Reset and Refocus: Washington Nationals Open Second Half vs. Padres

Yahoo

18-07-2025

Washington is coming off a much-needed break from the regular season. With a 38-58 record, they are amongst the worst teams in all of baseball; however, their record does not indicate the talent that is littered throughout the roster. James Wood and MacKenzie became first-time All-Stars this season, while CJ Abrams made a case for appearing in his second All-Star game. Washington should perform better in the second half, but they have a tough task to start the second half, matching up with the San Diego Padres.
San Diego is entering the second half in second place in the National League West, behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. With just a .5 game lead on the San Francisco Giants, this is already a big series for San Diego. While superstars Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. have been great this season, some could argue the rest of the lineup has been disappointing. As good as the pitching staff has been, they have been dealing with serious injuries to some of their star pitchers, Michael King and Yu Darvish. If San Diego can get healthy soon, they could dominate like they were supposed to start the season.
Let's dive into the San Diego Padres' season stats.
TEAM STATS
OFFENSE
San Diego has one of the highest payrolls in all of baseball, paying stars like Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. to lead the way offensively. Machado and Tatis have been great this season; however, the rest of the offense has not performed as well. As a team, they are batting .246 (17th), scored 383 runs (25th), have hit 83 home runs (27th), an on-base percentage of .315 (18th), and a slugging percentage of .374 (25th).
PITCHING
The starting rotation and the bullpen have been lights out this season, becoming one of the best units in baseball. With Nick Pivetta performing as well as he has and Jason Adams and Robert Suarez holding down the bullpen, this team pitched incredibly well throughout the first half of the season. With the addition of Michael King during the second half, this could be a dangerous rotation to face come playoff time. As a team, they have a 3.64 ERA (6th), allowed 95 home runs (8th), a 1.24 WHIP (10th), and are batting .229 against them (3rd).
GAME ONE - Friday, 6:45 EDT
WAS: RHP Michael Soroka (3-7) - 13 G, 5.35 ERA, 74 SO, 1.16 WHIP, 75 ERA+
SD: RHP Dylan Cease (3-9) - 19 G, 4.88 ERA, 129 SO, 1.33 WHIP, 85 ERA+
Soroka has shown flashes of the potential he once had earlier in his career, but he has not been able to consistently pitch at a good level in the big leagues. Soroka could be a prime trade candidate for the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline, but with just one year remaining on his deal, it is unclear what kind of value he holds. In his last start, Soroka pitched decently against the St. Louis Cardinals, throwing four innings and allowing four hits and two runs in an embarrassing 8-1 loss.
Dylan Cease struggled through the first half of the 2025 season. In his last seven starts, Cease has a 5.22 ERA and has struggled to find consistent success in his starts. Cease is hoping to improve his play in the second half as he is a free agent heading into next season. In his last start, Cease threw six innings and allowed five hits and six runs in a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
GAME TWO - Saturday, 6:45 EDT
WAS: LHP Mitchell Parker (5-10) - 19 G, 5.12 ERA, 66 SO, 1.42 WHIP, 78 ERA+
SD: RHP Yu Darvish (0-1) - 2 G, 6.48 ERA, 7 SO, 1.68 WHIP, 67 ERA+
Parker was primed to be a solid starter for the Washington Nationals in 2025 and has regressed from what he showed in 2024. With a 5.12 ERA, it is unclear what his future holds in Washington. In his last start, he threw one of his worst games of the season, allowing eight hits and seven runs in another Washington loss.
At 38 years old, Darvish has performed well over the past few seasons, continuing his performance as a consistent starter. Held down by injury for most of the season, Darvish enters this series with only two starts on the season. He has struggled to come back from injury, and in his last start, he threw 4.2 innings, allowing five hits and four runs.
GAME THREE - Sunday, 1:35 EDT
WAS: LHP MacKenzie Gore (4-8) - 19 G, 3.02 ERA, 138 SO, 1.20 WHIP, 133 ERA+
SD: RHP Nick Pivetta (9-2) - 19 G, 2.88 ERA, 122 SO, 1.02 WHIP, 144 ERA+
MacKenzie Gore was voted to his first All-Star game and has benefited from having a career year in Washington. He is pitching so well that there are rumors that Washington should be considering a trade because of how high his value is. In his last start, he threw a great game, throwing six innings and allowing five hits and one run while striking out seven batters.
After inking a new deal with the San Diego Padres last off-season, Pivetta is benefiting from a career year. Through the first half, Pivetta has been one of the best pitchers in baseball with a 2.88 ERA, and many believe he was snubbed from the All-Star Game. In his last start, Pivetta threw a gem, going 6.2 innings and allowing just three hits and no runs while striking out eight batters.
Washington Nationals fans will have a tough time watching second-half baseball. With no shot at the playoffs and rumors swirling about trading the team's top players, it feels like the lowest Washington Nationals baseball has been in quite some time. However, with young stars throughout the lineup, it will always be fun to watch Abrams, Wood, and Gore perfect their craft while the rest of the roster finds its roles.
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