After a mixed bag of results during their 6-game stretch on the road to open the 2026 season, the Nationals finally head home for their opening series at Nationals Park. Playing host to the 2025 World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, they are faced with an exciting matchup for their first time playing in front of the Washington faithful.
The Dodgers, per usual, continued to insert high-priced additions onto their already-vaunted roster during the offseason, bringing in a pair of All-Stars in closer Edwin Diaz and outfielder Kyle Tucker. They find themselves once again firmly at the top of just about every MLB power ranking, and opened up the season to a 4-2 record after 3-game sets against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Guardians.
Washington will continue working their 2nd time through the rotation, with a trio of veterans tasked with keeping the Dodgers’ lineup of All-Stars at bay. Offensively, the Nationals will continue to search for viable offensive reinforcements behind the scorching-hot Joey Wiemer as they take on a fascinating group of Los Angeles starters.
Game One – Friday 1:05 PM EST
WSH: RHP Miles Mikolas
LAD: RHP Emmet Sheehan
Mikolas’ 2026 campaign got off to a less-than-ideal start against Chicago, getting tagged for 4 runs across 5 innings of work. The 37-year-old veteran will look to settle into his arsenal and miss more bats in his second start of the season, after generating just 9 whiffs and 4 strikeouts in his last outing. He’ll attempt to improve upon a poor career track record against Los Angeles, with a 1-5 record and 6.20 ERA in 10 career appearances against them.
Sheehan, another youthful asset to a deep Dodgers rotation, had his fair share of ups and downs in his 2026 debut. His 4-pitch mix flashed at times against Arizona, but he lasted just 3.1 innings, ending with 4 earned runs to his name. The Nats could jump on him early and get the home opener crowd behind them, with Sheehan being the least likely Los Angeles starter in the three-game set to work deep into the game.
Game Two – Saturday 4:05 PM EST
WSH: RHP Jake Irvin
LAD: RHP Tyler Glasnow
2025 was a season to forget for Irvin, and his first start of the new year was certainly a step toward making that a reality. He was sharp across 5 innings of 2-run ball against the Cubs, racking up 7 strikeouts to just 4 total baserunners. With 2 of the 3 hits being home runs, the southpaw will have to bear down against the star-studded Dodgers lineup and keep the ball in the yard to keep Washington in the game.
Performance on the field has never been an issue for the oft-injured Glasnow, and that trend continued on March 28th, mowing down the Diamondbacks with a final line of 6 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, and 6 strikeouts. There’s always a question about how his health will hold up, but he’s a formidable opponent regardless. The Nats had his number the last time they faced off, rocking him for 6 runs across 5 innings in his lone appearance against them in a Dodgers’ uniform.
Game Three – Sunday 1:35 PM EST
WSH: LHP Foster Griffin
LAD: RHP Roki Sasaki
Griffin made his triumphant return to Major League Baseball for the first time since 2022, and he had a decent amount of success in his first start back in the bigs. The box score wasn’t anything crazy, but he showcased 5 above-average offerings and held the Cubs to 2 runs over 5 innings. He still holds a sizeable advantage over MLB hitters, simply because of the lack of him available for teams to study, and could parlay his strong 2026 debut into another impressive start.
The former Japanese phenom is still a work in progress for the Dodgers, and has developed a sort of “effectively wild” attack plan. His splitter will be a tough puzzle for the Nats to solve, but working the count could sway the game in their favor. It seems to always be a toss-up as to how Sasaki will look on any given day, and Washington will have to adapt on the fly to one of the game’s most polarizing young arms.
Can Nats Bounce Back From Game 3 Collapse Against Philadelphia?
Momentum was at an early high after the Nationals took the first game of the series against the Phillies, with their record improving to a quick 3-1. However, a melancholic offensive performance in Game 2 and a blown 5-1 lead in Game 3 have them right back at .500. Their next test comes against one of the best top-to-bottom rosters in MLB, and they have the chance to spark major excitement among the fanbase if they can grind out a series win.
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