SEATTLE – The only change the Nationals have made to their rotation through the season’s first two months was related to injury. When Michael Soroka strained his right biceps muscle in his first start of the year, they turned to rookie Brad Lord to make six spot starts until Soroka was ready to return from the IL.

There have been zero moves made as a result of performance so far. But could the club be headed in that direction?

Mitchell Parker’s outing Tuesday night during a 9-1 loss to the Mariners brings that question back to the forefront. The left-hander was roughed up for three home runs in 4 2/3 innings, including back-to-back blasts by Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh in the bottom of the first. And this was merely the latest in a string of rough outings.

It feels like an eternity ago, but Parker opened the season 3-1 with a 1.39 ERA over his first five starts. He put fewer than one batter on base per inning during that stretch while surrendering only one home run.

Since then, it’s been a completely different story. Over his last six starts, Parker is 1-3 with an 8.46 ERA. He has put nearly two batters on base per inning during this stretch while surrendering five total home runs.

SEATTLE – It’s one thing to be aggressive at the plate. It’s quite another thing to have so little success being aggressive at the plate and making no obvious adjustment to reverse that trend.

The Nationals have often shown that unfortunate propensity in recent seasons, and tonight they took it to new (and increasingly agonizing) lengths. During a 9-1 trouncing at the hands of the Mariners, they made quick outs early against Logan Evans, then continued to make quick outs against Seattle’s rookie starter and never did anything to fix it.

By the time Eduard Bazardo completed what Evans started, the Nats ensured tonight would rank among the most futile offensive efforts in club history: They saw 98 total pitches, tied for the 11th fewest they've seen in a nine-inning game over the last 20-plus seasons.

"We're trying to work and see pitches. But when he's like that and you know he's attacking like that, you've got to go up there and be ready to hit," manager Davey Martinez said of Evans, who threw 65 of his 88 pitches for strikes. "You might get just one pitch like that down the middle, and then all of a sudden you're fighting. Tip my cap to him. He kept going out there and kept throwing strikes."

The Nationals nearly failed to draw a walk for the third consecutive game, a distinction they had achieved only once before in club history (September 2016). Josh Bell’s free pass in the top of the eighth finally snapped their streak of impatience at 26 innings.

SEATTLE – The Nationals hope to have Kyle Finnegan available to them for tonight’s series opener against the Mariners, but the closer’s availability was still up in the air as the team took the field this evening for pregame workouts.

Finnegan hasn’t pitched in five days due to shoulder fatigue, a seemingly minor ailment that kept him from taking the mound in the ninth inning of Saturday’s 3-0 victory over the Giants. The Nats lost Sunday’s series finale, so there was no save situation, but it appears their closer would not have been available if they held a lead in the ninth.

Finnegan, who has never spent a day on the injured list in five-plus seasons in the big leagues, expressed confidence the ailment wasn’t serious and believed by mentioning it quickly he avoided any kind of long-term problems. But he still needs to pitch in a game until anyone can say for certainty.

“I’m not going to assume anything until he goes out there and actually throws,” manager Davey Martinez said. “Right now, I have high expectations that he will be able to pitch for us today. But if he doesn’t, we’ll see where he’s at. If he’s better than he was a few days ago, that’s a good sign. If he’s not, then we’ll have to sit down and talk to him and maybe do something else.”

Finnegan was set to throw pregame during batting practice and see how his arm felt. In addition to the physical sensation in his shoulder, the Nationals planned to pay attention to his mechanics for any sign of trouble.

SEATTLE – Hello from the Great Pacific Northwest, where the Nationals are making their bi-annual trip to face the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. It’s the first West Coast trip of the season, with a stop in Arizona coming up this weekend before they head back home.

The Nats come here playing better baseball of late but still quite a bit inconsistent at the plate. After scoring 37 runs during their five-game winning streak against the Orioles and Braves, they scored only five runs while losing two of three last weekend to the Giants. Most notably, they drew zero walks Saturday or Sunday.

This is important, because the Nationals now face a Mariners club that boasts a solid 3.69 ERA as a team. Their bullpen is even better, with a 3.43 ERA. And get this: Seattle is a perfect 21-0 when leading after seven innings this year, 24-0 when leading after eighth. The Nats have shown a propensity for coming from behind late, but this might be the wrong opponent to try to pull off that kind of magic against.

It's Mitchell Parker on the mound tonight, looking to build off a solid start last time out against the Braves. He’ll be opposed by right-hander Logan Evans, who makes the sixth start of his career, having gone 2-1 with a 3.33 ERA through his first five.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SEATTLE MARINERS
Where: T-Mobile Park
Gametime: 9:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 69 degrees, wind 9 mph in from left field

As part of their 20th anniversary celebration, the Nationals invited a number of former players to attend spring training for a few days a piece and serve as guest instructors. The list included familiar faces who have come back frequently over the years (Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Desmond) and some who hadn’t been back at all since retiring (Drew Storen, Danny Espinosa).

Perhaps the ex-National who drew the most attention in West Palm Beach, though, was Jayson Werth. Because while everyone who showed up this spring made a point to say something to the current team, Werth made a point to really say something. Something that appears to have resonated with everyone who was there to hear it.

Two months later, Werth was back at Nationals Park over the weekend, joining Howie Kendrick for the team’s “Mystery Bobblehead” giveaway. He was asked if he could share anything about his spring training speech, and the 46-year-old former outfielder smiled wide and proceeded to tell the story. It’s a bit convoluted, but it makes sense when you get to the end.

Werth began by telling everyone about a critical moment during his playing career: the summer of 2007, when he was an injury-prone 28-year-old trying to make it with the Phillies after previously playing for the Orioles, Blue Jays and Dodgers. Right around the trade deadline that season, starting outfielders Shane Victorino and Michael Bourn both suffered injuries. That opened a spot in the lineup for Werth, who was just coming off the IL himself.

Philadelphia general manager Pat Gillick pulled Werth aside and told him in no uncertain terms this was going to be his last chance to play full-time in the big leagues.

Injuries happen over the course of a 162-game season. There’s no avoiding it. Teams need to be prepared.

Organizational depth plays a key role in a team’s success over the course of the six-month season. You need quality players as backups, ideally ones that play in a similar fashion as the players you hope you don’t, but inevitably do, lose to injury.

So when the Nationals had to place Dylan Crews (left oblique strain) and Jacob Young (left shoulder AC sprain) on the injured list last week, they were happy to have two prospects ready to fill the roster spots.

Robert Hassell III and Daylen Lile, ranked as the Nats’ Nos. 11 and 9 prospects, respectively, per MLB Pipeline, have had their moments in their short stint in the majors so far. The tools that have made them some of the highest-rated prospects in the farm system have been on display in their quick swings, speed on the basepaths and glovework in the outfield.

Sure, they may need more seasoning at the plate. After becoming the first National to record a multi-hit game and a stolen base in his major league debut, Hassell is hitless in his last three games. Lile is 2-for-8 in his first three major league games after only 18 games at Triple-A Rochester.

So far in this series between the Nationals and Giants, one team scores and the other does not. That was the case in each of the first two games that the squads split via shutouts.

Surely, that meant they were destined for more offensive output in Sunday’s finale in front of an announced crowd of 31,581 at Nationals Park, right?

Early on, it seemed that way. But the Nats were unable to overcome an early deficit in an eventual 3-2 loss to the Giants, giving Washington its first series loss in the last three matchups.

After MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin pitched quality starts in the first two games of this three-game set, it was Michael Soroka’s turn to attempt to get deep in the game and give his team a chance at a win.

Soroka cruised through his first inning, throwing seven of eight pitches for strikes. But he labored over the next two frames to bring his pitch count to 60 after just three innings.

The Nationals are still waiting to see if their All-Star closer is available for this afternoon’s series finale against the Giants. If not, they have no problem giving him some more rest before tomorrow’s off-day and the upcoming six-game West Coast road trip.

Kyle Finnegan has been dealing with arm fatigue after pitching two innings in the Nats’ two wins over the Braves earlier this week. The right-hander recorded his 15th save, good for third in the major leagues, with a perfect ninth inning on Tuesday and then was charged with his third blown save after giving up two hits and an unearned run in the ninth of Thursday’s extra-inning victory.

"Just a little arm fatigue after pitching twice against Atlanta,” Finnegan told reporters yesterday after not appearing in the 3-0 win over the Giants. “I just haven't quite bounced back yet. But I feel fine. It's just an abundance of caution, take an extra day."

Neither the closer nor the team feels too concerned about it. Ideally, he would be available to pitch this afternoon. But even if he’s not, the Nats are confident in their other closing candidates like Jorge López, who recorded his first save of the season Saturday.

“Just like fatigue,” Finnegan said. “Some outings you're more sore than others, really no reason why. Just a little more fatigued. But like I said, it's really not something I'm concerned with at all."

After Friday’s shutout loss to end a five-game win streak, the Nationals bounced right back to shut out the Giants yesterday to get back in the win column. They are now winners of seven of their last nine, and if they can win one more this afternoon, they’ll be winners of three straight series ahead of a long West Coast road trip.

Michael Soroka will try to do what MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin did the last two outings: Hold the Giants lineup to minimal damage and pitch deep into the game. The right-hander enters his fifth start with a 1-2 record, 5.95 ERA and 1.271 WHIP.

Meanwhile, the Nats bats will try to do something few have accomplished this season: Get to Robbie Ray. The veteran left-hander is undefeated at 6-0 with a 2.67 ERA and 1.221 WHIP over his 10 starts. The Giants have only lost one game Ray has started this year, his most recent one in which he pitched seven shutout innings against the Royals.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 68 degrees, wind 10 mph in from left field

Whatever concern there may have been a few weeks ago about Jake Irvin and his surprisingly sudden inability to strike guys out, feel free to ignore that.

Two strong outings later, Irvin has put any fears to rest. And then some after today’s brilliant outing at Nationals Park.

With eight scoreless innings, Irvin dominated the Giants with relentless efficiency. And thanks to James Wood’s two-run blast in the bottom of the first and Robert Hassell III’s first career RBI in the seventh, the Nationals coasted to a 3-0 win before an enthusiastic crowd of 36,873 that came to see Jayson Werth and Howie Kendrick on their bobblehead day and departed with a rousing victory to celebrate as well, one that was completed a scant 1 hour, 52 minutes.

"It was sweet," Irvin said. "Nats Park was freaking packed. Fans came out. You can feel that energy, and we fed off of it."

Irvin was in peak form all afternoon, recording strikeouts when given the opportunity but more importantly recording quick outs when San Francisco’s hitters were aggressively putting everything in play.

Friday night’s series opener was one to forget. MacKenzie Gore was great but had to depart in the seventh when his left leg tightened up, five innings after he was struck by a comebacker. The Nationals bullpen quickly gave up four runs after the starter left. The lineup did nothing all night against Landen Roupp and the Giants bullpen. And so the five-game winning streak ended.

The Nats will try to bounce back this afternoon and not let this devolve into a losing streak, hoping for a better offensive showing against Kyle Harrison. The left-hander has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen so far this season, but with Justin Verlander hurt, San Francisco needs a spot starter and is turning to Harrison, who did make 31 big league starts the last two seasons. That includes a pair of outings last year against the Nationals, during which he allowed five runs over 10 2/3 innings, striking out 11 without issuing any walks.

Jake Irvin gets the start for the Nats, and he’s coming off a really sharp one at Camden Yards in which he allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings to earn his third win of the season. Most impressive, Irvin rediscovered his swing-and-miss stuff, getting six strikeouts after totaling only three across his previous three starts. That’ll be something to watch today.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 70 degrees, wind 15 mph left to right field

GIANTS
RF Mike Yastrzemski
LF Heliot Ramos
RF Jung Hoo Lee
DH Wilmer Flores
3B Matt Chapman
SS Willy Adames
1B LaMonte Wade
C Patrick Bailey
2B Tyler Fitzgerald

The Nationals managed to overcome injuries to Dylan Crews and Jacob Young, both by winning the games each departed and by having more outfield prospects ready to be called up to take their place.

It may be too much to ask for them to adequately overcome their latest potential injury loss: MacKenzie Gore. Though the early indication suggests it's not serious.

A brilliant start by Gore tonight ended on a decidedly sour note when the left-hander departed mid-batter in the top of the seventh after throwing an errant fastball and grimacing in some type of discomfort. He had not surrendered a run to that point, but he still wound up charged with the loss when the Nats bullpen gave up a quartet of late runs while falling 4-0 to the Giants, snapping the team’s five-game winning streak.

The Nationals do not provide in-game injury updates, so it was impossible to know what exactly caused Gore to come out following his 91st pitch until postgame. The lefty did appear to be telling Davey Martinez "I'm fine, I'm fine" as his manager approached him, and he returned to the dugout instead of heading directly to the trainer’s room, for what that’s worth.

The postgame revelation: Gore's upper left leg tightened up on him five innings after he was struck by a Willy Adames comebacker, an incident that left an impressive welt on his thigh but should not keep him from making his next start.

For the second straight day, a top outfield prospect is making his major league debut for the Nationals after one of the team’s young Opening Day regulars landed on the injured list.

Only 24 hours following Robert Hassell III’s first big league game, Daylen Lile is set to take the field for the first time, the 22-year-old promoted from Triple-A Rochester this afternoon when Jacob Young was placed on the 10-day IL with a sprained left shoulder.

Lile, a second-round pick in the 2021 Draft, has been touted by scouts and club officials alike for several years but was previously hampered by injuries and only reached Triple-A three weeks ago. After tearing up the International League to the tune of a .361/.432/.514 slash line in 18 games, though, he got the call to come to D.C.

How did Lile make it up the organizational ladder so fast?

“Just staying true to myself, staying consistent, staying on my routine,” he said, “knowing that I could possibly make my debut at some point this season. Everywhere I went, my feet were there, and I tried not to rush anything. But, I mean, it came a lot quicker than I thought.”

The Nationals, suddenly, are flying high. After suffering a seven-game losing streak just last week, they’ve now won six of their last seven, including five straight entering tonight’s weekend series opener against the Giants. And for the second night in a row, they’ve got a touted young outfielder set to make his major league debut.

One night after Robert Hassell III got the spotlight, Daylen Lile now joins him. With Jacob Young placed on the 10-day injured list with an AC sprain in his left shoulder, Lile got the call from Triple-A Rochester (where he was slashing .361/.432/.514 in only 18 games since his promotion from Double-A Harrisburg). The club’s second-round pick in the 2021 Draft, he’s young but an exciting player who hits and runs well.

MacKenzie Gore gets the ball for the Nationals, seeking a far more efficient outing than his last one. Despite allowing only two runs to the Orioles, Gore gave up 10 hits and two walks while striking out nine and threw a whopping 102 pitches in only 3 2/3 innings. After the bullpen needed to go 6 1/3 innings Thursday night in the 8-7 win over the Braves, the Nats need length out of Gore tonight.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 65 degrees, wind 14 mph left to right field

GIANTS
LF Heliot Ramos
CF Jung Hoo Lee
3B Matt Chapman
DH Wilmer Flores
SS Willy Adames
1B Casey Schmitt
RF Mike Yastrzemski
C Patrick Bailey
2B Tyler Fitzgerald

The moment was uplifting on its own merits, Keibert Ruiz ripping an RBI double down the right field line in the bottom of the first Thursday night to drive in the Nationals’ first run of the game. But upon reaching second base, the 26-year-old catcher immediately looked toward the stands behind home plate, flashed a wide smile and waved at the group that was simultaneously cheering and crying at what just happened.

Jose and Leidis Ruiz have followed their son’s career every step of the way, providing him every opportunity they could in their native Venezuela to learn and play baseball, get signed by the Dodgers as a teenager, then make his major league debut in Los Angeles in 2020, get traded to the Nationals in 2021 and sign a $50 million contract extension in 2023.

But Thursday, remarkably, represented the first time they had been able to watch him play any ballgame, at any level, in person since 2015 when Ruiz first began as a professional with the Dodgers’ Dominican Summer League club.

“I can’t believe it,” Ruiz said following the Nats’ 8-7, 10-inning win over the Braves. “They had to wait for, what, maybe 10-11 years to see me play for the first time, even here in the big leagues. That’s amazing. I can’t describe it.”

It’s not like the Ruiz family hadn’t been trying all this time to watch him in person. They applied for travel visas on five separate occasions over the last decade and were denied each of the first four attempts. Finally, last week they got the news they worried they might never receive and made preparations to fly to Washington for the first time.

It would’ve been a bit too easy had the Nationals simply closed out tonight’s game without any bullpen drama. So they decided to make their fifth consecutive win a bit more exciting.

Despite Kyle Finnegan’s blown save in the top of the ninth – one made possible by a José Tena fielding error – the Nats came back to walk off the Braves on Amed Rosario’s sharp single to left in the bottom of the 10th.

With Robert Hassell III (making his major league debut) serving as the automatic runner to begin the inning, Alex Call put down a perfect sacrifice bunt to put the rookie 90 feet away. Rosario (making his first appearance since suffering a nasty cut near his left knee six days ago that required stitches) turned on a 1-1 changeup from left-hander Dylan Lee and ripped a single to left, allowing Hassell to race home with the winning run to cap a memorable debut.

"It felt great," said Hassell, who became the first player in club history with two hits and a stolen base in his big league debut. "Truly the most important thing is we got the W. It feels amazing to win."

Finnegan took the mound with a one-run lead in hand, hoping to finish off what was shaping up to be an impressive bullpen effort that already included 4 1/3 innings of one-run (unearned) ball. The Nats' closer did get himself into trouble with a leadoff single, but after inducing a popout, he got Austin Riley to hit a sharp grounder to third for what could’ve been a game-ending, 5-4-3 double play. Alas, Tena couldn’t get a handle on the ball, leaving everybody safe and prolonging the game.

A doctor’s review of the MRI taken on Dylan Crews confirmed the club’s initial diagnosis of a left oblique strain, but manager Davey Martinez could not offer anything resembling a timetable for the Nationals rookie to return.

Crews, who already had been dealing with a sore lower back and left side for about a week, experienced additional pain on a check-swing attempt in the fifth inning Tuesday night against the Braves. He was placed on the 10-day injured list the following afternoon, with top outfield prospect Robert Hassell III called up from Triple-A Rochester to take his roster spot.

The timetable for oblique strains varies from player to player and based on the severity of each injury. Nationals first baseman/designated hitter Andrés Chaparro suffered a left oblique strain during batting practice March 14 prior to a spring training game and tonight is finally beginning a rehab assignment with Rochester after going 4-for-15 with a double and a homer in five rehab games for the Nats’ rookie-level Florida Complex League team.

Asked how Crews’ injury compares to Chaparro’s ailment, Martinez redirected his answer to compliment Crews’ physical and mental makeup.

“I’ll be honest with you: When I played, I didn’t even know what an oblique was,” the manager said. “Every guy is different. He’s a very strong kid, I know that. He’s going to work diligently to get back as soon as possible. But we want to make sure that when he does come back, this doesn’t become a problem for him. Hopefully sooner than later, but we’re going to give him as much time as he needs to get him ready.”

Let’s give this another try, shall we? After Wednesday night’s game was rained out, the Nationals and Braves will attempt to play their series finale as scheduled this evening, though there is again some rain in the forecast (more so early than late, so that should hopefully help matters).

It’s the same pitching matchup that was supposed to take the mound Wednesday, with Trevor Williams starting for the Nats and AJ Smith-Shawver starting for the Braves. The bullpens, of course, will be well refreshed and available for as much work as needed. Perhaps that plays into Davey Martinez’s hands, allowing him to pull Williams after five innings regardless of results, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Robert Hassell III has had a chance to process his first major league promotion for more than 24 hours now, so he should be good and ready to go come 6:45 p.m. He made a point to shag a bunch of fly balls in both center and right fields Wednesday afternoon to start getting a feel for the perspective here at Nationals Park. Of course, there’s nothing like the real thing, and you can’t simulate that.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 60 degrees, wind 8 mph out to right field

BRAVES
LF Alex Verdugo
3B Austin Riley
1B Matt Olson
DH Marcell Ozuna
C Drake Baldwin
2B Ozzie Albies
RF Eli White
CF Michael Harris II
SS Nick Allen

The Nationals are promoting their top prospect up a level in their minor league system.

Travis Sykora, the No. 1 prospect in the Nats system and No. 61 overall per MLB Pipeline, is being promoted to High-A Wilmington, a source confirms.

Sykora dominated Single-A once again following his return from offseason hip surgery. He held opponents to one hit, one run and one walk while striking out 14 in just five innings over two starts with the Fredericksburg Nationals.

It was an easy return to form for the 21-year-old, who the Nats selected out of high school in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft. The 6-foot-6 righty was named Carolina League Pitcher of the Year in 2024 after going 5-3 with a 2.33 ERA, 0.906 WHIP, 129 strikeouts and 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings across 20 starts.

He also dominated in the playoffs to help the FredNats win their first championship since moving to Fredericksburg in 2020.

When the Nationals face the Braves tonight following Wednesday’s rainout, Robert Hassell III will take the field for the first time as a big leaguer. When he looks to his right from his outfield position, he’ll see James Wood. When he looks in toward the middle infield, he’ll see CJ Abrams. And watching from the dugout will be MacKenzie Gore, who on Friday night will take the mound to start the series opener against the Giants.

Those four players have long been connected, four of the five prospects the Nats acquired from the Padres in the August 2022 Juan Soto/Josh Bell trade. Nearly three years later, they’re all in the big leagues together. (Right-hander Jarlin Susana, the fifth prospect, is currently on the injured list after making five starts for Double-A Harrisburg to begin the season.)

“It’s awesome,” Hassell said. “I think that’s the best-case scenario in a lot of people’s eyes. It was a big trade, and everybody had high expectations for us. I’m glad to be in the same place, in ‘The Show.’”

Abrams was first to arrive, shortly after the trade. Gore was injured but made his Nationals debut in April 2023. Wood made it in July 2024. All three are now playing at an All-Star level, with Abrams ranking eighth in the majors with a .940 OPS, Wood tied for fifth in the National League with 12 homers and Gore leading the entire sport with 84 strikeouts.

Hassell, believe it or not, was just as highly regarded as any of them at the time of the deal, maybe more so. He boasted an .846 OPS in high Single-A upon getting traded and ranked anywhere from the 26th to the 37th best prospect in baseball.