The Washington Nationals return home from a strong road trip and open a three-game series against the struggling San Francisco Giants on Friday night.

Washington went 5-2 against the Milwaukee Brewers and the Pittsburgh Pirates and enters the weekend tied for second in the National League East.

The road has not been kind to the Giants thus far. After salvaging the finale of a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, San Francisco is 2-4 on a nine-game Eastern swing.

The Nationals capped their trip with an 8-7, 10-inning win against the Pirates on Thursday. Washington split four games at Pittsburgh after sweeping three from Milwaukee and sits one game under .500.

“Couldn’t be happier, couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said. “I think our first 19 games have been against really good teams. It’s a good challenge early on to face these clubs and test where we’re at. When you go on the road like this and come out of it 5-2, it’s huge.”

Giants veteran Logan Webb (1-2, 5.25 ERA) will oppose fellow right-hander Zack Littell (0-1, 4.20) in the opener.

Last time out, Webb gave up four runs on five hits over six innings in a loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday. He struck out six and walked three.

Webb is 4-1 with a 4.25 ERA in six starts vs. the Nationals.

Littell is coming off a no-decision against the Brewers on Sunday, when he allowed three runs on six hits — three of them home runs — over five innings. He struck out three without a walk.

Littell lost his lone career start against the Giants when he gave up two runs in 5 2/3 innings for the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 15, 2023.

San Francisco snapped a four-game losing streak on Thursday with a 3-0 win at Cincinnati. Landen Roupp tossed six innings of one-hit ball to help the Giants avert a sweep.

“I think I just wanted to go out there and stop the bleeding and get us back on the right track,” Roupp said. “I just wanted to go out there today, throw strikes and just give the team the best chance to win.”

Jung Hoo Lee went 3-for-4 in his fourth multi-hit game of the road trip. He has raised his average from .143 to .246 over his past six contests.

Tempers flared in the eighth inning when the Giants’ Willy Adames was hit by a pitch, and then the benches emptied after the Reds’ Sal Stewart struck out to end the game.

“I do think it is a team that’s already got strong camaraderie,” manager Tony Vitello said of his Giants. “I do think there does need to be a little bit more battle to them. It doesn’t mean breaking a bat or starting a fight or anything like that.”

In Pittsburgh, Washington’s James Wood singled home the automatic runner with two outs in the top of the 10th and Orlando Ribalta pitched the bottom half to secure an 8-7 Nationals win.

Wood, Daylin Lile and Drew Millas had two hits each for the Nationals, who scored eight runs despite going 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Ribalta, 28, gave up a hit but earned his first major league save in his 28th big-league appearance.

“He seems to have a slow heartbeat at all times,” Butera said. “And it’s nice to have a guy like that on the mound in that situation.”

–Field Level Media