Washington Nationals need to bring the road magic home

Five weeks into the 2026 season, the Washington Nationals are far better than I could have imagined.

While the world views the Nats as a bad team that's two games under .500, I look at a team that is three games away from being above .500 for the first time since July 2021. Baby steps for the baby Nats.

The Nationals held on to their third-place spot in the NL East on Thursday, taking a wild three-game series against the division rival New York Mets by winning the day game rubber match.

The series had everything.

The Nats' potent offense was shut down on Tuesday, as the team returned from its first off day in 2.5 weeks. The Mets used a first-pitch home run in the first inning and a seven-run fourth inning to bury the Nats 8-0.

The Nats returned the favor the next night, taking game two 14-2 on the back of a seven-run fourth inning just like the Mets had the night before.

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That set up a Thursday matchup that must have felt inevitable to long-suffering Mets fans. Even after the Mets came back to tie the game with 3 runs in the third inning and took the lead in the sixth, it felt like the game was one blink away from flipping on its head.

CJ Abrams came up to bat in the 8th with a man on base and a chance to be the hero. He didn't miss the opportunity, or the changeup that floated in the middle of the strike zone for him.

CJ Abrams gives the @Nationals the lead right back with a 2-run homer! pic.twitter.com/K1DD9TCUj7

— MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2026

Before that, James Wood robbed a surefire home run from former National Juan Soto, using the entire reach of his 6'6" frame to bring a ball that traveled about 373 feet back into the field of play.

As magical as the Mets series was, the Nats need to bring some of that star dust back home to Nationals Park.

The Nats are 4-1-1 in their 6 road series so far this year, including sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers two weeks ago. The Brewers are seeking revenge as they visit Nats Park for a weekend series, and if the Nats want to avoid that same fate, they have to play much better at home.

The team is 12-7 on the road and just 3-10 at home. Heading into Thursday's game, the Nats had played just five more away games than home games, but they had 49 more hits and had scored 30 more runs on the road than they had at home.

However, despite their reverse home-away splits, the Nats have been hammering homers at home. The team has 21 home runs in just 13 home games this year, compared to 15 home runs in 18 road games.

The Nats' offense has slipped to the middle of the pack during their mini-cold streak over the past week, but some home cooking may be just what the team needs to get their bats hot again.

Related: Washington Nationals drop golden opportunity against Mets

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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 5:17 PM.