Game 24: Braves at Nats
Foster Griffin looks to continue his strong start to the season, while the Nationals lineup tries to have success against Reynaldo Lopez
It’s another cool, but gorgeous, day here in the nation’s capital. It feels more like October than April, but who are we to complain about that? The Nationals don’t care what the weather feels like, so long as they’re able to play a cleaner brand of baseball and give themselves a better shot at beating the Braves following Monday night’s sloppy loss.
Atlanta’s lineup is no joke, and though Jake Irvin did well against it last night, it will be interesting to see if Foster Griffin can have even more success. (And, of course, if Blake Butera will let Griffin go deeper than Irvin did, assuming he’s pitching well and hasn’t been overextended.) Griffin is still facing lineups and individual hitters for the first time, so he should continue to benefit from some unfamiliarity.
Former Nationals prospect Reynaldo Lopez starts for the Braves. It’s been a winding journey for the now-32-year-old right-hander, who of course was part of the Adam Eaton trade way back in December 2016, dealt to the White Sox along with Lucas Giolito and Dane Dunning. Lopez had some success as a reliever in Chicago, Anaheim and Cleveland, but he has since blossomed into a quality starter in Atlanta who delivered a 1.99 ERA in 2024 but then missed nearly all of 2025 following shoulder surgery. He has come back strong so far this season, with a 2.18 ERA and 1.113 WHIP in four starts, though it’s worth noting he’s barely averaging five innings per outing.
Two interesting twists to the Nats’ lineup: 1) Jacob Young is batting third for the first time, and 2) Drew Millas is starting back-to-back games for the first time
ATLANTA BRAVES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: Nationals TV (channel listings)
Radio: 106.7 FM
Weather: Mostly clear, 59 degrees, wind 12 mph out to left
BRAVES
RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
DH Drake Baldwin
2B Ozzie Albies
1B Matt Olson
3B Austin Riley
SS Mauricio Dubón
CF Michael Harris II
C Jonah Heim
LF Eli White
RHP Reynaldo Lopez
NATIONALS
RF James Wood
1B Luis García Jr.
CF Jacob Young
SS CJ Abrams
LF Daylen Lile
2B Nasim Nuñez
3B Jorbit Vivas
DH José Tena
C Drew Millas
LHP Foster Griffin
How about that? Blake Butera walked out to the mound with two outs in the sixth, looked Foster Griffin in the eye ... and then walked back to the dugout. And Griffin responded by retiring Mauricio Dubon to become only the second Nationals starter to complete six innings this season.
James drives another one into the Wood Pile. Or are we calling it the Wood Shed? Either way, it's his eighth homer of the season, many of them landing in the left-field bullpen.