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The Washington Nationals will kick off the 2025 Spring Training season with a “road game” against the Houston Astros at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. They will send RHP Jake Irvin to the mound to face the Houston Astros. The Nationals will be facing RHP Ryan Gusto from the Houston Astros.

“New Kids on the Block”

The Washington Nationals have added 10 new players since the close of the 2024 season. Among them is Nathaniel Lowe, who will be the team's new first baseman, acquired in a trade with the Texas Rangers. Trevor Williams returns to the starting rotation, having signed a two-year contract. Also rejoining the Nationals is Josh Bell, who previously played for the team in 2021 and 2022; he signed a one-year deal. Other free agent signings include Michael Soroka, Amed Rosario, Shinnosuke Ogasawara, Jorge López, Paul DeJong, and Lucas Sims. Evan Reifert was selected in the Rule 5 draft from the Tampa Bay Rays, completing the list of new additions.

On the mound for the Washington Nationals

On the mound for the Washington Nationals will be RHP Jake Irvin. Irvin finished the 2024 regular season with a 10-14 record, an ERA of 4.41, 156 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.20. Irvin appeared in 33 games and pitched a total of 187.2 innings.

Jake Irvin's 33 starts were tied for the league lead in his first full MLB season. He led the Nationals and ranked fifth in the National League with 187.2 innings pitched. He also led the team and finished 10th in the NL with a 1.20 WHIP. He tied MacKenzie Gore for the team lead in wins with 10.

Defensively, he led all MLB pitchers with six defensive runs saved (per FanGraphs and Sports Info Solutions).

He had 14 starts where he pitched at least six innings and walked one or fewer batters, tying for third-most in the National League. His best outing came on July 4th against the New York Mets (NL), when he threw eight innings of one-hit, shutout baseball, a career-high.

His 2024 pitch mix consists of a 4-seam Fastball (37.9%), Curveball (31.3%), Sinker (20.5%), Cutter (6.5%), Changeup (3.5%), and Slider (0.3%).

Nationals Player Spotlight Luis García Jr.:

Luis García Jr. has returned to Nationals camp this spring with a noticeable change in demeanor, which has manager Dave Martinez excited. García Jr. is looking to build off his successful 2024 season, where the Nationals second baseman hit 18 homeruns, had 70 RBI, 22 stolen bases, 141, a batting average of .282, and an OPS of .762. During his multiple press conferences, Manager Martinez has praised Luis García Jr.'s work ethic, and he believes that "Louie is in a different place," Martinez observed. "I mean, he really is. I mean, I think, you know, I've seen a big jump in his maturity so far this spring."

Last season was a learning experience for García Jr., and he's taken those lessons to heart. "I think he learned a lot about what he really can be last year," Martinez explained. "And he's really taking it upon himself to come to camp and start where he left off."

The results of this newfound focus are evident. "I mean, he's hitting the ball," Martinez commented. "I mean, every ball he's hitting, he's hitting the ball hard, even in BP. And, you know, he's just on top of everything." García Jr's offensive potential has always been there, but now it's channeled with a greater sense of purpose. "He's trying to stay in the middle of the field," Martinez added, "but the ball's coming off his bat really well. So, and he's moving really well."

Opposition Research: The Stros

In 2024, the Houston Astros finished for the first time, winning their division for four straight seasons, and are the first team to win the AL West in four straight years since Oakland won five straight AL West Titles from 1971 - 1975.

Additionally, the Astros appeared in their eighth straight postseason, which extended their franchise record, and they have also made the postseason nine times over the last 10 seasons and joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as the only teams in Major League Baseball to qualify for the postseason in each of the last eight years. The Astros postseason streak is the fourth-longest in MLB history.

2024 Regular Season Record:

• Overall Record: 88-73

• Home Record: 46-35

• Road Record: 42-38

• vs. Right-handed starting pitchers: 62-52

• vs. Left-handed starting pitchers:

On the mound for the Houston Astros

On the mound for the Houston Astros is RHP Ryan Gusto. Gusto spent the 2024 regular season with the Astros Triple-A team, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), and had a record of 8-6 with an ERA of 3.70.

Gusto appeared in 29 games, of which he started 26, and pitched 148.1 innings, recording 141 strikeouts and allowing only 68 runs. Gusto has yet to pitch at the Major League Level and was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 11th round in the 2019 MLB Draft.

According to Baseball America, Gusto is ranked as the #14 prospect in the Houston Astro’s system for 2025. According to his scouting report by Baseball America, Gusto’s four-seam fastball sits at 92-94 mph, sometimes peaking at 98 mph. He also uses a sweeper slider as his most used secondary pitch, and his best pitch is the changeup, which hits around the mid-80 mph with an “above-average armside run.”