The A's crushed the Nats 16-7 on Aug. 6, 2025, as Shea Langeliers hit 3 HRs off Jake Irvin. This lopsided loss shows the painful reality of the Nats' rebuild.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
If you were looking for a single game to encapsulate the current state of the Washington Nationals, Wednesday's 16-7 shellacking at the hands of the Oakland Athletics was it. A struggling young starter, a porous bullpen, and an offense that showed life far too late—it was a painful, glaring reminder that the 2025 season is now fully dedicated to the long, arduous path of a rebuild.
I feel excited about what we did the last few days, getting some really exciting young players to bolster our farm system.
The game was practically over before it began. The A's ambushed starter Jake Irvin, chasing him after just 2.2 innings in which he surrendered six runs as part of a nine-run Oakland onslaught through the first four frames. The chief tormentor was catcher Shea Langeliers, who blasted three home runs and drove in five. While the Nats' offense tried to rally late, scoring four runs in the final two innings behind two-RBI nights from Trey Lipscomb and Brady House, the 16-run hole was far too deep to climb out of.
This lopsided loss is a direct consequence of the front office's trade deadline strategy. With veterans like Kyle Finnegan, Luis García, Michael Soroka, and Alex Call shipped out for prospects, the major league roster is thin and exposed. The team has been outscored 38-14 since the deadline and is mired in a brutal 16-37 slide. With the loss total climbing, a 100-loss season feels less like a possibility and more like an inevitability, leaving MacKenzie Gore and Josh Bell as the key veterans to guide a very young clubhouse.
While the big-league club struggles, the real 'wins' from last week happened on paper. Interim GM Mike DeBartolo executed a flurry of moves that brought 10 new prospects into the organization. Six of those players immediately slotted into the Nats' top 30 prospect rankings, including promising arms like RHP Sean Paul Liñan (from the Dodgers) and RHP Randall (from the Tigers). DeBartolo's optimism provides a stark contrast to the on-field results but offers a necessary dose of long-term hope for a fanbase that needs it.
Unfortunately, the pain is being felt up and down the roster, not just in the final score. The starting rotation has been hit hard recently, with MacKenzie Gore and Mitchell Parker also getting tagged in their latest outings. Offensively, key bats have gone cold at the worst time. Josh Bell is hitting just .167 in his recent stretch, while prized rookie James Wood is struggling to adapt, hitting .150 with nine strikeouts in his last 20 at-bats.
The rest of the 2025 season will be a test of patience. The losses will likely continue to mount, and more games like tonight's are probably on the horizon. The focus for fans must now shift from the final score to individual development. Can players like Brady House and Trey Lipscomb build on their progress? Can James Wood adjust to major league pitching? The present is painful, but every moment is a data point for a future the front office hopes will be much brighter.
