WEST PALM BEACH, FL - This afternoon, the Washington Nationals played a split-squad doubleheader, facing the Houston Astros at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach and the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter as the finale to their 2025 Grapefruit League schedule. The games went very differently, as the contrast in the quality of each squad was not reflected in the results.​

In the home matchup against the Astros, the Nationals fielded a lineup resembling their likely Opening Day roster. CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews, James Wood, and all of the stars took the field to begin the game. None of them went from start to finish, which was certainly for the better with game one just four days out. The team scored six runs on seven hits, but they still made two errors in the field. Only one was from a starter in Abrams, but the defense also had a bright spot with a beautiful Crews outfield assist to nail Cooper Hummel at third base.

Trevor Williams took the mound for the Nationals, delivering a solid performance over five innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out six. The bullpen followed well, with Eduardo Salazar being the only name to run into trouble. Ultimately, his three runs would cost the Nats the game, but he has been so good this spring that it will not cause him any problem, and it was just an off day for a great reliever. The Nats would drop this one, however, by a score of 8-6.

In the road game against the Cardinals, the Nationals featured a mix of prospects and non-roster invitees. Jackson Rutledge started for the Nationals, pitching one inning and allowing no runs on one hit. The offense struggled to find momentum, managing only two runs, one in the fifth inning when Alex Call singled, and one in the ninth on a Brandon Pimentel groundout. The Cardinals' pitching staff kept the Nationals' bats quiet, but the bullpen did extremely well, and the Nats ended their 2025 grapefruit league schedule with a 2-1 win. The final Florida record was 13-15.​

Up next:

The Nationals will fly home tonight and play their exhibition game with the Orioles tomorrow, live on MASN. They will then have Tuesday and Wednesday off before MacKenzie Gore takes the mound on Thursday against Zack Wheeler and the Phillies on Thursday for Opening Day.