MIAMI – The Nationals can still leave South Beach with a series win over the Marlins. Hopefully, they’ll get a complete team effort today to close it out.

MacKenzie Gore will lead the charge on the mound. The left-hander is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA, 1.059 WHIP and a league-leading 13.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Gore held a tough Dodgers lineup to just two runs with seven strikeouts over six innings in his last start. He’s set up to have another good day today, coming in with a 2-1 record, 2.22 ERA, 0.781 WHIP and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings in four career starts against the Marlins.

The Nationals offense will look to stay hot against Cal Quantrill. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA and 1.444 WHIP over two starts to begin his first year with the Marlins. But after giving up six runs in four innings against the Mets, he shut out the Braves over five frames in his last start. The seven-year veteran is 0-1 with a 4.24 ERA and 1.177 WHIP in four starts against the Nats.

Davey Martinez should have all of his high-leverage relievers available today to shut the door late if needed.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MIAMI MARLINS
Where: loanDepot park
Gametime: 1:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 78 degrees, wind 7 mph in from left field

MIAMI – After a wild, come-from-behind victory to start the series, the Nationals will be looking to jump ahead early in this afternoon’s contest against the Marlins.

In order to do so, they have a tough challenge ahead of them in Miami ace Sandy Alcantara. The former Cy Young Award winner has made two starts this season after missing all of 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander has gone 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA, 0.931 WHIP and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings over 9 ⅔ frames to start his 2025 campaign.

In 15 career starts against the Nats, Alcantara is 7-6 with a 3.42 ERA and 1.202 WHIP.

The Nationals will counter with Trevor Williams making his third start of the year. The right-hander is 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.700 WHIP while completing five innings in each of his previous two starts.

Williams is 1-4 with a 4.95 ERA and 1.331 WHIP in 14 career appearances, nine starts, against the team that drafted him back in 2013. But he held the Marlins to one run over five strong innings in his lone start against them last year.

MIAMI – The Nationals have embarked on their first extended road trip of the season after only playing one series away from the friendly confines of Nats Park. That series resulted in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays in Toronto, so the Nats will be looking for better results over the next 10 days in Miami, Pittsburgh and Colorado.

First up: A weekend series in The 305. The Nats dominated the Marlins last season, winning 11 of their 13 matchups. They also won five of the six games played here at loanDepot park, with the lone loss coming in the last game in walk-off fashion.

Mitchell Parker makes his third start of the young season looking to improve his winnings streak. The left-hander is 2-0 so far with a 0.73 ERA and 1.216 WHIP. He went 1-0 with a 1.10 ERA and 1.041 WHIP in three starts against the Fish last year.

The Marlins activated Edward Cabrera off the 15-day injured list to make his first start of the season. The right-hander was dealing with a blister on his right middle finger and could be on a limited pitch count tonight. He’s 2-3 with a 4.02 ERA and 0.957 WHIP in six career starts against the Nats, including 0-2 with a 4.35 ERA and 0.774 WHIP in starts against Washington in 2024.

The roof is open here at loanDepot park, so weather may actually play a factor in this National League East matchup in South Beach.

The Orioles placed starter Zach Eflin on the 15-day injured list with a right lat strain and recalled reliever Colin Selby, who was on the taxi squad last night in Arizona.

Eflin has made three quality starts in his three outings this season and allowed six runs in 18 innings.

Two off-days could prevent the Orioles from needing a fifth starter until April 19. They currently have nine relievers on their roster.

Heston Kjerstad remains in left field today for the finale of the two-city road trip. Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter, with Ryan Mountcastle at first base. Ramón Urías is playing third base and Jackson Holliday is at second, which puts Jordan Westburg on the bench.

Dean Kremer makes his third start after allowing seven earned runs (eight total) and 13 hits in 9 2/3 innings. Right-handers are hitting .318/.333/.364 against him and left-handers are hitting .300/.333/.450.

The last time the Nationals swept the Dodgers? That would be August 2008, when they won three straight behind the pitching efforts of John Lannan, Tim Redding and Collin Balester. Yeah, it’s been a while.

They’ve got a chance to do the unthinkable this afternoon when they take the field for the series finale, looking to keep up the positive momentum from the last two nights and not only complete a three-game sweep but a five-game winning streak that would leave them with a .500 record heading into a 10-game road trip to Miami, Pittsburgh and Colorado. Who saw that coming five days ago when they were 1-6 and facing this daunting schedule?

The Nats have been getting plenty of offense during this stretch, especially early in games, and they’ll try to do the same today against Los Angeles right-hander Landon Knack. They’ve got CJ Abrams back in the lineup after a two-day absence. Keibert Ruiz, meanwhile, starts his 11th game behind the plate, having sat only once so far this season. And Alex Call makes his fifth straight start (seventh of eight), forcing the issue with his hot bat and forcing Jacob Young back to the bench.

Jake Irvin gets the nod for the series finale. The right-hander wasn’t pleased with his last outing (four runs over five innings against the Diamondbacks), so he’ll be motivated to at minimum provide more length this afternoon. If he can’t, at least the Nationals bullpen is in better shape. Jose A. Ferrer, Jorge López and Kyle Finnegan should all be available today if the game is close late.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 54 degrees, wind 7 mph out to left field

Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter tonight in Arizona, Ryan O’Hearn is playing first base and Ryan Mountcastle is on the bench.

Jordan Westburg is the third baseman and cleanup hitter. Tyler O’Neill is in right field and Heston Kjerstad is in left.

Jackson Holliday is the second baseman.

Charlie Morton has made two starts with the Orioles and allowed nine runs and 13 hits in 8 1/3 innings. He’s struck out 13 batters.

Morton is making his 16^th career start against the Diamondbacks. He’s registered a 4.27 ERA over 86 1/3 innings. Morton has made nine starts at Chase Field and registered a 5.19 ERA in 50 1/3 innings.

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

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

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

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

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

The Nationals beat the Diamondbacks on Saturday. Then they beat them again on Sunday. You know what that’s called? A winning streak! Now, can they keep it going against the defending World Series champions and their star-studded roster?

Yes, the Dodgers are in town the next three nights, so get ready for a whole lot of blue and a whole lot of Japanese media following Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. Word is, there won’t be an empty seat in the press box during this series. Giddy-up.

It’s a great test tonight for MacKenzie Gore, who gets the ball for the series opener. The Nats ace was brilliant on Opening Day against the Phillies, then labored but minimized the damage against the Blue Jays. He last faced the Dodgers nearly a year ago, right here in D.C., and he was very good in that one: six innings of one-run ball. The key tonight: Efficiency. With all of their top relievers pitching much of the weekend, the bullpen could be thin for this game. Gore needs to get deep in the game.

The Nationals lineup finally did a good job jumping out to early leads against Arizona, and they’ll try to keep that up tonight against Dustin May. The oft-injured right-hander missed all of 2024 but is healthy again and tossed five innings of one-hit ball in his season debut against the Braves.

CJ Abrams sits tonight with tightness in his right thigh, while Paul DeJong moves to shortstop and José Tena starts at third base. James Wood slides up to the leadoff spot in Abrams' place. 

For the first time this season, the Nationals are in position to win a series.

The Nats will look to build upon the eight runs they put up in the first two games. But they will have a tough task against Diamondbacks starter Corbin Burnes. The right-hander is making his second start of the six-year, $210 million contract he received from Arizona over the offseason after he finished fifth in American League Cy Young Award voting in his one year with the Orioles.

Burnes was charged with four runs (two earned), four hits and three walks with eight strikeouts over 4 ⅓ innings in his Arizona debut against the Yankees. He did give up two home runs to that dangerous New York lineup, so maybe the Nats can follow the Bronx Bombers’ footsteps and take Burnes deep a couple of times this afternoon.

Today was supposed to be Michael Soroka’s second start in a Nationals uniform, but a right arm biceps strain landed him on the 15-day injured list. So instead it will be Trevor Williams taking the mound for his second start. Thanks to Thursday’s off-day, the right-hander will be on normal rest. Williams gave up 10 hits (all singles) and three runs in his 2025 debut against the Blue Jays, but for the most part had a solid five innings.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
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: Cloudy, 57 degrees, wind 8 mph in from left field

KANSAS CITY – Tomoyuki Sugano gets his second chance in the majors this afternoon after leaving his debut with cramping in both hands.

Sugano allowed two runs and four hits in four innings at Rogers Centre in Toronto in the fourth game of the season. He faces the Royals today in the bitter cold, but at least it's dry.

Gunnar Henderson is serving as the designated hitter today and Gary Sánchez is catching. Adley Rutschman is on the bench.

Ryan Mountcastle moves up from eighth to cleanup. Cedric Mullins is batting third.

Heston Kjerstad stays in left field. Ramón Urías is at third base and Jordan Westburg is at second. Jackson Holliday is the shortstop.

The Nationals, plain and simple, need a win. They’re 1-6 to begin the season, and though they’ve pretty much been in every game, they have not shown an ability to do what they need to do late in those games to emerge victorious. They’ll give it another shot this afternoon against the Diamondbacks, perhaps inspired by the pregame induction of the inaugural 2005 club into the Nationals Park Ring of Honor.

Davey Martinez is going with a different look to his lineup. Facing Arizona left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, he’s got Amed Rosario batting second, the red-hot Nathaniel Lowe batting third, Alex Call batting sixth and Riley Adams finally getting his first start of the season, batting ninth. We’ll see what, if any, difference that look makes.

Mitchell Parker gets the start, and the young lefty will look to pick up where he left off in his season debut last weekend. He’s still the only member of the staff to reach the seventh inning so far in 2025.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 75 degrees, wind 10 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
2B Amed Rosario
1B Nathaniel Lowe
DH Josh Bell
LF James Wood
RF Alex Call
CF Dylan Crews
3B Paul DeJong
C Riley Adams

And we’re back. After a brief international trip for their first road series of the season, the Nationals are back home for six straight against a pair of tough National League West foes. The undefeated, defending champion Dodgers come to town next week. But first up, it’s the Diamondbacks, the 2023 NL champs.

As stated numerous times over the last several days, the Nats really need to get their lineup clicking early. They’ve scored only two runs in the first three innings of six games to date. That’s a tough way to live. They’ll try to make it happen tonight against right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who they did beat last summer with three runs over 6 1/3 innings.

Jake Irvin gets the ball for the Nationals, on the heels of a good-not-great season debut. The right-hander lasted only five innings against the Phillies and put nine runners on base. But he limited the damage to two runs, an encouraging sign.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 69 degrees, wind 7 mph in from center field

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

TORONTO – For the second time already in this young season, the Nationals find themselves needing a win to avoid a series sweep. They managed to do it Sunday against the Phillies. Now they need to do it again against the Blue Jays.

The good news: MacKenzie Gore is on the mound, looking to pick up right where he left off Opening Day. The lefty was utterly dominant that afternoon, striking out 13 over six scoreless innings of one-hit ball. Most impressively, Gore issued zero walks and kept his pitch count to a mere 93 even with all those strikeouts. He needs to bring that same approach to this outing against a good Toronto lineup.

The Nationals also need more offense than they’ve been getting, especially early in the game. They’ll be facing an unknown in Easton Lucas, a 28-year-old left-hander with a 9.82 ERA in 14 career major league appearances, all of them out of the bullpen. Lucas isn’t likely to pitch deep into this game, so it could wind up as more of a bullpen game for the Blue Jays. Regardless, now would be an opportune time for the Nats to string some hits together and finally score runs in bunches.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Where: Rogers Centre
Gametime: 3:07 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
2B Amed Rosario
C Keibert Ruiz
LF James Wood
1B Nathaniel Lowe
DH Josh Bell
RF Alex Call
3B Paul DeJong
CF Dylan Crews

TORONTO – The Nationals have done some things well through their first four games, but not enough things well. Which is why they enter tonight’s contest with a 1-3 record, in search of a win before things really turn upside down on them. Their best path to making that happen? More offense.

Though they’ve actually hit for power so far, with eight homers through four games (fifth most in the majors), they’re not scoring runs the old fashioned way. They’re batting just .121 (4-for-33) with runners in scoring position (fifth worst in the majors). So while the big swings have been nice, a few more clutch hits would be even nicer.

They’ll try to solve that problem tonight against Blue Jays ace José Berríos, who had a rough one on Opening Day. The Orioles got to the right-hander for six runs and nine hits (three of them homers) in five innings.

Trevor Williams makes his season debut as the Nats’ fifth starter. The veteran hopes to prove last year was no fluke, when he finished with a 2.03 ERA and 1.035 WHIP in 13 starts despite missing more than three months with an elbow strain. Williams’ task: Keep the ball down in the zone and keep Toronto’s hitters from getting the ball in the air.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Where: Rogers Centre
Gametime: 7:07 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

TORONTO – The Nationals’ first road trip of 2025 takes them north of the border for their biannual series at Rogers Centre, longtime home of the Blue Jays. The current wind chill here in 38 degrees (Fahrenheit, not Celsius). Fortunately, the roof is closed and will remain closed.

The guy on the mound tonight isn’t bothered by cold temperatures or metric conversions. Michael Soroka is from Calgary, so his Nats debut is sort of a homecoming for him, even if we’re clear on the other side of the country from his hometown. Soroka looked very good most of the spring before stumbling in his final tune-up start. The Nationals are banking on the right-hander to be a stabilizing force in their rotation. We’ll get our first real look at him tonight against a Blue Jays lineup that boasts a formidable 1-2 punch in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander.

The Nats lineup, which surprisingly outhomered the Phillies 6-5 in the opening series, will now try to take aim at the hitter-friendly dimensions here. They face an unfamiliar foe in Toronto right-hander Bowden Francis, who went 8-5 with a 3.30 ERA in his first full big league season. Only four members of the current Nationals roster have ever faced Francis before, and only Nathaniel Lowe has more than three plate appearances against him.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Where: Rogers Centre
Gametime: 7:07 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
C Keibert Ruiz
1B Nathaniel Lowe
DH Josh Bell
2B Luis García Jr.
3B Paul DeJong
RF Dylan Crews
CF Jacob Young

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said outfielder Colton Cowser could miss six-to-eight weeks minimum with a fractured left thumb. Cowser was placed on the 10-day injured list this morning.

The injury occurred yesterday when Cowser dived into first base in the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. He was removed for a pinch-hitter in the ninth and underwent tests.

Outfielder Dylan Carlson was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. He's on the bench today for the home opener against the Red Sox.

Jordan Westburg is leading off today. He’s back in the lineup after sitting out yesterday’s game.

Hyde said Westburg is feeling a lot better after dealing with some “minor things.”

The last position the Nationals wanted to find themselves in today is the one they’re in, needing a win over the Phillies to avoid an 0-3 start to their season. They certainly had a chance to win Thursday’s opener before falling in 10 innings. And they briefly had a chance to win Saturday’s game, until the bullpen gate swung open in the sixth and turned a 2-2 game into an absolute mess.

We’ll have to see how the bullpen shakes out today. The best thing the Nats could do to help their case would be to score a good number of runs themselves and take some pressure off the pitching staff. The good news: They’ve hit four homers through two games, two of them off the bat of Keibert Ruiz. The bad news: They’re 3-for-21 with runners in scoring position. That has got to improve.

The challenge today is a stiff one against the Phillies’ Aaron Nola, who has been very good in these matchups in recent seasons. In nine starts against the Nationals since 2022, the right-hander is 4-1 with a 1.70 ERA.

The Nats got a dominant start from MacKenzie Gore on Opening Day and a solid start from Jake Irvin on Saturday. They’ll hope for more that today from Mitchell Parker, who actually gets the third game of the season even though he’s technically the No. 5 starter. Davey Martinez wanted another lefty against the lefty-heavy Philadelphia lineup, so Parker gets the call. He faced the Phillies once as a rookie, and it did not go well: nine runs and 10 hits in only three innings of work.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES 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 cloudy, 76 degrees, wind 13 mph out to center field

After the hullabaloo of Opening Day, after the much-needed rest of an off-day, the actual grind of the 162-game season begins today. The Nationals and Phillies meet in game two of the opening series, and it’s the debut of the Nats’ new City Connect uniforms.

MacKenzie Gore dominated the Phillies’ potent lineup Thursday. You probably can’t as for the same from Jake Irvin in his season debut, but the Nationals do need the right-hander to be on point. He had an excellent spring, until his final start, in which his fastball lost several ticks. Irvin insisted he felt fine physically that day, but we haven’t had a chance to see him since. (He was supposed to pitch Monday’s exhibition finale against the Orioles before that game was rained out.) So keep an eye on him in the first couple innings today, especially the velocity readings. Is he in the low-90s or the mid-90s?

The Nationals lineup sees a familiar left-hander today in the form of Jesús Luzardo, the long-ago organizational prospect who has since faced his original team many times as a member of the Marlins. Now he’s in Philly, going up against some hitters he’s got a book on. One of those hitters, Luis García Jr., is just 2-for-16 in his career against Luzardo. Amed Rosario, meanwhile, is 3-for-8 with a double and a triple. Hence, the different look at second base today. Don’t be surprised, though, if García comes off the bench to pinch-hit against a righty at some point.  

UPDATE: Trea Turner was scratched from the Phillies' lineup with back spasms. Edmundo Sosa will now start at shortstop.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES 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: Mostly cloudy, 83 degrees, wind 11 mph out to center field

And away we go! Welcome to the 2025 Major League Baseball season and the 21st season of Washington Nationals baseball. That’s right, this ballclub now enters its third decade in the District, pretty remarkable for anyone who remembers the three decades this town spent without baseball.

The Nats have renewed hopes entering this season, perhaps even hopes of a winning record for the first time since 2019. The early schedule, however, is not kind. Their first four series come against the Phillies, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks and Dodgers, though three of those four at least come at home.

It all begins this afternoon against Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies, who have visions not only of a winning season but of a championship parade come November. That lineup will present a good challenge for MacKenzie Gore, who just so happened to shut out that same group over six innings in his final start of the 2024 season.

Gore’s opponent that day was Zack Wheeler, who also gets the start today. The veteran right-hander has established himself as one of the best workhorses in the sport, one with Cy Young Award visions. We’ll have to see how a newly constructed Nationals lineup in search of more power fares in this one.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 59 degrees, wind 9 mph out to right field

The Orioles finally can close out their exhibition schedule today and prepare for Thursday’s opener in Toronto. The fake games will be over.

Left-hander Cade Povich makes the start against the Nationals in D.C., a tune-up before he takes the ball for the first home game on March 31. Povich has pitched four times and the only runs allowed were the five that the Blue Jays put on the board in the fifth inning on March 13.

Povich followed up with five hitless innings in Tuesday’s rematch, putting him ahead of Albert Suárez for the fifth starter’s job. Suárez moves to the bullpen.

Colton Cowser bats leadoff today and plays left field. Jackson Holliday is the shortstop.

A lineup filled with regulars also includes Adley Rutschman behind the plate, Jordan Westburg at second base, Ryan Mountcastle at first base and Cedric Mullins in center field.