Uncanny.
That was one of the words that came to mind -- among others that can't be repeated on here -- after the Washington Nationals snatched defeat from the jaws of victory for the second night in a row. Just like on Tuesday night , the Nationals were one strike away from winning Wednesday's contest. And once again, the bullpen was responsible for the loss .
The discussion about Washington's bullpen struggles is not a new one. The last time they had a relief staff that finished the season with an ERA in the upper half across the majors was in 2022, and even then they ranked No. 15.
However, the issues this year have been even more frustrating considering how good this offense has been and the fact they are in the playoff picture. So, with the Nationals searching for answers from anywhere they can possibly get them, they have officially activated veteran right-hander Justin Lawrence after they recently claimed him off waivers .
Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Justin Lawrence | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Lawrence, a 31-year-old former 12th-round pick, has not had a good showing this season with an ERA of 8.04 across his 30 appearances. He started the year with the Pittsburgh Pirates before they designated him for assignment following a stretch where he posted an ERA of 5.32 over 23 outings. Things got even worse with the Minnesota Twins when he had an ERA of 18.00 in seven appearances.
That doesn't inspire a ton of confidence that he's going to provide stability to this bullpen unit. However, he did have a great abbreviated season in 2025 when his ERA was 0.51 across 17 outings. So the hope is that Washington can unlock that version of him to get a much-needed upgrade to their relief staff.
Washington Nationals pitcher Carson Palmquist | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
The corresponding move for Lawrence's activation was to option left-handed pitcher Carson Palmquist back down to Triple-A Rochester following his debut outing for the Nationals on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old had a great showing for himself, though. He opened the game ahead of Miles Mikolas and threw 3 1/3 innings where he allowed just one earned runs on two hits, while he struck out three and walked one.
That performance by the lefty should have him back in the mix for more opportunities at the major league level going forward. But for now, he'll be in Rochester since he's be unavailable to pitch in the coming days due to the fact that he threw 58 pitches on Wednesday and Washington needs as many available bullpen arms as they can get at this point.
When he's ready, Palmquist should be recalled back to the big league roster. And if he keeps performing in the way he did, that would be a huge boon for this pitching staff.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/nationals/onsi as Nationals Activate Crucial Veteran Reliever After Latest Bullpen Disaster .
