Game Details

• Chicago Cubs (37-22) vs. Washington Nationals (28-31)

• Pitching Matchup: RHP Cade Horton (2-0, 3.98) vs. RHP Trevor Williams (3-5, 5.69)

• Date: Tuesday, June 3, 2025 | 6:45 p.m. EDT | Game: # 60 | Home Game: #28

• Location: Nationals Park | Washington, D.C.

Game storylines and notes

WELCOME HOME! The Washington Nationals will kick off a six-game homestand tonight as they face the Chicago Cubs for the first time in 2025. The Nationals are scheduled to send RHP Trevor Williams (3-5, 5.69) to the mound and will face right-handed pitcher RHP Cade Horton (2-0, 3.98) from the Chicago Cubs.

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Game Recap
LAST GAME RECAP

On Sunday afternoon, the Washington Nationals concluded their West Coast road trip with a loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks got off to a quick 3-0 lead; however, the Nationals could not claw their way back from the 3-0 deficit.

[Click here to read our full game recap]

Washington Nationals Schedule
Up Next…

On Deck…

Tomorrow, the Nationals will play game two of their series against the Cubs with the first pitch scheduled at 6:45 p.m. EDT. The Nationals are scheduled to send LHP MacKenzie Gore (2-5, 3.16) to the mound while facing LHP Matthew Boyd (5-2, 3.08) from the Chicago Cubs. MacKenzie Gore has recorded 25 strikeouts against just five walks over his last three starts, spanning 15.2 innings pitched. In four career starts against the Cubs, he holds a 2-2 record with a 5.24 ERA (13 earned runs in 22.1 innings), tallying 25 strikeouts and seven walks.

In the hole…

After Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, the Nationals will finish their series against the Cubs on Thursday, with RHP Jake Irvin (5-1, 3.93) taking the mound for the Nationals. Irvin made his Major League debut on May 3, 2023, against the Cubs, where he pitched 4.1 innings, allowing just one earned run on two hits while striking out three. The Cubs have yet to name their starter for the rubber game.

The New Kids on the Block

Two Washington Nationals’ top prospects made their Major League debuts in the past week.

Robert Hassell III is off to a strong start, going 9-for-24 (.375) with a double, a home run, five RBI, and three runs scored, and has hit safely in his last five games. He launched his first big league homer on Wednesday and has collected 11 hits in his first 10 games.

Daylen Lile has recorded hits in five of his first nine games, with each of his last four hits going for extra bases (three doubles and a triple).

Got WOOD?

James Wood remains one of the National League’s top hitters. He has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games, going 18-for-52 (.346) with four doubles, five home runs, 19 RBI, 11 walks, four stolen bases, and 14 runs scored, reaching base in 13 contests. Wood also drove in at least one run in a career-best seven consecutive games from May 24 to 31, a streak that ended on June 1 against Arizona.

On April 22, his slash line stood at .232/.337/.524, but since then he has hit .317/.413/.592, raising his season totals to .286/.385/.567

Put A LOT OF CURLY W’s in the Books…

Since May 14, the Nationals have gone 11-5 (.688), giving them the fourth-best record in Major League Baseball during that span. Their opponents this week, the Chicago Cubs, are tied for the best mark in MLB over the same stretch at 12-4 (.750).

Washington has won four of its last five games and four of its last five series overall. The Nationals are averaging 5.56 runs per game—third-most in the majors—and have posted a .447 slugging percentage (39 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs) during this run. Their 39 doubles are tied for the most in MLB, and their .447 slugging percentage ranks fourth since May 14.

On the mound for the Washington Nationals
Trevor Williams

Trevor Williams earned his third win of the season in his most recent start, tossing six scoreless innings with just three hits allowed, no walks, and two strikeouts on May 28 in Seattle. This was his first outing of at least six shutout innings since August 20, 2023, against Philadelphia.

Right-handed hitters have struggled against Williams this season, batting just .204 (19-for-93) with three doubles, 24 strikeouts, and five walks. Among National League pitchers, he ranks sixth in opponent slugging percentage against righties at .204.

Williams’ sweeper has been particularly effective, with a .262 expected slugging percentage—the second-best among all sweepers in Major League Baseball—and an expected batting average of .188, tied for sixth best. Opponents are hitting just .185 (12-for-71) with two doubles and one home run off his sweeper in 2025.

From September 16, 2023, through April 12, 2025, Williams allowed three runs or fewer in 17 consecutive starts, tying Max Scherzer for the longest such streak in Nationals history since 2005.

Against the Chicago Cubs, Williams owns a 4-8 career record with a 4.55 ERA (42 earned runs in 83 innings) and 68 strikeouts over 18 appearances, including 14 starts. In his last seven games (five starts) facing Chicago, he has posted a 1.91 ERA (seven earned runs in 33 innings) with 34 strikeouts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS BY THE NUMBERS

The Washington Nationals have the following records.

• Day: 11-16 | Night: 17-15 | Home Record: 13-14 | Road Record: 15-17

• Month Record: 0-1 | Current Streak: L1 | Previous Month Record: 15-12

• A.L. Teams: 8-7 | N.L. Teams: 20-24 | N.L. Central: 3-7

• vs. LHSP: 6-8 | vs. RHSP: 22-23

• Series Opener: 9-10 | Series Opener at Home: 5-4 | By Series: 9-9-1

• White Script Nationals: 3-4 | Red Curly W: 2-1 | City Connect: 4-6 | Blue Jersey: 10-9 | Road Gray: 8-11 | 42: 1-0

Opposition Research 
Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs open a three-game series against the Washington Nationals today in Washington, following an off day after finishing their six-game homestand with a 5-1 record, capped by a 7-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds. In that game, Michael Busch homered and drove in three runs, while Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner each collected three hits. Jameson Taillon started and earned his fifth win of the season, allowing two earned runs over 6.1 innings.

Currently, the Cubs sit atop the NL Central, holding a four-game lead over second-place St. Louis. Their +97 run differential is the best in the National League and ranks third in the majors. Chicago has been on a roll, going 15-5 in their last 20 games since May 10, the best mark in Major League Baseball during that stretch. This series marks the start of the first of two nine-game road trips for the Cubs this season, with stops in Washington (June 3-5), Detroit (June 6-8), and Philadelphia (June 9-11).

This week’s matchup is the first meeting of the season between the Cubs and Nationals. Historically, Chicago is 314-332 all-time against Washington, including a 29-26 record at Nationals Park since 2008. The Cubs dominated the Nationals last year, winning six of seven games, including a three-game sweep in Washington from August 30 to September 1. Chicago is 8-1 against Washington since July 18, 2023, which includes a seven-game winning streak spanning from July 2023 to September 2024.

ON THE MOUND FOR THE VISITORS
Cade Horton

Cade Horton enters today’s game against the Nationals set to make his fourth career start and fifth Major League appearance—his first time facing Washington. For the season, Horton is 2-0 with a 3.98 ERA, allowing nine earned runs over 20.1 innings pitched. Over his last two starts, he’s given up just three runs in 11.1 innings, posting a 2.38 ERA, and has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his four big league outings.

Horton stands out for his control, ranking in the 91st percentile in the majors with a 4.7% walk rate and in the 83rd percentile in chase rate at 31.3%. Opponents are 0-for-7 with four strikeouts against his changeup so far this season.

Earlier this year, Horton threw a career-high six innings and struck out six against Colorado on May 27. He also worked into the sixth inning for the first time on May 21 in Miami, allowing just one run in a Cubs 2-1 win. Horton became the seventh pitcher in Cubs history since 1901 to earn a win in each of his first two Major League outings, and the first Cub to record a win in relief in his MLB debut since Daniel Palencia in 2023.

Prior to his call-up, Horton made six starts for Triple-A Iowa, going 2-1 with a 1.24 ERA over 29 innings—the lowest ERA in the International League at the time. In all six Triple-A starts this year, he allowed one run or fewer and struck out at least five batters each time.