Washington Nationals Aim to Carry Momentum From Weekend Sweep as They Face Pittsburgh

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 12: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals scores a run during the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on April 12, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images

A 1-7 skid entering Milwaukee on Friday had the Nats’ fanbase looking for answers, and the team gave them exactly that with a major 3-game weekend sweep of the Brewers.

Gritty baseball powered Washington to a Game 1 win, with 2 RBI bunts flipping a 3-3 game on its head in the 9th inning as they secured a 7-3 win in the series opener. Foster Griffin was once again as advertised in Game 2, with a 5th inning 2-run double by Jacob Young the difference in a comfortable 3-1 win. The bullpen reared its ugly head in the finale, but timely hitting from Keibert Ruiz in the 8th inning broke a 6-6 tie and got the brooms out to begin the Nats’ road trip.

Washington has quickly gotten itself back within a game of the .500 mark, and now has to take on the NL Central leader Pittsburgh Pirates in a 4-game series. The Pirates, winners of 7 of their last 10 games, have lost just 2 series to this point in 2026. They fell just short of sweeping the Cubs on Sunday in a 7-6 loss, but are emerging as a formidable opponent with a stable pitching staff and much-improved lineup.

Monday – 6:40 PM EST

PIT: RHP Paul Skenes (2-1, 5.25 ERA)

WSH: RHP Cade Cavalli (0-0, 2.51 ERA)

Seeing a 5 at the start of Skenes’ ERA is certainly not a common occurrence, as he’s still attempting to work past his dreadful season debut against the New York Mets. He’s looked much more like his 2025 Cy Young winner self in his 2 recent outings, throwing a combined 11.1 innings with just 2 earned runs allowed. It’s never an easy task facing a pitcher as good as Skenes, and the Nats will have to capitalize on every opportunity they can create.

Cavalli wasn’t able to match the length of his 2nd start, but he still turned in a solid 4.2 innings of work against the St. Louis Cardinals in his last appearance. An error by CJ Abrams extended his 1st inning, leading to the early hook, although he was able to bear down and deliver an adequate line. Holding down the Pirates’ hitters will be pivotal with Skenes as the opposing pitcher, and continuing his streak of sub-3 earned run outings would go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.

Tuesday – 6:40 PM EST

PIT: RHP Mitch Keller (1-0, 1.00 ERA)

WSH: RHP Miles Mikolas (0-3, 12.41 ERA)

Keller has yet to eclipse 5 strikeouts in a game this season, but that hasn’t damaged his effectiveness whatsoever. The righty has only allowed 2 earned runs in 18 innings, with 3 straight quality starts to kick off his 2026 campaign. Hitters have rarely been able to make any hard contact against him, especially in the air, and the Nats will look to be the first team to get to the 30-year-old this season.

It has to get better at some point, right? Mikolas’ time in the rotation could be coming to an end if he can’t turn things around, and there aren’t many under-the-hood metrics that point to improvement being on the horizon. Something has to give, whether it’s the veteran figuring it out or manager Blake Butera making a rotation change, but this could be a pivotal game toward deciding Mikolas’ role with the team.

Wednesday – 6:40 PM EST

PIT: RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (0-0, 2.51 ERA)

WSH: RHP Jake Irvin (1-1, 7.07 ERA)

Mlodzinski has been a consistent swing starter for the Pirates since his debut in 2023, and has continued that trend through his first 3 starts in 2026. He’s yet to go 6 innings, which is to be expected, but opposing batters haven’t been able to lift the ball with authority, allowing him to put together 3 solid outings. He’s dealt with considerable traffic in each of his appearances, something the Nats jumped all over in Milwaukee and would benefit from replicating on Wednesday night.

The veteran right-hander settled in against the Brewers after getting hit around by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but had issues with his command throughout. With how the Pirates have been swinging the bat so far this season, walking another 5 hitters might not be a hole he can dig his way out of again. Relying on his offspeed is a probable game plan for Irvin, who has shown flashes this season but needs to put it all together.

Thursday – 12:35 PM EST

PIT: RHP Braxton Ashcraft (1-1, 2.12 ERA)

WSH: LHP Foster Griffin (2-0, 1.76 ERA)

Ashcraft transitioned into a full-time starter to begin this season after bouncing between the rotation and bullpen in 2025, and early returns have been fantastic. With 4 offerings sitting above 90 MPH and all of which grading out as above average pitches, he’s cruised to a 2.12 ERA with an impressive 30.3% strikeout rate. His arsenal during his last start versus the Chicago Cubs was lethal, generating 16 total whiffs in just 5 innings. The one crack in his armor so far has been his 21st percentile average exit velocity, something that could play into the hands of the Nationals’ power bats.

Griffin just keeps getting better and better. He registered his best start of 2026 against the Brewers, relinquishing just 1 hit and 0 runs in 5.1 innings en route to his 2nd win of the season. He’s beaten teams both by the way of the strikeout and by limiting hard contact, forming a return to MLB that has already surpassed most preseason expectations. Offenses can’t seem to get a beat on him, and Washington will hope to keep that pattern alive in the series finale.

Keep the good times rolling

The Nats walked into Milwaukee and took down one of the top teams in baseball in 3 straight games, and are now right in the thick of the early NL East race. Sitting just 2.5 games back of the 1st place Atlanta Braves, they are now given a prime opportunity to take advantage of a division that has gotten off to an incredibly slow start. Pittsburgh is playing some great baseball so far, but as shown during their last series, the Nats can match up with anyone when they play their style of game.