Good morning and welcome to a rare combination around these parts. First, we have a getaway game starting at noon. But even more rare is the Nationals’ chance at a three-game sweep.

Yes, the Nats have not swept a three-game set since mid-May against the Orioles in Baltimore. And their opponent, the Reds, have not been swept at all this year. The Nationals held on after an offensive outburst to win Monday’s series opener. Then they used timely hitting and an impressive collective effort from Brad Lord and a makeshift bullpen to take Game 2 last night.

How will they fare today?

On the bump will be Michael Soroka, who is 3-7 with a 5.10 ERA and 1.147 WHIP in 14 starts. He didn’t get to face the Reds in Cincinnati back in early May, but he was strong in his first start of the second half, holding the Padres to just one run in five innings.

Nick Lodolo will go for Cincy. The southpaw is 7-6 with a 3.33 ERA and 1.082 WHIP in 20 starts this year. But the Nats knocked him around for seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in 5 ⅓ innings on May 3 at Great American Ball Park.

Catcher Adley Rutschman began his injury rehab assignment this afternoon with Triple-A Norfolk and went 1-for-3 with a double and walk at Lehigh Valley.

Rutschman, who served as the designated hitter, hasn’t played for the Orioles since June 19 because of a strained left oblique. Interim manager Tony Mansolino told the assembled media in Cleveland that Rutschman will catch for the Tides on Wednesday and could be reinstated this weekend.

Samuel Basallo, the top prospect in the organization, remains out of the lineup with a sore oblique. He didn’t play over the weekend, but is beginning a hitting progression and could return this weekend.

Basallo, who turns 21 next month, is batting .264/.383/.591 with 11 doubles, 19 home runs and 48 RBIs in 62 games.  

Catcher Chadwick Tromp, on the injured list with a lower back strain, had his rehab assignment transferred to High-A Aberdeen.

The Nationals actually won a series opener Monday night, outlasting the Reds 10-8, thanks to their best offensive performance in a while. Which means they’ve now got two chances to win one game and win the series. That’s easier said than done, of course.

To pull it off tonight, the Nats will need to piece together nine innings from a pitching staff that’s not in great shape. Miguel Cairo had to burn up everybody in his bullpen the last two days after MacKenzie Gore failed to get out of the third inning and Jake Irvin failed to get out of the fourth inning. This would normally be the time to ask for length out of tonight’s starter, but Brad Lord is making his first start May 6. He’s been an effective reliever, but he hasn’t thrown more than 38 pitches in any appearance since then, so don’t count on more than three or maybe four innings from him tonight.

With that in mind, the Nats made a roster move today. They called up left-hander Konnor Pilkington from Triple-A Rochester, giving them a reliever who can provide some length behind Lord if needed. Mason Thompson was optioned to Rochester and Dylan Crews was transferred to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster (but that doesn’t change Crews’ eligibility to return once he’s deemed ready).

The Nationals would love to bust out for 10 runs again, but they’ll have to do it against one of the most dynamic young starting pitchers in the game. Chase Burns, the No. 2 pick in last summer’s draft, makes his fifth career start for the Reds. The right-hander throws an upper-90s fastball and a low-90s slider, so that’s what the Nats have in store tonight at the plate.

CINCINNATI REDS 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: Partly cloudy, 83 degrees, wind 7 mph in from right field

The Nationals have lost 11 of their last 13 series, including each of their last four. That’s how you wind up falling from two games under .500 to 21 games under .500 in a relatively brief amount of time. Suffice it to say, there’s a lot of work to be done just to reverse course and get this ship floating again. The road continues tonight with the opener of a three-game series against a Reds team that is smack dab in the middle of the National League Wild Card race and just took a series from the Mets at Citi Field.

Jake Irvin makes his first start of the second half, having been given seven days off since his last outing in the first-half finale. The right-hander has been OK so far this month, posting a 3.71 ERA, but he’s still looking to recapture the more consistently effective form he displayed earlier this year and for a large chunk of last year. He faced the Reds twice last season, and though he took no-decision in each case, he did pitch well (five runs in 12 innings).

Brady Singer has not faced the Nationals since 2023, when he was still pitching for the Royals. The 28-year-old right-hander has allowed three runs or fewer in 10 of his last 11 starts.

CINCINNATI REDS 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: Partly cloudy, 84 degrees, wind 7 mph in from center field

REDS
CF TJ Friedl
2B Matt McLain
SS Elly De La Cruz
LF Austin Hays
DH Gavin Lux
1B Spencer Steer
3B Noelvi Marte
RF Jake Fraley
C Jose Trevino

The Nationals have found themselves in this position plenty of times over the last month-plus, having lost the first game of a series before bouncing back to win the next night, leaving the finale as the decisive rubber game. And in five of the last seven such instances, they’ve lost the finale and thus lost the series.

One of those series came last month in San Diego, where the rubber game featured a pitching matchup of MacKenzie Gore vs. Nick Pivetta. Gore was outstanding that afternoon, allowing one run over six innings. And Pivetta was better, tossing seven scoreless innings with only three batters reaching base. Thus did the Padres win the game, 1-0.

Here we are again with the same pitching matchup in the series finale between the same two teams, this time at Nationals Park. Can Gore duplicate his efforts from that outing? More importantly, can the Nats mount more of an offensive threat against Pivetta and provide their ace with some desperately needed run support? That’s what’s at stake this afternoon.

SAN DIEGO PADRES 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, 87 degrees, wind 11 mph out to right field

PADRES
RF Fernando Tatis Jr.
1B Luis Arraez
3B Manny Machado
DH Xander Bogaerts
CF Jackson Merrill
LF Gavin Sheets
SS Jose Iglesias
2B Jake Cronenworth
CF Bryce Johnson
C Elias Díaz

TAMPA – Kyle Bradish will begin his injury rehab assignment Thursday with High-A Aberdeen, staying on track for a second-half return to the Orioles’ rotation.

Bradish had two ups yesterday during live batting practice in Sarasota.

Adley Rutschman (oblique) will start his rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Norfolk. He’s getting at-bats today against Tyler Wells, who’s nearing his own assignment.

First baseman Ryan Mountcastle (hamstring) will join Rutschman later in the week.

Left-hander Cade Povich (hip) starts Thursday or Friday at Norfolk.

It promises to be another eventful day and evening at Nationals Park, and it’s not just about the game. The Nats are set to formally sign and introduce No. 1 draft pick Eli Willits this afternoon. You can watch the press conference live on MASN at 3:15 p.m. Interim general manager Mike DeBartolo is also scheduled to meet with reporters for the second time since assuming the position, and there are no shortage of topics to discuss with him.

As for the game, the Nationals will look to bounce back from a sloppy, 7-2 loss to the Padres on Friday night. They’ll hope for more early offense after getting shut out by Dylan Cease, looking for better results against Yu Darvish, who makes only his third start of the season after missing several months with right elbow inflammation.

Mitchell Parker takes the mound for the Nats, and he pitched well last month at Petco Park, holding the Padres to three runs over six-plus innings, ultimately earning the win. The lefty will need to provide some length, you would think, after Miguel Cairo used up seven relievers during Friday’s loss.

SAN DIEGO PADRES 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: Chance of storms, 82 degrees, wind 5 mph out to left field

PADRES
RF Fernando Tatis Jr.
1B Luis Arraez
DH Manny Machado
LF Gavin Sheets
SS Xander Bogaerts
CF Jackson Merrill
3B Jose Iglesias
2B Jake Cronenworth
C Martín Maldonado

And we’re back. After a much-needed, four-day break, the Nationals return for the second half of the season, surely hoping it will go much better than the first half did. The “second half,” of course, is a misnomer. They’ve already played 96 games, so there are only 66 still to be played.

It begins tonight with the opener of a three-game series against the Padres, who are sending someone to the mound the Nats may not be thrilled to see again: Dylan Cease. Almost exactly one year ago, the right-hander tossed a no-hitter here at Nationals Park. Cease hasn’t been nearly as good this season; he enters 3-9 with a 4.88 ERA, but he’s still striking out more than 11 batters per nine innings.

The All-Star break gave Miguel Cairo and Jim Hickey a chance to reorganize their rotation. So with MacKenzie Gore having thrown his scoreless inning Tuesday in Atlanta, he’ll now be pushed back to Sunday. And with Jake Irvin having thrown Sunday’s first half finale in Milwaukee, he’ll get extra rest. So it’s Michael Soroka out of the chute tonight, with Mitchell Parker set for Saturday night’s game.

SAN DIEGO PADRES 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: Mostly cloudy, 80 degrees, wind 66 mph out to left field

PADRES
RF Fernando Tatis Jr.
1B Luis Arraez
3B Manny Machado
LF Gavin Sheets
CF Jackson Merrill
SS Xander Bogaerts
2B Jake Cronenworth
DH Trenton Brooks
C Elias Díaz

MILWAUKEE – One more. There is only one more game to play before the Nationals head into the desperately-needed All-Star break.

This week has not been easy for the boys in curly W caps. The front office shakeup. The managerial change. Having lost seven of their last eight games, yesterday in spectacularly heartbreaking fashion. But there is one more game they need to battle through before they can finally rest for a couple of days.

Jake Irvin will try to be the stopper against the Brewers. And much like his team as a whole, he really needs to finish the first half on a strong note. Although his record is better than it was at this point last year (7-4 vs. 7-8), the rest of his numbers are worse. His ERA is over a run higher (from 3.49 to 4.78) and his WHIP is about 200 points higher (from 1.112 to 1.306). He also leads the National League with 22 home runs surrendered after giving up 14 in the first half last year. A strong outing against this potent Brewers offense would be a good step toward a strong second half.

The Nats' offense, on the other hand, will have to face another tough starting pitcher in Freddy Peralta. The right-hander was selected to the All-Star Game, but obviously will not pitch. So he will be full-go this afternoon in his first-half finale. Peralta is 10-4 with a 2.74 ERA and 1.086 WHIP over 19 starts, and he’s given up more than three earned runs in a start only once this year.

A small roster move this morning: The Nats recalled right-hander Andry Lara from Double-A Harrisburg to take the roster spot of Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after yesterday's game.

MILWAUKEE – After struggling against two Brewers pitchers last night, the Nationals offense hopes to get going in the second matchup of this three-game set before the All-Star break, which will feature two starting pitchers making just their second starts of the season for completely different reasons.

The Nats' bats’ challenge doesn’t get any easier against Brandon Woodruff. The veteran right-hander, who is coming off various injury setbacks, dominated in his first start of 2025, holding the Marlins to just two hits and one run over six innings while striking out eight.

For the Nats, Shinnosuke Ogasawara takes the hill for just his second major league start. His season wasn’t delayed due to injury but rather because the 27-year-old Japanese left-hander, who was the first player the Nats have ever signed directly out of Asia, wasn’t yet up to the challenge of major league hitters. And his debut was evidence of that, as he was charged with four runs and seven hits in 2 ⅔ innings against the Red Sox.

The roof is open for the first time this weekend at American Family Field, so playing conditions will be less controlled.

A quick shoutout to our colleague Andrew Golden at The Washington Post. He and his now-wife Jasmine celebrated their wedding last night back home in the D.C. area. Wishing a lifetime of health and happiness to the newlyweds!

MILWAUKEE – Hello, Wisconsin! Now that my obligatory “That '70s Show” reference is out of the way, let’s get back to baseball. The Nationals have one weekend left of this forgettable first half. All that stands between them and the All-Star break are three games against the Brewers, who are 53-40 and currently hold the top National League Wild Card spot.

The Nats will be looking for any positives to carry over into the second half. But perhaps the most encouraging ones would come from the starting rotation, as all pitchers not named All-Star MacKenzie Gore (who will not pitch in this series) are searching to get back on track. Mitchell Parker will try to end his first half strong while improving upon his 5-9 record, 4.72 ERA and 1.377 WHIP. The lefty got roughed up by the Red Sox in his last outing, giving up 10 hits and nine runs, though only four were earned.

Meanwhile, the bats will have to navigate an opener to start this series. DL Hall, the former Orioles prospect, will start the game for the Brewers before giving way to Quinn Priester, a 24-year-old right-hander who was traded to Milwaukee from Boston in April. Hall is 1-0 with a 2.29 ERA and 0.864 WHIP in 10 appearances, two of which were starts. In those starts, the lefty has pitched a combined six scoreless innings with one hit, three walks and seven strikeouts.

Priester was charged with five runs (four earned) in just 4 ⅔ innings in his last start against the Marlins. But in his outing before that, he struck out 11 Rockies over seven shutout frames. So the Nats will need to stay patient and not give him easy outs early, or it could be another long night.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Where: American Family Field
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

Orioles starters Zach Eflin and Cade Povich are going on injury rehab assignments Sunday while their teammates play their final game before the All-Star break.

Eflin, on the 15-day injured list with lower back discomfort, will join Triple-A Norfolk in Jacksonville. Interim manager Tony Mansolino said Povich, on the 15-day IL with left hip inflammation, will report to High-A Aberdeen or Double-A Chesapeake.

Catcher Chadwick Tromp, on the 10-day IL with a lower back strain, is doing full baseball activities. He could begin a rehab assignment after the break.

Catcher Maverick Handley, sidelined with a concussion, is cleared for some activities – he ran and played catch today - but probably won’t swing a bat for at least another week.

“I would expect Trompy to be ahead of Handley at this point,” Mansolino said.

ST. LOUIS – It’s been an eventful week, to put it mildly. The Nationals have been in chaos mode since Sunday, and only on Wednesday did things start to feel a bit closer to normal again. Tonight, though, presents an opportunity to not just feel normal again but feel good about themselves. With a win over the Cardinals, the Nats would complete a series victory.

That’s easier said than done, of course. The offense needs to put together quality at-bats like it did during Wednesday night’s 8-2 win at Busch Stadium, and that group needs to do it against an opposing pitcher who has owned them for a while. Miles Mikolas has not been an effective starter in several years, but he has thoroughly dominated the Nationals over the last three seasons, posting a 1.95 ERA and 1.012 WHIP in five total starts. In 79 starts against everyone else since 2023, the right-hander has a 5.28 ERA and 1.324 WHIP. There’s your challenge for tonight.

On the mound, Michael Soroka wants to bounce back from a ragged July 4 start against the Red Sox, one in which he allowed the first five batters he faced in the top of the fifth to reach (and ultimately score after he was pulled). Seven total runs were charged to the right-hander that night. As always, he needs to show he can finish what he started, though it will be interesting to see how Miguel Cairo manages his start as opposed to Davey Martinez.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Busch Stadium
Gametime: 7:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 90 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Josh Bell
1B Nathaniel Lowe
3B Paul DeJong
RF Daylen Lile
C Drew Millas
CF Jacob Young

ST. LOUIS – Tuesday was not a normal day for the Nationals, who were adjusting to life with a new manager and general manager, then had to go out and play for the first time under that new arrangement (after waiting out a 2-hour, 19-minute rain delay, by the way). The result was a lackluster 4-2 loss to the Cardinals. Could tonight feel more normal for everyone? You would certainly hope so, now that the dust has settled.

The best thing the Nats have going for them is MacKenzie Gore on the mound. The recently named All-Star takes the mound for what will be his final start of the first half. He’s on a full week’s rest after throwing 111 pitches last time out. And his next appearance (should Dave Roberts choose to use him) would come six days from now in Atlanta in the Midsummer Classic.

Interim manager Miguel Cairo wrote out a lineup card Tuesday night that could’ve been penciled in by Davey Martinez, with everyone in their usual spots. That’s not the case tonight. Even though the Cardinals are starting right-hander Andre Pallante, Cairo is using a couple of guys who typically start against lefties: Amed Rosario (batting third and playing second base) and Alex Call (batting sixth and playing right field). Is that a matchup thing, or is that perhaps an attempt to put a better defensive lineup out there with his ace on the mound? We’ll ask him shortly.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ST LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Busch Stadium
Gametime: 7:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 87 degrees, wind 6 mph in from left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
2B Amed Rosario
DH Josh Bell
1B Nathaniel Lowe
RF Alex Call
3B Brady House
C Riley Adams
CF Jacob Young

ST. LOUIS – Hello from Busch Stadium, where an unexpectedly new era of Nationals baseball begins tonight. There’s a week to go until the All-Star break, 72 games left to play in the season. And there’s a new general manager and manager (interim, in each case) calling the shots the rest of the way after Mike Rizzo and Davey Martinez were fired following Sunday’s loss to the Red Sox.

We’ll be hearing from Mike DeBartolo and Miguel Cairo this afternoon, so plenty more to come from them on their vision for the rest of the season. One significant note to add here, though: The Nationals announced a couple more tweaks to their coaching staff this afternoon. Henry Blanco, who has been the catching instructor, will now be Cairo’s bench coach. And Bob Henley, who has held a variety of roles in the organization since the beginning, is back on the staff as major league field coordinator.

As for tonight’s game, it’s Jake Irvin on the mound for the Nats, who decided over the weekend to give MacKenzie Gore a couple extra days off after his 111-pitch start, which also sets him up to be available for next week’s All-Star Game. So it’s Irvin on normal rest in the series opener against veteran right-hander Sonny Gray for the Cardinals.

UPDATE: Some roster moves to share here, as well, since they'll probably get lost in the shuffle with the other big news of the day ... The Nationals have signed veteran reliever Luis Garcia (no relation to the second baseman who he's now teammates with) and optioned Eduardo Salazar to Triple-A Rochester. And they've placed Keibert Ruiz back on the 7-day concussion injured list, recalling Drew Millas from Rochester to take his spot. They cleared a 40-man roster spot for Garcia by transferring Trevor Williams to the 60-day IL.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Busch Stadium
Gametime: 7:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of storms, 77 degrees, wind 7 mph in from left field

We’re going to see a major league debut today, one that may not compare to other recent ones for the Nationals, but one that carries some significance nonetheless. Shinnosuke Ogasawara is the first player the Nats have ever signed directly out of Asia. The Japanese left-hander may not have come to America as highly touted as plenty of others who have come here over the decades, but today represents a dream come true for the 27-year-old nonetheless.

What can we expect from Ogasawara against the Red Sox? His fastball, we know, is not elite. He needs to command it exceptionally well, and then he needs to rely heavily on his deep arsenal of off-speed pitches to try to keep the hitters off-balance. He did have a bit of success in a couple of his early season starts for Triple-A Rochester. But he then missed two months with an oblique strain, so it’s hard to know what exactly to expect today.

On the flip side, the Nationals would love to provide their rookie starter with some run support. They’ve got quite a challenge in that regard facing Garrett Crochet. The Boston lefty enters with a sparkling 2.34 ERA and league-leading 144 strikeouts in a league-leading 115 1/3 innings. That said, he did give up five runs in his last start against the Reds (while also striking out nine over six innings).

BOSTON RED SOX 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 sunny, 87 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

RED SOX
3B Nate Eaton
2B Romy Gonzalez
RF Roman Anthony
DH Rob Refsnyder
SS Trevor Story
LF Jarren Duran
1B Abraham Toro
C Connor Wong
CF Ceddane Rafaela

The Orioles go for their fourth sweep this morning in an 11:35 a.m. Roku game against the Braves.

Their record against the National League improved to 7-13, and they’re 1-6 in interleague series.

A win today would bring them to nine games below .500 for the first time since June 20 in New York.

Catcher Gary Sánchez left yesterday’s game with right knee discomfort and is out of today’s lineup. He underwent an MRI and the Orioles summoned David Bañuelos from Triple-A Norfolk for their medical taxi squad.

Running thin again at the position, the Orioles acquired catcher Alex Jackson from the Yankees today in exchange for international bonus pool space and a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Friday morning’s game pretty much stunk for the Nationals, who were routed by the Red Sox and gave little reason for a big crowd to get excited about the home team. But if there’s anything we’ve learned about this particular group, the previous day’s result rarely seems to foretell what’s going to happen the next day. So perhaps that means the Nats are in store for a bounce back later this afternoon in the second game of the weekend series.

Mitchell Parker will need to be on point to give his team a chance, and the left-hander has generally been much better of late, allowing three or fewer runs in five of his last six starts. He’s been much better in the first inning in recent outings, with his struggles more often coming near the end of his starts. The Red Sox, for what it’s worth, have been better against lefties than righties this season.

On the flip side, the Nationals will be facing a struggling opposing starter in Walker Buehler. The veteran right-hander has a 6.45 ERA and 1.582 WHIP, having walked a career-high 4.3 batters and allowed a home run to a career-high 2.0 batters per nine innings. He hasn’t made it out of the fifth inning in four of his last five outings, with a hefty 14 walks issued in his last 11 1/3 innings.

BOSTON RED SOX 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, 87 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

RED SOX
3B Nate Eaton
2B Romy Gonzalez
RF Roman Anthony
DH Rob Refsnyder
C Carlos Narváez
SS Trevor Story
LF Jarren Duran
1B Abraham Toro
CF Ceddane Rafaela

It’s the Fourth of July in our nation’s capital, and that means the return of one of the great annual traditions around here: morning baseball! Every Independence Day since 2012 (except for 2020), the Nationals have taken the field at 11:05 a.m. for the only major league game played during that early window. They’ve gone 6-6 all-time in the morning game, including a dramatic 1-0 victory over the Mets last year.

This year’s opponents are the Red Sox, who also played here on July 4, 2018, and won the game 3-0 behind a combined shutout from Eduardo Rodriguez, Matt Barnes, Joe Kelly and Craig Kimbrel. Boston’s starter today: Lucas Giolito, the long-ago Nats prospect who finally makes his first career start at Nationals Park for the opposition after six appearances for the home team as a rookie in 2016. Finally healthy after missing the 2024 season following Tommy John surgery, the right-hander is 4-1 with a 3.99 ERA. He’s not striking out as many batters as in the past, but his velocity remains at pre-surgery levels (93.4 mph fastball).

Michael Soroka (who is Canadian) gets the honor of starting today for the Nationals. As rough as June was for the team, the right-hander enjoyed a strong month, delivering a 3.49 ERA with an 0.812 WHIP and impressive 36-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

The Nationals announced a flurry of roster moves this morning: Trevor Williams was placed on the 15-day injured list with a sprained right elbow (more on that coming shortly), with Ryan Loutos recalled from Triple-A Rochester only one day after he was sent down. And Keibert Ruiz was activated off the 7-day concussion IL and will start behind the plate today, with Drew Millas optioned to Rochester.

BOSTON RED SOX at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 11:05 a.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv, MLB Network (outside D.C. market)
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 81 degrees, wind 7 mph in from left field

You have to give the Nationals credit. After the disaster that was the first game of yesterday’s doubleheader against the Tigers, the Nats rallied for one of their best come-from-behind wins of the season in the nightcap, setting themselves up tonight for a chance to win this series against one of the best teams in baseball.

We are one day shy of the one-year anniversary of Jake Irvin’s best start of his career. Last year on the Fourth of July, the right-hander shut out the Mets over eight innings of one-hit, one-walk ball with eight strikeouts. It’s not Independence Day yet and it’s not the Mets, but Irvin will look to repeat his holiday dominance tonight against a tough Tigers lineup.

Meanwhile, the offense will look to carry over their late-inning fireworks from last night into tonight’s finale against Dietrich Enns. The left-hander has only made 12 major league appearances (two starts) over parts of the 2017, 2021 and 2025 seasons. After having his contract selected from Triple-A Toledo on June 26, he shut out the Athletics over five innings with one hit, two walks and four strikeouts in his lone big league start of the year.

The Nationals would love to start the holiday weekend with early fireworks ahead of tonight’s postgame show.

They also made a pregame roster move, reinstating Andrew Chafin from the 15-day injured list and optioning Ryan Loutos to Triple-A Rochester.