3 Key Things Nationals Fans Should Pay Attention to During Dodgers Series
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Following a day off on Thursday, the Washington Nationals are set to take the field for their first home game of the 2026 season on Friday.
They'll be facing the two-time reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in what will easily be their biggest test of the young campaign. So far, the Nationals have been up to the task against two playoff hopefuls, as they took two out of three against the Chicago Cubs and had the Philadelphia Phillies on the ropes for back-to-back series wins before a collapse by their bullpen cost them in the finale of that set.
With the Dodgers in town, it will be interesting to see how the Nationals stack up against that group. Here are three things fans should keep an eye on during this three-game series.
How Starting Rotation Holds Up
Scheduled Starters
Miles Mikolas vs. Emmet Sheehan: Friday, April 3
Jake Irvin vs. Tyler Glasnow: Saturday, April 4
Foster Griffin vs. Roki Sasaki: Sunday, April 5
There will be no Cade Cavalli or Zack Littell in this set for the Nationals. Cavalli started the finale against the Phillies and Littell continues to remain at the back-end of the rotation after he needed more ramp-up time in camp following his late signing during the spring.
That puts a lot of pressure on the trio of Miles Mikolas, Jake Irvin and Foster Griffin to hold up against a star-studded lineup like Los Angeles. The good news is that only Mikolas struggled during his first start of the season, while Irvin and Griffin shined during theirs. Hopefully that continues when they take the mound at home or else there could be a lot of stress on the bullpen during this matchup.
Can the Lineup Stay Hot?
It's been an incredible start at the plate for Washington. Entering this three-game set, they have scored the second-most runs out of any team that has played six contests, and they are doing so by constantly getting on base with the third-most hits out of any team in Major League Baseball.
But this will be a huge test for the lineup, as the Dodgers boast a 2.83 ERA that is tied for third-best in the bigs. The Nationals have done a good job of collectively hitting as a group, so it will be important to continue that over the weekend if they are going to give themselves a chance to win.
Will James Wood Get Back on Track?
Everyone is waiting to see the version of James Wood that was on display before the second half of last year's campaign. That hasn't happened to start this season, as he's gone 3-for-27 with 12 strikeouts and three walks through six games. And the noise for him to get a reset down in Triple-A is starting to grow louder.
There would be no better time for him to get things back on track than against Los Angeles in front of the home fans. And that is something virtually everyone in this fanbase will be keeping their eye on during this set where Washington will face one of the best pitching staffs in the game.
Wood has shown what he can do when he's locked in at the plate. And if he's able to do that in this series, he could power the Nationals to another surprising result if everything goes right.
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai