MIAMI – You would think three night games at loanDepot Park in front of announced crowds under 10,000 would be enough. But guess what, there's still one more game to be played in this four-game series, and it's yet another night game!

The Nationals saw their winning streak against the Marlins end at five with Wednesday night's ugly, 8-3 loss. That was only their second loss in nine total games so far in September, so the unsightly performance wasn't consistent with the quality of play we had seen over the majority of the last week and a half. And tonight's game sees the surprise return of MacKenzie Gore to the mound exactly 15 days after he landed on the IL with left shoulder inflammation.

It's been a while since we did one of these Q&A's. And since there wasn't really anything else to follow up on from Wednesday's game, let's open the floor this morning to your questions. Please leave them in the comments section below, then check back throughout the morning for my responses ...

MIAMI – The Nationals’ first loss to the Marlins in six head-to-head matchups this month came amid a flurry of ground ball singles, defensive gaffes and red-hot emotions that may have gotten the best of them.

During the critical sequence of events that led to tonight’s 8-3 loss at loanDepot Park, both interim manager Miguel Cairo and starting pitcher Jake Irvin were ejected by crew chief Laz Diaz, Irvin shortly after he had been pulled from the game.

The ejections were a direct result of a controversial call made by Diaz’s crew during the decisive bottom of the sixth, but it would be understandable if both Cairo and Irvin’s emotions were so high because of their own team’s shaky play in the moments that preceded the actual controversial call.

This, to be sure, was an ugly game, not to mention a winnable game until Miami blew it open late. The Nationals did not win because they gave up four runs in the sixth and another in the seventh despite very little loud contact off Irvin and the bullpen, but rather a series of ground balls that either found holes or were misplayed by defenders.

"We could've been sharper," Cairo said. "Irvin was pitching really good, and I kind of feel bad for him, because he was dealing. We could've been sharper."

MIAMI – When MacKenzie Gore said Tuesday he planned on pitching again this season, he actually meant he planned on pitching again this week.

Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo announced today that Gore, having recovered from left shoulder inflammation, will be activated off the 15-day injured list Thursday and start his team’s series finale against the Marlins.

“I think it was good to just let him make sure his shoulder was fine, and it wasn’t that bad,” Cairo said. “I’m glad that he’s back, and he’s going to start tomorrow.”

It’s a rapid return for Gore, who was placed on the IL on Aug. 30 (retroactive to Aug. 27). He expressed optimism all along the move was only precautionary and that he’d back pitching for the Nats as soon as possible.

Turns out he’ll be pitching on the first day he’s eligible to return, having completed a bullpen session Tuesday at loanDepot Park with no issues and declaring himself ready to go.

MIAMI – The Nationals’ September to remember continues, the team having now opened this final month of the season 7-1, including five straight wins over the Marlins. And there are still two more games to go in this series at loanDepot Park, where they’ll try to do it again tonight and move to within 4 1/2 games of third place in the NL East.

This hot streak has been sparked by good offensive production from up and down the lineup. As a team, the Nats boast an .825 OPS through the first eight games of the month, blasting 14 homers (four of those by Josh Bell over the last three days). And they’ve already done damage to the guy they’re facing tonight: Eury Perez, who allowed seven runs in four innings last week at Nationals Park, with Nasim Nunez and Brady House each homering off the young right-hander.

Jake Irvin, remarkably, has not faced the Marlins yet this season. And he only faced them once in 2024, way back in April when he allowed two runs over six innings. As such, only one current member of Miami’s active roster has ever stepped into the box against Irvin in the big leagues: Joey Wiemer, who went 0-for-2 while playing for the Brewers in July 2023. Perhaps unfamiliarity will play into Irvin’s hands tonight as he tries to extend the Nationals’ winning streak.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MIAMI MARLINS
Where: loanDepot Park
Gametime: 6:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
DH James Wood
1B Josh Bell
2B Luis García Jr.
C Jorge Alfaro
3B Brady House
RF Dylan Crews
CF Robert Hassell III

MIAMI – The situation was almost comical, until you realized how painful it also was and how upsetting it must have been for everyone associated with the Nationals who nearly ran out of catchers during Tuesday night’s 7-5 win over the Marlins.

Riley Adams had already been forced to leave the game after taking a foul ball off his groin in the bottom of the second. Now, seven innings later, Jorge Alfaro had the exact same thing happen to him, leaving the veteran stunned and trying to walk it off as interim manager Miguel Cairo rushed from the dugout to check on him.

Keibert Ruiz and Drew Millas were already on the injured list. Adams was out of the game. What would the Nats have done if Alfaro had to depart as well?

Hey, Andres Chaparro, how about you try on a catcher’s mask and mitt and see how it goes.

Chaparro, a first baseman and designated hitter who has never caught as a professional ballplayer, did indeed don the bare minimum tools of ignorance to catch Mitchell Parker’s warm-up pitches prior to the bottom of the third Tuesday night while Alfaro put his gear back on after batting in the top of the inning. Chaparro didn’t exactly look comfortable back there, but he would’ve been the guy if the team needed an emergency catcher.

MIAMI – The National League East standings still show the fifth-place Nationals trailing the third-place Marlins by 5 1/2 games. If you’ve watched the five games played between these two clubs over the last eight days, you would never believe that.

Based strictly on these recent head-to-head matchups, it’s impossible to view the Nats as the inferior team. They have so thoroughly dominated Miami while winning five straight, it doesn’t compute that they’ve got the lesser record over the entirety of the season.

Tonight’s 7-5 victory, featuring yet another Josh Bell homer and one of Mitchell Parker’s best starts of the year before things got a bit hairy during the bottom of the ninth, was the latest example. The Nationals have now won these five consecutive head-to-head matchups by the combined score of 39-19. They’re also now 7-1 in September, having also taken two of three from the playoff-contending Cubs over the weekend in Chicago.

"It's not always going to be a masterpiece," interim manager Miguel Cairo said. "But they battled. We got good at-bats. We scored some runs. The most important thing is we got a W. We've just got to keep going and keep playing the way we've been playing."

Offense has been at the forefront of this recent surge, but tonight the Nats also got a long-awaited pitching gem from Parker.

MIAMI – Keibert Ruiz rejoined the Nationals today, though not under the circumstances he or the club preferred.

After taking another foul ball off his facemask and experiencing a recurrence of concussion symptoms, Ruiz was pulled off his rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg and flown down to Miami to meet with team doctors and determine the next course of action.

“It’s really frustrating that I’ve been dealing with this for what, two months?” said Ruiz, who has been on the 7-day concussion injured list since July 6. “But I feel obviously better than the first time I got hit. I’m just trusting in god that everything’s going to be alright.”

Ruiz, who initially was struck by a foul ball June 23 while in the dugout in San Diego, then again while behind the plate July 5 in Washington, began his minor league rehab assignment one week ago. He successfully caught five innings in Tuesday’s debut with Harrisburg, then served as designated hitter Wednesday, then caught six innings Thursday.

He took another foul ball off his mask during the bottom of the second Thursday, though he remained in the game and finished out his planned six innings behind the plate before departing. He said he felt fine throughout that game and didn’t experience any concussion symptoms until the following day, which he reported to the team.

MIAMI – The Nationals and Marlins have played each other a lot over the last week, and there’s still three more games to go in this series. That familiarity means a lot of familiar pitching matchups. We saw Cade Cavalli face Miami for the second straight outing Monday night. And tonight we’ll see both Mitchell Parker and Adam Mazur face these opposing lineups for the second straight time.

Parker had his best start in weeks when he faced the Marlins on Wednesday afternoon in D.C. He carried a shutout into the fifth before allowing four runs (only two earned). It was an important step forward for the struggling left-hander, who managed to get his ERA back under 6.00. Now, can he continue that positive trend tonight against the same opponent?

Mazur started for Miami the previous night and took the loss to Cavalli. The rookie right-hander, in his 11th career start, gave up five runs (four earned) on 10 hits in six innings, giving up a homer to James Wood and doubles to CJ Abrams, Daylen Lile, Riley Adams and Dylan Crews. The Nats would love to keep that kind of offensive production going, especially after exploding for 15 runs here Monday night.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MIAMI MARLINS
Where: loanDepot Park
Gametime: 6:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
1B Josh Bell
DH Daylen Lile
2B Luis García Jr.
C Riley Adams
3B Brady House
RF Dylan Crews
CF Jacob Young

MIAMI – Cade Cavalli had been in the visitors’ clubhouse at loanDepot Park several times previously. Not because he was a member of the Nationals’ big league roster, but because he had been rehabbing from injuries in nearby West Palm Beach and drove down to Miami when the Nats were in town playing the Marlins to meet with coaches and trainers and feel like part of the roster for at least a few days.

When he entered Monday afternoon, Cavalli recognized the difference. This time, he was on the active roster. This time, he wasn’t just throwing a bullpen session. This time, he was starting that night’s game for the Nationals.

“I felt that exact emotion when I walked in here,” the right-hander said. “I was like: Dang, it was three years in a row of checking in with people, from 2022 up til now that I’ve been here as a rehabber. And now I’m in here as a player. It just takes me back through the journey that I’ve been on. I’m really grateful that god has given me the health to be here and to be a teammate with these guys and be able to go compete for them. It’s really good emotions that came through.”

Cavalli would have felt that way regardless of the results of Monday night’s game. The fact he also pitched well over five efficient innings and emerged with his third career win only sweetened the deal.

It’s taken a lot longer than anyone would have expected, but the Nationals’ 2020 first round pick is finally a healthy, productive member of the big league rotation. Monday represented his seventh start of the season, the eighth of his career. He’s now 3-1 with a 4.67 ERA that’s a bit misleading because of one blowup start at Yankee Stadium two weeks ago that skewered his stats. Throw that one out, and Cavalli is 3-0 with a 3.06 ERA.

MIAMI – This has not been, by any measure, the rookie season Dylan Crews or the Nationals expected. There was a sluggish start at the plate. Then a lengthy stint on the injured list. And though there have been encouraging moments here and then since his return last month, there still hasn’t been enough consistent production to get anyone excited about a guy who was supposed to be one of the most exciting young players in baseball.

There are nights, though, like this one when Crews does remind everyone just how much difference he can make. And that’s what the Nats must cling to as they look ahead to a 2026 lineup they hope is much more consistently productive than the 2025 version was, with Crews certain to be a key figure.

The version of the 23-year-old outfielder who showed up tonight during a 15-7 thumping of the Marlins was exactly the kind of player the Nationals thought they were getting with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He went 3-for-5, ripping a clutch single up the middle to drive in the go-ahead run back when the game was close, hustling his way to swipe an extra base thanks to a nifty slide around the tag and then capping it all off with a no-doubt, three-run homer to turn this game into a rout.

"We've been working hard every day," he said. "It's just good to get some results, get a few knocks today."

Crews’ efforts – combined with plenty of others including a two-homer, six-RBI night from Josh Bell – helped lead the Nationals to their sixth win in seven games to begin the month of September. It’s a dramatic turnaround after three straight months in which they couldn’t even win 10 games, and it has probably saved them from the ignominy of a 100-loss season. Now 59-84, they need to go only 4-15 the rest of the way to avoid the century mark.

MIAMI – The Nationals have pulled Keibert Ruiz back from his minor league rehab assignment after he experienced a recurrence of mild headaches, a concerning development for the 27-year-old catcher, who has been on the 7-day concussion injured list for two months.

Ruiz had been cleared last week to begin playing in games with Double-A Harrisburg, and he was in the Senators lineup for three straight days, catching five innings Tuesday while serving as designated hitter Wednesday. He was struck in the mask by a foul ball in the second inning of Thursday’s game in Bowie but continued to play through the full six innings that were scheduled for him all along.

The Nationals had announced plans for Ruiz to continue building up his workload to seven innings behind the plate Friday and (after again DHing Saturday) the full nine innings Sunday. But he was unable to play in any of those games after reporting “mild headaches,” according to the team.

Ruiz was pulled off the rehab assignment and will now rejoin the Nats here in Miami, where he will continue the concussion protocol the club and Major League Baseball have outlined.

“It’s a little concerning,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “But we’ve got to look at what is best for him. Right now, he’s experiencing a little headache, and we’re going to see how he feels tomorrow. We’ve just got to wait and see.”

MIAMI – After a gorgeous (and successful) weekend in Chicago, the Nationals now open a four-game series here in Miami, where we’re getting torrential rain and the environment inside loanDepot Park figures to be nothing like the environment was at Wrigley Field the last three days. No problem, the Nats just hope to keep their winning ways going, regardless of opponent or venue.

The Nationals did just sweep the Marlins at home last week before taking two of three against the Cubs, so they’re feeling very good about themselves as they prepare to open this series tonight. And the guy on the mound will be looking to continue what he did last time out against this same lineup.

Cade Cavalli tossed five innings of two-run ball vs. Miami, striking out six and earning his second career win. The right-hander now gets a chance to face the Marlins again and keep things going in the right direction. Right-hander Janson Junk, who shut out the Nationals over 5 2/3 innings back in June, takes the mound for Miami.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MIAMI MARLINS
Where: loanDepot Park
Gametime: 6:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
1B Josh Bell
DH Daylen Lile
2B Luis García Jr.
C Riley Adams
3B Paul DeJong
RF Dylan Crews
CF Robert Hassell III

CHICAGO – At some point last month, Cole Henry said, the members of baseball’s worst bullpen came to an important realization.

Nobody outside the Nationals believed that group was capable of being good. Perhaps that might even have been true for some people within the organization. And given the unit’s lack of experience – 25-year-old Jose A. Ferrer was the only reliever on the staff with more than a year of big league service time – there was nothing for anybody to lose at that point.

“Just looking around, we’re kind of all in the same situation,” Henry said. “Ferrer has the most time out of all of us. It’s kind of like, we’re all in this together. Let’s make something out of it and see if we can finish the year strong.”

You won’t believe what’s happened since. Over the last three weeks, the best bullpen in the major leagues has belonged to the Washington Nationals. Yes, the Nationals.

The pertinent starting point is Aug. 20, when four relievers combined to toss 3 2/3 scoreless innings and preserve a 5-4 win over the Mets. Prior to that game, the Nationals bullpen ranked dead-last in the majors in ERA (5.82) and WHIP (1.549). In 17 games since, that group ranks first in the majors in both categories, delivering a sparkling 1.97 ERA and 1.005 WHIP.

CHICAGO – For eight innings, they did next to nothing at the plate. Three hits. Zero walks. No life. The Nationals looked ready to leave Wrigley Field with a loss in the series finale and head south to Miami.

And then they sprung back to life. In a big way. To pull off perhaps their most unexpected win of the season.

With a furious five-run, top-of-the-ninth rally that included clutch homers from Robert Hassell III and Josh Bell, the Nationals stormed back to beat the Cubs, 6-3 and send the Wrigley Field faithful who turned out to celebrate Sammy Sosa’s induction into the team’s Hall of Fame home devastated.

"The guys, they've been resilient," said interim manager Miguel Cairo, whose team has gone 5-1 to begin September after failing to win 10 games in any of the previous three months. "Like I've said before, they battle to the end."

Maybe so, but the Nats gave no indication all afternoon they had anything like this in them. They barely scored one run through eight innings against Chicago’s seemingly effective bullpen game and looked ready to call it a day.

CHICAGO – Josiah Gray made his return to competitive baseball today, the Nationals right-hander throwing 34 pitches during a rehab start for Single-A Wilmington that represented a major milestone in his return from elbow surgery.

Nearly 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure to reconstruct and reinforce the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, Gray took the mound to face an opposing team for the first time. Donning a No. 20 Blue Rocks uniform at Frawley Stadium in Wilmington, he faced seven Aberdeen batters in total, retiring four without allowing a hit.

Gray was sharp in the top of the first, striking out the first batter he faced before inducing two fly outs. His command wavered in the top of the second, leading to a pair of walks and a hit batter. Scheduled for 30-35 pitches from the outset, he was pulled with the bases loaded and one out in the second, deferring to reliever Peyton Glavine, who got out of the jam without allowing a run.

All told, Gray threw 18 of his 34 pitches for strikes, appearing to use his full arsenal.

Truth be told, results were secondary for Gray in this rehab debut. The Nationals were focused solely on his ability to pitch in a competitive game and emerge healthy from it.

CHICAGO – Behind a stellar pitching performance from both their starter and their resurgent bullpen, the Nationals pulled out a 2-1 victory over the Cubs on Saturday afternoon. Which means they now have a chance to win the weekend series this afternoon, with another rookie starter taking the mound.

Andrew Alvarez makes his second career start, and if this one goes anything like his debut did, it’s going to be a great day for the lefty and the Nats. Alvarez was incredibly poised and in control Monday afternoon against the Marlins, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing only one hit. The challenge today is significantly tougher, with a good Chicago lineup standing in his way. But for what it’s worth, the wind has shifted direction here at Wrigley Field, now blowing in from left field instead of out to right field. Maybe, just maybe, that will help keep fly balls off the bats of right-handed batters facing Alvarez within the Friendly Confines instead of reaching the bleachers.

The Nationals managed to win Saturday despite scoring only two runs. They probably need more than that today in a matchup against the Cubs bullpen. Veteran lefty Drew Pomeranz will be the opener, then we’ll have to see how Craig Counsell manages things from there.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO CUBS
Where: Wrigley Field
Gametime: 2:20 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 64 degrees, wind 9 mph in from left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
DH James Wood
C Riley Adams
LF Daylen Lile
1B Andrés Chaparro
2B Luis García jR.
3B Brady House
RF Dylan Crews
CF Robert Hassell III

Davey Johnson didn’t need to manage the Nationals. He had already enjoyed as full and successful a baseball career as anyone could have wanted by the time Mike Rizzo called him up in June 2011 with an unexpected offer to come back to the dugout.

A four-time All-Star second baseman and two-time World Series champion with the Orioles. A record-setting home run hitter in a Braves lineup that also included Hank Aaron. Another World Series title as manager of the powerhouse 1986 Mets. Division titles as manager of the Reds and Orioles, not to mention 1997 American League Manager of Year honors. A bronze medal with Team USA at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, then a semifinal appearance in the first World Baseball Classic the following year.

Johnson was 68, having survived multiple health scares including heart surgery and a ruptured appendix that nearly ended his life. He had dealt with the personal tragedy of losing a daughter and a stepson at young ages. Why did he need to accept Rizzo’s offer to take over the Nats’ job in midseason following Jim Riggleman’s surprise resignation following a walk-off win?

“It was not a tough decision for me to step in,” he said on June 27, 2011, in a press conference room in Anaheim prior to his first game back. “It’s really exciting to even have a chance to compete.”

This was an opportunity Johnson neither sought nor expected. But when it was presented to him, he jumped at the opportunity because he loved any chance he got to turn a ballclub into a winner.

CHICAGO – In his two months on the job, Miguel Cairo has established a clear policy on the deployment of his new closer. It doesn’t matter if it’s the seventh, eighth or ninth inning. If the game is on the line, and the opponents’ best hitters are due up, Jose A. Ferrer is going to be on the mound. And if someone else needs to finish out the game after that, so be it.

It’s a forward-thinking strategy that has served the Nationals’ interim manager well to date, and it worked to perfection today during a 2-1 victory over the Cubs.

With Ferrer retiring the top of the Chicago lineup in the bottom of the eighth, it was rookie Cole Henry trotting in from the bullpen for the bottom of the ninth and ultimately earning his second career save.

"It's something that I learned," Cairo said of the somewhat unconventional strategy. "I had really good managers that I played for and I watched work. ... We've got a plan, and we stick to it."

Those two back-end relievers weren’t alone in making this win possible. Brad Lord set the tone with 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball in his best start in weeks. PJ Poulin finished off the sixth with a big out to strand the tying runner in scoring position. And Clayton Beeter worked around two more walks to record his ninth consecutive hitless inning of relief, keeping the one-run lead intact heading to the eighth.

Davey Johnson, one of baseball’s most successful managers who took over the Nationals at a time of unexpected chaos and led them to their first postseason berth, has died at 82, the team confirmed this morning.

Johnson, who had dealt with a number of medical issues later in life, lived outside Orlando with his wife, Susan, since his retirement following the 2013 season.

“On behalf of my family and the entire Washington Nationals organization, I want to extend my condolences to Davey Johnson’s family and loved ones,” managing principal owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. “We are all deeply saddened by his passing and join all of Major League Baseball in honoring his memory.

“Davey was a world-class manager, leading our team to its first NL East title and earning Manager of the Year honors in 2012. But, most importantly, he was an incredible person. I’ll always cherish the memories we made together with the Nationals, and I know his legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of our fans and those across baseball.”

Johnson had long since established his legacy of success as both a four-time All-Star second baseman with the Orioles and Braves in the 1960s and ’70s and as the World Series-winning manager of the Mets in 1986 before joining the Nationals as a consultant to former general manager Jim Bowden in 2006. He became a senior advisor to Mike Rizzo when the latter replaced Bowden as GM in 2009 and seemed content to finish out his career with the off-the-field role.

CHICAGO – It’s another beautiful day at the Friendly Confines, where the Nationals will look to shrug off Friday’s 11-5 loss to the Cubs and get back to the winning ways they previously discovered against the Marlins. To do that, they’re going to need a good start out of Brad Lord.

The rookie right-hander had been on an impressive run for months, but his last three starts have gone sideways (17 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings against the Mets, Yankees and Rays). During that time, his ERA has shot up from 3.26 to 4.34, turning such a promising debut season into something less than that. Lord still has an opportunity to right the ship, though, over the final month and will look to start that process today against a Chicago lineup that launched four homers into the bleachers Friday afternoon.

At the plate, the Nationals will try to get to Cubs starter Matthew Boyd early after going silent the first time through the order against Friday starter Javier Assad before getting hot. The lefty was quite good against the Nats back in June, allowing two runs over 7 1/3 innings. But he took the loss that night because MacKenzie Gore was even better in pitching his team to a 2-0 victory.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO CUBS
Where: Wrigley Field
Gametime: 2:20 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 65 degrees, wind 14 mph out to right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
DH James Wood
C Jorge Alfaro
1B Josh Bell
LF Daylen Lile
RF Dylan Crews
2B Nasim Nuñez
3B Brady House
CF Jacob Young