Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals closing pitcher Kyle Finnegan (67) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Washington Nationals Bullpen Enjoying Wild Turnaround After Historically Poor Start

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Sam Connon | Last updated May 21, 2025 12:51 PM ET

The Washington Nationals may still be buried in fourth place in the NL East, but they have seemingly moved beyond their biggest Achilles heel.

Earlier this month, the Nationals were on pace to post the worst bullpen ERA in MLB since integration. They were nine games under .500 this time last week.

Washington is currently riding a four-game winning streak, though, and is 5-1 in its last six games. The team's relievers have combined for a 2.35 ERA and 1.043 WHIP in that stretch.

As noted by MASN Sports' Mark Zuckerman, the Nationals' bullpen had a 7.29 ERA through the first 39 games this season. In the 10 games since, they boast a 3.12 ERA.

Nationals bullpen ERA
First 39 games: 7.29
Last 10 games: 3.12
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) May 21, 2025

The departures of Colin Poche, Eduardo Salazar and Lucas Sims have helped settle things down a bit, considering they combined for a -2.1 WAR and 11.54 ERA. And even though Jose A. Ferrer and Jorge López both have negative WARs and ERAs over 6.00 themselves, their FIPs sit at 3.13 and 3.54, respectively.

Closer Kyle Finnegan has been the Nationals' top reliever, racking up a league-leading 15 saves with a 2.55 ERA and 0.8 WAR. Cole Henry, Jackson Rutledge and Andrew Chafin all boast sub-3.00 ERAs as well.

On the whole this season, Washington's relievers still rank dead-last in the National League with a 6.41 ERA. That would still make for the worst bullpen ERA in a non-COVID season since 1950.

While the Nationals' 22-27 record is exactly in line with their standing through 49 games in 2024, things are at least trending in the right direction. They can clinch their series with the Atlanta Braves with a on Wednesday.

First pitch from Nationals Park is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET.

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

More must-reads: