Washington's rotation is arguably in worse shape depth-wise — Trevor Williams, Jake Irvin, Josiah Gray, DJ Herz, Ken Waldichuk and Mitchell Parker are all out, forcing call-ups like Cade Cavalli into rotation innings. That's part of why some rival executives view a Griffin trade before the deadline as close to inevitable if the Nationals stumble; for now, he's the one arm keeping this rotation upright.
Arizona's shown up here with real momentum. They've won 4 of their last 5, capped by a 15-5 blowout of the A's and a 10-6 win over the Cardinals, and Paul Sewald has been perfect in save chances while Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk rehab in the background. The one crack in the lineup is Ketel Marte, who was scratched Thursday with back stiffness after DH duty the two days prior — a real loss given his .258/18 HR/59 RBI season if he's not right.
Washington's counterpunch has been just as real. They're 3-2 in their last 5 with an 8-0 win over Colorado sandwiched around a lopsided 1-15 loss to the A's, and this is the deepest playoff push the franchise has made since 2019. With the trade deadline a week out and both front offices facing buy-or-sell decisions, every game like this one carries extra weight.
Neither team is whole, but Arizona's rotation crisis is the bigger long-term problem while Washington's is more about who's left standing behind Griffin. For one Saturday afternoon, though, it comes down to a hot Diamondbacks lineup against a Nationals ace trying to keep the wild-card race from slipping away.