Sep 6, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Brad Lord (61) walks back to the dugout after the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Nationals Looking To Snap Four Game Losing Streak Going Into Mets Series

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Maddy Dickens | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Washington Nationals started September 9-4, but the Atlanta Braves apparently had a different idea. The Braves swept a four-game series, which included a doubleheader, at Nationals Park in a series that wrapped up on Wednesday. Atlanta outscored Washington, 31-10, in the series and hopefully a day off will do the Nationals some good.

The Nationals had quite the wake up call after losing eight straight to finish August and they hadn't lost a series in September until they faced the Braves. Now they are gearing up for their last road trip of the season which starts in New York on Friday to face the Mets. The ball club is hoping to bounce back before traveling to Atlanta to face off with the Braves for one final series.

Preview in New York

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Washington actually has a better record on the road than they do at Nationals Park, which bodes well going into Citi Field. The Mets are significantly better at home, so something has to give. Plus, the Mets are fighting for the final National League wild card berth.

Neither the Nationals nor the Mets have announced their probable starters yet, but Washington fans definitely won't be seeing Brad Lord. He has started to find his groove as a starter even after the Nats lost his last start against Atlanta on Wednesday.

Prior to the series with the Braves the Nationals did a better job of keeping runs off of the board. Lord is the best pitcher the Nats have on the road this year as he and MacKenzie Gore are the only two with an ERA under 4.00 as starting pitchers.

It looks like the series is going to come down to offense as Gore's last start was only on the Tuesday, so he will likely start Sunday's finale on normal rest. There are three players who lead the charge offensively when playing on the road — CJ Abrams, James Wood, and Josh Bell. They all have an OPS over .800 as the only three on the roster to do so.

Josh Bell has 4 HR and 12 RBI over his last 3 games pic.twitter.com/TG0HBGguZ0
— MLB (@MLB) September 9, 2025

The regular season is winding down and the Nationals haven't been in playoff contention for a long time, so the team is playing for pride. This is a young squad, so any confidence they can get before the year is done is beneficial rolling into next year. There are nine games left and the Nationals can easily finish September over .500 if they bounce back now.

This article first appeared on Washington Nationals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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