Game Details

• San Francisco Giants (30-22) vs. Washington Nationals (24-28)

• Pitching Matchup: | LHP Robbie Ray (6-0, 2.67) vs. RHP Michael Soroka (1-2, 5.95)

• Date: Sunday, May 25th, 2025 | 1:35 p.m. EDT | Game: #53 | Home Game: #27

• Location: Nationals Park | Washington, D.C.

Game storylines and notes

The Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants square off in the rubber game of this three-game weekend series. The Nationals are scheduled to send RHP Michael Soroka (1-2, 5.95), and the Nationals will face LHP Robbie Ray (6-0, 2.67).

Game Recap
LAST GAME RECAP

On Saturday, Jake Irvin delivered eight shutout innings, allowing just three hits while striking out seven and walking two, as Washington secured a 3-0 victory over San Francisco. James Wood provided early offense with a two-run homer in the first inning, and Daylen Lile’s diving catch in right field sealed the win, helping Jorge Lopez lock down the save in the ninth.

This marked the first time the Nationals blanked the Giants since June 13, 2021, at Nationals Park.

Washington Nationals Schedule
Up Next…

On Deck…

The Nationals have the day off tomorrow as they head to the West Coast before starting a series on Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners.

The Nationals have scheduled LHP Mitchell Parker to kick off the series on Tuesday, followed by RHP Trevor Williams and then LHP MacKenzie Gore to finish the series on Thursday. Parker will face the Seattle Mariners for the first time on Tuesday, and all four of Parker’s wins this season have come at Nationals Park.

In the hole…

The Nationals are set to start right-hander Trevor Williams on Wednesday for the second game of their three-game set against the Mariners. In his last outing against Seattle on May 25, 2024, Williams tied his season high with eight strikeouts over five innings, allowing just one run.

New Kids on the Block…

Two of Washington’s top prospects made their Major League debuts this week. Daylen Lile has recorded a hit in each of his first two games, going 2-for-5 at the plate, and his diving catch in the ninth inning on Saturday helped seal the victory. Meanwhile, Robert Hassell III has contributed two hits, one RBI, and one stolen base over his first three games.

The Wild West…

Washington has faced National League West opponents in three series this season, winning two out of three games in each matchup for a combined 7-4 record. The Nationals took two games from the Diamondbacks at home on April 5 and 6, then extended their winning streak to four by defeating the Dodgers twice on April 7 and 8. Later in the month, they also claimed two victories against the Rockies at Coors Field on April 19 and 20.

Strong as Wood

James Wood is tied for sixth in the National League with 13 home runs and is among the league leaders in several categories, including hard-hit percentage (fifth at 57.6%), extra-base hits (tied for sixth with 25), OPS (seventh at .923), pitches per plate appearance (seventh at 4.33), and slugging percentage (eighth at .543). After entering play on April 22 with a .232/.337/.524 slash line, Wood has since hit .322/.410/.557, raising his season totals to .284/.380/.543. Over his last seven games, he has reached base in 15 of his last 31 plate appearances (.484 OBP), going 10-for-25 with a double, two home runs, and five walks.

On the mound for the Washington Nationals
Michael Soroka

Michael Soroka earned his first win since July 21, 2023, after pitching 5.2 innings of three-run ball at Baltimore on May 18, matching his season high with eight strikeouts. Against the San Francisco Giants, Soroka holds a 1-1 record with a 3.75 ERA in two career starts, both coming in 2018 and 2019. In his most recent outing versus San Francisco, he threw eight innings of one-run baseball with seven strikeouts on May 20, 2019, at Oracle Park.

In 2024, Soroka appeared in 25 Major League games for the Chicago White Sox after totaling just seven appearances over the previous three seasons combined. He posted a 4.74 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 79.2 innings, including nine starts. Soroka began the year in Chicago’s rotation before shifting to the bullpen in mid-May, where he excelled with a .189 opponents’ batting average, 15.0 strikeouts per nine innings (60 strikeouts in 36 innings), and a 2.75 ERA over 16 relief appearances. He finished the 2024 season by striking out 13 of the final 26 batters he faced, allowing just two hits and two walks for a .083 opponents’ average over his last three outings. His 2024 pitch mix featured a slider (36.5%), four-seam fastball (32.3%), sinker (21.4%), and changeup (9.8%).

WASHINGTON NATIONALS BY THE NUMBERS

The Washington Nationals have the following records

• Day: 11-14 | Night: 13-14 | Home Record: 13-13 | Road: 11-15

• Month Record: 11-10 | Current Streak: W1 | Previous Month Record: 12-15

• A.L. Teams: 6-6 | N.L. Teams: 18-22 | N.L. West: 7-4

• LHP: 6-7 | RHP: 18-21 | Rubber Games: 2-2

• White Script Nationals: 3-4 | Red Curly W: 2-0 | City Connect: 4-6 | Blue Jersey: 8-8 | Road Gray: 6-10 | 42: 1-0

Opposition Research 
San Fransico Giants

The San Francisco Giants are 4-3 in rubber games this season but have dropped their last two, falling to the Diamondbacks on May 14 and the Royals on May 21. Yesterday’s contest lasted just one hour and 52 minutes, marking the fastest full game played by the Giants since the first game of a doubleheader in Pittsburgh on August 13, 2007, which finished in one hour and 51 minutes. It was also the quickest nine-inning game in the history of their current ballpark.

The last 25 meetings between San Francisco and Washington, dating back to June 13, 2021, have all been decided by multiple runs. This is now the longest active streak of its kind between any two MLB teams and the longest such run by the Giants against a single opponent in franchise history, according to Stats, LLC.

Since the start of last weekend’s series against Oakland, Giants starting pitchers have posted a 1.64 ERA (eight earned runs in 44 innings) over eight games—the best mark in the majors during that span.

ON THE MOUND FOR THE VISITORS
LHP Robbie Ray

Left-hander Robbie Ray will make his 11th start of the season for San Francisco. In four starts this month, Ray is 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA, allowing just three earned runs over 26 innings while striking out 29 batters and holding opponents to a .194 average. His 1.38 ERA ranks seventh in the majors for May, and his .247 opponent slugging percentage is fifth-best. The Giants are 9-1 in Ray’s first 10 starts this year, winning each of his first nine outings. Ray himself is 6-0, becoming the first Giants pitcher to start a season 6-0 or better through 10 starts since John Burkett in 1993, and joining Kevin Gausman (7-0 in 2021) and Noah Lowry (6-0 in 2004) as the only Giants starters in the Wild Card Era to achieve this mark. San Francisco’s offense has thrived in his starts, hitting .284 with an .816 OPS and averaging 5.60 runs per game, compared to a .222 average, .663 OPS, and 4.24 runs per game in the team’s other 42 contests.