The hits keep on coming for the Nationals, dropping 3 close contests to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a series sweep. They’ve fallen to 11 games under .500, and desperately need to get things going again to have any sort of momentum heading into 2027. The bullpen continues its historically rough season, the offense has dissipated, and the starting pitching keeps revealing its flaws. There are a plethora of younger players on the roster, and much of the next 3 weeks will be spent evaluating the Nats’ internal options at the MLB level before any decisions are made for the future.
The schedule doesn’t get much easier after the Dodgers, with the West Coast trip continuing into San Diego for 3 games against the Padres. San Diego hasn’t been lighting the world on fire recently, but they sit 7.0 games above .500 and are right in the thick of the Wild Card race at just 0.5 games back. The Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks have been going back and forth for months, and the Nats have to face them when their games mean the most.
Game One – Monday, 5:10 PM ET
WSH: RHP Jake Irvin (2-8, 5.57 ERA)
SD: RHP Nick Pivetta (1-2, 4.50 ERA)
Irvin has been consistent for Washington, just not consistently very good. He’s looking to avoid getting closer to a 10-loss season and push his ERA below 5.50. Pivetta will be making his first start since April 12th, and he’s being thrown into the fire at the most important time of the year.
Game Two – Tuesday, 9:40 PM ET
WSH: TBA
SD: TBA
The middle game of the series is set up to be a full-blown bullpen game with no listed starter for either team at the moment. With how difficult things have been going for the Washington bullpen, this one could get ugly if the offense continues to stay dormant.
Game Three – Wednesday, 4:10 PM ET
WSH: LHP Jackson Kent (1-3, 5.55 ERA)
SD: TBA
The Padres are going with another undecided pitching decision, and the Nats have the young southpaw Jackson Kent on the mound for the finale. He showed flashes but was overall unimpressive in his last outing against the Dodgers, something the Nats hope to improve moving forward.
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