After the Washington Nationals squandered another chance to get back to .500, ESPN takes an updated look at the 2026 season
For the second time this week, the Washington Nationals had a chance to get back to .500. Yet for the second time this week, the Nationals fell back in the loss column following the first shutout loss in 2026.
The Nationals will look to avenge Wednesday's loss in the fourth and final game of the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates with first pitch set for 12:35 PM ET and Foster Griffin set to take the mound for his fourth start of the season.
The Nationals opened the season taking three of the first four games before dropping back under .500 following a five game losing streak, but still, there have been signs of encouragement. CJ Abrams has been consistent for the Nationals to start the season as he ranks top five in multiple offensive categories, including his team leading six home runs. James Wood overcame a slow start that started in spring training and spilled into the regular season, bouncing back with his bats and a web gem to be tabbed the National League Player of the Week.
The concern has largely been the pitching with a mix between the starting rotation and bullpen. Miles Mikolas struggled mightily through his first two starts, allowing a franchise record 11 earned runs during the home opener loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers, yet he's one of three players owning a double digit ERA.
Jackson Rutledge, fresh off being called up, leads the way with a whopping 47.25 after allowing seven earned runs in 1.1 innings against the Pirates. That performance led him to be sent back down to Triple A Rochester with Mitchell Parker making his regular season debut against the Pirates. Though the small sample size has skewed Rutledge, the same can't be said for Andre Granillo who has allowed at least one run in four of his five appearances this season, leading to his 12.46 ERA across 4.1 innings.
Yet on Wednesday, the pitching was there after the Nationals bounced back from Jake Irvin's opening inning with the Pirates scoring a pair of runs. After the Pirates went ahead 2-0, Irvin allowed just one hit over the next four innings before Brad Lord stepped in, also allowing one hit over the final three innings.
The Nationals will still have a chance to get even in the series on Thursday, yet the 8-10 record wasn't enough to add too much more optimism to the season outlook after Washington remained unchanged in ESPN's updated power rankings, slotting in at 28th overall.
"The Nationals have boasted one of the sport's best offenses over these first three weeks, all thanks to their two most important players. James Wood went 12-for-22 with three home runs, eight RBIs and one steal of home to win NL Player of the Week honors last week. CJ Abrams, meanwhile, is slashing .367/.458/.717 with six home runs and 19 RBIs while reaching base safely in 16 of 17 games this season. Just as encouraging: He has nearly doubled his walk rate from last season. As Nationals manager Blake Butera told reporters last weekend: "There are a lot of positives with CJ's game right now."