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Game Details
Washington Nationals (55-60) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (61-53)
Pitching Matchup: RHP Jake Irvin (2-5; 5.56 ERA) vs. RHP Andrew Painter (1-8; 6.72 ERA)
Date: Wednesday, August 5 , 2026. | 6:40 p.m. EDT | Game: #116 | Road Game: #59
Location: Citizens Bank Park | Philadelphia PA.
Game storylines and notes
Tonight the Washington Nationals will look to break their season long seven game losing streak when they face the Philadelphia Phillies with first pitch at 6:40 p.m. EDT. The Nationals are planning on sending RHP Jake Irvin (2-5; 5.56 ERA) to the mound and will face RHP Andrew Painter (1-8; 6.72 ERA) from the Phillies.
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Game Recap
LAST GAME RECAP
The Phillies blanked the Washington Nationals 5-0 on a high-energy night at Citizens Bank Park. Starter Jesús Luzardo (10-5) was un hittable, tossing 8.0 scoreless innings, allowing just 4 hits while striking out 7.
Washington Nationals Schedule
Up Next…
On Deck…
Tomorrow, the Washington Nationals will finish their eight game road trip and their four game series against the Philadelphia Phillies with the first pitch at 6:05 p.m. EDT.
Right handed pitcher Miles Mikolas (3-8, 5.67) is scheduled to take the mound for the Nationals while left handed pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (14-4, 2.61) is scheduled to take the mound for the Phillies.
In the hole…
On Friday, the Washington Nationals will be back home at Nationals Park and will host the Cincinnati Reds. First pitch is going to be 6:45 p.m. EDT
MVP MVP MVP!
James Wood is putting up elite numbers across the board in 2026. He leads MLB in runs (100) and walks (90), and is tied for first in leadoff home runs (10). His 100 runs came in just 112 games which the fastest to that mark in Nationals history (2005–present).
Wood ranks second in the NL in total bases (234) and extra-base hits (57). He’s third in the league in on-base percentage (.393), wRC+ (151), and OPS (.928), fourth in home runs (30), OPS+ (153), and wOBA (.390), and seventh in slugging percentage (.535).
Player of the Month for July went to….
CJ Abrams was named National League Player of the Month for July on Monday, earning the first monthly award of his career and becoming the first Nationals player to win the honor since Daylen Lile in September 2025.
Abrams put together a huge month at the plate, hitting .348 (31-for-89) with five doubles, 10 home runs, 23 RBI, 11 walks, six stolen bases, 17 runs scored, a .742 slugging percentage and a 1.149 OPS across 23 games. He reached base safely in 21 of those 23 games and had a hit in 19 of them.
Abrams also ranked among the National League leaders in several July categories, finishing third in extra-base hits (15), third in RBI (23), third in batting average (.348), tied for sixth in hits (31) and sixth in on-base percentage (.408). He led the National League in home runs, OPS and slugging percentage for the month.
From the Washington Nationals Dugout
“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.
Baby We were Born to Run: The Washington Nationals lead Major League Baseball with 126 stolen bases this season and have also piled up 9.5 baserunning runs above average, according to FanGraphs. Nasim Nuñez is a big reason why: he leads MLB with 40 stolen bases, 10 more than Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Bobby Witt Jr., who are tied for second at 30.
He is now just seven steals shy of tying CJ Abrams’ Nationals record of 47 set in 2023, and he’s one of only four players in Nationals history to reach 40 stolen bases, joining Alfonso Soriano (41 in 2006), Trea Turner (43 in 2017 and 46 in 2017), and Abrams (47 in 2023).
On the Road Again: The Nationals are 13-4-1 in road series this season and 32-26 (.552) on the road overall, with that winning percentage ranking seventh in Major League Baseball and their 32 road wins tied for fifth.
The Washington Nationals have won four of its last five road series and nine of its last 11, with the Braves handing the Nationals their first road series loss since June 21 at Tampa Bay. The club’s four road series losses have all been spaced out by more than a month: April 1 at Philadelphia, May 10 at Miami, June 21 at Tampa Bay, and July 31 at Atlanta.
On the mound for the Washington Nationals
Jake Irvin
In his first start since being active off the IL, right handed pitcher Jake Irvin tossed 5.0 innings in his last outing, allowing 5 earned runs on 3 hits and 2 walks with 1 strikeout. He took his fifth loss of the season in the Nationals’ 5-4 defeat to the Atlanta Braves on July 30.
Career vs. Philadelphia: Irvin is set to make his eighth career start against the Phillies. He holds an 0-5 record with a 6.42 ERA (29 ER/40.2 IP) and 28 strikeouts against Philadelphia.
Rehab Tune-Up: Irvin looked sharp in three rehab outings with the FCL Nationals and Double-A Harrisburg Senators, allowing just 2 hits (2-for-38) with 12 strikeouts and 1 walk over 11.1 innings. In two starts with Harrisburg, he gave up 1 hit over 8.1 innings, fanning 9 and walking just 1.
Curveball Dominance: Opponents are batting just .122 (6-for-49) against Irvin’s curveball this season. He has allowed only one extra-base hit on the pitch all year.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS BY THE NUMBERS
The Washington Nationals have the following records.
Day: 25-26 | Night: 30-34 | Home Record: 23-34 | Road Record: 32-26
Month Record: 0-4 | Current Streak: L7 | Previous Month Record: 11-12
A.L. Teams: 22-17 | N.L. Teams: 33-43 | N.L. East: 10-23
vs. LHP: 23-15 | vs. RHP: 32-45 | Sweeps/Were Swept: 1-4 | Scored First: 41-25
White Script Nationals: 11-18 | Red Curly W: 5-4 | City Connect: 4-4 | Blue Jersey: 11-14 | Road Gray: 24-19 | 42: 0-1
OPPOSITION RESEARCH
Oh, Philadelphia freedom. Shine on me.
The Phillies lead MLB with 15 shutouts this season, already topping last year’s total of 14 and matching their 2022 high. They haven’t reached 16 shutouts in a season since 2011, when they posted 21.
Philadelphia’s staff has been dominant lately, recording 3 shutouts in their last 4 games (since 8/1)—their most in a 4-game span since May 1986. Over that stretch, they’ve allowed just 3 total runs, the fewest by a Phillies team in a 4-game stretch since April 21–24, 2011 (also 3).
ON THE MOUND FOR THE HOME TEAM
Andrew Painter
Right-hander Andrew Painter has thrown 401 four-seam fastballs this season, 58 of which (14%) have registered a spin rate of 2,400 RPMs or higher. Of those 58 high-spin four-seamers, 15 came in his last start on 7/31 at Baltimore—accounting for 26% of his season total in that single outing.
In that start, Painter averaged 2,434 RPMs on his four-seamer, up 167 RPMs from his 2,267 RPM season average entering the game. Two of his highest spin rates this year also came in that start (2,627 and 2,568 RPMs), with five of his top nine four-seam spin marks recorded in that same outing.
7/31 at BAL: Quality Start in Tight Loss
Painter earned a no-decision in 6.0 innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 earned runs, and 1 home run while walking 3 and striking out 6. He threw 82 pitches, 54 for strikes, as the Phillies fell to the Orioles 6-4 at Camden Yards.
It marked Painter’s third quality start of the season. After surrendering a double and a home run to the first two batters, he settled in and retired 20 of the next 24 batters he faced. He generated 9 whiffs and was 15-for-23 on first-pitch strikes.
BY THE NUMBERS
Home Record: 30-27 | Road Record: 31-36
Current Streak: W4 | Last Five: 4-1 | Last Ten: 5-5 | Series Record: 19-16-1 | Run Differential: 501-497
July: 9-15 | N.L. East: 18-16 | Wednesday: 7-9 |
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.