The Washington Nationals will close out their three-game series against the Detroit Tigers this evening at Nationals Park with the first pitch scheduled to be at 6:45 p.m. EDT. With a win tonight, Nationals manager Davey Martinez will earn his 500th career win [more on that in today’s game notes later].

The Nationals are scheduled to send right-handed pitcher Jake Irvin, with a record of 6-3 and an ERA of 4.73, to the mound and will face left-handed pitcher Dietrich Enns, who has a record of 1-0 with an ERA of 0.00, from the Tigers.

This weekend, in honor of the July 4th holiday, all Nats Report subscribers can enjoy free access to our Game Notes! We hope you have a fantastic Fourth of July as we celebrate America’s 249th birthday. Happy Independence Day!

The Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers split Wednesday’s doubleheader at Nationals Park, with Washington rallying late to claim a 9-4 victory in the nightcap.

After a promising start, the Nationals’ offense struggled to generate momentum, and their bullpen surrendered a narrow lead, putting Washington behind by one run entering the bottom of the eighth inning. Detroit manager A.J. Hinch turned to reliever Tommy Kahnle, but the Nationals’ lineup responded with one of its most productive innings of the season. Nathaniel Lowe delivered a pivotal three-run triple, sparking a five-run outburst before an out was recorded. Washington added another run to extend the lead to 9-4.

Kyle Finnegan closed out the win in the ninth, highlighted by a leaping catch at the wall from Jacob Young to rob Riley Greene of a home run. Cole Henry earned his first career win after pitching a scoreless eighth inning.

Earlier in the day, the Nationals dropped the first game 11-2. Trevor Williams took the loss after allowing six runs in the opening inning. Despite recording nine hits, Washington left 13 runners on base. Detroit’s Riley Greene led the Tigers’ offense with two home runs and six RBI.

Notable performances for the Nationals included Andry Laura’s major league debut, in which he pitched three scoreless innings of relief with four strikeouts, and multi-hit efforts from Alex Call and Daylen Lile. James Wood and CJ Abrams continued their recent offensive success, each contributing at the plate.

On Deck…

The Nationals will open a three-game homestand tomorrow with their traditional Fourth of July matchup against the Boston Red Sox, first pitch scheduled for 11:05 a.m. EDT at Nationals Park. Washington is set to start right-hander Michael Soroka (3-5, 4.70 ERA), while Boston will counter with former Nationals draft pick Lucas Giolito (4-1, 3.99 ERA), who will be facing his original club for the first time in his career. This annual Independence Day game continues one of the franchise’s signature traditions as the Nationals look to build momentum at home against a Red Sox team currently fourth in the AL East.

In the hole…

The Nationals will play game two of three against the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon with the first pitch at 4:05 p.m. The Nationals are scheduled to send left-handed pitcher Mitchell Parker, who has a record of 5-8 and an ERA of 4.63, while facing right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler, who has a record of 5-6 with an ERA of 6.45, from the Boston Red Sox.

Manager Dave Martinez is poised to achieve a significant milestone by earning his 500th career win tonight. He would become the third manager in Washington baseball history to reach this mark, joining Clark Griffith, who notched 693 wins with the Senators from 1912 to 1920, and Bucky Harris, who amassed 987 wins during his tenures from 1924 to 1928 and 1935 to 1942. Harris, notable for serving as a player-manager for the 1924 World Series champion Senators, was the last Washington manager to reach 500 wins.

He achieved this milestone on April 18, 1936, during his second stint leading the team, with a 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park.

James Wood, a potential 2025 National League All-Star and T-Mobile Home Run Derby participant, has established himself as one of the premier hitters in the National League. Over his last 21 games, Wood is slashing .321/.449/.590 with three doubles, six home runs, 20 RBI, 19 walks, three stolen bases, and 17 runs scored. He ranks second in MLB with 12 home runs hit at exit velocities of at least 110 mph—trailing only Shohei Ohtani (13)—and leads the majors with 52 batted balls exceeding 108 mph, ahead of Aaron Judge (51).

Wood’s 31 career home runs are tied for the most in Nationals history (since 2005) through a player’s first 162 games, matching both Bryce Harper and Juan Soto. Since his MLB debut on July 1, 2024, Wood has started 165 consecutive games, the third-longest active streak in MLB behind Matt Olson (703) and Pete Alonso (339), and the sixth-longest such streak to begin a career in the Expansion Era (since 1961).

CJ Abrams, also a candidate for the 2025 National League All-Star team, has been among the league’s top shortstops. Over his last 21 games, Abrams is hitting .348/.420/.573 with six doubles, a triple, four home runs, 11 RBI, nine walks, two hit by pitches, six stolen bases, and 20 runs scored. He has reached base safely in 18 of his last 19 games, posting a .418 on-base percentage during that span. Abrams is tied for eighth in the National League with 17 stolen bases this season and has not been caught stealing since May 6, going 10-for-10 on stolen base attempts since that date.r.

The Washington Nationals’ offense has been firing on all cylinders recently, with several players delivering impressive performances that have helped the team maintain momentum as the season progresses. From consistent hitting streaks to power displays and timely run production, these key contributors are making a significant impact at the plate and setting the tone for the team’s success.

Josh Bell has been a steady contributor, batting .290 (18-for-62) with four doubles, two home runs, 12 RBI, seven walks, five strikeouts, and seven runs scored over his last 18 games. He has recorded a hit in 14 of his last 15 starts and has struck out just once in his past 56 plate appearances since June 15.

Daylen Lile is riding a 10-game hitting streak, hitting .333 (13-for-39) with a double, one RBI, and four walks during that stretch.

Nathaniel Lowe has posted a .506 slugging percentage and an .832 OPS in 24 games since June 6. Over his last five games, he is 7-for-21 (.333) with two doubles, a triple, six RBI, and two walks.

Jacob Young has gone 13-for-47 (.277) with three doubles, six RBI, five walks, four stolen bases, and six runs scored in his last 14 games. He is 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts during this span.

Luis García Jr. has also emerged as one of the National League’s top hitters since May 12, ranking second in both doubles (14) and batting average (.315) over that period. In his last 39 games, García is hitting .315/.342/.493 with 14 doubles, four home runs, 26 RBI, six walks, one stolen base, and 21 runs scored, reaching base safely in 17 of his last 20 games. On the season, he leads all qualified NL second basemen in RBI (39), ranks second in slugging percentage (.415) and doubles (19), and is fourth in batting average (.269).

Right-hander Jake Irvin remains a durable and efficient presence in the Nationals’ rotation. In his most recent outing, Irvin took a no decision despite the Nationals’ 15-9 win over the Los Angeles Angels, allowing nine runs (eight earned) on nine hits with five strikeouts across 4.1 innings[3].

Against Detroit, Irvin owns a 1-1 record with a 5.19 ERA in two career starts, striking out six over 8.2 innings. Notably, he earned a win last season at Detroit on June 12, 2024, allowing just one run and striking out five over six innings.

Irvin is tied for 10th in the National League with 99.0 innings pitched this season, and since the start of 2024, his 286.2 innings are the seventh-most in Major League Baseball[3]. He ranks among the league’s most efficient pitchers, sitting third in the NL with 3.70 pitches per batter and 14th with 15.8 pitches per inning.

A key trend for Irvin has been his performance after the first inning: while he has struggled early (9.52 ERA, .296 opponents’ average in the first), he settles in quickly, posting a 3.73 ERA and holding opponents to a .226 average from the second inning on.

Irvin leads the Nationals with six wins, and the club is 9-8 in his 17 starts, tied for the best team record among Nationals starters[3].

The Detroit Tigers continued their strong performance in series openers, improving to a major league-best 22-6 with an 11-2 victory in the first game of yesterday’s doubleheader before falling 9-4 in the nightcap. With a 54-33 record, the Tigers currently lead the American League and sit 1.5 games ahead of the Astros, while trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers by one game for the best record in the majors. This 54-33 mark through 87 games is Detroit’s best start since their 59-26 run in 2006 and marks just the third time in the past 55 years that the club has won at least 54 of its first 87 games.

Riley Greene powered the Tigers’ offense in the opener, launching a pair of three-run home runs—his 20th and 21st of the season. Greene became just the second Tiger aged 24 or younger since the All-Star Game era began in 1933 to reach 21 home runs before the break, joining Hank Greenberg, who hit 24 before the break in 1935, also at age 24.

Left-hander Dietrich Enns will make his second start for the Tigers today after an impressive return to the majors last week. In his season debut on June 26 against the Athletics, Enns delivered five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out four. It was his first big league appearance in nearly four years, following stints in Japan’s Pacific and Eastern Leagues and the KBO from 2022 to 2024.

Signed by Detroit on January 6, 2025, Enns began the year with Triple-A Toledo, where he posted a 2-2 record and a 2.89 ERA over 14 starts, striking out 71 and walking 15 in 62.1 innings. The 34-year-old, a product of Central Michigan University, was originally drafted by the Yankees in the 19th round of the 2012 MLB Draft. Enns’ journey back to the majors has been marked by perseverance and success across multiple leagues, and he now looks to build on his strong Tigers debut.