Daylen Lile goes 8-for-15 with three home runs and eight RBIs as the Washington Nationals split a four-game series at home against the Colorado Rockies.

The Nationals needed someone to step up on offense after losing eight of their last nine games entering the series. 

Lile took the initiative and got back on track with a dominant series against the worst pitching staff in the MLB.

He went for three hits and a home run in the Nationals' two wins on Monday and Thursday. He was also intentionally walked in Thursday’s win. He was responsible for the Nationals' only run in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss, going 2-for-3 with a solo home run. 

The 23-year-old outfielder entered the 2026 season with high expectations after recording .299/.347/.498 splits in the last four months of 2025, after being called up to the Major Leagues. 

Lile had a strong start to 2026 but hasn’t lived up to the high expectations as the season progressed. He is now up to a .251 batting average for the first time since July 10 and a .724 OPS for the first time since July 5.

Starting pitcher Cade Cavalli also continued his dominance in Monday’s 13-3 win, pitching his ninth straight quality start. He has recorded a win in each of his last four starts. He struck out seven while he pitched six innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs on solo home runs. 

The Nationals bullpen struggled in their full game opportunity on Wednesday. Matt

Waldron opened in his Nationals debut and pitched two scoreless innings. 

Will Dion followed Waldron and allowed four earned runs in 2.2 innings pitched. Luis Perales made his Major League debut behind Dion and allowed four earned runs in two innings. 

Orlando Ribalta allowed another four earned runs in the eighth inning as the Nationals lost 13-1. 

The Nationals' offense is not so dominant anymore. While the Nationals still lead the MLB in runs, the offensive struggles have become apparent recently. In Monday’s win, the Nationals scored 13 runs, which was more runs than they scored in their last two series combined. 

They followed that return-to-form win with two straight one-run games against the Rockies, who hold the worst team ERA in the league. The Nationals faced the Rockies in a three-game series in July and scored over seven runs in each game.

The Nationals have generated less power in their at-bats to go along with fewer walks. The Nationals had just two extra-base hits and four walks in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss and four extra-base hits and no walks in Wednesday’s 13-1 loss. 

The Nationals will have the reliable outfielder James Wood returning from injury in September, but they should also explore options to promote a young power hitter in the minor leagues as the roster expands on September 1. 

The Nationals are struggling to win with anybody but Cade Cavalli making starts. Cavalli has continued to impress down the stretch for a Nationals starting lineup that feels empty. 

Jake Irvin, Andrew Alvarez and Jackson Kent have been the other consistent starters, but none have made a strong impression. 

Irvin has struggled after coming back from a shoulder strain. He has a 6.30 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP since returning on July 30. He has reached six innings in two of his six appearances and allowed four earned runs in both. He recorded four losses and no wins since his return. 

Kent has struggled heavily since being called up to fill in for Miles Mikolas on August 12. He has made three starts and hasn’t reached five innings in any of them. He has an 8.03 ERA and the Nationals have yet to win a game he has appeared in. 

Alvarez has been a quality pitcher for the Nationals since being called up in May, but he hasn’t been able to push it late into games. He has also been unlucky, pitching while the offense struggles. Despite allowing just six earned runs across his last three starts, he has recorded the loss in each of them. 

Dylan Crews is falling out of his slump. It was no secret that Dylan Crews was slumping hard through the start of August. He entered the Rockies series batting just .173 for the month. 

He saw improvement against the Rockies, where he put together a good series. He was 5-for-15 from the plate with three walks, two RBIs and a triple. 

While it was against the worst pitching staff in the MLB, it is a step in the right direction for Crews, who will need a strong finish to 2026. 

Andrés Chapparo shined in his start at third base. Manager Blake Butera continues to experiment with the infield during the Nationals' poor stretch.

With CJ Abrams being moved to designated hitter for the Rockies series and Nasim Nuñez filling in at shortstop, the second-base and third-base spots have been mixed up. 

Jorbit Vivas and Jose Tena filled in at second base while Brady House took over third base in three of the four games. Andrés Chapparo started at third base in Wednesday’s loss. 

He was 3-for-4 and scored the Nationals' only run on a solo home run in the 13-1 loss. Chapparo has been filling in at first base along with Abimelec Ortiz before Wednesday.

Harry Ford has not been what the Nationals were hoping for. The Nationals traded relief pitcher Jose A. Ferrer for Harry Ford in the offseason. Ford was ranked in the top 50 prospects in the MLB pipeline at the time, but has struggled in the Nationals organization.

He batted just .223 with a .705 OPS for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings before getting called up to the Major Leagues to fill in for Drew Millas. 

Ford's struggles continued when he was called up to the Major Leagues. He is batting just .194 with a .677 OPS and only seven extra-base hits this season. 

Still, there are aspects of his game that have been positive. He has been very patient at the plate. He has a 12.5% walk rate and is seeing 4.43 pitches per plate appearance. His defense has also been very solid, leading to a positive 0.4 WAR. 

The Nationals will try to build off that as he pushes towards the end of his first season as a Washington National.

The Washington Nationals will now move forward to a home series against the Miami Marlins, who swept them in their previous meeting. The series will start Friday, August 28, at 6:45 p.m. EST.