Washington Nationals Put Brad Lord on IL, Name Friday's Opener

The Washington Nationals are set to kick off the final series of the first half of the 2026 regular season when the New York Yankees come to town for the first meeting between the two teams this season. Yet they will do so with another change to the available pitching staff, along with a slight change in Friday's plans.

The team announced on Thursday afternoon that right handed pitcher Brad Lord has been placed on the 15 day injured list, retroactive to July 6, due to left side tightness. The move comes as Lord struggled in his latest appearance, allowing five earned runs and four hits including one home run in just 1.1 innings in Sunday's 11-5 loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It marked the second time that Lord allowed at least five runs over his last four appearances, a stark drop off from the initially reliable 26 year old out of the bullpen.

Though his latest performance inflated his ERA to 12.27 in July, Lord heads to the injured list with a 3.88 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 52 strikeouts against 21 walks.

How soon Lord will be available for Washington with the second half set to kick off with a six game road trip beginning July 17 against the Athletics then Colorado Rockies is another question, but the Nationals will also look to capitalize on the final series before looking ahead.

They will also take the field on Friday night with left hander Carson Palmquist, who was acquired via trade from the Colorado Rockies, set to take the mound as the opener for right hander Zack Littell. This marks the third time that Palmquist has served as the opener. His debut as a National came in the opening role after allowing one earned run and tossing three strikeouts on June 24 vs. Philadelphia, then again against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 4 where a two out double steal led to a run in the opening inning. Palmquist has recorded five earned runs across 4.1 innings in the role.

With the Nationals entering the series two games above .500 yet sitting in fourth within the division, first pitch is set for 6:45 PM on Friday before Miles Mikolas and Cade Cavalli close out the series this weekend. Both pitchers saw their seven game suspension stemming from the brawl against the Boston Red Sox reduced to five games, allowing the pair of veterans a chance to close out the series ahead of the All Star break.

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