The Orioles have lost four of their last seven series and will try today to avoid their first three-game sweep since May 13-15, 2022 in Detroit.

Catcher James McCann went on the 10-day injured list this morning with a sprained left ankle, and the Orioles selected catcher José Godoy’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk. Godoy was on the taxi squad in Chicago.

Reliever Reed Garrett was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

McCann is batting .194/.232/.344 with five doubles and three home runs in 31 games.

Godoy, who’s wearing No. 77, was acquired from the Yankees on June 2 in a cash transaction. He’s appeared in 26 major league games over the past two seasons with the Mariners, Twins and Pirates and gone 7-for-57.

The Nationals keep finding themselves in this position, needing a win to avoid a series sweep. This is actually the fifth time in their last six series they’ve lost the opening two games to an opponent. In three of the previous cases (Dodgers, Braves, Astros) they found a way to salvage a win in the finale. They never had a chance to do it in the fourth series, because the finale against the Diamondbacks was postponed due to hazardous air quality. (We’ll see how Thursday’s makeup game shakes out.)

So if the pattern holds true, the Nats will actually beat the Marlins this afternoon and avoid the sweep. Then again, they still haven’t beaten the Marlins this season in five tries, having been swept in Miami last month and now finding themselves in danger of it happening again today.

We’ve talked a lot about pitching throughout this rough stretch, but let’s not give the lineup a free pass. The Nationals have averaged only 3.3 runs, 8.2 hits and a paltry 1.4 walks over their last 12 games (of which they’ve won only two). So they’ve got to do a better job making Jesús Luzardo work today. The long-ago Nats prospect continues to be an enigma: Over his last six starts, he’s alternated between allowing five or more runs or only one run (including once against the Nats).

Patrick Corbin gets the start on the other side. He was solid against the Astros, allowing only two runs over five innings, though he did issue a whopping five walks. If he can hold Miami in check, Davey Martinez should be able to turn to his top relievers today.

Update: Jeimer Candelario was a late scratch from the lineup for undisclosed reasons. Michael Chavis will slide over to third base, and Dominic Smith (who was supposed to sit today) will start at first base.

The Nationals, as you may have heard by now, just can’t beat the Marlins. Friday night’s 6-5 loss left them 0-4 this season against Miami and a staggering 4-19 over the last two seasons. How is that possible? Credit to the Marlins, who to be sure are an improved team with a good pitching staff. But that’s an absurd winning percentage against any opponent, no matter how good.

The Nats will try to reverse that trend this afternoon in the second game of the weekend series. They’ll have Jake Irvin back on the mound after a 10-day layoff. Thanks to an off-day at the beginning of the week, the team decided to skip over Irvin’s turn in the rotation and give the rookie a chance to rest and work on some things in the bullpen. He was quite excited about the way his last throwing session went. We’ll see if that actually translates into positive results in today’s game.

The Marlins send left-hander Braxton Garrett to the mound, so Davey Martinez has his right-handed-heavy lineup in there. That includes Stone Garrett, now officially part of a left field platoon with Corey Dickerson. And it includes Riley Adams, who gets the start behind the plate while Keibert Ruiz gets the day off.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MIAMI MARLINS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind 16 mph in from left field

NATIONALS
RF Lane Thomas
2B Luis García
3B Jeimer Candelario
DH Joey Meneses
LF Stone Garrett
1B Dominic Smith
C Riley Adams
CF Victor Robles
SS CJ Abrams

After a 2-4 road trip, the Nationals have lost five straight series, all coming against tough opponents. And depending on how you view the Marlins, another one is on deck this weekend.

The Fish are 38-31 and in second place in the National League East, but have the second-worst run differential in the division at -30. Their bread and butter is one-run games in which they are a stunning 17-5, including two out of the three games they won against the Nats in May.

Of course, the Nats have struggled against the Marlins for a while. They are 4-18 against their division rivals since the start of last year.

Trevor Williams gets the start in tonight’s opener. The right-hander is 3-4 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.355 WHIP in his first 13 starts. He has set season highs with six strikeouts in back-to-back outings and turned in a quality start against the Marlins the last time these two teams met.

Sandy Alcantara gets the call for the Fish. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner has not put up the kind of numbers we’re used to seeing from the right-hander, going only 2-5 with a 4.75 ERA on the year. But he did hold the White Sox to one run over seven innings in his last start.

HOUSTON – Tonight is the 15th scheduled game of a stretch that has seen the Nationals play nothing but contenders, including some of the best teams in baseball. It promised to be a difficult stretch, and it most certainly has proven to be that. They enter tonight’s finale at Minute Maid Park with a 3-10 record against the Dodgers, Phillies, Diamondbacks, Braves and Astros. (They of course didn't play one game vs. Arizona due to hazardous air quality in D.C.)

The schedule eases up now, but before that happens the Nats would love to emerge from this series with at least one win over the defending World Series champions. They’ll need to score some runs prior to the top of the ninth, you’d think, but the challenge again isn’t an easy one facing Christian Javier. The 26-year-old right-hander is 7-1 with a 3.13 ERA in 13 starts, though he did give up four runs on seven hits and three walks during a five-inning no-decision against the Guardians last week.

As was the case for Josiah Gray on Wednesday night, MacKenzie Gore faces his own challenge in the form of a potent Houston lineup that gets shortstop Jeremy Peña back tonight. Gore had a rough one in his last start in Atlanta, giving up five runs in five innings, including a pair of homers. He’ll have to keep an Astros team that has launched six homers so far in this series in the park tonight.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: Minute Maid Park
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

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

HOUSTON – Josiah Gray enters tonight’s start with a 3.00 ERA, which is quite good. Good enough to rank sixth in the National League, in fact. His 1.403 WHIP, however, is worse than it was in either of the last two seasons. So, how do we reconcile those two facts?

Gray’s peripheral numbers aren’t great because he’s walking a lot of batters (4.6 per nine innings). But he’s not giving up runs because he’s managing to get outs when he needs to (opponents are batting and slugging .145 against him with runners in scoring position) and he’s avoided the home run (1.0 per nine innings, down from 2.3 last season). Can he keep that up? We shall see, but the test tonight against the Astros is a good one for the young right-hander.

A little run support wouldn’t hurt, either. After an uptick in production that included 5.4 runs per game from May 15-June 2, the Nationals are averaging only 3.1 over their last eight games. Is it any wonder they’ve lost seven of those games?

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: Minute Maid Park
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

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

HOUSTON – Hello from Minute Maid Park, where tonight the Nationals will take the field for the first time since Oct. 30, 2019. You probably remember some details about that night.

The guy who won that game is the only player on the Nats’ current active roster, and would you believe he starts tonight’s series opener against the Astros? Patrick Corbin gets the nod on normal rest, with the team using Monday’s day off to skip over Jake Irvin’s turn in the rotation and give the rookie a chance to work on some things. Corbin won’t be pitching in relief tonight, of course. He’ll be trying to hold in check a tough Houston lineup, albeit one that doesn’t bear much resemblance to the one from 2019, either.

The Nationals lineup, which broke out for six runs Sunday in Atlanta, has a familiar look against Astros right-hander Hunter Brown. Davey Martinez can only hope Joey Meneses, Jeimer Candelario and Dominic Smith pick up where they left off at Truist Park.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: Minute Maid Park
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

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

The Orioles are breaking out another version of their lineup for today’s series finale against the Royals.

Ryan Mountcastle is on the bench again due to an illness. Adley Rutschman isn’t starting, though he always seems to find his way into a game.

Josh Lester is the first baseman today.

Ryan O’Hearn is starting in right field and batting fourth. Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop, and he stays in the leadoff spot after homering again yesterday.

Kyle Gibson will try for his seventh quality start. He faced the Royals last month in Kansas City and allowed a season-high six runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings.

ATLANTA – The Nationals need a stopper and they need one badly. Or do they need more offense and need that badly?

They could use both as they try to snap this six-game losing streak and escape Atlanta with at least one win today.

Trevor Williams will attempt to be the stopper. The right-hander is 2-4 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.335 WHIP in his first 12 starts. He has completed five innings in all but two of his outings, with one being cut short due the rain-prompted suspension of the Nats' May 13 game against the Mets.

This is his first time facing the Braves in 2023, but he is 1-1 with a 3.28 ERA and 1.150 WHIP in eight career appearances (four starts) against Atlanta.

The offense has a tough task in trying to get going against Bryce Elder. The 24-year-old right-hander leads the National League with a 2.26 ERA, while posting a 4-0 record and 1.144 WHIP over his first 12 starts.

ATLANTA – Sixty-two games down, 100 to go.

The Nationals will try to bounce back from last night’s tough loss and end a couple of streaks today: Their own five-game losing streak and the Braves’ six-game winning streak.

For the third time in his young career, MacKenzie Gore will face the Braves, the team he made both his major league and Nationals debuts against. He delivered the Nats their first win of the season back on April 2, striking out six over 5 ⅓ innings of one-run ball in a 4-1 victory.

Gore has done a good job of getting deep into games and limiting walks in his last two starts. Against the Royals and Phillies, the young lefty completed 13 innings with 17 strikeouts to just one walk. He’ll aim to continue that trend against a tough Braves lineup.

In a repeat of that April 2 pitching matchup, lefty Jared Shuster will make his seventh major league start for the Braves. The 24-year-old is 2-2 with a 4.99 ERA and 1.337 WHIP to start the season. He gave up four runs on six hits and five walks while taking the loss his first time against the Nats.

ATLANTA – The Nationals have escaped the haze that engulfed the Washington, D.C. area and forced a postponement of yesterday’s series finale against the Diamondbacks. Now they find themselves outside downtown Atlanta to take on the Braves for three games, their first against the division leaders since the opening series of the season.

The Nationals enter this weekend having lost seven out of their last nine. For what it’s worth, the Braves also struggled to end May, going through a stretch of losing seven of 11, before turning it around to win six of their last seven, including a three-game sweep of the Mets here this week.

With yesterday’s postponement, Davey Martinez gave his starters an extra day of rest, with Josiah Gray now starting tonight’s opener. The right-hander’s 3.09 ERA is the lowest in the rotation, but he has struggled as of late. He did not complete six innings in any of his last three starts, giving up seven runs over 14 ⅓ innings (4.40 ERA) in the process.

Gray’s worst outing of the year came against these very Braves in his first start, in the Nats’ second game of the season. He gave up five runs and three home runs – including one each to the first two batters he faced – over seven innings while taking a 7-1 loss. In his career, he is 1-2 with a 3.33 ERA and 1.037 WHIP over five starts against Atlanta. He has, though, pitched well here at Truist Park, going 1-0 and allowing just one earned run in 10 innings over two starts.

The Braves are sending 20-year-old right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver to the mound for his first major league start. The Braves' No. 4 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, Smith-Shawver impressed in his big league debut, pitching 2 ⅓ scoreless innings with three strikeouts Sunday against the Diamondbacks. He had a 1.09 ERA, 0.939 WHIP, 12.3 strikeout-per-nine rate and 3.75 strikeout-per-walk rate over seven starts between High-A and Triple-A to begin this season on the Braves farm.

It’s another hazy afternoon in the nation’s capital, with smoke from wildfires in Quebec hovering over the region again. It’s not as bad here as it is in New York, and for now tonight’s game is on as planned. But stay tuned in case things take a turn for the worse.

It’s “UK-US Friendship Day” at Nationals Park, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak scheduled to attend what I can only assume will be the first Major League Baseball game he’s ever seen in person.

The Nationals are trying to snap a three-game losing streak, and to do that they’ll need a better all-around pitching performance, beginning with starter Patrick Corbin, who faces his former team. Corbin’s last outing came one week ago at Dodger Stadium, where he trailed 3-0 after three batters, but ultimately made it through five innings allowing only one more (unearned) run. The Nats would really like a more effective, and longer, start from the lefty tonight.

The bullpen has another new face. For the second straight day, the Nationals designated a struggling reliever for assignment, with Erasmo Ramírez the victim this time following a ragged appearance Tuesday night. Cory Abbott was recalled from Triple-A Rochester, where he was originally scheduled to start tonight. If Corbin doesn’t go deep and Davey Martinez needs multiple innings from a reliever, Abbott is probably the guy.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Hazy, 77 degrees, wind 7 mph left field to right field

The Nationals and Diamondbacks engaged in a highly entertaining series one month ago in Phoenix, the D-backs ultimately winning two of the three games (though one only after storming back to win in the bottom of the ninth). Now the surprise National League West leaders come to D.C. for a three-game series against a Nats club that continues to compete but would like to emerge victorious a few more times against quality opponents.

Jake Irvin gets the start, the seventh of his young career. The rookie right-hander showed some glimpses of improvement last time out against the Dodgers but still wound up allowing four runs in five innings to that potent lineup. The Nationals could sure use a solid start out of Irvin, whose spot in the rotation isn’t necessarily on thin ice, but it isn’t exactly solid either.

The Nats face yet another left-hander in Tommy Henry, who held them to two runs in six innings last month at Chase Field, both runs scoring on a Keibert Ruiz double. As noted here before, these guys have fared much better against lefties this season than righties, so here’s a chance to keep that trend going and provide Irvin with some run support.

As expected, there’s a bullpen roster move today: Andrés Machado was indeed designated for assignment following Sunday’s rough outing. Right-hander Jordan Weems was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take his spot. So the Nats remain without any left-handed relievers for now.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Hazy, 80 degrees, wind 13 mph out to right field

SAN FRANCISCO - After a 4-0 loss last night in which right-hander Alex Cobb shut down the O's bats for 7 2/3 innings, the Orioles try to get back in the win column today in the series finale at San Francisco.

Baltimore (36-22) won here 3-2 Friday night and is now 19-10 in road games and 10-10 all time against the Giants.

Second baseman Adam Frazier will lead off again today. He is batting .217 in six games this season when leading off. Austin Hays will bat cleanup again and Josh Lester, called up on Saturday, will make his O's debut batting seventh and playing third base.

Gunnar Henderson, who left last night's game with lower back discomfort is not in the lineup, and after the game last night manager Brandon Hyde said he was day-to-day.

For the Orioles

Saturday’s 4-2 loss was disappointing, sure, but it wasn’t embarrassing. The Nationals just didn’t hit as much as the Phillies did, so they lost the game. And they still have a chance to win the series and enter the week tied with the defending National League champs in the standings. Who wouldn’t have taken that scenario if presented with it from the outset?

The Nats will hope to get their bats back on track while facing Ranger Suárez, a potentially advantageous matchup. They’ve hit left-handers well all season and enter today’s game with an impressive .292/.358/.426 slash line, that .784 OPS good enough to rank eighth in the majors against southpaws. Suárez, who season debut was delayed by an elbow strain, enters with a 7.13 ERA and 1.642 WHIP in four starts, though his last one (two runs in 6 2/3 innings against the Mets) was good.

Trevor Williams gets the ball for the Nationals, looking to rebound from his weirdest start of the season, one in which he carried a shutout into the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium but then surrendered six runs, all of them unearned. He’ll have to keep Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos in the yard today, maybe helped out by an unusually cool, northerly breeze that will be blowing in from left field.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 71 degrees, wind 7 mph in from left field

NATIONALS
RF Lane Thomas
2B Luis García
DH Joey Meneses
3B Jeimer Candelario
LF Stone Garrett
1B Dominic Smith
SS Ildemaro Vargas
C Riley Adams
CF Alex Call

For the first time since mid-April, the Nationals will have a chance to stand alone outside the basement of the National League East. And for the second straight game, the Nationals’ future will be on display against its past.

MacKenzie Gore gets his first shot at former Nats Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber as a National. He did face each of them over his 16 appearances with the Padres last year: Harper went 0-for-3 with a strikeout; Turner went 2-for-2 with an RBI double and was hit by a pitch; and Schwarber went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk.

Gore is coming off a career-high 11 strikeouts in seven innings of one-run ball on Sunday against the Royals. On the year, the lefty is 3-3 with a 3.57 ERA, 1.414 WHIP and 11.5 strikeout-per-nine-innings rate.

Left-hander Matt Strahm is starting a bullpen game for the Phillies this afternoon. He’s 4-3 with a 3.20 ERA and 1.042 WHIP in 15 appearances (seven starts) this season. Strahm is expected to go at least two innings for manager Rob Thomson, who had to use four relievers last night after Zack Wheeler couldn’t get out of the fourth.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy with chance of storms, 81 degrees, wind 11 mph in from right field

The Nationals are back home at last, following an eventful 3-3 trip to Kansas City and Los Angeles. And would you believe they have a chance to climb out of the National League East basement tonight?

Yes, that’s right. The Nats (24-32) trail the fourth-place Phillies (25-31) by only game. A win tonight would leave the two teams tied in the standings. Imagine what fans in both towns would’ve thought if presented with that possibility back on Opening Day.

This is going to be a nice test for Josiah Gray, who has kind of regressed a bit in recent outings. The right-hander still hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any start since his season debut, but he has walked nine batters over his last nine innings and needed a whopping 179 pitches to get there. Gray has got to show better command tonight, but he also has to keep the ball in the park on the first really warm day of the season, with an afternoon high of 92 degrees.

The Nationals, who mashed five homers during Wednesday’s wild win at Dodger Stadium, will try to keep that going against Zack Wheeler, who dominated the Braves in his last start to the tune of eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts.

Oh, and tonight also represents Trea Turner’s first of many upcoming appearances at Nationals Park as a member of the Phillies, who also have a couple games named Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber on their roster, in case you’ve forgotten.

LOS ANGELES – A road trip that began with so much promise is now in danger of concluding in the complete opposite direction. Since winning the first two games of their weekend series in Kansas City (and carrying a lead into the seventh on Sunday), the Nationals have lost three straight, and today are in danger of getting swept by the mighty Dodgers.

If they want to avoid that ignominy and at least head home with a 3-3 record on the trip, they’re going to need to score some runs today against Noah Syndergaard. The veteran right-hander has not been good in his first season here in L.A. Through his first 10 starts, he’s 1-4 with a 6.27 ERA. Folks around here believe he should’ve been dropped from the rotation after his last outing, but the Dodgers don’t appear to have any better alternatives at the moment, so he’s back on the mound. Suffice it to say, this is an opportunity for the Nats to do some damage.

It’s also an opportunity for Patrick Corbin to continue to show his performance so far this season has been legitimate. His streak of starts allowing three or fewer earned runs came to end at seven Friday night, when he was charged with six runs in 6 1/3 innings against the Royals. The lefty was lit up here at Dodger Stadium last season, failing to make it out of the bottom of the first. He can’t afford to let anything like that happen again today.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Where: Dodger Stadium
Gametime: 4:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 66 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left field

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

LOS ANGELES – It’s been a whirlwind first month in the big leagues for Jake Irvin, who probably wasn’t even supposed to be here so soon. The rookie right-hander was promoted from Triple-A Rochester at the start of the month and legitimately impressed in his first two starts, especially when he held the Giants scoreless for 6 1/3 innings May 8. Things have turned south since then for Irvin, who hasn’t been able to complete five innings in any of his last three starts and has issued four walks in each of his last two.

Tonight, Irvin faces perhaps his toughest challenge to date in a Dodgers lineup loaded with big names and firepower, in the hostile environment that is Chavez Ravine. He’ll need to keep his emotions in check, but more importantly, he’ll need to keep the ball in the vicinity of the plate while simultaneously not letting that lineup do too much damage.

The Nationals would love to provide Irvin with more run support than they gave Trevor Williams on Monday night. That challenge won’t be easy, either, with Tony Gonsolin and his 1.82 ERA on the mound for L.A. Davey Martinez has a new wrinkle tonight, though: Joey Meneses is playing the outfield for the first time this season, with Lane Thomas shifting to center field for the first time this season. The slumping Alex Call is on the bench, with Ildemaro Vargas playing left field and Corey Dickerson serving as DH.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Where: Dodger Stadium
Gametime: 10:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 62 degrees, wind 7 mph out to center field

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

The Orioles are hopeful that Cedric Mullins’ absence from the team will be measured in weeks instead of months. They’ll grip that optimism with both hands and also keep their fingers crossed.

Mullins was placed on the 10-day injured list after he slowed before reaching first base yesterday in the eighth inning and limped off the field with assistant athletic trainer Mark Shires. He’s been diagnosed with a strained right groin muscle.

Manager Brandon Hyde was relieved to learn that Mullins could return ahead of a lengthy absence.

“It’s what I was hoping for, honestly, in that, you never know how bad those can be and it sounds like we’re getting some positive news in it being weeks and not months,” Hyde said.

“When you see a guy pull up like that, your first instinct is, not good, but because he pulled up, it seems like he helped himself. He didn’t get a hit out of it. He sacrificed maybe a hit for some weeks. We’re going to do everything we can to get him back as soon as possible. We’ll see how it goes, but I think the news was positive, at least for how bad it looked.”