There’s no rest for the weary. The Nationals just completed a seven-day road trip that concluded with a getaway night game in Miami. And now they’re right back to work tonight in the opener of a seven-game homestand against the Pirates and Braves that will include a day-night doubleheader Tuesday. Nobody said this would be easy.

Twenty-seven of the current 28 members of the Nationals’ active roster arrived early this morning from Miami. Brad Lord, on the other hand, flew home late Thursday afternoon, giving him a chance to get a good night’s sleep in advance of his start tonight. The rookie right-hander had a much-needed, bounceback start last weekend at Wrigley Field after back-to-back ugly outings, so hopefully he’s on track again and ready to finish the season strong. He faced the Pirates way back on April 14 at PNC Park, allowing four runs in 4 1/3 innings, taking the loss to Paul Skenes that evening.

The Nationals won’t be seeing Skenes this weekend, because he pitched Wednesday in Baltimore and will next pitch Monday in Pittsburgh. It’ll be veteran Mitch Keller, who unfortunately is best remembered around here for throwing the fastball that hit Paul DeJong in the face during that April series. Keller was quick to check on DeJong that night and apologize to him, so there’s no bad blood whatsoever between the two.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES 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, 77 degrees, wind 7 mph in from right field

PIRATES
SS Jared Triolo
1B Spencer Horwitz
RF Bryan Reynolds
DH Andrew McCutchen
2B Nick Gonzales
CF Oneil Cruz
3B Cam Devanney
LF Ji Hwan Bae
C Henry Davis

MIAMI – James Wood is getting a rare day off, the Nationals slugger finding himself on the bench for tonight’s series finale against the Marlins.

It’s only the fourth time in his big league career Wood hasn’t been in the Nats’ starting lineup. All four have come within the last two months, since interim manager Miguel Cairo replaced Davey Martinez.

Why tonight? Cairo described the decision as involving a combination of Miami’s starting pitcher (left-hander Ryan Weathers) and the artificial turf at loanDepot Park.

“We’re playing on turf, and I want to make sure,” Cairo said. “He’s been DHing, playing the outfield. I told him whenever Ryan Weathers was going to pitch, I was going to give him a little break for his knees and his body. Believe me, he’s been playing a lot, and he’s been unbelievable. One day won’t be bad for him.”

Wood started the first 174 games of his career before sitting July 13 in the Nationals’ first half finale in Milwaukee. He also was held out of the lineup July 28 in Houston and Aug. 17 against the Phillies (though he came off the bench for one at-bat in that one).

CHICAGO – In his two months on the job, Miguel Cairo has established a clear policy on the deployment of his new closer. It doesn’t matter if it’s the seventh, eighth or ninth inning. If the game is on the line, and the opponents’ best hitters are due up, Jose A. Ferrer is going to be on the mound. And if someone else needs to finish out the game after that, so be it.

It’s a forward-thinking strategy that has served the Nationals’ interim manager well to date, and it worked to perfection today during a 2-1 victory over the Cubs.

With Ferrer retiring the top of the Chicago lineup in the bottom of the eighth, it was rookie Cole Henry trotting in from the bullpen for the bottom of the ninth and ultimately earning his second career save.

"It's something that I learned," Cairo said of the somewhat unconventional strategy. "I had really good managers that I played for and I watched work. ... We've got a plan, and we stick to it."

Those two back-end relievers weren’t alone in making this win possible. Brad Lord set the tone with 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball in his best start in weeks. PJ Poulin finished off the sixth with a big out to strand the tying runner in scoring position. And Clayton Beeter worked around two more walks to record his ninth consecutive hitless inning of relief, keeping the one-run lead intact heading to the eighth.

CHICAGO – It’s another beautiful day at the Friendly Confines, where the Nationals will look to shrug off Friday’s 11-5 loss to the Cubs and get back to the winning ways they previously discovered against the Marlins. To do that, they’re going to need a good start out of Brad Lord.

The rookie right-hander had been on an impressive run for months, but his last three starts have gone sideways (17 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings against the Mets, Yankees and Rays). During that time, his ERA has shot up from 3.26 to 4.34, turning such a promising debut season into something less than that. Lord still has an opportunity to right the ship, though, over the final month and will look to start that process today against a Chicago lineup that launched four homers into the bleachers Friday afternoon.

At the plate, the Nationals will try to get to Cubs starter Matthew Boyd early after going silent the first time through the order against Friday starter Javier Assad before getting hot. The lefty was quite good against the Nats back in June, allowing two runs over 7 1/3 innings. But he took the loss that night because MacKenzie Gore was even better in pitching his team to a 2-0 victory.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO CUBS
Where: Wrigley Field
Gametime: 2:20 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 65 degrees, wind 14 mph out to right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
DH James Wood
C Jorge Alfaro
1B Josh Bell
LF Daylen Lile
RF Dylan Crews
2B Nasim Nuñez
3B Brady House
CF Jacob Young

The worst summer in Nationals history came to a close this afternoon in much the same fashion as far too many ballgames over the last three months played out. A 7-4 loss to the Rays had all the hallmarks of previous losses, from a big hole created by a struggling starting pitcher to a futile attempt by the lineup to make up the big deficit.

In getting swept by Tampa Bay, the Nats saw their losing streak swell to eight games. At no point during the streak have they held a lead at the conclusion of any inning.

The misery extends far past these last eight games, though. The Nationals wrapped up the month of August with a 9-19 record. This after they went 9-15 in July. This after they went 7-19 in June. It’s the first time in club history they’ve failed to win at least 10 games in at least one of the three summer months.

That makes them 25-53 since June 1, a .321 winning percentage that easily ranks as worst in the majors during that extended span and would equate over an entire season to a 52-win pace.

"We were playing good," interim manager Miguel Cairo said, citing a recent 5-3 stretch against the Mets and Phillies. "It's not like they've given up or anything like that. They're battling. They're fighting. Today I told them: (25) more games. You've got to keep fighting. You've got to finish strong."

The Nationals have endured three losing streaks of at least seven games this season, which is not typically a sign of a good season. This current losing streak has seen them score a total of 16 runs, only five in their last four games.

So the focus heading into this afternoon’s series finale against the Rays has got to be offense, and how this lineup can somehow find a way to generate something at the plate, especially early on in an attempt to take a lead instead of trying to play from behind yet again.

The problem: The Nats will be facing a left-hander in Ian Seymour who just tossed five scoreless innings of one-hit, eight-strikeout ball against the Guardians in his last start. Seymour, drafted in 2020 out of Virginia Tech, is exactly the type of opposing starter who has given this team fits all year long. He actually throws more changeups (34.9 percent) than fastballs (30.8 percent) and nobody has produced an extra-base hit off that changeup yet this season.

Brad Lord, meanwhile, gets the nod for the Nationals, looking to bounce back from a rare dud, in which the rookie right-hander gave up seven runs in 4 1/3 innings at Yankee Stadium. Over his last two starts, Lord has seen his ERA jump from 3.26 to 3.84.

TAMPA BAY RAYS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 76 degrees, wind 7 mph in from center field

NEW YORK – Greetings from the Big Apple! No, we are not in Queens, the Nationals’ usual stomping grounds when they visit New York. (Actually, thankful for that because of all of the U.S. Open tennis traffic that will be going to and from the area surrounding Citi Field). Instead, we are in The Bronx, where the Nats begin a three-game series against the Yankees. And the Nats have actually had success at Yankee Stadium, where they are 7-6 all-time, and against the Bombers, against whom they are 15-14 all-time.

The Yankees are in a tight battle for playoff position, currently sitting 5 ½ games behind the Blue Jays in the American League East. And after dropping three of four at home to the hated-rival Red Sox, they are a half-game behind Boston for the first AL Wild Card spot and half-game ahead of Seattle for the third one. But despite their weekend woes against the Red Sox, the Yankees are winners of eight of their last 12.

As for the Nationals, my colleague Mark Zuckerman pointed out after yesterday’s loss to the Phillies that they have gone 7-2 in games started by Brad Lord, MacKenzie Gore and Cade Cavalli while going 1-7 in games started by Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker over the last 2 ½ weeks. So luckily for them, those first three pitchers are the ones scheduled to start these three games.

Lord gets the ball tonight, bringing his 4-6 record and 3.46 ERA to the hill. The right-hander was charged with four runs in 5 ⅓ innings in his last start against the Mets, but three of the four runs came in the sixth inning. Since returning to the rotation, Lord is 2-1 with a 3.45 ERA and the Nats are 5-1 in his six starts.

In a battle of right-handed rookies, Cam Schlittler goes for the Yankees. He’s 1-2 with a 3.22 ERA in his seven starts and has not allowed more than three earned runs in an outing. In his last time out, he shut out the Rays over 6 ⅔ innings of one-hit ball with two walks and eight strikeouts.

NEW YORK – Miguel Cairo knows the aura that surrounds Yankee Stadium well. He called the old Yankee Stadium home for parts of three seasons during his 17-year major league career.

His message to his young Nationals team ahead of tonight’s three-game series opener in The Bronx: Embrace it and play clean baseball.

“Just do the little things,” the interim manager said during his pregame media session. “You gotta do the little things better than anyone, and you might have a chance to win games.”

Although the Nats have been playing cleaner ball lately, they by no means did the little things better than the Yankees tonight, dooming them to a 10-5 loss that was more of a shellacking by one of the most dangerous offenses in baseball than the final score assumes.

“That's what we've been preaching. To beat teams like this, you cannot give outs away," Cairo said after the game. "But our team has been playing good. It's just one of those days. So far, I'm proud of how we've been doing. Playing hard, it's just one of those days.”

The Nationals put themselves in position to win tonight’s game against the Mets thanks to a much-needed and improved offensive approach against Kodai Senga and another solid start by Brad Lord, at least until it nearly fell apart on him in the top of the sixth.

All of which left Miguel Cairo – and then Henry Blanco once Cairo was ejected during that same inning – to try to piece together the final 11 outs of this game with a bullpen loaded with inexperienced arms.

And then one by one, those inexperienced arms performed like seasoned veterans, four relievers coming together to deliver 3 2/3 innings of scoreless ball to secure a hard-earned 5-4 victory over New York.

"Anytime you can win a one-run ballgame is huge," right fielder Dylan Crews said. "That's what makes great teams great. ... That's a huge win for us right there, and we couldn't have done it without the bullpen."

The unlikely quartet that got the job done against one of the more imposing lineups in the National League? Cole Henry, Shinnosuke Ogasawara, Clayton Beeter and Jose A. Ferrer. That may not be how anyone would’ve drawn things up as recently as a month ago, but it’s what the Nationals have right now, so it’s what they used to beat the Mets.

Last night’s game did not go well at all for the Nationals, on either side of the ball. On the mound, Jake Irvin got roughed up by the Mets for six runs (five of them coming in the top of the third). At the plate, the lineup was absolutely carved up by David Peterson for the umpteenth time. Put it all together, and you’ve got a completely lackluster, 8-1 loss.

What does tonight have in store? If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how Brad Lord fares in his 12th big league start, his second against the Mets. The rookie right-hander tossed only four innings that April night during a 2-0 loss. He’s fully built up for a longer workload tonight, provided he’s effective enough to warrant remaining in the game. The good news: He has been quite effective since rejoining the rotation, posting a 2.77 ERA and 1.154 WHIP in five starts.

At the plate, the Nationals simply have to put together better at-bats than they did last night against Peterson. The problem: They’ve had very little success in two previous cracks at Kodai Senga this season, including 5 2/3 innings of one-hit ball in June. Like Peterson, Senga can be really deceptive. The onus is on the Nats’ hitters to be patient and take what’s given to them, which means hitting the ball the other way if he keeps everything down and away.

NEW YORK METS 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: Mostly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind 8 mph in from right field

METS
SS Francisco Lindor
RF Juan Soto
LF Brandon Nimmo
1B Pete Alonso
2B Jeff McNeil
DH Mark Vientos
3B Brett Baty
CF Cedric Mullins
C Luis Torrens

The Nationals sent a message when they designated struggling first baseman Nathaniel Lowe for assignment this afternoon to make room for Dylan Crews’s return: "We want to see the young kids. ... We want to see what they can do,” said interim manager Miguel Cairo ahead of tonight’s four-game series opener against the Phillies.

Sure enough, Cairo started four of his five young outfielders, with James Wood serving as the designated hitter, Daylen Lile playing left field, Jacob Young in center and Crews back in right.

But it was another young player Cairo chose to start tonight that came up clutch for the Nats against this veteran Phillies squad in a 3-2 comeback victory in front of an announced crowd of 21,609 on South Capitol Street.

“I gotta tell you, that's a game that you look at it and it's like a playoff game," Cairo said after the win. "That's the way you play games like this. Good pitching, good defense, opportune hitting. It was nice to see our pitchers, our defense, our hitters really engage in the game and doing the little things. That's what we did today. They picked each other up.”

Of the five young outfielders, three of them are left-handed hitters, so one of them figured to sit to start this one. The odd-man out was Robert Hassell III. And Cairo also figured this was a good time to give shortstop CJ Abrams a breather after he played 24 straight games and with tough left-hander Jesús Luzardo starting for the visitors. So Paul DeJong started at shortstop and José Tena started at second base for just his fifth appearance since being recalled from Triple-A Rochester 2 ½ weeks ago.

The Nationals have returned from a 3-3 road trip for a tough homestand. In fact, they have a tough stretch to finish August, with each of their next 13 games coming against a team currently in a playoff position.

This homestand against two divisional rivals starts with a four-game set against the Phillies, who own a five-game lead over the Mets in the National League East. Luckily, the Nats will be getting some reinforcements by activating Dylan Crews off the 60-day injured list as he returns from his oblique injury. In a corresponding move, the Nats surprisingly designated first baseman Nathaniel Lowe for assignment. So we’ll have to wait and see how interim manager Miguel Cairo constructs his lineups with five young outfielders moving forward.

Brad Lord certainly has been one of the bright spots for this team in the second half. Since rejoining the rotation full-time, the right-hander is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA over four starts, with the Nats winning three of those games. He did make a start against the Phillies when he was briefly a part of the rotation back in May, tossing five innings of two-run ball with four strikeouts and one walk. He earned the win in that game, too.

Former Nats draft pick Jesús Luzardo starts for the Phils. The lefty is 11-5 with a 4.20 ERA and 1.346 WHIP in 24 starts. He started the second game of the season here at Nats Park and struck out 11 over five frames of two-run ball in a Philly rout.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of scattered thunderstorms, 80 degrees, wind 5 mph from right to left field

SAN FRANCISCO – When Cole Henry loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth Saturday afternoon, Miguel Cairo could have stuck with his rookie setup man and given him a chance to pitch his way out of the jam. The Nationals led by three runs. There was at least some margin for error.

Cairo, though, didn’t hesitate to walk straight to the mound and hold his left arm out, signaling toward the bullpen in right-center. He wanted the lefty. He wanted Jose A. Ferrer, even if he was now asking his newly anointed closer to produce a five-out save before ever recording a simple three-out one.

“I was just like: I’ve got to worry about today. I cannot worry about tomorrow,” the interim manager said. “That was the best matchup. Their good hitters were coming up. I’ll just take my chances with him.”

Ferrer proceeded to reward his manager’s faith in him and make his first save since replacing Kyle Finnegan a memorable one. He allowed one of the three inherited runners to score via Wilmer Flores’ sacrifice fly. But he struck out Matt Chapman with a 99 mph fastball to end the eighth. Then he pitched out of another jam in the ninth, inducing a game-ending double play out of Patrick Bailey to lock up the Nats’ 4-2 win.

It had been nine days since the Nationals dealt Finnegan to the Tigers at the trade deadline, eight days since Cairo coyly refused to name his new closer, noting the world would find out once he was in a situation to use him.

SAN FRANCISCO – James Wood set the tone with a desperately needed leadoff homer. Paul DeJong and Josh Bell added on with a pair of homers themselves to extend the lead. Brad Lord and the new-look back end of the bullpen then took care of the rest, pitching the Nationals to their first truly conventional win since the trade deadline.

Behind three early solo homers, headlined by Wood’s first blast in a month, the Nats toppled the Giants 4-2 this afternoon, getting another strong start by Lord and a gutsy, five-out save from new closer Jose A. Ferrer.

The Nationals’ only other win since the July 31 deadline was a 2-1 walk-off victory over the Athletics. This one came via a more normal path, with early offense and a quality start putting them in position entering the late innings. But it still required nine outs from a completely remade bullpen, and we finally saw today what exactly that now looks like.

It included left-hander Konnor Pilkington retiring the side in the bottom of the seventh. It included Cole Henry getting the bottom of the eighth but getting pulled after loading the bases with one out. And so it concluded with Jose A. Ferrer recording a five-out save, escaping the eighth-inning jam with only one inherited runner crossing the plate before escaping a two-on jam in the ninth thanks to a game-ending double play off the bat of Patrick Bailey.

"I'm really excited about this opportunity," Ferrer, who earned his first save since assuming the closer's job following Kyle Finnegan's trade to Detroit, said via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. "I just want to thank them for putting me in this position, to be closer of the team. It's a huge responsibility, because you come in to close the game. Your teammates played really hard the whole game. You just want to come out, get those three outs and take the win."

SAN FRANCISCO – It’s a beautiful day by the bay. Will it be beautiful for a Nationals lineup that has been ice-cold at the plate?

The Nats have been shut out in back-to-back games, and even when you add Wednesday’s win over the Athletics to the mix, they’ve still scored only two runs on 11 hits and two walks over their last 27 innings. That simply won’t cut it. And now they face a quick turnaround to a day game against an opposing left-hander. That’s pretty much been a recipe for disaster this season: The team OPS in day games against lefties: .563, tied with the Rangers for worst in the majors. (Against righties, it at least goes up to .676.)

Today’s lineup is once again missing Luis García Jr., whose back tightened up Friday during batting practice. Hopefully we’ll get an update on his status shortly. It’ll be up to the rest of the group – most notably James Wood and CJ Abrams – to get something going against the Giants’ Carson Whisenhunt, a 24-year-old making his third career start.

Brad Lord gets the ball for the Nationals, looking to continue what he’s done since rejoining the rotation. In three starts, the rookie right-hander has a 3.21 ERA, issuing only three walks over 14 innings. And after throwing 92 pitches last time out, he should be good to reach the 100 mark if needed today, meaning he’s fully stretched out as a starter now.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Oracle Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 69 degrees, wind 12 mph out to center field

The fear when the Nationals traded away their three most reliable relievers before Thursday’s deadline was what would remain in the bullpen for the final two months of an already-lost 2025 season. Interim general manager Mike DeBartolo was willing to take that chance, recognizing Kyle Finnegan, Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia weren’t going to be a part of the team’s 2026 roster, so he might as well get what he could for the three veterans now.

Those fears, though, were fully realized this weekend when the remnants of the Nats bullpen met the full extent of the Brewers lineup. It wasn’t pretty.

Today’s 14-3 thumping was merely the final blow in a series of blowouts. In getting swept by the team with the National League’s best record, the Nationals were outscored 38-14.

And the Nats weren’t just swept by the Brewers this weekend. They were swept in the season series, outscored 60-23 in six games that more than proved the chasm that currently exists between these two teams.

"That's what a winning team looks like," interim manager Miguel Cairo said of a Milwaukee club that's now 67-44. "They beat us, simple as that."

The Nationals thought they were going to be trying to avoid not only a series sweep but a season sweep at the hands of the Brewers this afternoon by facing rookie phenom Jacob Misiorowski. Turns out they won’t be facing Misiorowski, who was just placed on the 15-day injured list with a left tibia contusion (he was struck in the leg by a comebacker in his last outing). But before you get too excited, the replacement for The Miz is Logan Henderson, another rookie right-hander who in his first four career starts earlier this season went 3-0 with a 1.71 ERA, 29 strikeouts and only six walks. (Amazing what a difference organizational pitching depth can make, huh?)

So, the Nats still have their work cut out for them to produce offense today. They were held to two hits by Brandon Woodruff and the Brewers bullpen during Saturday’s 8-2 loss. That’s obviously not going to cut it today.

On the bright side, Brad Lord gets the ball for the home team, and that’s something to look forward to. The rookie right-hander has looked really good in his first two starts since returning from the bullpen a few weeks ago, allowing two runs over 9 1/3 innings (and throwing only 109 pitches in the process). He’ll be trying to build up to about 70-75 pitches today, so that could allow him to provide some length as well for a Nationals staff that could use it.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 81 degrees, wind 7 mph in from right field

BREWERS
2B Brice Turang
C William Contreras
1B Andrew Vaughn
DH Christian Yelich
LF Isaac Collins
CF Blake Perkins
3B Anthony Seigler
RF Brandon Lockridge
SS Joey Ortiz

HOUSTON – To beat the Astros on a night in which Framber Valdez’s curveball was untouchable, the Nationals were going to need an equally effective outing from starter-turned-reliever-turned-starter Brad Lord, just enough offense from a lineup missing James Wood to give themselves a lead and then zeros from their bullpen to close things out.

When they found a way to get all of that and walk out of Daikin Park with a 2-1 victory, it might well have represented the most impressive victory of the still-nascent Miguel Cairo Era.

Behind 5 1/3 standout innings from Lord, clutch hits from Nathaniel Lowe and Riley Adams and 3 2/3 scoreless innings from the bullpen, the Nationals emerged on top in a pitchers’ duel and won for the fifth time in their last seven games. To have done that against one of the toughest opponents on their recent schedule, against their ace nonetheless, made it particularly notable.

"It's exciting, because you have to play a clean game," Lowe said. "And especially against a first-place team, you have to play a clean game anyway. We did that today."

Adams’ solo homer in the seventh off reliever Bryan King proved the difference, an opposite-field blast for his third homer in his last 11 games, equaling the total from his first 31 games.

HOUSTON – Hello from Daikin Park in downtown Houston. No, it’s no longer Minute Maid Park. The memories of October 2019 from this place, however, remain, regardless of the stadium’s name.

The Nationals kick off the second leg of their road trip tonight with the opener of a three-game series against the Astros. They just took two of three from the Twins in Minnesota, this after taking two of three from the Reds in D.C. Could they actually pull off three straight series victories? This one should be a stiffer challenge than the last two, especially with Astros ace Framber Valdez on the mound tonight.

Given that tough matchup against one of the best lefties in the league, Miguel Cairo has a very different looking lineup for this one. Most notably, James Wood is not playing for only the second time in his major league career. Wood has been in a significant slump (7-for-64, eight walks, 32 strikeouts over his last 17 games) so you can understand why Cairo may believe it’s a good time to give the young star a physical and mental breather.

Brad Lord, meanwhile, makes his second start since rejoining the rotation. After tossing four innings of one-run ball against Cincinnati, the rookie right-hander should be good to build up to a heavier workload. He threw 50 pitches in that game, so perhaps 65 or so tonight if all goes well?

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: Daikin Park
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

Rarely do the Nationals make you wait to find out if it’s going to be a good night at the plate or a bad night at the plate. You usually know right away in the first or second inning if they’ve got an opposing starter figured out. If they do, great. If they don’t, it’s probably going to be a long night.

So consider what the Nats did tonight against Chase Burns an important step in the right direction. The Reds’ rookie phenom made them look silly for four innings with an upper-90s fastball and a low-90s slider that produced 10 strikeouts. And then they began to make some adjustments along the way and took him down in the fifth and sixth.

That later-than-usual offensive surge, combined with an impressive, all-hands-on-deck pitching performance from Brad Lord and a makeshift bullpen put the Nationals in position to celebrate a well-earned 6-1 victory over Cincinnati.

It’s only the Nats’ third series win in their last 14 attempts. And they’ll have a chance Wednesday afternoon to do something they haven’t done since mid-May in Baltimore: sweep a three-game series.

"It's always fun to win a series before the series is over, that's for sure," center fielder Jacob Young said. "The chance to sweep is awesome. But it feels great to win a series early like that and have a chance to sweep tomorrow and kind of get the second half going."