NEW YORK – The Nationals just completed their best homestand of the season. They’ve won nine of their last 14 overall. Now they’ll see if they can keep it up on the road against a Mets team that desperately needs to turn things on, lest they actually become sellers at next week’s trade deadline.

Yeah, the situation is that dire here in Flushing, where the most expensive team in baseball has the eighth-worst record in baseball, is 17 1/2 games out of first place and 7 1/2 games out of the wild card race, with five teams to chase in front of it. If we’re being realistic, the Mets probably need to sweep this four-game series to make a compelling case for owner Steve Cohen to buy before Tuesday’s deadline.

The Nats will try to prevent that with their All-Star starter on the mound for the series opener tonight. Josiah Gray is coming off an excellent outing against the Giants, when he allowed one run and four hits over seven innings. He’s already pitched very well here at Citi Field this year, shutting out the Mets over six innings April 25.

Kodai Senga starts for New York. The 30-year-old rookie from Japan hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in a month, lowering his ERA to 3.27 in the process. He faced the Nationals in that same late-April series, allowing two runs in five innings but taking the loss.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of storms, 81 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left field

Well, after last night’s dramatic, twice-rain-delayed, comeback back win, can the Nationals carry their momentum over to win this series against the Rockies and end this homestand on a positive note?

If they do, it would be their second series win in a row and sixth in their last nine.

Jake Irvin will look to follow up one of the best outings of his young career this afternoon. On Friday, he struck out a career-high nine Giants over 6 ⅔ innings while earning his third win of his rookie year. Manager Davey Martinez was impressed with the adjustments Irvin made throughout that start – throwing his changeup more – so that will be something to keep an eye on today.

The Rockies are starting right-hander Peter Lambert in this finale. The 26-year-old right-hander is 2-1 with a 5.49 ERA and 1.525 WHIP over 16 major league appearances this year (two starts). This will be his third start in a row, combining to pitch only eight scoreless innings with five hits, two walks and five strikeouts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 12:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 86 degrees, wind 4 mph out to left field

Was Monday night’s ugly loss to the Rockies an aberration, or have the Nationals reverted back into the form they showed prior to their weekend sweep of the Giants? Guess we’ll find out tonight when they return to the field looking to bounce back.

They’re facing an opposing starter they’ve had some success against in Austin Gomber. The Colorado left-hander enters with a 6.18 ERA and 22 homers allowed in 102 innings this season, and that includes his start way back on April 8 when the Nats scored five runs in 4 2/3 innings off him. And that doesn’t include the two starts Gomber made against the Nationals last season, when they scored 10 runs on 14 hits across eight total innings.

Davey Martinez's lineup has a few wrinkles to it: Joey Meneses is playing first base tonight with Keibert Ruiz serving as designated hitter, opening the catching spot for Riley Adams. All of that bumps Dominic Smith to the bench. Also on the bench is Luis García, who takes a seat as Michael Chavis starts at second base.

Trevor Williams happened to oppose Gomber in that April 8 game at Coors Field and pitched much better than his counterpart, allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings. Williams continues to give the Nationals a chance most times he takes the mound, though his record is only 5-5 thanks to a lot of no-decisions. He’ll hope to get back in the win column tonight.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of storms, 81 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left field

Anything interesting happen over the weekend? Sheesh, you take a few days off for a quick family vacation, and look what happens. The Nationals sign and introduce first-round pick Dylan Crews, then go and pull off their first three-game sweep in more than two years. At this point, I’m just hoping they let me back in the ballpark today.

The weekend sweep came against a good Giants team. Next up is a three-game series with the Rockies, the worst team in the National League. That guarantees nothing, of course, but the matchup on paper should favor the home team.

The Nats lineup really produced against San Francisco and will now try to continue that trend against a Colorado pitching staff that ranks last in the league in most categories. Right-hander Jake Bird will open tonight’s game, but based on past usage don’t expect him to go more than an inning or two.

Patrick Corbin gets the start for the Nationals, who would love to get at least six innings out of their veteran left-hander. Corbin was excellent for five innings last week against the Cubs before faltering in the sixth.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

Is today the day? Will it finally happen? Can this unfathomable streak be ended?

Once again, the Nationals are seeking their first three-game series sweep since June 14-16, 2021 against the Pirates. This will be the Nats’ fourth opportunity to sweep a three-game set this season.

They were able to win the first two games behind strong starting pitching from Jake Irvin and Josiah Gray, the young right-handers combining to allow four runs over 13 ⅔ innings against the Giants.

Now it’s MacKenzie Gore’s turn in his 20th start of the year. The 24-year-old lefty is 5-7 with a 4.59 ERA, 1.448 WHIP and 10.7 strikeouts-per-nine-innings. Gore was able to gut out 6 ⅓ innings in his last start against the Cubs, but he was charged with five runs, including two home runs. He didn’t face the Giants when the two teams met in San Francisco back in May. He did, however, go 1-1 while giving up nine runs in 9 ⅓ innings over two starts against them as a member of the Padres last year.

The Nationals offense will look to stay hot against Giants pitching, outscoring the visitors 15-4 over the first two games.

While much of the attention today surrounds Dylan Crews’ introductory press conference, the Nationals still have a game to play tonight.

The Nationals won their third straight series opener last night. Now they’ll look to win their first series since the All-Star break.

Josiah Gray makes his second start since his first All-Star Game appearance. He was roughed up Sunday in St. Louis to the tune of four runs and 10 hits over five innings in a loss to the Cardinals. On the year, the right-hander is 6-8 with a 3.59 ERA and 1.472 WHIP. He had an impressive outing when he faced the Giants back in May, completing seven innings and allowing just two runs and five hits.

Logan Webb starts for San Francisco. He is 8-7 with a 3.11 ERA and 1.083 WHIP on the season, but has been pitching really well in July. Over his last three starts, he has a 1.59 ERA, including a complete-game shutout of the Rockies right before the break. The righty held the Nats to one run with seven strikeouts over seven innings on May 9, though he did surrender nine hits.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 83 degrees, wind 5 mph out to left field

The Orioles completed their roster move today by welcoming reliever Shintaro Fujinami to the club and optioning Logan Gillaspie to Triple-A Norfolk.

Fujinami was acquired from the Athletics on Wednesday for Triple-A left-hander Easton Lucas. He goes into the bullpen, where Gillaspie sat for two games without pitching.

Fujinami was given No. 14, last worn by infielder Rio Ruiz in 2021.

Alone in first place for the first time since August 2016, the Orioles will try to build on their one-game lead with Kyle Bradish back on the mound and on his own roll.

Bradish has lowered is ERA to 3.05, with no runs allowed in his last two starts over 13 1/3 innings and one run in his last three over 19 1/3. He’s surrendered three runs in his last four starts spanning 26 1/3 innings.

The Nationals return home for the first time since the All-Star break with a six-game homestand, starting with three against the Giants.

The Nats won the first game in each of their two series since the break. However, they weren’t able to win either set against the Cardinals or Cubs, dropping the second and third games in each series.

Jake Irvin will try to make it three straight series-opening wins tonight. The young right-hander had a rough outing in his first start after the break, giving up four runs in just three innings Saturday night in St. Louis. In 13 starts this season, Irvin is 2-5 with a 4.96 ERA and 1.492 WHIP. He did have his most impressive outing in his second major league start against the Giants with 6 ⅓ scoreless innings back in May in San Francisco.

Alex Wood gets the start for the Giants. The veteran left-hander is 4-3 with a 4.53 ERA and 1.528 WHIP in 14 appearances (10 starts). He didn’t face the Nats back in May, but is 6-5 with a 3.17 ERA and 1.159 WHIP in 15 career starts against Washington.

Davey Martinez has his right-handed-heavy lineup in tonight against Wood, with Michael Chavis playing first base in place of Dominic Smith.

CHICAGO – As ugly as Tuesday night – and oh boy was it ugly – the Nationals still arrive at Wrigley Field today with a chance to win this series and head home with a 3-3 record on the second-half-opening trip. Even better news: The two semi-reliable relievers they still have are both available.

Kyle Finnegan and Mason Thompson are good to go if the situation presents itself in the late innings. So is Jordan Weems, who hasn’t appeared since Sunday in St. Louis. So the key, then, is for Trevor Williams to at least provide five (ideally six) quality innings and give his a team a chance, which is basically what he’s done all year. Williams is plenty fresh, because his last start was cut short after 2 2/3 innings due to rain. So there’s no reason he can’t reach, or even top, 100 pitches tonight if he’s performing well enough.

Veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks starts for the Cubs, and he has allowed nine runs, 18 hits and six homers over his last 10 1/3 innings after pitching quite well prior to that. Hendricks isn’t an overpowering guy; his changeup is his go-to pitch. It’s imperative for these Nationals hitters to stay patient with him and not get jumpy at the plate.

The Nationals announced some roster moves this afternoon, selecting the contract of right-hander Rico Garcia from Triple-A Rochester, placing Paolo Espino on the 15-day injured list with a flexor strain of his fourth right finger and transferred Israel Pineda (right finger fracture) to the 60-day IL.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO CUBS
Where: Wrigley Field
Gametime: 8:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 76 degrees, wind 7 mph right field to left field

The Orioles needed length out of their bullpen today and recalled Logan Gillaspie from Triple-A Norfork. Cedric Mullins has gone on the 10-day injured list with a right adductor groin strain, a move that’s retroactive to Sunday.

Mullins hasn’t played since Saturday night, when the club announced that he felt tightness in his right quadriceps. He missed almost a month with a groin injury before returning on June 24.

The roster is back to 13 pitchers and 13 position players.

Gillaspie has appeared in 11 games with the Orioles and posted a 6.00 ERA and 2.111 WHIP in nine innings. He’s made 21 appearances with Norfolk and registered a 3.91 ERA and 1.478 WHIP in 23 innings.

Gillaspie’s last appearance was Sunday, when he tossed one inning.

CHICAGO – The Nationals threw the kitchen sink at the Cubs in order to win Monday night’s series opener, with MacKenzie Gore reaching the seventh inning and Mason Thompson and Kyle Finnegan each recording four outs to lock up a 7-5 victory. It’s safe to say they won’t be able to do the same tonight, assuming both Thompson and Finnegan are unavailable.

So if the Nats are in a position to win late, it’ll be fascinating to see who Davey Martinez puts on the mound. He mentioned Jordan Weems, Amos Willingham and lefties Jose A. Ferrer and Joe La Sorsa following Monday’s game. That would be quite a collection of inexperienced late-inning options.

First things first. Patrick Corbin needs to give them a chance to win. The left-hander was great in two of his last four starts (against the Mariners and Rangers) but was hit around in the other two (against the Padres and Reds). Which version of Corbin, who was activated off paternity leave Monday, will show up tonight at Wrigley Field?

With right-hander Jameson Taillon on the mound for the Cubs, it’s the lefty-heavy version of the Nationals lineup taking the field. That means Corey Dickerson starts in left field over Stone Garrett, even though Garrett (.650) at this point actually owns a higher OPS against right-handed pitchers than Dickerson (.619).

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO CUBS
Where: Wrigley Field
Gametime: 8:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 72 degrees, wind 8 mph in from right field

CHICAGO – The sky is blue, there’s a nice cool breeze blowing in off Lake Michigan and most importantly there’s no rain in the forecast. Ahhhhhhh, we earned this one after a brutal weather weekend in St. Louis.

The Nationals come to Wrigley Field for a three-game series with several changes to their roster. Hunter Harvey was officially placed on the 15-day injured list with what the team is now calling a right elbow strain. They also optioned Joan Adon to Triple-A Rochester and recalled Joe La Sorsa and activated Patrick Corbin off the paternity list. Corbin won’t pitch until Tuesday, but he was only allowed to spend three days on leave, so he’s back now.

After using up their bullpen all weekend, the Nats would really like some length tonight from MacKenzie Gore. The lefty is plenty rested after having his last start cut short by rain and then having an extra-long All-Star break as the team tries to limit his innings over the long haul. Gore needs to throw strikes and he needs to enjoy some quick innings.

The Nationals lineup gets to face yet another left-hander in Drew Smyly. It feels like they’ve faced at least one, if not two, southpaws every series this season. Here’s another chance for Stone Garrett and the other righties in their lineup to take their hacks.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO CUBS
Where: Wrigley Field
Gametime: 8:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 73 degrees, wind 7 mph in from right field

ST. LOUIS – It’s another hot, muggy day here, and there once again is a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. We’ve already seen the first two games of the weekend get delayed. Why not another to complete the rain sweep?

The Nationals survived Saturday’s pseudo-doubleheader, winning the first game before losing the nightcap. That still puts them in a position to win the series, with All-Star Josiah Gray on the mound. It’s not the worst position to be in.

Gray, who looked really good during his 1-2-3 inning of relief Tuesday night in Seattle, should be plenty motivated to get his second half off to a strong start. He’d also love some redemption for his previous start against the Cardinals (June 19 in D.C.) when his teammates handed him an early 5-0 lead and he proceeded to give all of them back, plus one. That frustrating start including back-to-back homers by Brendan Donovan and Paul Goldschmidt in the top of the fifth.

Gray’s opponent that night was Jack Flaherty, and wouldn’t you know the two right-handers meet again today. The Nats jumped all over Flaherty to take that aforementioned 5-0 lead, all five runs scoring in the first two innings. The problem: They shut down offensively after that, allowing the opposing starter they had on the ropes early to make it all the way to the seventh inning.

UPDATE: Jeimer Candelario was initially in today's lineup, but he has now been scratched. The plan was to test his bruised right thumb in the batting cage and fielding grounders, and apparently it didn't go well. So Ildemaro Vargas once again will start at third base in his place.

The Orioles made a late lineup change this morning.

Aaron Hicks has been scratched and no longer gets the start in center field.

Austin Hays goes from the bench to left field for the series finale against the Marlins at Camden Yards. Colton Cowser’s first start in Baltimore switches from left field to center.

Hays is batting fourth, with Ryan O’Hearn moving down to fifth.

For the Orioles
Gunnar Henderson SS
Adley Rutschman DH
Anthony Santander RF
Austin Hays LF
Ryan O’Hearn 1B
Ramón Urías 3B
Colton Cowser CF
Adam Frazier 2B
James McCann C

ST. LOUIS – Don’t look now, but the Nationals are playing winning baseball. No, really. They’ve won three in a row, and if they can pull off another one tonight, they’ll have their first four-game winning streak since June 27-30, 2021, back when Kyle Schwarber was homering every night and Trea Turner was hitting for the cycle. One more win over St. Louis tonight or Sunday would lock up their fifth series victory in their last six tries. Also, a win tonight would give the Nats a winning record on the road this season. (They’re currently 22-22.)

So how do they get there? It begins with Jake Irvin, who looks to continue his positive trend from before the All-Star break and provide some quality innings after the bullpen was needed for 7 1/3 total innings in this afternoon’s 10-inning win. Irvin has a 3.25 ERA over his last five starts, never allowing more than three runs in any outing.

The Nationals would love to get some more production from a lineup that already scored seven runs in seven innings today. That group will hope to keep the pressure going with CJ Abrams leading off (he’s got seven stolen bases in his last five games) in front of Lane Thomas and Joey Meneses. Jeimer Candelario is again out of the lineup with a bruised right thumb, but he told Davey Martinez he thinks he could pinch-hit if needed. We’ll see.

To compensate for Candelario’s lack of availability, the Nats used the 27th man they’re allotted for tonight’s game not on a pitcher but on Jake Alu. The utilityman flew in from Rochester and is here on site, available off the bench if needed with both Ildemaro Vargas and Michael Chavis in the lineup against Cardinals lefty Steven Matz.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Busch Stadium
Gametime: 7:15 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 88 degrees, wind 8 mph left field to right field

The Orioles carry a six-game winning streak into tonight, with the Rays leading them by only 1 ½ in the American League East.

A right-handed lineup against Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett puts Austin Hays in the leadoff spot and Ryan Mountcastle at cleanup. Mountcastle is the designated hitter, with Anthony Santander at first base.

Jordan Westburg is the second baseman, Gunnar Henderson moves to third and Jorge Mateo gets the start at shortstop.

Colton Cowser stood on deck last night with two outs in the eighth inning but didn’t bat. He’s waiting to make his Camden Yards debut.

The Orioles have hit eight home runs in the last two games after totaling eight in the previous 13.

ST. LOUIS – And away we go with the second half of the season. The Nationals come out of the All-Star break at 36-54, a 65-win pace. And believe it or not, they’re only two games behind the Cardinals, one of baseball’s biggest underachievers to date this year.

We know the Nats have been a much better road team in 2023, so let’s see if they can get the second half off to a positive start tonight. They’ll have Trevor Williams on the mound for the series opener, with Jake Irvin on Saturday and Josiah Gray on Sunday. Why not Patrick Corbin? He was placed on the paternity list today, so we won’t see him until next week in Chicago. Paolo Espino was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take his place and provide some length out of the bullpen.

Davey Martinez is going with what now represents his regular lineup against a right-hander (in this case, the Cardinals’ Miles Mikolas). CJ Abrams has taken over leadoff duties until further notice, with Lane Thomas batting second ahead of Jeimer Candelario and the suddenly red-hot Joey Meneses, who hit four homers in his final three games before the break.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Busch Stadium
Gametime: 8:15 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of storms, 86 degrees, wind 6 mph right field to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
3B Jeimer Candelario
DH Joey Meneses
C Keibert Ruiz
1B Dominic Smith
LF Corey Dickerson
2B Luis García
CF Alex Call

Before we turn our attention to the Nationals’ No. 2 overall pick in tonight’s MLB Draft and the upcoming All-Star Game festivities, there is still one more game to be played before the unofficial first half of the season ends.

The Nats will look to close this first part of the season on a high note, one of the few they’ve seen at home this season. They have lost 15 of their last 17 home games and need a win this afternoon for some sort of momentum heading into the break.

Patrick Corbin will hope to lead the Nats to that victory in his 19th start. The left-hander is 5-10 with a 5.13 ERA and 1.593 WHIP this season. He got knocked around for six runs and 10 hits over five innings during his July 4 start against the Reds, which came after one of his best starts as a National in the form of seven shutout innings and nine strikeouts against the Mariners. Corbin is 4-3 with a 4.75 ERA and 1.373 WHIP in eight interleague starts this season.

A familiar face will start for the Rangers. Dane Dunning was a first-round pick (29th overall) by the Nats in the 2016 draft. The University of Florida product was traded that December along with Lucas Giolito and Renaldo López to the White Sox in exchange for Adam Eaton. Dunning was traded again in 2020 to the Rangers as part of the two-player package for Lance Lynn.

The 28-year-old right-hander is enjoying his best year in the majors with an 8-1 record, 2.61 ERA and 1.100 WHIP over 19 appearances (11 starts). He’s pitched to a 2.28 ERA over his last four starts, allowing no more than two runs in any of them. His only start against the Nationals came last year here in D.C., when he completed six innings of one-run ball while taking a no-decision in the Nats’ 2-1 win.

Will the Nationals win a home game today? If they do, will they pop champagne in the clubhouse? At this point, anything’s possible.

Having begun this homestand 0-5, and having lost 15 of their last 16 home games overall, the Nats are desperate for something positive to happen on South Capitol Street. The good news: All the top relievers should be available today after sitting Friday night. So if Jake Irvin can give them five or six quality innings (no guarantee, of course) they should at least be in a good position to compete late.

Above all else, though, this lineup needs to start scoring some runs. The Nationals have totaled 14 runs on this homestand, an average of 2.8 per game for those who need help with the math. They’re asking an awful lot of their pitching staff to compensate for that. Perhaps they can finally enjoy some success this afternoon against Rangers lefty Andrew Heaney.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. TEXAS RANGERS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of storms, 86 degrees, wind 6 mph right field to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
DH Jeimer Candelario
1B Joey Meneses
C Keibert Ruiz
LF Stone Garrett
3B Ildemaro Vargas
2B Luis García
CF Alex Call

All-Star Austin Hays has returned to the Orioles lineup this afternoon for the first time since bruising his left hip Sunday against the Twins.

Hays is in left field and batting fifth.

Colton Cowser is in right field today, and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.

Aaron Hicks returns to the lineup in center field after pinch-hitting last night in the 10^th inning and delivering a sacrifice fly in a 3-1 win. Cedric Mullins is on the bench.

Jordan Westburg also is out of the lineup, with Adam Frazier playing second base and Ramón Urías moving to third. Westburg’s .314 average is the highest for any Orioles infielder through 10 career games, according to STATS.