Game 1: Nats at Cubs

It's Opening Day at Wrigley Field, with Cade Cavalli on the mound and the Nationals hoping to get a transformational 2026 season off to a positive start

CHICAGO – Good morning from the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field! Who’s ready for some baseball?

For the second time in club history, the Nationals face the Cubs on Opening Day. The previous time: April 5, 2012. Stephen Strasburg tossed seven innings of one-run ball. Tyler Clippard got the win in relief, with Brad Lidge recording the save. Ian Desmond drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth for a 2-1 victory that set the stage for a 98-win season and the Nats’ first postseason appearance.

Few are expecting the 2026 season to follow a similar path, but as was the case 14 years ago, there’s a first-round pick making his first career Opening Day start after returning from Tommy John surgery. This day has been a long time coming for Cade Cavalli, who has made only 11 major-league starts in his career but looked great this spring and is ready to assume the role of staff ace.

Nobody in the Cubs lineup has ever faced Cavalli before, so perhaps that will play to his advantage. The Nationals lineup has a little bit of experience against Chicago left-hander Matthew Boyd, but nothing too extensive. As Blake Butera kept repeating all spring: Don’t pay too much attention to his lineup for Game 1, because it’s going to be different from his lineup for Game 2, which will also be different from his lineup for Game 3.

The weather here in Chicago, as you might suspect, is volatile. The temperature is actually supposed to drop as the afternoon progresses, and rain is supposed to begin falling at some point. The hope is that it holds off until the game is over, but keep your fingers crossed. If for some reason they can’t complete the game today, Friday’s forecast is dry but with temperatures plummeting into the 30s.

Hope everyone has figured out by now how to watch the brand-new Nationals TV. I’m keeping a permanent (and updating) link to cable/satellite providers on my 2026 schedule page. You can also go to nationals.com/watch for more info.

I’ll be chiming in with observations in the comments section below, and there will be plenty of postgame coverage as well. And with that, let’s play ball!

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO CUBS
Where: Wrigley Field
Gametime: 2:20 p.m. EDT
TV: Nationals TV (channel listings)
Radio: 106.7 FM
Weather: Chance of rain, 57 degrees, wind 13 mph in from left

NATIONALS
LF James Wood
1B Andrés Chaparro
3B Brady House
DH Daylen Lile
RF Joey Wiemer
SS CJ Abrams
2B Nasim Nuñez
C Keibert Ruiz
CF Jacob Young

RHP Cade Cavalli

CUBS
1B Michael Busch
3B Alex Bregman
LF Ian Happ
CF Pete Crow-Armstrong
2B Nico Hoerner
C Carson Kelly
DH Moises Ballesteros
SS Dansby Swanson
RF Matt Shaw

LHP Matthew Boyd

PREGAME NOTES

GRAY INJURY OCCURED AFTER DEMOTION
Josiah Gray’s flexor strain occurred during his minor-league spring training start days after the Nationals optioned him to Triple-A Rochester, president of baseball operations Paul Toboni and manager Blake Butera said.

Gray, who had insisted throughout the spring his surgically repaired elbow felt great and was hopeful he’d be back pitching in the majors soon, took the mound on one of the back fields over the weekend and then reported elbow soreness afterward.

The Nats had the right-hander undergo an MRI, which revealed the flexor strain. They immediately recalled him from Triple-A and placed him on the 60-day IL.

“If he wasn’t coming off this injury, it probably would’ve been a situation where we were going to push him a little bit,” Toboni said. “But to me, that just didn’t feel right. Erring on the side of patience and making sure we do everything in our power to get him right before he comes in and helps us, that’s how we’re thinking through it. And Jojo was in full agreement, which was cool.”

BUTERA PRIORITIZES MATCHUPS WITH FIRST LINEUP
Butera’s first lineup as a major-league manager probably doesn’t look like one anyone would’ve predicted at the start of spring training. But with a matchup against Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd, and with the Nationals already having more prominent left-handed hitters than right-handed ones, Butera went with an unconventional look.

Most notable: Andrés Chaparro, who isn’t expected to be an everyday player, is batting second while starting at first base. And Joey Wiemer, who made the roster as the fourth outfielder, is batting fifth and starting in right field, ahead of shortstop CJ Abrams.

“Just putting the best matchups we possibly can against Boyd today,” Butera said. “I just feel good about making sure we’re trying to avoid too many left-handed hitters in a row, especially against a left-handed starter. Just an opportunity for these guys to get some good matchups.”