ANAHEIM, Calif. – Hello from the Happiest Place on Earth. Or, more technically, right down the street from the Happiest Place on Earth. The Nationals are here facing the Angels for the first time since July 2017, a series that featured the club debuts of Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson following their acquisitions from the Athletics.

During that series, a Nationals third baseman named Anthony Rendon hit a home run. Tonight, Rendon will be facing the organization that drafted him for the first time as a member of the Angels. It’s hard to believe this is already Rendon’s third year in Anaheim, and the Nats roster he’ll see across the way tonight doesn’t include a whole lot of faces he’ll be familiar with. Nonetheless, it’ll be strange to see him going up against them as a member of a very potent Angels lineup.

It’s a sizeable challenge for rookie Joan Adon, who struggled his last time out in San Francisco, giving up four runs on four hits, three walks and two hit batters in four-plus innings. Adon will have to find a way to keep the ball in the zone tonight and avoid the big innings that have plagued him over the last month.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Where: Angel Stadium
Gametime: 9:38 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 70 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
2B César Hernández
RF Juan Soto
1B Josh Bell
DH Nelson Cruz
3B Maikel Franco
LF Lane Thomas
C Keibert Ruiz
CF Victor Robles
SS Alcides Escobar

DENVER – For 48 hours, the Nationals experienced Coors Field like they’d never experienced it before. Quality pitching. Quick games. No late-inning drama. Nothing about the first two games of their series against the Rockies felt typical for this unique baseball setting.

Ah, but you can’t leave the Mile High City without experiencing the true Coors Field at least once. And sure enough, today’s sun-splashed series finale provided a far more typical affair.

It took 3 hours, 25 minutes to play 8 1/2 innings. It featured five combined homers. And it ended in a 9-7 loss to the Rockies that was defined both by the Nationals’ inability to keep the ball in the yard and their inability to do the little things right.

"Two costly mistakes," manager Davey Martinez lamented.

Those two mistakes each resulted in a three-run homer, with Garrett Hampson taking starter Aaron Sanchez deep to left in the second and Brendan Rodgers taking reliever Josh Rogers deep to center in the fifth.

DENVER – Nelson Cruz is out of the Nationals lineup for the second straight day, though manager Davey Martinez said the 41-year-old designated hitter’s lower back is feeling better.

Cruz hasn’t played since Lane Thomas pinch-hit for him in the seventh inning of Tuesday night’s series opener against the Rockies, hampered by lower back stiffness. He sat out Wednesday night’s game, only the second time he hasn’t been in the lineup this season.

Martinez said Cruz suggested he could have started today’s series finale, but the manager didn’t want to take a chance of him needing to depart early again, given the fact he only has three players on his bench at the moment.

“We’re at the point now where if we utilize him as a pinch-hitter, as far as just getting him out there, it’s great,” Martinez said. “I don’t want him to stiffen up during the game. So we thought we’d give him another day. For me, especially with our bench only being a couple guys, if we can use him later in the game, instead of putting him in and something happens … hopefully he’ll be in there tomorrow.”

Cruz has been mired in a season-long slump, entering the day with a .143 batting average and .442 OPS (both second-worst among qualified National League hitters).

DENVER – After a cold, rainy Wednesday night here at Coors Field, it’s a beautiful Thursday afternoon for the series finale between the Nationals and Rockies. The Nats have a chance to win their second straight road series, which would be no small feat under the circumstances.

They’ll hope to get the bats going again after getting shut down by left-hander Austin Gomber on Wednesday. Today they face right-hander Antonio Senzatela, who has only a bit of experience against Nationals hitters during his career. César Hernández (3-for-9, double), Josh Bell (3-for-5, double, two walks) and Maikel Franco (2-for-5, triple) have enjoyed the most success against Senzatela.

Aaron Sanchez, meanwhile, makes his third start since joining the Nats rotation. The 29-year-old right-hander faced the Giants each of his previous outings, losing to them once and then beating them in the follow-up game. Today he faces a Rockies lineup that really hasn’t done much so far this series, scoring five of its seven total runs in the bottom of the fourth Tuesday night, an inning that would’ve ended with a zero on the scoreboard if not for Alcides Escobar’s error on a tailor-made double play grounder.

Friendly reminder: Today’s game is available only on YouTube. It’s free and requires no login, only a computer, tablet, phone or smart TV of your choice. Here’s the link to watch it.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field
Gametime: 3:10 p.m. EDT
TV: YouTube
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 62 degrees, wind 8 mph in from center field

DENVER – There may be no more tried-and-true axiom in baseball than the one that stipulates a team’s No. 2 catcher will almost always start a day game after a night game. Managers don’t want to run their starting catchers into the ground, so they summon their backups to work anytime there’s a quick turnaround from one game to the next.

And for the better part of the season’s first month, that’s exactly how Davey Martinez has used Riley Adams. Five of Adams’ first seven starts behind the plate came in day games that followed night games. The lone exceptions: April 9 (a Saturday night game) against the Mets and April 19 (the nightcap of a doubleheader against the Diamondbacks).

Then on Wednesday night came a new twist: Adams started a night game following another night game, in advance of a day game. Why? Because Patrick Corbin was pitching, and right now it seems that will dictate Adams’ playing schedule more than anything else.

“They work well together,” manager Davey Martinez said prior to Wednesday’s game. “Patrick feels comfortable throwing to him, and he’s actually done well catching him. So another good opportunity for them to work together. And if it does work out well, we may have to leave him catching Corbin, if Corbin feels comfortable throwing to him, which I know he does. We’ll see how that plays out, but I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

After Corbin went eight innings allowing three earned runs and throwing only 94 pitches Wednesday night against the Rockies, Martinez may have no choice but to keep pairing up the two batterymates.

DENVER – You can’t assume the double play. It’s a time-honored baseball fact, meant mostly as guidance for official scoring but having worked its way into the sport’s lexicon.

So under that longstanding principle, Patrick Corbin was responsible for three of the five runs he surrendered tonight during the Nationals’ 5-2 loss to the Rockies.

If we’re using common sense, of course, we’d point out Corbin wouldn’t have been charged with any runs if Alcides Escobar hadn’t booted what sure looked like a 6-4-3 double play off the bat in the bottom of the fourth.

If Escobar makes that play, the inning is over with nary a run crossing the plate. But because he didn’t, a chain of events was set into motion that culminated with five Colorado runners scoring. Those would prove to be the only five runs the Nats would allow on this cold, rainy night. But they were enough to produce a loss, an odd one at that, given the fact their starter actually tossed the team’s first complete game of the season.

"We’ve got to catch the ball. We’ve got to catch the ball," an animated Davey Martinez said afterward. "And we didn’t do that today. It’s upsetting because of what Patrick did. ... The story today should be about Patrick. For me, he’s back. If he continues to do that, he’s going to help us win a lot of games. He was lights out today.”

DENVER – The Nationals transferred Sean Doolittle to the 60-day injured list this afternoon, revealing the left-hander recently received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his elbow, which will prevent him from throwing for another six weeks. They then used that new opening on the 40-man roster to claim right-hander Cory Abbott from the Giants and immediately option him to Triple-A Rochester.

The move of Doolittle from the 10-day to the 60-day IL ensures he’ll be out until at least late June, but last week’s PRP injection ensured it would probably take that long for him to recover anyway.

“He opted to do that, get it over with, get it done right away,” manager Davey Martinez said before tonight’s game against the Rockies. “Now he’s just going to rehab. He said he feels really good, which is great. We’re just going to rehab him and get him back.”

Doolittle was off to a red-hot start in April after rejoining the Nationals on a one-year, $1.5 million contract this spring. He did not allow a run over his first six relief appearances and only allowed a batter to reach base for the first time in his most recent outing.

But the 35-year-old experienced pain in his elbow during that last appearance and informed club officials. He promptly was placed on the 10-day IL, with hopes he’d be OK to resume throwing after rest and rehab for a couple weeks. All the while, though, he admitted he knew there remained the possibility the sprain was more serious and could require a significant amount of time off or even major surgery.

DENVER – The Nationals look to continue their surprisingly strong road trip tonight, trying to win two in a row over the Rockies and four of five overall since heading west last weekend.

Their bats have been on fire throughout, producing 38 runs on 61 hits over the four games on the trip to date. They’ll again hope Josh Bell and Yadiel Hernandez can stay hot, while also hoping Juan Soto and Keibert Ruiz can deliver again as they did during Tuesday night’s 10-2 win.

This will be a stiff challenge for Patrick Corbin. The lefty is coming off his best start of the season, in which he held the Marlins to two earned runs and four hits over six innings. Coors Field has not traditionally been kind to the lefty; he’s got a 5.91 ERA in 13 career games here. However, he did allow only two earned runs over six innings in each of his two previous starts here as a member of the Nationals, including a nine-strikeout showing last September in his final start of an otherwise miserable year.

The Nats made a roster move earlier today, claiming right-hander Cory Abbott off waivers from the Giants and optioning him to Triple-A Rochester. They also transferred Sean Doolittle to the 60-day injured list, which doesn’t appear to bode well for the prognosis of the popular lefty’s elbow sprain. Hopefully, we’ll get a more detailed update on him later this afternoon.

It is cold, and there is rain in the forecast later tonight. Fingers crossed it holds off until after the game ends.

The Washington Nationals honor Ryan Zimmerman, the first Draft pick in team history and the face of the franchise for more than a decade and a half, with two straight days of celebrations on Friday, June 17, and Saturday, June 18. Ryan Zimmerman Weekend highlights include fan giveaways, appearances by former players, and Zimmerman’s official jersey retirement ceremony prior to Saturday’s game, which has been moved back to 4:35 p.m. to accommodate the festivities. For additional details and to purchase tickets, visit nationals.com/zim.

“Not only is Ryan ‘Mr. National,’ but he is, more importantly, a dear friend,” said Mark D. Lerner, Managing Principal Owner of the Washington Nationals. “It brings me and my family so much joy to see that his #11 jersey is the first in Nationals history to be retired, and we’re all looking forward to welcoming Ryan, his family and friends back to the ballpark for a weekend full of celebration, memories and thanks.”

Ryan Zimmerman Weekend officially begins prior to Game 2 of a split doubleheader vs. the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, June 17, at 7:05 p.m. The first 20,000 fans age 21 or older will receive an Employee #11 t-shirt courtesy of Budweiser, and all fans are invited to strike a pose with several Zimmerman photo activations located throughout the ballpark. Prior to Friday night’s game, Zimmerman and some of his former teammates will reflect on the most prolific career in Washington Nationals’ history with live Q&A sessions from the field.

Saturday, June 18, is officially Ryan Zimmerman Day, highlighted by Zimmerman’s #11 jersey retirement ceremony. Gates open early at 2:30 p.m. ET with pregame festivities slated to begin at 3:15 p.m. MASN will have full television coverage of the pregame ceremonies leading up to first pitch vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at 4:35 p.m. The first 10,000 kids age 12 and under will receive a throwback Zimmerman 2006 jersey t-shirt presented by Harris Teeter and The Washington Post, and special tributes and messages will be shown throughout the game.

A World Series Champion, two-time All-Star (2009, 2017), two-time Silver Slugger (2009, 2010), Gold Glove (2009) award winner and National League Comeback Player of the Year (MLBPA) in 2017, Zimmerman spent his entire 17-year Major League career with the Washington Nationals and becomes the first player in team history to have his jersey retired. He was selected fourth overall in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft and went on to become the Nationals’ all-time leader in nearly every offensive category. Zimmerman established the ziMS Foundation in 2006 to raise money and awareness for programs benefitting those with Multiple Sclerosis. In April 2020, he and his wife Heather founded the Pros for Heroes COVID-19 Relief Fund, providing health care professionals with support, resources and meals during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

DENVER – Juan Soto stepped to the plate in the top of the third Tuesday night in about as advantageous a situation as he’s ever going to find himself in. After Alcides Escobar singled and César Hernández was grazed by a pitch, the Nationals had two on with nobody out and one of the best hitters in baseball up to bat.

What transpired next, though, caught everyone at Coors Field off guard, not the least of which the visiting team’s manager.

On the first pitch from Rockies right-hander Germán Márquez, Soto squared around to bunt. He wound up fouling it off, unable to keep the ball in fair territory down the third base line.

In the dugout, Davey Martinez considered calling it a night right there.

“I was going to take my uniform off and just walk inside,” Martinez said with a laugh that suggested he wasn’t being serious. “Hey, I’ve always said just when you think you’ve seen everything in this game, watch out.”

DENVER – Something funny happened when the Nationals left the unfriendly confines of D.C. and flew west for what looked on paper like a daunting road trip.

Instead of crumbling, they’ve picked things up. Instead of looking overmatched, they’ve controlled their opponents. Instead of continuing the eight-game losing streak that plagued them at home, they’ve played their best baseball of the young season.

Tonight’s 10-2 blowout victory over the Rockies was simply the latest in a sudden string of impressive showings from the Nats. They took two-of-three in San Francisco, scoring a total of 28 runs in the process. Then they came to Coors Field and kept their foot on the gas, never giving the hometown team a chance to mount the kind of comeback this ballpark has been known to foster.

"Just seeing a lot of hits all across the lineup is huge. A lot of guys, I think, are settling in, in the rotation and throwing the ball well. And we're playing great defense. That's kind of the mixture for success," right-hander Erick Fedde said. "Maybe it was just taking a couple games to see it and believe it. Now we're playing really quality baseball."

For tonight's win, they can thank Fedde, who picked an opportune moment to author one of the best starts of his career. The right-hander allowed one run over seven innings, only the fourth time he’s ever recorded 21 outs in a big league game.

DENVER – Nineteen days have passed since Dee Strange-Gordon first was sent back to his hotel in Pittsburgh with an illness, then late sent back to Washington with instructions not to leave his home until he was medically cleared to do so.

All the veteran utilityman could do throughout the process was some agility workouts with large rubber bands, then use a virtual reality system to watch major league pitchers throw various pitches toward him. Otherwise, he couldn’t pick up a bat, couldn’t play catch, couldn’t come to the ballpark for workouts.

“Just part of it,” he said today. “That’s how the world works right now. I had to do what I had to do. I’m just thankful I didn’t get anybody else sick.”

Strange-Gordon did not get anybody else sick, and today he finally was activated off the injured list and reinstated to the Nationals’ active roster for the opener of their three-game series against the Rockies.

“It’s been a while,” he said. “Happy to see my teammates. Happy to be back.”

The dog days of summer take on a different meaning this year, as the Washington Nationals’ five-game Pups in the Park series returns on Tuesday, May 10. Four-legged fans and their humans are invited to the ballpark for a doggone good time when the Nationals take on the New York Mets at 7:05 p.m., with four more of these pup-ular games scheduled throughout the season. 

Good boys and good girls will be surrounded by dog owners and lovers in the pet-friendly Outfield Reserved section where they can sit, stay and enjoy the tail-ents of some of MLB’s finest. All proceeds from dog ticket sales will be donated to the Humane Rescue Alliance.

The Nationals host five total Pups in the Park dates from May through September. Tickets are on sale now and can be fetched at nationals.com/Pups.  

·        Tuesday, May 10 – 7:05 p.m. vs. New York Mets

·        Saturday, May 28 – 4:05 p.m. vs. Colorado Rockies

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

• Returned from rehab assignment and reinstated infielder/outfielder Dee Strange-Gordon
• Optioned infielder Lucius Fox to Triple-A Rochester
• Transferred right-handed pitcher Aníbal Sánchez to the 60-Day Injured List

Strange-Gordon, 34, appeared in four games for the Nationals before landing on the Injured List. He recorded three hits, one double, two RBI and two walks in five games for Triple-A Rochester prior to being reinstated.

Fox, 24, appeared in 10 games for the Nationals after making his Major League debut on April 10.

DENVER – The Nationals lineup just scored 28 runs over the weekend in pitcher-friendly Oracle Park. How many will they score over the next three nights at Coors Field, the greatest hitter-friendly park in major league history? The Nats haven’t hit for much power all season, even in San Francisco. So the thin air may not help them as much as the huge outfield dimensions here might.  

Davey Martinez will hope he can keep Josh Bell, Yadiel Hernandez and Victor Robles hot. He’ll also hope Juan Soto, Nelson Cruz and Keibert Ruiz can get going and start contributing on a more consistent basis. They’ll face Rockies right-hander Germán Márquez, who enters with a 5.57 ERA but has enjoyed success against the two Nationals he’s faced the most in his career: Bell (1-for-18 with a homer) and César Hernández (1-for-11).

Erick Fedde gets the start for the Nats; he was effective last time out against the Marlins, allowing only two runs on three hits. But he lasted only 4 2/3 innings because his pitch count was a whopping 91. He’s got to figure out how to finish off hitters once he gets ahead in the count and avoid those long at-bats that keep killing him.

The Nationals announced they have returned from rehab assignment and reinstated Dee Strange-Gordon, optioned Lucius Fox to Triple-A Rochester and transferred Aníbal Sánchez to the 60-day injured list.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field
Gametime: 8:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 61 degrees, wind 10 mph in from left field

DENVER – What was the secret to the Nationals’ series win over the weekend in San Francisco? A reinvigorated lineup? Effective starting pitching? Lockdown relief work?

Or was it the turning of the calendar hanging in the manager’s office?

“April, the pressure’s always to start off really good,” Davey Martinez explained Sunday. “Everybody wants to start off good, right? Sometimes it doesn’t happen and you put added pressure (on yourself). Now it’s: Hey, May 1! May 1! Go have some fun! Go play baseball!”

Maybe that had nothing to do with it. Nevertheless, the season’s first month is no over, and we have indeed shifted to May baseball, which does feel different than April baseball. We’re starting to get a better sense of the team, who’s having a good season, who isn’t and who still has time either to turn it around or fall apart.

So let’s take this opportunity, before the Nationals’ road trip continues tonight against the Rockies, to consider what we’ve seen so far, and what it might mean for the rest of the season …

SAN FRANCISCO – The Nationals are off today, with an opportunity to relax in Denver and contemplate all the positive developments that occurred during their weekend series triumph over the Giants before they open a three-game series Tuesday with the Rockies.

Let’s take a moment to contemplate some things as well, with a particular emphasis on the bullpen …

* Following Sunday’s 11-5 victory, the Nationals optioned relievers Sam Clay and Francisco Pérez to Triple-A Rochester. All major league clubs were required to reduce their active rosters from 28 to 26 by the end of the day, and the Nats chose to drop two left-handers in the process.

The moves weren’t necessarily surprising. Neither Clay nor Pérez made the opening day roster. Both were summoned more recently when other relievers went down. And neither did a whole lot to distinguish himself and force his way onto the roster for a longer stint.

Clay allowed five runs in four innings, giving up a homer, walking two and even hitting three batters along the way. Pérez was charged with only one run allowed over 4 1/3 innings, but he walked a whopping six of the 22 total batters he faced across five appearances.

SAN FRANCISCO – Josiah Gray had been here before. An otherwise dominant start was now teetering on the brink, often spoiled by an untimely home run surrendered.

Here, then, was Gray in the bottom of the fifth this afternoon at Oracle Park, having just finally allowed his first hit of the game, now having subsequently loaded the bases with Darrin Ruf stepping to the plate for the Giants with a chance to ruin everything.

What proceeded to take place perhaps will be looked back upon as a turning point for the 24-year-old in his ascension from highly touted prospect to legitimate frontline starter. Just when he could have folded, Gray bore down and put out the fire. He struck out Ruf on four pitches, hopping off the mound with glee after he got him to whiff at a slider, preserving the Nationals’ lead in what ultimately would be an 11-5 win that saw way more late action than anyone anticipated.

"Making that pitch, after not making my pitches that whole inning, being able to make that pitch to that kind of hitter was huge," Gray said. "It was just an exclaim for joy and raw emotion. There's nothing like it."

A weekend series that included plenty of action and nothing but lopsided games saw the Nats emerge victorious twice in three attempts. After getting swept by San Francisco only seven days prior in D.C., they bounced back in impressive fashion here to win the series and begin this nine-game West Coast trip on a decided high note.

SAN FRANCISCO – Three right-handers who would probably be members of the Nationals rotation right now if healthy remain out, though two of them at least are about to cross a significant hurdle in their recoveries.

Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross are scheduled to face live hitters Wednesday in West Palm Beach, Fla. It’ll be the first time Strasburg has done that since mid-March and the first time Ross has done it since he was shut down last summer with a tear in his right elbow.

After weeks strictly throwing off a bullpen mound, both Strasburg and Ross will pitch to live hitters at extended spring training. If all goes well, they would be ready to progress to pitching in a game situation shortly after, then a minor league rehab assignment that would allow them build their arms up to be ready to join the major league rotation at last.

Strasburg already had thrown to live hitters briefly during spring training but backed off because he wasn’t happy with his mechanics, Martinez said last week. The 33-year-old, attempting to return from last July’s thoracic outlet surgery, has since been working out of a windup for the first time since 2017, trying to get more power from his legs to compensate what he lost from his arm.

Ross, who missed the second half of last season with a slight tear of the ulnar collateral ligament, then had surgery in early-March to remove a bone spur in that elbow. The 28-year-old will now be ready to face live hitters for the first time.