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Good Morning, Washington Nationals fans.
Here are your Washington Nationals Morning headlines, news, analysis, and more for Wednesday, April 1, 2026
All loyal readers keep an eye out for something special dropping before Friday’s home opener against the Dodgers!
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GAME RECAP
🔥 HEADLINE
Phillies top Nats in Close Pitchers’ Duel
Final Score: Nationals 2, Philadelphia Phillies 3
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Location: Citizens Bank Park
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
Nasim Nuñez and CJ Abrams scored the only runs in the Nats’ close 3-2 loss to the Phillies. Despite the loss, starter PJ Poulin showed strong potential in his solitary inning, needing only nine pitches to get out of the inning completely scoreless.
📊 THE BOX SCORE
Winning Pitcher: Andrew Painter ([1–0], 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K)
Losing Pitcher: Zack Littell ([0–1], 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K)
Key Hitters:
Nasim Nuñez: 2-for-4, R, SB
CJ Abrams: 1-for-4, R
Team RISP: [0-for-9]
Errors: Nats 1, Phillies 1
Attendance: 40,709
🎙️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
“Whenever you’re facing guys like Trea Turner, Harper, Schwarber, it gets you fired up inside. So the situation is irrelevant, and I’m going to attack them the same way,” said starter PJ Poulin after needing only nine pitches to retire the side and keep the Phillies’ offence at bay.
📅 NEXT AT BAT
Next Game: vs. Philadelphia Phillies, April 1st, 1:05 PM ET, Citizens Bank Park
Probables: Nats — Cade Cavalli, Phillies — Cristopher Sánchez
Key Storyline: Can the Nats finish off the series and head home on a high note?
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
Who was tonight’s MVP?
✅ Nuñez
✅ Abrams
✅ Poulin
📬 SUBSCRIBER CTA
For more coverage of yesterday evening’s game, be sure to check out the game notes.
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Nationals Sign Pitcher Noah Dean
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
It was reported yesterday that the Nationals signed left-handed pitcher Noah Dean, who was released by the Red Sox earlier in the month. The move signifies a potential steal for the Nats that the Red Sox could come to regret.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
Yesterday, according to reports, the Nationals signed 25-year-old left-handed pitcher Noah Dean after he was released by the Boston Red Sox back on March 19th
Dean, a former 2022 fifth-round pick from Old Dominion University, was released following a three-year-long minor league stint, his career stat line showing a 5.35 ERA with 208.2 innings pitched and 284 strikeouts
Current Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni was serving as the Red Sox’s director of amateur scouting in 2022 when the left-hander was originally drafted by the team, meaning he’s seen Dean’s development from the very beginning
🗣️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
Despite the ERA, Noah Dean stood out among the batch of players dropped by the Red Sox in mid-March for his impressive strikeout rate. This move shows that Toboni and the rest of the management team saw something in Dean that the Red Sox simply couldn’t, likely because of Toboni’s former position in scouting for the team when Dean was drafted. Toboni was there to see the growth and development of the left-hander up close and personal, and likely has a solid grasp on not just his ability and statistics but his intangibles as well.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
What do you think of this signing for the Nats? What do you think Noah Dean could bring to the team?
📬 SUBSCRIBER CTA
For more on this signing, be sure to check out Richard’s article for in-depth analysis on both Dean and the signing.
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the FUTURE
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
Prepared to kick off their first game at home, the Rochester Red Wings were met with rain that caused the game to be cancelled. This means their home opener will be today instead, and that Friday will be the team’s first doubleheader of the season.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
The Rochester Red Wings’ home opener against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders was postponed yesterday evening due to inclement weather and will be rescheduled
Due to the cancellation, the home opener will now be the Red Wings’ game against the RailRiders today at 4:05 PM ET at ESL Ballpark
A doubleheader is now scheduled for this coming Friday, with the first pitch of the first game scheduled for 1:05 PM ET and game two scheduled to start around half an hour after the conclusion of game one
🗣️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
“I still get butterflies every opening day. This is one of the most special and fun games of the year, every year. It’s a sign that spring is finally here, especially after a rough winter like we had,” said Red Wings general manager Dan Mason, excited and optimistic despite the rain.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
How much are you looking forward to the Red Wings’ home opener? How do you think the team will fare with a doubleheader this early into the season?
📬 SUBSCRIBER CTA
For more on the Red Wings’ season, be sure to check out this article on their player development and talented new roster with manager Matt LeCroy.
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WHAT WE THINK THE NATIONALS FRONT OFFICE IS READING
Speed Reads
📌 Nationals Infielder Takes Home MLB's First Play of the Week Honor (Sports Illustrated)
📌 Are players challenging enough ABS calls? It's a work in progress (MLB)