The Los Angeles Dodgers are traveling to the nation’s capital for the first time in 2026, opening a three-game weekend series against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. It marks the start of a three-game series running through the weekend, with the Dodgers holding a 4-2 record after spending their first six games at home, while the Nationals enter at 3-3 after opening their season entirely on the road.
The Nationals return home after a mixed road stretch that included a 3-1 start followed by a series loss, facing the defending 2025 World Series champion Dodgers for their first home series of the year. For Washington, it is a chance to establish itself in front of its home fans. For Los Angeles, it is an opportunity to shake off an uneven stretch before the season finds its rhythm.
Washington’s Home Opener After a Challenging Road Trip
The Nationals come home having lost two straight games in Philadelphia, including a 6-5 defeat in extra innings on Wednesday. Washington was a strike away from securing a win in the ninth inning before a two-run single erased the lead and extended the game.
Despite the late-game collapse, the mood inside the Nationals clubhouse has not turned negative. Rookie manager Blake Butera acknowledged after the loss that while many observers have labeled this a rebuilding season for a young roster, the players still expect to win. “These guys are hungry, and they want to prove that they belong here,” he said.
Washington has been productive at the plate through six games, ranking second in MLB in batting average at .281 and producing the third-most runs in the league with 38. That offensive output has kept the Nationals competitive even in close losses, and it forms the foundation they will need heading into a challenging matchup against one of the deeper pitching staffs in baseball.
The Dodgers Begin Their First Road Trip of 2026
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After going 4-2 to open the season at Dodger Stadium, the defending World Series champions hit the road for the first time in 2026, starting with the three-game set in Washington. The Dodgers swept the Arizona Diamondbacks to begin the year before dropping two of three to the Cleveland Guardians, a series that exposed some early-season offensive inconsistencies.
Reliable sluggers like Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts have been quiet so far in 2026. The Dodgers were held to just seven runs across the entire three-game series against Cleveland. Cleveland held them scoreless until the final inning of their most recent game, registering 12 strikeouts against a lineup that entered the season with significant offensive expectations.
Manager Dave Roberts has pointed to the early schedule as part of the context. In five of their six home games, opponents struck first, and Roberts expressed optimism that hitting the road could shift the dynamic. “We get on the road, we get a chance to strike first,” he 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 team’s standout hitter through the early going, batting .429 with a .619 slugging percentage. Ohtani, meanwhile, has reached base at a disciplined rate, drawing seven walks — tied for the NL lead — despite recording just three singles in 18 at-bats.
Game One Pitching Matchup: Sheehan vs. Mikolas
Game one of the series features Emmet Sheehan for the Dodgers against Miles Mikolas for the Nationals, with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m. ET.
Sheehan will be on the mound for the Dodgers hoping to improve on his season debut, during which he lasted 3.1 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks, allowing five hits, four runs, two walks, and a home run. He did show swing-and-miss capability, striking out six batters on the night.
According to manager Dave Roberts, Sheehan is still working through some mechanical issues, though the pitcher remains optimistic about improvement going forward. His stuff has shown flashes of quality, and the Dodgers are counting on him to extend deeper into games as the season progresses.
Mikolas was hit hard in his first start with the Nationals, allowing six runs — four earned — in five innings during a 10-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs. His career numbers against the Dodgers are a concern as well, with a 1-5 record and 6.20 ERA across 10 career appearances against Los Angeles.
The one area where Mikolas has performed well against this matchup is at Nationals Park itself, where he holds a 5-2 record and 2.79 ERA across seven career home outings. That familiarity with the park could matter as he attempts to settle in during his second start of the 2026 season.
The Full Three-Game Series Pitching Schedule
Game two of the series is scheduled to feature Tyler Glasnow for the Dodgers against Jake Irvin for the Nationals, while game three will send Roki Sasaki to the mound for Los Angeles against Foster Griffin for Washington.
Sasaki, described as a work in progress, features a splitter that opposing hitters have found difficult to solve. His approach has been characterized as effectively unpredictable, making it a challenge for any lineup to plan against him across a full game.
Roster and Injury Notes for the Dodgers
On the injury front, right-hander Gavin Stone was reported as pain-free from right shoulder inflammation, but was recently transferred to the 60-day IL to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Jake Eder. The Dodgers have otherwise maintained a relatively healthy group heading into the road trip.
The Dodgers also added All-Star closer Edwin Diaz and outfielder Kyle Tucker during the offseason, reinforcing an already deep roster heading into the 2026 campaign. Those additions have given Los Angeles additional flexibility in high-leverage situations, particularly in the late innings when games are closest.
What to Watch in This Series
The series carries several storylines worth monitoring over the three games. Washington’s offense has been one of the more productive units in baseball through the early weeks, and whether that production holds against a Dodgers pitching staff carrying a 2.83 team ERA will be one of the central questions of the weekend.
The Dodgers are also working through early-season adjustments offensively, with Dave Roberts and the coaching staff using the series loss to Cleveland as motivation and a point of recalibration heading into the road schedule.
For the Nationals, this home opener represents a chance to validate the competitive standard that Butera has tried to establish early. The roster is young, the schedule has not been straightforward, and Washington has still found ways to stay in games. How the team responds to hosting one of the league’s marquee franchises will offer a clearer picture of where this organization stands in 2026.
