Miguel Cairo said he has not yet been told anything about his future with the Nationals, leaving the interim manager to guide his team through one more game this afternoon and then wait to learn his fate from a new front office that is about to take over.

“Today, I’ve got a game to manage, and I’m going to do my best to get a W. And tomorrow, we don’t know,” he said in advance of the season finale against the White Sox. “Whatever is coming next, we’re not in control. There’s only one in control, and that’s the man upstairs.”

Cairo took over for good friend Davey Martinez when the latter was fired July 6, reluctant to accept the job until Martinez gave him his blessing. He enters today’s finale with a 29-42 record after Martinez went 37-53, with a chance to secure a winning September if the Nats are victorious today.

The 51-year-old slowly began managing in his own style over the season’s final three months, making lineup and bullpen decisions that likely differed from what Martinez would have done. He also made sure his position players took full infield and outfield defense prior to batting practice every day, though the Nationals continued to rank among the majors’ worst defensive units regardless of the amount of work they put in.

With Paul Toboni set to be officially announced as the organization’s new president of baseball operations this week, Cairo and his entire coaching staff should learn their fates relatively soon. The expectation is that Toboni will hire a new manager, who in turn will hire a new coaching staff. But until told otherwise, Cairo remains a candidate.

For the last time in 2025, hello from Nationals Park. It hasn’t been a season to remember for the home team, which enters this finale with a 66-95 record (third-worst in the majors). But we know major change is on the way, and hopefully better days to come in 2026.

What’s at stake in Game 162? Nothing, really, from a team standpoint. On an individual level, James Wood looks to continue his great final week (while also hoping to avoid five strikeouts to tie Mark Reynolds’ major league record of 223). Daylen Lile looks for one more triple to break Denard Span’s single-season club record of 11, and to bolster his Rookie of the Year case. CJ Abrams seeks his 20th homer to go with 31 stolen bases.

On the mound, Brad Lord looks to cap a really impressive rookie season in style. The right-hander enters with a 4.12 ERA and has an outside shot at getting that number under 4.00 if he tosses five or more innings of scoreless ball. Jose A. Ferrer won’t be pitching today after appearing each of the last two nights. So if there’s one final save opportunity this season, someone out of the ordinary is going to get the opportunity to convert it.

And, of course, this is Bob Carpenter’s final game behind the mic. No matter the score, the ninth inning will be must-watch TV on MASN2.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 3:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 81 degrees, wind 5 mph in from left field

The Nationals knew they needed to hit for considerably more power in 2025 to enjoy better results than they experienced in 2024. And they did manage to do it. It just took longer than expected. And still wasn’t enough in the end to produce a better won-loss record.

This final week of a difficult season, though, has shown what a difference legitimate power up and down a lineup can make. With three more blasts today during a 6-5 victory over the White Sox, the Nats have now launched 12 home runs over their last three games, bringing their season total up to 161, a 26-homer increase from a year ago.

They still rank in the bottom third of the majors, and there’s plenty of room for continued improvement in 2026. But as they look ahead, this unquestionably is a lineup capable of hitting for power with far more regularity than several previous versions were.

"Heck, yeah," said interim manager Miguel Cairo, who is still waiting to learn his fate. "It's nice to see these guys, the work they've put in every single day, and still doing it at the end of the season. It tells you what they are, and what they're going to be about. It's going to be nice to see them next year, because it's going to be a force."

Today’s blasts included yet another big hit by rookie Daylen Lile, the hottest hitter on the team and one of the hottest hitters in the sport right now. And then it included back-to-back blasts by one guy not known for power (Jacob Young) and one guy very much known for power (James Wood), flipping the game for the home team in the bottom of the seventh.

For someone who has spent more than four decades speaking for a living, Bob Carpenter found himself in a most unusual position today: Sitting back and wiping tears from his eyes as scores of others offered him praise.

On the penultimate day of his broadcasting career, Carpenter was the guest of honor for “See You Later Day,” celebrating his 20 seasons with the Nationals and 42 seasons announcing major league games. There weren’t many dry eyes in the house.

“It’s hard for me to express what I’m feeling right now,” he said.

The Nats presented Carpenter with a personalized jersey and a crystal microphone statue. Those items will go home to Tulsa with the 72-year-old. The “Bob Carpenter” sign unveiled on the façade of the home broadcast booth at Nationals Park will remain here for generations of fans to see.

In addition to in-person speeches by fellow broadcasters Kevin Frandsen and Dan Kolko, plus franchise icon (and occasional broadcaster) Ryan Zimmerman, the Nationals played a series of pre-taped messages that included such luminaries from Carpenter’s entire career as Lee Corso, Joe Buck, Ozzie Smith and Johnny Holliday.

There was enough action Friday night to fill an entire weekend series, but that was just one of three games scheduled between the Nationals and White Sox this weekend. Emphasis on the word “scheduled” there, because the forecast today is not good at all. Though it’s not really raining here yet, it’s supposed to start coming down at some point this afternoon and not let up through the rest of the day and evening. What does that mean for this game being played today? And if they can’t, would they actually force these two last-place teams to play a doubleheader Sunday? Stay tuned. As soon as we know anything, you’ll know it.

If and when they do play, it’ll be Jake Irvin on the mound looking for one final opportunity to end a rough season on a high note. The right-hander enters with a 5.69 ERA in 32 starts, not to mention 36 homers surrendered. That’s two shy of Josiah Gray’s single-season club record, a mark Irvin surely hopes not to match. He was better last weekend at Citi Field, though, holding the Mets to two runs over 5 1/3 innings. Perhaps he can pick up where he left off against what should be an inferior Chicago lineup.

At the plate, the Nationals will try to pick up where they left off Friday night, especially in the power department. They slugged a season-high six homers (in a losing effort, alas), with three coming off the bat of Luis Garcia Jr. alone. Today, they face former Terrapins right-hander Sean Burke, who enters with a 4.29 ERA and 1.5 homers per nine innings.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Rain, 71 degrees, wind 8 mph in from center field

WHITE SOX
2B Chase Meidroth
C Kyle Teel
SS Colson Montgomery
3B Miguel Vargas
DH Edgar Quero
LF Brooks Baldwin
1B Lenyn Sosa
RF Dominic Fletcher
CF Derek Hill

There was nothing at stake tonight, nor will there be all weekend, as the Nationals and White Sox wrap up equally frustrating seasons with three final games that have no bearing on the standings or any pennant race.

Tell these two last-place opponents and a boisterous crowd of 33,938 that packed into Nationals Park tonight this one meant nothing, though.

With a barrage of big home runs – three of them off the bat of Luis García Jr. alone – the Nats stormed back from seven runs down to take an improbable lead in the bottom of the eighth. Then they watched in horror as Jose A. Ferrer blew that lead in the top of the ninth and took a head-spinning, 10-9 loss to Chicago on the chin.

"That happens," García said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. "That's nothing that you can control. That's part of baseball."

After digging themselves into an 8-1 hole behind a rocky start from Cade Cavalli and some very shoddy defense behind him, the Nationals easily could’ve played out the string and accepted their 95th loss of the year. Instead, they banded together and put together one of their best rallies of the season, thanks to the kind of power display they’ve long been waiting to show everyone.

There are no guarantees when it comes to prospects. Some of the best never make it to the major leagues. Some of the lesser-known names wind up enjoying long and productive careers.

The five young players who sat in the press conference room at Nationals Park this afternoon as the organization’s annual minor league award winners, though, need only look back at their predecessors from a year ago to see how significant a stepping stone it can be.

Last September, Dylan Crews, Brad Lord and Daylen Lile were among the 2024 honorees. All three now hold prominent roles on the Nats’ major league roster, with Lord and Lile in particular bursting onto the scene as full-fledged rookies this season.

“When you look at who was in that (press conference) room last year and who is now in that clubhouse, it’s something for them to build off of,” said Eddie Longosz, the Nationals’ assistant general manager for player development. “Everyone wants to get into that clubhouse. They feed off each other, and they know what it takes to get in there.”

This year’s award winners included three prospects who finished the season at Triple-A Rochester (outfielder/infielder Phillip Glasser, outfielder Andrew Pinckney, right-hander Riley Cornelio), which makes each a potential candidate for promotion in 2026.

It’s been a long, often frustrating, season. And at times, it probably felt like the end couldn’t come soon enough. Well, it has come at last. Tonight the Nationals open their final series of 2025. And from a pure baseball standpoint, there’s hardly anything at stake. The fates of the Nats and White Sox have long since been determined.

But there’s still meaning to these games on an individual level, and that certainly applies to Cade Cavalli. The rookie right-hander makes his 10th and final start of the season tonight, hoping to end this already successful mini-campaign on a positive note. Cavalli is coming off a strong outing at Citi Field, shutting out the Mets over five innings. If he can hold the White Sox to zero or one run over five more innings tonight, he’ll get his ERA under 4.00, which would be a nice outcome for him and the organization.

We’ll also see if James Wood can end his roller coaster season on a high note after a really nice couple of games in Atlanta. When last we spoke Sunday, Wood seemed to have a much better chance of finishing with 223 strikeouts than he did of finishing with 30 homers. Well, he hit three bombs at Truist Park and got to 30 with three games to spare. And he didn’t strike out once, which means he’s still eight shy of Mark Reynolds’ major league record with only three games left to play. You sure hope he doesn’t threaten that mark any more.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 78 degrees, wind 5 mph in from left field

WHITE SOX
2B Chase Meidroth
DH Kyle Teel
SS Colson Montgomery
3B Miguel Vargas
C Edgar Quero
CF Brooks Baldwin
1B Lenyn Sosa
LF Will Robertson
RF Dominic Fletcher

Earlier this week, the Nationals announced their 2025 Minor League Players of the Year. The five winners will be recognized tonight as part of a pregame ceremony, and they’ll also take part in a season plan holder autograph session during batting practice. This year’s award winners are:

Hitter of the Year – INF/OF Phillip Glasser
Pitcher of the Year – RHP Riley Cornelio
Defensive Player of the Year – OF Cristhian Vaquero
Baserunner of the Year – INF Seaver King
Nationals Way Award – OF Andrew Pinckney

Glasser, 25, led the Nats system with a .302 average, .389 on-base percentage and 143 total hits. He also ranked second in OPS (.793) and walks (60), and finished in the top 10 in stolen bases (tied for third, 32), runs (fourth, 71) total bases (fifth, 191), slugging percentage (fifth, .404), triples (tied for sixth, four) and doubles (tied for seventh, 19).

His 143 hits were the most by a Nats minor leaguer since Andrew Stevenson’s 152 in 2022. Glasser finished the season with 124 games between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester.

The former 10th-round pick out of Indiana University in the 2023 MLB Draft played mostly in left field (91 games) but also appeared as the designated hitter (20 games), second baseman (11 games) and right fielded (three games) in his third professional season.

ATLANTA – Luis García Jr. had never played anywhere other than second base and shortstop in the major leagues. Sprinkle in a few games at third base in the minor leagues and there was only one remaining infield position he hadn’t played in his professional baseball career.

That changed Tuesday night when he took the field at Truist Park with Andrés Chaparro’s glove and manned first base against the Braves. And to his credit, after only practice reps at the new position since the All-Star break, he made a good first impression.

“Really good,” García said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz, of how he felt at first following the Nationals’ 3-2 loss to the Braves. “The first three innings, I was kind of nervous, but then after that, I felt really comfortable.”

García was on the receiving end of 11 putouts at first through the eight defensive innings, thanks in large part to Brad Lord inducing nine ground balls over his six innings. Most were routine plays, with a few short hops needing scooping, which he did so cleanly every time.

“I was trying to stop the ball, keep the ball right in front of me and make the play,” he said. “But I feel all the plays that were made today and were thrown at me, I felt good.”

ATLANTA – The Nationals had just one game remaining on the road portion of the 2025 schedule. With a victory this afternoon, not only would they end this six-game losing streak to the Braves, but they would also finish with a road record that is one game better than last year’s.

Things have rarely been easy for the Nats this year. But with an overall solid pitching performance and three home runs from some big sluggers, this was as easy of a victory they’ve had in a while.

Andrew Alvarez had a solid start through 4 ⅓ innings, Josh Bell and James Wood combined for three homers, and the Nats held on for a 4-3 win over their division rivals in front of an announced crowd of 32,898 at Truist Park.

“It was nice to get a .500 road trip," interim manager Miguel Cairo said. "That was awesome to take two out of three against the Mets and 1-2 here. It was awesome. The guys fight. We put some barrels on the ball. Good pitching from the bullpen, from the starting pitcher. So it was a team win.”

Alvarez entered his fifth major league start looking to bounce back from his first tough outing last week in New York, when he gave up six runs (four earned) over 3 ⅓ innings against the Mets.

The Nationals are finalizing a deal to hire Paul Toboni from the Red Sox as their new head of baseball operations, ultimately choosing to bring in an up-and-coming outside voice to lead the organization rather than staying in-house.

The deal with Toboni is not done yet, but sources familiar with the move confirmed the 35-year-old has been selected by the Lerner family as the choice to replace Mike Rizzo, who was fired as president of baseball operations and general manager in July after 16 years in the position.

Still unclear is Toboni’s new title with the Nationals, whether he is named president of baseball operations, general manager or both, and whether he’ll have a GM as his second-in-command, whether that’s current interim GM Mike DeBartolo or someone else.

No official announcement has been planned yet, but the club has hoped all along to be able to introduce its new head of baseball operations just before or immediately after the season ends Sunday, with Major League Baseball discouraging teams from holding major press conferences during the postseason (which begins Tuesday).

Toboni was one of at least seven reported candidates for the job, joined by DeBartolo, fellow Red Sox assistant GM Eddie Romero, Dodgers senior vice president Josh Byrnes, Cubs GM Carter Hawkins, Guardians assistant GM Matt Forman and Diamondbacks assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye. From that group, only Byrnes (a D.C. native) had previously held a full-time job running a baseball operations department (both Arizona and San Diego).

ATLANTA – Julian Fernández was supposed to be on a 10 a.m. flight this morning back home to the Dominican Republic. Instead, he flew to Atlanta on Monday night to join the Nationals ahead of their second game against the Braves.

The right-handed reliever, who the Nats claimed off waivers from the Dodgers on Aug. 17, then found himself taking the mound at Truist Park in the bottom of the eighth inning, trying to keep it a 3-2 game against the heart of the Braves order and give his new team one more chance in the ninth.

Fernández proceeded to toss a perfect frame on a scant 13 pitches, striking out Ronald Acuña Jr. and Drake Baldwin with some high heat in the process.

It was a full-circle moment for the 28-year-old, who made his major league debut with the Rockies against the Braves in 2021, the first of only six appearances he would make that season before making just one this year with the Dodgers.

“I felt really good,” Fernández said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “I haven't pitched in a while, a couple of days. But I kept myself ready for this. Yesterday was really special because I made my debut against Atlanta back in '21. It's a great team and I was able to have a good performance.”

ATLANTA – The Nationals have lost six straight to the Braves. They’ve already lost the season series to their rivals, trailing 3-9 with one game to go. But a win in this afternoon’s finale would at least end the losing streak on a positive note. Plus, it would give the Nats a better road record than they had in 2024.

Andrew Alvarez has been impressive for most of his first stint in the majors. But he hit his first bump in his last start when he gave up six runs (four earned) in just 3 ⅓ innings against the Mets. The young left-hander will look to finish his season with a strong outing against a tough Braves lineup.

Meanwhile, Bryce Elder is 8-10 with a 5.36 ERA and 1.420 WHIP in 27 starts this season. He’s coming off seven innings of one-run ball and six strikeouts against the Tigers in Detroit. And the right-hander held the Nats to one run over six innings in D.C. back in May.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Truist Park
Gametime: 12:15 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLBN (out-of-market only), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 85 degrees, wind 6 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
DH James Wood
SS CJ Abrams
1B Josh Bell
LF Daylen Lile
RF Dylan Crews
2B Luis García Jr.
C Jorge Alfaro
CF Robert Hassell III
3B Paul DeJong

ATLANTA – No matter how this final week finishes, Brad Lord has already entrenched himself as one of the Nationals’ best storylines in an otherwise disappointing 2025 season.

The former 18th-round pick out of the University of South Florida spent last offseason working at Home Depot before getting himself ready for what he thought was going to be another season grinding through the minor leagues. Instead, the 25-year-old broke camp with the Nats and spent the entire season in the majors.

Even while going back and forth between the starting rotation and bullpen, Lord has been one of the most consistent pitchers for the Nats. And that stayed true tonight despite him suffering a tough-luck 3-2 loss to the Braves in front of 37,322 fans at Truist Park.

Lord also faced off against fellow rookie Hurston Waldrep last week. And although he was credited with a no-decision, the Nats fell 9-4 after Lord departed the game with 3-0 lead in the sixth.

Tonight was a similar game, although this time Lord was saddled with the loss despite once again holding the Braves mostly in check.

ATLANTA – The Nationals ended the season for two more pitchers this afternoon, placing MacKenzie Gore and Mason Thompson on the 15-day injured list with only five games to go.

Gore landed on the IL with a right ankle impingement after it came about during his start last week on a rainy, cold Tuesday night at Nationals Park. He started last night’s series opener against the Braves, but only lasted two-plus innings. After allowing the first two batters in the third inning to reach while reaching 71 total pitches, interim manager Miguel Cairo thought that was enough for the 26-year-old left-hander, who had mentioned the ankle was still bothering him.

“It happened the last game when it was wet over there at home,” Cairo said during his pregame media session. “He felt it a little bit. He went through it. He toughened (through it) a little bit. And we didn't want to risk anything. It's not worth it right now. He had a really good season. Now it's time for him to just chill out and make sure this is fine. Just look forward to the offseason and have a great offseason, work hard and come back ready. He did really amazing things this year.”

Gore finishes the year 5-15 with a 4.17 ERA, 185 strikeouts, 1.353 WHIP and 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings in 159 ⅔ innings over 30 starts. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career after going 4-8 with a 3.02 ERA, 1.196 WHIP and 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings over his first 19 starts. But he ended the year 1-7 with a 6.75 ERA, 1.703 WHIP and 8.6 K/9 over his last 11 outings.

“He had a great year,” Cairo said. “Everyone goes through the ups and downs of the season. He had a really good first half. He went to the All-Star Game, pitched really well and came back. They all get a little tired and they go to rough spots, but he pitched unbelievable.”

ATLANTA – The Nationals and Braves will square off with another pitching rematch from last week in the second game of this three-game set. Brad Lord and Hurston Waldrep will take the mound again as they did in the Wednesday's finale of a four-game series at Nationals Park.

Lord held the Braves to two runs on six hits and one walk and notched four strikeouts over 5 ⅓ innings that day. He departed that game with a 3-0 lead in the sixth, but the bullpen collapsed behind him in the Nats’ eventual 9-4 loss to complete the four-game sweep on their home field. The Nats will hope the rookie right-hander can keep them in the game again and that they can hold onto a lead if they get one.

Something to look out for in what could be Lord’s last start of the season: If he can complete 5 ⅔ shutout innings, he would become just the second Nationals rookie pitcher to complete 120 innings with an ERA less than 4.00, joining John Lannan in 2008 (3.91).

Meanwhile, Waldrep was charged with three runs on five hits last week. But he did strike out eight over his five innings, so the Nats will look to be more patient against the right-hander and get him in the zone tonight.

The Nats also made some pregame roster moves. They placed MacKenzie Gore (right ankle impingement) and Mason Thompson (right biceps tendinitis, retroactive to Sept. 20) on the 15-day injured list, ending both their seasons. They recalled right-handers Julian Fernandez and Orlando Ribalta to take their roster spots.

ATLANTA – When the Nationals made Nasim Nuñez the No. 5 overall selection in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft, they knew what they were getting. The infielder was the best defensive prospect in the Marlins system with very little offensive upside. Any production they got from the switch-hitter at the plate would be a bonus.

Nuñez spent all of last season with the Nationals at the major league level as part of his Rule 5 status. He appeared in 51 games, mostly as a defensive replacement or pinch-runner, and made only 78 plate appearances. He collected one RBI on 15 hits, with only one going for extra bases.

This year, Nuñez was able to be optioned down to the minors. He appeared in 23 major league games between April and June, this time collecting five RBIs on eight hits, two for extra bases.

But when Nuñez came back up to the majors at the beginning of the month when rosters expanded to 28 players, no one expected to see this power surge the 25 year old has put on over his last 12 games.

He hit his first two major league home runs in his first game back on Sept. 3 against his former team. He hit what would end up being the game-winning home run Sunday against the Mets, a two-run shot in the third inning, in the city where he was born. And then he led off last night’s series opener against the Braves in what he considers his actual hometown by hitting a first-pitch homer off the reigning Cy Young Award winner.

ATLANTA – It is usually meaningless to try to compare two opposing starting pitchers. With the universal designated hitter, they don’t face each other in the batter’s box anymore. And opposing lineups are constructed differently with different approaches.

But after the level of pitching MacKenzie Gore and Chris Sale put on display in the nightcap of Tuesday’s doubleheader at Nationals Park – 13 ⅓ scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts between the left-handers – it was hard not to make comparisons between the two ahead of tonight’s rematch.

Unfortunately for Gore, there weren’t too many comparisons to be made between him and the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner after this 11-5 loss to open the Nats’ final road series of the 2025 season.

Gore lasted only two-plus innings tonight as the Braves drove up his pitch count by fouling balls off and drawing walks.

“He fell behind," interim manager Miguel Cairo said. "They take good pitches. And they fouled off a lot of pitches, so the pitch count went a little too high. And hey, they were able to lay off his good pitches. But they battled against him today."

ATLANTA – The Nationals get the unfortunate pleasure of facing Chris Sale for the second time in less than a week as they start their last road series of the season tonight at Truist Park. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner shut out the Nats over eight innings with three hits, no walks and nine strikeouts in the nightcap of Tuesday’s split doubleheader back in D.C.

So interim manager Miguel Cairo made some tweaks to his lineup Monday, some due to injuries and some due to the matchup against Sale.

Daylen Lile and James Wood (both left-handed hitters) are sitting to start tonight’s opener against the Braves, while CJ Abrams returns to the lineup as the designated hitter.

Lile suffered a left knee contusion yesterday while sliding into the wall in the left field corner at Citi Field attempting to catch a fly ball. The rookie outfielder was able to walk off the field under his own power and didn’t even require an X-ray when he returned to the clubhouse. But Cairo wants to make sure Lile feels better before playing him again.

“He's feeling fine. He said a little sore,” Cairo said during his pregame media session. “I just want to make sure he has a day and make sure he's fine. But he's doing well.”