The struggles at home continue for the Washington Nationals after dropping the series at home against the Atlanta Braves
With a chance to even up the series at 2-2, the Nationals lost 7-2 to the Braves Thursday night.
Cade Cavalli escaped with a no-decision in the loss after a stellar outing. Washington’s top starter only made it through 5 innings, but delivered 10 strikeouts and gave up only two earned runs.
The Nats’ main star on offense also delivered, with James Wood adding to his hot month with a solo home run. The round-tripper was his tenth of the season.
Outside of Wood and Cavalli, though, Washington was short on positive performances. The rest of the offense went cold, with only five total hits on the night, while the back end of the bullpen struggled to the tune of five runs allowed across the final three innings.
Throughout the series, Washington’s offense, which has been among the best in the league, largely delivered, scoring 23 runs across four games. Pitching continued to be their downfall, though — the team gave up 28 runs in the four game division showdown.
With the series in the rear view mirror, here are the three biggest takeaways.
1. James Wood is fully back.
Despite a disappointing series for the team, Wood showed out against Atlanta. The young star mashed three long balls, bringing his total to a National League-leading ten.
At this point in the season, it’s almost hard to remember Wood’s early-season woes. The all-star form the young outfielder showed early in the 2025 season is back, and National fans should be excited about the future.
2. Pitching is a problem, and there’s no easy fix
Coming into the season, there were concerns that Washington’s pitching staff was the team’s obvious weak point. At this point in the season, it’s clear that those worries were far from unfounded.
Coming into Thursday’s game, the Nationals were carrying a team ERA of 5.65. They have now given up 147 runs on the season, which ranks dead last in Major League Baseball.
Washington doesn’t need to win now — this season was always a rebuilding year. But to be more competitive going forward, the front office will need to find solutions on the mound.
3. Cade Cavalli showed real ace potential
While the Nationals dropped Thursday’s game, Cade Cavalli was far from the reason. He has had an up-and-down start to the year, but he had his best stuff working in his ten strikeout performance.
The pitching staff as a whole is a big question mark, but Cavalli is one of the few sure things going forward.