The second half schedule afforded the Nationals the option of waiting a while before using their fifth starter. They’ve decided, though, to go ahead and use him now.

The Nats will send that yet-to-be-announced starter to the mound Tuesday against the Padres in what is actually the team’s fourth game coming out of the All-Star break. That pushes left-hander Mitchell Parker back to Wednesday’s game, with Patrick Corbin (who started Friday night’s second half opener) pitching Thursday’s series finale against San Diego.

The presence of an off-day on the schedule this week gave the Nationals some room to maneuver if they wished. They don’t actually need a fifth starter until Saturday’s game in St. Louis, the eighth game coming out of the break.

But rather than offer all of the extra rest to one pitcher, the club decided to give others (especially Parker) an extra day before taking the mound.

“Exactly, that’s what it boils down to,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We want to try to give these guys as much rest as we possibly can. Some of these guys are going to pitch a lot more than they have in the past, so we’re trying to just stretch this out a little bit.”

The Nationals have already won back-to-back series. Now they have a shot at a rare series sweep if they can beat the Reds again in this afternoon’s finale.

Though they’ve somehow managed to win a pair of games in the last week in which their starter didn’t even reach the third inning, that’s probably not a formula for sustained success. So it would behoove Jake Irvin to be good today, and to give his team some length so Davey Martinez doesn’t have rely too heavily on a bullpen that’s already worn down only two games into the second half of the season.

Irvin is coming off back-to-back rough starts, though, which took some of the luster off his breakthrough first half. The right-hander’s issue in those games against the Mets and Brewers: He was hit hard, to the tune of 13 runs on 18 hits over 10 innings. That was a pretty stark drop-off after back-to-back starts in which he surrendered only one hit.

The Nationals face another left-hander today in Andrew Abbott. He’s been solid in 40 career starts, but the Nats did get to him for six runs in 5 2/3 innings last August in Cincinnati. The University of Virginia alum has walked 22 batters over his last 37 1/3 innings, so patience is a virtue against him this afternoon.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. CINCINNATI REDS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 89 degrees, wind 5 mph out to left field

That the Nationals had to ask for at least seven innings from their bullpen for the second time in four games was aggravating. That they somehow were still in position to win another one of these games was absolutely remarkable.

And yet here the Nats were once again, forced to turn to the bullpen early after an extra-abbreviated outing from their starter. And here they were once again finding a way to emerge victorious at the end of the night, storming back from an early deficit created by MacKenzie Gore to beat the Reds, 5-4.

"Well, that was a grind," manager Davey Martinez sighed. "The boys played hard. They played with their heart."

They pulled it off by chipping away at Cincinnati’s early lead, scoring two runs in the first, one in the fourth, one in the seventh and one more in the eighth on Jacob Young’s clutch two-out RBI single.

And they pulled it off thanks to another brilliant performance by a relief corps asked to work overtime after Gore lasted only two laborious innings.

Cade Cavalli hoped all along to make his return from Tommy John surgery in June. And if not June, at least by July. But as the clock continues to tick and the right-hander still finds himself waiting to restart the latest phase of his extensive rehab program, it has become clear the Nationals are only going to be able to get a handful of big league starts out of their 2020 first-round pick before season’s end.

Cavalli, who had elbow ligament replacement surgery in March 2023, has made only three official minor league rehab starts, none since June 21 for Single-A Wilmington. In the month since that outing – he tossed three scoreless, hitless innings – he has been sidetracked both by the flu and a period in which he experienced “dead arm” when he threw.

The dead arm period, which manager Davey Martinez revealed for the first time today, prompted the Nats to further delay Cavalli’s throwing progression.

“We just wanted to keep him down, and honestly slow him down a little bit,” Martinez said. “He had that dead arm for a little while. And him being sick, we just didn’t want to push him. … It’s one of those things, he’s so young and he’s a big part of our future. We want to make sure we do everything right for the kid. We talked to him. He was in agreement. He wanted to take a little bit of a break, and then we’ll go from there.”

Cavalli, who turns 26 next month, remains in D.C. with the Nationals. He’s scheduled to go to West Palm Beach, Fla., next week and start his progression all over again, throwing off flat ground, then off a mound, then against live hitters before he goes on another rehab assignment.

Though it got way more interesting in the top of the ninth than it needed to be, the Nationals’ 8-5 victory over the Reds on Friday night was a very good way for them to open the second half of the season. They got sustained offense, including a pair of home runs from two positions where they’ve desperately needed more offense. They got a very good start out of Patrick Corbin. And they actually supported him for a change and earned him his first win since May 10.

Now there’s an opportunity to clinch a weekend series win and really get the second half to a positive start. It starts with MacKenzie Gore, who needs some positive performances himself right now. The left-hander allowed four or more runs in four of his last five starts, turning a 3.26 ERA into a 4.01 ERA at the break. He’s got to be more efficient and give himself a chance to go deep in the game, especially after the Nats used five relievers to pull off Friday’s win.

The Nationals lineup faces the Reds’ Nick Lodolo, who put together a very solid first half of his own, going 8-3 with a 3.33 ERA and 1.123 WHIP. The left-hander is facing the Nats for only the second time in his career, and the previous start took place back in 2022, when he allowed three runs over seven innings to a lineup that included a top four of César Hernández, Joey Meneses, Luke Voit and Nelson Cruz. Not a lot to be drawn from that performance.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. CINCINNATI REDS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Rain ending, 80 degrees, wind 9 mph out to left field

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

It was a busy return from the All-Star break for the Nationals on Friday.

Josiah Gray announced a partial tear in his right ulnar collateral ligament that will require season-ending surgery. First-round pick Seaver King and third-round pick Kevin Bazzell officially signed their contracts and were introduced as Nationals for the first time. And the Nats started the second half with an 8-5 win over the Reds that had some early fireworks and late dramatics.

With all the pregame news, some things said by long-time general manager Mike Rizzo were left by the wayside. But they were no less important for the Nationals in the grand scheme of things.

Rizzo spoke to members of the local media for 12 minutes after introducing two of his top four selections from this year’s draft. The topics varied, but in the spirit of the draft celebrations, started with the trade Rizzo made a week ago today to add another pick in the first night of the draft.

In a surprising move at the time, the Nationals traded right-hander Hunter Harvey to the Royals for third base prospect Cayden Wallace and a Competitive Balance A pick, which happened to be No. 39 overall. The Nats used that pick to select catcher Caleb Lomavita out of Cal.

The Nationals seemed refreshed coming back from the All-Star break. Although they had just received the news that Josiah Gray will need elbow surgery to end his season, the team was in high spirits in the clubhouse before the second-half opener against the Reds, especially with first-round pick Seaver King and third-rounder Kevin Bazzell officially signing their contracts and spending time with the team.

After ending the first half by losing six of their last eight games, the Nats were looking to start the second half on the right foot. They were able to do so by putting their offensive struggles behind them and exploding for an 8-5 win over the Reds in front of a sellout crowd of 38,402, most of whom were sticking around for the Carly Rae Jepsen postgame concert.

The first challenge for the bats out of the break was Frankie Montas, who spun six shutout innings against them for a win on Opening Day. But this was a very different Nats lineup than the one the veteran right-hander faced in Cincinnati back in March.

Joey Meneses, Joey Gallo and Eddie Rosario were not on the lineup card. James Wood, Juan Yepez and Trey Lipscomb were. And the new faces certainly made a difference.

Wood got things going after Jesse Winker walked and Yepez singled ahead of him in the fourth. The rookie pulled an inside cutter from Montas to drive in two runs with a single to right and give the Nats a 2-1 lead. The second run scored without a play at the plate because Rece Hinds' throw home hit the 6-foot-7 outfielder in the back at first base, bringing some laughs from Wood and the Nats dugout.

The Nationals returned from the All-Star break in high spirits. Everyone seemed to enjoy the much-needed week off after a brutal stretch to end the first half of the season.

But the vibes in the clubhouse took a turn when the team received some unfortunate, though not totally unexpected, news: Josiah Gray has a partial tear of his right UCL and will require elbow surgery, ending his season and delaying his start to next year.

The right-hander experienced elbow discomfort during his last rehab start on June 30 with Triple-A Rochester, so the Nationals shut him down and scheduled an MRI and a consultation with specialist Keith Meister during the All-Star break.

The results were what they feared the most.

“It got looked at by Dr. Meister over the All-Star break and we found a little partial tear in UCL. So we're gonna opt for elbow surgery here,” Gray said in front of his locker in the Nats clubhouse before the second-half opener against the Reds. “It's gonna, obviously, end the year for me. I got a long road ahead, but that was kind of what the doctor saw and we got that opinion from him and we're kind of going to hit the ground running.”

Welcome to the unofficial second half of the 2024 season! Hope everyone enjoyed the All-Star break (was it really a break, though?) and is ready to get back to baseball. The Nationals ended the first half at 44-53 after taking two of three from the Brewers in Milwaukee. Although they are fourth in the National League East and six games out of a wild card spot, they are five games better than they were through 97 games last year.

The Nats will begin the second half like they did the first half: against the Reds.

Patrick Corbin makes the first start of the second half for Davey Martinez’s club. Through his 19 first-half starts, the left-hander went 1-9 with a 5.57 ERA. Corbin, who turns 35 today, was charged with four runs in 4 ⅓ innings against the Reds in the second game of the season, which the Nats eventually won 7-6.

Frankie Montas opposes the birthday boy for the Reds. The veteran right-hander went 4-7 with a 4.38 ERA in 17 first-half starts. He pitched six shutout innings against the Nats in an Opening Day win. But this will be a very different lineup than the one Montas faced back in March, with Joey Meneses, Joey Gallo and Eddie Rosario not in it.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. CINCINNATI REDS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 85 degrees, wind 7 mph out to left field

The MLB Draft is special for any young player selected. This week, 615 players from the high school and college ranks were drafted by the 30 major league teams to start their professional careers. Dreams came true this week.

It is especially special when a player is drafted by a local team, meaning he can stay close to home near friends and family.

Luke Johnson is a 6-foot-1, 195-pound right-hander out of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County who the Nationals selected with their 10th-round pick, No. 290 overall.

The 22-year-old is native of Lewes, Del., and went to Cape Henlopen High School, just a couple of hours east of Washington, D.C. He then played three years of college ball at UMBC, just 45 minutes up the road from Nationals Park.

Johnson started his college career as a two-way player at UMBC. He slashed .250/.313/.386 with a .699 OPS, seven doubles, one triple, three home runs and 24 RBIs in 97 games over his first three seasons while playing all over the field. And although he did take three at-bats, he made the transformation as a full-time pitcher for his senior season.

The Nationals will open next season at home against a familiar foe.

Major League Baseball unveiled its 2025 schedule this afternoon, with the Nats hosting the Phillies on Opening Day, which falls on March 27. This will be the third time they’ve faced Philadelphia to open a season, though the first time since 2010.

After the three-game series against their division rivals, the Nationals go north of the border for a quick trip to face the Blue Jays in Toronto before coming right back home for six games against the Diamondbacks and Dodgers.

The Nats will embark on a pair of three-city trips, one of them crisscrossing the country, the other taking them to the three big league ballparks in Southern California. They make the unconventional Miami-Pittsburgh-Colorado trip from April 11-20, then have the more manageable Los Angeles-San Diego-Anaheim trio from June 20-29.

There are no three-series homestands on the schedule.

The All-Star Game has come and gone, but we’ve still got one more day left in the All-Star break. No baseball will be played today. Come back Friday evening for that, when the Nationals open of a six-game homestand against the Reds and Padres.

The halfway point of the season has already long since come and gone. The Nats have played 97 games, so remarkably there are only 65 left. But this will be the start of the ceremonial second half of the season, and there is plenty to still take place before the 2024 campaign is over.

Here’s a look at the top storylines the Nationals figure to face over the next 2 1/2 months …

HOW GOOD IS WOOD?
James Wood has now spent two weeks in the big leagues, and there was a big difference between those two weeks. Week 1 saw the top prospect take the world by storm, crushing balls well over 100 mph, drawing six walks with only seven strikeouts and producing a .320/.452/.480 slash line. Week 2 saw the league start to figure him out and saw Wood start to get out of his comfort zone, striking out 13 times without drawing a walk and slashing .179/.207/.179. It’s far too soon to draw any real conclusions, but 2 1/2 months from now, we should have a really good idea just how good Wood is. Can he make the necessary adjustments at the plate and start consistently squaring up the ball again? Can he start to look more comfortable in left field? Is he ready to be the face of this franchise, or is that process going to take a bit more time?

CAN THE YOUNG PITCHING HOLD UP?
There was so much to like about the Nationals’ young starting pitchers from April through June, but we started to see some cracks in the foundation the last two weeks. The question: Are these guys starting to wear down, and is that going to continue in the second half? It would not be surprising if that happens to the least experienced of the group, Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz. But MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin have been through this before, and both should know how to right their ships and stay strong through September. It’s going to be a real test for these guys, but it’s going to inform us a lot about their long-term viability.

The All-Star break offers a time for reflection, a chance to hit the pause button and consider everything that’s happened over the last 3 1/2 months. It’s a lot easier to think about the big picture when you don’t have a game to worry about from the night before or another coming the following day.

And when you take a step back and consider the big picture, you find a lot to be pleased about the Nationals’ first half of the season. There were breakthrough performances, the arrival of several rookies including one of the top prospects in the sport and ultimately a better record (44-53) than at this same point one year ago (39-58).

Which isn’t to say everything went swimmingly in NatsTown. There were disappointing performances from a number of players, disruptive injuries and sloppy play at times. This is a team that felt at times like it could be good enough to win more games than it lost, but the record suggests there’s still a way to go before that feels plausible.

So before we move on to what could be a very entertaining – and newsworthy – second half, let’s look back at the things that went right for the Nationals in the first half and the things that went wrong …

RIGHT: THE YOUNG STARTING PITCHERS
Even the most optimistic club official or fan couldn’t have predicted how well the quartet of Jake Irvin, MacKenzie Gore, Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz would pitch. (Many wouldn’t have even predicted Parker and Herz would be in the big leagues to begin with.) But this turned into the most important story of the first half. Combine their stats, and those four young starters delivered a 3.91 ERA and 1.238 WHIP while issuing only 2.5 walks per nine innings and surrendered slightly more than one homer per nine innings. And those numbers looked even better a couple weeks ago, before all four labored in their final outings leading up to the break. If they can return refreshed and get back to what they did throughout April, May and June, the Nats will have the makings of a strong rotation for years to come.

The Nationals conclude the 2024 MLB Draft today with 10 selections.

Through their first 11 picks, the Nats have selected three shortstops, two catchers, an outfielder, a third baseman and four pitchers (three righties and one lefty). Shortstop Luke Dickerson, the second-round pick, is the only high school player so far.

Just like yesterday, this post will be updated throughout the afternoon, so be sure to check back in to read up on the Nats’ 2024 draft class.

Update: With their 11th-round pick (No. 320 overall), the Nats selected left-hander Merritt Beeker from Ball State.

Beeker, 22, transferred from East Carolina before his junior year at Ball State. This season he went 9-3 with a 4.11 ERA, 1.222 WHIP, nine home runs, 32 walks and 128 strikeouts (4:1 K/BB ratio) over 15 starts. His 128 strikeouts over 81 innings were good enough to rank seventh in Division I baseball and for a 14.2 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate.

Eleven people have caught at least 100 games for the Nationals during their 20 seasons of existence in D.C., and that list includes a wide range of names and track records. There have been offensive-minded guys (Wilson Ramos, Kurt Suzuki). There have been defense-first guys (Jose Lobaton, Wil Nieves). There have been seasoned veterans who came here late in their careers (Ivan Rodriguez, Yan Gomes, Matt Wieters). There have been promising young players who came into their own here (Keibert Ruiz, Riley Adams, Jesus Flores).

What there have not been, however, are any true homegrown catchers. Of those 11 players who caught at least 100 games for the Nationals, only Brian Schneider was homegrown, and he was drafted by the Expos way back in 1995, a decade before the franchise relocated.

The most games caught by someone who was initially signed by the Nats: 80, by Pedro Severino, signed as a teenager out of the Dominican Republic in 2010. The most games caught by someone who was drafted by the Nats: 47, by Tres Barrera, their sixth round pick in 2016.

It’s not necessarily because the Nationals have done a bad job developing homegrown catchers. It’s because they’ve barely acquired any homegrown catchers in the first place. From 2005-23, they never used a first or second round pick on a catcher. They used only one third round pick (Jakson Reetz, 2014), two fourth round picks (Brady Lindsly, 2020; Derek Norris, 2007) and two fifth round picks (Spencer Kieboom, 2012; Adrian Nieto, 2008).

(Yes, technically speaking, Bryce Harper was a catcher when the Nats made him the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft. But they immediately turned him into an outfielder and never once let him don the tools of ignorance during his eight seasons in the organization.)

Kyle Finnegan is an All-Star after all.

Finnegan was added to the National League’s squad late this afternoon, replacing Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley barely more than 24 hours before first pitch of the Midsummer Classic in Arlington, Texas, and after all the other players already held their media availabilities at Globe Life Field.

The right-hander, who fortunately makes his home in Texas, will join shortstop CJ Abrams in representing the Nationals during Tuesday night’s game, giving the team multiple All-Stars for the first time since 2021. Both are first-time All-Stars.

Finnegan had a strong case to be included on the roster all along. His 25 saves rank second (to Helsley’s 32) in the NL, and his 1.98 ERA when the initial selections were made ranked third among NL closers. (That number has since jumped to 2.45 after two rough outings last week.)

The NL players and coaches, who vote for All-Star pitchers, wound up selecting two Phillies relievers (Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm) and Padres closer Robert Suarez (22 saves, 1.67 ERA). Major League Baseball then added Helsley and Marlins closer Tanner Scott, ensuring both of their teams were represented in the game.

After a busy and exciting first day, the Nationals continue the 2024 MLB Draft with Rounds 3-10 this afternoon.

The Nats made three picks over the first two rounds last night: Shortstop Seaver King out of Wake Forest at No. 10 overall, catcher Caleb Lomavita out of Cal at No. 39 overall (the pick they received from the Royals as part of the Hunter Harvey trade) and shortstop Luke Dickerson from Morris Knolls (N.J.) High School at No. 44 overall.

“We were able to meet with all three guys at the Combine,” said new assistant director and national crosschecker of amateur scouting Reed Dunn over Zoom last night. “We were able to speak with all three during the year. And we really felt that we weren’t just getting three really good players, we were getting three really good people.”

The search for more good players and people continues today. The Nats will make eight picks Tuesday, starting with No. 79 overall in the third round. After the new draft lottery rules meant they couldn’t pick in the top 10 in the first round, all subsequent rounds are back to the traditional order of worst-to-first. So the Nats will pick fifth in each round for the remainder of the Draft.

This post will be updated throughout the day with the Nationals’ selections, so be sure to check back in!

Watch the video of Seaver King watching commissioner Rob Manfred announce him as the No. 10 pick in the MLB Draft, and you quickly understand how meaningful this moment was for the 21-year-old.

King, who only received an offer coming out Athens Christian High School in Georgia from Division II Wingate, then parlayed two dominant seasons there into one season at powerhouse Wake Forest, was now considered the 10th best player in the country, drafted by the Nationals on Sunday night.

Surrounded by friends and family cheering him on, King hugged his parents, then broke down for a moment and had to compose himself, perhaps not yet truly believing what happened.

“If you asked me three years ago if I would’ve been in the draft, period, I would’ve said probably not, let alone be a top-10 pick and be in an organization that values development as much as they do,” he said in a Zoom session with reporters a little while later. “I think it’s just surreal. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m glad I didn’t know it was going to happen, because it’s just kind of better that way.”

King wasn’t a name associated with the Nationals in the days leading up to the draft. He expected to be taken several spots lower in the first round. In the end, it shouldn’t have come as that much surprise, because he’s been defying the odds on the baseball field for some time now.

MILWAUKEE – Given the choice between drafting one of the best high school players in the country or a more experienced player from a top college program, the Nationals tonight went with experience, not to mention versatility.

The Nats selected Wake Forest’s Seaver King with the 10th overall pick in the MLB Draft, choosing a talented player who spent time at four different positions this season for the Demon Deacons after previously dominating at the Division II level.

They then used the pick they got Saturday night from the Royals in the Hunter Harvey trade on Cal catcher Caleb Lomavita before using their second-round pick on New Jersey high school shortstop Luke Dickerson.

In announcing the first-round pick live from the MLB All-Star Game in Texas, commissioner Rob Manfred called King a shortstop. The Nationals then announced him through their social media feeds as a third baseman/outfielder. Wherever he winds up playing in the field, he could find himself on a fast track to D.C.

King, 21, hit .308 with 16 homers, 64 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, a .377 on-base percentage and .954 OPS in 60 games at Wake Forest. A right-handed batter and thrower, he played 36 games at third base, 21 in center field, 10 at shortstop and two at second base.

MILWAUKEE – In a first half packed with encouraging, unexpected performances from the Nationals’ young pitchers, Jake Irvin stood at the top of the pack.

More than anyone else on the staff, the 27-year-old took the kind of forward strides that forced any skeptics out there to reconsider how he might just fit into the long-term plan, looking far more like a frontline starter than a back-end innings-eater.

Two bad starts to close out the half – capped by today’s slog during a 9-3 loss to the Brewers – don’t diminish everything Irvin did the previous three months. But they will leave a bit of a sour taste in the right-hander’s mouth as he heads home for the All-Star break.

"Look at the big picture, and see that it was a good first half," he said. "But just let these last two starts be a reminder that there's still work to be done. And we're going to get better and move forward with this."

One of the National League’s most consistently effective starters so far this season, worthy of an All-Star selection even though he didn’t get one, Irvin was roughed up for seven runs (six earned) in only four innings this afternoon. That came on the heels of a six-run outing last week against the Mets, these two duds turning Irvin’s 2.80 ERA into a 3.49 ERA in short order.