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Here are your Washington Nationals Morning headlines, news, analysis, and more for Friday, April 17, 2026
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GAME RECAP
🔥 HEADLINE
Nats Make It Past Pirates In Extras
Final Score: Nationals 8, Pittsburgh Pirates 7
Date: Thursday, April 16, 2026
Location: PNC Park
Check out our game recap as the Washington Nationals end their roadtrip with a 5-2 record.
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
After a back-and-forth game, the Nats came out on top against the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-7 after ten innings to end the team’s road trip. Foster Griffin started off strong, going completely scoreless through four innings and racking up seven strikeouts, only allowing four earned runs in the fifth inning.
📊 THE BOX SCORE
Winning Pitcher: Clayton Beeter ([1–0], 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K)
Losing Pitcher: Dennis Santana ([2–1], 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K)
Key Hitters:
James Wood: 2-for-6, R, RBI
Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-4, 3 R, 2B
Drew Millas: 2-for-2, R, 2B
Team RISP: [1-for-14]
Errors: Nats 0, Pirates 4
Attendance: 10,504
🎙️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
“I think what you saw today was what we’ve talked about a lot. These guys don’t back down. They don’t give up regardless of the score, regardless of whether the ball is going their way. They just continue to ring the bell, and step up to the occasion, and continue to impress,” said manager Blake Butera on yesterday’s performance.
📅 NEXT AT BAT
Next Game: vs. San Francisco Giants, April 17, 6:45 PM ET, Nationals Park
Probables: Nats — Zack Littell, Giants — Logan Webb
Key Storyline: Can the Nats take advantage of a struggling Giants team?
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
Who was tonight’s MVP?
✅ Wood
✅ Vivas
✅ Millas
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For more info and analysis on today’s game, be sure to check out this article.
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CJ Abrams’ Improved Bat
Photo via Joe Glorioso (All-Pro Reels)
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
CJ Abrams has seen an improvement in his game throughout the beginning of the season, even compared to just the last few years. This improvement in his game specifically has allowed the Nationals to create opportunities for scoring that might not have been there before.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
While CJ Abrams has been a consistent hitter for the past three seasons—typically hitting 18-20 home runs, 60-65 RBIs, and an OPS ranging from .712 to .748—his recent hot streak this season has proved that he’s become a better all-around hitter with more plate discipline
Through 17 games this season, Abrams has had a batting average of .356, an OPS of 1.121, and has hit six home runs—all statistics that rank amongst the top five in their categories in the MLB so far this season
Abrams’ start wasn’t immediate, managing just a .513 OPS with zero home runs through the first four games, but he hasn’t had a particularly down game since, getting on base and creating opportunities for the team to score, as his strikeout rate has lowered to 14.7% and his walk rate has increased to 8.8% while his chase rate has also decreased
🗣️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
“We just want to minimize the number of thoughts he has in his head. You see the home runs, you see the doubles, you see the power to all fields, and then you see CJ on the bases, stealing bases, running all over and just playing loose and playing free,” said manager Blake Butera on their approach to Abrams this season. “That’s been our message to CJ all along. We love CJ. We think the world of him. Think he’s one of the best players in the game and has a chance to be for a long time. Just making sure he has a very clear idea of what he needs to do every time he steps on the field.”
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
What do you think of CJ Abrams’s performance so far this season? What do you think is the most improved part of his game?
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theFUTURE
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
Mother Nature had an effect on most of the Nats’ minor league teams yesterday, with multiple games being postponed due to rain. Despite the rain, all but one of the teams that played won their matchups, and by multiple runs as well.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
Yesterday’s Red Wings game at home against the Buffalo Bisons was postponed due to weather and will be made up today as a doubleheader, with the first game starting at 4:05 PM ET
Harrisburg won the first game of their doubleheader against the Erie SeaWolves 11-9, with multi-run home runs from both Sam Petersen and Kervin Pichardo, though the second game was rained out and was postponed to today after the first game at 5:05 PM ET
The Blue Rocks dropped their third game in a row against the Hub City Spartanburgers 11-7, with Hub City striking hard and early in the game with six runs scored in just the first inning
Yesterday’s Fredericksburg matchup saw the team win against the Delmarva Shorebirds 8-2, seeing home runs from Jordan Williams, Eli Willits, and Yeremy Cabrera, as well as starter Alexander Meckley going five innings with just one run on two hits with two walks and five strikeouts
🗣️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
The FredNats’ recent performances against Delmarva show promise that their offense has gotten back on track after their rough series against Hill City. Across all three games so far, they’ve scored a collective total of 34 runs, with 21 of those coming in just the first game of the series. Even in Tuesday’s 7-5 loss to the Shorebirds, the offense fought to keep the team in it and keep the comeback alive until the eighth inning. This shows promise that their bats are getting back to their full potential that we saw at the beginning of the season against in the first series against Augusta.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
What do you think of everyone’s recent wins? Do you think that Fredericksburg’s bats are fully back?
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For more on the Nat’s minor league teams and players, make sure to check out this player profile on the Red Wings’ Christian Franklin.
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WHAT WE THINK THE NATIONALS FRONT OFFICE IS READING
Speed Reads
📌 3 Things We Learned After Nationals Split Series With Pirates (Sports Illustrated)
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