ERIC THAMES NEWS

Dalbec homers for first big league hit, Red Sox top Nats 9-5

Bobby Dalbec hit a two-run homer in his major league debut, Rafael Devers hit a pair of home runs, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Nationals 9-5

AUGUST 30, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sitting versus lefty Thames is not in the lineup Friday against the Red Sox.

Impact Thames will head to the bench Friday with southpaw Martin Perez on the mound for Boston. Juan Soto will serve as the designated hitter while Howie Kendrick shifts to first base, leaving Michael Taylor to start in left field.

AUGUST 28, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Perez homer carries AL East-leading Rays past Orioles 4-3

AUGUST 27, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nola bounces back, leads Phillies to 3-2 win over Nationals

Aaron Nola bounced back from the shortest outing of his career to throw seven strong innings, and the Philadelphia Phillies took advantage of the Washington Nationals’ sloppy outfi...

AUGUST 27, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sitting against southpaw Thames isn't in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Marlins.

Impact With lefty Daniel Castano taking the mound for Miami, Thames will retreat to the bench for Game 1 of the twin bill. Asdrubal Cabrera will shift to first base with Carter Kieboom starting at the hot corner.

AUGUST 22, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Drives in three Tuesday Thames went 2-for-5 with three RBI in Tuesday's 8-5 win over Atlanta.

Impact After a miserable start to 2020 that has dropped him down to eighth in the batting order, Thames appears to be finding a groove at the plate, collect three of his 10 hits and four of his six RBI on the season in the last two days. The 33-year-old should continue to man the strong side of a platoon at first base while also seeing action as the DH, but his playing time will be more secure if he can provide consistent production.

AUGUST 19, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Robles catch helps Nats hold on for 8-5 win over Braves

Victor Robles denied a homer with a brilliant catch above the center-field wall and the Washington Nationals bounced back from a stunning loss to beat the Atlanta Braves 8-5

AUGUST 19, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lowe, Meadows lead Rays to a 6-3 win over Yankees.

AUGUST 19, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Finally goes yard for Nats Thames went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 7-6 loss to Atlanta.

Impact His second-innings shot off Touki Toussaint was the first homer of the year for Thames, and his first in a Washington uniform. The 33-year-old is currently splitting starts at first base with Asdrubal Cabrera, and Thames will need to improve significantly on his .182/.250/.295 slash line if he wants to avoid losing even more playing time.

AUGUST 18, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Swanson's 2-out, 2-run homer in 9th lifts Braves past Nats

AUGUST 18, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Swanson's walk-off homer gives Braves 7-6 win over Nationals

Dansby Swanson hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to cap a four-run rally that gave the Atlanta Braves a stunning 7-6 victory over the Washington Nation...

AUGUST 18, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sits against lefty Thames is not in Sunday's lineup against the Orioles.

Impact He will head to the bench with southpaw John Means on the hill for Baltimore. Asdrubal Cabrera will start at first base and bat third.

AUGUST 16, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Takes seat against southpaw Thames isn't in the lineup Friday against the Orioles.

Impact Thames won't play in Friday's originally scheduled contest with left-hander Tommy Milone on the mound for Baltimore. Asdrubal Cabrera will shift to first base with Carter Kieboom stepping in as the third baseman.

AUGUST 14, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Resting in series finale Thames is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Impact With southpaw David Peterson twirling for the Mets in the series finale, the lefty-hitting Thames will give way to Asdrubal Cabrera at first base. Only two of Thames' 36 plate appearances this season have come against left-handed pitching.

AUGUST 13, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Sits against southpaw Thames is not in the lineup against lefty Steven Matz and the Mets on Monday.

Impact Thames didn't start against any of the first four lefties the Nationals faced this season, so it's no surprise to see him sit again Monday. Asdrubal Cabrera will handle first base in his absence.

AUGUST 10, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Santander, O's rough up Nats relievers, rally for 5-3 win

Pat Valaika, Pedro Severino and Anthony Santander homered during a five-run rally in the eighth inning as the Baltimore Orioles roughed up Washington’s relievers and beat the Natio...

AUGUST 9, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Semien hits leadoff HR, A's beat Astros to win 8th straight

AUGUST 8, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sitting versus lefty Thames is not in the lineup Friday against the Orioles.

Impact Thames returned to action Wednesday after dealing with some back pain and went 1-for-3, but he'll hit the bench Friday with southpaw Tommy Milone starting for Baltimore. Howie Kendrick will start at first base while Josh Harrison serves as the designated hitter.

AUGUST 7, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Back in action Thames (back) returns to the lineup Wednesday against the Mets, batting seventh and playing first base.

Impact Back pain popped up for Thames over the weekend, causing him to miss a pair of intrasquad games. He remained sidelined Tuesday but is back for Wednesday's contest and will look to improve upon his .681 through his first six games.

AUGUST 5, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Not starting Tuesday Thames (back) is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Mets.

Impact Thames missed a pair of intrasquad games over the weekend, though that may not be the reason for his absence Tuesday. Lefty Steven Matz will start for the Mets, and Thames didn't start against either of the first two lefties the Nationals faced this season. Howie Kendrick will start at first base, with Asdrubal Cabrera serving as the designated hitter.

AUGUST 4, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Absent for another simulated game Thames (back) didn't participate in Sunday's simulated game, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact Thames' stiff back prevented him from taking competitive at-bats for the second day in a row, prompting manager Dave Martinez to label the first baseman as "day-to-day" heading into Tuesday's series opener versus the Mets. Fortunately for Washington, Howie Kendrick looks to have overcome his own back issue since the Nationals had their weekend series in Miami postponed. Kendrick or Asdrubal Cabrera could pick up starts at first base if Thames isn't ready to go when the Nats return to action.

AUGUST 3, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Dealing with back issue Thames sat out Saturday's intrasquad scrimmage with back pain, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Impact Assuming the injury is a minor one, it's quite well-timed for Thames, as the Nationals have no games until Tuesday after their weekend series against Miami was postponed due to the Marlins' coronavirus outbreak. Thames received treatment Saturday, though it's not yet clear when he's expected to return to game action.

AUGUST 1, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Riding pine vs. lefty Thames is out of the lineup Thursday against the Nationals.

Impact The lefty-hitting Thames will head to the bench for the second time this season with a southpaw (Hyun-Jin Ryu) on the mound for the opposition. Asdrubal Cabrera will cover first base in place of Thames, while Josh Harrison takes over as designated hitter for Howie Kendrick (back).

JULY 30, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Sluggish start to year Kendrick went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Tuesday's loss to the Blue Jays.

Impact The 37-year-old has started every game to begin the season, swapping between first base and designated hitter with Eric Thames, but Kendrick has only a .125 batting average and one RBI to show for it. The Nats offense as a whole is in something of a funk early on, but the impending return of Juan Soto (illness) could jump-start the entire lineup, Kendrick included.

JULY 29, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Hernández hits 2 of 4 Blue Jays homers in 4-1 win at Nats

Teoscar Hernández hit two of Toronto’s four solo homers off Aníbal Sánchez to account for all the Blue Jays’ scoring in a 4-1 victory over the Washington Nationals

JULY 28, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS