​Going for the series win and to stay above .500, the Nationals were firing on all cylinders Wednesday night against the Astros. Luis Garcia Jr. and CJ Abrams both belted their 20th home runs of the season, while Foster Griffin continued his late-season surge by delivering seven strong innings and allowing just one run while striking out nine Astros. The 8-2 victory moved Washington two games over the .500 mark again. However, their momentum faces a challenge from a red-hot Marlins squad, who have rattled off six straight wins and now sit four games behind the Nationals for the third NL Wild Card slot.
Looking ahead to the final series of the first half, Washington will square off with the 51-42 New York Yankees, a club that has hit a rough spell recently, winning only three of its last ten games. Still, New York just split a series with the first-place Rays and remains dangerous offensively, boasting the second-most runs scored in the American League. The Bombers will also be without Aaron Judge this weekend, a familiar absence that hasn’t stopped them from fielding a formidable lineup.
Game One is set for Friday at 6:45 PM EST. New York will start LHP Ryan Weathers (3-7, 4.29 ERA), while Washington counters with LHP Carson Palmquist (0-1, 7.11 ERA). Weathers, despite being a left-hander, has struggled to retire left-handed hitters consistently in 2026, posting a .295 opponent batting average and a 1.45 WHIP against lefties compared with .236 and 1.21 against righties. The Nationals are expected to stack their lineup with left-handed bats and apply early pressure on Weathers tonight. Palmquist is slated to open the game for Washington before handing the ball to Zack Littell to eat the majority of the innings. Palmquist showed improvement in his last start against the Astros, bouncing back from a rough outing versus the Pirates where he allowed four runs in an inning.
Game Two will be Saturday at 4:05 PM EST, featuring NYY RHP Cam Schlittler (9-5, 2.01 ERA) against Washington RHP Miles Mikolas (3-7, 5.78 ERA). Schlittler has emerged as one of the standout starters in the league this season, including a stellar eight-inning, one-run performance against the Rays last time out, supported by eight strikeouts. Mikolas, meanwhile, has piled up innings in his recent outings but at a high cost, logging seven and six innings while surrendering six and seven runs in his last two starts. If the Nationals are to challenge Schlittler, Mikolas will need to rediscover the form that has kept him in games, limiting the long ball and keeping his pitch efficiency high.
Game Three is scheduled for Sunday at 1:35 PM EST, with NYY RHP Will Warren (7-4, 4.15 ERA) slated to start against Washington’s TBD, though the probable starter is RHP Cade Cavalli. Warren has been hit-or-miss in his recent outings, carrying an ERA above 5.14 over his last seven starts after allowing six runs over four innings against the Rays. The Nationals have not yet announced their Sunday starter, but Cavalli, who recently returned from a five-game suspension, should be in line to resume his role and try to mirror his solid Boston performance against another American League East foe.
With the series outcome shaping the half’s narrative, Washington will rely on its strong offensive contributors and a bullpen that has shown resilience at critical moments. The lineup gatherings against Weathers on Friday and Schlittler on Saturday will be pivotal, especially with the left-handed heavy approach that has yielded steady run production this season. Meanwhile, Mikolas will need to drift toward more efficient outings, and Cavalli will look to recapture the command and pace that helped him post success earlier in his major league tenure. If the Nationals can maintain their momentum and continue to exploit favorable matchups, they have a real chance to close the first half strong and carry a positive arc into the All-Star break and the stretch run.