Coming into the season, the Nationals believed speed would be one of the strongest assets to their young lineup.

Now officially past the halfway point of the season, it hasn’t been as effective as they might have hoped.

Did you know up until last week Victor Robles was still the team’s leader in stolen bases? The speedy outfielder has only played 36 games this season, missed 34 in May and June with a back injury and is currently on his second stint on the injured list. CJ Abrams swiped one in San Diego and one in Seattle to overtake him 79 games into the season.

Entering Sunday’s finale against the Phillies, the Nationals ranked as one of the worst teams in terms of stealing bases in the major leagues. They had only stolen 43 bases in 56 attempts, which were 25th in the majors and 13th in the National League. That equated to a 76.8 percent success rate, which ranked 22nd in the majors and 12th in the National League.

They were only stealing 0.68 bags per game, 26th in the big leagues and 13th in the NL.

Facing baseball’s hottest team, the Nationals turned to four of their least-experienced pitchers tonight, then watched as Jake Irvin, Jordan Weems, Joe La Sorsa and Amos Willingham did everything in their power to minimize damage and give their teammates a chance to beat the Reds.

Presented with that opportunity, the Nats lineup faltered, leaving the biggest crowd of the season on South Capitol Street to watch a postgame fireworks show frustrated following a 3-2 loss.

The game was there for the taking all night long, if only somebody standing at the plate in a Nationals uniform was willing to take it. Alas, they managed only hit with a man in scoring position, misfiring just about every time they had a shot at tying the game or even taking the lead.

"We were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. That hurt us from the first inning on," manager Davey Martinez said. "I talk about it all the time: Drive in that runner from third with less than two outs. We've got to find a way to do that. It's a different ballgame if we do that."

Returning home from a highly successful, 6-3 trip to San Diego, Seattle and Philadelphia, the Nats reverted back to the form that has plagued them all year long in this ballpark. They are now an inexplicable 13-28 at home, worst in the National League despite a very respectable 21-22 record on the road.

After spending the majority of the season to date with zero left-handers in their bullpen, the Nationals are going to keep two for the time being after making another roster move today, but not the one that seemed the likeliest.

With Patrick Corbin returning from the bereavement list, the Nats placed Thaddeus Ward on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, keeping both Jose A. Ferrer and Joe La Sorsa in a bullpen that suddenly includes two lefties.

Ferrer just made his major league debut Saturday after his promotion from Triple-A Rochester. The 23-year-old pitched a scoreless inning against the Phillies, then did it again during Sunday’s 5-4 victory. He’ll now get a chance to stay and prove he can enjoy continued success at this level.

“He’s throwing the ball well,” manager Davey Martinez said. “The biggest thing I like is he’s throwing strikes. It’s something I talked to him about when he got here: ‘It doesn’t matter how hard you throw, or what you throw. It’s about throwing strike one.’ And so far, he’s done that.”

La Sorsa, who made two appearances for the Rays earlier this season before the Nationals claimed him off waivers and called him up late last month, impressed in his first two outings but allowed four runs while facing only five batters during Saturday’s 19-4 loss in Philadelphia.

When they left town a week and a half ago, the Nationals were reeling, having just gone 1-6 during one of the worst homestands in club history. They return tonight having completely reversed that trend, going 6-3 on a long trip that included stops in San Diego, Seattle and Philadelphia. What should we expect now as they open the final week of the first half with seven games in seven days against two of the majors’ most surprising teams?

It begins tonight with the first of four against the Reds, who only three weeks ago were 29-35 and in third place in the National League Central. Since then, with top prospect Elly De La Cruz leading the way, they’ve gone 16-4 and now are tied with the Brewers atop the division.

It’ll be up to Jake Irvin to try to hold that exciting Cincinnati lineup down. The rookie right-hander has looked quite impressive since returning from a brief hiatus to rest and work on his mechanics. He’s got a 2.70 ERA in those three starts, issuing only five walks while striking out 14. He’s still looking for his first win since May 8, though.

Veteran right-hander Luke Weaver starts for the Reds, and things have not gone well for him. Weaver enters tonight with a 6.96 ERA and 1.608 WHIP, though curiously he hasn’t received a decision either way in his last nine starts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. CINCINNATI REDS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Thunderstorms, 84 degrees, wind 8 mph out to center field

PHILADELPHIA – Josiah Gray is an All-Star. It’s the first time the young right-hander has received the honor.

He will represent the Nationals in the 93rd Midsummer Classic next week in Seattle. Joining him from the organization will be top prospects James Wood and Brady House in the Futures Game.

It’s a significant movement as the Nats’ future will be recognized during the Festivities at T-Mobile Park.

Gray, of course, was a part of the first major trade the Nationals made in 2021 to kickstart this rebuild. Now, almost two years later, he’s a major league All-Star. It’s especially impressive when you look at the ups and downs he endured last year during his first full major league season.

The All-Star honor is very special to Gray individually. But it also means a lot to his teammates and the organization as a whole.

PHILADELPHIA – Josiah Gray stepped into the tunnel outside the Nationals clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park to meet with a small group of reporters. He was wiping his eyes, which were red and watery. An unusual sight when most interviews are done by his locker.

The All-Star treatment.

Gray was named an All-Star for the first time, the Nationals’ lone representative at the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game next week at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. Manager Davey Martinez made the announcement to the team before today’s finale against the Phillies.

"Davey just brought us all in for a team meeting and said he had a quick message for us,” Gray said. “Told us we had one All-Star and it was me. So it was really cool to have that moment. I talked to the guys shortly, got to embrace it."

Each major league team gets at least one representative in each year’s Midsummer Classic. But a lot of attention was surrounding Lane Thomas and Jeimer Candelario as the likely choices for the Nats. But Martinez has mentioned Gray when asked about the All-Star Game over the last few days.

PHILADELPHIA – This has already been a successful road trip for the Nationals. They were just trying to put a cherry on top. End it with a bang.

Having already sealed a winning record with five wins in the first eight of this nine-game odyssey, the Nats were also looking to do something they haven’t done since 2017: Win three series on the same road trip.

On the heels of yesterday’s 19-4 shellacking, this finale started off in a familiar fashion. But one big swing – and a 23-minute rain delay – helped push the Nats past the Phillies for a 5-4 win in front of 41,531 drenched fans at Citizens Bank Park.

Trevor Williams got into trouble right away. Facing the daunting Phillies lineup that clubbed four home runs yesterday, the right-hander surrendered two in the bottom of the first.

With two outs, he served up the first longball to Nick Castellanos, his 12th of the season, on an inside 78 mph curveball. Bryce Harper nearly went back-to-back, but his first-pitch swing went just foul down the left field line. He had to settle for a single to right on the next pitch.

PHILADELPHIA – As the Nationals go for their third straight series win this afternoon, some of their young players are getting the day off.

CJ Abrams, Luis García and Keibert Ruiz are all out of the starting lineup for the rubber match against the Phillies. It’s not much of a surprise for the catcher after being behind the dish for the first two games this weekend, but having not one but both of the young middle infielders rest on the same day is a bit of a surprise.

Ildemaro Vargas, in the starting lineup for the second straight day, gets the start at shortstop while Michael Chavis is at second base. Riley Adams, of course, is catching starter Trevor Williams.

“Just to get them off their feet,” manager Davey Martinez said of his reasoning in giving Abrams and García the same day off. “Day game, get them off. We got a crazy schedule coming up with this next week. We got different times: six o'clock, 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock, so I just want to give those guys a day. Like I said, these guys, they got to get a day here and there. So today was a good day. It was scheduled coming into the series. So they'll get the day today and get some of these other guys in there.”

The Nationals have six different scheduled start times over their final seven games this week leading into the All-Star break: They’ll open their four-game series with the Reds tomorrow night at 6 p.m., then they have the traditional 11 a.m. start on the Fourth of July, a 7 p.m. start on Wednesday, a 1 p.m. start for Thursday’s getaway game for Cincinnati, another 7 p.m. game Friday for the series opener against the Rangers, a 4 p.m. start Saturday and a noon start Sunday for a nationally televised first-half finale on Peacock.

PHILADELPHIA – It’s time to forget about yesterday and move on to today.

No matter how bad yesterday’s 19-4 loss was, it was still just a single loss. The Nationals, who have already sealed a winning road trip, still have a chance to win this three-game series against the Phillies.

Trevor Williams gets his shot at this Phillies lineup this afternoon. Josiah Gray had a lot of success Friday. MacKenzie Gore did not on Saturday. Williams is 4-4 with a 4.28 ERA and 1.413 WHIP in 16 starts this year. Handed an early lead Monday in Seattle, he couldn’t hold onto it while being charged with three runs and eight hits in four innings. When he faced the Phillies a month ago, he was charged with four runs in 5 ⅔ innings while striking out a season-high six batters.

Ranger Suárez will be the second lefty starter the Nats will see this weekend. The Phillies southpaw is 2-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.196 WHIP in nine starts this season. He was dominant in June, pitching to a 1.08 ERA and striking out 33 over five starts. That started with seven innings of one-run ball against the Nationals on June 4.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 85 degrees, wind 8 mph out to right field

PHILADELPHIA – When Carl Edwards Jr. landed on the 15-day injured list on June 21 with right shoulder inflammation, the Nationals bullpen took a hit. One of their trusted late-inning relievers wasn’t going to be available for the foreseeable future.

Down an experienced arm, the back end of the Nats bullpen was expected to falter a bit. But instead, it has continued to thrive.

Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey have been able to hold down the fort in the back end, usually pitching the final two innings of close games. And Mason Thompson has stepped up to fill Edwards’ setup role ahead of them.

“Yeah, they've been really, really awesome,” Martinez said. “If we can get the ball to those guys, we got a good chance to win ballgames at the end.”

That came true in Friday night’s win over the Phillies.

PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals were riding high into Saturday’s late afternoon game against the Phillies.

One of their young starting pitchers tossed perhaps his best game as a major leaguer when Josiah Gray shoved for six innings of one-run ball in last night’s 2-1 win.

That set the Nats up today to win their third straight series and to do something they haven’t done since June 27-30, 2021: Have a winning streak longer than three games.

But that all came crashing down with today’s 19-4 thrashing by the Phillies, much to the delight of the 42,784 fans at Citizens Bank Park.

Score aside, the story of this one for the Nationals was MacKenize Gore’s early departure.

PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals are trying to get Joey Meneses right.

Despite a lack of power from the everyday designated hitter, Meneses has been one of the Nats’ more consistent hitters this year.

He enjoyed a career-best 18-game on-base streak from May 21 to June 11, during which he slashed .357/.430/.443 with an .873 OPS, four doubles, one triple, 10 RBI and nine walks to eight strikeouts.

But since that streak ended, he is slashing a paltry .179/.190/.250 with a .440 OPS, four doubles, seven RBIs and one walk to a staggering 18 strikeouts.

So for the fourth time in just over two weeks, Meneses will take a seat as the Nationals face Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler after he only missed a combined three games over the first 66 of the season (two of those games when he was placed on the paternity list for the birth of his first child).

PHILADELPHIA – Happy July, everyone! The second half of the Nationals' season is officially underway, as they have played 81 games with 81 to go, starting with this afternoon’s second game of a series against the Phillies.

The Nationals have a chance to do something they haven’t done since 2021: Go on a winning streak of more than three games. After winning their third straight last night behind a dominant start from Josiah Gray, the Nationals could also win their third straight series with a victory today.

To do so, they’ll hand the ball to MacKenzie Gore, who is 4-6 with a 3.89 ERA and 1.412 WHIP over his first 16 starts. The 24-year-old left-hander was strong in his last start, striking out nine Padres over five innings of one-run ball against his former team. He pitched a quality start against these Phillies a month ago in D.C., striking out six while allowing three runs over six innings. But ever his own biggest critic, Gore will be looking for more today.

Zack Wheeler will oppose Gore on the mound for the Phillies. The veteran right-hander is 6-4 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.179 WHIP over his 16 starts this year. He got crushed for seven runs and eight hits when he faced the Nats on June 2, the only game Washington won in that three-game series, so he too will be looking to improve today. 

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 83 degrees, wind 10 mph out to center field

PHILADELPHIA – It was an easy move for the Nationals to make when they found out Patrick Corbin needed to go on the bereavement list for a family matter.

Corbin had just pitched a gem Wednesday in Seattle, leading the Nats to a 4-1 victory over the Mariners. His spot in the rotation won’t come up again until Tuesday against the Reds, so the Nats could add an arm to their bullpen for this weekend series against the Phillies.

Luck would have it Triple-A Rochester was playing a little over an hour away against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate. And with Jose A. Ferrer already on the 40-man roster, he could easily be activated to take Corbin’s spot on the active roster during the veteran starter’s time away from the team.

So it was that the Nats recalled Ferrer and had him meet the team in Philadelphia on Friday. After spending much of the season with no lefties in the bullpen, now Davey Martinez has two: Ferrer and Joe La Sorsa.

Ferrer flew up the Nats’ farm system last year. He went 3-2 with 11 saves, a 2.48 ERA, 0.995 WHIP, 78 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 65 ⅓ innings over 48 relief appearances between Single-A Fredericksburg, High-A Wilmington and Double-A Harrisburg last year. Among Nationals minor leaguers, the 23-year-old was third in saves and appearances.

PHILADELPHIA – The Phillies have been one of the hottest teams in June. Unfortunately, the Nationals can look back to when their rivals took two of three in D.C. at the beginning of the month as the turning point.

After the Nats won the first game on June 2, the Phillies won the next two to take the series. Entering this rematch at Citizens Bank Park, the Phils have gone 18-5 with a plus-39 run differential since June 3.

The Nationals needed to figure out a way to slow them down.

Enter Josiah Gray, who has had some past success in this ballpark in the form of a career-high 11-strikeout performance last July. The young right-hander didn’t quite reach that mark, but was just as impressive as he led the Nationals to a 2-1 win over the Phillies in front of 44,261 fans.

“It was a huge one," Gray said after the game. "Any win we get is huge. But yeah, this one definitely feels good. This is the last leg of our road trip and to start it off with a win, it means a lot.”

PHILADELPHIA – Hello from the City of Brotherly love, where America’s pastime will be played by the team representing our nation’s capital and the team representing our nation’s former capital ahead of the Fourth of July holiday.

And welcome to the end of June and the actual midpoint of the major league season. Although some consider the All-Star break (the game's also known as the Midsummer Classic) as the halfway point of the season, after tonight’s game the Nationals will have played 81 of their scheduled 162 games.

The Nationals will turn to Josiah Gray to keep this 4-2 road trip going in a positive direction. The 25-year-old right-hander is 5-6 on the season with a 3.43 ERA and 1.399 WHIP. He pitched 5 ⅓ scoreless innings against the Padres in his previous start, but he was roughed up by this Phillies lineup for four runs over 5 ⅓ when he faced them at the beginning of the month. He has had some success in this ballpark, striking out a career-high 11 batters in a start last July.

Cristopher Sánchez gets the ball for the Phils in tonight’s opener. The 26-year-old southpaw is 0-1 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.050 WHIP over his three major league starts in 2023. Though this is his first time facing the Nats this year, he is 1-0 with a 7.11 ERA and 1.737 WHIP in five appearances (two starts) against them between 2021-22.

Tonight’s first pitch has apparently been delayed by a couple of minutes to accommodate the Phillies’ postgame fireworks. They want to make sure it’s actually dark outside for the show. Maybe the only downside to the pitch clock.

PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals have gone most of this season without a left-handed reliever in their bullpen.

Now they have two.

The Nationals recalled left-hander Jose A. Ferrer from Triple-A Rochester and placed Patrick Corbin on the bereavement list before tonight’s series opener against the Phillies.

“Patrick Corbin is on the bereavement list right now,” manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame meeting with the media. “So we thought we'd bring in Ferrer, one of our young left-handed relievers. Give him an opportunity, hopefully in the next couple of days. With all the lefties they got, get him in the game. So yeah, he'll be here and we'll see how it goes for him.”

Ferrer joins the Nats after his first taste of Triple-A ball, where he was 4-3 with a 3.83 ERA, 1.550 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in 40 innings over 34 appearances. The 23-year-old did not allow a run in his final five outings since June 17 while holding opponents to a .158 average (3-for-19) and striking out nine in six innings over that span.

We are now only nine days from the 2023 Draft, one that not only features some of the best top-tier talent the sport has seen in a long time, but one that also sees the Nationals with one of the top picks for the first time in a long time.

The Nats don’t own the No. 1 pick like they did in 2009 and 2010, but if there’s ever a year to be satisfied with not owning the No. 1 pick, this is it. As many as five players are viewed by experts as No. 1 talents: LSU outfielder Dylan Crews, LSU right-hander Paul Skenes, Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford and high school outfielders Walker Jenkins and Max Clark.

Because they pick second, the Nationals are at the mercy of the Pirates, who have their choice of the entire field. Most experts believe Pittsburgh will take one of the two LSU stars who just won the Men’s College World Series, but there remain valid rumblings they could prefer Langford or one of the high schoolers because of the money they’d save and be able to apply to later-round picks.

The Nats have been widely connected to both Skenes and Crews, with maybe an outside chance they take Langford instead. There’s little buzz about them drafting a high school player with this pick.

So in all likelihood, general manager Mike Rizzo, longtime vice president of scouting Kris Kline and their team of evaluators are going to be selecting someone who played in last weekend’s much ballyhooed national championship series in Omaha. All possess elite skills, all are experienced and all are expected to reach the major leagues in short order.

SEATTLE – Throughout an often frustrating season at the plate, Nationals coaches have needed to remind Keibert Ruiz that his process has been good, even if the results didn’t suggest it. He was hitting the ball well, just not getting hits.

At some point, though, talk is cheap. Doesn’t a hitter need to actually see positive results to justify the process?

“Yes,” Ruiz said with a wide smile when asked that question Wednesday afternoon. “I need to see a lot of results. Everybody wants to get results.”

Then the Nationals catcher got serious again and finished his answer with the standard company line.

“But I’ve got to control what I can control: Having good at-bats, and that’s it,” he said.

SEATTLE – On another day in which the Nationals were on the wrong end of a baserunning call by an umpire, another day in which Davey Martinez was ejected after arguing the aforementioned baserunning call, victory was still assured thanks to the dominant performance from a source that has been anything but dominant for the better part of 3 1/2 years now: Patrick Corbin.

As his manager and other teammates went ballistic over plate umpire Derek Thomas’ controversial sixth-inning call on Keibert Ruiz for running out of the baseline to avoid a tag at the plate, Corbin stayed above the fray and pitched his best game of the season, leading the Nats to a 4-1 win and a series victory over the Mariners.

"Look, you can say whatever you want about Patrick," Martinez said of his beleaguered veteran lefty. "What I know about Patrick is he's going to take the ball every five days. For me, that's awesome. And I love him for that."

Corbin tossed seven scoreless innings, scattering five singles without issuing a walk. He struck out nine, and needed only 102 pitches to complete those seven zero-filled frames to emerge with his fifth win of the year while lowering his ERA under 5.00 in the process.

"That's the end goal: Get as many wins as we can, and have everybody do their job," Corbin said. "Sometimes, it does get frustrating, but you've got to continue to grind and try to focus on the positives and learn from mistakes. I'm not going to get too high after this one, just look at some of the things I did well and try to improve and get ready for my next one."