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After losing three of four games against the first-place Atlanta Braves this week, the Nationals are right back at it as they open a three-game set tonight on the road against the White Sox. Given Washington’s recent offensive production and Chicago’s pitching struggles, the matchup leans towards the Nationals at first glance.

More in-depth analysis on the matchup later in today’s notes.

The Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves traded momentum all afternoon, with the game turning when Blake Butera went to his bullpen. Washington struck early with a first-pitch homer from James Wood, but Atlanta answered right away by putting together a few hits. The Nationals tied it again on a solo shot from CJ Abrams, but that was about as even as it stayed.

Once the bullpen came in, the Braves took over. They strung together more hits, took advantage of traffic, and turned it into a five-run lead in the middle innings. Washington had chances after that but couldn’t come up with the big hit to get back in it. Atlanta kept adding on and put the game out of reach from there with a late five-run lead.

On Deck…

This weekend’s three-game set will continue tomorrow evening, as Jake Irvin takes the mound at Rate Field for the first time in his career against 22 year-old Noah Schultz. The game will start at 4:10 P.M. EST.

In the hole…

Foster Griffin will be Sunday’s starter, facing off against a former University of Maryland player in Sean Burke. After that 2:10 P.M. EST game, the Nationals will have Monday off before playing three games in Queens with the Mets.

James Wood and Munetaka Murakami might be tied for second on the home run leaderboard, but the way they’re getting there couldn’t be more different. Murakami’s power has been really on the pull-side, with half of his home runs yanked that way, and the other half going to center field. Wood, on the other hand, is doing damage the other way, as according to Baseball Savant, a league-leading six of his 10 home runs have gone to the opposite field. Beyond that, Wood leads MLB in both home runs and barrels since April 1st, while also carrying the fourth-best slugging percentage in the league in that same span.

That matters because it changes how pitchers have to attack each hitter. Murakami can likely be worked around with location if needed, since his power has come on pitches middle-in or on the inner half. Meanwhile, there’s no clear “out” for Wood since he’s covering the entire plate, which blows up normal game-planning.

The Washington Nationals have been the best first-inning offense in baseball, putting up 30 runs in the first inning with a dominant .350/.408/.564 (.972 OPS). They don’t ease into games, forcing pitchers into long and stressful innings right away. The Chicago White Sox have been solid early as well with 16 first-inning runs, but the gap is clear. Washington consistently puts pressure from the first pitch, while Chicago has been more middle-of-the-pack in that same window.

Tonight adds another wrinkle: both teams are using openers, which throws normal first-inning expectations out the window. Instead of a traditional starter settling in, you’re getting shorter arms whose only job is to survive (or dominate) the first go. That makes the Nationals’ early-game approach even more dangerous, while also giving Chicago a chance to shut it down with fresh, matchup-based pitching.

This is a direct clash between one of Washington’s biggest strengths and a strategy designed to kill it. If the Nationals still jump out early against an opener, it reinforces just how tough they are to game-plan for. But if the White Sox can use that opener effectively to get through the first clean, it could force Washington to adjust.

Miles Mikolas enters this start still trying to figure out what his best pitching role is at this point in his career. Through five outings, he’s posted a 9.15 ERA across 19.2 innings, allowing 29 hits and 20 earned runs, with opponents consistently figuring him up after the first time or two that they’ve seen him. His last outing against San Francisco (4.0 scoreless innings), was a huge step in the right direction, but overall, the trend has been too many baserunners and too much hard contact, putting pressure on both him and the bullpen behind him.

Against the Chicago White Sox, however, Mikolas has been dominant. In two career starts, he’s 2–0 with a 1.38 ERA, allowing just 2 runs over 13.0 innings, including a 7.0-inning shutout in 2023. The current roster hasn’t seen much of him as only Derek Hill has a hit, so there’s an advantage working in his favor on the road.

Even though this interleague matchup didn’t come around often until a few years ago, the Washington Nationals have historically handled the Chicago White Sox in the D.C. era, holding a 14–11 record. That advantage largely came from better run production (128 runs vs. 104) and a higher overall OPS in those meetings (.765 vs. .712), showing Washington has typically been the more complete offensive team in this matchup.

But this version of Chicago is a little different, and a little more dangerous than their record suggests. The White Sox have shown flashes life, especially during a recent stretch this week where they took a series win off Arizona. At the center of their team is Munetaka Murakami, who brings terrifying pop in the middle-of-the-order, along with contributors like Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas adding to the mix.

Former National and 2019 World Series champion Erick Fedde has enters the day 0–3 with a 3.92 ERA over 20.2 innings so far this year, allowing just 9 earned runs while keeping damage mostly contained. The strikeout numbers (15) are modest, but he’s done well in most starts, including back-to-back outings of two runs or fewer before his most recent appearance. In the only other game this year that they used an opener for him, he tossed six innings of two-run ball once he entered.

Against the Washington Nationals, though, Fedde has been nothing short of dominant. In two career starts, he’s 2–0 with a no earned runs across 16.0 innings, including a complete-game shutout in 2025 and a 7.0-inning scoreless outing in 2024. Current Nationals hitters have had mixed success in their limited looks as CJ Abrams has squared him up (.429), while most of the rest of the lineup has yet to see results. Still, the overall history is clear: Fedde has consistently neutralized Washington when given the chance.

Day: 6-8 | Night: 4-7 | Home Record: 3-6 | Road Record: 7-9

Current Streak: W1 | Last Five: 3-2 | Last Ten: 5-5 | Current Month: 9-11

A.L. Teams: 7-9 | N.L. Teams: 3-6 | N.L. East: 1-2