The Washington Nationals will kick off their final three-game series before the All-Star break by facing the Milwaukee Brewers tonight. The Nationals will send left-handed pitcher Mitchell Parker, who has an ERA of 4.72 with a win-loss record of 5-9. The Nationals will face right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester with a 6-2 record and an ERA of 3.59.

Thursday’s series finale against the Cardinals followed a classic 2025 Nationals script: moribund offense against a soft-tossing pitcher (Miles Mikolas), a slog of a four-inning start by a pitcher not named MacKenzie Gore (Michael Soroka), and a meltdown from the bullpen (Mason Thompson allowed five runs while recording just one out in the sixth), and one garbage-time run on a bases-loaded groundout, all leading to an 8-1 Cardinals win. It was as unexciting as that brief recap sounds.

On Deck…

Tomorrow, the Nationals will play game two of their three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers and will send LHP Shinnosuke Ogasawara (0-0, 13.50) to the mound for his second career MLB game.

The Brewers will send RHP Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 1.50) to the mound.

Brandon Woodruff will make his second start of the season after a strong return to the mound last Sunday in Miami, where he earned a 3-1 victory by allowing just two hits and one run with no walks and eight strikeouts over six innings on 70 pitches. That outing marked his first Major League appearance since September 23, 2023, also in Miami, following a lengthy recovery from right shoulder surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2024 season. Woodruff is set to pitch at home for the first time since September 17, 2023, against Washington.

Over his last 33 starts dating to May 2022, he has compiled a 16-3 record with a 2.32 ERA (197.2 IP, 135 H, 54 R, 51 ER, 47 BB, 235 K). Against the Nationals in his career, Woodruff is 4-0 with a 0.96 ERA in seven appearances (five starts), allowing just four earned runs across 37.2 innings while striking out 45 and walking four

In the hole…

The Nationals will conclude their last series before the All-Star break on Sunday with the first pitch at 2:10 p.m. EDT. The Nationals will send right-handed pitcher Jake Irvin to the mound with a 7-4 record and an ERA of 4.78, and will face right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta, who has a record of 10-4 and an ERA of 2.74.