As soon as it was placed on the schedule, this was always a possibility. You just have to hope that everything goes well leading up to it.

Once Major League Baseball released the updated 2022 schedule after the first week of the regular season was canceled due to the lockout, the Nationals must have circled this weekend on their calendar.

One of the two games against the Phillies that was originally scheduled for early April was rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader on Friday, the back end of an 11-game homestand over 10 days. Not to mention it’s Ryan Zimmerman Weekend at Nationals Park.

So yeah, a long weekend.

On the field, the Nationals need help for and from their pitching staff to get through these next five games.

This week hasn’t been pleasant to the Nationals. After starting this homestand with two big wins over the Brewers, it’s been all downhill since.

Looking to avoid their third sweep in as many weeks, the Nationals dropped another dud in the form of an 8-2 loss to the Braves in front of 21,153 fans at Nationals Park.

The Nats had nothing going against Braves starter Spencer Strider. The rookie brought his good stuff to his fourth straight start, putting away hitters with his triple-digit fastball and sharp slider.

Strider’s fastball averaged 98.8 mph and topped out at 100.9 mph, with the Nats swinging late on it all night. Then the slider was a great putaway pitch as it was thrown for strikes 43 percent of the time.

“He was good. He hit 100-101 (mph)," manager Davey Martinez said after the game. "But more so his breaking ball was good and he threw it for strikes. When a guy's like that, he's tough locating his fastball. He was tough."

The Nationals have already had a rough start to the week with Stephen Strasburg’s injury news, a worn out bullpen and three straight losses at home, including the first two games of this three-game set against the Braves. The last thing they need is for their best player to miss time due to a freak injury in the dugout.

But that’s exactly what they have as Juan Soto is not in the starting lineup for the second straight game after slipping in the dugout and banging his right knee on the corner of a bench in the eighth inning of Monday night’s game.

Soto was seen in the Nationals clubhouse before batting practice walking around with a slight limp in his step. He was going to test it out in the cage before making a decision on whether or not he would play, even though he told manager Davey Martinez he’s feeling better.

“He says he feels better, but we'll see,” Martinez said during his pregame session with the media before a starting lineup was announced.

What do the Nationals want to see Soto do before putting him back in the field?

Well, this week has not started off well for the Nationals. After starting this 11-games-in-10-days homestand with two impressive wins against the Brewers over the weekend, the Nats have dropped three straight by a combined score of 23-10, including the first two games of this series against the division rival Braves. Not to mention all of the injury and roster news from the past 48 hours …

As they look to avoid a three-game sweep, the Nats will turn to Erick Fedde to be the stopper, something he actually has done a handful of times this season. The Nationals have won seven of the 12 games Fedde has started this season, with the right-hander going 4-4 with a 4.87 ERA. Of those seven wins, five of them were the only victories the Nationals secured in those respective series (against the Mets, Pirates, Rockies, Astros and Dodgers). And his most recent start against the Brewers stopped a three-game losing streak after the Nationals were swept out of Miami last week.

He’ll try to do it again tonight.

The Braves will send one of the National League’s best rookies in Spencer Strider to the mound for just his fourth start in his 15th appearance this season. The 23-year-old right-hander is 2-2 with a 1.122 WHIP and 2.35 ERA, which is third-best among qualified major league rookies. Strider’s three starts have come in his last three outings, over which he allowed four earned runs in 14 innings while striking out 20 and issuing just eight walks. He gave up one run on three hits and three walks with three strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings of relief against the Nats on April 11 in Atlanta.

Juan Soto is not in the lineup for the second straight game. The star right fielder slipped in the dugout and banged his right knee on the corner of a bench in the eighth inning of Monday night’s game. Manager Davey Martinez told reporters yesterday Soto’s X-ray came back clean, but today said the knee is still sore. Martinez also said during his pregame media session that Soto could be available off the bench.

Reed Garrett got the call around midnight on Tuesday, having only just arrived in Scranton, Pa., with his Triple-A Rochester teammates a few hours earlier. The Nationals were calling him and fellow reliever Francisco Perez up, and because there weren’t any good flight options, his best bet was to rent a car and make the four-hour drive to Washington.

So it was that Garrett found himself behind the wheel, with Perez riding shotgun, on the road to D.C., then eventually into Tuesday night’s game against the Braves. It may have sounded like a stressful trip to some, but for the 29-year-old right-hander, it sure beat the travels he endured the last two seasons.

“Reflecting on it, it’s been a wild journey,” he said. “But it’s all been worth it.”

The journey began in Henrico, Va., where Garrett was born. It included life growing up in the Richmond area rooting for the Braves, though he believes the first major league game he ever attended was at RFK Stadium to see the Nationals.

A 16th round pick of the Rangers in 2014 out of Virginia Military Institute, Garrett would be selected by the Tigers in the 2019 Rule 5 draft and make his major league debut that season, only to be sent back to Texas after 13 disappointing appearances.

The Washington Nationals announced the following roster moves on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements: 

·       Selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Jackson Tetreault (TAY-troh) from Triple-A Rochester

·       Selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Reed Garrett from Triple-A Rochester

·       Recalled left-handed pitcher Francisco Pérez from Triple-A Rochester

·       Placed right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg on the 15-day Injured List (retroactive to 6/11) with a stress reaction of the ribs

In a season that's already featured more than a fair share of bad days, Monday was about as bad as it gets for the Nationals. Between injuries to star players, a rain delay, altered pitching plans and a 9-5 loss to the Braves, nothing went right for the club.

And now the Nats have to pick up the pieces from all that and take the field against the red-hot Braves again tonight, with the rest of this 11-games-in-10-days homestand still looming.

Here’s a rundown of what needs to be sorted out before today is over …

* How’s Stephen Strasburg?
Davey Martinez didn’t want to offer up any update on Strasburg late Monday night: “We’ll talk about Stephen tomorrow, if that’s OK,” the manager said. “I’ll know a lot more tomorrow about Stephen.”

Chances are, Martinez already knew something about the results of the MRI performed on Strasburg earlier in the day. But given all the other fires he was trying to put out after a game that nearly ended at midnight, he didn’t want to go into any more detail yet.

The Washington Nationals announced the following roster moves on Wednesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.

• Recalled left-handed pitcher Evan Lee from Double- A Harrisburg
• Recalled infielder Luis García from Triple-A Rochester
• Placed shortstop Alcides Escobar on the 10-day Injured List with a right hamstring strain
• Optioned right-handed pitcher Francisco Pérez to Triple-A Rochester

Lee, 24, went 0-3 with a 3.60 ERA in seven games (seven starts) for Double-A Harrisburg, striking out 37 batters in 30.0 innings pitched. He opened the season strong, pitching to a 1.86 ERA (4 ER/19.1 IP) and a .182 opponents’ batting average (12-for-66) through his first five starts. Lee is Washington’s No. 17 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com and the No. 20 prospect, per Baseball America.

In 2021, Lee ranked among Nationals Minor Leaguers (min. 70.0 IP) in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (3^rd, 12.2), opponents’ batting average (3^rd, .239), home runs allowed per 9.0 innings (3^rd, 0.70), fielding independent pitching (3^rd, 3.60), groundball rate (4^th, 47.8%) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (5^th, 3.25). Lee went 4-3 with a 4.32 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) for High-A Wilmington. He was named High-A East Pitcher of the Week (Sept. 21) after tossing 6.0 shutout innings with one hit and seven strikeouts on Sept. 2 at Brooklyn.

Lee, a two-way player (LHP/OF/1B) at the University of Arkansas, was selected in the 15th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft. He is the 22^nd pitcher drafted, signed and developed by the Nationals (2005-pres.) to start a game for Washington. He is 7-8 with a 3.79 ERA, 186 strikeouts and 68 walks in 42 career Minor League outings across four professional seasons.

García, 22, joins the Nationals after recording a .314/.368/.531 slash line with six doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 32 RBI, 16 walks, one stolen base and 39 runs scored in 42 games for Triple-A Rochester. He ranked in Washington’s system in triples (2^nd, 4), batting average (3^rd, .314), home runs (3^rd, 8), RBI (3^rd, 32), slugging percentage (3^rd, .531), OPS (3^rd, .899), runs (3^rd, 39), extra-base hits (4^th, 18) and on-base percentage (8^th, .368). García was named International League Player of the Week on April 18 after leading the league in hits (14), batting average (.519), and total bases (23) across six games from April 12-17. He recorded five multi-hit efforts in those six games.

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Andres Machado from Triple-A Rochester and placed left-handed pitcher Josh Rogers on the 15-day Injured List with a left shoulder impingement on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. 

Machado, 29, joins the Nationals for his third Major League stint this season. In 10 relief appearances during the month of April, he recorded a 2.45 ERA (3 ER/11.0 IP) with eight strikeouts, five walks and held opposing batters to a .211 average (8-for-38). Machado has pitched to a 5.40 ERA with 10 strikeouts and seven walks in 12 games out of the Nationals’ bullpen this season. He has provided scoreless relief in five of the 12 outings.

Rogers, 27, has pitched to a 5.13 ERA in 16 games (three starts) for the Nationals in 2022.

The Washington Nationals placed right-handed pitcher Víctor Arano on the 15-day Injured List with a left knee inflammation and reinstated infielder/outfielder Dee Strange-Gordon from the Paternity List on Monday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Arano, 27, has appeared in 24 games out of Washington’s bullpen, tied for the most on the club this season. He has recorded a 5.01 ERA, one save, 25 strikeouts and just four walks in 23.1 innings pitched. He posted a 1.64 ERA (2 ER/11.0 IP) with 14 strikeouts and two walks in 11 appearances during the month of April.

Strange-Gordon, 34, hit .293 with one double, one triple, two RBI, three stolen bases and six runs scored in 22 games for the Nationals prior to being placed on the Paternity List on June 3.

The Washington Nationals returned from rehabilitation assignment and reinstated infielder/outfielder Ehire Adrianza from the 60-day Injured List and optioned infielder Lucius Fox to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Adrianza, 32, hit .364 with two doubles, two homers, five RBI, four walks, one stolen base and six runs scored in 11 rehabilitation games between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester. He appeared at shortstop (5 G), third base (5 G), designated hitter (2 G) and second base (1 G).

Adrianza appeared in 109 games for the Atlanta Braves in 2021, hitting .247 with nine doubles, two triples, five homers, 28 RBI, 21 walks and 32 runs scored. In 72 pinch-hit plate appearances, he led Major League pinch hitters in extra-base hits (8), hits (16) and doubles (5). He was second in homers (3) and RBI (12).

A veteran of nine Major League seasons, Adrianza has hit .244 with 72 doubles, nine triples, 21 home runs, 142 RBI, 115 walks, 18 stolen bases and 175 runs scored in 575 career games. He began his career with the San Francisco Giants (2013–16) before spending time with the Minnesota Twins (2017–20) and the Atlanta Braves (2021). Adrianza won two World Series, 2014 with San Francisco and most recently 2021 with Atlanta.

Fox, 24, did not appear in a game for the Nationals during this stint on the Major League roster.

The Washington Nationals recalled left-handed pitcher Sam Clay from Triple-A Rochester and optioned right-handed pitcher Joan Adon to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. 

Clay, 28, joins the Nationals for his third Major League stint this season. In 15 relief appearances for Rochester, he recorded a 1.26 ERA (2 ER/14.1 IP) with 12 strikeouts, five walks and held opposing batters to a .204 average (11-for-54). Clay tossed scoreless relief in 14 of the 15 outings. He has appeared in five games out of the Nationals’ bullpen this season.

Adon, 23, went 1-10 with a 6.95 ERA in 12 starts for the Nationals in 2022.

The Washington Nationals returned from rehabilitation assignment and reinstated right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg from the 10-day Injured List and optioned left-handed pitcher Sam Clay to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Strasburg, 33, went 1-1 with a 1.98 ERA in three rehab starts between Single-A Fredericksburg and Triple-A Rochester. He struck out 13 batters, walked six and allowed four hits in 13.2 innings pitched. Strasburg made his final rehab start on June 3 vs. Buffalo, allowing just one hit in 6.0 innings with four strikeouts and one walk.

Strasburg is Washington’s all-time (2005-pres.) leader in starts (246), wins (113) and strikeouts (1,718). Since his debut in 2010, Strasburg ranks among Major League starting pitchers (min. 1,400.0 IP) in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (3^rd, 10.55), opponents’ slugging percentage (3^rd, .353), opponents’ OPS (4^th, .634), strikeout-to-walk ratio (6^th, 4.38), opponents’ batting average (5^th, .223), opponents’ on-base percentage (5^th, .280), walks and hits per innings pitched (5^th, 1.09), ERA (6^th, 3.21) and strikeouts (11^th, 1,718).

Clay, 28, did not appear in a game during his most recent Major League stint.

This is what they envisioned all along: A well-balanced, sustained offensive attack, with power from Juan Soto, Nelson Cruz and Josh Bell.

In the dream scenario for the 2022 season they conjured up months ago, the Nationals believed that was possible. It probably wouldn’t have been enough to lift this team back into a pennant race, not with all its other flaws as it embarked on an organizational rebuild, but if nothing else this team would be competitive, especially from an offensive standpoint.

That hasn’t happened with any regularity through the season’s first 61 games, but on more than a few occasions it has managed to all come together at once. And in today’s 8-6 win over the Brewers, the Nats may have come as close to realizing that dream scenario as they have all year.

With another sustained power display against a pitching staff that shut them down only a few weeks ago in Milwaukee, the Nationals won behind back-to-back-to-back homers from the three biggest bats in the heart of their lineup.

All this on the heels of an 11-run, 19-hit onslaught Friday night, making it an ultra-rare example of back-to-back big offensive showings from this lineup. Though they’ve scored 10 or more runs eight times this season, second-most in the majors, this was only the second time they’ve followed up by scoring more than five runs in their next game.

The Nationals need someone to start Sunday’s series finale, but they aren’t going to make any final declarations about the identity of that starter until they first play today’s game against the Brewers, recognizing anything can (and often does) happen to spoil best-laid plans.

“Let’s get through today,” manager Davey Martinez said with a laugh, “and then we’ll know more.”

The Nats’ hope and plan seems fairly clear: If they can avoid using him in relief today, they would like to have Evan Lee make Sunday’s start, only his second in the big leagues. The rookie left-hander allowed two runs in 3 2/3 innings during his June 1 debut in New York, and though he’s spent his time since then in the bullpen (making one relief appearance) he’s been prepped in a manner that would allow him to start Sunday if needed.

Lee threw 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief Tuesday in Miami, on what would essentially have been his next turn through the rotation. He then was seen warming up in the bullpen during the final inning of Thursday’s game against the Marlins, not because he was preparing to enter that game but because that essentially served as his between-starts throwing session.

“We tell him all the time with everything going on right now, especially this next week, anything can happen,” Martinez said. “He’s well aware of that, and making sure he stays sharp.”

Good news: The Nationals scored 11 runs Friday night to cruise to victory. Bad news: The Nationals scored 11 runs Friday night to cruise to victory, because so far this season that has spelled doom for their offense the next day.

Seven times this year the Nats have scored 10 or more runs. And in five of those cases, they’ve gone on to lose their next game, scoring a total of 11 runs in those games. So they’ll be looking to buck that trend later this afternoon when they host the Brewers in the second game of this weekend series.

The lineup today is facing Eric Lauer, who carved them up last month in Milwaukee. The left-hander tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits while striking out five on May 20. (That was the game Lane Thomas tried for an inside-the-park homer but was thrown out at the plate.)

Patrick Corbin also started for the Nationals during that series, falling victim to a pair of homers. Andrew McCutchen got him on his very first pitch in the bottom of the first. Then Luis Urías jumped on the first pitch he saw in the fifth inning for a homer of his own. Both are in the Brewers lineup today.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 73 degrees, wind 4 mph in from center field

You’ll have to excuse Sean Doolittle if he seems a little amped over something as trivial as playing catch as a major league pitcher. For a guy who had to go on the 10-day injured list after a strong start to the season and then went months without picking up a baseball, the left-hander had a lot of energy and a lot to say about his ongoing rehab process.

“We're in my second week of playing catch. ... Up to 75 feet right now. And just building back up,” Doolittle said in front of his locker in the Nationals clubhouse Friday afternoon. “I can't remember the last time I took two months off from throwing. But the elbow and the forearm have been feeling really good. All of the strength work has gone really well and now is the fun part. Getting to throw and play catch again, knock that rust off. We don't have a timetable or anything. But it's been going really well.”

Doolittle landed on the 10-day IL with a left elbow sprain on April 20, the day after he recorded two outs in relief of Josiah Gray during the Nationals’ 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks in the matinee of a D.C. doubleheader. A little over two weeks later, he was moved to the 60-day IL after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection that would keep him out for a longer period of time.

He had to stop throwing for what turned out to be about two months. He wasn’t allowed to do what he’s literally paid to do.

After starting the season with 5 1/3 scoreless innings, a 0.188 WHIP and six strikeouts to no walks over six appearances, was that particularly frustrating for him?

It’s always nice to be home. After a 10-game road trip in which they went 3-7, the Nationals were happy to return to D.C. to start this long homestand tonight against the Brewers.

You could feel it in the clubhouse before the game. Despite coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the Marlins and getting into town late last night, players seemed to be in high spirits this afternoon. Even manager Davey Martinez was particularly chipper in his pregame press conference.

Did the late arrival time at Nationals Park allow them to catch up on sleep? Or were they over-caffeinated after not getting enough sleep? We don’t know for sure, but whatever it was it led to an 11-5 win over the Brewers in front of 26,111 in attendance on South Capitol Street.

“I am tired. … I got three hours of sleep," Martinez said immediately after tonight's game. "By the end of the game today, I looked at (bench coach Tim Bogar) and said, 'I'm beat.' ”

It was a picture-perfect Friday night in our nation’s capital. With a gametime temperature of 79 degrees and a per usual perfect national anthem from local favorite D.C. Washington, the Nationals settled right into a victory in which they received contributions from all aspects of the roster.

After a long 10-game road trip across three cities, the Nationals are finally home in D.C., ready to start an 11-game homestand over the next 10 days.

“Yeah, it's awesome,” manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame session in the press conference room at Nationals Park. “I mean, it was a long road trip. It really was. But glad to be home.”

Although the location has changed, the Nationals lineup for their series opener against the Brewers remains mostly the same, with Nelson Cruz starting again as the designated hitter after being a late scratch from last night’s finale in Miami with tightness in his back.

“Cruz is back in there,” Martinez said. “His back was stiff yesterday. So he called this morning, I talked to him this morning. He said he feels a lot better. ... Says he feels good. So he's back in there.”

The 41-year-old has dealt with a handful of nagging issues that have caused him to be scratched from lineups this season. He was also removed from the lineup before an April 12 game in Atlanta with groin tightness, and he was scratched from a May 16 game in Miami with an illness.

Home, sweet home! After going 3-7 over a three-city road trip, the Nationals have finally returned home to South Capitol Street. 

Tonight kicks off an 11-game homestand over the next 10 days (thanks to a doubleheader against the Phillies a week from today), starting with three games against the Brewers. The Nats will be looking for a little payback after dropping two out of three in Milwaukee last month.

Erick Fedde takes the mound for his sixth home start to open this series. He’s 3-4 with 4.88 ERA on the season and gave up two runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings against the Brewers in May.

Aaron Ashby gets the start for the Brew Crew tonight. In 12 games (six starts) this season, the young left-hander is 1-4 with a 3.13 ERA. He closed out the Brewers’ 7-0 win with a scoreless ninth inning on the same day Fedde started for the Nationals at American Family Field. As a starter, Ashby is 1-2 with a 3.45 ERA.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 78 degrees, wind 7 mph in from left field