Finnegan struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Sunday in a win over Atlanta.
The right-hander was warming up in the bottom of the eighth inning to get ready for his first save chance since moving into the closer role, but a Juan Soto solo shot bumped the Nationals' lead to four runs and erased the opportunity. Finnegan doesn't have elite numbers by any means -- 3.93 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and a 28.3 percent strikeout rate through 36.2 innings on the year -- but he is manager Dave Martinez's first choice to close with Tanner Rainey (elbow) out for the year, even if a Nats squad on pace for almost 110 losses doesn't wind up providing him with many save chances the rest of the way.