NEW YORK – Two rehabbing Nationals took important steps in their respective recoveries yesterday at Citi Field.

Derek Law, recovering from right forearm inflammation, threw a 25-pitch simulated game, with Paul DeJong, recovering from a fractured nose after being hit in the face with a fastball, stepping into the batter’s box against him. Law’s fastball topped out at 93 mph, while he also mixed in his slider and changeup, per manager Davey Martinez.

It was the first time Law has thrown a simulated game against live hitters since spring training, when he was shut down near the end of camp when he felt that his body wasn’t recovering as it would normally. Speaking in front of his locker this morning, the right-handed reliever said he feels good the day after throwing off the mound.

“It was great. For me, the main thing was the recovery aspect,” he said before today’s finale against the Mets. “That was the issue in spring. It wasn't necessarily ramping up. I could always get there. But after those first couple of ones in spring, I needed every bit of, probably, three days to recover. And that was kind of the main issue. Moving forward today, I feel great. The bounceback was there, which, obviously, you need that as a reliever. So I was just really happy with that, mostly. The stuff was there. I need a little bit of fine tuning, probably. But I still have a couple of lives to go, and probably two, maybe three rehab games. I don't know, depending on how I feel. But yeah, everything is good. Recovery is good.”

This injury popped up in March after Law pitched to a 2.80 ERA and 1.178 WHIP in 90 innings over 75 appearances in 2024, by far the most he’s pitched in a single season in his eight-year career, in terms of both innings and games. That workload might have taken a toll on the 34-year-old, as his body failed to recover properly while he was getting ready for this season, a sensation that he finds difficult to put into words.

Beginning today, the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) has expanded its MASN+ Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) streaming option to include MLB.TV as an additional platform. Fans can now purchase MASN+ directly through MLB.TV, which now allows in-market fans to stream all regular season Orioles and Nationals games LIVE or on demand with no blackouts (subject to national exclusivities). 

Fans can subscribe to MASN+ on MLB.TV for $64.99 for the remainder of the 2025 regular season by visiting MLB.TV or via the MLB app. A recurring monthly subscription is also available for $19.99 per month. Additionally, fans will be able to purchase a bundled subscription that includes both MASN+ and MLB.TV; this option allows fans to stream all out-of-market MLB games, MLB Network 24/7 (US only), select live MiLB games, MLB Big Inning, and live audio for all MLB Clubs.

Existing MASN+ season pass subscribers will receive a special invitation to be able to utilize the MLB.TV platform for the remainder of the 2025 season.

MASN+ can still be purchased directly on MASN’s website at masnsports.com or via the MASN app available on iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.

MASN+ subscribers receive 24/7 MASN and MASN2 content including every available Orioles and Nationals game, Orioles and Nationals Classics, O’s and Nats Xtra, and all other MASN programming. Orioles and Nationals games produced by MASN include special features like in-game interviews with players, mic ups, and in-depth interviews and analysis. 

NEW YORK – For the fifth time this season, the Nationals enter the final game of a series needing a win to avoid a sweep. They’ve been swept twice: by the Blue Jays in the second series of the regular season and by the Cardinals last month. They’ll need to beat the Mets this afternoon to avoid a third sweep and a five-game losing streak.

Michael Soroka will take the mound for his eighth start with a 3-3 record, 4.86 ERA and 1.108 WHIP. The right-hander is coming off a dominant performance when he outdueled Patrick Corbin in his return to Nats Park with six shutout innings and seven strikeouts against the Rangers.

Soroka is 4-1 with a 3.08 ERA and 1.105 WHIP in seven career starts against the Mets. He’s been even better at Citi Field, where he’s 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA and 1.114 WHIP in four starts.

Meanwhile, the Nats offense will have to deal with Kodai Senga and his “ghost” forkball. The right-hander is 6-3 with a 1.59 ERA that ranks second in the major leagues. He has given up more than two runs in an outing only once this season. When he last faced the Nats on April 25 in D.C., he held them to two runs over six innings. However, the Nats did win that game.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 1:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (out-of-market only) MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 87 degrees, wind 12 mph from left to right

NEW YORK – Manager Davey Martinez was hoping to get some “thump” from his right-handed-heavy lineup. The Nationals rank in the lower third in the National League in batting average and OPS against left-handed pitching.

Although a new-look lineup featured six right-handed hitters, they faced a tough task in Mets southpaw David Peterson, who entered the night with a 2.80 ERA.

And try as they might, there was no “thump” to be had. In fact, there was anything but “thump” from the Nats during this 5-0 shutout loss in front of 40,681 fans at Citi Field.

Peterson, who also owned a not-so-impressive 1.259 WHIP at the start of the game, held the Nationals to just six hits without any walks while completing the first complete game and shutout of his six-year major league career.

“I think he was just getting ahead and getting early contact," said James Wood. "I think that let him go the distance today.”

NEW YORK – Looking to add some “thump” against left-handed pitching, Nationals manager Davey Martinez is deploying his new-look, righty-heavy lineup against the only southpaw starter they are scheduled to face during this three-game series against the Mets.

The most notable addition is Andrés Chaparro serving as the designated hitter in place of Josh Bell and hitting cleanup. Chaparro, who was recalled from Triple-A Rochester yesterday in hopes of being an impact right-handed bat, had two at-bats in last night’s loss after pinch-hitting for Bell in the eighth inning. He knocked a double off left-hander José Castillo into the right-center field in his first major league at-bat since September.

Other notable changes for tonight’s lineup: Amed Rosario is playing third base in place of José Tena and batting second; Riley Adams is catching in place of Keibert Ruiz; and Jacob Young is in center field instead of Robert Hassell III.

So what is Martinez looking for in those right-handed at-bats against David Peterson, who is the owner of a 2.80 ERA and 1.259 WHIP?

“Just work good at-bats,” the skipper said. “Chaparro, as you saw yesterday, he faced a lefty yesterday, he stayed on the ball and hit the ball well to right-center field. So I'm expecting kind of the same thing today. Just kind of stay on the ball and get some good swings off.”

NEW YORK – The Nationals almost did everything they needed to in order to win Tuesday’s series opener against the Mets. They got a strong pitching performance from starter MacKenzie Gore. They got production from the top of the lineup, particularly CJ Abrams. But they didn’t get a shutdown performance from the bullpen nor added offense late in the game.

Jake Irvin will try to duplicate what Gore did against a tough New York lineup. The right-hander enters his 14th start with a 5-2 record, 4.02 ERA and 1.226 WHIP. And despite the challenges the Mets present, Irvin has had success against them in his career. He has a 2.51 ERA in his last four starts against the National League East rivals over the past two seasons, including 7 ⅓ innings of one-run ball back in D.C. on April 25.

At the plate, the Nats will trot out a right-handed-heavy lineup to face lefty David Peterson. The 29-year-old veteran is 4-2 with a 2.80 ERA and 1.259 WHIP in 12 starts. He did not face the Nats earlier this year, but he’s 5-1 with a 3.07 ERA and 1.240 WHIP in 12 career appearances (nine starts) against them.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 81 degrees, wind 11 mph out to right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
3B Amed Rosario
LF James Wood
DH Andrés Chaparro
1B Nathaniel Lowe
RF Alex Call
C Riley Adams
2B Luis García Jr.
CF Jacob Young

NEW YORK – CJ Abrams is at a crossroads in his third full season with the Nationals. After playing like one of the top shortstops in the game over the season’s first two months, he entered Tuesday’s series opener against the Mets in a slump: Over his previous 17 games, he only hit .143 with a .430 OPS and three extra-base hits.

So the question is: Does he let the slump derail his campaign, or does he re-discover his earlier success to make a run at his second straight All-Star selection, this one in his hometown of Atlanta?

Hopefully, last night’s performance was an indication that he’ll trend toward the latter.

Abrams finished the night 3-for-4 after reaching base in each of his first four plate appearances via two doubles, his ninth home run of the season and a hit-by-pitch. It was the second game in his career he had produced three or more extra-base hits, with the other being when he went 3-for-5 with a double and two home runs in Baltimore on May 18.

That was also the last game he had homered in and the beginning of his tough 17-game stretch.

NEW YORK – For the first time since the 2022 Juan Soto blockbuster trade with the Padres, six players from that deal were on the field at the same time. Who would have thought back then it would be at Citi Field three years later?

With Soto now playing for the Mets, the former National could look across the field to see Josh Bell (who joined him in going to San Diego) back with the Nats and four of the five prospects they were traded for in MacKenize Gore, CJ Abrams, James Wood and Robert Hassell III.

And wouldn’t you know it, most of those pieces from one of the biggest trades in major league history played big roles in tonight’s game.

The outcome was not a welcomed sight for the Nats, who lost 5-4 in 10 innings to the National League-leading Mets in front of 38,472 fans in Queens.

And although it probably was a welcomed sight for the Nats to see Abrams and Gore as the catalysts early in the game, it was not so to see Jose A. Ferrer and Kyle Finnegan blow it late.

NEW YORK – Before starting a three-game series against the Mets tonight, the Nationals answered a question that had been lingering since Sunday night: Who would fill the open roster spot?

After Sunday’s loss to the Rangers, the Nats optioned Nasim Nuñez to Triple-A Rochester, requiring a corresponding move when they arrived at Citi Field. The answer: Andrés Chaparro was officially recalled from Rochester in hopes he'll provide the Nats a much-needed right-handed boost.

“Very happy to be back in a major league clubhouse,” Chaparro said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “And it's also a lot of emotions because of what I went through last year with my baby. But again, happy to be back.”

What the 26-year-old and his family went through last year with his baby was an unbelievable tragedy. After his daughter, Gio Andrea, was born prematurely at the end of the season, she sadly passed away in late October.

That surely put his baseball life in the back seat. But Chaparro entered spring training with a good chance to make his first Opening Day roster, only to have that chance ripped away from him after a good camp when he injured an oblique muscle.

NEW YORK – After a 2-4 homestand, the Nationals are back on the road for a quick trip to Citi Field to play three games against the Mets. The Nats are actually a respectable 15-17 on the road this season. But they’re only 3-7 in away games against their National League East rivals.

The Nats have the right man on the mound for tonight’s opener as they try to get back to their winning ways. MacKenzie Gore has been nothing short of excellent to start this season, with a 2.87 ERA, 1.142 WHIP and major league-best 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The lefty has only been charged with a total of three runs over his last four starts, including back-to-back shutout performances over 13 innings against the Mariners and Cubs.

But perhaps more important for the Nationals is what they do against the guy who takes the mound for the other team. Griffin Canning has been impressive to start his first year in New York. The veteran right-hander is 6-2 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.322 WHIP over his 12 starts. And he’s coming off an impressive six shutout innings with seven strikeouts against the Dodgers his last time out.

The Nats did make a roster move this morning to help the offense: They officially recalled Andrés Chaparro from Triple-A to take the roster spot of Nasim Nuñez, who was optioned to Rochester after Sunday’s game.

But wait, the Nationals weren’t done. They also claimed right-hander Ryan Loutos off waivers from the Dodgers this afternoon and optioned him to Rochester, filling the 40-man roster.

The Washington Nationals recalled infielder Andrés Chaparro from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday and optioned infielder Nasim Nuñez to Triple-A Rochester on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Chaparro, 26, hit .304 (17-for-56) with three doubles, five home runs, 19 RBI, eight walks and eight runs scored in 15 games for the Red Wings this season. He was named International Player of the week on June 2 after he hit .444 (8-for-18), with five extra-base hits (two doubles, three home runs), nine RBI, five walks and five runs scored in five games from May 28-June 1. 

Chaparro homered in twice and knocked in eight runs and in his final three games for Rochester before he was recalled.

The El Vigia, Venezuela native made his Major League debut in on August 13 of last year at Baltimore and doubled three times to tie the second-most extra-base hits in a Major League debut in MLB history. He went on to record seven doubles in his first 12 games, the most in Nationals history. In all, 16 (12 doubles, four homers) of his 26 hits last year went for extra bases.

Nuñez, 24, hit .186 with two doubles, five RBI, five walks, seven stolen bases and six runs scored in 23 games for Washington this season. 

For the first time in 35 years, the Fredericksburg Nationals will have new ownership.

Art Silber, who purchased the franchise in 1990 when it was still known as the Prince William Cannons and played in Woodbridge, announced Monday a deal to sell the team to Diamond Baseball Holdings, a company that owns more than 40 of Minor League Baseball’s 120 affiliated clubs.

“We made a decision to sell the team in order to ensure its growth and continued vitality in our community,” the Silber family wrote in a letter directed to FredNats fans. “Due to a combination of family considerations, evolution of the industry and growth of the team, we made the determination that it was time to turn over the ownership to an entity that could ensure the great promise of this franchise for decades to come.”

The sale of the club does not impact the team’s name, location or affiliation with the Washington Nationals, who have sustained a relationship with it since 2005. Fredericksburg will continue to serve as the Nats’ low Single-A affiliate, per the terms of a 10-year agreement all minor league clubs signed with their major league counterparts in 2021 when the sport reorganized under Major League Baseball’s umbrella.

When Silber bought the franchise, it was an affiliate of the Yankees, playing at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge. It would undergo several name and affiliate changes over the years, becoming the Potomac Cannons in 1999 while affiliating with the Cardinals and later Reds. When the Montreal Expos moved to D.C. in 2005, the Cannons were renamed the Potomac Nationals and began a long affiliation with the big league club that now played only 30 miles to the northeast.

Let's see, it appears the last time we did a Q&A here was May 8. The Nationals were 17-21 at the time. Neither Robert Hassell III nor Daylen Lile had made his major league debut yet. The bullpen, which still featured Lucas Sims, had an ERA over 7.00. So, a few things have changed in the last month.

A few things, that is, besides the record. The Nats right now are 30-35. So they've played one game under .500 ball since the last Q&A. That's not terrible, but it's not exactly good, either. This team keeps taking some big steps forward, only to take another step back just when you think it might finally be ready to win more than it loses.

That certainly was the case this past week. On the heels of a great West Coast trip that capped off a stretch in which they won 10 of 13 games, the Nationals have now lost five of their last seven. And they've scored a grand total of 11 runs in those seven games.

Offensive woes are the No. 1 story at the moment, but there are plenty of other topics worth discussing as well on this off day for the team. So, if you've got something you'd like to ask, please submit it in the comments section below. Then check back throughout the morning for my responses ...

They waited all week for someone to deliver the big hit that would snap the entire team out of its sudden offensive funk. They’ll still be waiting when they next take the field Tuesday night in New York, hoping success comes on the road, because it sure didn’t come at home.

The Nationals completed a disappointing series and a disappointing homestand this afternoon with a 4-2 loss to the Rangers, their scoring woes still the No. 1 factor at the end of a brutal week for their hitters.

The historic explosion that took place last week in Seattle and Arizona was nowhere to be found here in D.C. The same lineup that scored at least nine runs in four straight games out west scored a grand total of 11 over its last seven games, never scoring more than three in any individual contest yet still managing to win once a piece against the Cubs and Rangers (each time by the count of 2-0).

"It's hard to beat anybody," first baseman Nathaniel Lowe said. "It's hard to beat major league teams. It's hard to sweep a team. It's hard to win a series. At the same time, it can slip in a hurry. We're a couple breaks, I think, this week from winning two series against two pretty good teams. No sweat. It's still early. We've got a lot of good baseball in front of us. But, yeah, we obviously need to reevaluate, take stock, enjoy an off-day and get ready for a good week in New York."

They hoped something would spring them back into action this weekend against a Texas club struggling to score runs itself. But it never happened, not during Saturday’s shutout loss and not during today’s rain-delayed loss.

Two of the Nationals’ regulars, each of them struggling mightily at the moment, are getting the day off.

Both CJ Abrams and Keibert Ruiz are sitting for this afternoon’s series finale against the Rangers. That’s a product both of the matchup, with Texas sending left-hander Jacob Latz to the mound to open a bullpen game, and of those hitters’ recent struggles.

Abrams, who hasn’t had a day off since returning from a brief stint on the 10-day injured list April 24, is batting just .169 with a .247 on-base percentage and .312 slugging percentage over his last 19 games. In that time, the 24-year-old shortstop has seen his OPS plummet from .926 to .787, potentially taking him out of All-Star consideration.

“He’s chasing a lot,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We’ve got to get him back in the zone. Everything’s up. He’s got to get the ball down in the zone a little bit. When he does get the ball down, he hits the ball hard. But it’s all about chasing.”

Abrams, who has drawn only two walks over his last 61 plate appearances, has been quite swing-happy of late. He swung at six of the first nine pitches he saw during Saturday’s 2-0 loss before finally working a seven-pitch at-bat in the bottom of the ninth (though that still ended with a strikeout on a cutter up in the zone).

A win today and the Nationals would salvage a 3-3 homestand. Nothing wrong with that, especially when you consider how much they’ve been struggling at the plate. The Nats have scored nine total runs over their last six games. They were shut out Saturday afternoon by the Rangers. The two games they have won this week came by the same score of 2-0. Suffice it to say, more is needed.

It’s a very different matchup today than Saturday. Instead of a potential future Hall of Famer in Jacob deGrom, the Nationals will face left-handed reliever Jacob Latz to begin what looks like a bullpen game for Texas. Latz has made 12 appearances this season, with a 2.95 ERA and 1.418 WHIP. Lefties are batting just .143 against him. He has topped the 38-pitch mark four times, so he could be good for more than one inning if Bruce Bochy decides to go that way.

Trevor Williams starts for the Nats, and he needs to be better than he was against the Cubs last time out (five runs in 4 1/3 innings). The right-hander enters with a 6.03 ERA. With an off-day Monday in advance of this week’s series at the Mets, Davey Martinez might be inclined to go to his bullpen early without fear of burning guys up.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. TEXAS RANGERS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 73 degrees, wind 10 mph in from right field

RANGERS
1B Josh Smith
RF Sam Haggerty
SS Corey Seager
2B Marcus Semien
3B Josh Jung
CF Evan Carter
DH Jake Burger
LF Alejandro Osuna
C Jonah Heim

The Nationals approached the precipice of a .500 record thanks to a suddenly resurgent offensive attack that put up historic numbers over a stretch of four late-night games on the West Coast last week.

If they’re ever going to get themselves over that elusive threshold, they’re going to have to come up with examples of some more consistent offensive production, even if it doesn’t qualify as historic.

A lineup that already was struggling during this weekend’s homestand ran today into the brick wall known as Jacob deGrom, who looked like his old vintage self in leading the Rangers to a 5-0 victory on South Capitol Street.

And though Mitchell Parker bounced back from another shaky first inning to otherwise cruise until he was pulled following the sixth, the two early runs he allowed (plus three more surrendered late by reliever Eduardo Salazar) were more than enough for Texas to win and set up a rubber match in Sunday’s series finale.

Will the Nationals (30-34) get going again at the plate by then? They haven’t shown any ability to do so to this point in the homestand. After establishing a club record by scoring at least nine runs in four consecutive games last week in Seattle and Phoenix, they’ve now scored nine total runs in their last six games.

Officially, Josiah Gray was in town for the Nationals Youth Academy’s graduation ceremony, an annual event the right-hander never misses as the team’s designated ambassador for its premier charitable outlet.

But if the right-hander was going to be here for the weekend anyway, might as well enjoy every moment he had at the ballpark and feel like a member of the active roster again, even though he hasn’t been since early 2024 due to injury.

“It's only a three-day trip right now, but just to see everyone and catch up for the short moments that we have together is always a good time,” he said Friday. “And just to feel (like) part of the team again is always a blessing. So I’m looking forward to these three days, and just thinking about the next time I’ll be back up here.”

If everything goes according to plan, Gray’s next official visit to Nationals Park should come sometime in September, with an opportunity to make a few game appearances before season’s end and officially conclude his lengthy recovery from a torn elbow ligament.

Gray, who had Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure July 24, is nearing the one-year anniversary of that career-changing event. His rehab has gone as expected, and he’s currently throwing multiple 30-pitch bullpen sessions each week at the Nationals’ spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Nobody who steps onto the field this afternoon will be able to claim he’s tired, not after Friday night’s game was completed in a record-tying, 1 hour and 50 minutes. Shoot, the sun hadn’t even set when Kyle Finnegan recorded the final out of the Nationals’ 2-0 victory over the Rangers. So everyone should be well-rested for today’s 4:05 p.m. contest on South Capitol Street.

The series opener flew by so quickly because both pitching staffs threw strikes and both lineups swung a lot. So it’ll be interesting to see if Mitchell Parker can take some cues from that and come out throwing strikes today against a struggling Rangers lineup. Parker continues to deal with all kinds of first-inning troubles (10.50 ERA for the season) but has found a way to be effective after that (3.40 from the second inning on). His challenge today: Post a zero in the top of the first, then go from there.

Though the Nationals have won two of their last three games, each of those came by the score of 2-0. They continue to struggle at the plate since their brief offensive explosion out west last week. After scoring at least nine runs in four straight games, they’ve now scored nine total runs in their last five games. And if they’re going to snap out of that funk, they’ll have to do it against Jacob deGrom, who is finally healthy again and pitching as well as he always has when he’s been healthy.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. TEXAS RANGERS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind 7 mph in from left field

RANGERS
LF Sam Haggerty
CF Wyatt Langford
3B Josh Jung
2B Marcus Semien
1B Jake Burger
RF Adolis García
C Jonah Heim
DH Kyle Higashioka
SS Ezequiel Duran

Patrick Corbin was very good in his return to Nationals Park. Michael Soroka and the Nationals bullpen were better.

Despite watching their former teammate churn out the kind of effective start he rarely provided them the last five seasons – eight innings of two-run ball – the Nats managed to plate a couple of runs off the left-hander, then rode Soroka’s six scoreless innings and three more from three relievers to beat the Rangers 2-0 in one of the fastest games in club history.

It took a mere 1 hour, 50 minutes for the Nationals to win this pitchers’ duel, matching the fastest nine-inning game in team history. Both hurlers helped their cause by working fast and throwing strikes, combining for only 206 total pitches. But both lineups did their part as well, making a ton of quick outs to keep this game moving at a breakneck pace.

"I actually didn't realize (how quick it was)," Soroka said. "I came in after the fifth, and it felt like the third. Credit to Corbin for what he did as well. ... Kept the pace doing, and the defense did a great job as well."

In the end, the Nats emerged victorious thanks to a scratched-out run in the bottom of the second and then a solo blast by Alex Call in the bottom of the seventh off Corbin.