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Game Details

• Washington Nationals (14-19) vs. Cincinnati Reds (18-15)

• Pitching Matchup: RHP Trevor Williams (1-3, 5.70) vs. LHP Nick Lodolo (3-2, 2.25)

• Date: Saturday, May 3rd, 2025 | 6:40 p.m. EDT | Game: #34 | Road Game: #18

• Location: Great American Ball Park | Cincinnati, OH

Game storylines and notes

Today, the Washington Nationals will play game two of three against the Cincinnati Reds with the first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. EDT. The Nationals will send RHP Trevor Williams (1-3, 5.70) to the mound, and the Nationals will face LHP Nick Lodolo (3-2, 2.25) from the Cincinnati Reds.

Game Recap
LAST GAME RECAP

The Nationals fell to the Reds 6-1 on Friday night in a game delayed by rain for one hour and 51 minutes. Hunter Greene was dominant for Cincinnati, striking out 12 batters over six innings while allowing just two hits and one run.

The Reds took an early lead with a two-run double by Tyler Stephenson in his season debut and added runs through a combination of doubles, a forceout, and a home run by Josh Bell for Washington. The Nationals managed only one run off Greene, who retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced. The Reds' pitching staff combined for 17 strikeouts, matching their season high and setting a season high for Nationals hitters. Washington’s starter, Mitchell Parker, struggled, allowing four runs and four walks in four innings. The loss dropped the Nationals to three losses in four games, while the Reds improved to six wins in eight games.

This game was the first of a three-game series between the two teams at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati

Washington Nationals Schedule
Up Next…

On Deck…

The Washington Nationals will finish their road trip and three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds with an afternoon scheduled start of 4:10 p.m. EDT tomorrow. The Nationals will send LHP MacKenzie Gore, with a 2-3 record and a 3.51 ERA, to the mound and face RHP Nick Martinez, with a 1-3 record and a 4.68 ERA.

In the hole…

The day after tomorrow's game, the Nationals will return to Washington, D.C., to begin a six-game homestand, where they will host the Cleveland Guardians and the St. Louis Cardinals.

“We’re going streaking on the Quad…”

CJ Abrams is riding an eight-game hitting streak, during which he’s gone 12-for-34 (.353) with two doubles, two triples, four RBIs, two hit-by-pitches, a stolen base, and four runs scored. This marks the third-longest hitting streak of his career; his longest is 13 games, set from June 6-22, 2024.

Additionally, James Wood has reached base in 12 consecutive games, posting a .426 on-base percentage during that span, and has gotten on in 26 of his last 28 games (.387 OBP). He’s the only MLB player this season with two separate on-base streaks of at least 12 games. Wood has also drawn a walk in a career-best seven straight the longest active streak in the majors and tied for the second-longest this year (Schwarber leads with nine).

Over his last 14 games, Wood slashes .288/.413/.538 with four doubles, three home runs, eight RBIs, 11 walks, a stolen base, and seven runs scored. He’s tied for fifth in MLB (third in the NL) with nine home runs, leads the majors in pitches per plate appearance (4.55), and ranks 11th with 22 walks

Finishing strong?

Over the last three games, Washington’s bullpen has posted a 1.80 ERA (2 earned runs in 10 innings) while holding opponents to a .222 average (8-for-36). Kyle Finnegan is tied for third in Major League Baseball with 10 saves this season. Jorge López has allowed just two hits (2-for-16, .125 opponent average) over his last six appearances, going 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA.

Jackson Rutledge has pitched five consecutive scoreless outings, totaling 6.1 innings, during which opposing batters are hitting only .136 (3-for-22) with nine strikeouts. Lucas Sims has been equally impressive, giving up just one hit (1-for-12) with five strikeouts and no walks across his last four scoreless appearances, covering 3.2 innings.

Oh, so close…

The Nationals have played in 12 one-run games this season, tied for the most in Major League Baseball alongside the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. Washington holds a 7-5 record (.583) in these close contests. Their seven wins in one-run games are also tied for the most in the league, matching the Dodgers (7-5), Mets (7-5), and San Francisco Giants (7-3). This is a significant improvement compared to 2024, when the Nationals went 14-23 (.378) in one-run games.

On the mound for the Washington Nationals
Trevor Williams

Allowed five earned runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work on April 28 vs. New York (NL)...Left the game with two runners on base, and both came around to score.

vs. CINCINNATI REDS

Williams is 6-3 with a 4.07 ERA in 16 games (12 starts) against the Reds...Last faced them on Aug. 10, 2022, out of New York's (NL) bullpen and last started against them on May 2, 2021, as a player with the Chicago Cubs. Went 6-3 with a 3.50 ERA in 14 games (11 starts) against them from 2016-2020 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Opposing right-handed batters are hitting just .160 (8-for-50) with two doubles, 14 strikeouts and three walks against Williams.

He ranks among National League pitchers against righties in opponents' slugging (T3rd, .200), opponents' on-base percentage (T4th, .208) and opponents' batting average (T7th, .160).

LESS THAN THREE SPREE

April 26 - Aug. 28, 2019.

Williams allowed three runs or fewer in 17 consecutive starts from Sept. 16, 2023 until April 12, 2025...It is ti

WASHINGTON NATIONALS BY THE NUMBERS

The Washington Nationals have the following records

• Day: 6-9 | Night: 8-10 | Home Record: 9-7 | Road Record: 5-12

• A.L. Teams: 2-4 | N.L. Teams: 12-15 | N.L. Central: 1-4

• Month Record: 1-1  | Current Streak: L1 | April: 12-15

• vs. LHSP: 3-6 | vs. RHSP: 11-13

• Series Opener: 0-1 | Series Opener on the Road: |

• White Script Nationals: 1-3 | Red Curly W: 2-0 | City Connect: 3-3 | Blue Jersey: 4-4 | Road Gray: 3-9 | 42: 1-0 

ON THE MOUND FOR THE HOME TEAM
Nick Lodolo

dominant outing in his last start, tossing seven shutout innings in the Reds’ 8-1 win at Colorado. He allowed just two infield singles- one in the sixth and one in the seventh- while striking out nine, walking one, and hitting a batter. This marked the longest no-hit bid of Lodolo’s career and his third career start with at least seven scoreless innings.

His nine strikeouts were a season high and his most since August 2024. Lodolo is the first Reds pitcher since Wade Miley in 2021 to post an ERA of 2.25 or lower, a WHIP of 0.86 or lower, an opponent average of .197 or lower, and at least 27 strikeouts at this point in the season.

After being activated from the paternity list on April 15 following the birth of his son, Keaton, Lodolo allowed three runs over 5.2 innings in a loss to Miami. Earlier this season, he put together a 16.1-inning scoreless streak from March 29 to April 8.