BALTIMORE -- The word of the day for the Nationals on Friday was “opportunity.”
Coming off a historic trio of ninth-inning losses, Washington headed up I-95 for a quick three-game set in Baltimore, looking to right the ship.
In a 3-1 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards, one player took advantage of every opportunity he was given, while a few other opportunities fell by the wayside. Let’s take a look at those opportunities -- both the ones taken, and the ones missed.
Backstop of the present
Though he took a pitch from Nats starter Andrew Alvarez to the groin early -- and needed a moment to walk it off -- catcher Keibert Ruiz ran the show. Not only did he help Alvarez navigate through 4 1/3 innings while allowing only two runs, but he also utilized the ABS challenge system to overturn the ball call on the third pitch Alvarez delivered, crucial in securing the first of Alvarez’s five strikeouts.
But that wasn’t all Ruiz did behind the plate. He also threw out Leody Taveras at second base for an inning-ending caught stealing in the second. It was Ruiz’s 12th caught stealing of the year, just five fewer than his total last year -- and in 13 fewer games behind the plate.
Offensively, it was Ruiz who drove in the Nationals’ lone run in the fifth inning, singling into center field with two outs and bringing home Jacob Young, who had doubled two at-bats prior. It was Ruiz’s 21st RBI in his past 30 games (since May 7).
“He did an awesome job,” manager Blake Butera said. “Also had the big hit for us. I thought he contributed really well from all sides of the game.
“Really good with the challenges behind home plate. I know he pulled the trigger on some early in the game, which we’re always nervous [about] on our side, but he had a really good feel for the zone, and then ended up working in our favor tonight. And the caught stealing was in a huge spot for us as well. Just really happy with the way he played tonight.”
Ruiz’s resurgence this season -- slashing .276/.302/.471 in 53 games -- has been a boon for the Nats after the backstop played only 68 games in 2025 while dealing with a concussion and its lingering symptoms. He finished the season on the IL after landing on it in early July.
Catch him at third
In the bottom of the fourth, it was James Wood who delivered with his arm speed to cut the Orioles’ offensive outburst short. With two outs and two runs having already crossed the plate -- and runners on first (Blaze Alexander) and second (Jackson Holliday) -- Baltimore’s leadoff hitter Taylor Ward stepped to the plate.
Ward turned around a sinker from Alvarez, sending it into right field for a single. Wood fielded the ball, then sent it screaming through the air and into the glove of third baseman Curtis Mead.
Wood’s throw, which registered at 91.5 mph, easily beat both Alexander, who was out at third, and Holliday, who crossed home plate too late for the run to count.
“I feel like I had a play like that a week or so ago, and I ended up going home with it,” Wood said. “We talked about it in the dugout [that time], and just knowing there’s an option to go to third on that play, and it ended up working out in our favor.
“I didn’t know [it beat the runner at home], honestly. I saw them [do the motion], so I was like, ‘I think that’s what that means.’”
Down and dirty
The Nationals’ first big opportunity to score came in the top of the fourth, with Wood at third and Mead at second. When Andrés Chaparro hit a grounder to third baseman Alexander, Wood was almost halfway down the line sprinting home.
The ball didn’t leave the infield, though, and Alexander easily made the throw home, where catcher Samuel Basallo tagged out Wood for the first out of the inning. Mead remained on second, and he didn’t get the opportunity to attempt to score.
No double trouble
Something similar happened in the seventh inning, when Dylan Crews hit a leadoff double, then was stranded at second after a pair of popouts and a groundout.
The lackluster offensive performance is just a blip for the Nats, according to Butera. After all, even the best run-scoring offense in the Majors is sure to have its off performances.
“Yeah, I look at it more like a blip,” Butera said. “Uncharacteristic with the way we've been scoring runs. [I] expect these guys to be ready to go tomorrow.”