Kyle Finnegan remembers career save No. 1. How could he forget?

On July 29, 2021, the Nationals played a seven-inning doubleheader against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, necessitated by a COVID outbreak among the team’s coaching staff the previous day. The trade deadline was 24 hours away, and Mike Rizzo was working nonstop making six deals involving eight players.

Finnegan was directly impacted by this. Before that day’s game, Rizzo traded Brad Hand to the Blue Jays for Riley Adams. Later that day, he dealt Daniel Hudson to the Padres for Mason Thompson and Jordy Barley. Which is why Finnegan found himself pitching the final inning of a 3-1 victory, capped by strikeouts of Alec Bohm and Odúbel Herrera to secure the first save of his career.

“I always joke that I went to bed the sixth-inning guy and woke up the closer that day,” he said this week. “It was a big change.”

Finnegan didn’t become the Nationals’ full-time closer right away. He and Tanner Rainey alternated through the rest of 2021 and throughout 2022 before he finally took over in 2023.

Would you believe we are already 38 games into the 2025 season? This weekend, the Nationals will pass the one-quarter mark, which is usually enough time to start drawing some conclusions about the quality (or lack thereof) of a ballclub.

What have we learned about the Nats to this point? Well, the rotation has been solid, at times excellent. The lineup has been inconsistent, but at times quite productive. And the bullpen has been ... well, the bullpen is the No. 1 reason the team has a 17-21 record as opposed to flip-flopping that mark.

It's been a grueling schedule of late, with 16 consecutive game days on the original calendar. (One of those, of course, was rained out, necessitating Tuesday's doubleheader.) The Nationals will happily enjoy their true day off now, though, before returning this weekend to host the Cardinals.

There are no days off around here, however. So let's spend this one answering your questions about the season to date. As always, submit your questions in the comments section below, then check back for my replies throughout the morning. (And if you're unable to view the comments, try clicking on the little cookie logo on the bottom left of your screen and enabling cookies. That usually does the trick!) ...

The formula has become so routine at this point, it almost feels like a cruel joke when it keeps happening.

The Nationals get five good-to-great innings out of their starter, then watch him fade in the sixth inning before handing it over to the bullpen, which proceeds to make an absolute mess of a once-low-scoring ballgame.

But wait, there’s more. Despite facing a suddenly daunting deficit created by their relief corps, the Nats battle back to turn this into a high-scoring nailbiter late. At which point everyone holds his or her breath to see how it will end.

Sometimes that formula has produced dramatic victories, as it did Tuesday afternoon. And sometimes it has produced mind-numbing losses, as it did this afternoon in an 8-6 loss to the Guardians to wrap up a wacky interleague series.

Completing three full, nine-inning games in less than 24 hours, the Nationals wound up losing two of three to Cleveland. They certainly had a chance to duplicate their rousing success from a 10-9 win in the opener of Tuesday’s doubleheader in the finale, but instead they were done in by yet another bullpen disaster and an inability to complete a potentially rousing rally.

The Nationals optioned Eduardo Salazar to Triple-A Rochester this morning, demoting the struggling reliever in order to clear a spot on the active roster for Michael Soroka in advance of his return from the injured list this afternoon.

With Soroka starting the series finale against the Guardians after missing the last five weeks with a right biceps strain, the Nats had to settle on a corresponding roster move among several possibilities. They could have optioned Brad Lord, who held Soroka’s spot in the rotation and performed well, but they chose instead to move the rookie right-hander back to the bullpen. They could have cut ties with another struggling reliever, Lucas Sims, but he’s got a $3 million guaranteed contract and is out of options.

In the end, the club made the simplest move available at this point and demoted Salazar to the minors. The right-hander made the Opening Day roster on the strength of a solid 2024 season and a strong spring training, but the 27-year-old struggled mightily from the get-go.

In 17 appearances, Salazar produced a 9.77 ERA and 2.234 WHIP. He gave up runs in 10 of those outings, including his last five. He also allowed eight of 10 inherited runners to score.

The final straw came during the nightcap of Tuesday’s doubleheader. Entrusted with the top of the eighth and the Nationals trailing 6-1, Salazar issued a leadoff walk to Carlos Santana and eventually allowed him to score on two wild pitches. He then served a home run to Daniel Schneemann, blowing the game open.

It was a long Tuesday at the ballpark, and after a quick cat nap, we’re all right back here this morning for an early matinee. If this game starts on time and is completed in fewer than 3 1/2 hours, the Nationals and Guardians will have completed an entire three-game series in less than 24 hours. That doesn’t happen often.

After splitting the doubleheader, the Nats would love to emerge victorious today and win their second consecutive series against a contending team from Ohio. That would get them back to within two games of the .500 mark, with some positive momentum heading in the right direction before the Cardinals come to town this weekend.

The big story coming in today: The return of Michael Soroka from the injured list. The 27-year-old right-hander made only one start back on March 31 before straining his biceps muscle. It took a little longer than hoped, but he’s back now and hoping to build off his 11-strikeout rehab start for Triple-A Rochester. This Cleveland lineup doesn’t strike out a lot, so that may make for a stiff challenge for Soroka.

The Nationals lineup had a wild Tuesday, scoring 10 runs in the opener, then one run in the nightcap. Consistency is needed, and a strong early showing against Guardians left-hander Logan Allen would sure be helpful. Allen was roughed up by the Red Sox to the tune of seven runs two starts ago, but he bounced back with two earned runs allowed last time out against the Blue Jays.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 12:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 72 degrees, wind 9 mph left field to right field

The Nationals overcame a bullpen meltdown this afternoon, brushing off a six-run top of the seventh to storm back and beat the Guardians.

It was an impressive display of gumption from a young team that has proven more than once this season it can pull off such rousing comebacks. But it’s far from a plan for consistent success, and tonight’s blowout loss was a stark reminder of that.

After another strong start from Brad Lord ended with one ill-timed mistake, the Nats bullpen proceeded to give up six runs over the final three innings, creating a deficit the lineup never threatened to overcome in an eventual 9-1 loss.

With a doubleheader split, the Nationals remain three games under .500 at 17-20, now looking to win this condensed interleague series Wednesday at the early matinee time of 12:05 p.m.

Bullpen struggles aside, the more consequential story this evening involved the rookie making his sixth major league start, with no guarantee he’ll get to make a seventh.

Game 1 just ended, but it’s already time for Game 2 of this single-admission doubleheader. The Nationals survived another wild one, overcoming another bullpen meltdown to emerge with a 10-9 win over the Guardians. They’re now 17-19 on the season, with a shot at sweeping the doubleheader tonight.

Brad Lord takes the mound for what could be a very important start. The rookie right-hander may be headed back to the bullpen – or perhaps even to Triple-A Rochester – if and when Michael Soroka is activated off the 15-day injured list Wednesday as expected. But on the heels of an excellent start in Philadelphia, is there a chance Lord could keep his rotation job with another strong showing tonight?

The Nats would like a nice offensive showing against Ben Lively, the veteran right-hander who starts for Cleveland tonight. They faced him last summer at Progressive Field and were held to two runs over 5 2/3 innings. Those runs were driven in by Joey Meneses and Jesse Winker, so somebody else is going to have to get the job done tonight. Josh Bell is back, however, after missing three straight games with a sore groin.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 980 AM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 68 degrees, wind 12 mph out to center field

GUARDIANS
LF Steven Kwan
CF Angel Martínez
DH José Ramírez
1B Carlos Santana
2B Gabriel Arias
RF Nolan Jones
3B Will Wilson
SS Brayan Rocchio
C Austin Hedges

Two things that appear to simultaneously be true about the 2025 Nationals: 1) Their bullpen has the potential to turn any late lead into a late deficit, and 2) Their lineup has the potential to make up for it on any given day.

The Nats never should’ve needed to come from behind to beat the Guardians, 10-9 today in the opener of a single-admission doubleheader. They held a seemingly comfortable, four-run lead heading to the seventh inning. Alas, with this bullpen, no lead is safe, and so they found themselves trailing by two runs by the time the bottom of the seventh arrived.

At which point they proceeded to get four runs back, retake the lead and this time hold on for another wild win in a season that has already featured too many of these for everyone’s blood pressure.

Leading 6-2 at the end of six innings thanks to some clutch hits and a gutsy pitching performance from Jake Irvin despite another shaky top of the first, the Nationals watched as Jose A. Ferrer and Jorge López give up six runs via six singles (two of which never left the infield), a double and a walk.

It was the latest meltdown by a bullpen that thought it was getting back on track with four straight strong games to begin May but fell right back into the same old traps that defined the month of April.

Zach Brzykcy had other plans. The right-hander fully intended to be part of the Nationals’ Opening Day bullpen and stick around as a full-time big leaguer. And then a right quadriceps injury suffered during spring training threw a wrench into those well-intentioned plans.

“It was tough. I had goals for the year, and they kind of changed when I had to shut down,” he said. “It wasn’t fun at the time, but it was mandatory for getting back to where I was. It was tough. I wanted to have a good year and not start off where I did. But we’re here now, and now we go.”

Brzykcy is finally here, healthy and promoted from Triple-A Rochester to serve as the Nats’ 27th man for today’s doubleheader against the Guardians. Chances are, he’ll be sent back down at the end of the night, but he hopes to become part of the longer-term plan before too long.

A hidden gem of the Nationals’ farm system who rose through the ranks despite going undrafted out of Virginia Tech, Brzykcy (pronounced BRICK-see) made his major league debut last September and endured through a nightmare of a first outing. He was tagged for five runs by the Cubs without completing one inning of work. But he bounced back from that and delivered three straight scoreless appearances before struggling again in the season’s final week.

Brzykcy came to spring training ready to compete for a big league job, and he might well have won one if not for the leg injury he sustained early in camp. It affected his ability to push off the mound, and once it became clear it was also impacting his throwing mechanics, he knew he needed to take time to let it heal.

OK, who’s ready for a whole lot of baseball in a short amount of time? Monday night’s rainout forced the Nationals and Guardians to play a straight doubleheader today. (If you have a ticket for tonight’s original 6:45 p.m. game, you can come watch both games. If you had a ticket to Monday’s rainout, you’ll need to exchange it.) And with Wednesday’s series finale already scheduled for 12:05 p.m., there’s a very real possibility this entire three-game series is completed within the span of 24 hours.

Given all that, pitching is of the essence, and both teams will be looking for length out of their starters today. Jake Irvin is a good choice for the opener; he’s gone at least six innings in each of his last five starts, and if he’s efficient enough I wouldn’t be surprised if Davey Martinez lets him go seven. Irvin does need to keep the ball in the yard; he has surrendered a league-leading eight homers in seven games so far.

Luis L. Ortiz gets the ball for Cleveland. The 26-year-old right-hander, acquired from the Pirates over the winter, has been excellent since allowing seven runs in San Diego in his season debut. Over his last five starts, Ortiz has a 3.29 ERA and 34 strikeouts in only 27 1/3 innings.

Both teams get a 27th man for the doubleheader, and the Nationals chose to call up reliever Zach Brzykcy. The right-hander opened the season on the 15-day injured list with a quad strain, but he’s healthy now and has made five appearances for Triple-A Rochester, most recently on Sunday.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 3:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 980 AM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 73 degrees, wind 12 mph out to center field

CINCINNATI – The Nationals’ 4-1 victory over the Reds early Sunday evening was made possible by MacKenzie Gore’s gutsy five innings in the rain, and by Luis García Jr. and CJ Abrams’ clutch hits in the seventh that gave them the lead for good.

But the only way the Nats were going to be able to celebrate the win at the end of a long weekend and an even longer road trip was for their bullpen to protect that three-run lead.

It may not sound like much of an accomplishment. Bullpens should be counted on to protect three-run leads, yes? This bullpen, of course, did very little in the season’s first month to deserve that kind of trust.

But over the last several days, beginning Thursday in Philadelphia and continuing throughout the weekend in Cincinnati, the Nationals relief corps started pitching like a more reliable unit. And so by the time they took the mound at Great American Ball Park on Sunday, there seemed to be less fear of pending disaster and more confidence about a job well done than there had been at any previous point this year.

It all started with Jorge López, who was given the ball for the bottom of the sixth in relief of Gore. Like the bullpen as a whole, the veteran right-hander endured through a miserable opening month, owner of a 10.57 ERA on April 16 after he was ejected for allegedly throwing at the Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen.

CINCINNATI – MacKenzie Gore survived the rain and mud, digging deep to keep this afternoon’s series finale under control just as it looked like it might slip away.

And because the burgeoning ace was able to do that, Luis García Jr. and CJ Abrams were able to provide the necessary late offensive fireworks that allowed the Nationals to celebrate a 4-1 victory with the sun finally shining at the end of a long, rain-soaked weekend at Great American Ball Park.

With Gore surviving a harrowing top of the fifth as the heavens unloaded on him, and his teammates rallying for three runs in the top of the seventh to take the lead for good, the Nats closed out an eventful road trip in enjoyable fashion. They took two of three from the Reds and salvaged a 3-3 week away from home that began with a tough series in Philadelphia.

“You look at it as: We played really well the last four games of the road trip,” said Gore of a ballclub that’s now 16-19 on the season and 15-13 since a miserable opening week. “We’re playing well. We’re a run away from being in a great spot. We just have to keep showing up and expecting to win every day, and good things will happen.”

The major league leader in strikeouts entering the day, Gore pretty clearly had sharp stuff from the get-go today. Even though he opened his start allowing back-to-back singles, each came on a ground ball that didn’t leave the infield. And he had little trouble getting out of the inning without anybody crossing the plate, recording his first strikeout of the afternoon to strand a pair on base.

CINCINNATI – The Nationals haven’t decided the plan for Michael Soroka yet, but they have decided to give Brad Lord at least one more start in the interim.

Lord is listed as Tuesday night’s starter against the Guardians, staying on turn behind Jake Irvin, who will pitch Monday night’s series opener at Nationals Park. The team has Wednesday’s starter listed as “TBA,” with Soroka a possible candidate to return from a five-week stint on the injured list.

Lord replaced Soroka in the rotation when the latter suffered a right biceps strain during his March 31 season debut in Toronto. The rookie, who opened the year in the bullpen, has slowly been building his arm up since then and Thursday night in Philadelphia reached the sixth inning for the first time in the majors.

Lord has allowed only two runs in each of his last three starts and overall has a 4.43 ERA in eight appearances (five of them starts). He’ll now get a chance to make his sixth start, after which the team will need to decide whether to keep him in the rotation, send him back to the bullpen or option him to Triple-A Rochester to keep him on a starter’s schedule in case the team needs him again in the near future.

Soroka was dominant Friday in his third minor league rehab start, striking out 11 batters over five innings of one-run ball, throwing 94 pitches. The 27-year-old, who was signed for $9 million over the winter, appears ready to go, but the Nationals aren’t making any declarations about the plan for him until they see him throw again Monday when the team returns home.

CINCINNATI – We’ve made it to the end of the series and the end of the road trip, and today’s finale feels like it carries some significance for the Nationals. A win today would secure a weekend series win over the Reds and a 3-3 trip overall against two opponents who are over .500 and have postseason visions. All things considered, that would be just fine for the Nats.

They’ve got their ace on the mound, with MacKenzie Gore looking for his sixth straight start of at least six innings. All but one of those have been a quality start – he gave up four runs in six innings to the Marlins – but he’s surrendered at least two runs in each of them. The point: Gore has been good, not necessarily great, so far this year. He does, of course, enter the day as the league leader in strikeouts, and he’ll have an opportunity to add to his lead in this one.

The Nationals face veteran right-hander Nick Martinez, who after several seasons as a reliever is now a full-time starter. He was the owner of a 6.00 ERA a couple weeks ago, but he’s been better since and in his last start held the Cardinals to one run over six innings to earn his first win.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CINCINNATI REDS
Where: Great American Ball Park
Gametime: 4:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Slight chance of rain, 57 degrees, wind 6 mph right field to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
3B Amed Rosario
DH James Wood
1B Nathaniel Lowe
C Keibert Ruiz
2B Luis García Jr. 
LF Alex Call
RF Dylan Crews
CF Jacob Young

CINCINNATI – Amed Rosario had already hit the ball hard three times tonight, with only minimal production to show for it. By the time he stepped up to the plate a fourth time to face Nick Lodolo, the veteran Nationals infielder had to like his chances of doing it again. And perhaps finally having something real to show for it.

Sure enough, Rosario delivered. His three-run homer to center in the top of the sixth gave the Nats a lead they would not relinquish during what wound up a satisfying, 11-6 victory over the Reds.

That big blast capped a four-RBI night for Rosario, who got the nod at third base against Cincinnati’s left-handed starter and got four chances to face him. His first two at-bats produced loud outs, both in the air to center field. His third found the gap in left-center for an RBI double. But it was his fourth that made the most impact, literally and figuratively.

Stepping to the plate with two on and one out in a tie game, with Lodolo still on the mound for the Reds, Rosario saw a belt-high changeup over the plate and belted it 408 feet to center field. He cruised around the bases to cheers from the visitors’ dugout.

“I was prepared since my first at-bat,” Rosario said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “But of course towards the second and third, I kind of knew what he was going to throw.”

CINCINNATI – Josh Bell is out of the Nationals lineup tonight after tweaking his right groin muscle running out a ground ball during Friday night’s loss to the Reds.

Bell said he hurt himself trying to beat out a seventh-inning grounder to the right side of the infield, walking gingerly back to the dugout after making the out. Davey Martinez sent Amed Rosario out to pinch-hit for him in the top of the ninth.

Though Bell said he feels OK today, Martinez decided not to take a chance on a rainy night at Great American Ball Park.

“He’s better, but he’s a little sore,” the manager said. “So we’ll give him another day. And the weather, not wanting him to go out there in the wet, we’ll keep him down. He’s going to try to hit later, and hopefully he’s available to pinch-hit.”

Bell produced the Nationals’ lone run in their 6-1 loss, connecting for a solo homer in the fifth inning off Cincinnati ace Hunter Greene. The 32-year-old continues to endure through a rough start to his season, owner of a mere .528 OPS despite five home runs.

CINCINNATI – It’s been raining here all day, but there might be just enough of a break in the precipitation for the Nationals and Reds to get tonight’s game in as scheduled, or perhaps slightly delayed. Fingers crossed.

The Nats look to bounce back after Friday night’s rain-delayed, 6-1 loss that featured very little offense and an early deficit created by Mitchell Parker. They really need to flip the script, getting Trevor Williams through the early innings with zeros on the board and plating a run or two so they have a chance to play with the lead.

Williams is coming off a rough one against the Mets in which he surrendered five runs in 5 1/3 innings, suffering his third loss of the season. (Notably, he was charged with only one loss in 13 starts last year.) Williams has actually thrown 99 pitches each of his last two starts; it will be interesting to see if Davey Martinez pushes him that far again or pulls the plug around the 80-pitch mark, hoping to avoid late damage. The good news: All of his so-called top relievers are available, including Kyle Finnegan, Jose A. Ferrer, Jorge Lopez and the newly acquired Andrew Chafin.

A Nationals lineup that was mowed down by right-hander Hunter Greene on Friday faces left-hander Nick Lodolo tonight. The 27-year-old has been excellent so far this season, with a 2.25 ERA and 0.861 WHIP in six starts. Interestingly, though, he has only 27 strikeouts in 36 innings. He has also walked only five batters. Point is: Look for plenty of contact tonight.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CINCINNATI REDS
Where: Great American Ball Park
Gametime: 6:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Rain diminishing, 54 degrees, wind 10 mph left field to right field

CINCINNATI – One starter couldn’t throw strikes. The other was blowing away hitters with one of the best arsenals in baseball. Together, it made for a bad combination for the Nationals.

With Mitchell Parker issuing five walks in his second consecutive shaky outing, and with Hunter Greene racking up 12 strikeouts in six innings against a helpless lineup, the Nats stood no chance tonight in their series opener at Great American Ball Park, falling 6-1 to the Reds in a game that never really felt within reach.

Parker dug his team into an early hole and didn’t make it to the fifth inning for the first time this season. Greene took full advantage of the cushion his teammates provided him and went right after the Nationals, who could only muster a ton of foul balls against the young Cincinnati hurler on a frustrating night that also included a lengthy rain delay.

“He’s their ace,” manager Davey Martinez said. “He was good tonight.”

Command hadn’t been a problem for Parker through the season’s first month. He issued only 11 walks through his first 32 innings, and not surprisingly boasted a 1.39 ERA at the time.

CINCINNATI – Sometimes, a player takes great care and thought before signing with a new team. And sometimes, Andrew Chafin gets a call from the Nationals, and the veteran reliever just says yes right away.

“They called and said: ‘We’ve got a job for you.’ I said: ‘Alright, let’s do this thing,’” the left-hander said. “So then I showed up today. It’s pretty simple.”

That right there should tell you everything you need to know about Chafin, the 34-year-old reliever with 601 games of major league experience, now about to pitch for his seventh different team after the Nats offered him a one-year, $1 million contract Thursday.

As Nathaniel Lowe, briefly his teammate in Texas last season, put it, Chafin is “uniquely himself.” There’s nothing phony about him. What you see is what you get.

And what the Nationals are hoping to get are a whole lot of quality appearances out of the bullpen, providing some stability and experience to a group that sorely needs it.

CINCINNATI – Hello from Great American Ball Park, where we could be in for a wild weather weekend. There are thunderstorms expected later this afternoon. It probably won’t postpone tonight’s series opener, but it could delay first pitch (which is already at the earlier-than-usual time of 6:10 p.m.). Then it’s supposed to rain all day Saturday and into Sunday. Guess we’ll just deal with that when and if it happens.

The Nationals arrive here fresh off a nice win in Philadelphia last night, salvaging one game from that series. They would love to keep the momentum going, but they face a stiff challenge tonight in burgeoning Reds ace Hunter Greene, owner of a triple-digit fastball.

Mitchell Parker has been pretty good himself on the mound so far this season, though the left-hander is coming off his worst start to date. He’ll need to get back on track and keep the ball in the yard in a ballpark that is known for surrendering plenty of home runs.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CINCINNATI REDS
Where: Great American Ball Park
Gametime: 6:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Thunderstorms, 72 degrees, wind 7 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
1B Nathaniel Lowe
C Keibert Ruiz
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Josh Bell
RF Dylan Crews
3B José Tena
CF Jacob Young