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Game Details
Cincinnati Reds (56-58) vs. Washington Nationals (56-61)
Pitching Matchup: RHP Chase Petty (1-2; 4.50 ERA) vs. RHP Cade Cavalli (8-5, 3.52 ERA)
Date: Friday, August 7, 2026 | 6:45 p.m. EDT | Game: #118 | Home Game: #58
Location: Nationals Park | Washington, D.C.
Game storylines and notes
WELCOME HOME!!!
The Washington Nationals return to Nationals Park after a eight game two city road trip.
The Nationals are in the midst of a stretch of 17 games in 17 days that began on July 24 until their next day off on Aug. 10. Washington is also on a run of 39 games in 41 days from July 24 through Sept. 2.
The Nationals are scheduled to send RHP Cade Cavalli has a 8-5 record and a 3.52 ERA) on the mound. The Nationals will face right handed pitcher Chase Petty who has a 1-2 record and a 4.50 ERA entering tonight’s game.
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Washington Nationals Schedule
Up Next…
On Deck…
Tomorrow, the Washington Nationals will play game two of their three game weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds. The Nationals are scheduled to send left handed pitcher Andrew Alvarez to the mound who has a 2-3 record and an ERA of 3.94 and has 63 strikeouts so far this season.
Andrew Alvarez is set to face the Reds for the first time in his career.
The Nationals are scheduled to face right handed pitcher Chase Burns from the Cincinnati Reds who has a 13-1 record and an 2.35 ERA.
In the hole…
The Washington Nationals have yet to name their starter for Sunday’s game. The Nationals are scheduled to face right handed pitcher Brady Singer who has a 5-10 record and a 4.67 ERA.
Hot at short
Fresh off being named National League Player of the Month for July, CJ Abrams ranks among the top offensive performers in both the National League and Major League Baseball.
Abrams is 5-for-13 (.385) over his last three games, recording a double, triple, three RBI, a hit by pitch, a stolen base and two runs scored. Over his last 27 games, he is slashing .340/.397/.698 with six doubles, one triple and 10 home runs.
Among National League leaders, Abrams ranks first in Major League Baseball with 88 RBI. He is third in the NL with a .550 slugging percentage and tied for third with 234 total bases. His 53 extra-base hits rank fourth in the league, while his .913 OPS, 146 wRC+ and .388 wOBA also each rank fourth.
Abrams also continues to climb the Nationals record books. His 12 career leadoff home runs rank third in franchise history since 2005, trailing only Trea Turner (14) and James Wood (13).
Player Spotlight: FOREVER YOUNG
Jacob Young has been on a tear over his last 10 games, slashing .400/.?/.600 with a 1.143 OPS. He is 10-for-25 in that span with three doubles, a triple, eight walks and only three strikeouts.
His 2026 production has also surpassed his career norms: Young owns a .397 slugging percentage and .707 OPS this season, compared with career marks of .337 and .646, respectively. After entering the year with five career home runs, he has already hit nine this season.
Young’s plate discipline has stood out as well. Across his last 18 games, he has drawn 11 walks while striking out just six times in 64 plate appearances.
From the Washington Nationals Dugout
“Notes from the Washington Nationals Dugout” compiles key game notes, recent performances and notable milestones from across the roster.
Below is a quick snapshot of standout trends and individual highlights during the current stretch.
You’ve been FRAMED: Under catching coordinator Bobby Wilson, Washington’s catchers rank third in Major League Baseball with six catcher framing runs. According to Baseball Savant, catcher framing runs measure the runs a catcher saves by earning additional called strikes, converting those extra strikes at a rate of 0.125 runs per strike while accounting for park and pitcher adjustments. The improvement is especially notable after Nationals catchers finished last in MLB with minus-18 catcher framing runs in 2025.
BOMBS AWAY: Washington leads Major League Baseball with 168 home runs, four more than the New York Yankees’ 164. The Nationals have powered their way to the top of the leaderboard with 131 homers since May 6—19 more than the New York Mets’ 112—after entering play that day ranked 12th in the Majors with 41 long balls. Andrew Pinckney added to that power surge on Thursday in Philadelphia, recording his first Major League hit on a home run. He became the seventh player in Nationals history to homer for his first MLB hit, joining Justin Maxwell (Sept. 11, 2007), Tommy Milone (Sept. 3, 2011), Corey Brown (July 28, 2012), Juan Soto (May 15, 2018), Carter Kieboom (April 26, 2019) and Joey Meneses (Aug. 2, 2022).
Yeah Offense is cool or hot?: Washington’s offense has been the most productive in Major League Baseball this season, leading the league with 623 runs and an average of 5.32 runs per game. The Nationals also lead MLB with 168 home runs, 396 extra-base hits and a .439 slugging percentage. They rank first in the Majors with 594 RBI and 127 stolen bases, pairing elite power production with aggressive baserunning.
On the mound for the Washington Nationals
Cade Cavalli
Cade Cavalli turned in a quality effort in his most recent start, allowing two earned runs on six hits and one walk over 6.0 innings against the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 2. He struck out three but was charged with the loss in Washington’s 4-2 defeat. Cavalli is set to make the second start of his career against Cincinnati after making his Major League debut against the Reds on Aug. 26, 2022.
Despite the loss, Cavalli has been one of the National League’s most effective starters recently. He is 4-1 with a 2.52 ERA (11 ER/39.1 IP) and a .215 opponents’ batting average across his last seven outings. Right-handed hitters are 12-for-50 (.226) during that stretch, with 20 strikeouts, four walks and only one extra-base hit allowed.
Cavalli has continued to miss bats at a high rate all season, ranking ninth in the National League with 9.76 strikeouts per nine innings and 133 total strikeouts. His 3.59 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks 11th in the league. Since June 25, he has recorded 51 strikeouts against only nine walks in seven appearances, ranking second in the NL in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.97), third in strikeouts (48) and sixth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.13) over that span.
Right-handed hitters are batting .234 (44-for-188) against Cavalli this season, with just eight extra-base hits. That marks a significant improvement from 2025, when right-handed opponents hit .381/.442/.548 against him.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS BY THE NUMBERS
The Washington Nationals have the following records
Day: 25-26 | Night: 31-35 | Home Record: 23-34 | Road Record: 33-26
Month Record: 1-5 | Current Streak: L1 | Previous Month Record: 11-13
A.L. Teams: 22-17 | N.L. Teams: 34-44 | N.L. Central: 12-10
vs. LHSP: 23-16 | vs. RHSP: 33-45
Series Opener: 16-21 | Series Opener at Home: 6-12 | By Series: 0-0-0
White Script Nationals: 11-18 | Red Curly W: 5-4 | City Connect: 4-4 | Blue Jersey: 11-14 | Road Gray: 25-20 | 42: 0-1
Important information about the Nats Report Game Notes:
Unless otherwise noted, all times listed are in the Eastern USA Time Zone.
Please note that Game Notes will not be updated in the event of lineup changes, postponements, or cancellations by the Washington Nationals.
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Baseball-Reference, the Washington Nationals, and MLB.com provide the stats and content unless otherwise noted. The Nats Report isn’t responsible for the accuracy of the stats provided.