SAN FRANCISCO – Some members of the Nationals remained on the top step of the dugout as Bryce Eldridge rounded the bases following an unfathomable bullpen implosion that saw Washington lose to the Giants, 11-10, on Wednesday, despite leading 9-1 entering the bottom of the eighth.
Those players were, in essence, doing exactly what manager Blake Butera would say to the media minutes later in the clubhouse postgame.
“I told them this one should sting,” said Butera. “This will probably be our worst loss of the year. It's one of the worst losses I've been a part of.”
In fact, it was the first loss in Nationals/Expos history when entering the eighth inning with an eight-run lead, and the sixth such instance in the Divisional Era (since 1969).
The Nats were six outs from closing out a sweep to wrap a 5-1 road trip through Arizona and San Francisco, and were in prime position to coast to the finish line thanks to the team’s prime attribute: scoring runs.
Early offense staked the Nats to a lead, first thanks to James Wood’s 18th homer of the season. Seven runs across the sixth and seventh padded the lead into what felt like a comfortable blowout and a happy flight back home.
The vibes were high, just as they’d been the first two games of the series and for the better part of the year for the Washington youth.
Until they weren’t.
Instead of postgame revelry and loud music in the clubhouse, it was silent except for the shuffling sounds of bags being packed for the ride to the airport and long flight back to Washington, D.C.
Paxton Schultz, who pitched a clean seventh but let the Giants back into the game in the eighth by allowing five earned runs on four hits (two homers) and three walks, spoke openly.
“I did a terrible job there, and I'm gonna take full responsibility,” said Schultz. “It’s my job to go back, look at this, find what I need to do right, and never let this happen again.”
But what was also apparent from postgame comments from Butera, reliever Mitchell Parker, outfielder Jacob Young and starter Foster Griffin was that while this loss will hurt, the Nationals won’t let it detract from their early momentum or the success of this road trip overall.
Even with the loss, the Nats sit at 35-34, just one game back of an NL Wild Card spot. Their offense has scored the most runs in the Majors (372). It’s a far cry from where they were on June 10, 2025: 30-36, 7.5 games back of an NL Wild Card spot and just weeks away from a managerial and front-office upheaval.
Maintaining perspective is what allows teams to overcome losses like this, lest they get consumed by the emotion of it all.
“If we let ourselves soak in this one, then we’re not going to be able to carry that momentum back home,” said Young, though he did echo Butera’s comments about letting it “sting” for a bit.
“I think it's a good plan to let it eat at you while you're in the clubhouse, think about what you can take from it, the whole thing,” added Young. “We have an off-day tomorrow, a long flight home, you know, let it go once you leave the clubhouse.”
Parker, who has had a rough go of it lately in high-leverage spots and allowed a single to Jung Hoo Lee before Eldridge’s walk-off slam, was stone-faced in his reflection of the day’s unraveling.
“Remember how it feels,” Parker said. “It sucks. We played a good baseball game. Hitters worked their [butts] off today. Just remember the feeling, and don't let it happen again.”
Griffin, whose strong 2026 continued with six innings of one-run ball to lower his ERA to 3.46, was confident the Nats would move on quickly from this.
“We're just going to flush it, but we'll let it sting here for a little bit,” said Griffin. “Once we get on the plane, it's over with, it's done with. We got a new series coming with Seattle and Kansas City, and we'll just move forward to Nats Park.”
“It's one blip, you know,” added Young. “We play 162, so get back on the horse and bring it home.”