Sep 3, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop Nasim Nunez (26) reacts while rounding the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Miami Marlins during the second inning at Nationals Park Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Nationals Do Something for First Time All Season Against Marlins

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Brad Wakai | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 6:04 PM ET

2025 has not been a good season for the Washington Nationals, but the month of September has gotten off to a great start for the team.

Entering the month on an eight-game losing streak where they were outplayed in virtually every contest with seven of those eight losses being by more than one run, not many people expected the Nationals to have a good showing against a Miami Marlins team that just took three out of four on the road against the New York Mets.

However, Washington came to play in this three-game set, riding the momentum of a historic debut from both starting pitcher Andrew Alvarez and catcher C.J. Stubbs to a shutout 2-0 win in the opener, and then following that up with a victory in Game 2 on the strength of Cade Cavalli's outing.

But when they showed up to the ballpark on Wednesday, the Nationals were facing something they have only done once this year: the opportunity to sweep a team.

The last time that happened was back in mid-May, when they won all three games against their Beltway rivals at Camden Yards, taking advantage of a Baltimore Orioles team that was in freefall at that point of the season.

And with Mitchell Parker on the mound for the finale, there wasn't a lot of confidence Washington could pull off the sweep at home. But they proved everyone wrong with their performance on Wednesday.

Nationals Record First Sweep At Home This Season

Brad Mills-Imagn Images

The Nationals jumped out to an early lead, putting three runs up on the board in the first inning before adding two more in the second. With a five-run lead early, Parker was able to work his way through Miami's lineup with success, keeping his team in front.

Brady House blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning that really broke the game open, and despite Parker giving up a two-run home run of his own in the top of the fifth that caused the inning to get iffy following multiple hits and an error being committed, his final stat line read just two runs allowed in 4 1/3 innings of work.

Their offensive explosion and strong pitching performance from Parker and the bullpen allowed Washington to win 10-5, giving them a sweep at home for the first time all season. While the stadium wasn't packed to see it considering the time the game started and how the campaign has gone to date, this was a huge moment for the Nationals to build upon.

Hopefully they can keep their momentum going for the remainder of the year and finish the season strong to get out some of the bad taste that's in everyone's mouths.