Nats survive brutal opening schedule at 3-6
Hopes were high after the Washington Nationals took two of three from the Cubs in Chicago to begin the season, then hammered the Phillies in the first of three in Philadelphia. But the Phillies took the last two of that series, and then the Dodgers swept three in Washington to deliver a harsh dose of reality.
Washington’s bullpen was unable to hold sizable leads against the Phillies and Dodgers, which may be a chronic problem this season. But if you’re a glass-half-full sort of fan, you’ve got a lot of positive developments you can point to.
Who’s got the hot bats?
The Nationals’ offense, which was rather punchless in spring training, might be more productive than expected. Joey Wiemer, who essentially took Dylan Crews’ spot on the major league roster, was the majors’ hottest hitter in the first week. After finally making a few outs, he begins the upcoming series against the St. Louis Cardinals with a .476 average. CJ Abrams, batting .290, homered in three consecutive games and leads the team with 12 RBI. Luis Garcia has 11 hits and a .324 average. Daylen Lile’s 12 hits lead the team.
Who’s looking good on the mound?
Foster Griffin, the mystery man who spent the last three years pitching in Japan, had delivered a pair of respectable starts, going five innings each time and posting a 2.70 ERA. Opening Day starter Cade Cavalli, too, has been effective, with a 2.79 ERA in his two starts. The rest of the rotation, however, has yet to impress: Jake Irvin had one decent start, but has an ERA of 8.00; Zack Littell has given up three runs in his five innings to date. But the worst of the lot so far is Miles Mikolas, who has given up 17 hits and 17 runs in a little more than nine innings.
As for the bullpen, aside from Cole Henry (0.00 ERA), only Clayton Beeter (3.86) and Gus Varland (3.00) have sub-4.00 ERAs.
What’s manager Blake Butera thinking?
Butera has fielded a variety of different lineups in the team’s first nine games, but the one constant has been James Wood in the leadoff spot. It’s hard to fathom this one. Wood tailed off badly after the hot first half he produced in 2025, and wound up leading the majors in strikeouts – by a lot. While he’s not at the top of that list this season at the moment (it’s Seattle’s Cal Raleigh), his 17 strikeouts lead the Nats by five, and he’s hitting just .125. This experiment isn’t working, and let’s hope Butera tries someone else – like, say, Daylen Lile (.300) – in this role against St. Louis.
Got to get better
It’s hard to imagine a tougher schedule than the Nats have had so far, but with the 5-4 Cardinals in town for the next three, things should be looking up. Expect Washington to take at least two of those and hit the road to Milwaukee and Pittsburgh with at worst a 5-7 record.
