The Washington Nationals will look for the first home series win of the 2026 regular season when they host the Atlanta Braves on Monday for the start of a four game series
The Nationals aim to find their rhythm at home after barely escaping a sweep at home against the Giants in their three-game series this weekend.
Currently in the National League East, the Braves are in first place, but the Nationals, sitting in third place with a 10-12 record, aim to close in and pull off the upset against the Braves Monday night.
If there are two players that the Nationals need to keep on their radar when they’re behind the bat, it’s Braves catcher Drake Baldwin and first baseman Matt Olson.
Baldwin leads the Braves with a .318 batting average, 19 RBI, and 28 hits. Meanwhile, Olson leads the team with five home runs and a .394 on-base percentage.
On the Nationals' side, their own team leaders compare well to the Braves. CJ Abrams paces the team with a .320 batting average, 19 RBI, and a .429 on-base percentage. James Wood leads with seven home runs, while Daylen Lile adds 26 hits.
When looking at overall offensive production, the Braves lead the MLB with 202 hits, but the Nationals are close behind, ranking second with 193.
Despite the strong bats, the difference between the teams lies on the mound, where the Braves have a dominant bullpen that the Nationals currently lack.
Currently in the MLB, the Braves rank first in team ERA at 2.70. More impressively, Braves starting pitcher Bryce Elder records a 0.77 ERA.
In contrast, the Nationals rank 29th in team ERA with 5.65, ahead of only the Astros.
The Nats will need to find some consistency if they want to secure a win against the Braves. However, the odds aren’t in favor of the Nationals, especially considering their lack of home game success.
Time and time again, the Nats have proved that staying at home is not their strong suit. This season, the Nats have only secured two wins at home. The first win came against the Cardinals on Monday, April 6th, when the Nationals topped St. Louis 9-6, and the second when they shut out the Giants 3-0 on Sunday, April 19th.
Looking ahead, game one of the four game Braves series kicks off Monday night at 6:45 p.m. and will wrap up at 1:05 p.m. Thursday. Monday also marks the first game of the season that the Nationals will be broadcast on ESPN as manager Blake Butera looks to secure consecutive wins at home for the first time.