(Washington, D.C.) The Nationals were defeated 10-5 by the San Francisco Giants in the first game of a seven-game homestand on Friday night.

The Nationals fell into a deep hole early after the Giants scored six runs on seven hits against starting pitcher Zach Littell in the second inning. The Nats got a run back in the third on a Brady House RBI groundout, but the Giants quickly increased their lead to 8-1 in the next inning after a home run and an RBI single — chasing Littell from the ballgame.

The Nationals started chipping away at the Giants’ lead after a two-run home run by left fielder Daylen Lile and an RBI single by designated hitter Jose Tena. The two sides then traded solo home runs in the seventh before the Giants added one more run in the ninth, bringing the score to 10-5 — the eventual final score.

Wood provided one of the few bright spots in what was otherwise a forgettable performance for the Nationals with a 441-foot opposite-field home run.

According to Nationals Communications, it was the longest opposite-field home run since Colorado’s Nolan Jones on Sept. 13, 2023 — though Jones’s homer came at the notoriously hitter-friendly Coors Field with the wind blowing out. After last night’s performance, 12 of Wood’s 21 hits this season have been taken to left field.

“We have to realize what we’re watching is one of the best players in baseball,” Butera said of Wood. “He’s a superstar in the making.”

Nationals pitchers PJ Poulin, Paxton Schultz and Richard Lovelady combined to toss five innings of relief, allowing two runs. Certainly an unremarkable performance, but a solid outing for the much-maligned position group.

Schultz was tasked with throwing three of the five innings the trio was tasked with, and performed admirably, allowing just one run, which came on a solo shot.

Lovelady, who was recently traded to the Nationals from the Mets in exchange for cash, was making his first appearance in a Nationals uniform. Lovelady quickly found himself in a jam in his one inning of work after allowing two singles within his first four pitches. Lovelady nearly worked his way out of the frame unscathed, but a bases-loaded walk left him with a final line of one run on two hits with two walks in one inning pitched.

Tena was the only hitter in the Nationals lineup with more than one hit on the night, tallying three hits to bring his season average to .355.

Tena has been a high-average guy throughout his professional career, with a .285 career average across his career in the minors, and boasting an impressive .295 mark in 172 AAA games.

However, despite Tena’s high-volume hit production, his OPS sits at a relatively pedestrian .781. Short of relying on a likely unsustainable knack for finding hits, Tena will need to find more power or patience at the plate to become a mainstay in the Nationals lineup.

Lile’s first home run of the season

After an 84-at-bat home run drought, Lile finally broke through with his first home run of the season, a 418-foot shot to center field.

While Lile isn’t necessarily known for his power, the early-season power lull was surprising — he tallied nine home runs in 91 games in his rookie season in 2025. Outside of the power department, Lile has been solid so far this season — but the underlying metrics suggest he could be playing even better than traditional statistics would indicate. In 2026, Lile ranks in the top 20% of all major league hitters in expected batting average, squared-up rate and strikeout rate.

The Nationals will continue the series tomorrow with Opening Day starter Cade Cavalli taking on Adrian Houser as they look to even the series.