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.

Orlando Ribalta couldn’t believe his good luck. He had just gotten Austin Barnes to pop up a bunt right back to the mound, and all the Nationals reliever had to do was catch it for the easy out.

And then the ball somehow fell to the ground. At which point Ribalta realized this might actually work out better for him, because now he had an easy double play, with the Dodgers’ Andy Pages stuck in no-man’s land off first base.

Tuesday night’s four-man umpiring crew thought otherwise, ultimately huddling up and determining Ribalta intentionally dropped the routine popup, thus negating the second out made on the play and sending Pages back to first base unscathed.

Davey Martinez was livid, nearly getting himself thrown out of the game by crew chief Chris Guccione. Ribalta was more embarrassed than upset.

“The call is whatever they called. You can’t fight against it,” he said. “But I didn’t do it on purpose. I just couldn’t catch it.”

He had already hit 11 home runs in the big leagues, more than a few of them jaw-dropping in nature whether because of exit velocity or distance traveled. D.C. already knows what James Wood is, and what he can be.

Perhaps tonight, thanks to a jaw-dropping performance against the most-watched ballclub in the world, any portion of the baseball community that didn’t already know learned what everyone here had long since come to accept: This kid is special.

With two titanic home runs, not to mention an infield single and a bases-loaded walk for good measure, the 22-year-old outfielder drove in five runs to carry the Nationals to a convincing 8-2 victory over the Dodgers to clinch a series win over the defending World Series champions.

A Nats team that lost six of seven to begin the season has now won four in a row against top competition and remarkably will have a chance to sweep L.A. on Wednesday afternoon before embarking on a 10-game road trip to Miami, Pittsburgh and Colorado.

"I just think it kind of proves we're really not far," Wood said. "Even when we were losing games, we weren't off by much. Being able to put these games together, I think it just proves that."

PHOENIX – Charlie Morton hasn’t been pitching like Charlie Morton.

The veteran wasn’t signed to be an ace, nor, really, to be the second starter in the Orioles rotation. But that’s where the 41-year-old has found himself slotted in Baltimore’s first trips around the order.

Baltimore signed him in hopes of capturing what he’s been the last few years: reliable, steady and consistent.

From 2021 to 2024, the then Atlanta Brave made 124 starts, averaging 31 per season. He delivered a solid 3.87 ERA, 1.250 WHIP and over 10 strikeouts per nine innings. That’s exactly what the Orioles needed: a rotation piece that would post every fifth day and keep you in ballgames, even if the numbers weren’t incredibly flashy.

In his first two games of 2025, Morton hasn’t found flash, nor has he found reliability. And he hasn’t found the ways in which he normally gets outs.

CJ Abrams is out of the Nationals lineup a second straight day with an upper right leg ailment, but the shortstop expressed confidence he’ll be back “very soon.”

Abrams didn’t play Monday night’s series opener against the Dodgers, with manager Davey Martinez revealing his shortstop had complained of thigh tightness stemming from the final play of Sunday’s win over the Diamondbacks, in which he charged in to field a grounder and then threw off-balance to first base.

Abrams today referred to his ailment as “kind of a hip flexor thing,” saying it’s not a problem with his thigh. He didn’t seem concerned about it forcing him to miss anything more than a few days.

“It wasn’t anything specific. I just kind of felt it after (the last play Sunday),” he said. “Just took a couple days off, and I should be back out there soon.”

Abrams did take ground balls this afternoon and was planning to take batting practice in the cage prior to this evening’s game. There’s a chance he could come off the bench if needed, but it sounds more likely he returns to the lineup for Wednesday’s series finale or Friday’s series opener in Miami.

Who would’ve thought three days ago the Nationals would find themselves on a three-game winning streak, against the Diamondbacks and Dodgers no less? And yet here we are, with the team having already clinched at least a .500 homestand against two of the best teams in the league, and now a chance to clinch a winning week with one more victory tonight or Wednesday.

After going all-in to win Monday’s opener, Davey Martinez has no choice but to take a different approach tonight. That starts with the guy starting the game: Brad Lord. After three relief appearances to begin his career, the 25-year-old right-hander now makes his first career start, essentially taking the injured Michael Soroka’s place.

Because he hasn’t been stretched out, Lord is probably good for only 45-50 pitches. Which means Jackson Rutledge will probably come out of the bullpen, either directly behind him or later on in the game, to provide multiple innings himself. And if the Nationals are in a position to win the game late, there’s no way Kyle Finnegan is pitching for a fourth straight day. So who gets the ninth? Jose A. Ferrer? Jorge López? Martinez would love to be in a position to find out.

Offensively, the Nats have done a lot more during this homestand than they did during the season’s first week, especially early in games. They will look to do the same tonight against the Dodgers’ own fill-in starter. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski was called up from Triple-A to replace the injured Blake Snell, who was supposed to take the mound tonight but is dealing with a shoulder ailment. Wrobleski is Los Angeles’ 11th-ranked prospect and made six big league starts last year, going 1-2 with a 5.70 ERA. He threw 76 pitches over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his lone outing for Oklahoma City to begin the season, so he is stretched out to make a full start if he pitches well.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 45 degrees, wind 17 mph left field to right field

Club to recognize 2131 anniversary with celebration on September 6

he Orioles will celebrate one of the most remarkable feats in professional sports, as the club recognizes the 30^th anniversary of National Baseball Hall of Famer CAL RIPKEN, JR. surpassing the said-to-be-unbreakable record for consecutive games played. Ripken solidified himself as baseball’s version of Iron Man on September 6, 1995, when he took the field for his 2,131^st consecutive game, passing National Baseball Hall of Famer LOU GEHRIG’s mark of 2,130 games.

To kick off the celebrations, the Orioles will host Marvel Day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Saturday, June 28, as the club hosts the Tampa Bay Rays at 4:05 p.m. ET. The day will be highlighted by the Cal Ripken Jr. | Iron Man Bobblehead presented by MDOT’s Work Zone Safety Campaign, for the first 20,000 fans, which depicts Ripken inspired by the popular super hero, his familiar moniker, and one of Marvel’s most iconic Avengers.

“In many ways the 1995 season seems like yesterday. Thirty years has flown by but the memories from that season and the night of September 6, are still fresh in my mind. I am looking forward to celebrating the anniversary of 2131 with all the fans at Oriole Park and grateful to the organization wanting to mark the date,” shared Ripken. “As I have said many times, the streak was really the culmination of the approach to the game that my dad taught us. The result was the streak and so many of the memories are of exchanges with the fans over the years about what it meant to them and their own personal streaks. It will be a fun celebration and a great look back, not to mention a pretty cool Iron Man bobblehead.”

“Every once in a while, we come across a creative ‘no-brainer’, like bringing together Marvel’s Iron Man with Baseball’s own Iron Man, Cal Ripken Jr.,” shared BRIAN CROSBY, Executive, Marvel Experiences Development, who helped create the bobblehead. “Designing Cal’s own unique armor inspired by Iron Man, complete with Baltimore Orioles colors and the number 8, was a thrill for me as a fan of both of these legendary icons. Working with the Baltimore Orioles and Cal was an amazing experience, and I can’t wait for the Oriole faithful and Marvel fans to bring one home!”

James Wood hasn’t been a big leaguer long, but he’s been a big leaguer long enough to have some experience with big situations at the plate.

And what has the Nationals’ 22-year-old budding star learned from those experiences?

“I feel like if I go up there trying to create a big moment, I’ll get myself into trouble,” he said. “I just try and keep the same approach.”

Wood’s general laid-back persona certainly helps, but it’s another thing to actually put it into practice during a critical moment in a ballgame. What he did Monday night was further evidence he can handle the pressure just fine.

The situation: Bottom of the seventh, Nats already leading the Dodgers 3-2, one out and a runner on second. On the mound: Veteran left-hander Anthony Banda, himself briefly a member of the Nationals bullpen in April 2023, having since reestablished himself as a member of Los Angeles’ championship bullpen.

PHOENIX – A great night at the ballpark for the Orioles was capped off with an ominous, worrisome note. 

Zach Eflin, after tossing great six innings, was forced to exit the game with shoulder fatigue. 

"Just fatigue," Eflin clarified after the game. "I think it was precautionary. Evaluate tomorrow and see how I feel after sleeping tonight." 

The right-hander said he was "pretty optimistic," and didn't elaborate further on the potential for testing. He instead wanted to focus on the great game that his team just played, so we'll do the same.

The Orioles didn’t play Zac Gallen’s game.

What did the Nationals need to do to defeat the defending World Series champs tonight and extend their own winning streak to three games?

They needed six strong innings from MacKenzie Gore. They needed early offense to take a lead. They needed late offense to provide some cushion for a thin bullpen. They needed that thin bullpen to get the job done on a night when most of the big names weren’t available.

Oh, and they also needed to hold down the Dodgers’ vaunted lineup enough to make sure Shohei Ohtani’s otherworldly exploits wouldn’t cost them.

And wouldn’t you know, they pulled it off, combining all of those elements during a 6-4 victory that stands as their best of the young season.

"That felt like a playoff game," said closer Kyle Finnegan, who was right in the middle of it all at the end. "To play against a team like the Dodgers, their resume speaks for itself. To play with them and compete all the way to the last out, it says a lot of things about our team and our grit. We can play with anybody in the league."

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.