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The Washington Nationals will look for a sweep as they wrap up this series and homestand against the Miami Marlins this afternoon. LHP Mitchell Parker will take the bump against young Marlins flamethrower Eury Pérez. More later in today’s Game Notes.

The Nationals improved to a 2-0 start to September with a much-needed 5–2 victory over the Marlins on Tuesday night in Miami. James Wood provided the spark, crushing his 27th homer of the season for a two-run shot that put Washington ahead for good. Cade Cavalli worked five solid innings, allowing just two runs on four hits with six strikeouts before handing things over to the bullpen. Daylen Lile and Jacob Young chipped in two hits apiece, and José A. Ferrer locked down the ninth for his sixth save.

The win was encouraging for a team looking to finish strong down the stretch. Wood’s power bat and Lile’s consistency were on full display, showcasing the young talent driving Washington’s future. With Cavalli settling in and the bullpen steady, the Nationals have reason for optimism as they eye momentum heading into the final weeks of the season.

On Deck…

After today’s matchup, the Nationals will fly to Chicago and take tomorrow off, starting a three-game set with the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday at 2:20 PM. Jake Irvin will take the mound to open that series against Javier Assad, who is 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA over 20.0 innings.

In the hole…

That series in Wrigleyville will continue on Saturday afternoon as Brad Lord will face Matthew Boyd, who holds a 2.94 ERA in 159.1 innings in his 11th big-league season.

Rookie outfielder Daylen Lile went 2-4 last night with a double and a single, increasing his batting average to .268 over his 235 at-bats. However, in just his last 30 games, he is hitting a remarkable .321 with a .362 OBP.

These most recent 30 games account for 45% of Lile’s total number of at-bats this season. Lile’s batting average was .225 before this stretch, so this long hot streak signals he may have been able to start figuring out pitchers at the major league level.

Jose A. Ferrer is riding a dominant stretch, stringing together 13.1 straight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts and just nine hits allowed over his last 11 outings. In that span, he’s racked up six saves, one hold, and two wins.

The hard-throwing left-hander has been nearly untouchable across his last 21 appearances, posting a 1.23 ERA (3 ER/22.0 IP) with six saves, five holds, 20 strikeouts, and only three walks.

After a rough start to his season, it seems as if Ferrer has finally been able to settle in and return to being the reliever Nationals fans came to love last season. Since replacing Kyle Finnegan in the closer role, Ferrer has looked absolutely dominant.

Nationals left fielder and 2025 All-Star James Wood clubbed his 27th home run of the season last night, putting him just one behind Lane Thomas’ 2023 number. With 24 games left to be played, Wood seems to have a real shot at the 30 homer mark. If he accomplishes that, he would become the first National to do so since Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto in 2019.

Wood, who was notoriously acquired for Soto back in the August 2022 blockbuster, had an amazing start to his first full season in the big leagues before struggling since around the All-Star break. Slowly starting to look more like himself recently, Wood has a chance to earn a big milestone early in his career.

Mitchell Parker has now faced the Marlins five times in his career, logging 25.2 innings with a 3.86 ERA. He owns a 1–1 record, striking out 17 while walking seven. His results have been split: Parker dominated Miami in 2024 with a 1.10 ERA across three starts, but he’s been hit harder in 2025, allowing nine earned runs in 9.1 innings. Current Marlins bats have had mixed success against him. Agustín Ramírez has tagged him for a pair of extra-base hits including two homers in just three at-bats, while others like Connor Norby (0-for-4) and Derek Hill (0-for-2) have struggled to make contact.

Drafted by the Nationals in the fifth round in 2020, the 25-year-old lefty brings size (6-4, 239 lbs.) and deception, but has battled inconsistency at the big-league level. Overall, Parker enters today with a 7–15 record and a 5.94 ERA this season, but his past success against Miami (especially last year) shows he’s capable of keeping their lineup in check when he’s commanding the zone.

Parker has had a rough time early in games this season. If he can keep Miami in check early, Washington will have a good chance in this game because of the recent bullpen and lineup performance.

Few matchups in Nationals history have been as balanced as their battles with the Miami Marlins. Since Washington’s inaugural season in 2005, the two clubs are dead even at 179–179 across 358 meetings, with the Nationals holding a slight edge in runs scored (1,619–1,575). Washington has outslugged Miami over the years (.411 SLG to .406), while the Marlins have been a touch more efficient on the mound (4.30 ERA vs. 4.23).

Recent trends, however, show some wild swings. The Nationals dominated Miami in 2024 with an 11–2 record, but the Marlins flipped that script in 2023 by taking 11 of 13. This season, the series remains tighter. Washington is 3–5 so far in 2025, including back-to-back wins to open September. With the all-time ledger sitting perfectly even, every game between these two NL East rivals adds another layer to one of baseball’s most underrated head-to-head histories.

Marlins right-hander Eury Pérez has faced Washington four times in his young career, posting a 1–0 record with a 2.29 ERA over 19.2 innings. He’s struck out 18 while walking 8, and Nationals hitters have managed just 15 hits and one home run off him. Pérez showed his composure early, beating Washington as a 20-year-old rookie in May 2023, and he’s continued to keep the lineup in check, limiting the Nats to one run in four innings during his lone 2025 start against them.

Individually, CJ Abrams has had the most success, homering once in 10 plate appearances (.800 OPS). Jacob Young is 1-for-1 with a walk, while most of the rest of the roster has struggled. Luis García Jr., Riley Adams, Paul DeJong, and Robert Hassell III are all hitless against him. Pérez’s mix of velocity and command has made him a tough matchup, and while the Nationals have occasionally worked counts, they’ve rarely broken through for crooked numbers against the 22-year-old.

Day: 33-27 | Night: 32-47 | Home Record: 31-37 | Road Record: 34-37

Current Streak: L2 | Last Five: 2-3 | Last Ten: 5-5 | Current Month: 0-2

A.L. Teams: 21-21 | N.L. Teams: 44-53 | N.L. East: 17-21