The last week was not especially kind to the Nationals, who went 2-4 on their road trip to Baltimore and Philadelphia, at times looking overmatched by two of the best teams in baseball. The good news: They’re back home and facing a team with a worse record in the Rockies. At 46-79, Colorado is tied with Miami for the worst record in the National League, with only the wretched White Sox even worse than them across the majors.

The Nats still need to play well the next three days, of course, and they’ll hope DJ Herz can keep up what he’s been doing the last few weeks on the mound. After a midseason hiccup, Herz has gotten back on track, with a 3.04 ERA over his last five starts, including a quality start last week at Camden Yards. He struggled a bit at Coors Field earlier this summer, though, lasting just 3 2/3 innings in the thin mountain air.

The Nationals did not see Austin Gomber in that late-June series in Colorado. The left-hander enters with a 4.82 ERA and 24 homers allowed in 125 innings but did produce quality starts in two of his last three outings. The Nats have a big bat back in the lineup, with Joey Gallo finally activated off the 10-day injured list after a two-week rehab stint at Triple-A Rochester. He replaces Travis Blankenhorn, who was optioned to Triple-A.

The Nats also activated Robert Garcia off the bereavement list and optioned Orlando Ribalta to Rochester, giving them three lefties in the bullpen for the first time this season.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 73 degrees, wind 11 mph in from left field

NEW YORK – Austin Slater is leading off tonight at Citi Field and Eloy Jiménez is the designated hitter, as the Orioles go right-handed heavy with their lineup against the Mets.

Colton Cowser is in center field, one of three left-handers to avoid the bench, and Anthony Santander is in right.

Trevor Rogers is making his fourth start with the Orioles. He’s 0-2 with a 7.53 ERA and 1.884 WHIP in only 14 1/3 innings.

Overall, Rogers is 2-11 this season with a 4.89 ERA and 1.571 WHIP in 24 starts. He faced the Mets on July 21 and allowed one earned run and two total in 4 2/3 innings. He has a 3.35 ERA in nine career starts against them and a 2.73 ERA in six starts at Citi Field.

Pete Alonso is 3-for-20 with two home runs.

The Orioles elevated Eloy Jiménez to the cleanup spot for this afternoon’s series finale against the Red Sox.

Jarren Duran robbed Jiménez of a home run last night with a leaping catch at the center field fence in the ninth inning. Jiménez is 14-for-33 (.424) with the Orioles.

Adley Rutschman returns to the lineup after pinch-hitting last night. He began the past two games on the bench due to lower back discomfort.

Ryan O’Hearn is in right field and batting second. Anthony Santander isn’t in the lineup.

Gunnar Henderson, in the third slot again today, is batting .346 against fastballs this month compared to his .262 mark in July.

PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals need one today. Ideally, it would be a total team effort: Strong starting pitching, a lot of run support and a shutdown bullpen. But honestly, it doesn’t matter how they get it. They just need to win.

Luckily, the guy that gives them the best chance to do that is taking the mound this afternoon. Jake Irvin makes his 26th start in search of his team-high 10th win of the season. He’s coming off six strong innings against the Orioles on Tuesday, during which he only allowed two runs. But now he’ll face a Phillies team that he’s 0-2 with a 6.55 ERA against.

The Phillies are sending Taijuan Walker to the mound for the finale. The veteran right-hander is 3-4 with a 5.68 ERA and 1.509 WHIP in 11 starts this year. He hasn’t completed six innings since May and has allowed three or more runs in four of his last five starts.

If there ever was a time to score some runs this weekend, it’s now.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of scattered thunderstorms, 81 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

PHILADELPHIA – “This one I'm going to flush.”

That was manager Davey Martinez after last night’s 13-3 loss to the Phillies. And yeah, let’s forget about that one.

The Nationals look to bounce back tonight with Patrick Corbin on the mound. There are only a handful of starts left for the veteran left-hander in a Nats uniform, so we don’t need to revisit all of the numbers. But it is worth noting he held the Phillies to four runs over six innings with six strikeouts in a tough-luck 4-0 loss on April 5. He doesn’t have a lot of success at Citizens Bank Park, however, with a 6.50 ERA in nine starts.

After struggling with Zack Wheeler last night, the Nats get a chance to face Aaron Nola tonight. The veteran right-hander is 11-6 with a 3.60 ERA on the year. He held the Nats scoreless over 5 ⅔ innings in that same April 5 game in D.C. Then he kept them to two runs in seven innings here on May 19.

Also, the Nats announced earlier this afternoon that Jordan Weems has cleared outright waivers and they have assigned him outright to Triple-A Rochester.

PHILADELPHIA – After splitting a quick two-game set in Baltimore, the Nationals continue their trip up I-95 to face the Phillies for four games at Citizens Bank Park.

The Nats only have one win in six chances against their division rivals, which came all the way back on April 7 in D.C. They were swept in three games in their more recent meeting here in May. But while the Phils still hold one of the best records in the major leagues, the second half hasn’t been too kind to them as their schedule gets harder to finish the season.

The Phillies entered the All-Star break at 62-34 (.646), but they have gone 8-16 (.333) to start the second half, including losing four of their last five entering tonight. They still have a six-game lead in the National League East, but the Nats can make things more difficult for them with a strong showing this weekend.

Mitchell Parker will try to put that in motion when he takes the mound for his 22nd start. The left-hander has started to regain his groove in the second half, allowing just two earned runs (four total) in 17 ⅓ innings over his last three starts. The 24-year-old has never faced the Phillies, so it will be interesting to see how he handles some of the big bats in their lineup.

On the other hand, the Nats have seen plenty of Zack Wheeler. The right-hander is in the middle of an All-Star season with an 11-5 record, 2.78 ERA and 1.002 WHIP. He gave up two runs in 7 ⅓ innings in a win over the Nats on May 17.

BALTIMORE – The Nationals have not exactly enjoyed much success against the Orioles in recent years. They entered 2024 having lost 10 of their last 11 to Baltimore, having scored a grand total of one run in four head-to-head games last season. Well, the narrative appears to have flipped at last. The two teams split the series in D.C. back in May. And then the Nats won handily, 9-3, Tuesday night here at Camden Yards. Which means at worst they’ll split the season series, with a shot at winning it for the first time since 2018 if they can win tonight’s finale.

Davey Martinez would love to keep the offense going from 24 hours ago. The Nationals not only scored nine runs, they rapped out 15 hits, 10 of which featured an exit velocity in triple digits. Boy, have they been waiting for something like that. Now, how much of Tuesday’s output was familiarity with Trevor Rogers, and how much was something else? Perhaps we’ll find out tonight when they face Dean Kremer, who enters with a 4.70 ERA but has won each of his two previous career starts against the Nats, including 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball last year.

The Orioles have never seen DJ Herz before, because the left-hander made his major league debut several weeks after the two teams met earlier this season. Herz’s last start was disrupted by rain, so it’s hard to evaluate that performance. He was solid in each of his three previous starts, going five innings each time and never allowing more than two runs.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Where: Camden Yards
Gametime: 6:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 84 degrees, wind 6 mph in from left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
DH Juan Yepez
LF James Wood
1B Andrés Chaparro
2B Luis García Jr.
C Keibert Ruiz
RF Alex Call
3B Ildemaro Vargas
CF Jacob Young

BALTIMORE – Hello from Camden Yards, where the Battle of the Beltways wraps up over the next two nights. The two teams split their two-game series in D.C. back in May, so it’s anybody’s game here this week.

The Nationals are still looking for consistency from their rotation, and that includes Jake Irvin, who gets the ball tonight. The right-hander has put together a couple of quality starts since the All-Star break, but he’s still pitching as well as he did during the season’s first half, and is coming off a game in which he allowed five runs in five innings to the Giants, including three home runs surrendered.

The Nats lineup will actually be facing a familiar foe in Trevor Rogers, the former Marlins left-hander acquired by the Orioles at the trade deadline. Rogers took the loss in each of his two starts against the Nationals earlier this season, but it wasn’t really his fault. He allowed only five runs in 12 innings, but his teammates provided only two runs of support. The Baltimore lineup, suffice it to say, is a bit more productive than the Miami one, so he may not have to worry about support as much tonight.

The Nats made a couple of roster moves before tonight's game, selecting the contracts of infielder Andrés Chaparro and right-hander Orlando Ribalta, and designating Harold Ramírez and Jordan Weems for assignment

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Where: Camden Yards
Gametime: 6:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind 6 mph in from left field

The Nationals would probably prefer not to play extra innings today. They’ve gone to the 10th three days in a row, and the thought of another long game with an overtaxed bullpen can’t be real appealing at the moment. The good news: They’ve won the last two nights, which means they have a shot at a rare series sweep this morning.

Yes, this morning. Pre-noon baseball in the District of Columbia is no longer confined to July 4. The Nats and Angels today are playing on the relatively new "MLB Sunday Leadoff on Roku" package. That means it’s only available via online streaming, not conventional TV. But it is free, with no special subscription required. Click on this link for instructions, then enjoy the game with a mixed broadcast crew featuring Bob Carpenter on play-by-play alongside Angels analyst Mark Gubicza, with Dan Kolko serving as the on-field reporter.

MacKenzie Gore gets the start for the Nationals, and boy do they need some innings out of him today. Gore has been slightly better each of his last two starts, but he’s still nowhere close to the peak form he displayed earlier this season. This would be a wonderful time for the lefty to make a bigger step in that direction and give his team some sorely needed length.

The Angels have their own pitching issues right now, and today they’re sending rookie Jack Kochanowicz to the mound for only his third career start. The 23-year-old right-hander has given up 12 runs and 14 hits in only seven major league innings to date, suffering blowout losses to both the Mariners and Athletics.

The Nats are without CJ Abrams for the third straight game, at least in the starting lineup. Abrams did pinch-run in the 10th inning Saturday, but it appears there's still concern about his ability to bat with back spasms. With the team off Monday, he may just be playing it safe and gearing up to return Tuesday in Baltimore.

The Nationals are coming off a rough couple of days in which they sat through multiple rain delays with a dramatic comeback only to fall in the 10th inning to the Giants on Thursday then a rare extra-inning win against the Angels on Friday. Last night’s 3-2 win was just the Nats’ fourth in 12 games that have gone to extras, but at least they are no longer tied with the miserable White Sox for last in the majors in such affairs.

Now they turn their attention to tonight’s game. A victory against the Halos on Saturday would give the Nats their second series win in their last three and put them in position for a sweep tomorrow morning. (No, I don’t know why they are keeping tonight’s game as a 6:45 p.m. start before tomorrow’s 11:35 a.m. start nationally on Roku.)

Mitchell Parker was charged with two unearned runs over 6 ⅓ innings last night. A similar outing from Patrick Corbin would be much appreciated tonight, especially with the state of the Nats bullpen up in the air. Yes, Corbin leads the majors with 12 losses this season. And yes, he gave up four early runs in his last outing against the Giants.

But he actually battled back to complete six innings on Monday to give his team a chance. Since the offense only scored one run on the night, Corbin is still left in search of his 100th career win.

The Nats offense would love to get to an early lead against Griffin Canning, who is 4-10 with a 5.10 ERA and 1.414 WHIP in 23 starts this season. With Corbin on the mound and closer Kyle Finnegan likely not available after throwing a combined 57 pitches over the last two nights, the more runs the better off the Angels right-hander.

Twenty-eight major league teams have come to D.C. to face the Nationals at some point during the last two seasons. The only one that hasn’t: the Angels, who remarkably haven’t played here since 2017. That streak finally ends tonight with the opener of a three-game series (weather permitting), and that means the long-awaited return of one of the most important players from the 2019 World Series roster.

Things haven’t gone so great for Anthony Rendon since he left Washington for Anaheim about a month after hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy. He hasn’t come anywhere close to playing at the same level for the Angels, and he’s dealt with a smorgasbord of injuries on top of that. But he’s healthy now and will finally get the chance to get the ovation he deserves from the Nationals Park crowd.

The Nats, meanwhile, really need a quality start out of Mitchell Parker tonight after four consecutive subpar outings from the rest of the rotation against the Giants. The bullpen is pretty gassed at this point, so a minimum of five innings – preferably six – from Parker would be much appreciated from Davey Martinez.

The Nationals lineup faces an unfamiliar foe in José Soriano. The 25-year-old right-hander was exclusively a reliever last season and didn’t appear in the series in Anaheim. He’s done well as a full-time starter this season, entering with a 3.47 ERA and 1.206 WHIP despite a relatively low strikeout rate (7.4 per nine innings).

UPDATE: CJ Abrams has been scratched from tonight's lineup for reasons not yet disclosed. Nasim Nuñez will get a rare start at shortstop in his place. 

They managed to play the first three games of this series without interruption. Can they actually pull it off and complete the series without issues? The Nationals are sure hoping their decision to move today’s game against the Giants up from 4:05 p.m. to 12:05 p.m. pays off. The forecast isn’t great, but hopefully whatever rain falls this afternoon isn’t enough to completely disrupt the game.

The Nats are also hoping for a four-game split, not to mention a better start out of DJ Herz today than they got from Patrick Corbin, MacKenzie Gore or Jake Irvin each of the last three nights. Each of those starters allowed at least three runs in the first three innings, with the home run a huge problem. Herz kept the ball in the park in his last outing against the Brewers, during which he allowed one unearned run and only two hits over five innings. A comparable effort today against a Giants lineup that has never seen him before would be wonderful.

At the plate, the Nationals need to channel the at-bats they put together Tuesday night while exploding for 11 runs. They actually did a decent job Wednesday against Blake Snell and the San Francisco bullpen, though they squandered a few late opportunities to rally. Today the opponent is fellow left-hander Kyle Harrison, who faced them back in April and allowed three runs over six innings but struck out eight without walking anybody.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 12:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Rain, 79 degrees, wind 9 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Alex Call
1B Juan Yepez
C Keibert Ruiz
LF James Wood
DH Harold Ramírez
3B Ildemaro Vargas
2B Luis García Jr.
CF Jacob Young

TORONTO - Lefty Trevor Rogers (2-10, 4.76 ERA) will make his second O's start tonight as the Orioles look to even their series with the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Alejandro Kirk hit a three-run homer off lefty reliever Gregory Soto in the sixth inning last night as Toronto beat the Orioles 5-2.

Now 67-47, the Orioles are a half-game behind the Yankees for the division lead. They are not in first place - tied or alone - for the first time since June 26.

Rogers gave up six hits and five runs over 4 1/3 innings on Thursday at Cleveland in his O's debut. He threw 94 pitches in that outing at Progressive Field.

In one career start against Toronto, he allowed five hits and three runs in five innings.

The O's were held to two runs and three hits in the series-opener at Rogers Centre after scoring 16 runs on 30 hits in the last two games at Cleveland. Over their previous 12 games heading into this series, the O's offense was scoring 6.4 runs per game, batting .291 and with an OPS of .859 as a team. But they went just 3-for-29 last night.

It’s been a brutally hot summer here, but it hasn’t rained all that much. At least, not enough to have a major impact on Nationals games. That may change over the next three days, with what’s left of Hurricane Debby making its way up the coast and projected to impact the region from later this evening through sometime Friday. The Nats already announced Thursday’s series finale against the Giants has been moved from 4:05 p.m. to 12:05 p.m. in hopes of beating the rain. It remains to be seen if that proactive move will actually pay off. Fingers crossed.

First up, though, is tonight’s regularly scheduled 6:45 p.m. game, and the Nats face a daunting challenge in Blake Snell. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner no-hit the Reds five days ago, the first time in his career he tossed a complete game. And that was merely the culmination of an utterly dominant stretch: Over his last five starts, Snell has allowed two runs on eight hits, striking out 41 over 33 innings. Yes, the Nats had a big night at the plate Tuesday. That may have no impact on their performance tonight.

Jake Irvin will need to be the best version of himself to give his team a chance tonight. The right-hander got off to a rough start in last outing, allowing three early runs to the Brewers. But he salvaged it and wound up allowing only one more run in 5 2/3 innings. He faced the Giants twice last season and was excellent: three runs, 10 hits, 14 strikeouts over 13 innings.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Rain arriving, 80 degrees, wind 10 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Alex Call
1B Juan Yepez
DH Harold Ramírez
2B Ildemaro Vargas
LF James Wood
C Riley Adams
CF Jacob Young
3B Trey Lipscomb

TORONTO - The Orioles begin a three-game series tonight at Toronto as their 10-game road trip continues at Rogers Centre. They went 2-2 at Cleveland, winning the final two games of that series on Saturday and Sunday. 

The Orioles scored 16 runs on 30 hits in taking the final two games at Progressive Field. In going 7-5 the last 12 games, the Orioles have scored 6.4 runs per game while batting .291 as a team with 24 doubles, four triples, 17 homers and an .859 club OPS in that span. The Orioles are averaging 6.0 runs per game since the All-Star break, going 9-8, the fourth-best mark in the major leagues. They have a .361 OBP, third in the majors, in that span. 

Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (13-4, 3.86 ERA) gets the start for the Orioles in the series opener, coming off a home win versus Toronto. Last Wednesday in Baltimore he allowed four runs (three earned) in six innings to the Blue Jays. In seven starts this season against American League East clubs, Rodriguez is 4-2 with a 3.98 ERA.

The O's begin play tonight once again tied for first with the Yankees, with both clubs at 67-46. The Orioles are 23-10 in 2024 versus AL East clubs, including a 6-4 mark against Toronto. They are 3-0-1 in four AL East road series, going 11-3 in those 14 games.

Toronto (51-61) has lost four of its last five games and is 7-9 since the All-Star break and 26-28 at home this season. 

If you create a short list of Nationals players for whom the season’s final two months are especially important, MacKenzie Gore would certainly be included. The left-hander had a really strong opening two months, producing a 2.91 ERA and 1.278 WHIP in 11 starts. His last 11 starts, though, haven’t come close to that level: a 6.36 ERA and 1.758 WHIP.

So, which version of Gore will we see in August and September? The answer to that question could go a long way toward shaping everyone’s vision of what the 25-year-old really is heading into next season. He was better last week in Arizona, though still not great. An even better showing tonight against the Giants would be a nice indicator of an upward trend for him.

The Nationals would also love to provide Gore with some run support. To do so, they’ll have to take down a foe none of them has ever seen before. Hayden Birdsong, a 22-year-old rookie in only his third professional season, gets the start tonight. The right-hander has been quite good, with a 2.51 ERA and 1.169 WHIP in 13 starts at Double-A and Triple-A before making his major league debut, then a 2.97 ERA and 1.220 WHIP in six starts since arriving. He strikes out a lot of batters (11.3 per nine innings) but he also walks a lot of batters (4.5 per nine innings).

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 90 degrees, wind 13 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
1B Juan Yepez
2B Luis García Jr.
C Keibert Ruiz
LF James Wood
DH Travis Blankenhorn
RF Alex Call
3B Ildemaro Vargas
CF Jacob Young

The Nationals just took two of three from a good Brewers team, and that made for an encouraging weekend. Now comes another tough challenge, though, with a four-game series on tap against the Giants, who are keeping themselves in the wild card race by winning seven of their last nine (one of those wins a no-hitter by Blake Snell).

Snell is scheduled to start Wednesday night, so there’s two games to play before that. Tonight’s San Francisco starter is no slouch: Logan Webb, the workhorse right-hander who consistently leads the league in innings pitched and in his last start went the distance, shutting out the Athletics on 106 pitches for a 1-0 win. The Nationals missed Webb earlier this year out west, so this is going to be the first time many of these young hitters see him.

Patrick Corbin did not throw a shutout in his last start. Not even close. The left-hander lasted only three innings against the Diamondbacks while giving up 11 runs, most ever by a Nats pitcher. There’s not much left to say about Corbin at this point, except to say he’s got to give them more length tonight and give them a chance. Even if he does, the bullpen could be in really shaky shape after Derek Law and Kyle Finnegan each pitched the last two days.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 92 degrees, wind 9 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
1B Juan Yepez
2B Luis García Jr.
C Keibert Ruiz
LF James Wood
DH Travis Blankenhorn
RF Alex Call
3B Ildemaro Vargas
CF Jacob Young

CLEVELAND – The Orioles go for the series split this afternoon with their largely left-handed lineup that includes Colton Cowser batting leadoff. He’s built a 16-game hitting streak, one shy of Trey Mancini’s club rookie record.

Cowser is batting .383 (23-for-60) with three doubles, four home runs, 15 RBIs and a 1.075 OPS during his streak. He’s also reached base in 18 consecutive games, the longest active stretch in the American League.

Jackson Holliday, who’s 5-for-14 since returning to the majors, is batting ninth. Coby Mayo remains at third base and searching for his first major league hit.

Right-handed hitting Eloy Jiménez is the designated hitter, with Ryan Mountcastle on the bench.

Adley Rutschman is catching. His pinch-hit triple last night was the first for the Orioles since Austin Hays on Aug. 28, 2021.

The Nationals haven’t won a bunch recently. But when they have won, they’ve won in bunches. In fact, every time they’ve snapped a losing streak since July 12, they’ve followed that first win with another win. And if they can keep that pattern up today, they’ll wind up with a series victory over the Brewers, their second series win over the National League Central leaders in a month. At this point, you’ll take that, right?

Mitchell Parker faced Milwaukee in that previous series at American Family Field, and though the Nats wound up winning the game, his start was a disaster. That’s the day Parker failed to get out of the first inning. And he followed up that start with another short one against the Padres. Fortunately, he bounced back in Arizona with five innings of two-run ball, so he should enter this one feeling better about himself.

The Nationals jumped all over Aaron Civale in the first inning Saturday. They’ll try to do the same today against a brand-new face: Tobias Myers. The 25-year-old rookie has been pretty good for the Brewers, with a 3.10 ERA and 1.143 WHIP in 16 games (15 starts). And he’s allowed two or fewer earned runs in seven of his last nine outings, so the right-hander presents a real challenge today.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 85 degrees, wind 7 mph out to center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
1B Juan Yepez
2B Luis García Jr. 
C Keibert Ruiz
LF James Wood
DH Travis Blankenhorn
RF Alex Call
CF Jacob Young
3B Trey Lipscomb

It’s Harry Potter Day at Nationals Park, and hopefully one or two of these young wizards know how to cast a spell to prevent it from raining. Otherwise, there’s a decent chance of storms later this afternoon. Fingers crossed they somehow hold off and allow the Nationals and Brewers to play as scheduled at 4:05 p.m. with no interruption.

The Nats, plain and simple, need a win. They’ve dropped five in a row since winning two straight in St. Louis last weekend and now reside at a season-worst 12 games under .500. They were in Friday night’s game, which was tied 3-3 in the sixth before Milwaukee broke things open against the bullpen and made it 8-3.

So it’s up to DJ Herz to keep the Brewers lineup in check. This is his first start against those guys, because he was back at Triple-A Rochester when the Nationals visited Milwaukee before the All-Star break. Herz has been solid since returning to the majors, not to mention eerily consistent. In each of his two starts, he has allowed two runs over five innings while throwing 79 pitches. Davey Martinez would certainly take that again this afternoon, though Herz is welcome to be even better if he likes.

The Nats lineup faces a familiar foe, but one wearing a different uniform: Aaron Civale. The right-hander faced them as a member of the Rays on June 29, giving up two runs on six hits and four walks over 5 2/3 innings. Since then, he’s been traded to the Brewers, for whom he has produced a 4.29 ERA and 1.429 WHIP over four starts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 92 degrees, wind 13 mph out to left