The Washington Nationals enter the final game of their interleague series against the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park with the hope of salvaging a win and regaining some consistency as they continue to define their identity in the early stretch of the 2025 season. While sitting near the .500 mark with an 11–12 record, the Nationals have shown moments of competitiveness, especially with their offense, but have struggled to maintain momentum at home, covering the run line in only four of their last ten games at Nationals Park. Their performance against Baltimore has also been uneven, and the total has gone over in four of the last six meetings between these two teams—highlighting both the potential for offense and the challenges Washington has faced in run prevention. Leading the offensive charge for the Nationals is CJ Abrams, whose speed, athleticism, and emerging bat-to-ball skills have given Washington a consistent presence at the top of the order. Alongside Abrams, Joey Meneses has offered middle-of-the-order power, though the Nationals have yet to see sustained production from the full lineup. Players like Keibert Ruiz and Lane Thomas have had their moments, but timely hitting remains a problem, especially with runners in scoring position where missed opportunities have defined several losses this season. The Nationals are not built around the long ball, and instead rely on situational execution, contact hitting, and small ball tactics—an approach that can work well when they play clean and efficient baseball, but one that is vulnerable against power-heavy lineups like Baltimore’s if they fall behind early. On the mound, Washington’s starting pitching has been one of their most unpredictable components.

The rotation has shown flashes of potential, particularly from young arms like MacKenzie Gore and Josiah Gray, but inconsistency in command and difficulty navigating lineups the second and third time through has put pressure on a bullpen that has already logged a heavy workload. The relief corps, featuring Hunter Harvey and Kyle Finnegan in late innings, has had some bright moments, but overall lacks the depth or shutdown capability needed to consistently protect one- or two-run leads, especially when overexposed. Defensively, the Nationals have played a fairly clean brand of baseball, with Abrams continuing to develop into a reliable shortstop and outfielders like Victor Robles and Lane Thomas providing above-average coverage and arms. Still, the margin for error is thin for this team, and unforced mistakes—whether it’s a missed cutoff, an errant throw, or a failed bunt attempt—have often been the difference between competitive games and late-inning losses. Manager Dave Martinez has done his best to manage a roster still in transition, balancing development with competitiveness, but against a team like Baltimore that applies constant pressure, Washington must be perfect in execution, opportunistic with runners on base, and stingy with free passes. If the Nationals can get a solid outing from their starter, avoid multi-run innings early, and find just enough timely offense, they have a shot to level the series and take a much-needed confidence boost into their next homestand. But anything short of sharp execution across all phases will likely result in another frustrating close loss, emblematic of a team still learning how to close the gap between flashes of promise and sustained success.