Orlando Ribalta couldn’t believe his good luck. He had just gotten Austin Barnes to pop up a bunt right back to the mound, and all the Nationals reliever had to do was catch it for the easy out.

And then the ball somehow fell to the ground. At which point Ribalta realized this might actually work out better for him, because now he had an easy double play, with the Dodgers’ Andy Pages stuck in no-man’s land off first base.

Tuesday night’s four-man umpiring crew thought otherwise, ultimately huddling up and determining Ribalta intentionally dropped the routine popup, thus negating the second out made on the play and sending Pages back to first base unscathed.

Davey Martinez was livid, nearly getting himself thrown out of the game by crew chief Chris Guccione. Ribalta was more embarrassed than upset.

“The call is whatever they called. You can’t fight against it,” he said. “But I didn’t do it on purpose. I just couldn’t catch it.”

He had already hit 11 home runs in the big leagues, more than a few of them jaw-dropping in nature whether because of exit velocity or distance traveled. D.C. already knows what James Wood is, and what he can be.

Perhaps tonight, thanks to a jaw-dropping performance against the most-watched ballclub in the world, any portion of the baseball community that didn’t already know learned what everyone here had long since come to accept: This kid is special.

With two titanic home runs, not to mention an infield single and a bases-loaded walk for good measure, the 22-year-old outfielder drove in five runs to carry the Nationals to a convincing 8-2 victory over the Dodgers to clinch a series win over the defending World Series champions.

A Nats team that lost six of seven to begin the season has now won four in a row against top competition and remarkably will have a chance to sweep L.A. on Wednesday afternoon before embarking on a 10-game road trip to Miami, Pittsburgh and Colorado.

"I just think it kind of proves we're really not far," Wood said. "Even when we were losing games, we weren't off by much. Being able to put these games together, I think it just proves that."

CJ Abrams is out of the Nationals lineup a second straight day with an upper right leg ailment, but the shortstop expressed confidence he’ll be back “very soon.”

Abrams didn’t play Monday night’s series opener against the Dodgers, with manager Davey Martinez revealing his shortstop had complained of thigh tightness stemming from the final play of Sunday’s win over the Diamondbacks, in which he charged in to field a grounder and then threw off-balance to first base.

Abrams today referred to his ailment as “kind of a hip flexor thing,” saying it’s not a problem with his thigh. He didn’t seem concerned about it forcing him to miss anything more than a few days.

“It wasn’t anything specific. I just kind of felt it after (the last play Sunday),” he said. “Just took a couple days off, and I should be back out there soon.”

Abrams did take ground balls this afternoon and was planning to take batting practice in the cage prior to this evening’s game. There’s a chance he could come off the bench if needed, but it sounds more likely he returns to the lineup for Wednesday’s series finale or Friday’s series opener in Miami.

Who would’ve thought three days ago the Nationals would find themselves on a three-game winning streak, against the Diamondbacks and Dodgers no less? And yet here we are, with the team having already clinched at least a .500 homestand against two of the best teams in the league, and now a chance to clinch a winning week with one more victory tonight or Wednesday.

After going all-in to win Monday’s opener, Davey Martinez has no choice but to take a different approach tonight. That starts with the guy starting the game: Brad Lord. After three relief appearances to begin his career, the 25-year-old right-hander now makes his first career start, essentially taking the injured Michael Soroka’s place.

Because he hasn’t been stretched out, Lord is probably good for only 45-50 pitches. Which means Jackson Rutledge will probably come out of the bullpen, either directly behind him or later on in the game, to provide multiple innings himself. And if the Nationals are in a position to win the game late, there’s no way Kyle Finnegan is pitching for a fourth straight day. So who gets the ninth? Jose A. Ferrer? Jorge López? Martinez would love to be in a position to find out.

Offensively, the Nats have done a lot more during this homestand than they did during the season’s first week, especially early in games. They will look to do the same tonight against the Dodgers’ own fill-in starter. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski was called up from Triple-A to replace the injured Blake Snell, who was supposed to take the mound tonight but is dealing with a shoulder ailment. Wrobleski is Los Angeles’ 11th-ranked prospect and made six big league starts last year, going 1-2 with a 5.70 ERA. He threw 76 pitches over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his lone outing for Oklahoma City to begin the season, so he is stretched out to make a full start if he pitches well.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 45 degrees, wind 17 mph left field to right field

James Wood hasn’t been a big leaguer long, but he’s been a big leaguer long enough to have some experience with big situations at the plate.

And what has the Nationals’ 22-year-old budding star learned from those experiences?

“I feel like if I go up there trying to create a big moment, I’ll get myself into trouble,” he said. “I just try and keep the same approach.”

Wood’s general laid-back persona certainly helps, but it’s another thing to actually put it into practice during a critical moment in a ballgame. What he did Monday night was further evidence he can handle the pressure just fine.

The situation: Bottom of the seventh, Nats already leading the Dodgers 3-2, one out and a runner on second. On the mound: Veteran left-hander Anthony Banda, himself briefly a member of the Nationals bullpen in April 2023, having since reestablished himself as a member of Los Angeles’ championship bullpen.

What did the Nationals need to do to defeat the defending World Series champs tonight and extend their own winning streak to three games?

They needed six strong innings from MacKenzie Gore. They needed early offense to take a lead. They needed late offense to provide some cushion for a thin bullpen. They needed that thin bullpen to get the job done on a night when most of the big names weren’t available.

Oh, and they also needed to hold down the Dodgers’ vaunted lineup enough to make sure Shohei Ohtani’s otherworldly exploits wouldn’t cost them.

And wouldn’t you know, they pulled it off, combining all of those elements during a 6-4 victory that stands as their best of the young season.

"That felt like a playoff game," said closer Kyle Finnegan, who was right in the middle of it all at the end. "To play against a team like the Dodgers, their resume speaks for itself. To play with them and compete all the way to the last out, it says a lot of things about our team and our grit. We can play with anybody in the league."

CJ Abrams has his first day off of the young season, not because of a bad matchup or a planned respite, but because of a tight thigh muscle.

Nationals manager Davey Martinez said the shortstop felt his right thigh tighten up while making the final play of Sunday’s 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks. Abrams charged in to field Randal Grichuk’s broken-bat grounder in the top of the ninth, then threw on the run to first, nearly pulling Nathaniel Lowe off the bag.

“He feels a little bit better today,” Martinez said. “I just wanted to give him a day, to make sure this doesn’t become a big issue.”

Asked what level of concern he has about Abrams, Martinez replied: “Right now, none. Hopefully it could’ve just been a cramp. But I want to make sure that’s just what it is.”

Abrams not only had started all nine previous games this season, but had played every inning to date. Martinez’s choice of replacement may come as a bit of a surprise: Paul DeJong.

The Nationals beat the Diamondbacks on Saturday. Then they beat them again on Sunday. You know what that’s called? A winning streak! Now, can they keep it going against the defending World Series champions and their star-studded roster?

Yes, the Dodgers are in town the next three nights, so get ready for a whole lot of blue and a whole lot of Japanese media following Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. Word is, there won’t be an empty seat in the press box during this series. Giddy-up.

It’s a great test tonight for MacKenzie Gore, who gets the ball for the series opener. The Nats ace was brilliant on Opening Day against the Phillies, then labored but minimized the damage against the Blue Jays. He last faced the Dodgers nearly a year ago, right here in D.C., and he was very good in that one: six innings of one-run ball. The key tonight: Efficiency. With all of their top relievers pitching much of the weekend, the bullpen could be thin for this game. Gore needs to get deep in the game.

The Nationals lineup finally did a good job jumping out to early leads against Arizona, and they’ll try to keep that up tonight against Dustin May. The oft-injured right-hander missed all of 2024 but is healthy again and tossed five innings of one-hit ball in his season debut against the Braves.

CJ Abrams sits tonight with tightness in his right thigh, while Paul DeJong moves to shortstop and José Tena starts at third base. James Wood slides up to the leadoff spot in Abrams' place. 

The Nationals beat the Diamondbacks 5-4 on Sunday to win their first series of the season. But 245 miles away on Long Island, another milestone was being reached. One that has slightly more historical significance in the sporting world.

Alex Ovechkin, the iconic captain of the Washington Capitals, scored his 895th career goal yesterday, breaking Wayne Gretzky’s 31-year-old record to become the National Hockey League’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Fittingly, Ovechkin’s historic goal against the New York Islanders came on a power play from the left circle. Right from his office. As it should have been.

It was the shot heard around the world, with fans, athletes and celebrities from all walks of life congratulating the greatest goal scorer to ever live. And that rang true on South Capitol Street back home in Washington, D.C., where the Nats were playing.

The Nationals showed the goal highlight on the big screen at Nats Park and congratulated Ovechkin in between the first and second innings, while the crowd of 14,528 gave The Great 8 a standing ovation with an “OVI” chant.

The Nationals entered Saturday losers of four straight, needing to win two straight games to secure their first series victory of the young season. They got the win yesterday by a score of 4-3. The task to win Sunday would be difficult against Corbin Burnes.

But the Nats bats may have found their stride this week, scoring four or more runs in all three games against the Diamondbacks. Their most impressive outing may have been this afternoon, staying patient against and peppering Burnes early on their way to a 5-4 victory in front of 14,528 fans at Nationals Park.

For the third consecutive game, the top of the Nats' order jumped out to an early lead in the first. CJ Abrams drew a leadoff walk against Burnes, then moved to third on Luis García Jr.’s single to right field. Nathaniel Lowe drove in the first run and Alex Call drove in the second a few batters later to give the Nats a 2-1 lead after the first.

After the D-backs tied the game in the top of the second, Paul DeJong led off the bottom frame with a double to left, moved to third on a flyout to right and scored on Abrams’ sacrifice fly to make it 3-2.

Burnes hit Josh Bell with a pitch and walked Call with two outs in the third to set up DeJong’s RBI double to left to make it a 4-2 game. Call tried to make it a two-run hit, but was thrown out at the plate, the second time a Nats player was called out at the dish.

Jacob Young will sit for the second straight day as the Nationals finish their three-game series against the Diamondbacks. Alex Call will play right field as Dylan Crews shifts to center, as was the case when Young sat Saturday against Arizona left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez.

Call starting against a left-hander yesterday wasn’t questioned due to his career .740 OPS against southpaws versus Young’s .678. But against right-hander Corbin Burnes, it was a wonder why the starting center fielder wasn’t back in the lineup.

“I talked to him a couple days ago. We're just doing a reset on him,” manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame press conference. “He's got a little frustrated just (with) how he is swinging. We saw some things that we wanted to address. He's been working the last two days on his swing, so he'll be back in there tomorrow.”

Young is 1-for-15 (.067) with a double, three walks, two strikeouts and 1-for-3 stolen bases in seven games. He’s only started six of those games, coming in as a pinch-runner Wednesday in Toronto but getting caught stealing for the final out in a loss.

“Well, one, he's diving to home plate,” Martinez said. “He's not seeing the ball away from him. He's not catching up to the ball inside. So we just want to address the issue and get him going.”

For the first time this season, the Nationals are in position to win a series.

The Nats will look to build upon the eight runs they put up in the first two games. But they will have a tough task against Diamondbacks starter Corbin Burnes. The right-hander is making his second start of the six-year, $210 million contract he received from Arizona over the offseason after he finished fifth in American League Cy Young Award voting in his one year with the Orioles.

Burnes was charged with four runs (two earned), four hits and three walks with eight strikeouts over 4 ⅓ innings in his Arizona debut against the Yankees. He did give up two home runs to that dangerous New York lineup, so maybe the Nats can follow the Bronx Bombers’ footsteps and take Burnes deep a couple of times this afternoon.

Today was supposed to be Michael Soroka’s second start in a Nationals uniform, but a right arm biceps strain landed him on the 15-day injured list. So instead it will be Trevor Williams taking the mound for his second start. Thanks to Thursday’s off-day, the right-hander will be on normal rest. Williams gave up 10 hits (all singles) and three runs in his 2025 debut against the Blue Jays, but for the most part had a solid five innings.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
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: Cloudy, 57 degrees, wind 8 mph in from left field

The Nationals finally broke through last night with the offensive output they’ve been desperately looking for in the new season’s first week. They just couldn’t sustain it throughout the full nine innings in a series-opening loss to the Diamondbacks.

Then today, after the inaugural 2005 team was inducted into the Ring of Honor in front of 25,916 fans at Nationals Park, they did it again. Only this time, their early lead held up throughout the course of the game en route to just their second win of 2025.

The Nationals’ 4-3 win over the D-backs wasn’t anything spectacular. But it was an overall clean game of baseball, one of the few these Nats have played thus far.

James Wood led the way, as he might often be called upon to do this season, from the jump. Literally.

With two outs in the top of the first inning, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. launched a deep fly ball to left field, only to see Wood use all of his 6-foot-7 frame to leap and rob him of extra bases at the wall.

John Patterson hadn’t been back to Nationals Park since the final day of the 2007 season, a day he didn’t know at the time would be his final day in the major leagues. The lanky right-hander has built a whole new life since, running a real estate company with his wife outside Dallas, coaching his 8-year-old son’s baseball team. His long, flowing hair has gone totally gray, which combined with the glasses he wears makes him look more like a college professor than an ex-ballplayer.

Patterson’s baseball life was a generation ago. And yet when he walked into the park Friday, the memories instantly flooded his mind. Opening Night at RFK Stadium. His 13-strikeout shutout of the Dodgers. The 10-game winning streak that left the stands bouncing every night and the team in first place.

“I remember it all so vividly,” the now-47-year-old said. “A lot of it is coming back to me. It really has not felt like 20 years.”

That was the sentiment of everyone who assembled here this weekend for the 20th anniversary celebration of the first team in Nationals history. Two decades is a long time. Think about the state of the franchise today compared to then. It’s hard to believe the two are connected.

“As you go along and look back, you realize that it’s pretty cool,” infielder Jamey Carroll said. “You were a part of MLB history. … The longer you get away from it, the more you realize it was a pretty big deal.”

The Nationals, plain and simple, need a win. They’re 1-6 to begin the season, and though they’ve pretty much been in every game, they have not shown an ability to do what they need to do late in those games to emerge victorious. They’ll give it another shot this afternoon against the Diamondbacks, perhaps inspired by the pregame induction of the inaugural 2005 club into the Nationals Park Ring of Honor.

Davey Martinez is going with a different look to his lineup. Facing Arizona left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, he’s got Amed Rosario batting second, the red-hot Nathaniel Lowe batting third, Alex Call batting sixth and Riley Adams finally getting his first start of the season, batting ninth. We’ll see what, if any, difference that look makes.

Mitchell Parker gets the start, and the young lefty will look to pick up where he left off in his season debut last weekend. He’s still the only member of the staff to reach the seventh inning so far in 2025.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
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 cloudy, 75 degrees, wind 10 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
2B Amed Rosario
1B Nathaniel Lowe
DH Josh Bell
LF James Wood
RF Alex Call
CF Dylan Crews
3B Paul DeJong
C Riley Adams

Jackson Rutledge was called into Davey Martinez’s office April 26, the day before Opening Day, and informed he would not be returning to Nationals Park the following morning but rather heading to Rochester to open another season at Triple-A.

Rutledge wasn’t shocked by the decision. And if nothing else, he was encouraged by the message he received from Martinez and pitching coach Jim Hickey, who suggested he would be first on the list of call-ups if the team needed a pitcher.

“In my option meeting, they said: ‘Be ready. It could be a week,’” Rutledge recalled Friday. “And they weren’t lying about that.”

No, they weren’t. Technically, it happened eight days later, not seven, but the Nationals indeed called Rutledge up as soon as they needed a pitcher from Triple-A, giving him the roster spot held by Michael Soroka before the latter had to be placed on the 15-day injured list with a right biceps strain.

This is actually the fifth time Rutledge has been promoted since September 2023. But it’s the first time he’s been promoted as a full-time reliever.

They finally got the early offense they’ve been craving since Opening Day. They just couldn’t sustain it. Or prevent the game from getting away from them late.

The formula wasn’t a carbon copy of the Nationals’ last week, but the final result was: a 6-4 loss to the Diamondbacks that leaves them 1-6 for the second time in the last three years.

As was the case in most of those previous losses, the Nats were right there in this one to the end, with opportunities to emerge victorious. And as was the case in most of those previous losses, they were unable to do what was necessary to get over the hump.

"It's one pitch, one at-bat," right-hander Jake Irvin said. "Just timely things. Play 162 of them, the game starts to reward you for doing the right things."

A tie game through six turned into a two-run deficit in the seventh when Jose A. Ferrer gave up the decisive runs. The hard-throwing reliever, who was charged with Tuesday’s loss in Toronto after allowing two runs in the eighth, was one pitch away from posting a zero this time. But his 0-2 fastball to pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk was deemed just high and inside by plate umpire Ryan Wills. Seconds later, Ferrer threw a fastball over the plate to Grichuk and watched the ball soar to the wall in right-center, caroming away from Dylan Crews for a two-run double.

The Nationals will wait a couple of days before deciding who will take Michael Soroka’s place in the rotation, with Brad Lord a distinct option if the rookie isn’t needed out of the bullpen before then.

Soroka was supposed to start Sunday’s series finale against the Diamondbacks but was placed on the 15-day injured list today (backdated to April 1) with a right biceps strain. The 27-year-old made his debut Monday night in Toronto but had to be pulled three pitches into the sixth inning when his biceps muscle cramped while delivering a slider.

Soroka was cautiously optimistic at the time the injury wasn’t serious and that he’d be able to take his next turn in the rotation. The one caveat: He needed to be able to throw off a mound first before knowing he would be good to go.

That bullpen session never happened. According to manager Davey Martinez, Soroka played catch Wednesday in Toronto and reported afterward he still felt a twinge of discomfort in his upper arm.

“He said he just barely could feel it,” Martinez said. “But when a pitcher says he can barely feel it in his arm, I don’t like it. I think the best thing is to get it to calm down a little bit and get him ready to come back out again.”

And we’re back. After a brief international trip for their first road series of the season, the Nationals are back home for six straight against a pair of tough National League West foes. The undefeated, defending champion Dodgers come to town next week. But first up, it’s the Diamondbacks, the 2023 NL champs.

As stated numerous times over the last several days, the Nats really need to get their lineup clicking early. They’ve scored only two runs in the first three innings of six games to date. That’s a tough way to live. They’ll try to make it happen tonight against right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who they did beat last summer with three runs over 6 1/3 innings.

Jake Irvin gets the ball for the Nationals, on the heels of a good-not-great season debut. The right-hander lasted only five innings against the Phillies and put nine runners on base. But he limited the damage to two runs, an encouraging sign.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 69 degrees, wind 7 mph in from center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
C Keibert Ruiz
1B Nathaniel Lowe
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Josh Bell
RF Dylan Crews
3B José Tena
CF Jacob Young

The Nationals have placed Michael Soroka on the 15-day injured list with a right biceps strain, throwing a wrench into the team’s rotation plans just one week into the season.

Jackson Rutledge was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take Soroka’s roster spot, but the 2019 first-round pick has made the full-time conversion to reliever, so he won’t be joining the big league rotation.

Soroka, signed this winter to a one-year, $9 million contract, made his club debut Monday night in Toronto, allowing four runs over five-plus innings. He felt fine physically until his 83rd pitch the game, a spiked slider in the bottom of the sixth, after which he looked toward the dugout and began clenching his fist.

Soroka told manager Davey Martinez and director of athletic training Paul Lessard his right biceps muscle had cramped on that pitch, and he was taken out of the game. Afterward, he expressed optimism the injury wasn’t any more serious than that and was hopeful he could still make his next turn in the rotation.

Soroka did admit he would need to throw off a mound before knowing for sure he was good to go. He played catch prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the Blue Jays and would have been on track to throw a bullpen session either Thursday (an off-day for the team) or today. The Nationals had listed him as their starter for Sunday’s series finale against the Diamondbacks.