Good Morning, Washington Nationals fans.
Welcome to the Morning Briefing for Thursday, March 19, 2026. We are officially one week away from Opening Day, so we are returning the Morning Briefing to all five days a week.
Hi, my name is Aidan Sutton. I am a Sophomore Journalism Major at James Madison University who has loved the Nationals my whole life. Growing up fascinated in the world of sports, I quickly fell in love with the Nationals. With my dad cheering for them his whole life and us getting all of the games on our cable, it was a match made in heaven.
Now I get to take my favorite team and use my college experience to talk in depth about them all season! Stats, writing and watching my favorite team play baseball… Sign me up!
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Opening Day: One Week Away
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
With only three games left of Spring Training, we are officially one week out from the most anticipated day of the year for Nats fans: MLB Opening Day. On March 26th, the Nats officially kick off their 162 game season with a 3 game away series against the Chicago Cubs.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
Pitching in their season opener, we are slated to see 27-year-old righty Cade Cavalli taking the mound, facing off against Matthew Boyd for the Cubs
With their first and second series of the season falling as away trips in Chicago and Philadelphia, the Nats won’t make their home opening day debut until April 3rd against the Dodgers
The Cubs were 92-70 last season with an NLDS apperance, proving as a great challenge for the Nationals to get out of the gate hot, and show they are ready to compete for the playoffs in the National League
🗣️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
With Cade Cavalli getting his first Opening Day start, vibes are positive surrounding his debut, believing he will start their season off with a bang. Josiah Gray, 2024 Nationals opening day starter is particularly impressed with Cavalli surrounding the situation. “The work he’s put in to get back to the level he’s at, and then exceed at that level, it shows with getting that nod,” Gray said. “It couldn’t have gone to a better candidate, honestly.”
📈 MORNING STAT (Optional)
The Nats have lost 4 straight season openers, looking to erase that streak and start one in the win column.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
Do you think the Nats finally start their season with a win? What do you see Cade Cavalli’s stat line as?
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Tune In! Nationals’ Spring Breakout Roster
Tune in today, Thursday, March 19th at 4:30 PM ET for the Nats future on display. Tomorrow in their game against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Nats will be participating in their Spring Breakout 2026 game, featuring 27 of the Nats Top 30 Prospects, including 2025 #1 overall pick Eli Willitis.
Tune In tomorrow live for first pitch at 4:30 PM ET on MLB.com with MLB Gameday. The easiest way to check in and see how the game is going with a full play by play and box score!
Nats Top Prospect Catcher: Harry Ford Update
🔥 HEADLINE
Harry Ford, MLB’s Number 71 Prospect, will have to wait a little longer for a full-time run in the big leagues. However, Ford will open the season at Triple-A for #Nationals.
🎙️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
Nats Manager Blake Butera made assured fans that this move was based on Ford’s development, not performance. “Harry is a huge part of our future,” Butera said. “He’s going to get everyday reps at Triple-A, and when he’s ready, he’ll be back.”
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
On the other hand, National’s 5th year catcher Keibert Ruiz has continued to impress Nats coaching staff and is set to get the starting role come Opening Day and for the starting games of the 2026 season.
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Last Stretch to Opening Day
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
Although Opening Day is so close, the Nats still have 5 more Spring Training games to get through and get the team ready for the big day. Most importantly, the last stretch to see who is clicking right now and finalize not only the starting lineup, but also the opening day pitching rotation.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
With a pitching spot still in the air, we see Jake Irvin standing out in spring training and the offseason looking slotted to take the 5th starting spot alongside Cavalli, Littell, Griffin, and Mikolas
With the Nats playing their 6th and final Spring Training game against the Cardinals tomorrow, they look to finish 5-1 against them in the Spring Training season at 1:05 PM ET at Busch Stadium
DMV Matchup - The Nationals will close out their Spring Training campaign with back to back games against the Baltimore Orioles, with the first game away and the second game at home March 23rd at 1:05 PM ET on MLB Network
🗣️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
Despite questions lingering about his 5.70 ERA last season going into this one, Jake Irvin has turned it around in the offseason, and given hope that he will be able to turn it around for the best. This comes as a result of the Nationals changing the fastball usage of the rotation, giving him a better mix so when he eventually throws it, it catches batters more off guard than in the years before.
📈 MORNING STAT (Optional)
With their 13-7-3 (Edit after Marlins game today) record, the Nationals will finish with a winning record in Spring Training no matter what, hoping to translate it to the regular season a week from now.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
Do you think the Nationals vs Orioles rivalry is an underrated one in the MLB? Where would you rank it amongst Nats rivals?
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WHAT WE THINK THE NATIONALS FRONT OFFICE IS READING
Speed Reads
📌Inside the early days of the Washington Nationals’ tech revolution (The Athletic)