PITTSBURGH – One day after lamenting a lack of “intensity” from his beleaguered relief corps, Nationals manager Davey Martinez summoned the entire group to his office for a pump-you-up meeting prior to tonight’s game against the Pirates.

The message of that session?

“I just wanted to let them know it’s early,” Martinez said. “We’ve only played 10 percent of our games. We’ve still got 90 percent of our games left. … I just want them to stay positive, keep their heads up. We’ve got a lot of baseball left.”

Nationals relievers entered the day with a 6.91 ERA and 1.921 WHIP, both worst in the majors by a healthy amount. Each of the last two days, they’ve turned winnable games into blowouts, surrendering a combined seven runs over 5 2/3 innings.

After Monday’s 10-3 loss, Martinez noted there needs to be more intensity shown from some relievers when entering a close game, even if the team is trailing by a couple of runs. Today, he decided to bring the entire group together, offering his own thoughts but also opening the floor for the pitchers themselves to speak up.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Activated RHP Scott Blewett. He will wear No. 67.
• Optioned RHP Colin Selby to Triple-A Norfolk.

Takes of all temperatures are flown about a variety of Orioles spaces. 

But one take should be freezing cold: this team sure knows how to draft. 

The minor league season is underway, and there are plenty of outstanding performances to highlight. The Orioles are in the midst of a long homestand, so let’s take some time to take a look down on the farm. 

The 2024 Draft Class 

The Orioles held the 22nd overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, their lowest first-round draft pick since 2016. With that choice, they selected Vance Honeycutt, an outfielder out of North Carolina. After a rocky start to his pro career, Honeycutt has started the 2025 season firing on all cylinders down in Aberdeen, to the tune of a .310/.487/.517/1.004 slash line. He does have 13 strikeouts through nine games, but he also leads the team in walks with nine. 

PITTSBURGH – There have been times in club history when the Nationals bullpen garnered too much attention for the wrong reasons.

Think of the first half of the 2017 season, when Dusty Baker went through three different closers before Mike Rizzo finally acquired Sean Doolittle at the trade deadline.

Think of the first half of the 2019 season, when Davey Martinez had no choice but to overwork Doolittle because there were no other reliable arms in the pen, at least until Rizzo acquired Daniel Hudson at the trade deadline.

And think of the disastrous 2021 season, in which a veteran-laden roster still believing it could contend was done in by a variety of calamities, including some July meltdowns by a bullpen anchored by the highly combustible Brad Hand.

It’s easy to look at the current team’s bullpen dilemma and compare it to those previous scenarios. But there’s a distinct difference this time around: The problem isn’t the closer, it’s all the guys pitching in front of him.

PITTSBURGH – They weren’t going to come right out and say it, but the Nationals understood the monumental task staring them in the face this evening.

His name is Paul Skenes, and he’s the most intimidating pitcher on the planet right now. The Nats had managed to avoid the hulking Pirates right-hander during his ballyhooed rookie season. They finally ran into the buzzsaw tonight at PNC Park and learned firsthand what everyone else around baseball already knew.

The Nationals did manage to push across a couple of late runs against Skenes, but that wasn’t nearly enough on a night in which they once again saw their bullpen turn a potentially winnable game into a lopsided defeat, this time by a count of 10-3.

"There's got to be a little more intensity from this bullpen when they come into games to keep it close," a clearly agitated manager Davey Martinez said. "Right now, there's two guys back there, we can't even get to them: (setup man Jose A.) Ferrer and (closer Kyle) Finnegan."

You can't use your setup man and your closer if you're trailing by multiple runs, and that's exactly what has happened during three straight losses for a team that felt great about itself when it opened this 10-game road trip with its fourth straight win.

PITTSBURGH – Nasim Nuñez spent the entire 2024 season in the big leagues. Walking into the Nationals clubhouse this weekend shouldn’t have been a big deal for the 24-year-old infielder.

It is different this time around, though. Nuñez may have been a big leaguer all last season, but he was the 26th player on a 26-man roster, a Rule 5 Draft pick tasked with learning everything he could from the bench, rarely getting a chance to play.

This time, Nuñez could be here to play, summoned from Triple-A Rochester after starting shortstop CJ Abrams landed on the 10-day injured list.

“I told my dad I feel like I never left,” Nuñez said. “I’m very excited, but at the same time I’m very calm. I think the calmness came from last year. And the excitedness is coming from actually coming up here and living out my dream.”

Davey Martinez didn’t play Nuñez over the weekend in Miami, wanting to give him some time to adapt and get comfortable again. But he’s got him in the lineup tonight for the Nats’ series opener against the Pirates, including a matchup with ace Paul Skenes.

PITTSBURGH – A road trip that looked much more manageable on paper than the recently completed homestand did has not proven to be all that manageable so far. The Nationals lost two of three in Miami over the weekend, and now they open a four-game series in Pittsburgh with a matchup against the best young pitcher in the sport.

Yes, Paul Skenes is on the mound tonight for the Pirates, the first time the phenom right-hander has faced the Nats in his career. Only two members of the Nationals’ current roster have any experience against Skenes, and even that’s minimal: two at-bats by Amed Rosario, one by Josh Bell. Suffice it to say, this is going to be a challenge tonight for the visiting lineup, which includes Nasim Nuñez at shortstop and Dylan Crews (Skenes’ old LSU teammate) in center field.

On the flip side of the equation, nobody with the Pirates has any experience against Brad Lord, because he’s making only his second career start tonight. Lord was solid in his previous outing, tossing three scoreless innings against the mighty Dodgers on 55 pitches. He should be good to build up to maybe 70 or so pitches tonight, and the Nationals would love for that to stretch out over five innings if possible. If not, it turns into another bullpen game, with Jackson Rutledge probably tasked with throwing multiple innings at some point along the way.

Also complicating matters: There’s a chance of storms here right around or shortly after first pitch. You wouldn’t think either team wants to risk burning up its starter, so they might just have to err on the side of caution and delay the start of the game. Stay tuned for updates.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh
Gametime: 6:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of storms, 72 degrees, wind 11 mph right field to left field

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Cole Henry from Triple-A Rochester and placed right-handed pitcher Orlando Ribalta on the 15-day Injured List (retroactive to April 10) with a right biceps strain on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Henry, 25, was selected in the second round of the 2020 First Year Player Draft by the Nationals out of Louisiana State University. In five Minor League seasons, he went 4-9 with a 3.25 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 130.1 innings. He has produced 11.2 strikeouts per 9.0 innings and held opposing hitters to just a .190 batting average. Henry’s opponents average ranks second among Nationals Minor League pitchers since the start of 2021 (min. 100.0 IP), behind only Zach Brzykcy (.185).

In two games with Rochester this season, Henry struck out four in 2.0 innings and allowed just one hit. He pitched in three Major League Spring Training games in 2025, each of them scoreless, and struck out nine in 4.2 innings.

With his debut, Henry becomes the third of the six players selected by the Nationals in the shortened 2020 Draft to make it to Washington, joining Cade Cavalli (first round) and Mitchell Parker (fifth round) .

Ribalta, 27, pitched to a 5.87 ERA in four games for Washington this season. He struck out six in 7.2 innings.

You could pinpoint it.

An Orioles crowd donning orange had waited all day for the feeling to return: The feeling of the 2023 ballclub. The feeling that no lead was insurmountable, no deficit was too great. The energy and excitement of one of the best, young teams in baseball. 

Heston Kjerstad’s two-run home run to cut Toronto’s lead to one brought a hushed optimism to the fifth inning. A hope too delicate to hold onto for fear of its fickleness. 

Yes, we’re 14 games into the season. And no, a loss to the Blue Jays on a Saturday in early April would not have dashed the dreams of the 2025 campaign. But it felt as if Baltimore was on the wrong end of a slippery slope, and each scoreless inning a stumble. 

One swing flipped that feeling on its head.

The Washington Nationals recalled infielder Nasim Nuñez from Triple-A Rochester and placed shortstop CJ Abrams on the 10-day Injured List with a right hip flexor strain on Saturday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

A Rule-5 pick in 2024, Nuñez, 24, spent all of last season on the Nationals active roster, playing in 51 games, the third-most by a Rule 5 selection in Nationals history (2005-pres). Following his first career hit on June 26, he finished the season by batting .294 (15-for-51) with a .419 on-base percentage (11 BB, 12 SO). In all,  Nuñez hit .246 with a double, an RBI, 12 walks, eight stolen bases and 14 runs scored last season.

Defensively, Nuñez had three outs above average in 2024 according to Baseball Savant. He averaged 91.6 mph on his throws, the third-hardest among MLB shortstops (min. 100 throws).

Nuñez joins the active roster for the first time this year after beginning the season in Triple-A. In 10 games for the Red Wings, he hit .192 with three RBI, five walks, five stolen bases and five runs scored in 10 games.

Abrams, 24, is hitting .244 (10-for-41) with two doubles, four home runs, seven RBI, three walks, four stolen bases and six runs scored.

OK, we're two weeks into the 2025 season, and already we've seen some dramatic twists and turns from the Nationals. They lost six of their first seven, then they suddenly won four in a row over the Diamondbacks and Dodgers before falling in Wednesday's series finale. They've lost multiple pitchers to injury, seen several members of the lineup get off to great starts and seen their bullpen give up at least one run in all 12 games played to date.

Now, the Nats embark on a 10-game road trip to Miami, Pittsburgh and Colorado, with visions of returning home with a winning record. Bobby Blanco is en route to South Florida as we speak to cover this weekend's series. I'll pick things up Monday against the Pirates. In the meantime, let's take this opportunity to answer your questions about what we've seen so far this season.

As always, submit your questions in the comments section below, then check back throughout the morning for my replies ...

The Baltimore Orioles today announced that DARLINE LLAMAS LLOPIS will join the organization as the Chief Financial Officer, overseeing all budgeting, financial planning, and payroll for the club.

“Darline’s experience spans a wide range of industries and sports, arming her with the knowledge and skill that’ll support our growing business operation,” shared CATIE GRIGGS, Orioles President of Business Operations. “I look forward to working with Darline and the rest of our leadership team as we continue to strengthen our financial strategy and drive growth.”

“Joining the storied Orioles organization during such a transformative time is a dream come true,” shared Llamas Llopis.

Prior to joining the Orioles, Llamas Llopis spent four seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, and the F1 Miami Grand Prix as Vice President of Finance and Retail. In this capacity, she managed the finance, accounting, payroll, account payables, procurement, and merchandise operations for the team.

She also previously served for four years as the Director of Finance and Controller at the Los Angeles Rams. Llamas Llopis started her career in public accounting with Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers as a member of the Commercial Real Estate practice.

Even as they opened a season of supposed promise a disappointing 1-6, the Nationals felt like that record was not a true reflection of the way they played. Close losses, often decided by one or two key moments late, defined that first week of games. The belief was that the team’s fortunes could easily change with only a few minor improvements.

Fast forward one week, and sure enough the Nats proved they could change their fortunes and turn those close losses into close wins, no matter the opponent. They just completed a 4-2 homestand against the Diamondbacks and Dodgers, winning back-to-back series from the last two National League champions. And the two losses were by a combined three runs.

“We’re a resilient club,” right-hander Jake Irvin said. “We’ve been in every single ballgame. That’s been kind of what we’ve been preaching: Stay in the ballgame. Do what you can to claw back if you’re behind, and keep the lead if you’re ahead. … It’s been really cool to watch everybody click. It was a really good homestand.”

Sure, the Nationals still own a losing record. But had you asked reasonable observers back on Opening Day if they’d be satisfied with a 5-7 start given the stiff competition they were due to face, you’d have probably received a lot of affirmative answers.

A couple of bullpen meltdowns defined a 1-2 opening series with the Phillies. A lack of offense haunted them during a three-game sweep in Toronto. Some gutsy bullpen work made a 2-1 series with the Diamondbacks possible. And a complete, all around performance led to two straight wins over the Dodgers and a shot at a series sweep Wednesday.

They dug themselves into an immediate, four-run hole, then managed to claw their way back and take the lead for a while. That the Nationals even found themselves in this position, setting up the possibility of a series sweep of the Dodgers and a five-game winning streak, was a remarkable turn of events in the season’s second week.

And it would’ve been quite the story had they pulled it off, capping a brilliant homestand with an eye-opening performance against the defending champs.

That’s not the story they ultimately wrote. After reliever Eduardo Salazar gave up the decisive pair of runs in the seventh, the Nats were left with a 6-5 loss and a sour ending to this otherwise uplifting stretch.

It wasn’t a bad loss, not at all considering the manner in which it played out and the opponent they faced. But it had to leave at least a twinge of "what ifs" circulating around the clubhouse, a potentially stunning series sweep instead morphing into a mere series win.

"It's something that motivates us," second baseman Luis García Jr. said, via interpreter Kenny Diaz. "Obviously, it's important to continue playing together, and I felt like we did a good job of that. And against, obviously, a team of that caliber, I think we did a good job battling. It wasn't our day, but we're going to continue playing and battling as a team."

PHOENIX – Ahead of Zac Gallen’s start for the Diamondbacks on Monday, Brandon Hyde described this series as “a test” for his Orioles lineup from a discipline standpoint. Baltimore couldn’t chase off the edges, or they’d be in for a long start to the week. 

On Monday, the O’s passed that test with flying colors. 

Gallen was knocked out of the game after 4 ⅔ innings, seven hits, four walks and five earned runs. He only struck out two after striking out 13 Bronx Bombers in his previous outing. Hyde called the performance “some of our best at-bats of the year.” 

In the first inning of Tuesday’s game, it seemed like much of the same. After two early runs off Merrill Kelly, the Birds seemed to be rolling. But the right-hander found a groove and 17 consecutive Orioles went hitless after Cedric Mullins’ two-run single in the first. 

So, in Game 2, the offense didn’t get the best grade with three runs on the board in a loss. 

PHOENIX – The Orioles have had key injuries just about everywhere. 

Superstar Gunnar Henderson is gearing up to play just his sixth game of the season and has not yet overlapped with Rookie of the Year runner-up Colton Cowser. Jordan Westburg has been dealing with minor injuries and has been given some days off. 

Amid some challenges in finding a rhythm, the lineup has remained solid, posting the seventh-best batting average and fifth-best OPS in the American League. Keeping the ebbs and flows to a minimum remains a hurdle. 

A starting rotation that was supposed to feature Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez now features neither after Eflin’s injury Monday evening. The right-hander now hits the 15-day injured list with a right lat strain, but manager Brandon Hyde did note today that Eflin “feels really good right now.”

Despite Eflin’s excellence, the rotation’s 5.34 ERA through a dozen games is just 12th best in the AL, and their .291 batting average against is fourth-highest. 

PHOENIX – The Orioles offense got off to a blistering start. Charlie Morton did not in what would be a 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks. And after the game, things got worse.

Let's start with the worse news before getting to the bad news.

After the game, Brandon Hyde announced that Zach Eflin has a low-grade lat strain and will be shut down for "about a week." The plan is to "reassess from there, and hopefully he'll be back throwing at that point." It could've been worse news, but it certainly could've been better.

A plan for his replacement has yet to be determined, as O's coaches got the news during tonight's game.

Brandon Young would be a logical replacement. Already on the 40-man roster, the right-hander has made two starts to kick off the season with Triple-A Norfolk. He's totaled 11 1/3 innings and hasn't allowed a run while striking out 11 and walking just two. Couple that with his 3.94 ERA in 20 games for the Tides a season ago, and you're left with an ideal candidate to make a spot start or two. 

If Jacob Young was going to lose playing time this season, it figured to be in favor of Robert Hassell III, the Nationals prospect who seemed on the cusp of debuting in the big leagues following a great spring. Two weeks in, though, Young has lost playing time. Not because of Hassell, but because of Alex Call.

Call today finds himself in the Nats lineup for the fifth straight game, the seventh time in eight games. The 30-year-old has been torrid at the plate, going 8-for-18 with two doubles, four RBIs and four walks, while also playing solid defense in both right and left fields.

Young, on the other hand, is still trying to find his stroke at the plate. He opened the season 1-for-15 with three walks, though he did return to start Tuesday night and went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored.

Nevertheless, the 25-year-old Gold Glove Award finalist is sitting this afternoon for the fifth time in seven games, turning the daily process of filling out the lineup card a bit more complicated than expected.

“It’s not really complicated, because we still want to work with Jacob on some things, even though he did do better yesterday,” manager Davey Martinez insisted. “We want to get him right. Alex is swinging the bat really, really well, so he’s getting an opportunity to play here a little more. But as I’ve said before, Jacob’s going to be back in there playing center field. He’s going to play a lot of center field.”

The last time the Nationals swept the Dodgers? That would be August 2008, when they won three straight behind the pitching efforts of John Lannan, Tim Redding and Collin Balester. Yeah, it’s been a while.

They’ve got a chance to do the unthinkable this afternoon when they take the field for the series finale, looking to keep up the positive momentum from the last two nights and not only complete a three-game sweep but a five-game winning streak that would leave them with a .500 record heading into a 10-game road trip to Miami, Pittsburgh and Colorado. Who saw that coming five days ago when they were 1-6 and facing this daunting schedule?

The Nats have been getting plenty of offense during this stretch, especially early in games, and they’ll try to do the same today against Los Angeles right-hander Landon Knack. They’ve got CJ Abrams back in the lineup after a two-day absence. Keibert Ruiz, meanwhile, starts his 11th game behind the plate, having sat only once so far this season. And Alex Call makes his fifth straight start (seventh of eight), forcing the issue with his hot bat and forcing Jacob Young back to the bench.

Jake Irvin gets the nod for the series finale. The right-hander wasn’t pleased with his last outing (four runs over five innings against the Diamondbacks), so he’ll be motivated to at minimum provide more length this afternoon. If he can’t, at least the Nationals bullpen is in better shape. Jose A. Ferrer, Jorge López and Kyle Finnegan should all be available today if the game is close late.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 54 degrees, wind 7 mph out to left field

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled RHP Colin Selby from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Placed RHP Zach Eflin (right lat strain) on the 15-day Injured List, retroactive to April 8.