The Padres had chances on Saturday to make a young pitcher work a lot harder and leave a lot earlier. Then they had a chance against the major leagues’ worst bullpen. They could have beat a bad team and created a surge at the start of the season’s second half. Instead, a 4-2 loss to the Nationals was like so many before it this season.

The San Diego Padres defeated the Washington Nationals 7-2 on July 18, 2025, at Nationals Park, improving their record to 53-44 and holding second place in the NL West. The Nationals, struggling at 38-59,

PITCHING PROBABLES: Padres: Nick Pivetta (9-2, 2.88 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 122 strikeouts); Nationals: MacKenzie Gore (4-8, 3.02 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 138 strikeouts) BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres play on Sunday with the three-game series tied 1-1.

Nathaniel Lowe homered and the Washington Nationals snapped a five-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres.

The Padres are making a couple tweaks to their lineup. Manny Machado will get off his feet and slide into the DH spot. Jose Iglesias will take his place over at third base. Behind the plate, veteran defensive specialist Martin Maldonado will get the start. Fellow veteran Yu Darvish will be on the mound to make his 3rd start of the season.

Mitchell Parker tossed six solid innings and Nathaniel Lowe homered to help the Washington Nationals record a 4-2 victory over the visiting San Diego Padres on Saturday night.

The Washington Nationals aim to stop their four-game home losing streak with a victory over the San Diego Padres.

The Padres, who are 53-44 and in possession of the National League’s final wild-card playoff spot, scored once against Nationals starter Michael Soroka (3-8, 5.10).

The San Diego Padres (54-50) and Washington Nationals (47-55) meet Thursday for the finale of a 3-game series. First pitch from Nationals Park is set for 12:05 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let's analyze ...

Manny Machado’s grand slam capped a five-run ninth inning, and the San Diego Padres beat the Washington Nationals 7-2 on Friday night. Jake Cronenworth singled leading off the ninth against Kyle Finnegan (1-4) and went to third on a single by Jose Iglesias.