The Washington Nationals just officially etched their name into the MLB record books, and trust me, it’s not a record any team wants to own. They’ve now coughed up a mind-blowing 38 blown saves this season, setting an all-time MLB high. If you want to know why they’ve completely cratered from a feel-good story to bottom-dwellers, look no further than that absolutely brutal number.
Eighth-Inning Horror Show in San Diego
Their 38th blown save came Tuesday night, and it was a gut punch against the Padres. The Nats rolled into the eighth inning with a comfortable 4-1 lead. Easy win, right? Nope. Rookie reliever Jared Simpson stepped onto the mound and promptly walked Xander Bogaerts, Freddy Fermin, and Fernando Tatis Jr., loading the bases without even recording an out. Then fellow rookie Erik Tolman came in, trying to put out the fire. He gave up a sacrifice fly to Austin Hays, then a game-tying two-run single to Manny Machado. Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, Luis Campusano hit a go-ahead single, which ended up being the Padres’ winning run. A 4-1 lead gone, just like that. We’ve seen this movie before with so many teams, but 38 times? That’s just wild.
A Historic Collapse and a Broken Bullpen
This isn’t just bad, it’s historically bad. The 2026 Nationals now stand alone with 38 blown saves, blowing past teams like the 2024 White Sox (37), the 2021 Nationals (37), and the 2022 Rays (36). And remember, saves only became an official stat in 1969, so this record really speaks volumes. For a while this year, under a new front office and deep in a rebuild, the Nats were actually a pretty cool story. Everyone expected them to be total garbage, but by late July, they were 55-53 and right there in the thick of the National League wild-card race. What happened since? An MLB-worst 12-27 record. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to connect the dots there: it’s the bullpen, 100 percent. Their relief ERA is a staggering 5.09, worse than every single team in baseball except the Athletics. Building a bullpen is usually one of the last pieces to fall into place during a rebuild, and it’s clear they haven’t prioritized throwing cash at it for a losing season. Still, man, that has to sting for the fans.
“Face It Head On”
After Tuesday’s soul-crushing loss, manager Blake Butera wasn’t shying away from the truth. He told MLB.com, “Failures in life, we can either look at and put our head down and accept it, or we can face it head on and take something from it and learn from it. That’s what I’m hoping we do.” Strong words, but the reality is harsh. The Mets just passed them Wednesday night, dropping the Nats into last place in the NL East. They’ll head into 2027 with one giant goal: learn from this bullpen disaster. It’s tough seeing a promising season completely fall apart like this, but you gotta hope they can actually take something from it moving forward.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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