PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals established over the weekend their ability to shake off early troubles against a tough division rival, keep the game within striking distance and then win the late innings to emerge on top.

So when they found themselves in a familiar position tonight against the Phillies, it was fair to wonder if they might be able to recapture the magic they just discovered against the Mets.

Guess what? They did with a stunning top-of-the-ninth rally. Only to then let it all slip away with an even more stunning, bottom-of-the-ninth meltdown.

Despite getting a three-run homer from Nathaniel Lowe with two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth to take their first lead of the night, the Nationals wound up getting walked off by the Phillies 7-6 when Kyle Finnegan gave up two runs in the bottom of the inning, including the game-winner on a wild pitch.

“I feel like I let one get away from us there,” said Finnegan, who was charged with his second straight blown save after opening the season a perfect 9-for-9. “We had a great chance to steal a really important game for us, the first game of the series against a good team. The boys battled the entire game, a late comeback. It’s a game that we should’ve won, and I didn’t do my job tonight.”

The crowd didn’t erupt when Kyle Gibson was introduced and began to warm for tonight’s start at Camden Yards. The moment lacked sentimentality, which was fine with the veteran pitcher and the team that he returned to after signing in March as a free agent.

The Orioles hoped that Gibson could get into the middle innings as they gradually stretched him out. They wanted him to provide some stability and leadership to a rotation that’s torn apart by injuries.

It couldn’t have gone much worse.

The first three Yankees and four of the first five homered off Gibson, and back-to-back doubles put another run on the board before he got the final out. Ten batters came to the plate. A swinging bunt single left Gibson sprawled on the grass, the awkward split looking as painful as the results.

Gibson surrendered another homer in the second and was charged with nine runs in 3 2/3 innings, and the Orioles’ attempt to win back-to-back games for the second time fizzled. A 15-3 loss before an announced crowd of 22,164 lowered their record to 11-18, raised more concerns about their starters and sparked another debate over the exact location of rock bottom.

PHILADELPHIA – Paul DeJong is recovering from surgery Monday to repair a broken nose, plus his sinuses and orbital bone, procedures that collectively are likely to keep the Nationals third baseman out until sometime around the All-Star break.

DeJong, who was hit in the face by a fastball from the Pirates’ Mitch Keller on April 15, had to wait nearly two weeks for swelling around his left eye to go down before the surgery could be performed. He and the Nationals knew all along he would need to have his broken nose repaired, but doctors also decided to work on his damaged sinuses and insert a titanium orbital plate near his eye, according to USA Today.

The 31-year-old infielder is recovering well at home in Northern Virginia and spoke today with manager Davey Martinez about the incident and his timeline for recovery.

“His spirits were good,” Martinez said. “He came out of it good. Joked around with him for a little bit. Unfortunately, he’s still going to be down for a while. I think they said about a month before he can do any activities. And after that, hopefully we get him back sometime around the All-Star break. But we’ll see. Only time will tell now.”

The Nationals’ biggest concern with DeJong now is more mental than physical. The bones will heal, but psychologically he could face a tough time standing in to face a big league pitcher again, given what happened.

Gary Sánchez had a soft brace covering his right wrist and hand this afternoon and no clue when he’d be able to ditch it and start playing again.

The Orioles put Sánchez on the 10-day injured list yesterday with inflammation in the wrist caused by a stress reaction.

“It’s been bothering me a little bit for a few weeks now,” he said via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “Some days it’s doing good and then some days it’s not as well, so I thought it was the best decision to put a stop to it right now and get some rest and recover rather than continue to push through it. I think as I was trying to push through, I wasn’t helping the team as it was, so I think it’s better to get some rest right now, recover and come back ready to go.”

Sánchez is 3-for-30 with four RBIs and 12 strikeouts with the Orioles after signing for $8.5 million. The injury was impacting his at-bats.

“I think at the point of contact in my swing is when I started to feel the discomfort,” he said. “Not necessarily throwing or anything like that, but just with my swing. I really do think that was affecting me.”

Kyle Gibson is back in Baltimore and making his return start tonight with the Orioles.

Gibson was activated onto the roster this afternoon. He made 33 starts in 2023 and went 15-9 with a 4.73 ERA in 192 innings.

The Orioles optioned Kade Strowd, who was recalled yesterday and didn’t pitch, to make room for Gibson.

Gibson is 3-7 with a 5.48 ERA in 13 career starts against the Yankees. Aaron Judge is 1-for-11. Trent Grisham is 3-for-16 with a double. Cody Bellinger is 2-for-15 with two home runs.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is 5-for-14 with a double, triple and homer.

PHILADELPHIA – It may have ended on a sour, ugly note, but the Nationals’ just-completed homestand was still a success in whole. They wound up going 4-3 against the Orioles and Mets, which isn’t bad at all.

Now the Nats begin a six-game road trip through Philadelphia and Cincinnati, hoping for a little more offensive consistency, continued strong starting pitching and some better bullpen work. It all begins tonight with a rematch from Opening Day: MacKenzie Gore vs. Zack Wheeler.

The Phillies won that game, but Gore actually outdueled Wheeler, the former tossing six innings of one-hit ball while striking out 13, the latter still going six innings of one-run, two-hit ball but taking a no-decision. That game was decided in the 10th inning, with Colin Poche charged with four runs in two-thirds of an inning in an unfortunate sign of things to come.

The Nationals would love to provide Gore with a bit more run support this time, which in turn would allow Davey Martinez to use his best relievers late and perhaps pull off another win.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 78 degrees, wind 16 mph out to center field

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled RHP Kyle Gibson from High-A Aberdeen. He will wear No. 48 and start tonight’s game.
• Optioned RHP Kade Strowd to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.

Michael Soroka summoned a small group of media members to his locker yesterday afternoon. He knew his presence in the Nationals clubhouse was noteworthy, but he also had other things to do like meet with trainers, manager Davey Martinez and pitching coach Jim Hickey. He wasn’t sure how much time he would be available, so he wanted to give reporters time to ask him some questions.

An always considerate Canadian.

Soroka, who has been on the 15-day injured list since suffering a biceps strain during his March 31 season debut against the Blue Jays in his home country, had just returned to D.C. from his second rehab start with Double-A Harrisburg. His red Senators hat was in his locker where his red Curly W cap would usually reside.

The veteran right-hander, who signed a one–year, $9 million contract over the offseason, completed 4 ⅓ innings with four hits, two runs, one walk and four strikeouts while throwing 78 pitches in his outing Sunday afternoon against the Erie SeaWolves (Tigers). He surrendered a leadoff home run on an unfortunate ball that seemed to get caught in the wind to carry out of the park. But it was still an improvement from his first rehab start in which he gave up two runs in 2 ⅔ innings on Tuesday.

“Better actually. I kind of made some adjustments a little quicker,” Soroka said. “A couple weird things going on, a little wind ball in the first inning, and kind of had to settle in a little bit. And yeah, found a good rhythm and made some good pitches and found some good shapes. I threw a lot of changeups for strikes, got the pitch count up and felt good at the end. So a successful day.”

Catcher David Bañuelos made his major league debut last summer, receiving one at-bat, because he was on the taxi squad and the Orioles were forced into an injury-related roster move before first pitch. Bañuelos is on the IL with an oblique strain, but catcher Maverick Handley could get the same opportunity.

Backup Gary Sánchez went to the IL last night with right wrist inflammation. Manager Brandon Hyde described it later as “a little stress reaction in his hand.” The Orioles brought Handley to Baltimore just in case, put him on the taxi squad and selected his contract from Triple-A Norfolk.

Handley celebrated his 27^th birthday last month. He’s spent plenty of time in major league clubhouses since the Orioles chose him in the sixth round of the 2019 draft out of Stanford University. He was a taxi squad regular before Bañuelos became more of a fixture, and he’s received spring training invites.

The No. 98 is more appropriate for a defensive lineman, but Handley is happy to be the first Orioles player to wear it. Now, he just needs to get it into a game.

Sánchez will be out at least 10 days. He’s off to a slow start with three hits in 30 at-bats and he’s struck out 12 times.

All of the same questions came at the Orioles earlier today as local media detached from the team during the road trip got to take turns. Any player approaching his locker was fair game.

What’s wrong and can it be fixed? What’s the mood in the clubhouse? What’s the level of frustration? Is anyone panicked? Should everyone be panicked?

The Orioles insist that they can get on a roll. Seasons aren’t lost in April. Players aren’t melting down over the defeats. Does no good to lose composure and faith.

As if trying to quiet the noise, the Orioles took the field tonight against the first-place Yankees and didn’t lose a game.

Tomoyuki Sugano tossed five scoreless innings with a career-high eight strikeouts, Ryan O’Hearn hit a three-run homer and the Orioles hung on for a 4-3 win before an announced crowd of 22,775 at Camden Yards. The victory is their second in the last eight tries and third in 10. They didn’t forget how to form the congratulatory handshake line.

Already possessing an impressive 9-6 record at home against high-quality opponents, the Nationals entered today’s finale against the Mets looking to put the cherry on top of an encouraging homestand.

With two dramatic, come-from-behind wins over the weekend, they had already secured at least a split of this four-game, wraparound series. But one more win, ideally without needing late-inning rallies, would give them three victories in four games against the team with the best record in baseball.

Unfortunately, the Nats fell behind again. And unlike Friday and Sunday, there were no theatrics in this 19-5 blowout loss to the Mets in front of an announced crowd of 14,011 on a sunny afternoon in the District.

“It was a good game til it wasn't,” manager Davey Martinez said after the loss. “The bullpen came in and had a rough day today. But we had our chances early offensively. Just once again, as I always say, when we chase, nothing good comes out of it. So we got to stop chasing, especially with guys on base. We gotta get good pitches to hit. When we do that, we're pretty good.”

The Nationals' offense, which combined to score 13 runs and collect 29 hits over the first three games, once again had no issues creating scoring chances. But the bats looked more like the ones that were shut out 2-0 on Saturday instead of the ones that put up hard-fought rallies Friday and Sunday.

The Orioles couldn’t make it to first pitch without diving back into their injured list. It’s becoming a daily exercise.

Catcher Gary Sánchez, hit twice by pitches yesterday, went on the 10-day injured list with right wrist inflammation. Infielder Jordan Westburg went on the 10-day IL retroactive to yesterday with a left hamstring strain.

Sánchez, who signed an $8.5 million contract over the winter, is 3-for-30. He caught yesterday while Adley Rutschman received treatment on a sore right hand that kept him out of the lineup. Rutschman is playing tonight after the swelling went down.

Westburg wasn't available yesterday because of the discomfort in his hamstring, which surfaced after he started in both games of Saturday’s doubleheader. He finally began to heat up, collecting nine hits in a stretch of 24 at-bats.

In a corresponding move, catcher Maverick Handley had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk and he’s wearing No. 98. His first appearance will be his major league debut.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde confirmed that veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson will start Tuesday night against the Yankees.

Gibson hasn’t pitched since April 20 at High-A Aberdeen. He experienced some back soreness but is feeling better.

The rotation could use a veteran hand steering it in the right direction. The unit’s 5.83 ERA is last in the American League and 28^th in the majors, and it includes opener Keegan Akin’s 1 2/3 scoreless innings in Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader in Detroit.  

Gibson hasn’t started for the Orioles since Sept. 30, 2023. He pitched three relief innings against the Rangers in the elimination game of the Division Series.

“I hope he can just bring a lot of things, honestly,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “I know one thing, he’s gonna compete every single time out and he’s one of the best teammate I’ve ever been around in a clubhouse. He pitched really well for us a couple years ago, had a nice year in St. Louis last year. He kept us in the game more times than not two years ago and was absolutely fantastic.

The Nationals are looking to win three of four games against the Mets, the hottest team in baseball. To do so in Monday’s late afternoon finale of this four-game wraparound series, manager Davey Martinez is trotting all four of his outfielders into the starting lineup.

James Wood will serve as the designated hitter against Mets starter Griffin Canning. Alex Call takes over left field while Jacob Young and Dylan Crews remain in center and right, respectively.

Wood has now been in the Nats’ starting lineup for all 29 games to start the season. But this will only be the fourth time he’ll serve as the DH, which has been a part of the team’s plans to keep the big outfielder fresh and healthy after he dealt with left quad tendinitis during spring training.

“As we know in spring training, he had a little (quad) issue. So every now and then, I want to try to get him a DH day,” Martinez said of Wood during his pregame media session. “I think he's played in every game this year. But I talked to him, and he loves to play. But I think in order to keep him healthy and keep him going, DHing him one day and keeping him off his feet is good.”

Wood has slashed .257/.361/.543 with a .904 OPS, a team-leading eight home runs and 10 RBIs. And while he has -1 Defensive Runs Saved, per FanGraphs, in left field, that is already a major improvement from the -7 he posted last year.

There have been countless conversations about what is plaguing the Baltimore Orioles. 

Of course, a league-leading 5.37 ERA as a staff doesn’t help their 10-17 record, but those problems are easier to pinpoint. The pitching woes can be chalked up to injuries to both key pieces and depth arms, combined with slow starts of healthy pitchers. 

What is harder to explain is the struggles of the lineup. As a team, the Orioles have a .677 OPS, just 21st in the big leagues. Their 79 walks are fourth-fewest in the majors, as is their .223 batting average, leading to the sixth-worst on-base percentage. And for the cherry on top, the athletic bunch has only combined to steal 15 bags, sixth-fewest in the game. 

If you’ve watched the last few seasons of Orioles baseball, that doesn’t really make sense. 

It’s a lineup that features some of the best young players in the game, three of whom were All-Stars a season ago. They’re flanked by savvy veteran pieces, and only one key starter, Colton Cowser, is missing significant time with injury. 

Adley Rutschman and Cedric Mullins return to the Orioles’ lineup tonight in the series opener against the Yankees at Camden Yards.

Jordan Westburg remains out with a sore hamstring.

Heston Kjerstad is in right field and Ramón Laureano is in left. Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter.

Ramón Urías gets another start at third base, with Jackson Holliday playing second.

Rutschman owns a .416 on-base percentage against the Yankees, third-highest among catchers with a minimum 150 plate appearances, per STATS. Johnny Bassler is first at .433 from 1914-27. Rutschman’s mark is second-highest among active players behind Mike Trout’s .419.

After two dramatic come-from-behind victories over the weekend, the Nationals are now in position to win three out of four games against the Mets, who entered this series with the best record in the majors while riding a seven-game winning streak.

On a picture-perfect afternoon in the District, the offense will look to score enough runs early so late-inning rallies won’t be necessary. To do that, they’ll have to get to right-hander Griffin Canning, who enters his sixth start of the season with a 3-1 record, 3.12 ERA and 1.385 WHIP, before getting another crack at the New York bullpen that can’t seem to hold these bats in check.

Or perhaps Trevor Williams and the Nats’ improving bullpen can shut down this Mets lineup one more time, negating the need for an offensive explosion. Williams is 1-2 with a 5.11 ERA and 1.581 WHIP in six starts so far this year. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 3.83 ERA and 1.441 WHIP in eight career starts against his former team, but did not face them last year.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB Network (out-of-market only), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 74 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
DH James Wood
2B Luis García Jr.
1B Nathaniel Lowe
C Keibert Ruiz
RF Dylan Crews
3B José Tena
LF Alex Call
CF Jacob Young

DETROIT – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde doesn’t know whether he can count on Adley Rutschman for tonight’s series opener against the Yankees. The catcher’s swollen right hand makes it hard for Hyde to write his name in the lineup.

Jordan Westburg can add his hamstring to the list of reasons why he’s described as “banged up.” Cedric Mullins has sinus pain that he tried to ignore through 18 innings of Saturday’s doubleheader.

Eleven Orioles are on the injured list when you count pitchers Trevor Rogers and Chayce McDermott, with the latter making his first rehab start yesterday for Double-A Chesapeake and allowing a run with three walks and three strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings. Catcher Gary Sánchez was hit twice by pitches yesterday and stayed in the game. Maybe the club’s luck is changing.

The rotation doesn’t stay the same.

The Orioles announced that Tomoyuki Sugano will start tonight, as expected, but Cade Povich is moved back to Wednesday. The assumption is that veteran Kyle Gibson will make his grand return to the team on Tuesday.

As much as the spotlight shone on the position players whose late offensive exploits helped the Nationals turn a six-run deficit into a thrilling, one-run win over the Mets on Sunday, Davey Martinez went out of his way early in his postgame press conference to praise his starting pitcher who departed with his team trailing 7-1.

“Look, say what you want with the first inning with Mitchell,” Martinez said. “If he doesn’t do what he does, I don’t even know how we’re going to put that together. Him going out there and giving us five innings like that was awesome.”

Mitchell Parker dug the Nationals into a massive hole with a disastrous first inning. He also quietly set the stage for all the drama that came later by not letting that disastrous first inning turn into anything worse.

During the course of a 43-pitch opening frame, Parker issued four walks, surrendered three singles and two sacrifice flies while letting the Mets score five runs. It was by far the worst inning by a Nats starting pitcher this season, and it left the team facing a monstrous, uphill climb.

Parker, who entered the day with a sparkling 1.39 ERA, clearly looked off as he tried to locate his pitches. Pretty much everything he threw landed far too high, or sometimes far too inside on right-handed batters.

It’s never been a question of effort. No matter how many games under .500 they were the last three seasons, the Nationals always showed an ability to get themselves back in games that felt lost. They always seemed to bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth, giving their perpetually optimistic manager reason to be “proud of the boys for battling.”

At some point, though, those moral victories had to turn into actual victories. Battling back wasn’t going to be good enough forever. The Nats needed to prove they could get over the hump and finish the job.

So when they found a way to do it this weekend, not just once but twice against a division rival that happened to dominate them a year ago, there was a different feeling of satisfaction inside the home clubhouse on South Capitol Street.

“We’ve always been able to fight,” catcher Riley Adams said. “We’ve always been able to scratch and claw like that. We have great guys in the clubhouse, and everyone’s pulling for each other in these moments. It’s cool to see it pay off.”

Oh, did it pay off this weekend. Two days after storming back in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Mets in Friday’s series opener, the Nationals did it again this afternoon. In even more impressive fashion. Down six runs in the seventh inning, they stormed back to tie and ultimately beat the National League East leaders, 8-7, in dramatic, walk-off fashion.