Game Details
Washington Nationals (55-56) vs. Atlanta Braves (65-45)
Pitching Matchup: RHP Miles Mikolas (3-7, 5.65 ERA) vs. RHP Reynaldo López ( 4-3 ; 3.64 ERA)
Date: Friday, July 31 ,2026. | 7:15 p.m. EDT | Game: #110 | Road Game: #53
Location: Truist Park | Atlanta GA.
Game storylines and notes
Tonight, the Washington Nationals will continue their series against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park in Atlanta.
The Washington Nationals are in the midst of a stretch of 17 games in 17 days that began on Friday until its next day off on August 10, 2026 and a run of 39 games in 41 days from July 24 through September. 2, 2026.
The Washington Nationals are scheduled to send right handed pitcher Miles Mikolas who has a 3-7 record and an 5.65 ER entering tonight’s game. The Nationals will be facing right handed pitcher Reynaldo López who has a 4-3 record and a 3.64 ERA.
The Braves and Nationals tonight continue a four-game weekend series with the ninth of 13 games between the two teams this season. Atlanta and Washington are set to see each other for the final time, September 1-2, 2026, at Nationals Park.
FREE GAME NOTES TODAY AND TOMORROW
Today and tomorrow, we are giving everyone a taste of our Game Notes complimentary. We hope that you enjoy our Game Notes so much that you upgrade your membership to Nats Report+ to get them all season long and some other pretty cool Nats Report content.
Don’t want to subscribe please consider making a one-time donation so that we can continue to provide you with the best Washington Nationals news, analysis, and so much more to finish out the season!
Washington Nationals Schedule
Up Next…
On Deck…
On Sunday, the Nationals and Braves will finish up their four game series. The scheduled starting pitchers are right handed pitcher Cade Cavalli who has a 7-4 record and an ERA of 3.58. The Atlanta Braves are scheduled to start left handed pitcher Martín Pérez who has a 6-6 record and an ERA of 3.49.
Right handed pitcher Cade Cavalli will face the Braves for the second time this season. He struck out 10 in 5.0 innings of two-run ball on April 23.
In the hole…
On Monday, the Washington Nationals will continue their eight game road trip as the kick off a four game series against the Philadelphia Phillies with the first pitch scheduled at 6:40 p.m. EDT.
MVP! MVP! MVP!
CJ Abrams is in the midst of a career-best offensive surge, hitting .413 (19-for-46) over his last 12 games with a .500 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage. His production during this stretch includes 3 doubles, 8 home runs, 15 RBI, 12 runs scored, and 4 stolen bases, while he has also drawn 8 walks to help fuel that elite on-base mark.
His eight home runs and 1.000 slugging percentage lead all of Major League Baseball over this 12-game span dating back to July 19. Beyond that hot streak, Abrams has established himself as one of the National League’s premier hitters in 2026, ranking among the league leaders in virtually every major offensive category.
Abrams currently ranks first in the NL in slugging percentage (.563), second in RBI (83), third in wOBA (.394), third in total bases (225), and tied for third in extra-base hits (51). He also sits fourth in the NL in OPS (.930) and wRC+ (151), while his 28 home runs place him fifth in the league, underscoring his 2026 NL MVP candidacy.
The James Wood Lumber Company
James Wood has reached base safely 48 times in the first inning this season (29 hits, 19 walks, 10 home runs), the most in Major League Baseball, edging Houston’s Yordan Alvarez (47). His 19 leadoff walks lead MLB, and his 10 leadoff home runs are tied with Shohei Ohtani for the most in baseball. Those 10 leadoff bombs also set a new Washington Nationals single-season franchise record, surpassing the previous mark of 20.
Wood’s 2026 campaign has put him among the game’s elite offensive performers. He leads MLB in runs (99), walks (89), and extra-base hits (57), while his 233 total bases top the National League. He ranks second in the NL in OPS (.944), wOBA (.401), OPS+ (159), on-base percentage (.398), and wRC+ (155), and sits third in the league in both home runs (30) and slugging percentage (.546).
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.
Bombs away! Bombs away, Say Geronimo: The Washington Nationals lead Major League Baseball with 164 home runs this season, nine more than the New York Yankees (155). The Nationals’ power surge has been particularly pronounced since May 6: they have clubbed 127 home runs over that span, the most in MLB and 19 more than the Houston Astros (108). Entering play on May 6, Washington had just 41 home runs, ranking 12th in the majors at the time.
The team’s long-ball consistency has been a hallmark of their recent success. Washington has homered at least once in 26 of its last 28 games (55 total HR), 33 of its last 36 (67 total HR), and 43 of its last 48 contests (86 total HR), underscoring their status as baseball’s premier power offense in 2026.
Jr.?: Luis García Jr. is enjoying a career year in 2026, already setting new personal bests with 23 home runs and 76 RBI. He ranks among the National League’s elite in several key categories: second in slugging percentage (.561), fourth in RBI (76), seventh in OPS (.875), tied for eighth in home runs (23) and triples (5), and tied for ninth in extra-base hits (47).
García Jr. has been especially hot of late, going 10-for-26 (.385) over his last six games with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 6 RBI, and 2 runs scored. He has recorded a hit in five of those six contests, including four multi-hit performances.
On July 30 at Atlanta, he finished a single shy of the cycle while launching a 455-foot home run—the longest of his career, surpassing his previous personal best of 448 feet set on September 9, 2021.
On the Road Again: The Nationals have been one of baseball’s most effective road teams in 2026, posting a 32–22 record (.593) away from home. That .593 winning percentage ranks fourth in Major League Baseball, and their 32 road wins are tied for fourth in the majors. Washington has also been strong in multi-game sets on the road, going 13–3–1 in road series this season.
Washington has won four consecutive road series and nine of its last 10 series away from Nationals Park. The club has not lost a road series since June 21 at Tampa Bay, and its three road series losses this season are all separated by more than a month: April 1 at Philadelphia, May 10 at Miami, and June 21 at Tampa Bay.
On the mound for the Washington Nationals
Miles Mikolas
Right handed pitcher Miles Mikolas will take the mound for the Washington Nationals. Mikolas has a record of 3-7 and an 5.65 ERA entering tonight’s game.
In his last start on July 26 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Miles Mikolas tossed 4.0 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits and one walk with one strikeout. He took a no-decision in Washington’s 10–7 win.
Since May 22, Mikolas has led Major League Baseball with just 1.04 walks per 9.0 innings, issuing only seven free passes over 60.1 innings during that stretch. His 3.58 strikeout-to-walk ratio (24 SO/7 BB) over that span ranks eighth in the National League, underscoring his improved command and control on the mound.
Mikolas’ recent outing at Truist Park
On May 22, 2026, Mikolas threw 5.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts in his first appearance of the season at Truist Park.
Career numbers vs. the Braves
Across 10 career games (56.1 innings) against Atlanta, Mikolas is 3–4 with a 3.04 ERA, 36 strikeouts, and 11 walks.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS BY THE NUMBERS
The Washington Nationals have the following records.
Day: 25-25 | Night: 30-31 | Home Record: 23-34 | Road Record: 32-22
Month Record: 0-0 | Current Streak: L3 | Previous Month Record: 11-12
A.L. Teams: 22-18 | N.L. Teams: 33-39 | N.L. East: 10-19
Road Series: 13-3-1 | Scored First: 41-24 | Opponent Scored First: 14-32 | 1-run games: 13-16
White Script Nationals: 11-18 | Red Curly W: 5-4 | City Connect: 4-4 | Blue Jersey: 11-15 | Road Gray: 24-14 | 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.
For the latest updates, please follow us on our social media accounts.
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.