Game Details
Washington Nationals (55-57) vs. Atlanta Braves (66-45)
Pitching Matchup: RHP Cade Cavalli ( 8-4; 3.55 ERA ) vs. RHP JR Ritchie (1-2; 4.50 ERA)
Date: Sunday, August 2 ,2026. | 1:35 p.m. EDT | Game: #113 | Road Game: #55
Location: Truist Park | Atlanta GA.
Game storylines and notes
This afternoon the Washington Nationals will look to avoid getting swept by the Atlanta Braves and snap a four game losing streak. The Nationals are scheduled to send right handed pitcher Cade Cavalli who has a 8-4 record and a 3.55 ERA . The Nationals will face right handed pitcher JR Ritchie who has a 1-2 record and an a 4.50 ERA.
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Washington Nationals Schedule
Up Next…
On Deck…
Tomorrow, the Washington Nationals will kick off their second half of this eight-game road trip with a four game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Nationals have yet to name the starter for tomorrow’s game. [Stay Tuned]. The Philadelphia Phillies are scheduled to send right handed pitcher Aaron Nola who has a 3-9 record and a 5.61 ERA entering tomorrow night’s game.
In the hole…
On Tuesday the Washington Nationals will play game two of four of their series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Scheduled to take the mound for the Nationals is right handed pitcher Zack Littell (7-8, 4.94 ERA) and the Nationals are scheduled to send left handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo (9-5, 3.57 ERA).
Creating Havoc on the Bases with Nasim
Nasim Nuñez leads all of MLB with 39 stolen bases and has been highly efficient on the basepaths, going 28-for-31 in stolen base attempts since April 25. He’s also tied for first in all of baseball with 6 baserunning runs, according to Baseball Savant. His recent consistency at the plate has fueled a career-long 15-game on-base streak and a nine-game hitting streak, the longest such stretches by any Nationals player this season.
Nuñez has already set a franchise record this year: on June 16 against Kansas City, he became the first player in Expos/Nationals history to record two triples and two walks in a single game. Earlier, on April 25 at Chicago (AL), he tied a career high with 4 RBI, going 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base. In 2026, with runners in scoring position, he is hitting .278 (22-for-79) with no home runs and 29 RBI.
Luis García Jr.
Luis García Jr. is enjoying a career-best season, already setting new personal highs with 23 home runs and 76 RBI. He ranks among the National League leaders in several key categories: first in slugging percentage (.560), fourth in RBI (76), tied for eighth in home runs (23) and triples (5), and tied for ninth in extra-base hits (48).
Over his last seven games, García Jr. has been especially hot, going 11-for-30 (.367) with four doubles, one triple, two home runs, six RBI, and two runs scored. He has recorded a hit in six of those seven contests, including four multi-hit games.
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.
Now starting at Shortstop CJ Abrams: CJ Abrams has been on fire over his last 13 games, hitting .400 (20-for-50) with an elite .483 on-base percentage (eight walks) and a massive .940 slugging percentage. In that span, he has racked up three doubles, eight home runs, 17 RBI, four stolen bases, and 12 runs scored. His eight homers and .940 slugging percentage lead all of Major League Baseball during this 13-game stretch since July 19.
Abrams is now firmly in the 2026 NL MVP conversation, sitting atop the league leaderboards in several key offensive categories. He leads all of MLB in RBI with 85, ranks second in the National League in slugging percentage (.559), and third in the NL in both wOBA (.394) and total bases (226). He also sits fourth in the NL in extra-base hits (51), OPS (.925), and wRC+ (151), while ranking fifth in the league in home runs with 28.
Offense is cool: Washington’s offense is dominating Major League Baseball this season, leading the league in every major run-production category. The Nationals rank first in MLB in runs (605), runs per game (5.40), home runs (164), extra-base hits (385), slugging percentage (.444), RBI (576), and stolen bases (123).
Their power surge has been especially pronounced since early May. Washington has clubbed 127 home runs since May 6, the most in baseball over that span and 19 more than the next-closest team, Houston (108). Entering play on May 6, the Nationals had just 41 home runs, ranking 12th in MLB; they’ve since catapulted to the top with 164, eight ahead of the New York Yankees (156).
The homers have come in steady waves. Washington has hit at least one home run in 26 of its last 29 games (55 total HR), 33 of its last 37 (67 total HR), and 43 of its last 49 contests (86 total HR).
Tap Tap Tap: The Nationals have been the most effective team in MLB at using the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system since July 12, boasting a 72.5% success rate (29-for-40). Washington’s hitters have gone 6-for-9 (66.7%) on challenges, while the catchers have been even sharper at 23-for-31 (74.2%). Those 23 successful challenges by catchers are the most in Major League Baseball over that span.
Behind the plate, Keibert Ruiz leads all MLB catchers with 14 successful ABS challenges since July 12. Harry Ford has also been highly efficient since his July 17 recall, going 9-for-12 (75.0%) on challenges across eight games.
On the mound for the Washington Nationals
Cade Cavalli
The Nationals are scheduled to send right handed pitcher Cade Cavalli who has a 8-4 record and a 3.55 ERA.
Cade Cavalli earned his fifth straight win on July 28 against Toronto, tossing 6.0 innings of two-run ball with three strikeouts and six hits allowed.
Next up is his second career start versus Atlanta; in his first, on April 23 in D.C., he struck out 10 over 5.0 two-run innings.
Recent form
Over his last six starts, Cavalli is 4–0 with a 2.43 ERA (9 ER in 33.1 IP) and has held opponents to a .205 average. Right-handed hitters are just 10-for-46 (.217) against him in that span, with 17 strikeouts, four walks, and only one extra-base hit.
Winning streak
He’s riding a career-best five-game win streak and is 5–0 with a 3.06 ERA (16 ER in 47.0 IP) over his last nine starts.
Strikeout prowess
Cavalli ranks eighth in the National League in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (10.03) and total strikeouts (130), and 11th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.61). Since June 25, across seven games, he has 48 strikeouts against just eight walks, ranking among NL pitchers in:
Strikeout-to-walk ratio: 2nd (6.00)
Strikeouts: 3rd (48)
Strikeouts per 9.0 innings: 4th (10.98)
WASHINGTON NATIONALS BY THE NUMBERS
The Washington Nationals have the following records.
Day: 25-25 | Night: 30-32 | Home Record: 23-34 | Road Record: 32-23
Month Record: 0-1 | Current Streak: L4 | Previous Month Record: 11-12
A.L. Teams: 22-18 | N.L. Teams: 33-40 | N.L. East: 10-20
vs. LHP: 23-14 | vs. RHP: 32-43 | Rubber Games: 13-6 | By Road Series: 13-3-1
White Script Nationals: 11-18 | Red Curly W: 5-4 | City Connect: 4-4 | Blue Jersey: 11-14 | Road Gray: 24-16 | 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.
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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.