Game 10: Cardinals at Nats
Having made it through a daunting, nine-game gauntlet to open the season, the Nationals finally face another rebuilding club
The brutal opening stretch of the Nationals’ 2026 schedule is over. Well, not exactly, because they still have to face the Brewers, Pirates, Braves and Mets later this month. But that initial nine-game gauntlet against the Cubs, Phillies and Dodgers is now behind them, and at least for the next three nights they get a chance to face an opponent not expected to contend this season.
The Cardinals may have a longstanding reputation as a contender, but this is a very different organization this year, one that is fully committed to its first rebuild in decades. That said, St. Louis burst out of the gates by winning series against the Rays and Mets before dropping two of three this weekend to the Tigers. Take nothing for granted.
The Nats will give the ball to Zack Littell for what technically is his first start of the season. The veteran right-hander tossed five innings last week in Philadelphia, but that came after PJ Poulin opened the game with a scoreless first. Littell admittedly wasn’t at his sharpest, and he was burned by a couple of home runs. But he built his arm up to 75 pitches, so he should be good for up to 90 tonight and should be finally caught up with the rest of the team’s starters.
Right-hander Andre Pallante starts for the Cardinals, coming off a strong season debut in which he shut out the Mets over five innings. The Nationals have enjoyed success against him in his career, scoring a total of 18 runs on 28 hits in 24 1/3 innings. CJ Abrams tops the list with four hits (including a double) in nine head-to-head at-bats.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: Nationals TV (channel listings)
Radio: 106.7 FM
Weather: Partly cloudy, 60 degrees, wind 9 mph out to right
CARDINALS
2B JJ Wetherholt
C Iván Herrera
1B Alec Burleson
RF Jordan Walker
DH Nolan Gorman
SS Masyn Winn
3B Ramón Urías
LF Thomas Saggese
CF Victor Scott II
RHP Andre Pallante
NATIONALS
RF James Wood
1B Luis García Jr.
3B Brady House
LF Daylen Lile
SS CJ Abrams
2B Nasim Nuñez
DH José Tena
C Drew Millas
CF Jacob Young
RHP Zack Littell
UPDATE at 6:18 p.m.: Change to the Cardinals lineup. Masyn Winn, who has been dealing with a hip issue, went through pregame drills and was able to work his way back into the lineup. That bumps Thomas Saggese to left field and sends Jose Fermin to the bench.
That was a much-needed hot start: It's 2-0 Nats thanks to James Wood's 104.3-mph leadoff single, full-count walks drawn by Luis García Jr. and CJ Abrams and Nasim Nuñez's 2-out RBI single up the middle. Nuñez, by the way, also has stolen six bases already after reaching via seven hits and two walks.
And we're underway on a cool, 61-degree Monday evening. After big crowds for the opening weekend against the Dodgers, tonight may give us a good idea of the current size of the season-ticket base.