Welcome to the latest edition of the Nationals Beat newsletter. This is your stop for the latest on and off the field, from news to exclusive player interviews and insights, brought to you by MLB.com club reporter Jessica Camerato. |
Kyle Finnegan grinded for seven seasons in the Minor Leagues. As his journey took ups and downs through the Athletics organization, he had a grounding support. His wife, Rachel, rooted their family, built her own career in human resources and encouraged Finnegan to reach his dream -- his Major League debut with the Nationals in 2020 at age 28. “She's the superstar,” Finnegan said on Mother’s Day weekend. “I don't know that I would have been able to play as long as I did without her.” Kyle and Rachel attended the same schools from elementary through college. Kyle recalled how Rachel, a grade ahead of him, was a two-time student-athlete of the year in middle school. “I never won it, so she’s got that on me,” Finnegan said with a smile. “We actually found out a couple weeks ago that our daughter was nominated for student-athlete of the year, so she’s following in her mom’s footsteps.” It wasn’t until their time at Texas State University that Kyle and Rachel began hanging out. “I had my eye on her, but she wasn’t giving me a chance,” Kyle said. “So I was playing the long game.” |
The Finnegans are now a family of five, with a 13-year-old and 3 1/2-year-old twins. Kyle is in awe of how his wife keeps everything running smoothly while he is playing a full baseball season. “She's the most giving person I've ever known,” said Finnegan. “She puts everybody else's needs before hers -- sometimes too much. I tell her all the time, she needs to be more selfish and do things for herself. But she loves being together as a family. … She makes every day special for the kids, which is hard to do.” For all the years Kyle has known Rachel, how would he answer this quick prompt? “Fill in the blank: My wife makes me a better person because _____.” “She challenges me,” he replied without hesitation. |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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The Nationals requested unconditional release waivers on right-hander Lucas Sims and recalled righty Zach Brzykcy (their No. 21 prospect) in a bullpen move this weekend.
Sims signed a one-year deal with the Nationals in February. He struggled across 18 relief appearances, going 1-0 with a 13.86 ERA, a 10.22 BB/9 rate and an MLB-high seven hit batters.
“It stinks. He gets it. He understands he didn’t throw strikes,” said manager Dave Martinez. “... I don’t know if he was overthrowing or he goes out there thinking too much. I do know he gets so quick. We tried to slow him down, and it just didn’t happen. When you’re walking that many guys and hitting guys, we have to do something.”
Brzykcy is back with the Nationals for the second time in a week. On Tuesday, he was named the 27th man in their doubleheader against the Guardians. After battling injuries in Spring Training, Brzykcy recorded a 2.35 ERA with 14 strikeouts in eight Minor League appearances this season.
“He’s been pitching better,” Martinez said. “He endured a lot, as we know, and he worked his way back. The last time he was here, the ball was coming out pretty good. We wanted to give him an opportunity to come up here and stay up here for a little bit and see what he can do.
“He’s got a mix of a couple really good pitches. His fastball’s got vert, his breaking ball’s good, his changeup’s really good. As I always say, it’s all about attacking the strike zone.” |
HOW GORE BECAME PREMIER K ARTIST |
MacKenzie Gore struck out an MLB-leading 68 batters in his first eight starts, turning heads with his domination on the mound this season. MLB.com’s Brent Maguire did a deep dive into how the 26-year-old southpaw has become one of the league’s top starters. Click here to read Maguire’s comprehensive breakdown. Gore also entered MLB’s Starting Pitcher Power Rankings this week. He is tied with Phillies left-hander Jesús Luzardo at No. 10. Here’s what MLB.com’s Andrew Simon wrote about Gore: This is the version of Gore that was expected when he was selected third overall in the 2017 Draft by the Padres and became a consensus top-10 prospect. The lefty’s pro career has been far from a smooth ride, but after showing improvement over his first few big league seasons, Gore seems to be in full-on breakout mode at age 26. He leads the Majors in both strikeouts (68) and K-rate (36.4%), with his dynamic curveball standing out as an elite weapon (26 K’s, 53% whiff rate). |
DEJONG’S CLINT EASTWOOD FAN CLUB |
Paul DeJong had a special visitor for the first weeks of his recovery from a fractured nose. His grandfather, Steve Whipple, traveled up from Florida to help him after he was hit in the face by a Mitch Keller fastball on April 15. To pass the time, they shared cinematic favorites with each other. “I introduced my grandpa to some dumb movies like 'The Hangover' and 'Beerfest,'” DeJong said. “He introduced me to the ['Dirty Harry' movies]. … We traded off picking movies every night, so we each got our chance at picking the fun ones. The first 'Dirty Harry' was really good; I didn't really know that. So I'm a big Clint Eastwood fan now, even more so than it was before.” |
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