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.

The Orioles won’t face a left-handed starter this week in Minnesota, denying them a chance to improve on a 2-9 record but also eliminating the possibility that it gets worse.

They couldn’t score Saturday in a combined seven innings against Kris Bubic and Daniel Lynch IV. Of course, the two right-handers who followed also shut them out.

Yesterday began with the club batting .174 with a .490 OPS against lefties, the lowest in baseball. The Royals started veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzo and he surrendered a career-high four home runs to match his season total. So yes, the Orioles lost but they did better against righties.

“Obviously, been a bit of a struggle for us,” said major league coach Buck Britton, in his first season on the staff after managing at Triple-A Norfolk. “We actually just had a conversation in the clubhouse today with the hitting coaches and it’s back to the drawing board.

“I feel like we’ve got a great training environment. But yeah, it’s out there and we’ve got to get out in front of it. I don’t know if there’s an easy fix, but we have the talent in there to make adjustments and get this ship back on the right track, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Orioles reliever Yennier Cano stood with his hands on his hips. He did it once, twice, as if in a state of disbelief.

He had no other reaction. The season hadn’t prepared him for it.

Cano surrendered his first earned runs in 13 appearances and his first homers, with the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino going back-to-back to break a tie in the seventh in an 11-6 victory over the Orioles before an announced crowd of 31,956 at Camden Yards.

Kansas City began the series ranked last in the majors with 15 homers, but they set the club record with seven today and have 10 over the past two games. The Orioles hit four, including a pair from Jackson Holliday, and fell way short, lowering their record to 13-20 as they ready for their next road trip following an off-day.

Every homer today was a solo on Star Wars Weekend until Michael Massey’s two-run shot off Matt Bowman in the ninth. The jokes write themselves.

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

The Orioles close out their series against the Royals today at rainy Camden Yards with Coby Mayo at third base and Maverick Handley catching.

This is Handley’s first major league start. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.

Ryan O’Hearn is in right field. Heston Kjerstad is in left.

Kyle Gibson makes his second start after signing with the Orioles and going through a buildup. He surrendered five home runs to the Yankees before the end of the second inning and allowed nine runs and 11 hits in 3 2/3.

Gibson is 11-6 with a 4.00 ERA and 1.300 WHIP in 28 career games (26 starts) versus the Royals.

Coby Mayo was heading to Baltimore yesterday as the Orioles posted their lineup against Royals left-hander Kris Bubic, the owner of reverse splits and a dominant start against them last month in Kansas City.

Emmanuel Rivera started at third base with Jordan Westburg and now Ramón Urías on the injured list. The Royals close out the series today with right-hander Michael Lorenzen, who shows a slight reversal in career splits with right-handers batting .252 with a .715 OPS and left-handers batting .231 with a .705 OPS.

The splits are more pronounced this season. Right-handers are batting .279 with an .884 OPS and left-handers are batting .225 with a .559 OPS in his six starts.

Mayo has a chance to crack the lineup, whether at third base or first. He’s made an equal number of starts at each position with Triple-A Norfolk, and observers say he’s improved.

One of them sat in the Orioles’ clubhouse yesterday, with a better shot at starting today – weather permitting, of course – because Adley Rutschman caught last night.

The Orioles’ best starter warmed in the bullpen, retired the side in order in the first inning on only nine pitches and sat, waited and wondered if he’d get back on the mound.

Long rain delays are the enemy of every manager who detests an unplanned bullpen game.

Tomoyuki Sugano wasn’t done, warming again and returning after a 57-minute stoppage. Large puddles had formed in front of the home dugout area. Sugano looked for a while like he’d make the night’s biggest splash.

Sugano’s scoreless streak reached 14 innings before the Royals pushed across a run in the fourth. Cavan Biggio hit his first home run in the fifth, and the Orioles still couldn’t solve Royals left-hander Kris Bubic in a 4-0 loss before an announced crowd of 19,348 at soggy Camden Yards.

The Orioles were trying to win three in a row for the first time since the three-game series in Minnesota that ended the 2024 regular season. Instead, they were shut out for the fifth time.

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.”

The Orioles lost one of their most versatile players and productive hitters in the latest injury to strike the club.

Ramón Urías is on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain that manager Brandon Hyde described today as “mild.” The move is retroactive to Thursday, making Urías eligible to return on May 11.

Coby Mayo, the No. 2 prospect in the system and 12^th in baseball per MLB Pipeline, was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk as the corresponding move.

Urías played Wednesday night and went 2-for-4 with a home run. He reached on an infield single in the eighth inning.

The Orioles had Urías starting at third base yesterday but he was scratched due to the sore hamstring. Emmanuel Rivera replaced him, had an RBI single in the seventh inning and is at third base again tonight.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled INF Coby Mayo from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Placed INF Ramón Urías (right hamstring strain) on the 10-day Injured List, retroactive to May 1.

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

PHILADELPHIA – Brad Lord had handed over the ball to his manager four times previously as a big league starter, but this one was different. Different, because he was handing the ball to Miguel Cairo, not Davey Martinez. And different, because no matter who he was handing the ball to, he was doing so beyond the fifth inning and with the Nationals leading at the time, leaving the rookie right-hander in line for the win.

“Great job. Way to compete,” Cairo, who was filling in for Martinez while the latter attended his longtime agent’s funeral, said. “You put us in a good spot.”

Lord had to sweat out the final four innings of Thursday night’s game at Citizens Bank Park. But when Kyle Finnegan got Rafael Marchán to line out to end the game, he knew what it meant. His first major league win was now official.

“It’s a huge relief,” Lord said. “I knew right from the get-go, no doubt in my mind that he’s got it. When that last out is made, it’s a huge flood of emotions.”

Lord earned his first win both because of his effective pitching performance, allowing only two runs to a tough Phillies lineup, but also because of the efficiency he displayed to allow him to complete the requisite five innings for the first time.

PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals made a move to bolster their bullpen today, signing Andrew Chafin to a $1 million, major league deal. But the veteran left-hander won’t be joining the team until Friday in Cincinnati, and with Colin Poche designated for assignment to clear a roster spot for him, the Nats were left with a depleted relief corps for tonight’s series finale against the Phillies, one that featured only one lefty.

So it was up to bench coach Miguel Cairo, filling in for Davey Martinez while the manager was away at the funeral of his longtime agent, to figure out how to cobble together the final four innings of a tight ballgame against a tough opponent with limited resources at his disposal.

And when the Nationals found a way to survive, getting four scoreless frames from the trio of Jose A. Ferrer, Jorge López and Kyle Finnegan, they were able to breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy a hard-earned, 4-2 victory at Citizens Bank Park.

“I don’t think there’s anybody in this clubhouse that was worried,” first baseman Nathaniel Lowe said. “It was just a matter of time before the guys get their feet under them. … It’s OK to believe in your teammates and understand they’re all going through something and trying to find a way to be the best version of themselves. Really happy with the result tonight.”

It didn’t come easy. Ferrer allowed one runner he inherited from Brad Lord to score in the sixth but wound up recording six outs to bridge the gap to the back end of the bullpen. López had to face the heart of the Philly lineup and put two guys on base, but survived by inducing a 5-4-3 double play out of Nick Castellanos. Finnegan then overcame a two-out triple by Johan Rojas to notch his 10th save, avenge back-to-back blown save opportunities earlier in the week and ensure Lord would come out of this with his first career win.

PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals made their first significant bullpen change of the season this evening, signing veteran left-hander Andrew Chafin to a major league deal and designating Colin Poche for assignment.

Chafin, 34, has 601 games of big league experience with six different clubs, the first 380 of them with the Diamondbacks. Owner of a 3.42 ERA, 1.275 WHIP and 20 career saves, he had a 3.51 ERA in 62 games with the Tigers and Rangers last season.

Chafin opened this season with Detroit's Triple-A club in Toledo, posting a 2.13 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings before opting out of his minor league contract and becoming a free agent. He's scheduled to join the Nats in Cincinnati on Friday.

Poche made the Opening Day roster out of spring training based on his solid track record with the Rays, but the 31-year-old struggled from the outset and never found a groove despite a number of opportunities. In 13 total appearances, Poche had an 11.42 ERA, issuing 12 walks in only 8 2/3 innings. He also allowed 8-of-12 inherited runners to score.

Chafin will join Jose A. Ferrer as the two left-handers in a Nationals bullpen that enters the day ranked last in the majors with a 7.41 ERA and 1.77 WHIP. The team will be a man down for tonight's game, with only seven available relievers.