ST. LOUIS – The Nationals couldn’t have asked for a better start to their homestand. And then they couldn’t have asked for a worse conclusion. They swept the Reds, then they were swept by the Padres, including Dylan Cease’s no-hitter Thursday afternoon. All that just to finish 3-3 for the week.

It’s a new day, though, and the Nats are back on the road, with a six-game trip beginning tonight in St. Louis and extending through Tuesday’s trade deadline in Phoenix.

The Nationals just faced the Cardinals a few weeks ago in D.C., losing three of four, the first of those losses an 11-inning affair. In that game, they jumped all over Sonny Gray for five runs in three innings. Luis García Jr. was the offensive star of the night, going 4-for-5 with a homer, and he’ll hope for similar results in tonight’s rematch with Gray.

Speaking of rematches, MacKenzie Gore gets another crack at the Cardinals after giving up five runs on six hits and five walks in only 3 1/3 innings during that series. That was the first of three subpar outings by Gore, who has totaled only 10 innings in those games while seeing his pitch counts skyrocket. The left-hander hasn’t minced words about his performances. It’s time for him to right the ship, and he knows it.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Busch Stadium
Gametime: 8:15 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 84 degrees, wind 6 mph in from right field

For the third time in five days as a big leaguer, James Wood stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with a chance to win the game for the Nationals. And for the third time in five days as a big leaguer, Wood and the Nats proceeded to go to extra innings.

Where for the third time in five days, they proceeded to lose. But, for the first time, in the 11th instead of the 10th.

Unlike Monday and Tuesday nights against the Mets, the Nationals found a way to extend this game against the Cardinals. That only prolonged the heartache, with St. Louis scoring the eventual winning run on a strikeout that got away from catcher Riley Adams and the Nats lineup unable to mount one final rally before falling, 7-6.

"We've been playing a lot of these tough games here lately," closer Kyle Finnegan said. "It's a testament to our character that we keep showing up and giving everything we have. Hopefully the balls start bouncing our way, and the tides will change here soon."

Unable to mount any more offense of consequence after busting out of the gates early, the Nationals instead had to rely on an overworked bullpen to keep the game alive. That group couldn’t do it, with Hunter Harvey allowing a run in the eighth, Finnegan blowing the save in the ninth and Dylan Floro allowing St. Louis' automatic runner to score in both the 10th and 11th.

While James Wood’s first two major league games came with all of the deserved hype, the Nationals’ top prospect had yet to really deliver a signature moment.

Sure, he reached base in high-leverage moments in both games, but he hadn't yet scored his first major league run nor recorded his first major league RBI.

So maybe the third time would be the charm for Wood, who was promoted to the No. 1 prospect in baseball by Baseball America earlier today. And sure enough, his first big league moment came tonight in leading the Nationals to victory.

Wood drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single in the seventh inning of the Nats’ 7-5 win over the Mets, their first against their division rival this season.

After rallying from a 5-0 deficit to make it a one-run game entering the sixth inning, the Nationals offense put Wood in position to be the hero.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Nationals’ 8-1 victory Saturday was made possible by a six-run explosion in the top of the seventh that turned a tight, low-scoring ballgame into a comfortable rout. But if not for that rally, Luis García Jr.’s bold baserunning play in the top of the fourth might well have been the deciding factor.

Standing on third with two outs in what was at the time a 1-1 game, García watched as Rays starter Aaron Civale bounced a pitch to Jacob Young. Though the ball squirted only a foot away from catcher Ben Rortvedt – and towards the mound, not foul territory – García took off for the plate and wound up scoring easily to give the Nats the lead in impressive fashion.

“I was anticipating, seeing the catcher get on his knees and reading the pitch,” García said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “As I saw it leave the hand of the pitcher, and that it was going toward the ground, I read the catcher. And when I saw him actually going after the ball, not the pitcher, I knew I had plenty of time.”

It was an ultra-aggressive move, one the Nationals might normally expect from the fastest players on the team (Young, CJ Abrams, Lane Thomas). But for García, it was about more than athleticism. It was about preparation and instincts in the moment.

“Awesome,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We watched him, and he got a good secondary lead and broke right away. It was a big play for us.”

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Josiah Gray got the Opening Day assignment based off his 2023 campaign. MacKenzie Gore got the hype based off his reputation and knack for the occasional dominant outing. But the member of the Nationals rotation who had the best spring and most looked poised to break out might well have been Jake Irvin.

Three months later, the right-hander might just be the best pitcher on the staff. And in a couple weeks, he might just end up representing the team at the All-Star Game.

As the season’s unofficial second half got under way this afternoon with Game 82, Irvin took the mound at Tropicana Field and kept doing what he did throughout the first half. With six superb innings of one-hit ball, he led the way and bought time for his teammates to get their bats going, which they finally did during a late explosion that turned a close game against the Rays into an 8-1 rout.

Irvin was stellar again, overcoming an early (and unlucky) home run surrendered to hold Tampa Bay hitless the rest of the way. And thanks to the kind of run support that hasn’t been provided regularly enough, he emerged with his sixth win while lowering his ERA to 3.03 (ninth-best in the National League) and WHIP to 1.061 (seventh-best in the NL).

"When he first got to spring training, he was impressive," catcher Keibert Ruiz said. "And he's been great for us this year."

DENVER – The Nationals and Rockies engaged in a good, old-fashioned Coors Field Saturday Night Special. The kind of night when anything can and will happen, and whatever happened in the first six innings doesn’t mean diddly squat because there’s still too much time for too much else to happen the rest of the way.

This game had five home runs. It had four runners caught stealing. It had multiple substitutions, either for injury or strategy. It had an ejection over one of countless erratic calls by plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. And it ultimately had the Nats’ top two relievers desperately try to replicate what they’ve done with ease everywhere else in Coors Field, the toughest pitcher’s park in America.

And then it ended in the most unimaginable manner possible: a pitch clock violation by Kyle Finnegan with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, handing the Rockies an 8-7 victory in historic fashion.

It was the first major league game to end on such a violation since baseball adopted the rule last year.

"It sucks," Finnegan said. "We played a great game and deserved to win, and I wasn't able to do my job."

DENVER – Nobody in the clubhouse wanted to admit it this afternoon, but surely everyone was thinking it. If ever there was a place built to snap a moribund lineup out of its funk, it had to be Coors Field, right?

The Nationals arrived in the Mile High City reeling from a three-game series against the Diamondbacks in which they scored a total of five runs and saw a grand total of 287 pitches. (Somehow, they still won one of those three games.) But spirits remained high, because a weekend set with the Rockies felt like just what the doctor ordered.

And indeed it was, because in the series opener in the best hitter’s park in America, the Nats put forth one of their best offensive performances of the year, cruising to an 11-5 victory behind a season-high 19 hits.

"They responded really well," manager Davey Martinez said. "We talked a lot about know yourself. Know who you are. Know what pitches you want to attack. Stay on the fastball. We did well today."

Everybody in the lineup reached base once, and all but Nick Senzel reached multiple times. But Lane Thomas led the way with an RBI single, a two-run double and an RBI triple, the red-hot right fielder coming up just short of his first career cycle when he grounded out and then struck out in his final two at-bats.

CLEVELAND – There are any number of stats you can point to when trying to show how much the Nationals have struggled offensively so far this season.

The Nats rank 25th out of 30 major league clubs in runs scored, 27th in hits, 27th in homers.

They’ve been shut out six times, most in the National League. They’ve been held to two or fewer runs 22 times, tied for most in the NL.

Here’s a new one, though, one that might just illustrate the problem more than any other: The Nationals have been held to four or fewer hits in 13 of their 56 games to date. That’s 23 percent of their games, nearly one-quarter of their total, in which they’ve finished with no more than four hits.

How bad is that? Well, consider this: The Nats were held to four or fewer hits 12 times last season. That’s over the entire season. They’ve already surpassed that total with 106 games still to be played.

CLEVELAND – A bleary-eyed Nationals team showed up for work this evening, flying high from a series win in Atlanta but dragging from a delayed flight following a getaway night that didn’t have them in bed until about 5 a.m.

Was a lack of sleep to blame for their eventual 7-1 loss to the Guardians? Or was it just another rough night at the plate for an offensively challenged club? Or was Cleveland’s pitching staff just that good?

Take your pick. Any or all of those reasons could be valid. Whatever the explanation, the Nats lost yet another ballgame that was low-scoring and tight late to a talented opponent. It’s happened before, and it’ll probably happen again. But it’s not cause for panic, especially if they stay true to form and bounce back Saturday after they get a well deserved good night’s sleep.

"It's tough. I still think getaway days should be at 1 (p.m.)," starter Patrick Corbin said. "You never know what can happen. We play every day. It's tough, but it happens to everybody. You have to try to find ways to battle through it. Hopefully guys can get some rest tonight and come back tomorrow."

The shame of this loss was that it came on a night Corbin was quite good. The veteran left-hander, who entered with a 6.12 ERA, became the fourth straight Nationals starter to allow two or fewer runs. Somehow, he still emerged with a loss, his sixth of the year.

Maybe the Nationals offense just needed an off-day to reset. But they had three this month prior to Thursday’s day off and they didn’t help much.

Whatever they needed to do to get the offense going Friday night against the Mariners, they needed to do it in the worst way before embarking on a stretch of 17 scheduled games over the next 17 days.

Entering tonight’s opener of a three-game series to start this holiday weekend, the Nationals were losers of nine of their last 11 games. In seven of those games, they scored two or fewer runs. They were also 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position over their last two games against the Twins, both losses.

So when an early opportunity to score runs in bunches presented itself tonight, you can forgive the crowd of 23,789 if they weren’t too confident the Nats could capitalize.

But Luis García Jr. proved them wrong, giving them a reason to celebrate with a three-run home run in the fourth inning. Keibert Ruiz then hit a much-needed two-run homer in the sixth. And finally, Eddie Rosario put this one away for good with a longball in the eighth to help propel the Nationals to a 6-1 win over the Mariners.

The Nationals finally broke out of their offensive slumber tonight, and all it took was a couple of rare home runs, as many hits with runners in scoring position as they had totaled in their previous five games and one wild trip around the bases by Eddie Rosario.

A 12-3 rout over the Twins, to put it mildly, was exactly what this team needed.

Snapping their losing streak at five games by extending Minnesota’s losing streak to seven games, the Nats enjoyed their best all-around offensive showing since their last homestand. And combined with another quality start from rookie Mitchell Parker, this turned into one of their most enjoyable ballgames in some time.

"We talk about it all the time: When you score early, things start to fall into place," manager Davey Martinez said. "They start to relax a little bit. The at-bats get better. ... You get that, and you get another good outing from Mitchell, and it becomes a good day."

The just-completed, 2-7 trip through Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia was a miserable one, especially from an offensive standpoint. The Nationals scored two runs or fewer in five of those losses, they went 5-for-43 with runners in scoring position over the last five games and they only managed to score five runs Sunday with a way-too-late rally against the Phillies that had no bearing on the outcome of the game.

PHILADELPHIA – A Nationals lineup struggling mightily to score runs right now will gladly take back any semi-productive hitter it can get. So the return of Luis García Jr. today after a two-day absence – even if only for DH duties – was welcome news for Davey Martinez.

“He’s going to DH; I’m trying to make it a little lighter,” the manager said. “But we need his bat in the lineup. So it’s nice that he feels better.”

García has been, statistically speaking, the Nationals’ second-most productive regular this season, his 125 OPS+ ranking behind only CJ Abrams’ 139 mark. (Ildemaro Vargas, who has been getting more playing time recently, outpaces them both at 152.)

The club’s regular second baseman, García hurt his right heel running out a ground ball Wednesday in Chicago, feeling the spike press up through the sole of his shoe. He was initially in Friday’s lineup but was scratched after trying to take swings. He was again out of the lineup Saturday, and wasn’t used off the bench late during the 10-inning loss to the Phillies.

“He wasn’t 100 percent,” Martinez said. “I saw him down there, and he had one spike on and one tennis shoe on. So that indicated he was still behind. He said he felt better this morning, was going to get treatment again, go hit and he said he should be OK.”

PHILADELPHIA – Luis García Jr. is out of the Nationals lineup for the second straight night, still bothered somewhat by a bruised right heel, though the pitching matchup also didn’t favor his inclusion.

García hurt himself running out a ground ball Wednesday in Chicago and later said that when he stepped on first base his spike pushed up through the sole of his shoe against his heel. He was initially in the lineup for Friday’s series opener against the Phillies but was scratched several hours before first pitch after he struggled to hit in the cage without experiencing pain.

García hoped he’d be back tonight, but while his condition has improved, the heel is still bothering him. And with left-hander Cristopher Sánchez on the mound for Philadelphia, Davey Martinez had another reason to sit his second baseman in favor of the right-handed-hitting Ildemaro Vargas.

“A little bit of both,” Martinez said when asked if the heel or the matchup was the reason for García’s absence. “He’s still a little sore. We’ll try to get him through today. Hopefully he can play tomorrow.”

Martinez did say he expects García to be available to pinch-hit later in the game tonight if the Phillies bring in a right-handed reliever.

PHILADELPHIA – In his 91 plate appearances with the Nationals before landing on the injured, Joey Gallo hit three homers and had nearly three times as many strikeouts as walks. In his 44 plate appearances in the minor leagues, while rehabbing his shoulder injury, he hit four homers and had nearly a 1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

So as he returns to the lineup tonight after three weeks on the IL, Gallo is understandably optimistic he can continue what he did in the minors at the major-league level.

“You hope so,” he said. “I felt pretty good down there. Just getting at-bats and seeing pitching, that’s what it’s about. Obviously it’s not the big leagues, but it’s as close as you can get to it. We’ll have to see. But I feel good. I feel like I’m ready to go. I’m excited to just be here with the team, back with the boys, and trying to win games.”

The Nationals activated Gallo off the 10-day IL this afternoon, optioning Trey Lipscomb to Triple-A Rochester to create a roster spot. And the big slugger is right back in the thick of things, batting cleanup and starting at first base in the series opener against the Phillies.

There’s no guarantee Gallo will continue to hit well, but a Nats club that has totaled only 35 homers in 42 games certainly would benefit from a power surge by the 30-year-old, who was signed for $5 million specifically for that purpose.

The season is not yet one-quarter complete, and there’s far too much time left to know exactly how this is going to play out. But if you’re looking for consistent themes out of the 2024 Nationals, you might be best-served remembering the term Davey Martinez used to describe his team one week ago after it pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in club history: "Relentless."

These Nationals have their flaws, no doubt. The roster has holes, especially the lineup. The pitching can be erratic. The defense has been downright ugly the last two days.

But here at the end of the first week of May, they once again reached the .500 mark, thanks to another impressive come-from-behind victory, this one by the absurd score of 11-8 over the Blue Jays.

A game that started 1 hour, 25 minutes late due to rain, then saw the Nats dig themselves into a 6-1 hole in the third inning, somehow ended with high-fives and handshakes at the center of the diamond, thanks to a relentless offensive attack that included four hits (including a homer) from Luis García Jr., a go-ahead three-run homer from Jesse Winker and then a go-ahead two-run homer from Eddie Rosario to cap off a wild afternoon on South Capitol Street.

"It's been cool, man. It's really cool to see," said Winker, part of a club that now has a major league-leading 12 come-from-behind wins. "I'm going to use this word: It's inspiring to watch. It gives you energy."

When Jake Irvin last took the mound on Monday, the Nationals ended the day with a .500 record for the first time this late in the season since they were 40-40 entering July 2, 2021. Since then, they have had three chances to get above .500 for the first time since July 1, 2021, including today after last night’s comeback win over the Blue Jays.

So when Irvin took the mound on a cold and damp day at Nationals Park, the Nats must have liked their chances to finally post a record with more wins than losses.

But the Nats defense, which entered the day tied for the second-fewest errors committed in the major leagues, was as sloppy as the weather, handing the Blue Jays an early lead in an eventual 6-3 loss in front of 22,836 fans who endured the elements for “Star Wars” Weekend on South Capitol Street.

The sloppy play began right from the get-go, when Blue Jays leadoff hitter George Springer grounded to Nick Senzel but ended up on second base thanks to a throwing error by the Nats' third baseman. The throw one-hopped Trey Lipscomb, who didn’t do Senzel any favors by stopping the ball while making his third big league appearance at first base.

“It was a little wet. I didn't really have a good grip and didn't make too good of throws," Senzel said after finishing the game with two errors. "It sucks making two errors and not playing good defense behind Irv because he threw the ball well. It's not a great feeling.”

Asked this afternoon about the new-look lineup he put together after his Nationals were held to two total runs the previous three days, Davey Martinez smirked.

"The definition of insanity, right?" the manager said. "Hey, I'm going to try to do something."

That new look – Jacob Young leading off, ahead of CJ Abrams – did produce the Nats’ first run of the night against the Blue Jays. But it was Martinez’s other big decision later in the evening that paid off the most.

With his offensively challenged team desperately needing runs in bunches, Martinez sent Luis García Jr. to the plate to pinch-hit for Trey Lipscomb with two on in the bottom of the seventh. Seconds later, García was circling the bases to flashing red stadium lights, his three-run homer giving the Nationals a lead they ultimately expanded into a much-needed, 9-3 victory over Toronto.

"It's hard to explain with words the emotions that run through you," said García, who is now batting .300 with an .800 OPS, via interpreter Octavio Martinez.

Funny how quickly the narrative of a baseball season can twist and turn. Not 48 hours ago, the Nationals were flying high, having won three of their last four series, including back-to-back triumphs over the Dodgers and Astros. They were getting excellent starting pitching and coming through with clutch hits, offering fans real reason for late-April optimism.

Since then? They’ve lost two straight to the Dodgers behind poor starting pitching and at times a complete lack of offense. They also lost their starting right fielder to a knee injury that, while not as bad as it could’ve been, nonetheless will sideline him for some time.

Suffice it to say, the vibe surrounding the Nats isn’t quite what it was a few days ago.

Tonight’s 11-2 thumping at the hands of the Dodgers represented a new low. With Jake Irvin in trouble from the get-go, the home team faced an uphill climb. And with Lane Thomas now on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left knee ligament, an already inconsistent lineup had little chance of keeping up with the opposition.

"The best thing about today," manager Davey Martinez said, "is we have tomorrow to go 1-0."

Given the circumstances, it was fair to wonder if Mitchell Parker’s impressive major league debut last week was a bit flukish. Was that five-inning victory before a sellout crowd at Dodger Stadium as good as it was ever going to get for the Nationals’ 2020 fifth-round draft pick?

Given what he just accomplished today in his follow-up start against the Astros, it feels more appropriate to start wondering if this just might actually be the start of something really special.

With seven scoreless innings on only 73 pitches, Parker led the Nats to an easy 6-0 victory, improved to 2-0 as a big leaguer and authored Chapter 2 in what has suddenly become the most compelling – and unexpected – pitching story in recent club history.

"It doesn't seem like anything really fazes him," manager Davey Martinez said. "He goes out there and he challenges hitters. He competes. He's been giving us what we need."

The 24-year-old left-hander was in complete control throughout his home debut. He surrendered three hits (all singles). He allowed only one runner to reach scoring position. He didn’t issue a walk for the second straight outing. And he pounded the strike zone in a manner rarely seen in these parts.

LOS ANGELES – Base hits to the opposite field are nothing out of the ordinary for Luis García Jr. Given his bat control, a little flick of the wrists is often all he needs to poke an outside pitch to left field for a simple single.

What García did Monday night at Dodger Stadium, on the other hand, was a welcome development. The Nationals second baseman hit his first home run of 2024, and he did so with a three-run shot to left-center.

García's blast, on a 3-2 slider from Los Angeles’ Tyler Glasnow, capped what arguably was one of the best at-bats of his major league career. Facing the flamethrowing right-hander, with two on and two out in the top of the fifth, García fell behind in the count, then took three straight pitches down and in to work his way back into a favorable count. He fouled off a 3-1 fastball at the knees. Then he got the full-count slider up and out over the plate and mashed it 103.9 mph toward left-center, where it cleared the fence for a key home runs in the Nats’ 6-4 victory.

“It felt great,” García said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “In that moment, I was just trying to hit the ball hard somewhere, drive in those two runs and try to help the team increase the lead in that moment. He left the pitch there, and I was able to drive it. I was very excited to be able to do that in that moment.”

Power displays have become a rare thing for García, whose priority at times seems to be making contact more so than making loud contact. But he does have the ability to hit the ball hard in the air; he just has to take the right swing on the right pitch to make it happen.