LOS ANGELES – There was a lot to like about Monday night’s game from the Nationals’ perspective, from Mitchell Parker’s debut to CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr.’s offensive exploits to solid bullpen work. That was probably the team’s best win to date this season.

Which means absolutely nothing going into tonight’s game, of course. The Nats will need to do it all over again if they want to have a chance at two straight over the Dodgers, not to mention a winning road trip.

It starts with Patrick Corbin, who hasn’t exactly had a lot of success in this ballpark. Corbin has won only three of his 15 career outings at Dodger Stadium, none since 2019. And his first three starts this season haven’t been particularly inspired: 15 runs, 27 hits in 16 innings. But the old lefty will give it the old college try again tonight, hoping to hold the vaunted L.A. lineup somewhat in check and give his teammates a chance.

The Nationals will be facing a bunch of pitchers tonight, with the Dodgers set to throw a bullpen game. First up is right-hander Kyle Hurt, making his fourth big league appearance. Hurt does have big strikeout numbers in the minors – 305 of them in 188 2/3 innings – so he appears to have good stuff. We’ll see how a Nats lineup that likes to make contact fares against him before Dave Roberts hands it off to another reliever.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Where: Dodger Stadium
Gametime: 10:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 69 degrees, wind 5 mph out to center field

LOS ANGELES – Far more highly touted pitchers have made their major league debuts for the Nationals in the last 14 years than Mitchell Parker. There were first-round picks (Lucas Giolito, Erick Fedde, Cade Cavalli, Jackson Rutledge) and there were high-profile trade acquisitions (Joe Ross).

But none of them – plus a host of others in between – was able to do what Parker did tonight. Not since Stephen Strasburg’s historic performance on June 8, 2010, had a rookie starter made his big league debut for the Nationals and been credited with a win.

That Parker was the one to finally snap a streak that had reached 17 winless debuts was remarkable enough. That he did it by beating one of the most intimidating lineups he’s likely to ever see during the course of his career made this truly special.

With five strong innings of two-run ball, this previously unknown, 24-year-old left-hander led the Nats to a stirring, 6-4 victory over the Dodgers on Jackie Robinson Day and authored his name into club lore in the process.

"The kid has a very low heartbeat," manager Davey Martinez said. "I've known that for a while. Nothing seems to faze him. ... That's a tough team to face. And he did really, really well."

LOS ANGELES – Base hits to the opposite field are nothing out of the ordinary for Luis García Jr. Given his bat control, a little flick of the wrists is often all he needs to poke an outside pitch to left field for a simple single.

What García did Monday night at Dodger Stadium, on the other hand, was a welcome development. The Nationals second baseman hit his first home run of 2024, and he did so with a three-run shot to left-center.

García's blast, on a 3-2 slider from Los Angeles’ Tyler Glasnow, capped what arguably was one of the best at-bats of his major league career. Facing the flamethrowing right-hander, with two on and two out in the top of the fifth, García fell behind in the count, then took three straight pitches down and in to work his way back into a favorable count. He fouled off a 3-1 fastball at the knees. Then he got the full-count slider up and out over the plate and mashed it 103.9 mph toward left-center, where it cleared the fence for a key home runs in the Nats’ 6-4 victory.

“It felt great,” García said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “In that moment, I was just trying to hit the ball hard somewhere, drive in those two runs and try to help the team increase the lead in that moment. He left the pitch there, and I was able to drive it. I was very excited to be able to do that in that moment.”

Power displays have become a rare thing for García, whose priority at times seems to be making contact more so than making loud contact. But he does have the ability to hit the ball hard in the air; he just has to take the right swing on the right pitch to make it happen.

LOS ANGELES – Mitchell Parker’s major league debut takes center stage tonight, but the left-hander’s promotion was only one of five transactions the Nationals made prior to their series opener against the Dodgers.

With Nick Senzel ready to return from his fractured thumb, Trey Lipscomb was optioned back to Triple-A Rochester. And with the team desperately needing a healthy second catcher, Keibert Ruiz was finally placed on the 10-day injured list with influenza and Drew Millas was recalled from Rochester.

The decision to demote Lipscomb was the most difficult for manager Davey Martinez, who has been among the rookie infielder’s biggest supporters since spring training. But Senzel was ready to return only 2 1/2 weeks after suffering his injury prior to Opening Day. And with second baseman Luis García Jr. off to a strong start himself, there wasn’t going to be an opportunity for Lipscomb to get everyday at-bats the way he did since taking Senzel’s spot.

“That was really tough. Such a great kid,” Martinez said. “The whole premise is he’s got to play every day. Luis is playing well. We need to get Nick back. So he’s going to go down and play every day, and I don’t foresee him being down there long. … He’ll be back. He did really well.”

Lipscomb burst onto the scene with five hits in his first 11 big league at-bats, including a homer in Cincinnati. But he regressed since then, going just 6-for-38 over his last 11 games. In 14 total games, the 23-year-old was batting .224 with a .278 on-base percentage and .286 slugging percentage.

The Washington Nationals made the following roster moves on Monday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.

• Recalled left-handed pitcher Mitchell Parker from Triple-A Rochester
• Recalled catcher Drew Millas from Triple-A Rochester
• Returned infielder Nick Senzel from rehab and reinstated him from the Injured List
• Optioned infielder Trey Lipscomb to Triple-A Rochester
• Placed catcher Keibert Ruiz on the 10-day Injured List retroactive to April 12 with Influenza
• Optioned right-handed pitcher Amos Willingham to Triple-A Rochester on Sunday 

A fifth-round pick by the Nationals in 2020, Parker, 24, receives his first call to the Major Leagues and is scheduled to make his debut tonight in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. Coming into the season, he ranked among all Minor League pitchers in opponents’ slugging percentage (2nd, .351), strikeouts per 9.0 innings (3rd, 11.36), strikeouts (T5th, 411), home runs (6th, 28) and opponents’ batting average (11th, .237) since the start of 2021. Parker led all Minor League left-handed pitchers in opponents’ slugging, strikeouts per 9.0 and was tied for the lead in strikeouts over that stretch. 

Parker is set to become the 27^th pitcher drafted or signed and developed by Washington to start a game for the club since 2005. Fellow San Jacinto College (TX) alum Jackson Rutledge was the most recent pitcher to do so. 

Parker threw 4.0 innings, struck out five and allowed one unearned run on one hit in his only start for Triple-A Rochester this season. In four Minor League seasons, he is 19-23 with a 4.15 ERA and 416 strikeouts in 329.2 innings. 

Millas, 26, returns to the Nationals for his second stint of the season. He went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and caught a runner attempting to steal second in his only game with Washington this year on April 10 at San Francisco. He played in three games in Rochester after he was optioned last Wednesday, going  1-for-5 with a double and an RBI.

LOS ANGELES – It’s Jackie Robinson Day across baseball, but really there’s only one place to be for this occasion. And the Nationals have the distinct honor of being at Dodger Stadium this year for this all-important day. There was already a ceremony outside the park at the statue of Robinson, with players and coaches from both clubs attending. There will be more pregame festivities, as well.

And then there will be a ballgame, with a very fresh face on the mound for the Nats. Mitchell Parker is making his major league debut, and while the Nationals probably would have preferred a bit of a softer launch for the young left-hander than this, circumstances dictated that he get the assignment. Parker’s assignment tonight: Somehow try to contain one of the toughest lineups in the sport, especially right off the bat in the bottom of the first. If nothing else, he needs to force them to make contact to get on. Can’t be giving away free bases against the Dodgers.

The Nationals lineup scored six runs Sunday against the Athletics. They’ll need to keep that going tonight against Tyler Glasnow, the hard-throwing former Rays right-hander who now anchors the L.A. rotation. They'll do so with several roster changes announced this afternoon: Nick Senzel has been activated off the 10-day injured list, and Drew Millas has been recalled from Triple-A Rochester. Trey Lipscomb was optioned back to Rochester, and Keibert Ruiz was placed on the 10-day IL with influenza.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Where: Dodger Stadium
Gametime: 10:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 61 degrees, wind 5 mph out to center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
DH Jesse Winker
RF Lane Thomas
1B Joey Gallo
2B Luis García Jr.
3B Nick Senzel
LF Eddie Rosario
C Riley Adams
CF Jacob Young

OAKLAND, Calif. – The mere fact he was being called up by the Nationals to make his major league debut was reason enough to leave Mitchell Parker’s head spinning. Then the 24-year-old left-hander realized where he would be making that debut (Dodger Stadium), when he would be making that debut (Jackie Robinson Day) and who he would be facing in that debut (Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman).

How could Parker not have a million thoughts racing through his mind as he contemplates what the scene will be like tonight?

“I gave myself a couple minutes, but I’m trying not to,” he said. “I’m trying not to overthink anything. Just trying to get out there and do a job for the team. That’s all we really want to.”

The Nationals are giving Parker that opportunity, and they’re doing so with as tough a challenge as any rookie is ever likely to face in his first major league start. There’s every reason to fear this will turn out disastrous for the rookie pitcher.

But after watching him throughout his first big league camp this spring in Florida, Davey Martinez was struck by something about Parker. Something beyond his pitching repertoire.

OAKLAND, Calif. – On a day when several struggling hitters finally came through in some big spots, and on a day when their No. 5 starter turned in his third consecutive strong outing, and on a day when they opened up what felt like a comfortable lead in the rubber game of a weekend series, the Nationals somehow still found themselves lamenting a loss at the end of the day.

How did they fall to the Athletics, 7-6, and drop this series? With a bottom-of-the-sixth bullpen meltdown the likes of which they won’t soon want to remember.

When the critical inning began, the Nats held a 6-1 lead, with Trevor Williams cruising toward what should have been his third straight win to begin the season. When the inning ended, that lead evaporated, with Williams pulled three batters in and relievers Derek Law and Jordan Weems allowing six runs to score, all with two outs.

Manager Davey Martinez could have left Williams in longer but knew the veteran’s history of late-inning troubles. But after using his top four relievers (Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey, Robert Garcia and Weems) each of the previous two days, Martinez’s options weren’t as appealing as they might otherwise have been.

Put that all together and you get a particularly frustrating loss for a team that was seeking its second straight series win to cap off a successful week in the Bay Area.

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Nationals have a chance to win their second straight series this afternoon and depart the Bay Area with a 4-2 record in advance of what should be a tough series at Dodger Stadium beginning Monday night. A win today over the Athletics would be good for morale heading to L.A.

The Nats have gotten great starting pitching so far this weekend, with Jake Irvin and MacKenzie Gore combining to allow one run on five hits in 11 innings. But the bullpen also has been taxed, with the top four guys (Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey, Jordan Weems, Robert Garcia) each appearing in both games. You would have to think Davey Martinez wants to avoid using any of them a third straight day unless absolutely necessary. Some length from starter Trevor Williams would help a lot.

At the plate, the Nationals will try to be more productive against Alex Wood than they were against Paul Blackburn or Joe Boyle. Wood has been around for more than a decade now, and he’s faced the Nats a whopping 16 times in his career. Most of those starts, though, came years ago when he was with the Braves, and he was facing a very different lineup than he’ll see today.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Where: Oakland Coliseum
Gametime: 4:07 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 58 degrees, wind 9 mph left field to right field

NATIONALS
CF Jacob Young
SS CJ Abrams
DH Joey Meneses
LF Jesse Winker
RF Lane Thomas
1B Joey Gallo
2B Ildemaro Vargas
C Riley Adams
3B Trey Lipscomb

OAKLAND, Calif. – Riley Adams has been an everyday catcher before. Just not very often in the big leagues.

Since joining the Nationals in August 2021, Adams has been the team’s No. 2 catcher, backing up Keibert Ruiz, making one or two starts a week except for rare times when Ruiz has been unavailable.

This week has turned into one of those rare times. Ruiz hasn’t played since Monday, beset with flu-like symptoms that have prevented him from playing in any of the Nats’ last four games and likely will sideline him again for today’s series finale against the Athletics.

Aside from one start Wednesday by Drew Millas during his brief promotion from Triple-A Rochester, it’s been all Adams behind the plate this week. And he’s handled the situation with aplomb, delivering both offensively and defensively for a team that has desperately needed it.

“He’s a godsend for me,” manager Davey Martinez said following Sunday’s 3-1 win. “Anytime I call upon him, he does the best he can. Today was another example.”

Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias seems unconcerned that top prospect Jackson Holliday is still looking for his first big league hit after his first three games.

Baseball’s No. 1 ranked prospect is 0-for-11 with seven strikeouts after going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts Friday night. Holliday did not start today against Brewers' lefty and former Oriole DL Hall.

Milwaukee won this afternoon 11-5 and the Orioles (8-6) need a win Sunday to avoid being swept. 

Elias, in an interview with reporters today in the Orioles dugout before the game, said Holliday’s first couple of series in Triple-A this year were “reassuring is the word I would use, those of us that were leaning toward adding him Opening Day with the thought he was ready.”

He was not on the Opening Day roster, but Holliday, 20, is here now and searching for hit No. 1.

OAKLAND, Calif. – It’s days like this, performances like this, that make you realize why the Nationals were so high on MacKenzie Gore all along.

The Nats have had promising young left-handers over the years. They’ve had guys with good fastballs. They’ve had pitchers determined to be the best.

But they’ve never had all of that wrapped into one package. Gore has everything going for him; he just needs to start putting it together on a regular basis. And on this day, he did.

With an unhittable fastball that overwhelmed the Athletics lineup, Gore struck out 11 in five scoreless innings, leading the Nationals to a 3-1 victory in one of the signature starts of his burgeoning career.

“It’s beautiful,” manager Davey Martinez said. “He goes out there and attacks the strike zone. He goes out there and competes. Hopefully, we can now see that consistency.”

OAKLAND, Calif. – Things you don’t expect to see when you come to California: a tarp covering the infield. Yes, it’s raining here today, and it’s supposed to rain on and off all day. We can only hope it doesn’t prevent the Nationals and Athletics from playing as scheduled, or at least with minimal delay. Because the idea of a Sunday doubleheader, with a flight to Los Angeles at the end of that, can’t be appealing to anyone.

The Nats got a really good start Friday night out of Jake Irvin, who gave up one hit (alas, a homer) in six innings. They’ll hope for more good stuff today from MacKenzie Gore, who was very strong last time out against the Phillies and now faces what on paper looks like a far less imposing lineup. (I know, I know. Careful what you wish for.)

The Nationals also could use a much better offensive showing than they put forth Friday night, when they managed only one run (Jesse Winker’s ninth-inning homer) and went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The good news: They don’t have to face Paul Blackburn again. It’s right-hander Joe Boyle, a rookie making his sixth career start. He was beat around by the Red Sox but then shut out the Tigers over five innings last time out.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Where: Oakland Coliseum
Gametime: 4:07 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Rain, 53 degrees, wind 11 mph right field to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
DH Jesse Winker
1B Joey Gallo
LF Eddie Rosario
2B Luis García Jr. 
3B Trey Lipscomb
C Riley Adams
CF Jacob Young

OAKLAND, Calif. – As the Nationals looked up at the massive scoreboards at Oakland Coliseum, they saw the number one listed in the Athletics’ hit column most of the night. It would be changed to a two late in the evening, but that’s not exactly a big number, either.

And yet here the Nats were, coming up to bat in the top of the ninth, trailing the game because one of Oakland’s hits off Jake Irvin was Lawrence Butler’s third-inning homer and none of their own hits had produced a run.

Jesse Winker, at long last, took care of that annoying situation.

Winker’s leadoff homer in the top of the ninth off A’s closer Dany Jiménez finally got the Nats on the board and Irvin off the hook. But when they couldn't take the lead, the game moved into extra innings, at which point Trey Lipscomb made a baserunning blunder and Kyle Finnegan surrendered a walk-off single to Lawrence Butler for a tough 2-1 loss.

"We created some opportunities; just couldn't get that run in," said manager Davey Martinez, whose team went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. "Winker was our offense today."

After a three-game series sweep at Boston, the Orioles (8-4) begin a two-team, six-game homestand tonight versus the Milwaukee Brewers (8-3).

The Orioles begin play tonight 1.5 games behind New York for the AL East lead. Milwaukee and Pittsburgh are tied for first atop the NL Central, but the Brewers lead by percentage points.

Milwaukee was rained out Thursday at Cincinnati. They began the year going 3-0 at the New York Mets and have gone 1-1 versus Minnesota, and 2-1 each versus Seattle and Cincinnati.

Milwaukee has made the playoffs five times the last six years and went 92-70 last year. They won NL Central titles in 2018, 2021 and 2023. The Brewers have won three of their last four games and are 5-1 in road games.

Former Brewer right-hander Corbin Burnes, traded to the Orioles on Feb. 1 for DL Hall, Joey Ortiz and a draft pick, will pitch Sunday against his former team. Hall and Ortiz return this weekend with the Brewers. Hall is 0-1 with a 4.82 ERA in two starts and is scheduled to pitch tomorrow. In 10 games, Ortiz is 6-for-20 with a double, one RBI and a .767 OPS. He hit .212 (7-for-33) last year in 15 games with the Orioles.

DL Hall went through the usual, almost clichéd, struggle this afternoon to find the visiting clubhouse at Camden Yards.

The strangeness never goes away for players changing teams and routines. The sense of direction is lost. Amusement follows in the retelling.

“Definitely a little weird for sure,” he said after greeting members of the Baltimore media with a smile and handshake. “I was walking in today, didn’t even know where to go. I was like, ‘I’ve been here but I don’t know how to get to the visiting side.’

“Definitely a weird feeling but awesome. Super excited, obviously.”

The Orioles made their big winter strike by trading Hall and elite-fielding shortstop Joey Ortiz to the Brewers on Feb. 1 for former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, a three-time All-Star and the bona fide ace that the front office hunted.

Jackson Holliday has been at Camden Yards before, but not as a player in the starting lineup. Tonight the 20-year-old No. 1 ranked prospect in baseball will play his third MLB game and first in front of the hometown Baltimore fans.

“It’s a pretty awesome place to be able to play,” he said this afternoon to a crowd of reporters, adding that he remembered being here before.

“I think it was when my dad (Matt) was with the Cardinals. Me and my brother came out here and shagged (BP fly balls). I remember thinking this is a really great place to hit.

"I remember being able to almost rob a home run because the wall was shorter before they moved it back and raised it about 100 feet. I do remember it and it’s very special be here,” the kid said showing he retains a sense of humor amid a flurry of interviews he has been doing.

“To be able to come to the ballpark and have a locker here, it’s definitely a little bit different. When I was with Aberdeen and Bowie, I came down to eat every now and then. But it’s definitely a different experience knowing this is home for now.”

OAKLAND, Calif. – The revolving door that is the 26th man on the Nationals roster stopped on a new name today: Amos Willingham. The club wanted to carry an extra reliever for this weekend’s series against the Athletics, so Willingham got the call to replace catcher Drew Millas, who flew to San Francisco for one game Wednesday before getting sent right back to Triple-A Rochester.

Turns out the Nats might have preferred to keep Millas around a little longer, because Keibert Ruiz remains sick with flu-like symptoms, leaving the team with only one healthy catcher tonight in Riley Adams.

Ruiz hasn’t played since Monday’s series opener against the Giants. Adams caught the following night, then Millas was called up for Wednesday’s game, which he started before being optioned back to Rochester at the end of the day.

Millas’ spot went to Willingham, recalled from Rochester this morning to give the team an eighth reliever.

“We thought we needed another guy in the bullpen,” manager Davey Martinez said. “So he’s going to be with us until otherwise noted. But I really felt like we could use another guy in the bullpen to help us out a little bit. They’ve been out there quite a bit already, so having another guy in the bullpen helps.”

OAKLAND, Calif. – For only the third time in club history, the Nationals are playing at the Oakland Coliseum. They were here in 2014. They were here again in 2017. And now they’re back in 2024. And sadly, this appears to be the last time they’ll be coming here, with the Athletics announcing plans to relocate to Sacramento for three seasons while they wait for their proposed new ballpark to open in Las Vegas. It all makes for a sad situation here for a once-proud franchise and its loyal fan base.

The Nats will look to keep things going in a positive direction tonight after taking two of three across the bay in San Francisco. They’ve got Jake Irvin on the mound for his third start of the season, seeking his first truly good start. (He actually pitched pretty well against the Phillies last week but was done in by one bad pitch to J.T. Realmuto, which turned into a three-run homer.)

Keibert Ruiz once again sits, so he must still be feeling sick. That’s not ideal, because the Nationals sent Drew Millas back to Triple-A Rochester after Wednesday’s game and called up reliever Amos Willingham this morning. So it’s Riley Adams behind the plate, with no real help unless Ruiz feels well enough to play in an emergency.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Where: Oakland Coliseum
Gametime: 9:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 57 degrees, wind 15 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
1B Joey Gallo
DH Joey Meneses
LF Jesse Winker
CF Eddie Rosario
C Riley Adams
2B Luis García Jr.
3B Trey Lipscomb

SAN FRANCISCO - The Nationals were off Thursday, which may have been a good thing because enough happened the previous few days to make 24 hours of rest welcome for everyone. There have been injuries big and small, lots of stolen bases, some impressive home runs, a wild ninth-inning escape, a bunch of roster moves and more wins than losses.

Now, before the trip continues with a short drive over the Bay Bridge for this weekend's series in Oakland, let's take some time to consider all that's happened already this season. If you have a question you'd like answered, just leave it in the comments section below, then check back later for my responses.

Keep in mind, of course, that I'm on Pacific Time right now. So my first response won't be coming quite as early in the morning as it usually does!