The Washington Nationals begin their final series of the 2025 season Friday night against the Chicago White Sox. Entering at 12–11 since September 1, they’re aiming to secure a winning month to close out the year. Washington returns home from a 3-3 road trip that ended with a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, highlighted by two home runs from James Wood, a blast from Josh Bell, and a 3-for-4 performance by Daylen Lile.

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On Deck…

Tomorrow, the Nationals will play game two of three against the Chicago White Sox. The Nationals are scheduled to send right-handed pitcher Jake Irvin to the mound who has a 9-13 record with an ERA of 5.69 and the Nationals will face right handed pitcher Sean Burke from the White Sox who has a 4-11 record with an ERA of 4.29.

In the hole…

The Nationals will finish the 2025 season on Sunday afternoon against the Chicago White Sox. They have yet to name their starter for the season finale however, the White Sox are scheduled to send right handed pitcher Shane Smith who has a 6-8 record and an ERA of 3.98.

James Wood hit his 30th home run of the season on Wednesday against the Braves, becoming just the second player in Nationals history (2005–present) to record at least 30 homers and 15 steals in a season, joining Alfonso Soriano’s 2006 campaign.

Over his last two games, Wood has gone deep three times, and across his last three contests he’s 5-for-11 (.455) with a walk, three runs scored, and those home runs. He also continues to rise among National League leaders, ranking fourth in doubles (38), seventh in extra-base hits (68), and 10th in walks (85).

Wood stands alone across Major League Baseball as the only player with at least 30 homers, 35 doubles, and 15 stolen bases this year. With 92 RBI already, he’s closing in on the 100 mark—a milestone no Nationals hitter has reached since Anthony Rendon (126) and Juan Soto (110) in 2019.

Daylen Lile has been on a tear since July 21, batting .342/.386/.568 over 52 games with eight doubles, 10 triples, five home runs, 28 RBI, 12 walks, five steals, and 32 runs scored.

During this stretch, he leads all National League hitters in triples, ranks first in batting average, and sits fourth in slugging percentage.

For the season, Lile continues to pace Major League rookies with 11 triples while also leading NL rookies in batting average (.290), slugging percentage (.479), and OPS (.822), and ranking third in on-base percentage (.343).

Despite missing over two months with an injury, Dylan Crews has still managed to make his mark, tying for the National League rookie lead with 17 stolen bases while also tying for fifth with 10 home runs.

Over his last 18 games, Crews is hitting .270 (17-for-63) with two doubles, three homers, eight RBI, five walks, and nine runs scored. He’s recorded a hit in 13 of those 18 contests, including eight of his last nine.

Cade Cavalli’s season has featured some pronounced splits that highlight both his strengths and areas for improvement. At Nationals Park, he’s been highly effective, going 2-0 with a 2.11 ERA across four starts. In those home outings, he’s allowed just five earned runs over 21.1 innings, striking out 19 batters while issuing only six walks, showing both command and consistency. On the road, though, Cavalli’s numbers tell a different story, as he’s gone 1-1 with a 6.17 ERA in five starts, surrendering 16 earned runs in 23.1 innings.

The splits extend to how opposing hitters fare against him from each side of the plate. Left-handed batters have struggled, hitting only .220 (22-for-100) with 21 strikeouts and seven walks, suggesting his repertoire plays particularly well against lefties. Right-handers, however, have seen much more success, batting .364 (28-for-77) with 13 strike