The Washington Nationals will play the second game of their three-game series against the San Diego Padres tonight. The first pitch is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. EDT. The Nationals have scheduled right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams to the mound. Williams has a 3-8 record and an ERA of 5.54.

The Nationals will face right-handed pitcher Ryan Bergert Pitcher with a 1-0 record and a 1.88 ERA entering tonight’s game.

The Washington Nationals had an offensive surge with a 10-6 win over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, powered by standout performances from young stars CJ Abrams and James Wood, both acquired from San Diego three years ago. Abrams scored 3-for-5 with three runs, while Wood also went 3-for-5, driving in four runs, including a three-run homer that marked his 22nd of the season.

The Nationals’ bats came alive after a slow start, erupting for four runs in the fourth inning and extending their lead with a string of singles in the fifth. Luis García Jr. contributed to the rally and extended his hitting streak to 12 games. The offense provided crucial support for starter Mitchell Parker, who pitched effectively through six innings, allowing minimal damage against a tough Padres lineup.

A scary moment occurred when catcher Keibert Ruiz was struck on the head by a foul ball in the dugout. He left the game conscious and coherent for further evaluation at a hospital, leaving backup Riley Adams as the only catcher for the rest of the night.

Despite a late Padres rally, Wood’s eighth-inning homer and Josh Bell’s right-handed blast helped secure the win. Manager Davey Martinez credited the team’s improved plate discipline and ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities for their recent success, as the Nationals have now hit 11 home runs in their last four games.

On Deck…

The Washington Nationals will conclude their three-game series against the San Diego Padres tomorrow afternoon with the first pitch at 4:10 p.m. EDT. The Nationals are scheduled to send left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore (3-7; 3.19 ERA), while the Nationals’ will face right-handed pitcher Nick Pivetta (7-2, 3.64) from the Padres.

MacKenzie Gore has a 1-1 record with a 5.52 ERA over 14.2 innings pitched, giving up nine earned runs, 15 strikeouts in three career starts against the Padres.

In the hole…

The Nationals will have Thursday off before concluding their West Coast road trip with a three-game series that starts on Friday night against the Los Angeles Angels. Both teams have yet to name their starters for the series. The first pitch is scheduled to be at 9:38 p.m. EDT on Friday night in LA.

The Washington Nationals have placed catcher Keibert Ruiz on the 10-day injured list due to a head contusion, following an incident in Monday’s game against the San Diego Padres. Ruiz was struck on the side of his head by a foul ball off the bat of teammate James Wood while in the dugout. He was taken to the hospital for a CT scan, but fortunately is not in the league’s concussion protocol.

Ruiz has struggled at the plate this season with a .247/.278/.320 slash line, two home runs, 24 RBI, and 19 runs scored in 247 at-bats, is expected to be eligible to return from the IL after the minimum absence. In the meantime, Riley Adams will serve as the Nationals’ primary catcher, with Drew Millas recalled from Triple-A Rochester to provide additional depth behind the plate.

CJ Abrams, a potential 2025 National League All-Star, is performing among the league’s top shortstops. Over his last 14 games, Abrams is hitting .368/.455/.596, with four doubles, three home runs, six RBIs, seven walks, two hit-by-pitches, five stolen bases, and 17 runs scored. He has reached base safely in 12 consecutive games, posting a .456 on-base percentage during that span with 18 hits and seven walks.

Luis García Jr. has reached base safely in 14 consecutive games and is currently riding a career-best 12-game hitting streak. During this on-base stretch, he’s slashing .333/.370/.549 with five doubles, two home runs, and nine RBIs.

Since May 12, García Jr. has been among the National League’s top performers, leading all hitters in doubles (14) and ranking third in batting average (.333). Over his last 33 games, he’s posted a .333/.359/.545 line with 14 doubles, four homers, 23 RBIs, five walks, one stolen base, and 18 runs scored.

For the season, García Jr. ranks among qualified NL second basemen in several key categories: he’s second in slugging percentage (.433), doubles (19), and RBIs (36), and third in batting average (.274)..

Taking the mound for the Nationals this evening is right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams with a record of 3-8 with a 5.54 ERA over his last 15 games started, 74.2 innings pitched, and has struck out 58 batters. In his last appearance on June 19th against the Rockies, Williams pitched 5.1 innings, giving up two earned runs on eight hits, walking one, striking out six, and throwing 87 pitches with 57 being strikes. During June, Williams has a 0-3 record with an ERA of 5.12 over four games started, 19.1 innings pitched, giving up 11 earned runs and 25 hits, striking out 15 and walking just three batters.

Baseball Savant reports that Williams’ sweeper has an expected slugging percentage (xSLG) of .264, ranking eighth among all sweepers in Major League Baseball. In 2025, opponents are batting just .217 (18-for-83) against his sweeper, with only five doubles and one home run allowed.

Williams also posted a streak of 17 consecutive starts allowing three runs or fewer from September 16, 2023, to April 12, 2025, tying Max Scherzer for the longest such streak in Nationals history since 2005.

vs. San Diego Padres

Trevor Williams has made five regular-season appearances against the San Diego Padres, pitching 22.0 innings. Over those games, he has a 1-1 win-loss record, no saves, a 4.91 ERA, 20 strikeouts, and seven walks.

San Diego allowed a season-high-tying 15 hits (matching May 9 at Colorado) and lost Game 1 on Monday night, 10-6. The Padres’ offense posted a 94.3 mph average exit velocity on all batted balls, tying the team’s single-game high (also recorded April 20 at Houston), with 12 batted balls registering at 100 mph or more, tied for the second-most by the team this season.

In the ninth inning, outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (1-for-5, HR, 3 RBI, R) hit his 15th home run of the season, a 435-foot blast—the longest homer by a Padre at home this year. Infielder Luis Arraez (1-for-4) extended his hitting streak to 10 games, tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the majors and his first double-digit streak since his career-high 14-game streak from August 31 to September 16, 2024. During this current streak, Arraez is batting .311 (14-for-45) with a double, triple, four RBIs, and five runs scored.

Padres right-hander Ryan Bergert, 25, is set for his fifth MLB start tonight against Washington and his first career start (second appearance) at Petco Park. Bergert debuted in relief at Petco on April 26 versus Tampa Bay and has since made seven straight appearances (four starts) on the road.

During the recent road trip, Bergert struck out a career-high eight batters in Arizona on June 14 (4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER), then followed up with 4.2 shutout innings of three-hit ball last Thursday at Dodger Stadium. He’s completed at least five innings in three of his first four starts but has yet to earn a decision, receiving just three total runs of support in those outings. So far, he’s posted a 1.88 ERA (5 ER, 24.0 IP), 0.96 WHIP, and has held opponents to a .189 batting average.

Bergert has excelled early in games, allowing just one hit and no runs in the first and second innings across all four of his starts. Including his four relief outings, he’s given up only one hit (1-for-25, .040) in the first inning over his eight MLB appearances. First time through the order, opponents are hitting just .087 (4-for-46); that jumps to .313 (10-for-32) the second time through, and he’s faced only seven batters a third time through the lineup (0-for-5, 2 BB).

Statcast shows Bergert relies heavily on his four-seam fastball (50.4% usage, 93.7 mph average), holding hitters to a .139 average with that pitch. Opponents are hitting .154 against his slider (23.9% usage), .167 against his sweeper (13.5%), and .333 against both his sinker (5.8%) and changeup (4.7%).