Instant Analysis: Nats 6, Cubs 3
Jake Irvin was solid in his season debut, and Joey Wiemer and Keibert Ruiz drove in all six runs as the Nationals won their season-opening series
CHICAGO – How did the Nationals handle the first leg of a daunting stretch to open the 2026 season? Not bad. Not bad at all. Behind a power surge from some unexpected sources, they beat the Cubs again today and earned an impressive series victory over the first of three straight postseason foes they’re facing to begin this campaign. It’s the first time they’ve won a season-opening series since 2018, when they swept the Reds in Davey Martinez’s managerial debut.
Joey Wiemer capped off a torrid weekend at Wrigley Field with another homer, a triple, a single and a walk, his three-run shot off Shoto Imanaga giving the Nats a quick 3-0 lead in the first. Keibert Ruiz added a two-run insurance homer in the eighth, his first home run since Game 2 of the 2025 season. And though they went just 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, they made the most of the big hits they did get.
Jake Irvin was solid in his season debut, brushing off two solo homers to complete five innings of two-run ball and put his team in a position to win. Four relievers then combined to close out the game, with PJ Poulin, Gus Varland, Cionel Perez and Clayton Beeter coming out of the bullpen to secure the win that sends the Nationals to Philadelphia with a 2-1 record.
HITTING HIGHLIGHT: Hop aboard the Wiemermobile before it leaves the station, folks! The previously unknown outfielder has become a late-March sensation, homering in each of his first two games with the Nationals and reaching base in his first eight plate appearances to establish a new franchise record. Wiemer’s three-run blast in the top of the first set the tone for the game, much as his solo shot Thursday did. He also showed off his speed with a fourth-inning triple to right-center. And he showed patience in drawing a sixth-inning walk. Blake Butera took advantage of matchups with left-handers starting for the Cubs twice this weekend. The Phillies only have one lefty scheduled to start this week (Cristopher Sanchez in Wednesday’s finale) but don’t be surprised if Butera uses Wiemer to pinch-hit in a big spot at some point.
PITCHING HIGHLIGHT: Irvin came into this season determined to take a more aggressive approach, worrying less about how deep he goes into games and more about how much he attacks hitters until he runs out of gas. We saw a glimpse of that mindset change today, and it wasn’t bad at all. He cruised through his first three innings, the only batter who reached base doing so via error. Irvin (who gave up a league-high 38 home runs last year) did run into a familiar problem in the fourth when he served up back-to-back jacks to Alex Bregman and Ian Happ. But despite decreasing velocity and an increasing pitch count, Butera let him finish that inning and complete the fifth as well, which saw Irvin strike out both Dansby Swanson and Michael Busch. Five innings of two-run ball on 93 pitches? The Nats will take that from Irvin with no complaints.
NOTABLE: The previous record for reaching base in consecutive plate appearances to begin a career with the Nationals/Expos franchise: Four. The guys who did it: Tim Foley in 1986, Larry Walker in 1989 and Ildemaro Vargas in 2022.
UP NEXT: The Nats head to Philadelphia for a three-game series with the Phillies. Monday night’s opener (6:40 p.m.) will see Foster Griffin (making his long-awaited return from Japan) against right-hander Taijuan Walker. TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM
Zuckerman was quick with this one. The email came in before I saw the final out.
A Curly W is in the books! Go Nats!