Several Washington Nationals fans believe the writing may be on the proverbial wall for Dave Martinez.
The Nationals entered their Saturday matchup against the Miami Marlins on a six-game losing streak. Washington’s fortunes did not change, as it lost 4-3 to the division-worst Marlins at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
During his postgame press conference, Martinez was asked who was to blame for the Nationals’ sputtering offense. The 60-year-old head coach told reporters that his coaching staff was not at fault in any capacity.
“It’s never on coaching,” Martinez said, via the New York Post’s Thomas Gamba-Ellis. “Never on coaching. Coaches work their asses off every single day. We’re not going to finger-point here and say it’s coaches. It’s never on the coaches. They work hard. The message is clear. All the work is done prior. So, sometimes, they have to go out there and play the game. It’s always been about the players. Always.”
The Nationals don’t necessarily have a roster that rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees. But it’s not often that a manager or head coach puts the blame entirely on his players.
Many Nationals fans believed Martinez’s quote was a sign that he was about to get fired.
he’s done
— optimistic nats fan (@optimistic5518) June 14, 2025
I swear this is the kind of thing someone says right before they get fired
— A.B. (@ABSports99) June 14, 2025
typical speech of someone who's getting fired before the end of the weekend
— ƧMΛBƧƧ ⩜⃝ (@Smabss_) June 14, 2025
Saturday’s loss dropped the Nationals to 10 games under .500 for the first time this season. The team’s offense has produced just 2.5 runs through 12 June contests en route to a 2-10 record. Nine of their 30 runs in June came in an 11-9 loss to the Marlins on Friday.
Martinez has been the team’s manager since 2018. The Nationals have not had a winning season since their 2019 World Series run. Over the last six seasons, Washington has a 318-460 record under Martinez.
Martinez is in the final year of the two-year extension he signed in 2023.
