CINCINNATI – Hello from Great American Ball Park, where we could be in for a wild weather weekend. There are thunderstorms expected later this afternoon. It probably won’t postpone tonight’s series opener, but it could delay first pitch (which is already at the earlier-than-usual time of 6:10 p.m.). Then it’s supposed to rain all day Saturday and into Sunday. Guess we’ll just deal with that when and if it happens.

The Nationals arrive here fresh off a nice win in Philadelphia last night, salvaging one game from that series. They would love to keep the momentum going, but they face a stiff challenge tonight in burgeoning Reds ace Hunter Greene, owner of a triple-digit fastball.

Mitchell Parker has been pretty good himself on the mound so far this season, though the left-hander is coming off his worst start to date. He’ll need to get back on track and keep the ball in the yard in a ballpark that is known for surrendering plenty of home runs.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CINCINNATI REDS
Where: Great American Ball Park
Gametime: 6:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Thunderstorms, 72 degrees, wind 7 mph out to left field

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

PHILADELPHIA – This series has not gone the way the Nationals hoped it would. They nearly pulled off a remarkable rally in Tuesday’s opener, only to fall in the bottom of the ninth. Then they put up little fight Wednesday during a lopsided loss. So now they have to win tonight or else be swept out of town before heading to Cincinnati for the weekend.

Brad Lord gets the start, his fifth in the majors. The rookie right-hander has yet to complete five innings or top 80 pitches. The Nats would really love for him to do both tonight and take some workload off the bullpen. To do that, he’ll have to hold in check a Phillies lineup that we know can hit the ball out of the park. (Especially Kyle Schwarber, who has four homers in five head-to-head matchups already this season.)

Really, though, the Nationals need to score runs, and score them early. They’ve been forced to play catch-up way too much of late. They’re facing a veteran in Taijuan Walker who has an average resume but has found a way to produce a 2.78 ERA through his first five starts this year. The catch: He has only totaled 22 2/3 innings, and didn’t make it past the fourth in either of his last two outings. The Nats would love to get to Walker early, knock him out and then try to feast on a Phillies bullpen that has been quite shaky as well.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 71 degrees, wind 12 mph out to left field

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

PHILADELPHIA – It probably took all night and part of this morning for everyone to get over the chaos that was the final couple innings of Tuesday’s 7-6 loss. Truly, that was a bonkers ballgame, in both good and bad ways. The challenge now facing the Nationals: Brush it off and try to come back tonight with a winning effort to avoid what would be a sudden three-game losing streak.

Jake Irvin is a pretty good option to have on the mound for a game like this. The right-hander has been a steady presence so far, having completed at least five innings in each of his six starts, and having reached at least the seventh inning in each of his last three (allowing three total runs in the process). Irvin held the Phillies to two runs over five frames in his season debut, though he struggled last year against them (0-3, 7.59 ERA).

At the plate, the Nats would love to get some early offense going and not have to rely on yet another late rally. They’ll face left-hander Cristopher Sánchez for the first time this season, though they saw him three times in 2024 (and managed only six runs in 20 1/3 innings).

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 980 AM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 73 degrees, wind 9 mph in from left field

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

Kyle Gibson is back in Baltimore and making his return start tonight with the Orioles.

Gibson was activated onto the roster this afternoon. He made 33 starts in 2023 and went 15-9 with a 4.73 ERA in 192 innings.

The Orioles optioned Kade Strowd, who was recalled yesterday and didn’t pitch, to make room for Gibson.

Gibson is 3-7 with a 5.48 ERA in 13 career starts against the Yankees. Aaron Judge is 1-for-11. Trent Grisham is 3-for-16 with a double. Cody Bellinger is 2-for-15 with two home runs.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is 5-for-14 with a double, triple and homer.

PHILADELPHIA – It may have ended on a sour, ugly note, but the Nationals’ just-completed homestand was still a success in whole. They wound up going 4-3 against the Orioles and Mets, which isn’t bad at all.

Now the Nats begin a six-game road trip through Philadelphia and Cincinnati, hoping for a little more offensive consistency, continued strong starting pitching and some better bullpen work. It all begins tonight with a rematch from Opening Day: MacKenzie Gore vs. Zack Wheeler.

The Phillies won that game, but Gore actually outdueled Wheeler, the former tossing six innings of one-hit ball while striking out 13, the latter still going six innings of one-run, two-hit ball but taking a no-decision. That game was decided in the 10th inning, with Colin Poche charged with four runs in two-thirds of an inning in an unfortunate sign of things to come.

The Nationals would love to provide Gore with a bit more run support this time, which in turn would allow Davey Martinez to use his best relievers late and perhaps pull off another win.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 78 degrees, wind 16 mph out to center field

After two dramatic come-from-behind victories over the weekend, the Nationals are now in position to win three out of four games against the Mets, who entered this series with the best record in the majors while riding a seven-game winning streak.

On a picture-perfect afternoon in the District, the offense will look to score enough runs early so late-inning rallies won’t be necessary. To do that, they’ll have to get to right-hander Griffin Canning, who enters his sixth start of the season with a 3-1 record, 3.12 ERA and 1.385 WHIP, before getting another crack at the New York bullpen that can’t seem to hold these bats in check.

Or perhaps Trevor Williams and the Nats’ improving bullpen can shut down this Mets lineup one more time, negating the need for an offensive explosion. Williams is 1-2 with a 5.11 ERA and 1.581 WHIP in six starts so far this year. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 3.83 ERA and 1.441 WHIP in eight career starts against his former team, but did not face them last year.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB Network (out-of-market only), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 74 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left field

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

It seems that runs will be at a premium throughout this four-game series, given how good the Mets pitching staff has been as a whole and how good the Nationals rotation has been to date. We saw it in Friday night’s opener, aside from the eighth and ninth innings. And we certainly saw it Saturday in New York’s 2-0 victory, in which Francisco Alvarez’s early home run represented the entirety of the offensive output in the game.

On paper, today’s game looks like another pitchers’ duel. Mitchell Parker has quietly been one of the best starters in the majors to date, with a 3-1 record, 1.39 ERA and (get this) a 1.6 bWAR that leads all major league pitchers. The left-hander has been consistent, he’s provided length and he has kept damage to an absolute minimum. It would be a huge boost for the Nationals if he can continue that trend today.

Tylor Megill, meanwhile, has been outstanding in his own right, the owner of a 1.09 ERA through five starts. That number is maybe a bit misleading, because the right-hander has allowed four unearned runs to go along with three earned runs so far. But he’s still been very good, striking out more than a batter per inning. The Nats have got to find a way to hit the ball in the air against him, especially their left-handed bats, in an attempt to take advantage of the strong wind that’s blowing out to right field today.

NEW YORK METS 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, 65 degrees, wind 18 mph left field to right field

METS
SS Francisco Lindor
RF Juan Soto
1B Pete Alonso
3B Mark Vientos
DH Starling Marte
LF Brandon Nimmo
C Luis Torrens
2B Luisangel Acuña
CF Tyrone Taylor

How wild was Friday night’s 5-4, walk-off win for the Nationals? So wild that a controversial triple play was like the No. 4 storyline of the game. That’s wild.

The Nats happily took that win, their fifth in their last seven games. They’re back to two games under .500 at 12-14, actually only a game behind the Phillies for second place in the NL East. All things considered, that’s not a bad place to be during the final weekend of April.

They’ll look to continue their winning ways later this afternoon with the second game of four against the division-leading Mets (weather permitting). It’ll be Brad Lord on the mound for his fourth major league start. He has yet to complete five innings or exceed 65 pitches, but hopefully his arm is ready for that kind of workload by now, because the Nationals could certainly use some length to take a little pressure off the bullpen.

After a decent showing Friday night against Kodai Senga, the Nats' lineup gets another tough challenge in Clay Holmes, the former Yankees closer who is now starting in Flushing. Holmes has actually seen his strikeout rate go up despite the move from the bullpen to the rotation, with an eye-popping 11.9 per nine innings so far this year. His walk rate is also up, though, to 4.6 per nine innings. The Nationals need to be patient today, something they haven’t necessarily done all that well this season.

NEW YORK METS 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: Chance of rain, 74 degrees, wind 15 mph left field to right field

After taking two of three from the Orioles, the Nationals welcome another familiar foe – and a couple of former friends – to D.C. in the Mets. This four-game wraparound series provides another difficult home test for the local ballclub.

The Mets are the fifth visiting team the Nats will face that entered the season with October aspirations as they hold the best record in the major leagues. And of course, Juan Soto returns to Nationals Park for the first time wearing a Mets uniform after signing to his record-breaking contract over the offseason.

Gotta beat the best to be the best.

Jake Irvin will take the mound for his sixth start of the season in Friday’s series opener. The big right-hander is coming off back-to-back strong starts in which he shut out the Pirates over seven innings and then struck out nine Rockies over 6 ⅓ frames.

The last time Irvin faced the Mets in this ballpark, he shut them out over eight innings of one-hit ball with eight strikeouts on the Fourth of July.

The Orioles are in D.C. again tonight, trying to avoid being swept by the Nationals before flying to Detroit.

The losing streak has reached three games and the record has fallen to 9-14. The Orioles haven’t been six games below .500 since July 5, 2022.

Left-hander Cade Povich is making his fifth start. He’s posted a 6.38 ERA and 2.073 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings.

The last outing was his worst, with the Reds totaling seven runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked five batters and surrendered three home runs.

Povich hasn’t faced the Nationals. Nathaniel Lowe has two at-bats against him and is 1-for-2 with a double.

The Nationals and Orioles have faced each other annually since 2006, and in all that time the Nats have swept only two three-game series from their interleague rivals (2018 at Camden Yards, 2021 at Nationals Park). So if they can pull it off tonight, it’ll be a rare occurrence, indeed.

They’ve won the first two games of this series with some outstanding starting pitching from Mitchell Parker and Trevor Williams. And now they’ve got their ace on the mound in MacKenzie Gore, coming off a dominant 13-strikeout start in Colorado last weekend. Baltimore has really struggled against lefties this season, so there’s a real opportunity for Gore to keep things going in the right direction and put together another stellar start … if he can throw strikes and not let anything negative spiral out of control on him.

The Nationals have also won the last two nights thanks in large part to early offense, thanks to three first-inning homers totaling five runs. And for the first time in nearly two weeks, they’ve got CJ Abrams back in the lineup. Abrams was officially activated off the 10-day injured list this afternoon, with Trey Lipscomb (not Nasim Nuñez) optioned to Triple-A Rochester.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (out-of-market only), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 75 degrees, wind 10 mph right field to left field

ORIOLES
CF Cedric Mullins
C Adley Rutschman
SS Gunnar Henderson
1B Ryan Mountcastle
3B Jordan Westburg
LF Heston Kjerstad
RF Ramón Laureano
DH Ryan O'Hearn
2B Jorge Mateo

It’s good to be home. The Nationals haven’t been here in almost two weeks, back when they won consecutive series against the Diamondbacks and Dodgers. Things took a decided turn downward on the road, but at least they won two of three in Colorado over the weekend. Now after a day off, they prepare for a six-game homestand against the Orioles and Mets.

Baltimore is off to a ragged start to the season, as well, a product of injuries and poor pitching. The Nats’ 5.12 staff ERA ranks 29th in the majors. The only staff worse than that: The Orioles, at 5.43. This would be a nice time to get the offense going.

Mitchell Parker has quietly been the Nationals’ best starter to date, with a 1.85 ERA and 1.110 WHIP in four outings. Most impressively, the left-hander has completed at least six innings in each of those starts. He faced the O’s last May as a rookie and did well, allowing two runs over 5 2/3 innings.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 77 degrees, wind 10 mph in from left field

ORIOLES
CF Cedric Mullins
DH Adley Rutschman
SS Gunnar Henderson
1B Ryan Mountcastle
RF Tyler O’Neill
LF Heston Kjerstad
3B Jordan Westburg
C Gary Sánchez
2B Jackson Holliday

Left-hander Trevor Rogers is ready for the next important step of his throwing progression and possible return to the majors.

Rogers is starting for the Double-A Chesapeake Baysox Wednesday morning at 11:05 a.m. at Prince George’s Stadium. He’s on the injured list after suffering a right knee subluxation during the offseason.

The Orioles acquired Rogers from the Marlins at last year’s trade deadline for outfielder Kyle Stowers and infielder Connor Norby. He was optioned after four starts and with his ERA at 7.11 in 19 innings.

The injury occurred in January while Rogers was throwing on a turf field.

“Landed wrong and unfortunately it dislocated, but thankfully it wasn’t a complete dislocation, just dislocated for a brief second and went back into place, so it could have been a lot worse,” he said on Feb. 13.

DENVER – Things looked pretty bleak for the Nationals when they arrived in Colorado following back-to-back series losses in Miami and Pittsburgh. Now, things look a whole lot rosier following back-to-back wins and now the opportunity to not only sweep today’s doubleheader but sweep the weekend series as well and salvage a 5-5 record on the road trip.

Davey Martinez pulled out all the stops to win the first two games, asking for a combined five innings out of Jose A. Ferrer and Kyle Finnegan. You would think neither will be available tonight. But as we’ve seen here before, don’t assume anything when it comes to bullpen usage.

It’s probably safe to say Martinez will need more work out of his bullpen than he did previously, because Brad Lord isn’t likely to provide as much length as MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin did. Lord hasn’t thrown more than 57 pitches in either of his two big league starts, so you would think he won’t go more than 70-75 tonight. Look for Jackson Rutledge and Cole Henry to see action. The Nats also have Jorge López back from suspension, plus 27th man Andry Lara if needed.

At the plate, the Nationals will look to duplicate Saturday’s 12-run explosion, not this afternoon’s six-hit (all singles) performance. They’ve got Keibert Ruiz and Luis García Jr. back in the lineup after both guys got a chance to sit this afternoon.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field, Denver
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 63 degrees, wind 10 mph in from left field

DENVER – It’s going to be a long day and night of baseball here at Coors Field. Lord knows how many runs these two teams will combine to score over 18 innings of play, but it should be entertaining.

The first game of the doubleheader sees Jake Irvin on the mound for the Nationals. He’s coming off his best start of the season, having shut out the Pirates over seven innings Tuesday to earn his first win of the year. We know Irvin’s curveball is his bread-and-butter out pitch, but can he have the same success with it in the thin air that MacKenzie Gore did Saturday? He pitched here last summer and proved he could do it, striking out 10 over six innings of one-run ball.

The Nats will also hope to keep their power stroke going at the plate following Saturday’s 12-run explosion that included four homers, all to the opposite field. Dylan Crews, James Wood and Co. will be facing veteran left-hander Kyle Freeland, who has spent his entire career here and done a pretty good job given the conditions. Freeland is 60-76 with a 4.49 ERA in 209 games over nine seasons. He’s not a big strikeout guy, but he does throw strikes, so the Nationals will need to be ready to hit.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field, Denver
Gametime: 1:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 58 degrees, wind 6 mph in from center field

NATIONALS
LF James Wood
2B Amed Rosario
DH Josh Bell
1B Nathaniel Lowe
RF Dylan Crews
C Riley Adams
CF Jacob Young
3B Trey Lipscomb
SS Nasim Nuñez

Heston Kjerstad is out of today’s lineup after taking a 99.5 mph fastball off his right elbow yesterday and leaving the game. X-rays were negative.

Kjerstad gets an extra day to rest Monday before the Orioles begin their series in D.C.

Cedric Mullins is leading off, followed again by Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. Ryan O’Hearn is in right field.

Ramón Laureano, who homered twice yesterday off the bench, is in left field.

Jordan Westburg, who homered yesterday to snap an 0-for-30 stretch, is the designated hitter.

DENVER – The good news: It’s not snowing here anymore. The bad news: It’s still cold, cold enough to prevent the thin layer of white stuff that stuck Friday from melting in some shady areas. It’s going to be in the 40s when the Nationals and Rockies finally get their weekend series underway this afternoon, an hour later than originally scheduled to allow for more time for snow to melt and the field to be prepped.

The Nats hopefully used their unplanned day off to rest up and perhaps solve all their problems, of which there are many right now. They desperately need a winning weekend against the worst team in the majors. That’s going to require improvement in all phases, but especially at the plate.

The lineup should be licking its chops at Coors Field, but that group will be facing a promising young right-hander today in Chase Dollander. Once considered a potential No. 1 pick in the 2023 Draft out of Tennessee, he wound up falling to the Rockies at No. 9. He then cruised through the minor leagues, became a top-10 prospect and made his major league debut earlier this month. His first start wasn’t great (four runs in five innings vs. the Athletics) but his second one was solid (two runs in 5 2/3 innings vs. the Padres).

MacKenzie Gore gets the ball for the Nationals, hoping to keep the weakest-hitting lineup in baseball down with an ace-like performance. The lefty is coming off his worst start of the young season in Miami, where he gave up four runs on eight hits and three walks over six innings. He’s looking for a bounce-back performance in the cold today.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field, Denver
Gametime: 4:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 45 degrees, wind 4 mph out to left field

The Orioles begin a three-game series against the Reds tonight with a lineup that has Adley Rutschman leading off, Gunnar Henderson batting second and Cedric Mullins fifth.

Tyler O’Neill missed the last two games with neck discomfort but he’s in right field tonight and batting third.

Jordan Westburg is at third base. He’s in an 0-for-24 slump.

Gary Sánchez is catching. Heston Kjerstad is in left field and Jorge Mateo is at second. Jackson Holliday goes to the bench.

Mullins is 7-for-14 with runners in scoring position. The rest of the team is 22-for-103 (.214).

PITTSBURGH – Good morning from PNC Park, where the sun is shining and the Nationals and Pirates are set to wrap up their four-game series with an early, 12:35 p.m. matinee. The Nats need to win this one to salvage a split. Having already lost two of three in Miami to begin this road trip, there’s some real pressure to emerge victorious today.

To do that, they’ll have to show more at the plate than they did Wednesday night, when Bailey Falter faced the minimum over seven innings en route to a 6-1 win. They’re facing another left-hander today in Andrew Heaney, who has been solid for the Bucs so far and held the Nationals to one run over seven innings last season when he pitched for the Rangers.

Heaney did not win that game last summer, though, and coincidentally he faces the same opposing starter this afternoon: Trevor Williams, who tossed five scoreless innings that day and earned a hard-fought, 1-0 win. Williams has not looked like the 2024 version of himself yet in 2025. This would be a good day for the veteran right-hander to recapture some of that magic and help pitch his team to a much-needed win before everyone departs for snowy Colorado.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh
Gametime: 12:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 55 degrees, wind 5 mph right field to left field

NATIONALS
RF Alex Call
DH James Wood
3B Amed Rosario
1B Nathaniel Lowe
RF Dylan Crews
2B Luis García Jr.
CF Jacob Young
C Riley Adams
SS Nasim Nuñez

PITTSBURGH – The Nationals won Tuesday night’s game, 3-0, but it came at a cost. Paul DeJong fractured his nose when he was struck by a pitch in the face, and he’s now on the 10-day injured list, joining CJ Abrams, who was lost over the weekend to a hip pointer strain. The left side of the Nats infield suddenly is quite thin.

They’ll have to hope Nasim Nuñez (4-for-7) continues to play well at shortstop in Abrams’ absence, and they’ll have to hope the trio of Amed Rosario, José Tena and the just-recalled Trey Lipscomb can hold their own at third base with DeJong out for a while. Some more power from James Wood (five homers over his last eight games) wouldn’t hurt, either.

Mitchell Parker will look to pick up where Jake Irvin left off Tuesday night and shut down a Pirates lineup that looked good in Monday’s series opener but overall has been among the least productive units in the league. Parker was outstanding in his first two starts, less so in his last outing against the Marlins (though he technically does have three quality starts to his name so far this year).

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh
Gametime: 6:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 49 degrees, wind 14 mph out to center field

NATIONALS
RF Alex Call
LF James Wood
C Keibert Ruiz
1B Nathaniel Lowe
DH Josh Bell
3B Amed Rosario
CF Dylan Crews
2B Luis García Jr.
SS Nasim Nuñez