Washington Nationals Game Details: Game Time, TV Channel and Pitching Matchup
Washington Nationals (67-75) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (83-57)
Pitching Matchup: LHP Jackson Kent (1-2, 5.59 ERA) vs. LHP Blake Snell (2-1, 2.42 ERA)
Date: Friday, September 4, 2026 | 10:10 p.m. EDT | Game: #143 | Road Game: #70
Location: Dodger Stadium | Los Angeles CA.
Washington Nationals Game Storylines, Notes and Key Things to Watch
California dreamin.' On such a winter's day
The Washingtoin Nationals are coming off playing 16 games over 16 days and having their first day off yesterday as they headed to the West Coast.
Scheduled to take the mound for the Washington Nationals is left handed pitcher LHP Jackson Kent with a 1-2 record and a 5.59 ERA. The Dodgers are scheduled to send left handed pitcher Blake Snell who has a 2-1 record and a 2.42 ERA. [More below in our Game Notes.]
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Washington Nationals Schedule
Up Next…
On Deck…
Tomorrow, the Washington Nationals will play game two against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Nationals are scheduled to send right handed pitcher Cade Cavalli who has an impressive 12-5 record and a 3.12 ERA.
Cade Cavalli is tied for fourth in the National League with 177 strikeouts, while his 3.12 ERA is good for 10th. His start on Saturday night, will be his first career start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Scheduled to get the start for the Los Angeles Dodgers is right handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow who has a 4-0 record and a 2.79 ERA, entering Saturday’s matchup.
In the hole…
On Sunday, the Washington Nationals will wrap up their three-game series against the Dodgers. [Here are the scheduled pitching matchups for Game #3]
Gentleman start your engines…
In 12 games since Aug. 19, the Nationals’ starting rotation has posted a Major League-best 2.23 ERA, allowing 17 earned runs in 68.2 innings. The group has held opponents to a .188 batting average during that span.
The rotation ranks third in the majors with a .318 opponents’ slugging percentage since Aug. 19 and has allowed just seven home runs.
Nationals starters and openers have been even more effective over the last eight games, combining for a 1.07 ERA with four earned runs allowed in 33.2 innings. They have recorded 36 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .162 batting average, and have thrown scoreless outings in five of those eight games.
Washington Nationals Player Spotlight: Daylen Lile
Daylen Lile is batting .391 (18-for-46) with three doubles, one triple, five home runs, 15 RBI, nine walks, two stolen bases, and 12 runs scored over his last 13 games since Aug. 21. He has posted a .482 on-base percentage and an .826 slugging percentage during that span, reaching base safely in 10 of the 13 games.
Lile also finished last season strongly. After Aug. 21, he led Major League Baseball in batting average (.372), on-base percentage (.423), and slugging percentage (.681). He also tied for the MLB lead with 16 extra-base hits.
Lile has made one of the most significant defensive improvements in baseball this season. He has improved from minus-8 Outs Above Average in 2025 to 1 OAA in 2026. His defensive run value has improved from minus-10 to 3, while his Defensive Runs Saved have improved from minus-14 to 9.
Lile has also nearly doubled his home-run total, hitting 20 this season after hitting nine last year. He homered four times in four games from May 12–15, driving in nine runs and scoring four. He hit the first multi-home-run game of his career on May 12 at Cincinnati and followed that with a two-run, go-ahead home run in the 10th inning on May 13 at Cincinnati.
Lile set a career high with five RBI on Aug. 24 against Colorado, going 3-for-5 with a double, home run, stolen base, five RBI, and three runs scored. He recorded the second multi-home-run game of his career on Aug. 31 against Miami, when his two-run home run in the seventh inning gave Washington the lead.
Washington Nationals Dugout Notes: Latest News, Updates and Observations
“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.
Abrams & Wood & Lile Co: CJ Abrams and Daylen Lile have both reached the 20-home-run, 80-RBI mark this season. Abrams has 29 home runs and 94 RBI, while Lile has 20 home runs and 80 RBI. James Wood is close to joining them with 30 home runs and 73 RBI.
Only eight players age 25 or younger have reached the 20-home-run, 80-RBI mark in the majors this season, and Washington is the only team with multiple players in that group. Wood would join the club with eight more RBI.
If Wood reaches 80 RBI, the 2026 Nationals would become just the eighth team in Major League history with at least three players age 25 or younger to record a 20-home-run, 80-RBI season. The last team to accomplish the feat was the 2007 Milwaukee Brewers, who set the record with four players: Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy, and Corey Hart.
The last team with three players age 25 or younger to reach the mark was the 1999 Kansas City Royals, with Carlos Beltrán, Jermaine Dye, and Mike Sweeney.
A+ for Chaparro: Since the All-Star break, Andrés Chaparro ranks second in Major League Baseball in both OPS (1.012) and slugging percentage (.625). Overall, he is batting .292 (28-for-96) with eight doubles, eight home runs, 27 RBI, 11 walks, and 21 runs scored in 36 games.
Chaparro has reached safely in seven straight games, going 7-for-23 (.304) with a double, home run, two RBI, and three walks during that span. He is batting .315 (17-for-54) against right-handed pitchers.
His .278 average as a pinch-hitter ranks sixth in the majors, while his four pinch-hit doubles are tied for second. He hit the first pinch-hit home run of his career on July 27 against Toronto.
Chaparro set career highs in hits (four), home runs (two), RBI (eight), and runs scored (four) on July 17 at Athletics. His 467-foot home run in that game was the fourth-longest home run by a National in the Statcast Era, which began in 2015.
With runners in scoring position, Chaparro is batting .361 (13-for-36) with four home runs and 28 RBI. His last home run came on Aug. 26 against Colorado. He has hit 14 home runs this season.
FOREVER YOUNG: Jacob Young is batting .315 (23-for-73) with five doubles, one triple, one home run, six RBI, three hit-by-pitches, seven walks, 12 runs scored, and four stolen bases over his last 23 games. He has posted a .393 on-base percentage, a .452 slugging percentage, and an .845 OPS during that stretch.
Young has established career highs in home runs (10), triples (3), and RBI (43). His 19 doubles this season are approaching his career high of 24, which he set in 2024.
Defensively, Young is tied for second among National League center fielders in both Outs Above Average (12) and runs prevented (11). He has also reduced his ground-ball rate to 38.4 percent this season after posting a 53.8 percent rate in 2025.
Young has hit a career-high 10 home runs in 403 plate appearances this season. He had hit only five home runs in 1,006 plate appearances entering 2026.
With two outs and runners in scoring position, Young is batting .385 (15-for-39) with four doubles, two home runs, and 20 RBI, ranking sixth in the majors in batting average in that situation. Overall, he is batting .258 (23-for-89) with two home runs and 30 RBI with runners in scoring position.
Young’s last home run came on July 20 at Colorado. He has 14 career home runs.
On the mound for the Washington Nationals
LHP Jackson Kent
Left handed pitcher Jackson Kent is scheduled to get the start for the Washington Nationals in game one of the series against the Dodgers. Left handed pitcher Jackson Kent is coming off his first career win on August 28 vs. Miami (7.0 IP, 3 H, ER, 4 BB, 3 SO). Lefty Kent will be pitching on six days of rest since that start.
Jackson Kent earned his first Major League victory on Aug. 28 at Nationals Park, holding the Marlins to one run on three hits over 7.0 innings.
With that performance, Kent became just the third Nationals pitcher since 2005 to pitch at least 7.0 innings while allowing three hits or fewer in one of his first four career games. He joined Mitchell Parker, who allowed three hits and no runs with eight strikeouts over 7.0 innings against Houston on April 21, 2024, and Mike O’Connor, who allowed two hits and one run with six strikeouts over 7.0 innings at the New York Mets on May 2, 2006.
Welcome to the Show
Kent made his Major League debut on Aug. 12 against the Chicago Cubs, becoming the 31st starting pitcher originally signed or drafted and developed by the Nationals to start a game for Washington since 2005.
He recorded his first Major League strikeout by catching Pete Crow-Armstrong looking to lead off the game. Kent struck out three batters in the first inning and five over the first three innings before allowing his first hit in the top of the fourth.
Minor-League Performance
Kent joined the Nationals after going 9-4 with a 3.72 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 20 starts covering 94.1 innings between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester.
At the time of his promotion, Kent led Washington’s minor-league system in opponents’ on-base percentage (.277) and opponents’ batting average (.216). He ranked second in winning percentage (.692) and WHIP (1.12).
His .277 opponents’ on-base percentage ranked ninth in all of Minor League Baseball, while his .216 opponents’ average and 1.12 WHIP each ranked 11th.
vs. Dodgers: Tonight’s game will be Kent’s first career start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS BY THE NUMBERS
The Washington Nationals have the following records.
Day: 29-32 | Night: 37-43 | Home Record: 32-40 | Road Record: 34-35
Current Month Record: 0-1 | Current Streak: L1 | Previous Month Record: 11-18
A.L. Teams: 23-19 | N.L. Teams: 44-56 | N.L. West: 13-12
vs. LHSP: 23-19 | vs. RHSP: 44-556
Series Opener: 20-25 | Series Opener on the Road: 10-12 | Road Series: 13-8-1
White Script Nationals: 13-23 | Red Curly W: 6-5 | City Connect: 5-5 | Blue Jersey: 15-17 | Road Gray: 25-23
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.