The Nats got in a hole early yesterday when the Pirates scored 3 runs in the first inning off Cade Cavalli, but they answered right back with 3 of their own in the 2nd inning, coming from a Paul DeJong double, Nasim Nunez sacrifice fly, and a Jacob Young single. The game remained tied until the 8th inning when Daylen Lile, the best hitter in baseball in September by wRC+, hit a go-ahead double into the left field gap, giving the Nats a 4-3 lead which would be the final score. The Nationals are now
9-4 in the month of September, still not having lost a series in the month.
The Nats now sit 4 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East standings as the Braves come to town for a 4-game set. While the difference between 4th and 5th place means nothing in terms of playoffs, it would certainly be a nice confidence booster for this Nationals squad to escape the division basement for the first time in months, especially over a Braves club with some real talent on it. This won’t be their only chance to make up head-to-head ground on the Braves either, as they will head to Atlanta a week from today for another 3-same set with them. If they can take at least 5 of the 7 games from the Braves, they have a solid chance of jumping them in the standings, as the Braves take on the Tigers and Pirates in their remaining games, and the Nationals play the Mets and White Sox.
Team Stats
Team OPS: .707 (17th in MLB)
Team OPS Leader: Matt Olson (.841)
Team HR Leader: Matt Olson (25)
Team ERA: 4.46 (22nd in MLB)
Team ERA Leader: Chris Sale (2.52)
The Braves’ lineup has seen a wide variety of faces getting playing time in 2025, as many starters on the club battled injuries throughout the year. They are at close to 100% healthy now, with catcher Sean Murphy and third baseman Austin Riley being the only regulars missing from the lineup currently. Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. is the star player of the bunch, but he has been ice cold in the month of September, hitting .158 with just 1 home run in 11 games this month. The newest full-time additions to the Braves lineup that fans should get to know is catcher Drake Baldwin, a strong contender for rookie of the year, and shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, a veteran shortstop who was waived by the Rays and picked up by the Braves.
The Braves’ rotation has been so hammered with injuries in 2025 that they actually don’t have any starters who qualify for the ERA leaderboards, leading me to pick their ace, Chris Sale, despite him only having pitched 107 innings this season. They currently have 4 starters on the Injured List, with all of them having been out since at least July, and their bright young ace, Spencer Strider, has not looked the same since he made his return from Tommy John Surgery this season, posting a 4.86 ERA in 20 starts. 2023 first-round pick Hurston Waldrep has been a bright spot for them this season, but that’s been about it as far as the rotation goes, as he and Sale are the only active rotation members with ERAs under 4.50.
Game One – Monday 6:45 PM EST
ATL: RHP Spencer Strider (5-13, 4.86 ERA)
WSH: LHP Mitchell Parker (8-15, 5.69 ERA)
Game Two – Tuesday 1:05 PM EST
ATL: TBD (Projected: RHP Nathan Wiles)
WSH: TBD (Projected: RHP Jake Irvin)
Game Three – Tuesday 6:45 PM EST
ATL: LHP Chris Sale (5-5, 2.52 ERA)
WSH: TBD (Projected: LHP MacKenzie Gore)
Game Four – Wednesday 4:05 PM EST
ATL: RHP Hurston Waldrep (4-1, 2.78 ERA)
WSH: Brad Lord (5-8, 4.21 ERA)
The Braves will run out 3 of their best arms this series, with the 2nd game of the double header projected by Fangraphs to go to RHP Nathan Wiles, currently in Triple-A, but who can be called up as the 27th man for the double header. The Nationals will counter with their entire current rotation outside Andrew Alvarez, with Jake Irvin expected to get game two and MacKenzie Gore expected to get game three. The Nats have an ideal opportunity to jump a bitter rival in the standings and escape the basement of the NL East, and it will be a test of how gritty this young Nats squad really is.
