Despite expectations being somewhat low coming into the season, the San Francisco Giants are proving seemingly every day that they are here to stay. As the Giants continue to perform well in the challenging National League West, the possibility of this team being a legitimate contender is becoming more realistic. While the hot start could have been seen as nothing more than that, with a record well over the .500 mark toward the end of May, San Francisco is proving to be a strong team. Due to the franchise not having the highest of expectations, being a seller at the trade deadline seemed like the most likely result for them coming into the campaign.

Follow along as the Nationals look for yet another series win against the Giants

San Francisco Giants (30-22, second in the NL West) vs. Washington Nationals (24-28, fourth in the NL East) Washington; Sunday, 1:35 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Giants: Robbie Ray (6-0, 2.67 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 62 strikeouts); Nationals: Mike Soroka (1-2, 5.95 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 23 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Giants -158, Nationals +133; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE : The Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants meet on Sunday with the three-game series tied 1-1. Washington is 13-13 at home and 24-28 overall. The Nationals have the ninth-ranked team slugging percentage in the NL at .389. San Francisco has a 30-22 record overall and a 13-13 record in road games. The Giants have an 11-3

James Wood hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Jake Irvin pitched eight innings of three-hit ball as the Washington Nationals beat the San Francisco Giants 3-0 on Saturday. Irvin (4-1) struck out seven and walked two in a 96-pitch effort as Washington bounced back following a 4-0 loss to the Giants on Friday and won for the seventh time in nine games. Amed Rosario doubled with one out in the first and Wood followed with a 390-foot shot to right for his 13th homer of the season. Keibert Ruiz added two hits for Washington.

The San Francisco Giants are in a phenomenal position when it comes to their roster, as they have not only found current success, but they also have the prospects available in their farm system to put together a long-term contender. Carson Whisenhunt is on the brink of being called up. Slugger Bryce Eldridge is working his way up, and Josuar De Jesus is an exciting up-and-coming shortstop with plenty of skills to build off of. One of the other prospects who has started to show some impressive flashes of success is pitcher Carson Seymour, who has been solid in Triple-A so far, and continues to improve each start he makes.

Robbie Ray continued his early 2025 MLB season success in the San Francisco Giants' win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

All Times EDT East Division W L Pct GB Philadelphia 34 18 .654 — New York 31 21 .596 3 Atlanta 25 26 .490 8½ Washington 24 28 .462 10 Miami 20 30 .400 13 Central Division W L Pct GB Chicago 31 21 .596 — St. Louis 29 23 .558 2 Cincinnati 26 27 .491 5½ Milwaukee 25 28 .472 6½ Pittsburgh 19 34 .358 12½ West Division W L Pct GB Los Angeles 32 20 .615 — San Francisco 30 22 .577 2 San Diego 28 22 .560 3 Arizona 26 26 .500 6 Colorado 9 43 .173 23 Saturday's Games St. Louis 6, Arizona 5 Washington 3, San Francisco 0 Pittsburgh 2, Milwaukee 1 Atlanta 7, San Diego 1 N.Y. Yankees 13, Colorado 1 Cincinnati 6, Chicago Cubs 4 N.Y. Mets 5, L.A. Dodgers 2 Miami 6, L.A. Angels 2 Philadelphia 9, Athletics 6, 11

Former San Diego Padres prospect MacKenzie Gore has just joined some illustrious history as a member of the Washington Nationals, according to @JayHayKid of Underdog Fantasy. MacKenzie Gore (93 K) is the 5th left-handed pitcher in NL history to record 90+ K through the first 11 starts of a season.

Once again the bats couldn’t find their footing against another Washington starter

Left-hander Robbie Ray will look to continue his strong season on Sunday afternoon when he starts the finale of the San Francisco Giants' three-game series against the host Washington Nationals. Ray (6-0, 2.67 ERA) is 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA over his past four starts, allowing a total of four earned runs in 26 innings. The Giants are 9-1 in his 10 starts this season.

In the Bay Area and across baseball, one San Francisco Giants player is always going to elicit a reaction. Barry Bonds is the all-time home run leader in baseball. Recently, The Athletic's Jayson Stark (subscription required) put together an all-quarter century team, the best players at each position from 2000 to present. Bonds made the list, as Stark installed him as his left fielder.

Kyle Harrison finds himself at an interesting juncture in his major-league career. Harrison, 23, is part of the Giants' rotation for now, entering the mix when Justin Verlander hit the injured list. Once Verlander returns, Harrison will likely return to the bullpen. After totaling the second-most starts and innings for the Giants last season, it's unclear whether he sees more time as a starter or reliever.

Jake Irvin pitched eight scoreless innings and James Wood hit a two-run home run to lead the Washington Nationals to a 3-0 victory over the visiting San Francisco Giants on Saturday. Irvin (4-1) allowed three hits while striking out seven and walking two on 96 pitches.

All Times EDT East Division W L Pct GB Philadelphia 33 18 .647 — New York 30 21 .588 3 Atlanta 24 26 .480 8½ Washington 23 28 .451 10 Miami 19 30 .388 13 Central Division W L Pct GB Chicago 31 20 .608 — St. Louis 29 23 .558 2½ Cincinnati 25 27 .481 6½ Milwaukee 25 27 .481 6½ Pittsburgh 18 34 .346 13½ West Division W L Pct GB Los Angeles 32 19 .627 — San Francisco 30 21 .588 2 San Diego 28 21 .571 3 Arizona 26 26 .500 6½ Colorado 9 42 .176 23 Friday's Games San Francisco 4, Washington 0 San Diego 2, Atlanta 1 Chicago Cubs 13, Cincinnati 6 Pittsburgh 6, Milwaukee 5, 10 innings St. Louis 4, Arizona 3 Colorado 3, N.Y. Yankees 2 L.A. Dodgers 7, N.Y. Mets 5, 13 innings L.A. Angels 7, Miami 4 Philadelphia

The San Francisco Giants are off to a hot start in 2025, with a 30-21 overall record, placing them in second among the National League West powerhouses. While the Los Angeles Dodgers remain ahead of them by two games, the Giants have managed to surpass the San Diego Padres as of now, holding a one-game lead over the division rival. One of the keys to this success has been their pitching staff, and their ability to overcome injuries to multiple key players. The depth of the team is outstanding there, with Carson Whisenhunt waiting in the wings in Triple-A, the organization even has talent waiting in the minor leagues that could be ready to go soon.

On Aug. 8, 2024, Doval allowed three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to the Nationals at their home venue, blowing his fifth save of the year and ballooning his ERA to 4.70. The following day, the Giants didn't just demote Doval from the closer role — they demoted him from the majors entirely. On Friday night, Doval stepped on that same mound. “It's been really impressive to see,” said catcher Patrick Bailey.

Kyle Harrison vs. Jake Irvin.

The San Francisco Giants revealed why they wore their black uniforms for Saturday's road game against the Washington Nationals.

The San Francisco Giants continue to play extremely well, and it has been in large part due to a surprise slugger stepping up. Coming into the year, San Francisco figured to be a team that would be relying on their starting rotation to carry them. While that unit does have some bright spots with Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, it has been the bullpen that has been one of the best in the league so far. For the last several campaigns, the batting order has been a massive issue for the Giants.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Kyle Harrison feels good about his first start of the season, but he certainly wishes he could have one pitch back.