Today the Washington Nationals will play their final game of the 2025 season and their final game of their three game series against the Chicago White Sox. The Nationals are scheduled to send RHP Brad Lord (5-9, 4.12 ERA) to the mound and will face RHP Sean RHP Shane Smith (6-8, 3.98 ERA) from the Chicago White Sox.

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James Wood has gone 8-for-21 (.381) over his last five games with a double, four home runs, five RBI, four runs scored, and a walk. On Wednesday against the Braves, he launched his 30th homer of the season, becoming just the second player in Nationals history (2005–present) to record at least 30 homers and 15 stolen bases in a single year, joining Alfonso Soriano’s 2006 campaign.

He continues to rank among the National League’s best hitters:

Wood also stands alone as the only player in Major League Baseball this season with at least 30 homers, 38 doubles, and 15 steals. With 94 RBI already, he’s closing in on the 100-RBI mark. If he reaches it, he’ll become the first Nationals player to do so since Anthony Rendon (126) and Juan Soto (110) in 2019.

Daylen Lile has emerged as one of the league’s top young hitters, leading all Major League rookies with 11 triples. Among National League rookies, he also sits first in batting average (.302), slugging percentage (.503), and OPS (.853), while ranking second in on-base percentage (.350). Despite not joining the Nationals full-time until June 16, he still places sixth among NL rookies in hits (96), extra-base hits (35), and stolen bases (8).

Since July 21, Lile has been even more impressive, slashing .350/.395/.604 across 54 games. Over that stretch, he’s collected nine doubles, 10 triples, seven home runs, 33 RBI, 13 walks, five steals, and 35 runs scored. During this run, he leads all NL players in triples, ranks first in batting average, and sits second in slugging percentage

Here are some stats about the Washington Nationals in the latter innings:

Jose A. Ferrer has converted 11 of 13 save chances since stepping into the closer’s role after the trade deadline. His 11 saves since August 9 are the third-most in the National League over that span.

The Nationals have been at their best late in games, tied with the Oakland Athletics for the most ninth-inning runs in Major League Baseball this season with 80. They also rank second in the league with 143 ninth-inning hits, trailing only the Colorado Rockies (144). In franchise history (2005–present), only the 2019 Nationals scored more ninth-inning runs in a season with 87.

Mitchell Parker made his first career relief outing on Sept. 21 at Citi Field, earning the save against the Mets with 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits with two strikeouts and no walks. He followed that effort with another appearance on Sept. 24 in Atlanta, picking up the win after recording two outs in relief.

Parker’s 3.2-inning save was not only the first of his career, but also the longest save in Nationals history (2005–present). It additionally marked the first save of more than 3.0 innings in franchise history (MON/WSH) since May 22, 1999, when Anthony Telford logged a 4.0-inning save against Milwaukee.

Brad Lord’s latest outing in Atlanta showed just how far he’s come. On Sept. 23, the right-hander battled through six innings, giving up just two runs on four hits—two of them home runs—while striking out four and walking one in a hard-luck loss to the Braves.

It was the continuation of a steady run of form for the 24-year-old, who has posted a 3.13 ERA with 19 strikeouts over his last four starts, twice going at least six innings. Now, as he prepares for his first career start against the White Sox, Lord is looking to build on that consistency and close his rookie campaign on a high note.

His path to the rotation wasn’t immediate. From May through mid-July, Lord carved out a valuable role in the bullpen, where he logged 29 appearances with a strong 2.79 ERA while holding opponents to a .217 average. That stretch gave him confidence and showed he could handle big-league hitters in high-leverage situations, racking up 35 strikeouts along the way.

There’s also a storybook quality to his “firsts” this season. He debuted on March 30 against Philadelphia, earned his first start on April 8 against the Dodgers and struck out Shohei Ohtani twice on the way to four scoreless innings, then secured his first win on May 1 back at Citizens Bank Park with five strong frames against the Phillies. For a pitcher who began the year still adjusting to the major leagues, Brad Lord’s rookie season has already turned into one filled with milestones—and plenty of signs of what could come next.