and Suero and right-handed reliever Trevor Gott were recalled from Class-AAA Syracuse.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
Despite another strong start from Scherzer on June 10, the Nationals could not muster any offense against Derek Holland and the San Francisco bullpen, suffering their second shutout of June, as Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford supplied all the offense the visitors needed with a two-run homer off Scherzer in the 2–0 contest.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
The Nationals activated infielder Daniel Murphy from the 10-day disabled list, optioning infielder Adrián Sánchez to Class-AAA Syracuse, to make his season debut as the designated hitter as they visited Yankee Stadium for a two-game interleague series with the New York Yankees on June 12. But even with Murphy and Eaton both in the lineup for the first time since April 2017, the Nationals' offensive woes continued as Yankees starter CC Sabathia led his team in a 3–0 blanking of the visitors despite a quality start turned in by Roark.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
Washington bounced back from the back-to-back shutouts the next game, however. With top pitching prospect Erick Fedde recalled from Class-AAA Syracuse to replace Strasburg in the rotation, Gott optioned back to Syracuse to make room, the Nationals rallied for a 5–4 victory behind their rookie left fielder Soto, who batted in four runs on two home runs in his first career multi-homer game. Miller, celebrating his 31st birthday, notched his fourth win of the season with a scoreless relief outing, striking out four Yankees.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
The Nationals continued their tour of the American League East with a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays on the road, with Murphy again DHing and notching his first hit and RBI of the season in the series opener on June 15, although Miller also allowed his first run of the season on a homer by Blue Jays third baseman Yangervis Solarte that led Toronto to a 6–5 win over Washington.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
For the second straight Scherzer start, and the third time in five games, the Nationals were shut out on June 16 by former National Marco Estrada and the Blue Jays' bullpen. In a near-clone of the game the Nationals lost to the Giants on June 10, Scherzer surrendered a two-run home run to Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis and received no run support as Toronto cruised from there to a 2–0 finish. It was the first time since August 2015 that Scherzer received losing decisions in back-to-back starts.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
The Blue Jays went on to sweep the series on June 17, 8–6, scoring the go-ahead run in the eighth inning on the first home run reliever Ryan Madson had allowed since June 2017, off the bat of Toronto left fielder Teoscar Hernández, which was immediately followed by another solo shot by the third baseman Solarte.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
Resuming the suspended game against the Yankees at Nationals Park from May 15, the Nationals scored the eventual winning run on a statistical oddity, as Soto—pinch-hitting for left fielder Matt Adams—hit a two-run home run in a game that technically started five days before he made his major league debut.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
Washington and New York went on to split the June 18 twin-bill, with the Nationals winning the continuation of the May 15 game 5–3, as Suero earned his first career win in relief, and the Yankees pinning a loss on Fedde and the Nationals in the second game, which finished at a 4–2 loss for the home team despite a last-ditch rally in the ninth inning against closer Aroldis Chapman. In another unusual statistic, the Nationals went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position in the second game, scoring both their runs on sacrifice flies by first baseman Mark Reynolds.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
During the latter game, the Nationals announced that they had swung an early midseason trade for Kansas City Royals closer Kelvin Herrera, trading infielder Kelvin Gutiérrez off their 40-man roster along with minor league outfielder Blake Perkins and minor league pitcher Yohanse Morel. Martinez confirmed after the game that incumbent closer Sean Doolittle, who finished out the first game of the day to notch his eighteenth save of the season, would retain his ninth-inning duties, with Herrera shifting into a new role with the Nationals. Herrera was activated the following day, with Suero optioned to Class-AAA Syracuse.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
Their injury woes continuing, the Nationals also listed Adams on the 10-day disabled list with a broken finger sustained on a bunt attempt in Toronto, recalling Rodríguez to make his first career start in place of the injured Hellickson, against the Orioles at Nationals Park. Rodríguez struggled, giving up five runs over five innings, but the Nationals rallied from a four-run deficit behind a four-hit day from shortstop Trea Turner, who came a triple from the cycle in the eventual 9–7 victory. Herrera also made his Nationals debut in the June 19 win, pitching a perfect eighth inning in relief.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
The Nationals were shut out by Andrew Cashner and the Orioles in the second game of the series, which finished early in the morning of June 21 after being interrupted by a rain delay of more than two hours, as the home team fell 3–0 in their fifth game of the month without pushing across a score.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
However, they rebounded behind another strong outing from Scherzer in the rubber match that evening, with Herrera picking up his first win as a National after his scoreless relief outing in the eighth inning of a tie game was followed by a two-run double by Soto, batting cleanup for the first time in his major league career, that gave the Nationals their final 4–2 margin of victory. The win was Washington's 40th of the season.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
The Nationals' offense was moribund for two and a half games against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies, who were on the verge of a three-game sweep in Washington until the Nationals mounted a furious rally June 24 and into the early morning of June 25, in a game that was nationally televised by ESPN on Sunday Night Baseball.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
The home team stormed back from a four-run deficit with six unanswered runs in a hitting outburst keyed by Harper and Murphy, both of whom had been struggling at the plate throughout the month of June, along with Turner, Rendon, Soto, and center fielder Michael A. Taylor. The Nationals won 8–6 to salvage the series. However, the offensive resurgence did not last as the Nationals traveled to St. Petersburg, Florida, for a two-game interleague series against the Rays.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
The visitors were shut out in both games, with Scherzer suffering his third loss of the month without any run support to back a quality start on June 26 as the Nationals lost 1–0. The team did welcome back Kintzler, who was activated at the start of the Tampa Bay series as Rodríguez was optioned to Class-AAA Syracuse.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
Following a series-opening loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on June 28, the Nationals rebounded in the second game on June 29, hitting a season-high seven home runs and scoring 17 runs to back Fedde in the rookie right-hander's first career win, topping their division rival Philadelphia by a 10-run margin.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
The Phillies were able to hold the Nationals in check in the third game of the four-game set, overcoming an early exit by starter Vince Velasquez after an Eaton line drive ricocheted off his pitching arm to win 4–3 and deal the first loss of the season to Hellickson, who was activated off the disabled list before the game—with reliever Sammy Solís being optioned to Class-AAA Syracuse, as the Nats also activated suspended catcher Raudy Read and optioned him to Syracuse, transferring injured first baseman Ryan Zimmerman from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list in a corresponding move.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
The end of June marked the mathematical halfway point at which the Nationals had played 81 of their 162 scheduled regular-season games in 2018. Washington finished June with a 9–16 win-loss record (not counting the continuation of the May 15 game versus the Yankees), their worst record in a full calendar month since June 2010, and three games above .500 at 42–39. They sat in third place in the National League East Division, five games behind the first-place Braves.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, June
All told, they completed a one-win-in-four losing set visiting the Braves to start June, swept a two-game series against the Rays at home, dropped two of three to the visiting Giants, split a two-game series with the Yankees on the road, got swept by the Blue Jays in three games in Toronto, won the continuation of the game from May against the Yankees at home before losing the second game, took two of three from the visiting Orioles, lost two of three to the visiting Phillies, suffered a two-game shutout sweep by the Rays in St. Petersburg, then lost two of three to start their four-game series with the Phillies on the road to end the month. Soto was honored with the National League Rookie of the Month Award for his performance in June.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
The Nationals opened the month of July with another loss to the Philadelphia Phillies to drop three out of four in the series that began the previous month. The game dragged into the thirteenth inning before pinch-hitter Andrew Knapp homered off reliever Justin Miller, giving Miller just his first losing decision of the 2018 season. The loss put them six games out of first in the National League East Division.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
Washington dropped the first of a three-game series with the visiting Boston Red Sox on July 2, as ace Max Scherzer gave up a bases-clearing double to Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello and, despite solo home runs from third baseman Anthony Rendon, first baseman Daniel Murphy (his first of the season), and center fielder Bryce Harper and four appearances on base for left fielder Juan Soto, the Nationals could not recapture the lead.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
Although Scherzer recovered to record a quality start, the Red Sox handed him the loss in the 4–3 contest, extending to five a string of quality starts for the Nationals pitcher in which he did not receive enough run support to win.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
The Nationals were ultimately swept by the Red Sox, as July 3 starter Tanner Roark gave up nine runs in a blowout loss and July 4 starter Erick Fedde, who took the ball for the Nationals' traditional morning game at home on Independence Day, exited in the second inning after experiencing a 15-mph drop in velocity on his sinker in the start after he threw 115 pitches on June 30 to earn his first career win; the home team went on to a 3–0 shutout at the hands of the Red Sox, with hitters providing long reliever Matt Grace and the rest of the Nationals bullpen no run support.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
The Independence Day game ended with Matt Adams, who had been activated from the disabled list that morning (reliever Tim Collins was designated for assignment in a corresponding move), standing in the on-base circle to pinch-hit as the potential go-ahead run as Boston closer Craig Kimbrel induced a popout from second baseman Wilmer Difo. After the game, Scherzer called a players-only meeting in an attempt to rally a team that fell below .500 for the first time since early May with the loss.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
Fedde was placed on the 10-day disabled list with what the team called right shoulder inflammation on July 5, and right-handed pitcher Jefry Rodríguez was recalled from the Class-AAA Syracuse Chiefs to replace him on the roster. The Nationals reportedly considered having Rodríguez start in place of Jeremy Hellickson, who was sick, in the July 5 game to open a series with the visiting division-rival Miami Marlins, but manager Dave Martinez opted to have Hellickson make the start.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
Although Hellickson gave up seven runs in the first two innings, Martinez did not replace him in the game with Rodríguez until the fifth inning, by which time Hellickson had surrendered two more. The Nationals began chipping away at the lead in the fourth inning as shortstop Trea Turner homered to right, then added four more in the fifth in a rally that saw Rodríguez replaced with a pinch-hitter after just an inning of work.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
Following a Murphy sacrifice fly in the sixth that narrowed the Nationals' deficit to three runs, Turner hit his second home run of the game and his first career grand slam off Miami reliever Adam Conley to give the home team an improbable lead. The Nationals tacked on four more runs in the seventh inning and held on to survive a late Marlins rally against relievers Miller and Kelvin Herrera, winning 14–12 as closer Sean Doolittle struck out Marlins left fielder Derek Dietrich for the save. The comeback in the game was the largest in team history.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
Offense in the July 6 game was relatively quieter, with the teams battling through eight and a half innings while scoring just two runs apiece before pinch-hitter Mark Reynolds led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run against Marlins closer Kyle Barraclough, giving the Nationals a walk-off 3–2 win. It was the Nationals' first walk-off home run of the season, lifting them back above the .500 mark on the season, and it provided the team with its second win in a row, for the first time in more than a month.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
Starting at first base on July 7, Reynolds went 5-for-5 with two home runs and 10 runs batted in to tie the franchise record for RBIs in a game. The Nationals won the game, 18–4, delivering Scherzer his first win in more than a month. The Nationals' MLB-leading streak of 14 consecutive wins against the Marlins dating back to the 2017 season was snapped July 8 as Miami got to the struggling Roark and Washington's weary relief corps while holding the Nationals to just two runs on five hits.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
The Marlins won 10–2, with Martinez finally inserting a position player in to pitch in the ninth inning: Reynolds, who made his major league debut as a pitcher after starting at third base (to which catcher Spencer Kieboom switched for the first time in his professional career) and retired the only batter he faced on a groundout to the first baseman Adams. Reynolds was named the National League's Player of the Week for his heroics during the Marlins series.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
Washington returned catcher Matt Wieters from the disabled list on July 9, optioning catcher Pedro Severino, who had struggled both offensively and in working with the Nationals pitching staff while filling in for Wieters, to Class-AAA Syracuse. Despite the return of Wieters, the Nationals dropped their series opener at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates  that day, as Rodríguez turned in yet another rocky start, giving up six runs in his first two innings of work.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
That was all the Pirates needed, as they cruised to a 6–3 finish to drop the Nationals back down to a .500 record at 45 wins and 45 losses for the season. With their bullpen virtually exhausted, the Nationals optioned Rodríguez the next morning while also assigning Doolittle—named days earlier alongside Harper and Scherzer as the Nationals' representatives at the 2018 All-Star Game—to the 10-day disabled list with what was described as right toe inflammation; they called up right-handed pitchers Wander Suero and Austin Voth from Class-AAA Syracuse to replace them on the roster.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
Martinez indicated Herrera would take over closing duties while Doolittle was out, and Doolittle confirmed he would not participate in the All-Star Game due to the injury. Neither Suero nor Voth saw game action in Pittsburgh, as the Nationals proceeded to win 5–1 behind five scoreless innings from a healthy Hellickson on July 10 and lose 2–0 on July 11, their ninth time being shut out since the start of June, despite a quality start from Gio González and strong relief work by Miller and resurgent right-hander Shawn Kelley.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
With the failure to take at least two of three against the Pirates, the Nationals again fell back to .500 on the season with just one more series, a four-game set with the division-rival New York Mets, before the All-Star Game. The Nationals won the first game of that series of July 12 behind Scherzer and home runs from Rendon and Harper, with usual setup man Ryan Madson locking down the save, but dropped the second as Roark gave up four runs in his first two innings of work and the Nationals' woes hitting with runners in scoring position continued.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
Roark himself scored one of the Nationals' two runs in the 4–2 loss after hitting the first triple by a Washington pitcher in more than a decade. Voth was tabbed to make his major league debut as the starter in the July 14 game, and while he earned his first major league strikeout against the first batter he faced in Mets center fielder Brandon Nimmo, he gave up three runs in the second inning and four more in the fifth to take the loss in the 7–4 contest. The Nationals salvaged a split to head into the All-Star Break with a .500 record, at 48 wins to 48 losses, as Hellickson turned in a quality start and was backed up by the Nationals' bats as he earned the win on July 15, 6–1 over the Mets.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
Despite a successful All-Star Break in which Harper won the Home Run Derby and Scherzer started the All-Star Game (for the second consecutive year) in front of thousands of Washington fans at Nationals Park, the Nationals stumbled out of the blocks in the second half. Starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg and first baseman Ryan Zimmerman were activated from the disabled list for the start of a series in Washington against the division-rival Atlanta Braves, with Suero and Gott being optioned to Class-AAA Syracuse to make room on the roster.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
But in the July 20 game, Strasburg was flat, exiting in the fifth inning after allowing six runs and appearing to argue with Scherzer in the dugout afterward, and Zimmerman grounded out in his sole plate appearance of the game as a pinch-hitter. The Braves won 8–5 despite a late two-run home run by Soto. The Nationals and Braves did not play on July 21 due to rain, with the game rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader.


2018 Washington Nationals season, Regular season, July
On July 22, the team made two significant announcements: Doolittle suffered a setback while ramping up to return from his toe injury, and the "stress reaction" in his foot would sideline him for several more weeks, and backup outfielder Brian Goodwin was traded to the Kansas City Royals for minor league reliever Jacob Condra-Bogan, with left-hander Sammy Solís recalled to take Goodwin's roster spot and fill out a seven-man bullpen for the Nationals.