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The Nationals will conclude their three-game series against the Chicago Cubs tonight and will face LHP Drew Pomeranz (2 -0; 0.00 ERA) from the Cubs, while the Nationals will send RHP Jake Irvin (5-1; 3.93 ERA) to the mound in hopes of winning another series. [See notes below on the Nationals’ current winning streaks]

The Washington Nationals blanked the Chicago Cubs last night, 2-0, thanks to an impressive pitching performance from Left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore. Gore pitched 7.0 scoreless innings, throwing 94 pitches with 63 being strikes. A solo home run in the bottom of the seventh by Amed Rosario and an eighth-inning RBI from Nasim Nunez helped propel the Nationals to a win. Last night’s win was the Nationals’ fifth shutout of the year, and was the sixth win of the season when recording fewer hits than their opponent.

Left-hander MacKenzie Gore delivered his second career outing of at least seven scoreless innings—his first performance since May 29, 2022, with San Diego and his first since joining the Washington Nationals. Last night’s game also marked the fourth time a Nationals starter has thrown at least seven shutout innings this season, with Jake Irvin accomplishing it twice and Mitchell Parker also reaching the milestone.

Washington Nationals outfielder Robert Hassell III went 1-for-3 last night. Since making his major league debut, Hassell III is 10-for-31 with a batting average of .323, with a double, a homerun, five RBI, three runs scored, and has recorded a hit in six of his last seven games. Lastly, Kyle Finnegan earned his 17th save of the year, which put him tied for second for the most saves in MLB this season.

On Deck…

The Washington Nationals will kick off a three-game series against the visiting Texas Rangers tomorrow. The Nationals will welcome back to Nationals Park, World Series 2019, former Washington Nationals left-handed pitcher Patrick Corbin, who currently has a record of 3-4 with an ERA of 3.71. The Nationals will send right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka, who has a 2-3 record and an ERA of 5.81.

In the hole…

The Nationals will play game two of their three-game series against the Texas Rangers on Saturday, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m. EDT. The Nationals are scheduled to send LHP Mitchell Parker (4-5; 4.71 ERA) to the mound and face RHP Jacob deGrom (5-2, 2.34 ERA) from the Texas Rangers.

The Nationals have gone 12-6 (.667) since May 14, giving them the fourth-best record in Major League Baseball over that span. This week’s opponents, the Chicago Cubs, are tied for the best mark in MLB during this stretch at 13-5 (.722).

Washington has claimed victory in five of its last seven games and has taken four of its last five series. Offensively, the Nationals are averaging 5.22 runs per game—fourth-most in MLB since May 14—and have produced a .434 slugging percentage (43 doubles, four triples, 19 home runs), also ranking fourth in the league. Their 43 doubles are the most by any team in baseball during this period.

James Wood stands out as one of the top hitters in the National League. He is tied for third in Major League Baseball with 34 batted balls hit at least 108 MPH, trailing only Aaron Judge (39) and Shohei Ohtani (35).

Wood owns a 1.000 slugging percentage to the opposite field, ranking third in MLB and first in the NL. Over his last 16 games, Wood has recorded hits in 13 contests, going 19-for-58 (.328) with five doubles, five home runs, 20 RBIs, 11 walks, four stolen bases, and 14 runs scored, reaching base safely in 14 of those 16 games.

Over the last 17 games since May 14, the Nationals’ bullpen has ranked among the National League’s best, sitting third in opponents’ slugging percentage (.309), fifth in opponents’ batting average (.225), and sixth in ERA (3.23).

Kyle Finnegan is tied for second in MLB—and second in the NL—with 17 saves. He has not surrendered a home run in 41.1 innings dating back to August 3, 2024, marking the seventh-longest active streak among big league relievers.

Cole Henry has put together 14.2 consecutive scoreless innings, the second-longest active streak in the National League and the longest by any Nationals pitcher this season. During this stretch, opposing hitters are just 4-for-46 (.087) against him.

Brad Lord has racked up 11 strikeouts and held opponents to a .138 average (4-for-29) over 8.1 scoreless innings in his last six appearances, pitching more than one inning in three of those outings.

Right-handed pitcher Jake Irvin takes the mound this evening for the Washington Nationals. Irvin has a record of 5-1 with an ERA of 3.93 over 57.1 innings pitched, and has given up 22 earned runs, has struck out 35, and has issued 14 walks over his last nine outings. During this stretch, opposing hitters have also managed a .220 average against him. Left-handed batters are hitting .225 with 18 strikeouts, while right-handed hitters are batting .213 with 17 strikeouts over the nine-game span.

Last time out

Jake Irvin picked up his fifth win of the season by pitching five innings and allowing six runs in the Nationals’ 9-7 victory over Arizona on May 30, marking his third straight win. If Irvin earns another victory today, he would become the first Nationals starter to win four consecutive starts since Stephen Strasburg’s seven-game streak from June 21 to July 28, 2019.

vs. Chicago Cubs

Jake Irvin is set to face the Cubs for the fourth time in his career. In his previous three starts against Chicago, he holds a 0-2 record with a 9.00 ERA, allowing 13 earned runs over 13 innings.