When he stepped to the plate at Nationals Park nine months ago for the first time as a member of the Padres, Juan Soto was greeted with a sustained standing ovation from the crowd.

Anecdotally, it felt like the loudest and warmest ovation any former Nationals player has received in his return with another team. Louder than the ovation for Max Scherzer as a Met. Louder than the ovation for Trea Turner as a Dodger. Certainly friendlier than the reaction for Bryce Harper.

That moment stuck with Soto, who only 10 days earlier had been traded to San Diego along with Josh Bell for six players in a deal that altered both franchises.

“It means a lot,” the 24-year-old slugger said today. “It means I did a good job over here. It feels great to hear those cheers for you. That means they’re really proud of the championship that we bring back.”

Soto will forever be remembered for playing a major role in delivering Washington its first World Series title in 95 years. Scherzer, Turner, Anthony Rendon, Stephen Strasburg and countless others were vital to the cause as well, but Soto for some reason stands out from the rest, perhaps because he had only just turned 21 during the series but performed like a seasoned superstar.

Can the Nationals score a run tonight? That’s what’s at stake in the finale of this two-game series against the Orioles. OK, so maybe that’s a little too harsh of a preview, but after Tuesday night’s 1-0 loss, it’s hard not to think about such seemingly trivial matters.

A lineup that couldn’t score a run off Dean Kremer will now attempt to do it against Kyle Bradish, who comes off the 15-day injured list to rejoin the Orioles rotation. The right-hander was knocked out in the second inning of his season debut at Texas when he was struck in the foot by a comebacker. The injury turned out not to be severe, though, and Bradish was able to make a rehab start for Double-A Bowie five days ago, so he’s good to go tonight with no real concerns.

MacKenzie Gore starts for the Nats, looking to bounce back from his first rough start of the season last week in Anaheim. Gore had been excellent his first two times on the mound, but he lost all semblance of command against the Angels and was pulled after throwing 88 pitches in only 3 2/3 innings. This will be another good challenge for the lefty, facing a tough Baltimore lineup that was nonetheless held in check Tuesday by Josiah Gray.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 73 degrees, wind 6 mph out to center field

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

ANAHEIM, Calif. – They hit the ball well, really well, on several occasions. Which may make the Nationals feel better about the quality of at-bats and contact they’re starting to get from a lineup desperate for some kind of infusion of power.

The results of today’s 3-2 loss to the Angels, though, won’t make them feel any better. Loud contact is great. Scoring runs is even better, and that continues to be a problem.

Less than 24 hours after being one-hit by Shohei Ohtani and the Angels bullpen, the Nationals were held to six hits this afternoon by Griffin Canning and his pitching mates in the home whites. All six were singles, continuing a disturbing early-season trend.

The Nats have only hit five homers in 13 games, and three of those came in the thin air of Coors Field last weekend. They’ve managed only two in nine other games played either in D.C. or here at Angel Stadium, where the cool marine air was not kind to fly balls today.

As such, the Nationals head home with a disappointing finish to what had the potential to be an impressive road trip. A win today would’ve given them a series victory in Anaheim and a 4-3 overall record here and in Colorado. Instead, they return to the East Coast having gone 3-4 on the trip, with the four losses by a combined five runs to leave their overall record at 4-9.

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

DENVER – Far be it for anyone to anoint this kind of title upon anyone this early in the season, let alone a 24-year-old who has made only two starts for the organization since his acquisition last summer. But if we want to consider this literally, there’s really no question about it: MacKenzie Gore has been the Nationals’ stopper.

The team has won only two of its first eight games. And the winning pitcher in both of those games has been Gore, who followed up his impressive debut against the Braves with an equally strong performance Friday night in the Nats’ 10-5 victory over the Rockies.

Gore stopped a two-game losing streak to begin the season. And now he’s stopped a four-game losing streak that went all the way back to his last start. That seems to make him worthy of the title, right?

“I think everybody here is capable of doing that,” he insisted. “We can win. We played really good today, we played really good the other day when I pitched. Now we need to figure out how to do that consistently and build off each other. We won yesterday, so let’s try to win again today. That’s what we’re going to try to get to. Everybody’s capable of being a stopper. It’s just kind of worked out this way so far.”

It’s worked out this way because Gore has been head-and-shoulders better than the other four members of the Nationals rotation. In two starts, he has allowed a total of three runs on eight hits, striking out 12 over 11 1/3 innings. And because of that – plus some well-timed run support from his teammates – he has emerged with two wins in two starts, confirming what the club believed all along in acquiring him as part of last summer’s Juan Soto blockbuster deal with the Padres.

DENVER – The runs would come, the Nationals insisted. As would the power, so long as they continued to have good at-bats. They just needed to start hitting the ball in the air and hitting the ball with authority in the right moments.

And then Alex Call and Jeimer Candelario backed up the sentiment with back-to-back homers to open tonight’s game at Coors Field, setting the tone for the Nats’ best offensive game of the young season, a 10-5 victory over the Rockies.

Call and Candelario set the tone with their early blasts. CJ Abrams provided the real punch later on with a three-hit, two-triple, three-RBI night. Everyone in the Nationals lineup recorded at least one hit by the sixth inning, with the team totaling 19 by night’s end.

"I think it's only a matter of time before we can open up like that," Call said. "I don't know if we're going to get 19 hits every night, but we have a great team in here and we're confident in all our guys. It was great to see everybody swing the bat really well."

Oh, and MacKenzie Gore pitched well again, allowing just two runs over six innings to improve to 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA in the first two starts of his Nats career. The left-hander is the only pitcher on the staff with a win to date.

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

Jeimer Candelario was sitting at his locker following Sunday’s game, phone in hand, watching the highlight of one of his defensive gems from the Nationals’ 4-1 win over the Braves, when reporters approached him.

Perhaps caught by surprise, Candelario quickly turned off the phone, as if he didn’t want anyone to know he was watching his own highlight reel. Not that anyone could blame him for wanting to bask in the glow following a spectacular game at third base.

“We knew that going in. We knew he was going to make plays,” said MacKenzie Gore, the pitcher who most directly benefitted from the stellar glove work. “We’re going to play good defense. We did that in the spring, and that’s what we did today. We had double plays. Candy was making plays all around. It was fun to watch.”

After a sloppy Opening Day and a less-than-crisp Game 2 to the season, the Nationals infield was flawless during Sunday’s win. They turned three double plays, including a critical 4-6-3 started by Luis Garcia to escape a sixth-inning jam. They saw Ildemaro Vargas, filling in for CJ Abrams at shortstop for the day, handle his three chances with no problems.

But most of all, they watched Candelario put on a dazzling show throughout the afternoon at third base.

MacKenzie Gore had been waiting for this, longer than he ever wanted. Same for the Nationals. And their fans, as well. From the moment the Nats and Padres consummated one of the biggest trades in baseball history, the notion of Gore making his D.C. debut had been front and center on many people’s minds. Alas, a bout of elbow inflammation delayed that debut until this afternoon.

At last, though, precisely eight months to the day since the trade that sent Juan Soto and Josh Bell to San Diego for a horde of prospects, the premier pitcher in the deal took the mound on South Capitol Street in a regular season game. And then delivered on the promise of what he could be for this franchise for years to come.

With 5 1/3 strong, at times dominant, innings against one of the toughest lineups in the majors, Gore led the Nationals to their first victory of 2023, a 4-1 triumph before an appreciative crowd of 21,440 that finally had reason to cheer for something positive and for someone with the potential to be a cornerstone of this roster rebuild.

"It's been a long time," the lefty said. "I've been looking forward to it. It was a lot of fun."

Gore allowed just one run on three hits. He struck out six. And though he walked four, he still managed to throw 60 percent of his pitches for strikes and show off the dazzling repertoire that has made him a top pitching prospect since the Padres drafted him third overall in 2017.

It’s not particularly fair to MacKenzie Gore, who takes the mound today wearing a Nationals uniform for the first time in a regular season game. The left-hander shouldn’t have to deal with any added pressure in his long-awaited club debut. But make no mistake: The Nats really need him to pitch well.

When you drop the first two games of the season by a combined score of 14-3, you need to ask your Game 3 starter to put together a really nice outing. So the pressure most certainly is on Gore this afternoon against a tough Braves lineup that already torched Patrick Corbin and Josiah Gray.

Gore, one of the centerpiece young players the Nationals received from the Padres in the Juan Soto trade, was unable to pitch for his new team last year due to elbow inflammation. He did make it through the entire spring healthy, and looked quite sharp in his final Grapefruit League start against the Yankees. But as Gray can tell you, there’s a huge difference between spring training and the regular season. Gore will need to be in peak form today.

The Nats could certainly help their young starter out by providing him some early run support for a change. They’ll try to get something brewing against a pitcher none of them have seen before in the big leagues: Jared Shuster. The 24-year-old lefty (a first-round pick in the 2020 draft) makes his major league debut this afternoon; he struck out 145 batters in 139 1/3 minor-league innings last season.

ATLANTA BRAVES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 52 degrees, wind 16 mph in from left field

It’s Opening Day, and you know what that means? Yes, it’s time for the 14th annual Nationals Beat Writer Season Predictions!

A few of the participants have remained constant through the years. A few have come and gone and come back. And a few are still relatively new to the festivities. All of us, however, will most certainly make fools of ourselves with some of our predictions.

There’s actually a decent range of guesses in most categories this year, with general consensus in only a few of them. (Josiah Gray, apparently, is a lock to win exactly 11 games this season. Who knew?)

Everlasting thanks to my colleagues for subjecting themselves to the humiliation again. Remember, we’ll be republishing these at the end of the season to find out who actually had a clue and who did not.

And if you’re brave enough to put your (screen) name on your own predictions, you are more than welcome to share those in the comments section below …

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – MacKenzie Gore faced 21 batters today, against a Yankees lineup that included a number of regulars including Gleyber Torres, Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton. He threw a first-pitch strike to 17 of them, including 12 of the first 13 who stepped to the plate at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

“That’s beautiful,” the Nationals left-hander said when informed of the stat.

“Love it,” manager Davey Martinez responded.

It’s a simple maxim of pitching, and it applies to everyone: Throw strike one. But it felt especially important today for Gore, who had slogged his way through a few uninspired starts this spring and entered this one determined to right the ship.

How important was it to Gore’s chances of success this afternoon? It produced the following pitching line: six innings, two hits, zero runs, one walk, eight strikeouts on 81 pitches. The outcome of the game – a 5-2 exhibition win over the Yankees in front of the lone sellout crowd of the spring here – may not matter. But the performance most certainly did to the Nationals starter.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – I think it’s finally safe to say we’ve reached the final countdown of spring training. Starting pitchers are going five or six innings. Position players are getting four or five plate appearances. Relievers are throwing back-to-back days. And Joey Meneses is back in Nationals camp.

Meneses, who became an international sensation over the last two weeks playing for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, has rejoined the Nationals and is right back in there this afternoon, batting third and starting in left field. Davey Martinez has said he wants Meneses to get some time in the outfield, because there’s a chance he’ll play out there when Corey Dickerson has a day off (most likely against lefties). So the big slugger is out there today against the Yankees.

Martinez’s lineup might well be what we see on Opening Day. At the very least, these are probably the nine names who will be out there next Thursday. The only question is what the batting order will be.

MacKenzie Gore, meanwhile, faces an important start today. He has not looked good the last few weeks, and he knows it. Now the young lefty has to see if he can get himself straightened out against a Yankees lineup that actually includes several big names, including Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK YANKEES
Where: The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: None
Radio: None
Weather: Sunny, 76 degrees, wind 9 mph in from right field

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Spring training numbers mean as much or as little as you want them to, but here are the numbers now for MacKenzie Gore through five Grapefruit League starts: 11 earned runs, 21 hits, three homers, six walks, nine strikeouts in 14 innings. That’s a 7.07 ERA and 1.929 WHIP.

Whether it portends real struggles when the season begins in two weeks or not, Gore isn’t satisfied with his own performance to date.

“The line at some point is saying something,” the Nationals left-hander said. “But we’re just going to keep working. I just need to pitch a little better.”

Gore needed to pitch a lot better Friday afternoon during his latest (and worst) outing of the spring. He did not enjoy one clean inning among the four he pitched. He surrendered four runs during a long third inning that required 34 pitches to complete. He served up home runs to the Astros’ Jeremy Peña in consecutive innings. All told, he was charged with five runs on nine hits and two walks, while throwing only 49 of his 82 pitches for strikes.

And, as has become clear over the last several weeks, Gore found plenty of reasons to be upset with himself for another showing that fell below his standards.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – As we inch closer to Opening Day, teams start having more regulars in the lineup. And that’s going to be even more the case as various World Baseball Classic teams get eliminated.

For the Nationals, the elimination of the powerhouse Dominican Republic team means the return of Jeimer Candelario, who is right back in there and starting at third base today against the Astros. We should also see Erasmo Ramirez (who pitched for Nicaragua) pitching in a game soon.

The Astros also have a decent number of regulars in their lineup today, including Jeremy Peña, Jose Abreu and Alex Bregman. So this should be a good test for MacKenzie Gore, who makes his fifth start of the spring.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: None
Radio: nationals.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 79 degrees, wind 15 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
CF Alex Call
2B Luis García
C Keibert Ruiz
LF Corey Dickerson
3B Jeimer Candelario
1B Matt Adams
RF Stone Garrett
DH Victor Robles
SS Leonel Valera

JUPITER, Fla. – MacKenzie Gore walked around the mound during the bottom of the second at Roger Dean Stadium with little reason to be excited about the way this start was going. Five of the first eight Cardinals batters he faced in today’s exhibition had reached base, three via extra-base hit, with all kinds of loud contact off him.

On the heels of another disappointing spring outing in this same ballpark, this was shaping up to be a particularly frustrating afternoon for the Nationals left-hander.

By the time he walked off the mound at the end of the fourth inning, Gore’s mood had dramatically changed. After retiring eight of the last nine batters he faced, there was at last reason to be encouraged by the manner in which he salvaged this start.

“In the past, I’ve let games like that balloon into six, eight runs. So that was good,” he said. “We came back, and the last two innings were much better than the first two.”

Not that this was an overwhelmingly positive day for Gore, or for the Nationals, who lost 5-1 to a St. Louis team with 17 absent players right now because of the World Baseball Classic. Only two of the nine Cardinals batters who faced Gore today are likely to make the Opening Day roster: backup catcher Andrew Knizner and outfielder Alec Burleson.

JUPITER, Fla. – A very pleasant Sunday morning to you, wherever you may be. Hope you remembered to adjust your clocks last night. The Nationals certainly wish that wasn’t necessary after playing a 3-hour night game, then losing an hour of sleep before a 1:05 p.m. game on tap today. Brilliant scheduling there.

Davey Martinez let the boys report later than usual this morning, so hopefully everyone’s well rested. MacKenzie Gore should be just fine, because he didn’t have to stick around for the entire game last night in advance of his start. The left-hander takes the mound for the fourth time this spring, the third time at Roger Dean Stadium, the second time to face the Cardinals. He wasn’t thrilled with his last outing, when he allowed two runs (one earned) over three innings. He’ll try to make some improvements today and extend to four innings.

Gore won’t be facing a whole lot of familiar names this afternoon, with the Cardinals sending a bunch of backups and prospects out there. They will, however, have a veteran on the mound in Steven Matz, so we’ll see how the Nats handle him.

You can listen to Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler with the radio call of the game on 106.7 FM. Or if you’re an MLB.tv subscriber, you can watch the Cardinals’ television broadcast live. Or you can wait until 10 p.m. EDT and watch the replay on MLB Network.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MLB.tv (Cardinals broadcast), MLB Network (delayed at 10 p.m.)
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 84 degrees, wind 9 mph out to left field

JUPITER, Fla. – The sun was shining, the pitch clock was ticking and MacKenzie Gore was pumping strikes against the meat of the Cardinals’ A lineup en route to a scoreless inning in his Nationals debut.

“Not much more I can ask for after an outing like that,” catcher Riley Adams said. “I thought he was really dialed in.”

The Nats’ 2023 exhibition opener – a come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over St. Louis played in a brisk 2 hours, 26 minutes – featured some nice late-inning rallies, quality pitching throughout and a couple of violations of Major League Baseball’s brand-new pitch clock. But the most important development on an 84-degree Saturday afternoon at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in the big picture was Gore’s long-awaited debut for the team that acquired him last summer.

Sidelined with an elbow injury at the time of the blockbuster trade with the Padres, Gore couldn’t make it back in time to start a game before season’s end. So his debut in a curly W cap was delayed until this afternoon in the Grapefruit League opener. It wasn’t nearly as big a deal as his official regular season debut in five weeks will be, but the 24-year-old lefty teased everyone just enough in one inning to heighten the anticipation for his starts that actually count.

“I thought it was good,” the understated Gore said. “I thought we were building off what we did in the (live batting practice sessions earlier this week). There are just some things that need to get better, but yeah, I thought it was pretty solid overall.”

JUPITER, Fla. – Anyone interested in playing ball today? Because there’s a ballgame on the schedule this afternoon.

The Nationals open Grapefruit League play with a road game against the Cardinals, and though they aren’t bringing that many regulars on the short trip from West Palm Beach, there are some key names to watch. The top three of Davey Martinez’s lineup, as promised, features CJ Abrams, Luis García and Joey Meneses.

As mentioned earlier, don’t take that as evidence he plans to bat Abrams and García in the top two spots come Opening Day. This is more about getting them two or three at-bats today and getting them out of there. Meneses, of course, probably will be the team’s No. 3 hitter once the season begins.

We’ll also get our first look at Stone Garrett, a hulking outfielder acquired from the Diamondbacks who is trying to make the club coming off the bench. Garrett can produce some big-time power when he makes contact. The trick is actually making contact. We’ll also get a look today at young Jeremy De La Rosa, the 21-year-old prospect who isn’t in the mix for an Opening Day job – he hasn’t even reached Double-A yet – but remains highly touted within the organization.

The most significant person playing today for the Nationals, though, has to be MacKenzie Gore. The left-hander finally makes his team debut after spending the last three months of the 2022 season rehabbing from an elbow injury suffered in San Diego. Gore may only go one inning, but he’ll be facing some big-time St. Louis hitters.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – MacKenzie Gore’s first start in a Nationals uniform will come in the Nationals’ first game of the spring.

Gore has been picked to start Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener against the Cardinals in Jupiter, manager Davey Martinez revealed today. He’s slated to throw 25-30 pitches, perhaps completing only one inning.

“He’s ready,” Martinez said. “He’s thrown multiple (live batting practice sessions against hitters), so he’s ready to go. I’m excited to watch him go out there and pitch.”

It’ll be Gore’s long-awaited first appearance as a member of the Nationals, even if it comes in an exhibition game. The left-hander, who turns 24 on Friday, was one of the marquee prospects acquired from the Padres in last summer’s trade for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, but he spent the rest of the season rehabbing from elbow inflammation.

Gore wound up making four rehab starts at Triple-A Rochester and appeared on track to make his Nats debut during the season’s final week. But the club decided not to bother, worried his arm and body weren’t built back up enough to start what would’ve been a meaningless game at the end of the year.