SEATTLE – Outfielder Ramón Laureano and catcher Gary Sánchez begin their injury rehab assignments tonight with Triple-A Norfolk, which is playing in Nashville. Laureano is leading off and playing right field and Sánchez is batting third and serving as designated hitter.

Laureano and Sánchez joined infielder Jordan Westburg, who is reaching the finish line in his assignment. Westburg is batting second and playing third base.

Coby Mayo is playing first base tonight as the Orioles try to stay on their recent roll.

Colton Cowser stays in center field, Heston Kjerstad in right and Dylan Carlson in left. Ryan O’Hearn goes from first baseman to designated hitter.

Left-hander Cade Povich will try to give the Orioles five straight quality starts for the first time since July 5-9, 2023 with Dean Kremer, Kyle Bradish, Cole Irvin, Tyler Wells and Kyle Gibson.

The opener of the Nationals’ homestand was pretty much a dud. Despite scoring three early runs against the Cubs, they gave them all back – plus five more – en route to an 8-3 loss. So much for positive momentum coming off that winning West Coast trip. But there’s a golden opportunity to get back on track tonight, and that begins with the man on the mound for the home team.

MacKenzie Gore is putting together the best first half of a season we’ve seen from any pitcher in a while around here. The lefty sports a 3.16 ERA and league-leading 101 strikeouts (while walking only 21, by the way). And his last two starts have been fantastic: one run on two hits in six innings against the Giants, zero runs on four hits in six innings against the Mariners. The problem: Gore wasn’t credited with the win in either game, and in fact his last win came way back on April 19 at Colorado.

In other words, Gore needs some run support for a change. Tonight the Nationals face a left-handed starter for the first time since May 25 (San Francisco’s Robbie Ray). Their lineup since had been almost automatic, aside from Riley Adams starting one game behind the plate to give Keibert Ruiz a night off. So with Matthew Boyd on the mound for the Cubs, we should finally see some new faces in Davey Martinez’s batting order. Whether that translates into enough production to get Gore on the positive side for once remains to be seen.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. CHICAGO CUBS
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, 82 degrees, wind 10 mph out to left field

CUBS
LF Ian Happ
RF Seiya Suzuki
C Carson Kelly
CF Pete Crow-Armstrong
SS Dansby Swanson
2B Nico Hoerner
1B Michael Busch
DH Justin Turner
3B Matt Shaw

The Nationals return home after a very successful 4-2 West Coast road trip against two contending teams. The competition doesn’t ease up on South Capitol Street, however, as they face another first-place squad in the Cubs.

Craig Counsell’s club has the second-best record in the National League at 37-22, trailing only the Mets by a half-game. They are 14-4 since May 12, the best record in the majors in the span, with the Nats just behind them at 11-7.

The Nats offense will try to stay hot against rookie right-hander Cade Horton, who is the owner of a 2-0 record, 3.98 ERA and 1.230 WHIP over his first four major league appearances (three starts).

Meanwhile, Trevor Williams will look to carry over his dominance from his last outing, against the Mariners, in which he pitched six shutout innings on three hits, no walks and two strikeouts. The veteran right-hander is 3-5 with a 5.69 ERA and 1.446 WHIP over 11 starts this season and 4-8 with a 4.55 ERA and 1.518 WHIP in 18 career appearances (14 starts) against the Cubbies.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. CHICAGO CUBS
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: Clear, 81 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

PHOENIX – We have come to the final day of a West Coast trip that has been both eventful and successful. The Nationals have gone 4-1 against the Mariners and Diamondbacks, and they’ve done with the most impressive offensive run in club history: Four straight games scoring at least nine runs, capped off by Saturday night’s historic 10-run top of the first.

Given all that, the Nats could be excused if they take their foot off the gas pedal today. They’ve already won the series and the road trip. They’re physically exhausted after five straight late-night games and now have to make the quick turnaround to a 1:10 p.m. local time finale at Chase Field. And they’re facing Arizona ace Corbin Burnes. Then again, with this team you never really know what you’re going to get until the game starts, so perhaps there’s a fifth straight offensive explosion coming.

This much is certain: Mitchell Parker desperately needs a solid start, and he faces a tough challenge in a Diamondbacks lineup that has scored 14 runs the last two nights with nothing to show for it. Parker started off this trip way back on Tuesday night with a dud in Seattle in which he served up three homers in 4 2/3 innings. He hasn’t had a quality start since April 22 against the Orioles. He may not be pitching for his job quite yet, but he’s inching in that direction if he doesn’t right the ship.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Where: Chase Field
Gametime: 4:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
1B Nathaniel Lowe
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Josh Bell
CF Robert Hassell III
C Keibert Ruiz
3B José Tena
RF Daylen Lile

Coby Mayo is starting at first base today and Jorge Mateo stays in center field for the Orioles’ final game of the homestand.

Ramón Urías moves up to second in the order.

Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter. O’Hearn batted .365/.450/.542 in May and posted a .447 average and .681 slugging percentage on fastballs. He has a 10-game hitting streak (19-for-40) and 17-game on-base streak.

Dylan Carlson is in left field and Heston Kjerstad is in right. Adley Rutschman goes to the bench, giving Maverick Handley the start behind the plate.

Charlie Morton rejoined the rotation and held the Cardinals to two runs in six innings to lower his ERA from 7.68 to 7.09. He’s allowed four runs in 15 1/3 innings in his last four appearances.

PHOENIX – It’s the final day of May, and though it had some bumps along the way, this turned out to be a successful May for the Nationals. Regardless of the outcome of tonight’s game against the Diamondbacks, they already clinched a rare winning month with Friday night’s wild 9-7 victory. It’s only their second winning month since the teardown of July 2021, the previous one coming in August 2023 when they went 17-11.

The Nats enter this one on a three-game winning streak, having won nine of their last 12 overall to get to three games under .500 at 27-30. They would love to keep their offensive explosion going, though it might be too much to ask for a fourth straight nine-run output. Let’s see what they can do against Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who enters with a 7-3 record and 3.90 ERA.

Michael Soroka gets the ball for the visitors, looking to build off his quality start last weekend against the Giants (three runs in six innings) even though he was charged with a tough loss in a 3-2 game. We’ll see who’s available in the bullpen tonight, though we already know one name who won’t be: Jorge López, who was just designated for assignment. Eduardo Salazar was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take his place, leaving rookies Cole Henry, Brad Lord and Jackson Rutledge as Davey Martinez’s top right-handed setup men in front of closer Kyle Finnegan.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Where: Chase Field
Gametime: 10:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
1B Nathaniel Lowe
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Josh Bell
CF Robert Hassell III
C Keibert Ruiz
3B José Tena
RF Daylen Lile

PHOENIX – Hello from the Valley of the Sun, where the sun is shining bright today. Yes, it’s 105 degrees here. Of course, the roof at Chase Field will be closed tonight, so nothing to worry about.

The Nationals arrived very early in the morning after a late-night flight from Seattle following a wild 9-3, 10-inning win over the Mariners. They’ve taken two of three from the first quality opponent they’re facing on this trip. Now they’ll try to do at least the same against another quality opponent in the Diamondbacks.

It’s Jake Irvin on the mound, and the right-hander has already faced Arizona earlier this season, allowing four runs over only five innings. He’s been much better since, and so far in four starts this month he’s 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA, coming off eight shutout innings against the Giants last weekend.

The all-left-handed Nats lineup that produced nine runs back-to-back days in Seattle will try to keep that going tonight against right-hander Merrill Kelly. Kelly did not pitch in that April series in D.C. Over his last eight starts, he’s got a sparkling 2.39 ERA, but he did give up four runs in six innings to the Cardinals last time out.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Where: Chase Field
Gametime: 9:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins underwent an MRI yesterday on his right hamstring, and the club is expressing early optimism regarding the severity of the strain and length of his absence.

Mullins leads the club with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs, and he ranks second with a .324 on-base percentage, .448 slugging and .772 OPS. His placement on the 10-day injured list is retroactive to yesterday, making him eligible to return on June 8.

“Very minor,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino. “My guess is that this will probably be the minimum for him. And who knows? It can go a little bit further. But we are not super concerned. It’s more right now just taking care of Ced and making sure we get him back 100 percent.”

Mullins has missed three of five games. He appeared in 147 last season but made two trips to the IL in 2023 with adductor strains.

Dylan Carlson is in center field this afternoon, and Mansolino said deciding on starters will be day-to-day.

SEATTLE – Would you have imagined after Tuesday’s blowout loss the Nationals wound now find themselves in position to win this series behind their ace? Probably not. But Wednesday’s 9-0 thumping of the Mariners canceled out Tuesday’s 9-1 loss and sets up the rubber match tonight.

And it’s MacKenzie Gore on the mound looking to win the series for the Nats. The 26-year-old lefty is coming off an outstanding outing against the Giants (one run, two hits, nine strikeouts over six-plus innings) that was marred only by his departure with a nasty welt on his upper left leg from a line drive that struck him way back in the top of the second. Gore is perfectly fine now, and he’ll be trying to expand his lead over Detroit’s Tarik Skubal (currently one behind him) for the major league lead in strikeouts.

Emerson Hancock, the Mariners’ first-round pick in 2020, will oppose Gore. The tall right-hander is 2-2 with a 5.95 ERA in eight starts so far this season, 6-6 with a 5.14 ERA in 23 career starts. He’s not a big strikeout guy; he throws the ball over the plate and tries to induce weak contact. We know the Nats (who have never faced him before) sometimes struggle with these type of pitchers. It’s on them to figure him out and make adjustments along the way.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SEATTLE MARINERS
Where: T-Mobile Park
Gametime: 9:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 63 degrees, wind 9 mph in from left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
1B Nathaniel Lowe
C Keibert Ruiz
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Josh Bell
CF Robert Hassell III
3B José Tena
RF Daylen Lile

SEATTLE – Tuesday night’s series opener went about as badly as it could have gone from the Nationals’ perspective. Mitchell Parker put them in an early hole, the lineup never seriously threatened to come back and the bullpen expanded the deficit to the point it became a 9-1 rout by the Mariners.

So they’ll try all over again tonight and see if they can’t get back on track. As always, the pressure to score first is significant, and the stats confirm it. When they score first the season, the Nats are 18-7. When the opponent scores first, they’re 6-23. That’s an awfully extreme difference.

Can a lineup that managed one run (a James Wood solo homer) Tuesday night against Logan Evans do more tonight against George Kirby? Davey Martinez is trotting out the same lineup in hopes of better results.

Meanwhile, Trevor Williams desperately needs to put together a solid start himself, even if that means only five innings. The veteran right-hander enters with a 6.39 ERA and has surrendered at least four runs in each of his last five starts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SEATTLE MARINERS
Where: T-Mobile Park
Gametime: 9:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 75 degrees, wind 10 mph out to center field

SEATTLE – It’s one thing to be aggressive at the plate. It’s quite another thing to have so little success being aggressive at the plate and making no obvious adjustment to reverse that trend.

The Nationals have often shown that unfortunate propensity in recent seasons, and tonight they took it to new (and increasingly agonizing) lengths. During a 9-1 trouncing at the hands of the Mariners, they made quick outs early against Logan Evans, then continued to make quick outs against Seattle’s rookie starter and never did anything to fix it.

By the time Eduard Bazardo completed what Evans started, the Nats ensured tonight would rank among the most futile offensive efforts in club history: They saw 98 total pitches, tied for the 11th fewest they've seen in a nine-inning game over the last 20-plus seasons.

"We're trying to work and see pitches. But when he's like that and you know he's attacking like that, you've got to go up there and be ready to hit," manager Davey Martinez said of Evans, who threw 65 of his 88 pitches for strikes. "You might get just one pitch like that down the middle, and then all of a sudden you're fighting. Tip my cap to him. He kept going out there and kept throwing strikes."

The Nationals nearly failed to draw a walk for the third consecutive game, a distinction they had achieved only once before in club history (September 2016). Josh Bell’s free pass in the top of the eighth finally snapped their streak of impatience at 26 innings.

SEATTLE – Hello from the Great Pacific Northwest, where the Nationals are making their bi-annual trip to face the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. It’s the first West Coast trip of the season, with a stop in Arizona coming up this weekend before they head back home.

The Nats come here playing better baseball of late but still quite a bit inconsistent at the plate. After scoring 37 runs during their five-game winning streak against the Orioles and Braves, they scored only five runs while losing two of three last weekend to the Giants. Most notably, they drew zero walks Saturday or Sunday.

This is important, because the Nationals now face a Mariners club that boasts a solid 3.69 ERA as a team. Their bullpen is even better, with a 3.43 ERA. And get this: Seattle is a perfect 21-0 when leading after seven innings this year, 24-0 when leading after eighth. The Nats have shown a propensity for coming from behind late, but this might be the wrong opponent to try to pull off that kind of magic against.

It's Mitchell Parker on the mound tonight, looking to build off a solid start last time out against the Braves. He’ll be opposed by right-hander Logan Evans, who makes the sixth start of his career, having gone 2-1 with a 3.33 ERA through his first five.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SEATTLE MARINERS
Where: T-Mobile Park
Gametime: 9:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 69 degrees, wind 9 mph in from left field

After Friday’s shutout loss to end a five-game win streak, the Nationals bounced right back to shut out the Giants yesterday to get back in the win column. They are now winners of seven of their last nine, and if they can win one more this afternoon, they’ll be winners of three straight series ahead of a long West Coast road trip.

Michael Soroka will try to do what MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin did the last two outings: Hold the Giants lineup to minimal damage and pitch deep into the game. The right-hander enters his fifth start with a 1-2 record, 5.95 ERA and 1.271 WHIP.

Meanwhile, the Nats bats will try to do something few have accomplished this season: Get to Robbie Ray. The veteran left-hander is undefeated at 6-0 with a 2.67 ERA and 1.221 WHIP over his 10 starts. The Giants have only lost one game Ray has started this year, his most recent one in which he pitched seven shutout innings against the Royals.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 68 degrees, wind 10 mph in from left field

Friday night’s series opener was one to forget. MacKenzie Gore was great but had to depart in the seventh when his left leg tightened up, five innings after he was struck by a comebacker. The Nationals bullpen quickly gave up four runs after the starter left. The lineup did nothing all night against Landen Roupp and the Giants bullpen. And so the five-game winning streak ended.

The Nats will try to bounce back this afternoon and not let this devolve into a losing streak, hoping for a better offensive showing against Kyle Harrison. The left-hander has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen so far this season, but with Justin Verlander hurt, San Francisco needs a spot starter and is turning to Harrison, who did make 31 big league starts the last two seasons. That includes a pair of outings last year against the Nationals, during which he allowed five runs over 10 2/3 innings, striking out 11 without issuing any walks.

Jake Irvin gets the start for the Nats, and he’s coming off a really sharp one at Camden Yards in which he allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings to earn his third win of the season. Most impressive, Irvin rediscovered his swing-and-miss stuff, getting six strikeouts after totaling only three across his previous three starts. That’ll be something to watch today.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
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 sunny, 70 degrees, wind 15 mph left to right field

GIANTS
RF Mike Yastrzemski
LF Heliot Ramos
RF Jung Hoo Lee
DH Wilmer Flores
3B Matt Chapman
SS Willy Adames
1B LaMonte Wade
C Patrick Bailey
2B Tyler Fitzgerald

BOSTON – Infielder Terrin Vavra is in Boston today on the medical taxi squad. He hasn’t appeared with the Orioles this season.

Vavra is hitting .317 with a .838 OPS in 22 games with Triple-A Norfolk.

The club didn’t specify why Vavra is here, but outfielder Ramón Laureano remains out of the lineup and did some running earlier to test his left ankle.

The tarp is on the field again and rain fell earlier, but the Orioles should be able to play their split doubleheader at Fenway Park.

Zach Eflin gets the start in Game 1, with the Game 2 starter unannounced. Left-hander Trevor Rogers is a possibility as the 27^th man. Charlie Morton was expected to pitch today before last night’s rainout.

The Nationals, suddenly, are flying high. After suffering a seven-game losing streak just last week, they’ve now won six of their last seven, including five straight entering tonight’s weekend series opener against the Giants. And for the second night in a row, they’ve got a touted young outfielder set to make his major league debut.

One night after Robert Hassell III got the spotlight, Daylen Lile now joins him. With Jacob Young placed on the 10-day injured list with an AC sprain in his left shoulder, Lile got the call from Triple-A Rochester (where he was slashing .361/.432/.514 in only 18 games since his promotion from Double-A Harrisburg). The club’s second-round pick in the 2021 Draft, he’s young but an exciting player who hits and runs well.

MacKenzie Gore gets the ball for the Nationals, seeking a far more efficient outing than his last one. Despite allowing only two runs to the Orioles, Gore gave up 10 hits and two walks while striking out nine and threw a whopping 102 pitches in only 3 2/3 innings. After the bullpen needed to go 6 1/3 innings Thursday night in the 8-7 win over the Braves, the Nats need length out of Gore tonight.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 65 degrees, wind 14 mph left to right field

GIANTS
LF Heliot Ramos
CF Jung Hoo Lee
3B Matt Chapman
DH Wilmer Flores
SS Willy Adames
1B Casey Schmitt
RF Mike Yastrzemski
C Patrick Bailey
2B Tyler Fitzgerald

BOSTON – The rain has stopped in Boston and the tarp is off the field. The Orioles and Red Sox will attempt to play two games in a day-night doubleheader.

Gunnar Henderson is the designated hitter today, with Jorge Mateo playing shortstop. Jackson Holliday continues to bat leadoff.

Ryan O’Hearn is in left field to handle the Green Monster, and Heston Kjerstad is in right.

Ramón Urías is playing third base.

Trevor Rogers is the 27^th man. He'll probably start Game 2. Starters for Saturday and Sunday are now TBA.

Let’s give this another try, shall we? After Wednesday night’s game was rained out, the Nationals and Braves will attempt to play their series finale as scheduled this evening, though there is again some rain in the forecast (more so early than late, so that should hopefully help matters).

It’s the same pitching matchup that was supposed to take the mound Wednesday, with Trevor Williams starting for the Nats and AJ Smith-Shawver starting for the Braves. The bullpens, of course, will be well refreshed and available for as much work as needed. Perhaps that plays into Davey Martinez’s hands, allowing him to pull Williams after five innings regardless of results, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Robert Hassell III has had a chance to process his first major league promotion for more than 24 hours now, so he should be good and ready to go come 6:45 p.m. He made a point to shag a bunch of fly balls in both center and right fields Wednesday afternoon to start getting a feel for the perspective here at Nationals Park. Of course, there’s nothing like the real thing, and you can’t simulate that.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 60 degrees, wind 8 mph out to right field

BRAVES
LF Alex Verdugo
3B Austin Riley
1B Matt Olson
DH Marcell Ozuna
C Drake Baldwin
2B Ozzie Albies
RF Eli White
CF Michael Harris II
SS Nick Allen

It’s a cold, rainy day in the nation’s capital, with the chance of baseball being played on time and to completion tonight much less than 100 percent. It’s dry for the moment, but there’s more rain forecast for this evening, so stay tuned for updates.

If they play, it’s a fairly significant day for the Nationals, who are promoting outfielder Robert Hassell III from Triple-A Rochester for the first time. The corresponding move just announced sends Dylan Crews to the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain.

It remains to be seen how much playing time the 23-year-old Hassell gets, but he should get some opportunity to show how ready he is for the big leagues, and then potentially stick in the long term.

The Nats lineup has suddenly turned productive, especially early in games. That group has now scored at least four runs off opposing starters within the first two innings of the last three games, a welcome departure from the previous week (and, to be honest, much of the season to date). It would be a very welcome development if that trend continues tonight against AJ Smith-Shawver, who six days ago held the same lineup to one unearned run on two hits over six innings at Truist Park.

Trevor Williams faced Smith-Shawver that day, as well, and was solid for four innings (one run allowed) before falling apart in the fifth (three more runs allowed). That loss left Williams at 2-5 with a 5.91 ERA. Statistically speaking, he’s been the worst member of the Nationals rotation. At some point, they need to see better results from the veteran, lest his spot become available to a younger starter.

The Orioles released Kyle Gibson this afternoon after he cleared waivers. He was designated for assignment on Sunday.

The outcome was predictable with Gibson paid $5.25 million this year.

The door could remain ajar for Gibson’s return to the organization, perhaps agreeing to another deal that allows for the veteran to pitch in the minors in a second attempted ramp-up.

Gibson signed his contract on March 21 and lasted only four starts, compiling a 16.78 ERA and 2.919 WHIP. He allowed 23 runs and 29 hits in 12 1/3 innings, with seven walks and 10 strikeouts.

Ramón Laureano, who’s 11 for his last 19, remains the cleanup hitter tonight. Heston Kjerstad is in left field and batting eighth.