KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Though he has played the full nine innings on back-to-back days for Triple-A Rochester, Dylan Crews will remain on his minor league rehab assignment for now.

Crews is staying with the Red Wings, who are off today, the Nationals announced. He’s then scheduled to play the outfield again Tuesday and Wednesday in Rochester against Syracuse.

Those will be Crews’ 12th and 13th games played on this rehab assignment, a longer stint than most injured major league position players typically serve. The Nats, though, want to see the 23-year-old not only prove he’s healthy but that he’s consistently productive at the plate again before they intend to activate him off the 60-day injured list.

Out since he strained his left oblique muscle on a May 20 check-swing, Crews began his rehab assignment with Rochester on July 29. The plan was to slowly build up his workload until he was able to play nine innings in the field on back-to-back days. He did that for the first time this weekend, playing all nine innings in right field both Saturday and Sunday at Norfolk.

Crews’ offensive production has been decent – he’s 10-for-36 with a double, two homers, seven RBIs, one walk and six strikeouts in 11 games – but the Nats appear to want to see more still before they deem him big league-ready again.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Hello from Kauffman Stadium, which still looks great 52 years after it first opened. The Nationals are here for the first time since 2023, looking to pick up where they left off Sunday in San Francisco, having won two in a row from the Giants.

First things first: Dylan Crews is not here. He has not been activated off the 60-day injured list yet, even though he played nine innings each of the last two days with Triple-A Rochester. It sure seems like the Nats will wait until they return home Thursday to bring him back, but hopefully we’ll get more information here shortly.

As for who is here tonight, Cade Cavalli is on the mound, making his second big league start of the season, the third of his career. Cavalli’s return last week could not have gone much better: 4 1/3 scoreless innings on 88 pitches. He’ll try to be a little more efficient tonight, but more important is the quality of his stuff and the health of his arm.

Luis García Jr. returns to the Nats lineup after missing the entire weekend series with tightness in his back. He’s batting all the way down in the No. 8 spot against Royals left-hander Bailey Falter, which means Paul DeJong is again batting third, this time playing third base in place of Brady House. DeJong has been hot. Miguel Cairo will try to keep getting him at-bats.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Where: Kauffman Stadium
Gametime: 7:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Thunderstorms, 77 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left field

SAN FRANCISCO – There was, understandably, some level of disappointment when the Nationals did not find any suitors for Josh Bell and Paul DeJong at the trade deadline.

The two veterans were signed to one-year deals prior to the season with the hopes they would help complement a roster full of young players and lead them to a surprising run at contention. And if the team didn’t win, at least they’d both be attractive options for actual contenders come July 31.

That, of course, didn’t happen. Bell got off to a terrible start to his season before slowly climbing his way back in recent months. DeJong suffered a terrifying injury in April when he was struck on the face by a fastball and only recently returned to the active roster. Teams seeking help for the stretch run didn’t view either of them as worthy acquisitions, so it’s entirely reasonable to view that conclusion as a failure on the Nationals’ part.

Not that everyone with the organization was disappointed by the lack of trades.

“I’m kind of selfish about that, because you want to have some veterans on the team like that who can guide and lead the young talent that we have,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “I was kind of hoping that they didn’t go anywhere, because the way they go about their business is amazing. They’re like true leaders, the way they work, how they engage the young players to do their work and their job. I’m glad they’re here, and you can see what they can do.”

SAN FRANCISCO – Maybe it was the cool air blowing out towards the bay, the clear blue sky welcoming everyone to summer in San Francisco. Maybe it was just time for things to stabilize again for a Nationals team that looked lost, defeated and deflated in its first week following a tumultuous trade deadline.

Whatever the case, back-to-back day games at Oracle Park provided the recipe for a much-needed, get-right weekend for the Nats, especially their biggest stars.

Today’s 8-0 thumping of the Giants saw MacKenzie Gore look like MacKenzie Gore again, the left-hander striking out 10 over six scoreless innings to bounce back from a wretched stretch of four substandard starts.

It saw CJ Abrams look like CJ Abrams again, the shortstop launching a two-run homer off the right field foul pole, then singling and scoring again later.

And along with Saturday’s 4-2 win, James Wood looked like James Wood again, the slumping slugger recording a homer and three doubles to drive in six runs (four of them coming during today’s game).

SAN FRANCISCO – When Cole Henry loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth Saturday afternoon, Miguel Cairo could have stuck with his rookie setup man and given him a chance to pitch his way out of the jam. The Nationals led by three runs. There was at least some margin for error.

Cairo, though, didn’t hesitate to walk straight to the mound and hold his left arm out, signaling toward the bullpen in right-center. He wanted the lefty. He wanted Jose A. Ferrer, even if he was now asking his newly anointed closer to produce a five-out save before ever recording a simple three-out one.

“I was just like: I’ve got to worry about today. I cannot worry about tomorrow,” the interim manager said. “That was the best matchup. Their good hitters were coming up. I’ll just take my chances with him.”

Ferrer proceeded to reward his manager’s faith in him and make his first save since replacing Kyle Finnegan a memorable one. He allowed one of the three inherited runners to score via Wilmer Flores’ sacrifice fly. But he struck out Matt Chapman with a 99 mph fastball to end the eighth. Then he pitched out of another jam in the ninth, inducing a game-ending double play out of Patrick Bailey to lock up the Nats’ 4-2 win.

It had been nine days since the Nationals dealt Finnegan to the Tigers at the trade deadline, eight days since Cairo coyly refused to name his new closer, noting the world would find out once he was in a situation to use him.

SAN FRANCISCO – Amazing what a difference a day makes. The Nationals showed up at Oracle Park on Saturday morning reeling from back-to-back shutout losses. Then James Wood led off the game with his first homer in a month, and they were on their way to a 4-2 victory over the Giants that featured power (three solo homers), a quality start by Brad Lord and solid bullpen work. And just like that, they now have a chance to win the weekend series this afternoon.

It will require a major bounceback performance from MacKenzie Gore, though. The left-hander is in a bad place right now, having allowed six or more runs in three of his last four starts, including eight runs on 12 hits last time out against the Athletics. During that stretch, Gore has seen his ERA skyrocket from 3.02 to 4.29.

Would you believe that’s actually identical to Justin Verlander’s ERA? The veteran right-hander has not enjoyed a good season here in San Francisco, and there’s pressure on him to get himself back on track before it’s too late. The Nationals will try to jump on him today and give their ace an early lead. Miguel Cairo’s lineup once again features Wood in the leadoff spot, but it also once again is missing Luis García Jr. (still dealing with back tightness).

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Oracle Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 67 degrees, wind 13 mph out to center field

NATIONALS
LF James Wood
SS CJ Abrams
DH Josh Bell
2B Paul DeJong
1B Nathaniel Lowe
C Riley Adams
RF Daylen Lile
3B Brady House
CF Jacob Young

SAN FRANCISCO – James Wood set the tone with a desperately needed leadoff homer. Paul DeJong and Josh Bell added on with a pair of homers themselves to extend the lead. Brad Lord and the new-look back end of the bullpen then took care of the rest, pitching the Nationals to their first truly conventional win since the trade deadline.

Behind three early solo homers, headlined by Wood’s first blast in a month, the Nats toppled the Giants 4-2 this afternoon, getting another strong start by Lord and a gutsy, five-out save from new closer Jose A. Ferrer.

The Nationals’ only other win since the July 31 deadline was a 2-1 walk-off victory over the Athletics. This one came via a more normal path, with early offense and a quality start putting them in position entering the late innings. But it still required nine outs from a completely remade bullpen, and we finally saw today what exactly that now looks like.

It included left-hander Konnor Pilkington retiring the side in the bottom of the seventh. It included Cole Henry getting the bottom of the eighth but getting pulled after loading the bases with one out. And so it concluded with Jose A. Ferrer recording a five-out save, escaping the eighth-inning jam with only one inherited runner crossing the plate before escaping a two-on jam in the ninth thanks to a game-ending double play off the bat of Patrick Bailey.

"I'm really excited about this opportunity," Ferrer, who earned his first save since assuming the closer's job following Kyle Finnegan's trade to Detroit, said via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. "I just want to thank them for putting me in this position, to be closer of the team. It's a huge responsibility, because you come in to close the game. Your teammates played really hard the whole game. You just want to come out, get those three outs and take the win."

SAN FRANCISCO – Luis García Jr. is out of the Nationals’ lineup for the second straight day, but the team appears to be confident his back injury won’t linger for long.

García was scratched from the lineup for Friday night’s series opener against the Giants when he experienced back tightness during batting practice. Interim manager Miguel Cairo said at the time he would also sit his starting second baseman for this afternoon’s game, given the quick turnaround to a 1:05 p.m. first pitch.

García has since undergone an MRI on his back, the results of which were encouraging.

“He went and did an MRI this morning, and everything is negative, so he’s fine,” Cairo said. “Maybe it just tightened up. We did the MRI just to make sure everything was fine, so that’s good news.”

Cairo had José Tena start in García’s place Friday night; the 24-year-old went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and grounded into a force out at the plate with the bases loaded. Veteran Paul DeJong gets the nod today and will bat third against San Francisco left-hander Carson Whisenhunt.

SAN FRANCISCO – It’s a beautiful day by the bay. Will it be beautiful for a Nationals lineup that has been ice-cold at the plate?

The Nats have been shut out in back-to-back games, and even when you add Wednesday’s win over the Athletics to the mix, they’ve still scored only two runs on 11 hits and two walks over their last 27 innings. That simply won’t cut it. And now they face a quick turnaround to a day game against an opposing left-hander. That’s pretty much been a recipe for disaster this season: The team OPS in day games against lefties: .563, tied with the Rangers for worst in the majors. (Against righties, it at least goes up to .676.)

Today’s lineup is once again missing Luis García Jr., whose back tightened up Friday during batting practice. Hopefully we’ll get an update on his status shortly. It’ll be up to the rest of the group – most notably James Wood and CJ Abrams – to get something going against the Giants’ Carson Whisenhunt, a 24-year-old making his third career start.

Brad Lord gets the ball for the Nationals, looking to continue what he’s done since rejoining the rotation. In three starts, the rookie right-hander has a 3.21 ERA, issuing only three walks over 14 innings. And after throwing 92 pitches last time out, he should be good to reach the 100 mark if needed today, meaning he’s fully stretched out as a starter now.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Oracle Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 69 degrees, wind 12 mph out to center field

SAN FRANCISCO – They tried a new look atop the lineup, flip-flopping James Wood and CJ Abrams and giving Brady House the first opportunity of his career to bat in a prominent position. Anything in an attempt to shake things up and bring some life back to a lifeless Nationals lineup.

Alas, the end result looked very much like the results of previous games when Abrams batted ahead of Wood and House batted down in the order.

At some point, it’s not about the order of the lineup, it’s about the production (or lack thereof) of the guys who are in the lineup. And there once again was very little production tonight during a 5-0 loss to the Giants.

Shut out for the second straight day, the Nationals brought their offensive woes with them from the East Coast to the West Coast. They couldn’t score off Athletics left-hander Jacob Lopez on Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park. And they couldn’t score off Giants opener Matt Gage or bulk reliever Kai-Wei Teng tonight at Oracle Park.

Even in victory Wednesday night, the Nats scored only twice (one of them Abrams’ walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth). Ergo, they’ve now totaled two runs on 11 hits over their last 27 innings of baseball. Perhaps even more jarring than that, they’ve drawn only two walks during that same prolonged time frame.

SAN FRANCISCO – Tonight isn’t the first time James Wood has hit leadoff for the Nationals. It’s actually the eighth time this season.

But in each of the previous seven instances, it was just as much about who wasn’t playing that night (CJ Abrams) as it was about Wood himself. That makes Miguel Cairo’s lineup for tonight’s series opener against the Giants different, because both of his young top-of-the-order players are starting. They’re just swapping places in the batting order.

Wood, who has been mired in the first extended slump of his career, will come up to bat first at Oracle Park. Abrams, who has also cooled off after a strong first half but not to the same extent, will bat behind him in the 2 spot.

“I just told myself I’m going to do something different,” Cairo said. “I want to give Woody a little more, hitting at the top, maybe he see a few more fastballs. He’s going to get maybe another at-bat (in the ninth inning). I just want to change things a little bit around.”

Wood’s slump has now surpassed the 100-plate-appearance mark. Over his last 24 games, he’s batting .122 with one homer, four RBIs, 10 walks and 41 strikeouts. That prolonged slide has dropped his OPS from .958 on July 3 to .840 entering tonight’s game.

SAN FRANCISCO – Hello from beautiful Oracle Park on the shores of McCovey Cove. The Nationals may be playing bad baseball these days, but at least they’ll be spending the next three days playing in a gorgeous ballpark. And maybe the cool Bay breeze will inspire them to play better this weekend against a Giants club that isn’t exactly on fire, either.

After a fantastic start to the season, San Francisco has collapsed this summer. Owners of a 40-28 record on June 11, the team has gone 18-29 since and found itself trading away several big-name players at last week’s deadline. The Giants have picked things up a bit since, going 4-2 in New York and Pittsburgh, but their postseason hopes have probably disappeared.

A Nationals lineup that was shut out Thursday by Athletics left-hander Jacob Lopez will face another lefty tonight in Matt Gage. The difference: Gage is merely an opener, likely to throw only an inning or two before handing it over to another pitcher. So we’ll see if the top of the Nats lineup can get something going early and set a more positive tone for the evening.

Jake Irvin takes the mound looking for a bounceback performance of his own. The 27-year-old had another ragged first inning in his most recent start against the Brewers, raising his ERA in the opening frame to an unsightly 9.39. If he can navigate his way through a clean bottom of the first tonight, he has a chance to have a good night overall. And the Nats will have a chance to get this road trip off on the right foot.

UPDATE: Luis García Jr. has been scratched from the lineup with back tightness, according to the Nationals. José Tena will now start at second base and bat eighth.

The last couple of weeks have not been kind to the Nationals. But the last month has been great for the organization’s farm system.

A lot was asked of Mike DeBartolo when he was given the interim general manager tag on July 6, exactly one week away from making the No. 1 overall selection in the MLB Draft. Two and half weeks later, he had to navigate a hectic trade deadline.

By all accounts, DeBartolo did a really good job for the Nationals’ future.

With No. 1 pick Eli Willits signing under slot value at $8.2 million, the Nats saved almost $3 million toward their bonus pool to draft and sign other high-potential players with their top five picks. Outfielder Ethan Petry (University of South Carolina), prep right-handers Landon Harmon and Miguel Sime Jr., and high school shortstop Coy James all signed well above their respective designated slot values.

And then just last week, DeBartolo was able to trade six major league players (five on expiring contracts and one that was not going to be a part of the young outfield's future) for 10 new prospects.

This homestand has not been kind to the Nationals' offense. Over the first five games, they only scored 23 runs, 11 of which came in the ninth inning.

One of those ninth-inning runs, however, was last night’s walk-off winner to snap a six-game losing streak. The Nats were hopeful those good vibes would carry over into Thursday’s matinee finale as they went for a much-needed series win over the Athletics.

But the early hole the Nats found themselves in this afternoon was too much for this lifeless lineup to overcome in a 6-0 loss in front of an announced crowd of 14,519 on South Capitol Street.

Interim manager Miguel Cairo tried to go against conventional wisdom against A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez. Instead of stacking his order with right-handed hitters, like most teams have against Lopez this year (only 52 plate appearances by left-handed hitters against him entering today), Cairo put six lefties in his starting lineup, leaving two switch-hitters (Josh Bell and Drew Millas) and one right-hander (Brady House) on the bench.

“House has not been hitting good against lefties," Cairo said to explain his lineup after the game. "I wanted (Paul) DeJong, he's been swinging the bat good. JB right-handed, he's not swinging the back good either. He's a better left-handed hitter. So I was just trying to go with giving a chance to (Luis García Jr.) to play second base to see if he can do a better job. But I guess I gotta do a better job doing the lineup against lefties.”

When Shinnosuke Ogasawara signed a two-year, $3.5 million contract with the Nationals in January, not only did he become the first player the organization signed directly from Asia, but he also became an instant contender for a starting rotation spot.

But that didn’t come to fruition in spring training, as he was optioned to start the season at Triple-A Rochester.

The 27-year-old left-hander was called up to make his major league debut on July 6, completing only 2 ⅔ innings and giving up four runs and seven hits in a loss to the Red Sox. His second start was better, but he still gave up three runs and four hits in just four innings against the Brewers.

The Nats optioned Ogasawara back to Rochester following that start, deciding to instead fill his rotation spot with Brad Lord after the All-Star break. But with holes left on the roster following the trade deadline, the club brought him back to the major leagues to take on a role in the bullpen.

Since then, Ogasawara has found the results he and the team had hoped for back in camp.

What a wild win the Nationals got themselves last night in walk-off fashion to snap a six-game losing streak. You could tell during the on-field celebration the boys needed that one.

And now they have a chance to win a series here this afternoon against the Athletics, which would be another feel-good moment that is desperately needed around these parts.

The Nats turn to Mitchell Parker for this matinee series finale. The left-hander is 7-11 with a 5.35 ERA and 1.470 WHIP over his 22 starts. He really needs a strong bounceback performance after giving up eight runs on 12 hits over four innings in a loss to the Brewers his last time out.

The offense will have to deal with Jacob Lopez to start. The left-hander is 4-6 with a 3.99 ERA and 1.343 WHIP over his 17 games (13 starts) this season. But that ERA is inflated with four tough relief appearances. Over his 13 starts, Lopez is 4-5 with a 3.82 ERA and 1.304 WHIP. And he’s pitched a combined 9 ⅓ shutout innings over his last two starts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ATHLETICS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 12:05 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: Partly cloudy, 78 degrees, wind 9 mph in from right field

Anyone inside Nationals Park this afternoon who claimed to know what to expect from Cade Cavalli’s first major league start in nearly three years was guilty either of wishful thinking or doom-and-gloom soothsaying.

Truly, there was no way to know what would happen when the soon-to-be 27-year-old took the mound for the first time since Aug. 26, 2022, because every piece of evidence since then offered conflicting clues.

Between major elbow surgery, several setbacks in his rehab, several dominant starts and several ugly starts at Triple-A Rochester over the last three months that all added up to a 6.09 ERA, Cavalli’s road back to D.C. was anything but smooth. The Nationals gave him the ball tonight hoping for the best but acknowledging the worst was equally possible.

And then, lo and behold, the organization’s 2020 first-round pick went out there and pitched exactly as he and everyone else had long dreamed about at the sport’s highest level. With the best repertoire of pitches any of this team’s starters has displayed in some time, Cavalli tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings during what wound up a 2-1, walk-off win for the Nationals over the Athletics.

CJ Abrams’ bottom-of-the-ninth RBI single to left scored Robert Hassell III, who was aggressively waved around third by Ricky Gutierrez and slid in ahead of an off-line throw by A’s left fielder Tyler Soderstrom. And the Nats celebrated for the first time in a week, having snapped a six-game losing streak in dramatic fashion.

There have always been three major items Dylan Crews needs to cross off before rejoining the Nationals’ roster. First, he needs to prove his oblique strain is fully healed. Then, he needs to prove his body is back in full baseball shape, capable of handling the rigors of the daily grind. Finally, he needs to prove he’s performing well again in minor league games, having success both at the plate and in the field.

At this point, Crews appears to be fully healthy. And he’s begun to perform on the field the last few days for Triple-A Rochester. What he hasn’t done yet is play a full nine innings, which now appears to be his final hurdle.

Crews is batting second and starting in right field tonight for the Red Wings, who are playing all week in Norfolk. It’s his first appearance in the field since Sunday, when he played six innings and took four plate appearances.

Crews served as Rochester’s designated hitter Tuesday, enjoying his best offensive performance to date: 3-for-4 with an RBI single. That came on the heels of a two-hit showing Sunday that included a double and a homer.

“The last two games, it’s been awesome,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “It’s good to hear he’s getting his timing, getting some hits, a homer. Now it’s just seeing how many at-bats he’s going to get in the rehab, and we’re going to see from there.”

There haven’t been a lot of things to get excited about recently involving the Nationals, so perhaps tonight’s game provides a long-awaited reason to feel better about the state of things. Cade Cavalli makes his return to the major leagues, nearly three years removed from his one and only major league start. It’s been a long road back from Tommy John surgery and inconsistent performances in the minors, and it’s not like the 26-year-old has been in peak form at Triple-A Rochester leading up to this one. But he's here regardless, and the hope is he’s here to stay at last.

What to watch for with Cavalli: Can he get outs on pitches in or near the strike zone? One criticism of him coming up through the minors was that he relied too much on getting opposing hitters to chase out of the zone. It’s much harder to get big league hitters to do that, so Cavalli needs to be precise with his command. The good news: Even though he was giving up hits at Triple-A, he was recording a good number of strikeouts while keeping his walk total low.

The Nats would love to provide their still-rookie starter with some run support. And that doesn’t mean ninth-inning run support with the team already trailing by a bunch. Early support to give him a lead to work with. Of course, at some point Miguel Cairo is still going to have to hand over the rest of the game to this bullpen. Who knows how that’s going to go?

ATHLETICS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 75 degrees, wind 8 mph in from right field

ATHLETICS
C Shea Langeliers
1B Nick Kurtz
DH Brent Rooker
RF JJ Bleday
LF Tyler Soderstrom
SS Darell Hernaiz
CF Lawrence Butler
3B Gio Urshela
2B Max Schuemann

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli on Wednesday and optioned Andry Lara to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcement.

The Nationals No. 6 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com and No. 10 prospect according to Baseball America, Cavalli, 26, will return to the mound at Nationals Park tonight for the first time since his Major League debut on Aug. 26, 2022, when he struck out six in 4.1 innings against the Cincinnati Reds.

A first-round pick out of the University of Oklahoma by the Nationals in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, Cavalli missed 2023 and 2024 recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Before his injury, he led all of Minor League Baseball in strikeouts with 175 in 2021 and was named to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game twice (2021 and 2022) and was recognized as the Nationals Minor League Pitcher of the Year twice (2021 and 2022).

Cavalli struck out 25 in 20.1 innings across his last four Triple-A starts. He has not issued a walk in either of his last two outings, totaling 10.0 innings. Overall, Cavalli is 4-7 with a 5.35 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 74.0 innings in 17 Minor League starts this season. 

Lara, 22, pitched to an 8.79 ERA in nine games for Washington this season.