The Washington Nationals will kick off a four game series against the Atlanta Braves this evening at Nationals Park. The Nationals are scheduled to send left-handed pitcher Mitchell Parker who has a 8-15 record with an ERA of 5.69 with 100 strikeouts to the mound while the Nationals will face right handed pitcher Spencer Strider who has a 5-13 record with an ERA of 4.86 and 114 strikeouts.

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The Washington Nationals pulled out a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, sealing a series victory and continuing their strong September push. The Nationals have now captured three of their last four series, with the lone exception a four-game split against the Miami Marlins.

Washington has surged of late, winning nine of its last 13 games. The team’s 9-4 mark (.692) this month is the second-best record in the National League, trailing only the Philadelphia Phillies (10-3, .769), and ranks tied for third in all of Major League Baseball. Since August 9, the Nationals have played to a .500 clip, going 17-17 over their last 34 games.

On Deck…

Tomorrow the Nationals and the Braves will play a double header at Nationals Park. The first game first pitch is scheduled to be at 1:05 p.m. EDT and Game Two's first pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. EDT. The Nationals are scheduled to send right-handed pitcher Jake Irvin (8-12, 5.70 ERA) for Game 1 and left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore (5-14, 4.14) for Game 2 of the double header. The Braves have yet to announce their starter for Game 1 and however, they are scheduled to send LHP Chris Sale (5-5, 2.52 ERA) for Game 2 of the series. 

In the Hole…

The Nationals will finish up their home stand and also four-game series against the Braves on Wednesday with the first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m. EDT. The Nationals are scheduled to send right handed pitcher Brad Lord (5-8, 4.21 ERA) to the mound and will face right-handed pitcher Hurston Waldrep (4-1, 2.78) from the Atlanta Braves. 

Nationals reliever Clayton Beeter (1.0 IP, H, BB, 3 SO) recorded his first career save in Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Pirates. Since joining Washington on August 5, the right-hander has posted one save, six holds, a 1.93 ERA (4 ER/18.2 IP), and has held opponents to a .086 average (5-for-58, HR). That .086 mark is the second-lowest in Major League Baseball over that stretch among pitchers with at least 15.0 innings.

Meanwhile, José A. Ferrer has been equally dominant, going 2-0 with nine saves, two holds, a 1.08 ERA (2 ER/16.2 IP), and 15 strikeouts against just three walks in his last 15 appearances. He has converted all nine of his save chances in that span, with his nine saves since August 9 ranking third-most in the National League.

The Nationals’ offense has developed a flair for the dramatic this season, leading all of Major League Baseball with 79 runs and 132 hits in the ninth inning. Only the 2019 World Series–winning Nationals scored more late, with 87 ninth-inning runs, highlighting just how dangerous this year’s squad has been in crunch time.

That timely hitting extends beyond the late innings. Washington enters the week ranked fourth in the National League with a .270 average with runners in scoring position, showing consistent ability to capitalize on scoring chances. On the basepaths, the Nationals have also been a threat, stealing 123 bases—the fourth-most in the league—adding another dimension to their offensive attack.

James Wood and CJ Abrams have both climbed into the National League’s top 10 in doubles, with Wood tied for third (36) and Abrams tied for seventh (33). The Nationals and Mets are the only NL teams with multiple players ranked among the league leaders in the category.

Wood has been especially hot at the plate, leading all of Major League Baseball with 15 doubles since August 8. Over his last six games, five of his eight hits have gone for two bases, as he’s gone 8-for-23 with five doubles, two RBI, four walks, and five runs scored. Abrams, meanwhile, has set a new career high with 33 doubles on the season, reaching the 100-double milestone of his career on Sept. 8 in Miami.

Left-hander Mitchell Parker is coming off an impressive outing in Miami, where he earned the win on Sept. 9 after allowing just two earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts across 7.2 innings in Washington’s 7-5 victory. He is set to make his fifth career start against Atlanta and third this season. In four prior starts against the Braves, Parker is 2-0 with a 4.63 ERA.

Over his last four outings, Parker has tallied 16 strikeouts while issuing only four walks in 23.2 innings of work. He has also done well limiting the running game, allowing just two stolen bases all season — tied for the third-fewest among Major League starters with at least 115 innings, and second among left-handed starters. Since the start of 2024, opponents have managed only six steals against him, tied for the fourth-fewest among starters with at least 250 innings.

Parker began his second big league season on a strong note, going 3-1 with a 1.39 ERA (5 ER/32.1 IP), a .167 opponents’ average (19-for-114), and just three extra-base hits over his first five starts. His standout performance came April 22 in Baltimore, when he fired a career-best 8.0 innings of one-hit, scoreless baseball in a 7-0 Nationals win.

Although Atlanta dropped both games at Nationals Park earlier this season, the Braves have still dominated in D.C. in recent years, posting a 32-15 (.681) record at the ballpark since the start of 2019. Over that seven-year stretch, they’ve outscored Washington by a commanding 276-183 margin.

Matt Olson provided another spark for Atlanta’s offense on Sunday, collecting two hits and blasting his 25th home run of the season on a first-inning drive to right field. After enduring a 34-game stretch from July 21 to August 26 with just one homer, Olson has rediscovered his power stroke, hitting six long balls over his last 17 games while slashing .350/.429/.717 since August 27.

On the mound for the Atlanta Braves
Spencer Strider

Spencer Strider will make his seventh career start and eighth overall appearance against Washington tonight. The right-hander is 4-2 with a 5.03 ERA (19 ER/34.0 IP) all-time against the Nationals but struggled in his lone outing against them this season, giving up four runs on six hits over 4.1 innings in a loss at Nationals Park on May 20.

Strider enters the matchup looking to snap a five-game losing streak that stretches across six starts since August 6, with Atlanta dropping all six of those outings. The skid matches the longest of his career, equaling an early-season drought from April 16 to June 8. Even so, the hard-throwing righty has shown signs of finding his form again, posting a 3.00 ERA (6 ER/18.0 IP) over his last three starts, including 6.0 innings of two-run ball with eight strikeouts his last time out.