The Nationals find themselves in need of a win today to avoid a series sweep. It’s never a good place to be. All the more so when you’re facing an opponent’s No. 1 starter while you’re hoping your long-struggling lefty can right his ship for at least one day.

Patrick Corbin has made three starts so far this season, and the results unfortunately have looked far more like they did the last three seasons than they did way back in 2019. He has allowed at least four runs in each start. He has averaged only 4 2/3 innings pitched. He has put more than two batters on base per inning. Not good, any of it.

Shane Bieber, on the other hand, has been very good for the Guardians through his first three starts. The right-hander has allowed three or fewer runs per start. He has averaged 6 1/3 innings pitched. He has allowed fewer than one batter to reach base per inning.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 81 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

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

The Nationals are losing more far more games than they win right now. But those losses all have been close. Four of their last five defeats have come by one run, including Friday night’s 4-3 margin to the Guardians. And the other was a 2-0 loss to Shohei Ohtani.

So they’ll try to reverse that trend this afternoon in the second game of the weekend series, hoping perhaps their lineup can actually sustain something throughout the game instead of settling for a few early runs and then shutting down the rest of the way. They'll face right-hander Zach Plesac, who was roughed up by the Athletics in his season debut but then pitched seven strong innings against the Mariners his next time out. So who knows what to expect today?

Chad Kuhl becomes the final member of the Nats rotation to make his third start of the season. The right-hander gave his team a chance last time out in Colorado, getting through five innings allowing three runs, but then he faded quick in the sixth and wound up with two more runs charged to his name. Given how much the “A” bullpen has been used, particularly Friday night, it’ll be interesting to see if Davey Martinez tries to push Kuhl into the sixth again if the situation arises.

It’s Jackie Robinson Day across all of Major League Baseball, so both teams will be wearing No. 42 jerseys. That can make for some confusion among broadcasters and reporters trying to figure out who’s who, but obviously it’s for good reason.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of storms, 76 degrees, wind 7 mph out to center field

CHICAGO – Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter this afternoon against the White Sox, as the Orioles try to guarantee another series win.

Rutschman ranks second in the American League and third in the majors with a .492 on-base percentage. He’s sixth in the majors with a 1.134 OPS.

Ryan Mountcastle’s 19 RBIs continue to lead the majors.

Gunnar Henderson’s 21 strikeouts are tied for most in the American League, but his 12 walks tie Rutschman for first in the AL.  He’s out of the lineup today.

Kyle Gibson is the first Orioles pitcher in modern franchise history to make three starts in his first three appearances with his new team and win each decision. He has a 3.44 ERA and 1.145 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings.

The Nationals are back home after a seven-game road trip out west and their first off-day since the day after Opening Day. In fact, starting yesterday, they will have three days off over the next week, with two scheduled surrounding the upcoming two-game Battle of the Beltways against the Orioles.

But first they have three games against the Guardians, who make their first trip to Nats Park with their new name and the franchise’s first trip back since the last series of the 2019 regular season. You know, the one that ended an 8-0 homestand and catapulted the Nats into the postseason en route to a World Series title?

(Speaking of name changes, how about the latest news concerning a big change with the local football team, huh?)

These off-days may allow manager Davey Martinez to tinker with his starting rotation in the near future, giving some of his younger arms extra rest. But for tonight’s opener, he’s sticking with where they left off, which means Trevor Williams will make his third start with his new team.

Williams earned his first win on Saturday in Colorado by pitching 5 ½ innings of two-run ball with four strikeouts against the Rockies. Having spent his entire career thus far in the National League, he only has two career starts against Cleveland. But he has a 0.90 ERA over 10 innings against them, aided mostly by a complete-game shutout in a rain-shortened six-inning game at Progressive Field back in 2018.

CHICAGO – Anthony Santander has returned to the Orioles lineup, serving as designated hitter tonight, after missing the last two games with back soreness.

Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop, Ramón Urías is the third baseman, and Terrin Vavra is in right field.

Ryan Mountcastle is batting .458/.581/.875 (11-for-24) with one double, three home runs, five RBIs, seven runs scored and seven walks during a seven-game hitting streak.

Mountcastle is first in the American League and tied with the Mets’ Pete Alonso for the major league lead with six home runs. His 19 RBIs are tops in the majors.

The Orioles haven’t been charged with an error in seven consecutive games after committing seven in the first six, the longest active streak per STATS. However, there have been mental lapses that don’t show up in the stat sheet.

The Orioles are down to two catchers on their active roster.

Anthony Bemboom was designated for assignment this morning, and the Orioles selected Ryan O’Hearn’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk.

O’Hearn, who is wearing No. 32, gives the Orioles a backup first baseman and corner outfielder. He’s another left-handed bat with the club facing at least four consecutive right-handed starters.

O’Hearn was batting .300/.349/.725 (12-for-40) with three doubles, a triple, four home runs, 11 RBIs, three walks and 13 strikeouts in 43 plate appearances with Norfolk. He was lumped in the last roster cuts in spring training after slashing .375/.444/.650 with two doubles and three home runs in 18 games.

Today’s move puts O’Hearn back on the 40-man roster. The Orioles acquired him from the Royals on Jan. 3 for cash considerations and designated him for assignment two days later while claiming Lewin Díaz off waivers.

Anthony Santander is out of tonight’s Orioles lineup due to some back soreness. Manager Brandon Hyde said the outfielder should be available off the bench.

“It’s really not a huge deal,” Hyde said.

Santander is batting .186/.265/.279 with no home runs in 11 games, and his 17 strikeouts rank among the league leaders.

Cedric Mullins is healthy and also out of the lineup. Ryan McKenna is playing center field and Adam Frazier is in right.

Catcher James McCann is making his 66^th start as the cleanup hitter. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – As many flaws as they have – and they have many – the Nationals are playing some pretty compelling and competitive baseball right now. They enter today’s series finale against the Angels having gone 3-3 on this road trip, and the three losses were by a combined four runs. No, that doesn’t change the fact they can’t hit for power and their pitching staff is prone to some blowups, but it may be evidence they’re going to be a much more watchable team this season, no matter their eventual record.

A win today would send them back home with a winning record on the trip, and that feels like no small achievement, all things considered. And the good news: They send their best starter to the mound, against an opponent making his first big league start in two years.

MacKenzie Gore has been outstanding so far, leading the staff with a 2-0 record, 2.38 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings. The lefty hasn’t been intimidated by anyone he has faced yet, so I wouldn’t expect him to back down when he faces Mike Trout this afternoon. (Shohei Ohtani isn’t in the Angels lineup, getting a well-deserved day off.)

Griffin Canning, meanwhile, is starting a big league game for the Angels for the first time since July 2, 2021. The right-hander suffered a lower back stress fracture and has been working his way back ever since. He was quite good in a rehab assignment for Single-A Inland Empire, allowing one earned run over five innings and striking out 10, but we’ll see how he handles the Nationals today in what surely will be an emotional return to the majors for him.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Where: Angel Stadium
Gametime: 4:07 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 65 degrees, wind 8 mph out to center field

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Nationals pitching staff did an excellent job containing Shohei Ohtani the hitter Monday night. Now we’ll find out how the Nationals lineup fares against Ohtani the pitcher.

It’s the biggest attraction in baseball right now, Ohtani pitching and serving as the Angels DH on the same night. And tonight, we’ll get our first look at that phenomenon when the Japanese right-handed pitcher/left-handed hitter takes the mound before what should be a raucous crowd.

Only one member of the Nats has ever faced Ohtani before: Jeimer Candelario, who went 2-for-9 against him as a member of Tigers. Everyone else will be going in blind but hoping to keep putting the bat on the ball like they’ve done the last four days, both here and in Colorado, and trying to manufacture their way to enough runs to win.

They’ll need another good start from Josiah Gray, who was excellent last time out but suffered a hard-luck 1-0 loss to the Rockies due to a fly ball lost in the sun. The right-hander pitched here last season and fared all right, allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings and earning the win. He’ll have to keep the ball in the yard to be successful tonight against an Angels lineup that has Anthony Rendon back after the former Nats great was a late scratch Monday with a sore shoulder.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Where: Angel Stadium
Gametime: 9:38 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 63 degrees, wind 6 mph out to center field

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Hello from “The Big A,” where the Nationals will see how they stack up the next three days with the star-studded Angels. With Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon batting 2-3-4 for the locals, it’s going to be a real challenge. But at least they don’t have to worry about Ohtani pitching until Tuesday.

Patrick Corbin will be tasked with keeping that lineup in check tonight in the series opener. The left-hander still seeks his first quality start of the season. The Nationals obviously would love to get six innings and three or fewer runs out of him tonight.

A Nats lineup that totaled only 17 runs through its first seven games came to life the last three days in Colorado, totaling 23 runs. The question now: Will that carry over into this series, or was that merely a product of Coors Field? They’ll face yet another left-hander tonight in Jose Suarez, remarkably the seventh southpaw they’ve gone up against in their first 11 games.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Where: Angel Stadium
Gametime: 9:38 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 67 degrees, wind 7 mph out to center field

NATIONALS
LF Alex Call
RF Lane Thomas
3B Jeimer Candelario
DH Joey Meneses
1B Dominic Smith
C Keibert Ruiz
2B Michael Chavis
CF Victor Robles
SS CJ Abrams

DENVER – Would you believe the Nationals have pitched much better at Coors Field than they did at Nationals Park? That’s certainly been the case for their starters, who have allowed a grand total of five runs in 17 1/3 innings through the first three games of this series, good for a 2.60 ERA. The only reason they’re 2-1 instead of 3-0 is a complete lack of offense in Thursday’s opener.

Can they expect Chad Kuhl to keep the trend going today in the finale? That may be a tough ask. Kuhl had a rough time in his season debut Tuesday against the Rays, giving up four runs in five innings (though all of the damage came in the first and second, and he didn’t allow a hit after that). This is a homecoming for Kuhl, who pitched for the Rockies last season. His numbers at Coors Field: 5.04 ERA, 1.399 WHIP in 12 starts. (Though it must be noted he also shut out the Dodgers here, so it’s not like he hasn’t had some success in the thin air.)

A Nationals lineup that has exploded for 17 runs the last two nights goes up against an unfamiliar foe today in Ryan Feltner. The 26-year-old right-hander owns a career 4-11 record, 6.31 ERA and 1.477 WHIP in 23 games with the Rockies over the last three years.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field
Gametime: 3:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 66 degrees, wind 7 mph in from center field

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

DENVER – After watching his team break through for 10 runs and 19 hits during Friday night’s win, Davey Martinez joked he might have to rethink his plans for today’s lineup. He already had intended to go with a right-handed-heavy lineup against Rockies lefty Austin Gomber. Now he wondered if he should just stick with what worked.

The answer: He stayed with his original plan. Tonight’s lineup doesn’t bear much resemblance to last night’s batting order. Stone Garrett is the designated hitter and batting second. Michael Chavis gets the start at second base over Luis García, who tweaked his right hamstring running out a grounder. And Riley Adams makes only his second start of the young season behind the plate, giving Keibert Ruiz the night off.

We’ll see if this still produces the desired results against Gomber, who allowed three runs on four hits in six innings in his season debut at the Padres but gave up a massive .304/.328/.534 slash line to right-handed batters last year.

Trevor Williams, meanwhile, makes his second start for the Nationals, looking to bounce back from a loss to the Rays in his debut. The right-hander gave up two homers in five innings. Certainly, he’ll need to be careful to keep the ball in the yard here at Coors Field tonight.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 61 degrees, wind 11 mph in from left field

Orioles catcher James McCann is nearing a return to the active roster. Perhaps as early as Sunday.

McCann began his injury rehab assignment last night at High-A Aberdeen and singled twice as the designated hitter. He’s going to catch tonight and the Orioles want him to work around seven innings before determining his status.

“Kind of take it day-to-day, see how he feels after and see what else he needs,” said manager Brandon Hyde.

Asked if it’s possible that McCann will be with the club on Sunday, Hyde said, “We’ll see what happens.”

Adley Rutschman is behind the plate tonight and batting second against Yankees rookie right-hander Jhony Brito. Left-hander Nestor Cortes starts Sunday, and Rutschman isn’t likely to catch a day game following a night game.

DENVER – The Nationals have won one game so far through the first week of the 2023 season. That one win came with MacKenzie Gore on the mound. So even though there hasn’t been a lot to get excited about since Opening Day, the presence of the young lefty on the mound should be enough to get excited about tonight’s game at Coors Field.

Gore was outstanding in his Nats debut, holding the Braves to one run and three hits over 5 1/3 innings. Tonight he faces a Rockies lineup that only managed one run yesterday off Josiah Gray and Mason Thompson, and that run was possible only because of a fly ball lost in the sun. You hate to ask a 24-year-old making his second-ever start for his team to serve as the stopper, but that’s kind of what the Nationals need Gore to be tonight.

Of course, it doesn’t matter how well Gore pitches if his teammates can’t provide some run support. The Nats did not provide any for Gray yesterday, shut out by Kyle Freeland and Co. Tonight, they face perhaps a more favorable matchup in José Ureña. The veteran right-hander and former regular member of the Marlins rotation struggled mightily in his Colorado debut, giving up four runs on five hits and four walks in only 2 1/3 innings against the Padres. The Nationals will have to be careful not to chase if Ureña is regularly out of the strike zone again tonight.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field
Gametime: 8:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 61 degrees, wind 7 mph in from center field

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

The impact of home Opening Day in Baltimore and the renewed enthusiasm for the club really hit catcher Adley Rutschman as he was driving. Passengers in the car next to him wore his No. 35 jersey and began waving to him.

“Got me excited,” he said. “I’m ready to go today. I think everyone’s excited.”

Rutschman paused, turned in a circle and soaked up the atmosphere after moving behind the plate for the first time in his major league debut. What he’s feeling today is similar.

“It’s a new experience and everyone’s told me such great things about Opening Day’s here, just the atmosphere, so I’m really excited,” he said.

“I feel like everyone kind of has similar advice as far as, just enjoying it, making sure you take it in, and you’ll appreciate what you have.”

DENVER – Hello from Coors Field, where the Rockies celebrate their home opener this afternoon, the Nationals serving as the visitors for the festivities. It’s not exactly warm here: There were slow flurries last night, and the temperature was below freezing this morning. But it’s supposed to approach 50 degrees later this afternoon, and the bright sunshine does actually make it feel warmer than the temperature.

The Nats come to town for a four-game series, hoping the thin Colorado air helps them hit the ball with a bit more authority. They hit only two homers in six games during the opening homestand, and each of those was a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth with the team trailing by multiple runs. Perhaps the combination of Coors Field and the Rockies pitching staff will help flip that troubling trend.

Unfortunately, the Nationals aren’t going to want the ball to fly too much today with Josiah Gray on the mound. As you surely know by now, the right-hander gave up the most homers in the majors last season, and despite an outstanding spring in Florida served up three of them to the Braves in his 2023 debut. This will be a real challenge for him today, especially considering how much he relies on his breaking balls, which don’t break as much at altitude.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field
Gametime: 4:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 49 degrees, wind 7 mph out to left field

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

Grayson Rodriguez was the next man up.

The Orioles optioned Rodriguez while making their final rounds of cuts in spring training, viewing him as the sixth pitcher for a five-man rotation. A spot opened with Kyle Bradish going on the 15-day injured list this morning with a right foot contusion, and Rodriguez flew into Texas last night.

How Rodriguez fared in Friday’s start with Triple-A Norfolk wasn’t a factor in the club’s decision. The organization’s top pitching prospect allowed three runs (two earned) and walked four Durham batters in four innings, but he was the choice under these circumstances.

Rather than start the fifth game of the season in Texas, which seemed to be the original plan before the surprising camp cut, Rodriguez had a brief stay in Triple-A and arrived a day later for his major league debut.

Rodriguez would have pitched Thursday for the Tides, with Drew Rom going tonight. Bruce Zimmermann and Spenser Watkins already made their first appearances over the weekend and weren’t available.

Today is April 5? With a sunny forecast and temperatures expected to reach the 80s for an early weekday game, it feels more like July 4 in the District, am I right?

Anyways, good morning from Nationals Park, where the Nats wrap up the first homestand of the season with a 1 p.m. game against the Rays, the only remaining undefeated team in the majors.

Patrick Corbin becomes the first Nationals starter to make his second start in the rotation during today’s finale against the Rays. The Nats will hope to get more length from their veteran southpaw after he only pitched three innings plus one batter against the Braves on Opening Day. Thanks to a couple of errors by shortstop CJ Abrams, some bad luck on soft contact and a few mistakes of his own, Corbin gave up seven hits and four runs (two earned) with three walks and three strikes while throwing 85 pitches (48 strikes) six days ago.

Corbin has made one start against the Rays in his career, going five innings and allowing three runs on three hits and four walks with three strikes at Tropicana Field on June 9, 2021.

The Nationals lineup will have to deal with the fourth left-handed starter they’ve faced already to begin this young season in Shane McClanahan. The 25-year-old Baltimore native is coming off his first All-Star campaign while finishing sixth in American League Cy Young voting last year with a 12-8 record, 2.54 ERA and 0.926 WHIP in 28 starts. He pitched six shutout innings with six strikeouts in an Opening Day win over the Tigers.

Ryan McKenna gets the start in left field tonight as the Orioles try to guarantee a series win in Texas.

Gunnar Henderson collected his first two hits last night, including a home run, but he's on the bench against Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney. Ramón Urías is starting at third base.

Anthony Santander is the designated hitter and Austin Hays is in right.

Cedric Mullins is the leadoff hitter rather than moving down to ninth, as he did versus Boston lefty Chris Sale.

For the Orioles
Cedric Mullins CF
Adley Rutschman C
Ryan Mountcastle 1B
Anthony Santander DH
Austin Hays RF
Ramón Urías 3B
Adam Frazier 2B
Jorge Mateo SS
Ryan McKenna LF

The Nationals have scored nine runs in four games so far this season, which obviously is not good. In their defense, they’ve faced some pretty tough pitching, from the Braves’ Max Fried and Spencer Strider to the Rays’ Drew Rasmussen. The one opposing starter they had some success against was Atlanta rookie left-hander Jared Shuster. There’s a chance for success tonight against Tampa Bay lefty Josh Fleming.

Fleming, 26, owns a 4.93 ERA and 1.410 WHIP over 171 2/3 career major league innings, and he really struggled last year (6.43 ERA, 1.886 WHIP in only 35 innings) while shuttling back and forth between St. Petersburg and Durham. Knowing the way Kevin Cash manages his bullpen, don’t be surprised if the leash on Fleming is short. If you’re the Nats, look to be aggressive early as they were against Shuster on Sunday and try to take an early lead.

If they can do that, they’ll provide some breathing room for Chad Kuhl, who makes his season debut tonight as the No. 5 starter in place of the injured Cade Cavalli. Kuhl actually becomes the third straight starter to make his Nationals debut, following MacKenzie Gore and Trevor Williams. It’s only the second time that’s ever happened in club history, and to be honest, the first time shouldn’t really count because it was the first four games in club history, with Liván Hernández, Zach Day, Esteban Loaiza and Tomo Ohka taking the ball from Frank Robinson in April 2005. Thing is, all of those guys except for Loaiza had been part of the 2004 Expos’ roster, so it’s not really like they were all joining a new team.

TAMPA BAY RAYS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 76 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
RF Lane Thomas
DH Joey Meneses
3B Jeimer Candelario
1B Dominic Smith
LF Alex Call
2B Michael Chavis
C Riley Adams
CF Victor Robles
SS CJ Abrams