The Nationals have opened the season with wins in three of their first four games, something they’ve only done three times since moving to the nation’s capital. As his Washington squad looks to continue building momentum from a monstrous win last night, Blake Butera has opted to start a reliever today, PJ Poulin, against Andrew Painter, who is set to make his major league debut.

Foster Griffin made his return to the majors last night after a three-year absence, and he gave Blake Butera a strong outing to open his season. Going for five strong innings, the lefty allowed just a two-run homer, which was more than enough to protect Washington’s early lead. Griffin struck out five hitters while walking none before handing the ball off to Brad Lord, who tossed three scoreless with as many strikeouts. Cole Henry then came in to shut the door with an 11-run lead, and the Nationals seemed more than pleased with their all-around performance.

Offensively, the bats woke up early and often on Monday. While the team’s average exit velocity was down, results fell their way throughout the night. James Wood, Luis García Jr. and Daylen Lile were able to string solid at-bats together for the first run, before CJ Abrams, Drew Millas and José Tena singled to keep the line moving. A Jorbit Vivas sac-fly made the score 4-0, all before Griffin even threw a pitch. That theme stayed consistent through the evening, as smaller contact was often rewarded for Washington. By the end of the ninth inning, the Nationals were up 13-2, facing a position player on the mound while winning for just the third time since July of 2021.

On Deck…

Cade Cavalli will take the mound for the Nationals in Wednesday’s 1:05 series finale, facing off against Cristopher Sánchez, who struck out 10 hitters on Opening Day.

In the hole…

Following tomorrow’s matchup, the Nationals will head back to D.C. for their Friday home opener against the Dodgers. While neither team has confirmed their starter, it is expected to be Emmet Sheehan against Miles Mikolas at 1:05.