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The Nats rallied late last night, but it was not enough. They will look to even this series with the mighty Dodgers tonight. It will not be easy, but the Nats do have an ace up their sleeve. That would be Cade Cavalli, who is on the mound. With a righty on the mound, the Nats make some lineup adjustments. Daylen Lile returns to the lineup after getting a day off yesterday. Lefties Jorbit Vivas and Jose Tena are also in the lineup. Dylan Crews is down in the 9 hole and Keibert Ruiz will do the catching.

Unless you have been living under a rock this year, you would know that the Nationals bullpen has struggled. The unit has an ERA over 5 and has blown a mind boggling 35 saves. However, in the last couple weeks the Nats have called up three home grown relievers who have all gotten off to impressive starts. It is still very early days for Erik Tolman, Jared Simpson and Jack Sinclair, but so far they have impressed Nats fans.

Throughout his first full season in the big leagues, we have learned that Cade Cavalli loves a challenge. Whenever he squares off with the marquee teams in the league, Cavalli tends to have his best stuff. He will have an opportunity to do that again tonight against the Dodgers. Cavalli will be facing off with Tyler Glasnow tonight in what should be a very exciting matchup. It feels like Cavalli is starting to get those big matchups on a regular basis now that he is emerging as the Nats ace.

After finally getting a day off, the Nats are back and have a tall task. They head to LA to square off with the mighty Dodgers. This will be a good challenge for a young squad. They are going to face off with the Lions of baseball. However, the Dodgers main man is not in the lineup. James Wood will stay in the lineup, but he goes from right to left field. CJ Abrams plays his second consecutive game at second base, with the team finally committing to the move.

The Nationals started the last month of the regular season the same way they began August, with 2 games against the Atlanta Braves. This time went a bit better than last, splitting the 2 instead of losing both. While they did drop the second game, they’ve been playing above .500 ball (6-4) across their last 10 games. With playoff hopes all but gone, it’s time for Washington to play spoiler for the rest of the league.

As we enter September, the Nationals are out of the playoff hunt. However, that does not mean these games are meaningless. There are three players whose future could be shaped by what they do this month. Dylan Crews, Harry Ford and Abimelec Ortiz all need strong finishes to the season to secure a spot on the team in 2027 and beyond. Dylan Crews is the highest profile example of a player who needs a strong final chapter to the season.

As we all know, the Nationals bullpen has been a mess. They have cycled through so many different options, with most being ineffective. The unit has blown a ludicrous 35 saves and their 5.02 bullpen ERA is the third worst in baseball. However, there are three relievers who have established themselves as keepers entering 2027. Orlando Ribalta, Brad Lord and Will Dion should all feel relatively safe going into 2027. Lord and Dion have established themselves as effective multi-inning relievers.

Almost two months ago, Paul Toboni made local product Chris Hacopian his first draft pick. He took the Maryland and Texas A&M slugger 11th overall thanks to his intriguing blend of hitting ability, plate discipline and raw power. About a month into Hacopian’s professional career, he has been as advertised for better or worse. Baseball America wrote an article where they checked in on the top 30 picks from the 2026 draft. Hacopian’s section had some very interesting details.

In the last game of a 16 day run where they played every day, the Nats did not have any juice. They came out flat before the rain delay and that continued when play resumed. However, given the context, it was a performance I can live with in a 162 game season. This was still a successful home stand. After leaking oil for most of August, the Nats had a solid 6-4 run at home. Things reached rock bottom after they got humbled in a 13-1 defeat against the Rockies.

After the new kids led the Nats to a 9-5 win last night, they have a chance for a mini sweep in this two game set against the Braves. It will not be easy, but the Nats are playing solid baseball lately and get a major weapon back. This has been a good home stand, and now it is time to make it a great one. James Wood is back! After missing about a month with an oblique injury, the Nats star slugger is back. He is leading off and playing right field. That moves CJ Abrams to the cleanup spot.