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Here are your Washington Nationals Morning headlines, news, analysis, and more for Tuesday, April 14, 2026
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📅 NEXT AT BAT (OPTIONAL DURING OFFSEASON, BUT COULD BE GOOD FOR DURING THE SEASON)
Tuesday @ Pittsburgh Pirates, 6:40 PM ET
Wednesday @ Pittsburgh Pirates, 6:40 PM ET
Thursday @ Pittsburgh Pirates, 12:35 PM ET
Friday vs. San Francisco Giants, 6:45 PM ET - New Home Series
Nats Look to Get Back on Track for Great Week
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
Despite an ugly loss yesterday to the Pirates, the Nats are 3-1 in their last 4 games, and still have 3 more games upcoming against the Pirates to get back on track in the series and continue their climb to .500.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
Other than a few select innings in yesterday’s game against the Pirates, the Nats bullpen is finally starting to find its groove. In this bullpen strengthening, arms like Paxton Schultz and PJ Poulin have started lowering their ERA, becoming strong options when the game gets into a jam.
Rookie manager Blake Butera has been amazing at game management as the season has gone on, and specifically in their sweep agains the Brewers. In that series we saw lots of smart small ball and base running, along with seemingly choosing the perfect bullpen pitcher for every opportunity. In his first year, it is calming to see his poise and decision making so far.
Cade Cavalli, Nats starting pitcher struggled in yesterday’s game, only being able to go one inning, struggling against the Pirates hitters. However, this was out of routine for him, and also shouldn’t be too much of a worry. Despite the rough outing, Cavalli still posts a 4.60 ERA and no more than 4 runs allowed in a game.
Look for the Nats to win at least 2 of the next 3 games against the Pirates as they look to bounce back in their first 4 game series of the season. With Paul Skenes out of the way pitching for the Pirates, the Nats should now have the upper hand following the brutal outcome, starting with some added motivation for today’s game.
🗣️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
Following their sweep against the Brewers, the Nats finally showed what this young team is capable of against the best teams in the league. Brewers manager Pat Murphy summed it up best following their 3 back-to-back-to-back losses to the Nats strong offense.
“They played fantastic,” said Brewers manager Pat Murphy. “They played loose, they played free, they’re hungry. They had the right mix today. They hit a bunch of balls hard. They stayed after it. They base-ran. They executed. They were terrific for these three games.”
Nats fans can only hope for more of this praise and dominance to come of the team in the upcoming weeks.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
How do you see the next 3 games against the Pirates playing out? Do you think they get back on track today?
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Skenes, Pirates Win Lopsided one 16-5 vs. Nats
🔥 HEADLINE
Nats have down game versus pirates, in game that got away from them starting in the 2nd inning.
Final Score: Nationals 5, Pirates 16
Date: April 13, 2026
Location: PNC Park
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
After 4 runs allowed by starting pitcher Cade Cavalli allowed in the 2nd inning, the Nats bullpen lost all hope when they allowed a 10 run inning in the 6th. Despite the blowout, the Nats offense still found some more heat, scoring 5 runs hitting 2 homers.
📊 THE BOX SCORE
Winning Pitcher: Paul Skenes ([3-1], 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, BB, 6 K)
Losing Pitcher: Cade Cavalli ([0–1], 1.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K)
Key Hitters:
Daylen Lile: 2-for-4, 2 Singles, R
CJ Abrams: 1-for-2, HR
Jacob Young: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBIs
Team RISP: [1-for-3]
Errors: Nats 1, Pirates 0
Attendance: 11,532
📅 NEXT AT BAT
Next Game: vs. Pirates, April 14, 6:40 PM ET, PNC Park
Probables: Nats — Miles Mikolas, Opponent — Mitch Keller
Key Storyline: Can Mikolas get his first win of the season and help support the Nats get back on track for their winning week?
📈 MORNING STAT
In their first game against the Nats last year, the Pirates also scored 10+ runs. They would then go on to win that series 3-1. Let’s hope for a different result this year.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
What will Miles Mikolas’ stat line be in today’s outing?
📬 SUBSCRIBER CTA
Like this recap? - See yesterday’s game notes by Ryan Shenker
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James Wood Wins Player of the Week, his First Ever
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
Stealing home in their outing against the Brewers, James Wood really did it all for the Nats last week. Homering in 4 of their 7 games and tallying 12 hits in 22 at bats in those games.
🗣️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
Following an early season slump, James Wood is back on track, already back up to a .277 average, and now Player of the Week Honors.
“Very well deserved... just an outstanding week,” said Washington Nationals Manager Blake Butera on James Wood being named NL Player of the Week. “He stuck with his process, never showed frustration, and kept after it.. now he’s sitting over a 1.000 OPS.”
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
How many homers will James wood tally this season, with 5 this season already
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theFUTURE
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
Harrisburg Senators and Wilmington Blue Rocks the stars of Nationals farm league, sitting at 7-2 and 6-2 to start the season. Fred Nats and Red Wings not far behind, as all 4 Nats Farm League teams continue to be above .500
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
The Harrisburg Senators closed out their series against the Akron RubberDucks with a win, winning the series 4-2, and moving to a scorching 7-2 start on the year. Nats prospect Leandro Pineda was the hot bat in Sunday’s game, going 3-5 with 2 runs.
The Wilmington Blue Rocks closed out their last 3 games with 3 straight wins against Hudson Valley over the weekend. They move to an also hot 6-2 start on the year, led recently by Nationals number 12 prospect Ethan Petry. Petry is batting .348 on the season, with 6 RBIs and 2 Stolen Bases.
The Rochester Red Wings have managed to get back above .500, moving to 8-7 on the season. After a slow start, the Red Wings tallied back-to-back wins on Saturday and Sunday, where Dylan Crews continued to tally some hits.
Despite 3 straight losses for the Fred Nats, they still start the year off above .500, at 5-4 on the season. On the bright side for them, Nats number one pick and prospect Eli Willits is continuing to get 4-5 at bats per game, as he looks to continue finding his role on Nats professional baseball teams.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
Who is a player in the minor leagues for the Nats you hope to one day watch play for the Nats one day?
📬 SUBSCRIBER CTA
Drive engagement and growth. Read our recap on the Harrisburg Senators last series by Nash Henry here
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WHAT WE THINK THE NATIONALS FRONT OFFICE IS READING
Speed Reads
📌 Setbacks for Nationals' bullpen as Waldichuk and Henry hit the IL (MLB)
📌 The Nationals modernized their meetings. It's produced one of MLB's best offenses (Athletic)
📌Setbacks for Nationals' bullpen as Waldichuk and Henry hit the IL (MLB)