In the standings
Washington Nationals (38-39, 3rd in NL East)
The Nationals are 13 games behind the Phillies (51-26) in the division but just a half-game behind the Padres in the chase for the NL’s third wild-card spot, a surge buoyed by two kids — CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore — received in the 2022 Juan Soto trade with San Diego. The former leads the team in most major categories (see below) and the latter is having a breakout year on the mound (again, see below). The Nationals are 21-20 on the road, rank 12th in the majors with a 3.86 ERA and 16th with a 3.84 bullpen ERA. Their offense, however, ranks 26th with a .670 OPS.
San Diego Padres (41-41, 2nd in NL West)
The Padres took the first three games against the Brewers before a loss on Sunday snapped a four-game winning streak. San Diego remains 8½ games behind the Dodgers (48-31) in the division but in possession of the NL’s third wild-card spot, a half-game up on the Nationals. The Padres and Nationals split six games last year.
Clubhouse leaders
- OPS: Nationals – SS CJ Abrams (.816), OF Jesse Winker (.790), INF Luis Garcia (.685); Padres – OF Jurickson Profar (.897), OF Fernando Tatis Jr. (.822), INF Jake Cronenworth (.786).
- Homers: Nationals – Abrams (12), OF Lane Thomas (8), Winker (7); Paderes – Tatis (14), Cronenworth (12), SS Ha-Seong Kim (10), OF Jackson Merrill (10), Profar (10).
- RBIs: Nationals – Abrams (39), 1B Joey Meneses (37), Winker (34); Padres – Cronenworth (49), Profar (48), 3B Manny Machado (38).
- Steals: Nationals – Thomas (17), OF Jacob Young (17), Winker (12); Padres – Kim (15), Merrill (9), Tatis (8).
- Saves: Nationals – RHP Kyle Finnegan (22-for-25, 2.23 ERA); Padres – RHP Robert Suarez (19-for-20, 1.16 ERA).
- Appearances: Nationals – RHP Dylan Floro (48, 1.43 ERA), RHP Derek Law (36, 3.30 ERA), RHP Hunter Harvey (35, 2.84 ERA); Padres – LHP Yuki Matsui (36, 3.82 ERA), RHP Enyel De Los Santos (35, 3.41 ERA), LHP Wandy Peralta (34, 4.03 ERA).
Pitching matchups
Monday
Nationals LHP Patrick Corbin (1-7, 5.60 ERA) | He leads the majors with 99 hits allowed and has a 5.06 ERA in six years with the Nationals. Corbin has allowed two runs over his last two starts, striking out 11 against five walks over 10 ⅓ innings. He has a 4.80 ERA in 120 career innings against the Padres, but he allowed seven runs in five innings in a loss last year.
Padres RHP Matt Waldron (5-6, 3.46 ERA) | He’s allowed two runs or fewer in eight straight starts (1.82 ERA), holding opposing hitters to a .523 OPS over that stretch. Waldron has struck out 47 against 12 walks over his last 49 ⅓ innings. Monday is the one-year anniversary of Waldron’s MLB debut, when he allowed two runs over 4⅔ innings to these Nationals.
Tuesday
Nationals LHP MacKenzie Gore (6-6, 3.49 ERA) | The former Padre was traded to the Nationals in 2022 as part of the Juan Soto package. He has since faced the Padres twice, striking out 14 over 9 ⅔ innings (3.72 ERA). The 25-year-old is averaging 11 strikeouts per nine innings to start his second full year in the Nationals’ rotation. Gore allowed a season-high 10 hits in five innings (4 ER) in a loss in his last start.
Padres RHP Yu Darvish (4-3, 3.20 ERA) | The 37-year-old is returning from a groin strain to make his first start since May 29. He allowed six runs in 3 ⅓ inning in a rehab start for high Single-A Fort Wayne on Wednesday. Darvish has a 4.60 ERA in five career starts against the Nationals, the last a win in 2023 (6 IP, 3 ER).
Wednesday
Nationals LHP D.J. Herz (1-1, 4.50 ERA) | The 25-year-old rookie has struck out 26 against five walks through his first 18 innings in the majors, including 13 over six shutout, one-hit innings in his third start on June 15 against the Marlins. Herz allowed four runs — three earned — in 3⅔ innings in his last start.
Padres RHP Dylan Cease (6-6, 4.14 ERA) | He reached double-digit strikeouts in his last start for the first time since May 8, but Cease still allowed four runs in 4⅔ innings in failing to complete five innings in a second straight start (11.88 ERA). Cease will be facing the Nationals for the first time.
Training room
Washington | 1B Joey Gallo remained home to continue rehabbing his left hamstring strain. He is without a timetable, as is RHP Trevor Williams (flexor), although Williams did travel with the Nationals. RHP Josiah Gray (elbow) is making minor league rehab starts as he looks to return before the All-Star break. RHP Mason Thompson won’t return from his Tommy John surgery until next year, but RHP Cade Cavalli could be back from elbow reconstruction his next month.
San Diego | RF Fernando Tatis Jr. has not played since he was hit on the elbow by a pitch on Friday, but there appears to be more concern about his sore right quad than the elbow, which has not required imaging. LF Jurickson Profar is playing through left patellar tendonitis, while C Luis Campusano hit the injured list over the weekend with a bruised left thumb. RHP Yu Darvish (groin) is expected to come off the injured list Tuesday, while RHP Joe Musgrove (elbow) has begun a throwing program.
