After the Nats big Opening Day win over the Cubs, I wanted to sit back and see what we can take away from this performance. Obviously it is just one game, but we are always looking for trends. I found three things that could be important themes of this 2026 season.
The Nats are Swinging for the Fences:
One of the biggest things I saw yesterday is that the Nats are going to the plate looking to do damage. This team digs the long ball, and they are willing to sacrifice some contact to do that. The Nats whiffed
20 times against Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, but that did not stop them from doing damage.
Joey Wiemer and Brady House were two players taking really big hacks, and both were rewarded. Those two hit two of the Nats three home runs. Wiemer did not strike out, but he did whiff a few times. He was more than happy to let it rip, especially when he was ahead in the count.
House did strike out a couple times, but when he made contact, it was loud. His two hits were 107 MPH and 111 MPH. House’s homer just pierced through the strong Chicago wind and gave the Nats a cherry on top in their impressive win. His strong production from Spring Training carried over to the regular season, at least today.
I think House will always be more of a mistake hitter who pitchers can get out if they execute. However, that is not necessarily a bad thing. If House can consistently punish mistakes, he will put up big numbers. Pitchers are not going to hit their spots every time and punishing them when they miss is a valuable skill. House is always ready to swing, which means he won’t be taking many pitches down the middle.
Wiemer and House were not the only ones taking big hacks though. Andres Chaparro, CJ Abrams and even Jacob Young were out there swinging for the fences. Young got rewarded with a shocking Opening Day homer, while the other two just missed home runs.
There will be days where the Nats are unable to overcome their whiff issues, but today they did enough damage to make it a moot point. Hitting the ball in the air and hunting for power will be emphasized with this new regime. There are drawbacks to this approach, but we saw the upside yesterday.
The Pitching Bent but did not Break:
The Nats pitching staff only allowed four runs and three earned runs yesterday. However, the Cubs were putting consistent pressure on Nats pitchers. It felt like the Cubs leadoff man was on just about every inning. The Nats arms were able to dig deep and get out of most of the jams though.
Cade Cavalli, PJ Poulin, Brad Lord and Clayton Beeter all got themselves in and out of jams yesterday. They got themselves out of it in different ways. Cavalli and Beeter used the strikeout to bail them out, while Lord used his ability to generate ground balls. Sometimes they won’t be as fortunate, but the Nats pitching staff walked the tight rope yesterday.
Overall, the Nats pitchers looked solid, but not perfect. I did like how they were deployed by manager Blake Butera though. He was quick to pull Cavalli, when I thought he could have gone one more batter. That decision paid off, with PJ Poulin retiring Matt Shaw. Conversely, Butera gave Brad Lord a longer leash and let his long man get out of a couple jams.
Maybe on another day those decisions would have backfired, but Butera looked like a genius yesterday. His bullpen management will be different than what we saw last year, and it could take some getting used to. However, between the lineup construction and the bullpen usage, Butera looked like a mad scientist yesterday. Long may that continue.
Cade Cavalli made his first Opening Day start, and he was fine. Not amazing, not terrible, just fine. He ran into some bad luck and his defense did not do him any favors. That led to his pitch count climbing in a hurry. When Butera pulled the right hander with two outs in the 4th, his pitch count had already climbed to 75 pitches. Maybe later in the season, Butera would have tried to push him further, but the bullpen is as fresh as it will ever be.
The stuff looked good for Cavalli, especially early on. He was sitting 97 with a sharp sweeper and curve to go with it. Cavalli also mixed in a few changeups, which kept lefties off balance. The sweeper is a bit of a weird pitch. It is almost like another variation of his curveball rather than a traditional sweeper. His command of the pitch was spotty at times, but it is a strong new weapon.
Another guy I was impressed with was Cionel Perez, who delivered a 1-2-3 ninth. The wind probably saved him from allowing a homer, but his stuff looked crisp. He averaged 96.5 MPH on his heater and his breaking balls looked good. Perez seems primed for a bounce back and will be a big part of the Nats bullpen.
James Wood’s Struggles Continue:
There was so much good in yesterday’s game, but James Wood was not a part of that. He went 0/5 with 4 strikeouts yesterday. Wood continued to look like the guy from the second half and Spring Training who has really struggled to make contact. After yesterday’s performance, Wood has a 40% strikeout rate since July 4th of 2025.
Obviously, that is not what you want to see from a guy who should be a cornerstone piece. Kevin Frandsen mentioned on the broadcast that Wood was in between on everything and I think that is a good observation. He was taking fastballs down the middle and expanding the zone on breaking balls away.
Wood just looks like a hitter who is devoid of any confidence right now. If I were advising him, I would tell him to simplify things. Just sit on the fastball and adjust for now. Just try and hunt heaters in the zone and if you strike out on a bunch of breaking balls, just tip your cap.
He is clearly thinking too much right now and that is not working for him. Unlike Dylan Crews, we have seen Wood be a star level player for long stretches. That means I would not want to send him down anytime soon. However, he needs to start putting together competitive at bats.
We all know what James Wood can do when he is right. He is the most important player on the current roster for the future of this team. Getting Wood back to his best needs to be the Nats top priority right now. You don’t often see guys who produce like MVP candidates for half a season at just 22 totally lose it, but Wood just does not have it right now.
The talent did not just disappear, but it is hidden away right now. I still feel like he is one adjustment away from recapturing his previous magic. However, it is tough to see him looking the way he does. Wood getting going would be such a big boost for fans.
Despite Wood’s struggles, this was still a great day for the Nats. The rest of the lineup looked great, the pitching staff was solid and Blake Butera pushed all the right buttons. Last season, the Nats were never above .500 at any point in the season. You will not be able to say that about the 2026 Nats.
