BASEBALL: Young Nationals' first home series comes against champion Dodgers

The Washington Nationals will welcome the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers to the nation’s capital Friday afternoon for their home opener.

Washington returns home after dropping two straight games to the Philadelphia Phillies, including a 6-5 loss in 10 innings Wednesday. The Nationals were one strike away from winning in the ninth before Cole Henry allowed a game-tying, two-run single.

Rookie manager Blake Butera said after the defeat that, despite many considering this a rebuilding season for the young team, the players still expect to compete and win.

“These guys are hungry, and they want to prove that they belong here, and then they can do some special things,” Butera said. “Just couldn’t be more proud of what they’ve done in the first six games.”

Offensively, the Nationals have started strong. Through the first two series of the season, they rank second in MLB with a .281 batting average and have produced the third-most runs with 38. Joey Wiemer leads the majors with a .588 average, a .682 on-base percentage, and a 1.741 OPS. Daylen Lile leads the National League with 11 hits and is batting .407.

Washington has yet to announce a starter for Friday’s game. Four different pitchers have opened games this season, with Cade Cavalli taking two starts — including the season opener at the Chicago Cubs and Wednesday’s getaway game. Reliever PJ Poulin has also opened once.

Miles Mikolas (0-1) started the second game of the season, allowing six runs (four earned) over five innings against the Cubs. At 37, he is the oldest player on the roster, four years older than Butera. Against the Dodgers, Mikolas has struggled, going 1-5 with a 6.20 ERA in 10 games (seven starts), including a one-game appearance last season where he allowed five earned runs and three home runs in just three innings.

The Dodgers, starting their first road trip of the season, lead the NL West but lost two of three to the Cleveland Guardians earlier this week, including a 4-1 defeat Wednesday. In five of their six home games, opponents scored first, and manager Dave Roberts hopes that changes on the road.

“We get on the road, we get a chance to strike first,” Roberts said. “But I do think that those first couple innings, the first time through, we just haven’t done a whole lot.”

Andy Pages has been the Dodgers’ best hitter, batting .429 with a .619 slugging percentage. Shohei Ohtani has struggled at the plate, with just three singles in 18 at-bats, but he is tied for the NL lead with seven walks.

According to The California Post, Emmet Sheehan (0-0, 10.80 ERA) will make the first start of the series. The 6-foot-5 right-hander lasted just 3 1/3 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks last Friday, giving up four runs on five hits while striking out six and walking two. Sheehan has one career start against Washington, allowing five runs and two homers over 4 1/3 innings in an 8-5 Dodgers win on Sept. 8, 2023.

—Field Level Media/Reuters