The Washington Nationals will kick off a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds tonight at Nationals Park. The Nationals are scheduled to send right-handed pitcher Jake Irvin, who has a 7-5 record and an ERA of 4.58. The Nationals are scheduled to face RHP Brady Singer, who has a 7-7 record with a 4.32 ERA.

In his last start before the All-Star Break, Jake Irvin allowed zero earned runs (3 unearned) on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk in 5.0 innings on July 13 at Milwaukee. [More on this later in today’s Game Notes]

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The Washington Nationals lost the series finale to the Padres, falling 8-1. MacKenzie Gore allowed eight runs, including a grand slam—the Padres' second grand slam of the weekend. With this afternoon’s game, the Nationals wrapped up their season series against San Diego, finishing 4-6 overall. They went 2-3 at Nationals Park and 2-3 in San Diego during last month’s matchups.

Click here to read our full game recap

On Deck…

The Nationals will continue their three-game series against the Reds tomorrow night with the first pitch scheduled at 6:45 p.m. EDT. The Nationals are scheduled to send RHP Brad Lord (2-5, 3.46 ERA), who will be making his return to the starting rotation for his first start since May 6 vs. Cleveland. During Lord’s time in relief, he pitched to a 2.70 ERA with a .209 opp. average in 26 relief outings.

In the hole…

On Wednesday, the Nationals will conclude their three-game series against the Reds with first pitch at 12:05 p.m. EDT. The Nationals are scheduled to send RHP Michael Soroka (3-7, 5.10 ERA) to the mound and are scheduled to face LHP Nick Lodolo (7-6, 3.33 ERA).

Recently, RHP Michael Soroka allowed one run on three hits with three strikeouts and two walks in his first start out of the break on July 18 vs. San Diego.

Since the beginning of the 2023 season, the Nationals have relied on only 13 different starting pitchers—the lowest number in Major League Baseball during this span. The St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners are next on the list, each having used 17 starters. This year, the Nationals have utilized just seven starting pitchers, tied for the third-fewest in MLB.

Since joining the Nationals in December 2024, Nathaniel Lowe has quickly become a cornerstone of the lineup. The former World Series champion and award winner is making a strong impact in 2025, showcasing both power and clutch hitting.

During the most recent homestand, Lowe went 3-for-11 with a home run, an RBI, and a run scored. Over his last 35 games, he’s posted a .459 slugging percentage and .760 OPS, highlighted by seven home runs, four doubles, and two triples.

For the season through July 21, Lowe has played in 99 games with 376 at-bats, notching 45 runs, 86 hits, 14 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs, and 62 RBIs. He has struck out 113 times and walked 34, while swiping one base. His .229 average, .293 OBP, .366 SLG, and .689 OPS reflect steady production as the team’s first baseman.

Lowe ranks among the National League leaders with 62 RBIs (second on the Nationals) and is tied for fourth in the NL with 33 hits with runners in scoring position, batting .308 (33-for-107) and driving in 49 runs in those clutch situations.

In the field, he made history by starting just the third triple play in Nationals history on April 25. He also reached the 100-home run milestone on June 21 at Dodger Stadium. Demonstrating consistency, Lowe reached base safely in 11 straight games from May 20 to June 1.

Keibert Ruiz, Riley Adams, and Drew Millas have combined to throw out 25 attempted base stealers, which is tied for the second-most in Major League Baseball, trailing only the New York Mets, who have 27.

The Nationals also rank third in the league with 28 total caught stealings by pitchers and catchers, behind just the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox, who each have 29. Adams has set a personal best this season, nabbing nine of 28 runners attempting to steal.

In his most recent outing on July 13 in Milwaukee, Jake Irvin was charged with the loss despite surrendering only three unearned runs on four hits, striking out five over five innings. It marked his third start of the year in which he did not allow an earned run.

Against the Reds, Irvin holds an 0-1 record with a 4.43 ERA (11 earned runs over 22.1 innings) and 20 strikeouts in four career starts.

He ranks tied for eighth in the National League with 116.0 innings pitched this season, and since the beginning of 2024, his 303.2 innings are the sixth-most in Major League Baseball.

Irvin’s performance shows a notable difference after the opener: from the second inning onwards this season, he has posted a 3.56 ERA and held opponents to a .235 average (38 ER/96.0 IP), while in the first inning, his ERA jumps to 9.45 with a .305 opponent average (21 ER/20.0 IP).

He leads the Nationals with seven wins, and the team is 10-10 in his 20 starts—the best club record among their starters.

The Cincinnati Reds have turned things around recently, winning six of their last eight games after a four-game skid from July 5-8, and have either won or split each of their last three series. Earlier this season, Washington took two of three in a rainy set at Great American Ball Park from May 2-4.

The Reds have played well at Nationals Park in recent years, winning eight of their last 13 games here since May 25, 2021. However, since the start of 2016, Cincinnati is just 11-16 in D.C. and holds a 21-36 record against the Nationals overall in that span, with a -51 run differential (268-322).

A key factor in Cincinnati's success lately has been their pitching: the Reds have held opponents to four runs or fewer in each of their last eight games dating back to July 9 – the longest active streak in MLB and matching their season high (also accomplished from May 14-21).

Offensively, Cincinnati is averaging 4.72 runs per game on the road compared to 4.40 runs per game at home in 2025. Over the Great American Ball Park era (since 2003), the club has averaged 4.60 runs per game at home and 4.26 runs per game on the road. This year marks the sixth time since 2003 the Reds have averaged more runs per game on the road than at home (previously: 2023, 2013, 2009, 2004, and 2003). The home run split is also close: 55 homers in 50 road games versus 52 in 50 home games. The only season the Reds hit more home runs on the road than at home at GABP was 2004 (102 road HR, 92 home HR).

Brady Singer’s most recent outing came on July 12, when he took a no-decision in Cincinnati’s 4-3 walk-off win over Colorado. He worked 6.1 innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs, with one walk, nine strikeouts, and one home run on 93 pitches. It marked his seventh quality start of the season, and his nine strikeouts matched his season high, previously set against the Yankees on June 25.

On the road in 2025, Singer has started nine games, posting a 4-3 record with a 4.66 ERA, .764 opponents’ OPS, and four quality starts. In those appearances, he’s logged 5.0 innings per game on average, allowing 24 earned runs (26 total runs), three home runs, and striking out 39 batters.

Through 19 starts this season, Singer is 7-7 with a 4.32 ERA and 92 strikeouts over 100.0 innings for the Reds.

Brady Singer last pitched against the Nationals on May 27, 2023, when he was with the Kansas City Royals. In that outing, he took the loss, working five innings with six strikeouts while allowing four hits, two earned runs, and three walks to the 23 batters he faced.

Day: 22-21 | Night: 30-27 | Home Record: 28-22 | Road Record: 24-26 | N.L. East: 8-12 | vs. RHP: 38-29 | vs. LHP: 14-19