PHOENIX – Tests are never slammed on your desk at a convenient time.

The Orioles offense has been inconsistent and is coming off a one-run, five-hit performance against the Royals. In their win in Kansas City on Saturday, Baltimore put up an eight-spot. In the two losses, however, the Birds combined to plate just three.

Things get much warmer in Arizona, but they don’t get much easier.

The test comes in the form of an ace in sedona red, sonoran sand and teal. And no, not the one that the Diamondbacks signed this offseason. 

This ace is Zac Gallen, a three-time top-10 Cy Young Award finisher that just shut down the prolific Yankees. “Shut down” may be a kind descriptor, as the former Tar Heel tossed 6 ⅔ scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts against the Bronx Bombers.

The Orioles won't have pitcher Albert Suárez for much longer than anticipated.

Suárez was moved to the 60-day injured list today with a right subscapularis strain to create room on the 40-man roster for left-hander Grant Wolfram, acquired from the Brewers in exchange for Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Daz Cameron and cash considerations.

The subscapularis is the largest and strongest muscle of the rotator cuff and is essential in shoulder movement and in helping maintain glenohumeral joint stability.

The Orioles broke camp with Suárez in their bullpen and he allowed an earned run and two total with five hits in 2 2/3 innings in a March 28 appearance in Toronto. His fastball velocity was down about two mph from its 2024 average speed, and he went on the 15-day IL March 30 with right shoulder inflammation.

Left-hander Cade Povich beat out Suárez for the fifth spot in the rotation. Suárez is out of options and capable of going multiple innings in relief, which made a return to the bullpen a logical move for the Orioles.

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired left-handed pitcher GRANT WOLFRAM from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for minor league outfielder DAZ CAMERON and cash considerations. He has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Wolfram (pronounced WOHL-fram), 28, spent one day in the big leagues after being recalled from Triple-A Nashville on April 6, his first call up to the majors in his career. He was optioned after Milwaukee’s game without appearing and was designated for assignment earlier today. In two games with the Sounds this season, he posted a 6.00 ERA (2 ER/3.0 IP) with four walks and three strikeouts.

Wolfram agreed to terms on a one-year major league contract with the Brewers on December 12, 2024. He was originally selected by the Texas Rangers in the 18^th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Davenport University (MI). He’s posted a 24-11 record with nine saves and a 3.99 ERA (146 ER/329.0 IP) with 289 hits (28 HR), 164 total runs, 168 walks, 17 hit batters, and 403 strikeouts in 177 games (25 starts) over eight professional seasons.

Cameron, 28, was 4-for-18 with one double, one run scored, three RBI, and two walks in five games with Triple-A Norfolk this season. He was acquired from the Athletics for cash considerations on October 31, 2024, and spent 2025 Spring Training with the Orioles as a non-roster invitee.

To make room on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher ALBERT SUÁREZ (right subscapularis strain) has been transferred to the 60-day Injured List. The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

CJ Abrams has his first day off of the young season, not because of a bad matchup or a planned respite, but because of a tight thigh muscle.

Nationals manager Davey Martinez said the shortstop felt his right thigh tighten up while making the final play of Sunday’s 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks. Abrams charged in to field Randal Grichuk’s broken-bat grounder in the top of the ninth, then threw on the run to first, nearly pulling Nathaniel Lowe off the bag.

“He feels a little bit better today,” Martinez said. “I just wanted to give him a day, to make sure this doesn’t become a big issue.”

Asked what level of concern he has about Abrams, Martinez replied: “Right now, none. Hopefully it could’ve just been a cramp. But I want to make sure that’s just what it is.”

Abrams not only had started all nine previous games this season, but had played every inning to date. Martinez’s choice of replacement may come as a bit of a surprise: Paul DeJong.

John Patterson hadn’t been back to Nationals Park since the final day of the 2007 season, a day he didn’t know at the time would be his final day in the major leagues. The lanky right-hander has built a whole new life since, running a real estate company with his wife outside Dallas, coaching his 8-year-old son’s baseball team. His long, flowing hair has gone totally gray, which combined with the glasses he wears makes him look more like a college professor than an ex-ballplayer.

Patterson’s baseball life was a generation ago. And yet when he walked into the park Friday, the memories instantly flooded his mind. Opening Night at RFK Stadium. His 13-strikeout shutout of the Dodgers. The 10-game winning streak that left the stands bouncing every night and the team in first place.

“I remember it all so vividly,” the now-47-year-old said. “A lot of it is coming back to me. It really has not felt like 20 years.”

That was the sentiment of everyone who assembled here this weekend for the 20th anniversary celebration of the first team in Nationals history. Two decades is a long time. Think about the state of the franchise today compared to then. It’s hard to believe the two are connected.

“As you go along and look back, you realize that it’s pretty cool,” infielder Jamey Carroll said. “You were a part of MLB history. … The longer you get away from it, the more you realize it was a pretty big deal.”

The Nationals, plain and simple, need a win. They’re 1-6 to begin the season, and though they’ve pretty much been in every game, they have not shown an ability to do what they need to do late in those games to emerge victorious. They’ll give it another shot this afternoon against the Diamondbacks, perhaps inspired by the pregame induction of the inaugural 2005 club into the Nationals Park Ring of Honor.

Davey Martinez is going with a different look to his lineup. Facing Arizona left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, he’s got Amed Rosario batting second, the red-hot Nathaniel Lowe batting third, Alex Call batting sixth and Riley Adams finally getting his first start of the season, batting ninth. We’ll see what, if any, difference that look makes.

Mitchell Parker gets the start, and the young lefty will look to pick up where he left off in his season debut last weekend. He’s still the only member of the staff to reach the seventh inning so far in 2025.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 75 degrees, wind 10 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
2B Amed Rosario
1B Nathaniel Lowe
DH Josh Bell
LF James Wood
RF Alex Call
CF Dylan Crews
3B Paul DeJong
C Riley Adams

Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Jackson Holliday. 

Three players who were top prospects in baseball. Two of whom were quite literally the best prospects in the game. All were drafted as shortstops. 

Even as they developed into future franchise cornerstones, they still didn’t settle into one position.

Holliday played second base, third base and shortstop throughout the course of 218 minor league games. Westburg played all three as well, plus left and right field for good measure. Henderson didn’t venture into the outfield grass, but played everywhere in the infield, including first base. 

The Orioles farm stressed versatility, and even the top prospects in the system followed suit. While their versatility has paid dividends at the big league level, it wasn’t “necessary” for them to advance through the system.  

Jackson Rutledge was called into Davey Martinez’s office April 26, the day before Opening Day, and informed he would not be returning to Nationals Park the following morning but rather heading to Rochester to open another season at Triple-A.

Rutledge wasn’t shocked by the decision. And if nothing else, he was encouraged by the message he received from Martinez and pitching coach Jim Hickey, who suggested he would be first on the list of call-ups if the team needed a pitcher.

“In my option meeting, they said: ‘Be ready. It could be a week,’” Rutledge recalled Friday. “And they weren’t lying about that.”

No, they weren’t. Technically, it happened eight days later, not seven, but the Nationals indeed called Rutledge up as soon as they needed a pitcher from Triple-A, giving him the roster spot held by Michael Soroka before the latter had to be placed on the 15-day injured list with a right biceps strain.

This is actually the fifth time Rutledge has been promoted since September 2023. But it’s the first time he’s been promoted as a full-time reliever.

They finally got the early offense they’ve been craving since Opening Day. They just couldn’t sustain it. Or prevent the game from getting away from them late.

The formula wasn’t a carbon copy of the Nationals’ last week, but the final result was: a 6-4 loss to the Diamondbacks that leaves them 1-6 for the second time in the last three years.

As was the case in most of those previous losses, the Nats were right there in this one to the end, with opportunities to emerge victorious. And as was the case in most of those previous losses, they were unable to do what was necessary to get over the hump.

"It's one pitch, one at-bat," right-hander Jake Irvin said. "Just timely things. Play 162 of them, the game starts to reward you for doing the right things."

A tie game through six turned into a two-run deficit in the seventh when Jose A. Ferrer gave up the decisive runs. The hard-throwing reliever, who was charged with Tuesday’s loss in Toronto after allowing two runs in the eighth, was one pitch away from posting a zero this time. But his 0-2 fastball to pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk was deemed just high and inside by plate umpire Ryan Wills. Seconds later, Ferrer threw a fastball over the plate to Grichuk and watched the ball soar to the wall in right-center, caroming away from Dylan Crews for a two-run double.

The Nationals will wait a couple of days before deciding who will take Michael Soroka’s place in the rotation, with Brad Lord a distinct option if the rookie isn’t needed out of the bullpen before then.

Soroka was supposed to start Sunday’s series finale against the Diamondbacks but was placed on the 15-day injured list today (backdated to April 1) with a right biceps strain. The 27-year-old made his debut Monday night in Toronto but had to be pulled three pitches into the sixth inning when his biceps muscle cramped while delivering a slider.

Soroka was cautiously optimistic at the time the injury wasn’t serious and that he’d be able to take his next turn in the rotation. The one caveat: He needed to be able to throw off a mound first before knowing he would be good to go.

That bullpen session never happened. According to manager Davey Martinez, Soroka played catch Wednesday in Toronto and reported afterward he still felt a twinge of discomfort in his upper arm.

“He said he just barely could feel it,” Martinez said. “But when a pitcher says he can barely feel it in his arm, I don’t like it. I think the best thing is to get it to calm down a little bit and get him ready to come back out again.”

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Reinstated INF Gunnar Henderson (right intercostal strain) from the 10-day Injured List
• Optioned OF Dylan Carlson to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.

And we’re back. After a brief international trip for their first road series of the season, the Nationals are back home for six straight against a pair of tough National League West foes. The undefeated, defending champion Dodgers come to town next week. But first up, it’s the Diamondbacks, the 2023 NL champs.

As stated numerous times over the last several days, the Nats really need to get their lineup clicking early. They’ve scored only two runs in the first three innings of six games to date. That’s a tough way to live. They’ll try to make it happen tonight against right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who they did beat last summer with three runs over 6 1/3 innings.

Jake Irvin gets the ball for the Nationals, on the heels of a good-not-great season debut. The right-hander lasted only five innings against the Phillies and put nine runners on base. But he limited the damage to two runs, an encouraging sign.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 69 degrees, wind 7 mph in from center field

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

The Nationals have placed Michael Soroka on the 15-day injured list with a right biceps strain, throwing a wrench into the team’s rotation plans just one week into the season.

Jackson Rutledge was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take Soroka’s roster spot, but the 2019 first-round pick has made the full-time conversion to reliever, so he won’t be joining the big league rotation.

Soroka, signed this winter to a one-year, $9 million contract, made his club debut Monday night in Toronto, allowing four runs over five-plus innings. He felt fine physically until his 83rd pitch the game, a spiked slider in the bottom of the sixth, after which he looked toward the dugout and began clenching his fist.

Soroka told manager Davey Martinez and director of athletic training Paul Lessard his right biceps muscle had cramped on that pitch, and he was taken out of the game. Afterward, he expressed optimism the injury wasn’t any more serious than that and was hopeful he could still make his next turn in the rotation.

Soroka did admit he would need to throw off a mound before knowing for sure he was good to go. He played catch prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the Blue Jays and would have been on track to throw a bullpen session either Thursday (an off-day for the team) or today. The Nationals had listed him as their starter for Sunday’s series finale against the Diamondbacks.

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Jackson Rutledge from Triple-A Rochester and placed right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka on the 15-day Injured List (retroactive to April 1) with a right arm biceps strain. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Rutledge, 26, joins the Nationals active roster for the first time this season. He tossed 3.0 scoreless innings across two relief appearances with Triple-A Rochester prior to the recall. He allowed just one hit, struck out four batters and issued just one walk along the way.

Washington’s first-round pick in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft, Rutledge held opposing batters to a .189 average (10-for-53) across 10 Grapefruit League Spring Training outings in 2025.

Rutledge spent the majority of the 2024 season with Triple-A Rochester and made three appearances (one start) with Washington, posting a 3.24 ERA with the Nationals. He ranked among Washington's Minor League system in games started (2nd, 27), strikeouts (5th, 128) and opponents' batting average (5th, .271) in his sixth professional season.

Soroka, 27, made one start with the Nationals on March 31 at Toronto. He allowed four earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and one walk in 5.0 innings pitched.

On a sunny, breezy, April afternoon in Philadelphia exactly 20 years ago, a major league ballclub wearing navy blue caps with a curly W logo and gray jerseys with “Washington” emblazoned across the chest took the field, embarking on a brand-new journey many never believed would come to fruition.

For anyone who suffered through 33 long years without baseball in the nation’s capital, the mere sight of a team representing D.C. in a real major league game was both unbelievable and emotional.

Most fans best remember April 14, 2005, the night Frank Howard and the 1971 Senators ceremoniously handed over their gloves to the newly renamed Nationals, George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch and RFK Stadium bounced and swayed like it hadn’t in a generation. But the first game in Nats history came 10 days prior at Citizens Bank Park on April 4, 2005.

The occasion started off in grand fashion. Brad Wilkerson was the first batter in club history and immediately recorded the first hit in club history, a single over second baseman Placido Polanco’s head. One inning later, Nick Johnson and Vinny Castilla each singled, then the latter scored on Terrmel Sledge’s RBI groundout to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Sledge, a late addition to manager Frank Robinson’s lineup after Ryan Church was scratched with a groin strain, would make history again in the top of the sixth when he launched a two-run homer to right off Jon Lieber. (Side note: The first home run in Nationals history was also Sledge’s only home run in a Nationals uniform.)

Everything was trending in the right direction for Colton Cowser. 

The defense was a known commodity. The second year outfielder brought elite range to the corner outfield, exceptional arm strength, and the versatility to play wherever needed. 

The speed, combined with the O’s increased emphasis on aggression on the basepaths, could’ve helped him reach 20 stolen bases. 

The bat was trending in the right direction during spring training, as the former first-round pick hit .364 with a .462 on-base percentage. Another 20-plus home run season seemed imminent. 

Cowser can still reach all of these benchmarks. He’ll just have six to eight fewer weeks to do it. 

TORONTO – Baseball players aren’t the type to look at the standings this early in the season, but if the Nationals happened to take a glance Wednesday evening at the NL East table, they wouldn’t like what they saw.

With two series in the books, the Nats are 1-5. They barely avoided a sweep against the Phillies. They couldn’t avoid a sweep against the Blue Jays. If not for the snakebit Braves, now 0-7 after giving up a walk-off homer to Shohei Ohtani, they’d reside in the basement. Not that their position in a distant fourth place is anything to get excited about.

“It’s difficult,” outfielder Dylan Crews said. “It’s something that we definitely don’t want. We want to win every single game. But it’s only April. April 2. So we’ve got May, June, July, August, September. I think we can really flip this thing around here in the future. … I see a lot of talent on this team.”

The Nationals clubhouse remained an optimistic place this week, even after three straight losses to the Blue Jays. The genuine belief in the room is that this is a significantly improved team from 2024, one that expects more of itself in 2025.

But they also know they can’t let things continue at this rate for long, lest they dig themselves into such a deep hole they can’t reasonably climb their way out of it.

TORONTO – The Nationals’ season-opening schedule, with four straight matchups against likely contenders, didn’t look kind on paper. It hasn’t looked kind in practice, either.

The Nats needed a win Sunday to avoid getting swept by the Phillies. They found themselves right back in the same position today against the Blue Jays, with perhaps their first favorable pitching matchup of the young season to hold their hats on.

That matchup didn’t even help. The Nationals couldn’t touch fill-in Toronto starter Easton Lucas, while MacKenzie Gore couldn’t duplicate his efforts from an Opening Day gem. The end result: a lackluster 4-2 loss and a demoralizing three-game sweep at Rogers Centre.

"The at-bats have to get better early in games," manager Davey Martinez said. "We talk about scoring first and trying to get on the starters early. And it just hasn't happened. Late in the games, we've been swinging the bats good. But there's nine innings. We've got to come out swinging from the get-go."

One week into a season of promise, the Nats are 1-5. They’ve gotten decent starting pitching. They’ve hit more homers than in recent years. Keibert Ruiz (who recorded another hit today) and CJ Abrams (who homered again today) have looked great. But they need more than that. And they haven’t gotten more. The challenge doesn’t get any easier, with the Diamondbacks and Dodgers coming to D.C. over the next week.

TORONTO – The Nationals are listing Michael Soroka as their scheduled starter for Sunday’s game against the Diamondbacks, suggesting the right-hander won’t have to miss any time after departing his season debut with a biceps cramp.

Soroka came out of Monday night’s game against the Blue Jays after spiking a slider to the first batter he faced in the bottom of the sixth, his 83rd pitch of the outing. He immediately looked to the dugout and began clinching his fist.

Whatever initial fears the Nats may have had about a potentially serious injury were alleviated when Soroka told them his right biceps muscle cramped on that final pitch, and he didn’t want to take any chances trying to go any further in the game.

He expressed cautious optimism afterward the injury was nothing serious, with manual tests performed by the club’s medical staff revealing no issues. He did acknowledge he would need to throw off a bullpen mound first before knowing for certain he would be fine to make his next scheduled start.

Soroka wasn’t planning to throw off a mound today, merely to play catch in the outfield at Rogers Centre prior to the Nats’ series finale. If everything went well, he would likely throw his bullpen session in D.C. on Thursday (an off-day for the team) or Friday (prior to the series opener against Arizona).

TORONTO – For the second time already in this young season, the Nationals find themselves needing a win to avoid a series sweep. They managed to do it Sunday against the Phillies. Now they need to do it again against the Blue Jays.

The good news: MacKenzie Gore is on the mound, looking to pick up right where he left off Opening Day. The lefty was utterly dominant that afternoon, striking out 13 over six scoreless innings of one-hit ball. Most impressively, Gore issued zero walks and kept his pitch count to a mere 93 even with all those strikeouts. He needs to bring that same approach to this outing against a good Toronto lineup.

The Nationals also need more offense than they’ve been getting, especially early in the game. They’ll be facing an unknown in Easton Lucas, a 28-year-old left-hander with a 9.82 ERA in 14 career major league appearances, all of them out of the bullpen. Lucas isn’t likely to pitch deep into this game, so it could wind up as more of a bullpen game for the Blue Jays. Regardless, now would be an opportune time for the Nats to string some hits together and finally score runs in bunches.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Where: Rogers Centre
Gametime: 3:07 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
2B Amed Rosario
C Keibert Ruiz
LF James Wood
1B Nathaniel Lowe
DH Josh Bell
RF Alex Call
3B Paul DeJong
CF Dylan Crews