Jun 15, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore (1) throws to the Miami Marlins during the second inning at Nationals Park. Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Nationals Ace Has Been Starting Rotation's Only Saving Grace This Season

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Jacob Moss | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Year 5 of the Washington Nationals' long-term rebuild began strong, but it has quickly deteriorated into yet another lost season as the calendar turned to July.

A core of young stars has begun to emerge for the Nationals, but outside of this group, the team has largely struggled to find answers that can adequately fill the remaining gaps on the roster.

More News: Nationals Star James Wood Had Career Day After Accepting Home Run Derby Invite

Nowhere has this been more apparent than in the team's starting rotation, where Washington has only had their young ace in MacKenzie Gore to rely upon.

Gore has been truly elite on the bump in his breakout campaign, posting a 3.11 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across the 104.1 innings of work he's clocked in so far.

He's also emerged as one of the game's premier strikeout artists, racking up 131 K's so far, a mark which ranks as the fourth among all qualified pitchers in baseball.

MLB's K leader shuts down one of the top offenses in baseball!

MacKenzie Gore lowers his ERA to 2.87 pic.twitter.com/kluefz5bbg
— MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2025

It's clear the Nationals have found their headliner of the future on the mound, but outside of Gore, the team has been unable to find any other solid options in 2025.

The team's next best starters in terms of ERA have been Michael Parker (4.63) and Jake Irvin (4.71).

More News: Nationals Could Push for Their Future With This Eye-Catching Trade

Veteran right-hander Mike Soroka has been solid at times, but the lows have been far more prevalent than the highs for the former All Star as he currently holds a 5.40 ERA.

Worst of the group has been another veteran righty in Trevor Williams, who has racked up a 6.21 ERA and 1.41 WHIP across the 17 starts he's made.

With production like this from four of Washington's five everyday starters, it's really no surprise that the team has once again found themselves among the National League's worst teams.

More News: Three Washington Nationals Ranked Among Top Trade Deadline Candidates

It has also revealed to the Nationals -- and everybody else -- that the front office has to make addressing the rest of their rotation a priority moving forward if they ever want to get back to October.

No matter how good he's shown he can be this season, Gore simply isn't enough to carry an entire rotation on his own.

If Washington wants to get back to playing winning baseball, then they are going to have to find at least two more arms to pair with their new ace.

For more Nationals news, head over to Nationals On SI.

This article first appeared on Washington Nationals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: