The Nationals just took two of three from a good Brewers team, and that made for an encouraging weekend. Now comes another tough challenge, though, with a four-game series on tap against the Giants, who are keeping themselves in the wild card race by winning seven of their last nine (one of those wins a no-hitter by Blake Snell).

Snell is scheduled to start Wednesday night, so there’s two games to play before that. Tonight’s San Francisco starter is no slouch: Logan Webb, the workhorse right-hander who consistently leads the league in innings pitched and in his last start went the distance, shutting out the Athletics on 106 pitches for a 1-0 win. The Nationals missed Webb earlier this year out west, so this is going to be the first time many of these young hitters see him.

Patrick Corbin did not throw a shutout in his last start. Not even close. The left-hander lasted only three innings against the Diamondbacks while giving up 11 runs, most ever by a Nats pitcher. There’s not much left to say about Corbin at this point, except to say he’s got to give them more length tonight and give them a chance. Even if he does, the bullpen could be in really shaky shape after Derek Law and Kyle Finnegan each pitched the last two days.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 92 degrees, wind 9 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
1B Juan Yepez
2B Luis García Jr.
C Keibert Ruiz
LF James Wood
DH Travis Blankenhorn
RF Alex Call
3B Ildemaro Vargas
CF Jacob Young

One week ago, Kyle Finnegan blew a four-run lead in Arizona, then had to sweat out the final 24 hours prior to the trade deadline before learning the Nationals were retaining him. It was an emotional couple of days for the Nationals closer, who found himself suffering his worst loss of the year while simultaneously worrying about where his next appearance would come.

That next appearance finally came Saturday, when Davey Martinez summoned Finnegan for a four-out save against the Brewers. And that was followed immediately on Sunday, when Finnegan recorded the final three outs of a 4-3 victory to cap a wild week with a decidedly upbeat conclusion.

“That’s the life of relief pitching,” he said. “It can be a bit of a roller coaster at times. You’re going to have good outings, bad outings. And you’ve just got to stay the course. I had a rough one in Arizona, but we always bounce back. And I’m happy to have two good outings under my belt and put it behind me.”

Both last Monday’s outing against the Diamondbacks and Saturday’s game against the Brewers saw Finnegan inherit a four-run lead. The cushion Sunday was merely one run, leaving no margin for error. And when he lost a seven-pitch battle with Rhys Hoskins, who delivered a leadoff single to right to begin the ninth, the pressure ratcheted up right away.

Finnegan, though, made quick work of the rest of the inning. He got Blake Perkins to fly out on the second pitch he saw. Then he went right after Brice Turang and got him to hit a ground ball on the second pitch he saw for the game-ending double play.

The situation practically begged for James Wood to do something big. Though the Nationals were leading at the time, the prospect of pulling off a 1-0 victory given the current state of their bullpen felt risky at best.

So here was a golden opportunity to extend that lead: Bases loaded, one out in the bottom of the sixth, Wood at the plate as the crowd tried to will the rookie outfielder to a clutch hit.

And when Wood’s sinking liner to left got past a diving Jackson Chourio and rolled all the way to the wall, that crowd roared as four Nationals sprinted around the bases, three of them scoring in front of Wood, who stopped at third with the clutch triple that proved the difference in a tight, 4-3 victory and a series win over the Brewers.

"That was a big moment, and he came through," manager Davey Martinez said of his 21-year-old phenom. "The kid's going to be OK."

It was the latest in a string of clutch hits by Wood, the 21-year-old phenom whose first month in the big leagues has featured plenty of ups and downs and still leaves much to be desired. But what Wood has lacked in consistency, he has made up for in frequently rising to the occasion in big spots.

When he had to come out of Wednesday’s series finale in Arizona after getting struck by a foul ball in the groin, Keibert Ruiz figured to be uncertain for Friday’s series opener in Washington. In the end, Ruiz didn’t just start that game against the Brewers. He’s started all three games this weekend.

Feeling strong physically, and performing better at the plate recently, Ruiz is back in the lineup this afternoon. The second time he’s caught a day game after a night game in the last week.

“He’s doing well. He’s playing well,” manager Davey Martinez said. “I just want to continue to get him out there. We’re trying to get him going; he’s been swinging the bat a lot better, so I’m trying to keep him and get him locked in.”

Ruiz’s last day off came Sunday in St. Louis, though even then he wound up as a late-game replacement for Riley Adams. He then started all three games in Arizona, though he departed the last two early (once because the game was a blowout, the other time because of the unfortunately located foul ball).

Because he had to be hospitalized two years ago when a similar incident occurred, the Nationals were initially worried about Ruiz’s status. But he insisted this one wasn’t nearly that bad, so he was back to work Friday night when the team returned home. He’s recorded a hit in each of this series’ first two games, including an RBI single during the Nats’ four-run first-inning rally Saturday evening.

The Nationals haven’t won a bunch recently. But when they have won, they’ve won in bunches. In fact, every time they’ve snapped a losing streak since July 12, they’ve followed that first win with another win. And if they can keep that pattern up today, they’ll wind up with a series victory over the Brewers, their second series win over the National League Central leaders in a month. At this point, you’ll take that, right?

Mitchell Parker faced Milwaukee in that previous series at American Family Field, and though the Nats wound up winning the game, his start was a disaster. That’s the day Parker failed to get out of the first inning. And he followed up that start with another short one against the Padres. Fortunately, he bounced back in Arizona with five innings of two-run ball, so he should enter this one feeling better about himself.

The Nationals jumped all over Aaron Civale in the first inning Saturday. They’ll try to do the same today against a brand-new face: Tobias Myers. The 25-year-old rookie has been pretty good for the Brewers, with a 3.10 ERA and 1.143 WHIP in 16 games (15 starts). And he’s allowed two or fewer earned runs in seven of his last nine outings, so the right-hander presents a real challenge today.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 85 degrees, wind 7 mph out to center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
1B Juan Yepez
2B Luis García Jr. 
C Keibert Ruiz
LF James Wood
DH Travis Blankenhorn
RF Alex Call
CF Jacob Young
3B Trey Lipscomb

He’s not the most important player on the Nationals roster, and there are others who probably have more to prove over the next two months. But make no mistake, this is an important stretch for Luis García Jr., who would love nothing more than to continue what he’s done so far this summer throughout August and September and state once and for all the Nats should consider him their second baseman of the present and future.

It was exactly one year ago when the Nationals were quite unsure about that and optioned a slumping García to Triple-A to send him a message that he was assured of nothing. And the way manager Davey Martinez talked about him this spring, it seemed clear García still was assured of nothing and the organization wouldn’t hesitate to go in another direction at second base if he didn’t perform.

Four months later, García has done just about everything in his power to put those thoughts to rest. His defense is tremendously improved. And after an up-and-down first half at the plate, he’s now turning into one of the team’s most productive hitters, which he certainly proved this afternoon.

"It's definitely paying off for him," Martinez said. "I see a different kid. More confident. Understands what he needs to do. ... He's playing really well."

During a 6-4 victory over the Brewers that got a bit too tense late, García went 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, a single and a stolen base. By day’s end, the 24-year-old's offensive numbers for the season were creeping up on those of double play partner and National League All-Star CJ Abrams.

Josiah Gray stood in the clubhouse at Nationals Park, his right arm protected by a complex brace, only 10 days removed from major elbow surgery, and had no trouble smiling wide.

“I love seeing everybody,” he said. “I love still being a part of this, still being part of the team and rooting for our guys. Just seeing everybody’s face yesterday was settling.”

In these early days of recovery, there isn’t much for Gray to do from a rehab standpoint. He takes part in about one hour of physical therapy a day, but that’s all for now. It’ll be months before he’s allowed to throw a baseball again. It’ll be at least a year before he’s pitching in a big league game again, maybe longer.

Gray isn’t the first to have Tommy John surgery, nor will he be the last. He’s already consulted with a number of friends in the game who have been through this before – notably Cade Cavalli, Jake Irvin and Joe Ross – and learned some valuable lessons about the proper mental approach to his recovery.

“This is a long process, but also you can learn a lot about yourself in this process,” he said. “You can come out of it a better athlete, a better pitcher, a better person. … I’m looking forward to seeing where I’m at this time next year.”

It’s Harry Potter Day at Nationals Park, and hopefully one or two of these young wizards know how to cast a spell to prevent it from raining. Otherwise, there’s a decent chance of storms later this afternoon. Fingers crossed they somehow hold off and allow the Nationals and Brewers to play as scheduled at 4:05 p.m. with no interruption.

The Nats, plain and simple, need a win. They’ve dropped five in a row since winning two straight in St. Louis last weekend and now reside at a season-worst 12 games under .500. They were in Friday night’s game, which was tied 3-3 in the sixth before Milwaukee broke things open against the bullpen and made it 8-3.

So it’s up to DJ Herz to keep the Brewers lineup in check. This is his first start against those guys, because he was back at Triple-A Rochester when the Nationals visited Milwaukee before the All-Star break. Herz has been solid since returning to the majors, not to mention eerily consistent. In each of his two starts, he has allowed two runs over five innings while throwing 79 pitches. Davey Martinez would certainly take that again this afternoon, though Herz is welcome to be even better if he likes.

The Nats lineup faces a familiar foe, but one wearing a different uniform: Aaron Civale. The right-hander faced them as a member of the Rays on June 29, giving up two runs on six hits and four walks over 5 2/3 innings. Since then, he’s been traded to the Brewers, for whom he has produced a 4.29 ERA and 1.429 WHIP over four starts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 92 degrees, wind 13 mph out to left

James Wood is an imposing force on a baseball field. The sport’s top prospect stands at 6-foot-7 and 237 pounds in the batter’s box with the ability to hit both righties and lefties to all fields and flex his natural power to hit the ball hard and far.

That much we know for sure over his first 27 major league games. What we haven’t really been able to get a good grasp on is how well he can play the outfield, specifically left field, where he’s lined up in every one of his games with the Nationals since his debut on July 1.

Although he played all three outfield spots while coming up in the minor leagues, he hasn't looked entirely comfortable out in left over the first month of his major league career. He entered last night’s opener against the Brewers with a 0.4 Offensive Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference, but with a minus-0.4 Defensive WAR. He also had minus-3 Defensive Runs Saved, a minus-2.5 Ultimate Zone Rating and minus-4 Outs Above Average in left field, per FanGraphs.

He has shown flashes, for sure, using his large frame and unique athleticism to run down fly balls and throw darts back to the infield. But the lanky 21-year-old hasn’t always been as smooth as some expected. At least not in the way he seems to glide around the bases effortlessly.

“I've just been working with (outfield coordinator Gerardo) Parra a lot. He's been helping me a lot out there,” Wood said. “But yeah, just trying to go more aggressive to the ball and just being ready to make a play every pitch.”

After a rough start to the season on South Capitol Street, the Nationals have actually played better at home than on the road recently. Their .460 winning percentage at Nationals Park outpaces their .441 mark on the road. That bodes well for the remainder of the year, during which the Nats play 31 of their final 53 games at home.

Tonight started their longest homestand of the season, a 10-game stretch against the Brewers, Giants and Angels. To get to benchmarks of an improving season – such as a better overall record (71-91) and better home record (34-47) than last year – having a strong homestand over these next 10 days would go a long way.

But in the opener against the Brewers, who they took two of three against in Milwaukee right before the All-Star break, the Nats came up short to lose their fifth straight game by a score of 8-3 in front of 22,132 fans in D.C.

Jake Irvin appeared to be the right man to send to the mound to begin this three-game set. Although he struggled to end the first half, including being charged with seven runs (six earned) in four innings against these very Brewers at American Family Field, the rest during the break seemed to benefit him entering the second half. He allowed only four runs with 12 strikeouts over 12 ⅓ innings against the Reds and Cardinals, with the Nats winning both of those games.

However, Irvin wasn’t as efficient tonight, leading to an exit with two outs in the sixth due to a high pitch count.

The time has come and passed to trade Joey Gallo, who the Nationals signed to a one-year, $5 million contract before spring training in hopes the veteran slugger could be a chip by the deadline. Now the club is just hoping he can return to the field soon for the final stretch run of the season.

Gallo, 30, has been on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain since June 12. Although the former All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner was only batting .164 with a .606 OPS, five home runs, 11 RBIs and 71 strikeouts to 21 walks, the Nats would like him back as soon as possible to lengthen their lineup and play defense at multiple positions.

Although there were no real injury updates from manager Davey Martinez ahead of Friday’s opener against the Brewers, the closest thing was that Gallo hopefully could start a minor league rehab assignment as soon as next week.

“There's really nothing. Still nothing, no change. Everybody's still the same,” Martinez said of the team’s injury report to start his pregame session with the media. “I'm hoping, honestly, that Joey Gallo this weekend makes some progress and he'll go out on a rehab assignment sometime early next week. So right now that'll be the only change.”

While the slugger struggled at the plate, Gallo was playing solid defense for the Nats at first base, with 6 Defensive Runs Saved in 316 ⅓ innings. He also won both of his Gold Gloves earlier in his career while playing the outfield, so the Nats may have him play more out there over these next two months. Although Dylan Crews’ anticipated major league debut during that time would probably limit opportunities there.

The Nationals just finished a brutal stretch. Over the last week-plus, they have been no-hit by Dylan Cease, lost back-to-back games in walk-off fashion, suffered a club-worst 17-0 loss, traded away three of their most productive players and been swept twice. Now they enter the dog days of August.

After sweeping the Marlins on June 16, the Nats were one game under .500. Since then, they've gone 14-24 with only three days off, plus the All-Star break. But with yesterday’s day off, they have an off-day in seven of the remaining nine weeks. That hopefully will help them finish the season strong.

What would also help them to start this 10-game homestand is another strong series against the Brewers, against whom the Nats won two of three in Milwaukee right before the break. Jake Irvin, who starts tonight, took the mound in that final game looking for the sweep, but was charged with seven runs (six earned) in four innings while taking a loss. But the right-hander has been solid to start his second half of the season, allowing only four runs with 12 strikeouts over 12 ⅓ innings against the Reds and Cardinals, with the Nats winning both of those games.

Frankie Montas makes his second start against the Nats in the past two weeks, this time as a member of the Brew Crew. The right-hander was traded from the Reds to the Brewers for two players on Tuesday before the deadline. This will be his first start for Milwaukee after the Nats got to him for seven runs in 4 ⅔ innings in his penultimate start with Cincinnati opening the second half.

Note that tonight’s game is exclusively on Apple TV+ for a national broadcast.

Everybody in the majors plays roughly the same schedule by season’s end: 81 home games, 81 road games, 52 division games, 64 more intraleague games, 46 interleague games. But the path to get to those eventual totals differs from team to team.

And in the Nationals’ case, there’s been a distinct difference to the 2024 schedule to date: Way more road games than most others.

Wednesday’s series finale in Arizona was the Nats’ 109th game of the season but their 59th road game. No other National League team has played so many games on the road, and only the Yankees (60) have played more in the American League.

The Nationals have been on three separate three-city road trips (San Francisco-Oakland-Los Angeles in April, Boston-Chicago-Philadelphia in May, Colorado-San Diego-Tampa Bay in June). They’ve yet to be rewarded with a homestand of more than two series.

It’s made for an at-times grueling schedule, including the 17-days-in-a-row stretch they had to endure prior to the All-Star break. The good news: It’s finally about to get better.

PHOENIX – In his 16 seasons as Nationals general manager, Mike Rizzo has found himself on both ends of the trade deadline spectrum. He’s been a buyer many times. He’s been a seller with some frequency as well. He’s even had a few quiet Julys when he could stand pat and play out the rest of the season.

But he’s become way too familiar with the selling process the last four years. Every trade deadline deal the Nationals have made since 2021 – and there have been 13 of them in total – has involved the swapping of major league players for prospects.

Suffice it to say, Rizzo would much rather find himself adding than subtracting this time of year.

“It’s more fun, I know that much,” he said. “Way more fun grabbing All-Star players than giving away All-Star players. … This is challenging. This is a tough time for players, and we recognize that. But we think it’s a necessary time. I think this organization, this front office, did a remarkable job.”

The initial reviews of the Nats’ four deadline moves – Hunter Harvey to the Royals for Cayden Wallace and a draft pick used on Caleb Lomavita; Jesse Winker to the Mets for Tyler Stuart; Lane Thomas to the Guardians for Alex Clemmey, Rafael Ramirez Jr. and Jose Tena; Dylan Floro to the Diamondbacks for Andres Chaparro – have been positive.

PHOENIX – A road trip that began on the heels of a no-hitter, then included an extra-inning win, a 14-run explosion, back-to-back walk-off losses, a 17-run blowout loss and the trades of three popular veterans ended this afternoon with the closest thing the Nationals have had to a normal day in the last week. And even then, there was still some top-of-the-ninth drama just to make sure nobody got too complacent.

After eight relatively sleepy innings at the plate, the Nats came up to bat down three runs in the ninth, got two runs home and loaded the bases with two outs before coming up just short to seal a 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks.

They nearly pulled off the kind of improbable comeback Arizona pulled off against them Monday night, getting an RBI double from CJ Abrams and then back-to-back walks drawn by Juan Yepez and James Wood to knock closer Paul Sewald from the game. But with the bases loaded and one out, Harold Ramírez struck out against Ryan Thompson. And though Thompson allowed another run to score on a wild pitch, he proceeded to get Riley Adams to bounce out to second to end the game.

"We worked good at-bats. We tried to get the ball in the zone," manager Davey Martinez said of his team's approach in the ninth. "We've got to be conscious of that from the first inning on. When we get the ball in the zone, we hit the ball well."

With a chance to at least emerge from this tumultuous trip with a 3-3 record, the Nationals instead got an improved-but-not-great start from MacKenzie Gore and then a mess of a relief appearance from Jacob Barnes that left them in a 5-1 hole in the sixth.

PHOENIX – It’s been an eventful road trip, to say the least. The Nationals went to St. Louis and won a game in extra innings, scored 14 runs while trading Jesse Winker mid-game and lost on a walk-off homer. Then they came to Arizona and traded Lane Thomas before Kyle Finnegan gave up five runs in the bottom of the ninth, then kept Finnegan but traded Dylan Floro before suffering the most lopsided loss in club history. Whew.

And now we finally come to the final game of the trip. Will it be relatively normal, or will some other wild development overtake matters and turn this into another crazy afternoon? If they win, the Nationals somehow would head home 3-3. All things considered, that wouldn’t be bad at all.

They need MacKenzie Gore to be good, though. And that’s something that hasn’t happened in a while. The left-hander hasn’t delivered a quality start since June 14 against the Marlins, and over his last four starts he’s got a 10.80 ERA while totaling only 15 innings. He knows he needs to be better. He’s openly said it. Now it’s time for him to actually do it.

It’s been a bit of an erratic year for Zac Gallen as well, but the Diamondbacks right-hander still enters with a 3.70 ERA and back-to-back wins over the Cubs and Pirates. After getting shut out for the 13th time this season Tuesday night, the reconfigured Nats lineup would love to take an early lead today and take some of the pressure off everyone.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Where: Chase Field
Gametime: 3:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

PHOENIX – As he sat in his office this afternoon, a frantic and often emotional trade deadline period having finally been completed with four veterans dealt away, Davey Martinez took a deep breath and tried to turn the page.

"It’s over," the Nationals manager said. "Let’s go play baseball."

It was a nice thought, and surely for the 26 remaining players and the coaching staff, the idea of a ballgame to prepare for had to be refreshing. Until that ballgame began and disaster ensued.

Patrick Corbin, one of only two remaining players on the active roster due to become a free agent at season’s end along with reliever Jacob Barnes, took the mound for the 22nd time this season, the 160th time since signing a six-year, $140 million contract in 2019, and proceeded to do something no pitcher in Nationals history had ever done.

During the first three innings of what wound up a 17-0 spanking at the hands of the Diamondbacks, Corbin surrendered 11 runs. It’s not only the most runs he’s allowed in his career, it’s the most runs any pitcher has allowed in club history.

PHOENIX – A week of trade deadline frenzy reached its final hour this evening, the Nationals having previously dealt three key players and now waiting to see if there would be any last-minute takers for their two remaining available relievers.

In the end, they did find a deal they liked for Dylan Floro. They did not find one to their liking for Kyle Finnegan.

Floro was traded to the Diamondbacks for Triple-A corner infielder Andrés Chaparro during the final minutes leading up to the 6 p.m. Eastern deadline, giving the veteran right-hander a chance to move to the other clubhouse at Chase Field and potentially face his former team tonight. Finnegan, on the other hand, stays put and will remain the Nats closer for the remainder of this season while remaining under club control for 2025 as well.

"I'm happy to be a National, and we can put this behind us and focus on winning games," said Finnegan, who for the third straight summer heard his name come up in trade deadline rumors but never was dealt. "I was at peace with whatever happened. But I'm happy to be here."

Having already traded Hunter Harvey to the Royals prior to the All-Star break, then Jesse Winker to the Mets and Lane Thomas to the Guardians over the last three days, the Nationals reached deadline day with only two expected trade candidates in Finnegan and Floro.

PHOENIX – They already traded their top setup man 2 1/2 weeks ago. They already traded their top one-year rental three days ago. And they already traded their top available position player under control beyond this year Monday afternoon.

So as trade deadline day finally arrives, the Nationals really are left with only two final pieces who could be moved, both right-handed relievers: Kyle Finnegan and Dylan Floro.

Instead of a last-minute flurry of activity, this has been a prolonged trade deadline period across the majors, with more deals getting done in the days leading up to the deadline than at any point in recent memory.

And the Nats were very much a part of that overriding trend. They traded Hunter Harvey way back on July 13, a reflection of the particular time-sensitive nature of that deal because they acquired a pick from the Royals in the following day’s draft. Then they traded Jesse Winker late during Saturday night’s game, the veteran outfielder getting pulled in the sixth inning for a pinch-hitter and finding out two innings later he was being sent to the Mets.

And then on Monday afternoon, as they were preparing to open a three-game series with the Diamondbacks, the Nationals traded Lane Thomas to the Guardians, leaving manager Davey Martinez with a shell of a lineup.

PHOENIX – The news was only minutes old, and Davey Martinez was still trying to process it and express his thanks to Lane Thomas while also trying to figure out what to do with his lineup for a game that was set to begin in less than three hours.

"It's tough, but I've still got 25 guys out there to get ready to play Arizona," the Nationals manager said shortly after 4 p.m. "They've been playing really well. We've got to be upbeat. It's part of the game. I can only control what I can control, and that's to get these guys ready to play."

The Nats were ready to play tonight, no doubt. They stormed out of the gates to score five runs in the top of the first, then opened up a six-run lead in the top of the sixth and carried a four-run lead into the bottom of the ninth. At which point disaster struck.

Kyle Finnegan, the subject of plenty of trade rumors himself, blew that four-run lead in the ninth and took a shocking 9-8 loss. The All-Star closer retired only one of the six batters he faced, giving up homers to Ketel Marte and ultimately a walk-off homer to Corbin Carroll that left Chase Field shaking and the visitors slumping their way back to the dugout.

"In this game, no lead is ever safe, no team is ever out of it," Finnegan said. "You've got three outs to get to win the game, and they're not going to concede the game. They're not going to give away at-bats. They're trying to win the game. And I think they just took really quality at-bats, and I wasn't able to make good enough pitches to get them out."