The circus has come to town. For the uninitiated, that’s Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers, who bring with them as much media as you’ll find for a postseason series. Seriously, the press box here is packed.

The Nationals will have to cope with that, not that they’re likely to care much. They did, after all, just take two of three at Dodger Stadium last week, not to mention three of their last four series, right?

To keep it going, though, they’re going to need something resembling a quality start from Patrick Corbin. And as we know, that’s been quite the challenge. The left-hander enters 0-3 with an 8.06 ERA in four starts, and Los Angeles got him for five runs and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings last week out west.

The Nats lineup will try to score first again, something that group suddenly has become adept at. CJ Abrams and Co. face veteran lefty James Paxton, who has yet to surrender more than three runs in his three starts this year.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 980 AM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 70 degrees, wind 12 mph out to left field

Joey Meneses is by nature a worrier. It probably comes from the decade he spent in the minor leagues, bouncing around between organizations, even venturing to Japan at one point to try to keep his career alive.

After finally breaking through in 2022 with two out-of-nowhere months of MVP-level production as a 30-year-old rookie with the Nationals, he still reported to camp the following spring worried he might not make the team. And even after driving in a team-high 89 RBIs in 2023, he still wasn’t sure about his future here after the Nats signed slugger Joey Gallo over the winter and invited top prospects Dylan Crews and James Wood to big league camp.

So imagine the thoughts swirling though Meneses’ mind as he came up to bat in the bottom of the 10th early Saturday evening, his batting average in the .180s, his slugging percentage barely topping .200, having already failed to come through in big spots in the sixth and eighth innings. Was the clock nearing midnight on his fairy tale, with a demotion to Triple-A looming in the near future?

Then watch Meneses’ reaction to his game-winning hit: a first-pitch gap shot to right-center that easily scored pinch-runner Nasim Nunez to beat the Astros. As he approached second base, he flung his helmet aside, spread out his arms and waited for his teammates to mob him. For the first time in a while, the smile on his face was wide.

“Like you said, I’ve been battling and struggling to start the season,” he said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “But this kind of at-bat and situation kind of relaxes me. And obviously I’m excited about it.”

Given the circumstances, it was fair to wonder if Mitchell Parker’s impressive major league debut last week was a bit flukish. Was that five-inning victory before a sellout crowd at Dodger Stadium as good as it was ever going to get for the Nationals’ 2020 fifth-round draft pick?

Given what he just accomplished today in his follow-up start against the Astros, it feels more appropriate to start wondering if this just might actually be the start of something really special.

With seven scoreless innings on only 73 pitches, Parker led the Nats to an easy 6-0 victory, improved to 2-0 as a big leaguer and authored Chapter 2 in what has suddenly become the most compelling – and unexpected – pitching story in recent club history.

"It doesn't seem like anything really fazes him," manager Davey Martinez said. "He goes out there and he challenges hitters. He competes. He's been giving us what we need."

The 24-year-old left-hander was in complete control throughout his home debut. He surrendered three hits (all singles). He allowed only one runner to reach scoring position. He didn’t issue a walk for the second straight outing. And he pounded the strike zone in a manner rarely seen in these parts.

As he described the illness that sidelined him now for nearly two weeks, Keibert Ruiz was asked if he’d ever been that sick before.

“When I got COVID,” the Nationals catcher said. “This was kind of the same. My whole body was in pain. Fever every three, four hours. The whole night sweating.”

Ruiz has finally moved past the worst of his case of influenza, which first began afflicting him 13 days ago in San Francisco and ultimately forced him to the 10-day injured list. He described himself as “90 percent” better now after a particularly rough stretch while the team was on the West Coast last week.

Ruiz has been able to start some baseball activities, hitting off a pitching machine, participating in some defensive drills and partaking in some light weight lifting. He was set to begin running before today’s game against the Astros.

The ordeal took a real toll on the 25-year-old, who lost 18-to-20 pounds.

After an absolutely beautiful Saturday here at the ballpark, the clouds have rolled in and the temperature has dropped nearly 20 degrees for today’s series finale against the Astros. Hopefully that’s not an omen of things to come for the Nationals, who were all sunshine and roses on Saturday.

The Nats have a chance to win another series; it would be three of their last four if they can pull this off. And if they do, it could come on the shoulders of Mitchell Parker once again.

The rookie left-hander makes his second career start, hoping to pick up right where he left off Monday night in Los Angeles, where he held the mighty Dodgers to two runs over five innings and became the first Nationals starter to win his major league debut since Stephen Strasburg. It’s another tough challenge today for Parker in the Astros. If he can throw strikes as he did last time out, it’ll put him in a good position to succeed.

The Nats won Saturday in spite of another atrocious performance with runners in scoring position. They were 0-for-10 until Jesse Winker and Joey Meneses finally delivered in the bottom of the ninth and 10th to emerge with the walk-off win. They’ve got to do a better job taking advantage of their scoring opportunities today against Hunter Brown, a late substitution for Houston, which had to scratch scheduled starter Cristian Javier due to neck discomfort. Brown has made four starts this season, one of them an absolute disaster (nine runs allowed in two-thirds of an inning against the Royals), but he was much better last time out (two runs in six innings against the Braves).

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 980 AM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 52 degrees, wind 5 mph out to right field

With much of the 2019 World Series championship roster in the house, the 2024 Nationals took a page from their celebrated predecessors and mounted a late comeback that special group surely could appreciate.

Then they pulled off a feat even the greatest team in Nats history never pulled off: They beat the Astros at home.

With a furious rally in the bottom of the ninth capped by Jesse Winker's two-run single, the Nationals stormed back to force extra innings. Then with one swing from Joey Meneses in the bottom of the 10th, they completed a 5-4 victory over Houston to cap a celebratory afternoon on South Capitol Street.

"I think it's cool, especially with those guys in the stands who had that great run in '19," said Lane Thomas, whose outfield assist in the top of the 10th set the stage for Meneses' game-winning hit. "It's cool to do that in front of them."

Trailing 4-2 with three outs to go, and unable to deliver any clutch hits throughout the game, the Nats finally came through when they needed it against Astros closer Ryan Pressly. Nick Senzel reached on catcher’s interference, then CJ Abrams launched a double high off the wall in right-center to put the tying run in scoring position with nobody out.

Most members of the 2019 Nationals enjoyed long, distinguished careers, playing for multiple franchises and experiencing personal highs and lows along the way. None of them, though, ever played for a team quite like that one.

Because of how the season ended, yes. But also because of the bond they all created along the way.

“I’d still be playing if we had that group in 2019 over and over again,” said Brian Dozier, who retired in 2021. “It was a great group.”

The members of the franchise’s first World Series roster are forever connected, and when they gathered back at Nationals Park this weekend for the five-year celebration of that achievement, they were instantly transported back to the greatest season of their lives.

Twelve players from that roster were in attendance, including alumni Ryan Zimmerman, Howie Kendrick, Adam Eaton, Kurt Suzuki, Aníbal Sánchez, Sean Doolittle, Gerardo Parra, Javy Guerra and Dozier. Many of the 10 players still actively playing elsewhere sent in video messages. All received rousing ovations from the crowd that assembled to celebrate a championship in a way that wasn’t possible in 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions.

It’s going to be a special day at Nationals Park, the highlight of this World Series anniversary weekend. A bunch of players from the 2019 club will be honored before and during the game against the Astros, and they’ll get the recognition from Nats fans they so deserve.

But there’s also a game to play, and the Nationals would love to get back on the winning track after dropping the series opener. They will try to get it going at the plate against Ronel Blanco, who has been nothing short of brilliant so far. The 30-year-old right-hander tossed a no-hitter in his season debut, then allowed one hit over six innings his next time out before allowing (gasp) two runs in six innings in his third start.

Trevor Williams has been quite good for the Nats, as well. He enters this one with a 2-0 record and 3.45 ERA in three outings. Two questions entering this one: Can he keep it up against the Astros lineup, and how far is Davey Martinez willing to push him, especially after using five relievers Friday night?

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 69 degrees, wind 14 mph left field to right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF Jesse Winker
RF Lane Thomas
2B Luis García Jr.
1B Joey Gallo
DH Joey Meneses
CF Eddie Rosario
C Riley Adams
3B Nick Senzel

It’s been noted many times before the Nationals never got to enjoy the traditional “victory lap” that comes the season after a team wins a championship, because the 2020 season was delayed, condensed and played in empty ballparks due to COVID-19.

Nearly five years later, the club will attempt to make up for lost time with an anniversary weekend celebration of the 2019 World Series champs.

With the Astros in town for a three-game interleague series, it only made sense to revisit that epic series now, even if five full years have yet to pass and this is only the second homestand of the current season. So the weekend will feature a number of special events and giveaways, plus the return of several members of the championship roster and coaching staff.

Tonight’s series opener features a postgame fireworks show, with a distinct 2019 theme to it. The first 20,000 fans to attend Saturday’s game will receive a replica World Series ring and have the opportunity to listen to Q&A sessions with players and coaches. And Sunday’s finale, geared toward kids, includes a 2019 World Series viewing toy for the first 8,000 fans 12 and under, plus autograph sessions with several alumni.

The list of scheduled attendees includes the five members of the World Series roster who either still play or coach for the Nationals: Patrick Corbin, Sean Doolittle, Gerardo Parra, Tanner Rainey and Victor Robles. Seven retired players from the team are also scheduled to appear: Brian Dozier, Adam Eaton, Javy Guerra, Howie Kendrick, Anibal Sanchez, Kurt Suzuki and Ryan Zimmerman.

LOS ANGELES – At the end of a 10-day, three-city jaunt that included stops in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles, CJ Abrams was asked how long the Nationals’ just-completed road trip felt.

“It feels long,” the shortstop said. “We’re excited to get back home and beat some more people up.”

Abrams said this with his usual soft voice, no emphasis on that last phrase, so it was easy to gloss right over it. But in those few words, the brightest young star on the Nationals conveyed what many in the clubhouse are beginning to sense.

This team isn’t content with simply making progress anymore. This team is ready to start winning, no matter the level of competition it’s facing.

Overall, the Nationals head home with an 8-10 record that doesn’t inspire a whole lot of confidence. But dig deeper, and it’s not hard to see how this team is starting to come together, and how there’s reason to believe the results are going to keep getting better as this season plays out.

LOS ANGELES – Jake Irvin walked to the dugout after striking out Will Smith to end the bottom of the sixth this afternoon at Dodger Stadium. The scoreboard showed six zeros for the home team, and it showed only 73 pitches for the visiting starter.

In another world, Irvin would have received a slap on the back and encouragement to get ready to head back out for the seventh. In this world, he was given a round of high fives and hugs from everyone in the Nationals dugout, manager Davey Martinez informing the right-hander his day was done.

Love it or hate it, this is the state of baseball in 2024. Teams aren’t letting their young starters go deep anymore, certainly not early in the season. So all Irvin could do today was join everyone else and watch the final three innings, hoping his teammates could finish the job.

They did, with three relievers combining to hold the Dodgers lineup in check in the seventh, eighth and ninth and ultimately rewarding Irvin with a 2-0 victory in a captivating finale to this series and this West Coast trip.

"He's been unbelievable. He's been outstanding, actually," said Martinez, who received a beer shower from his coaches and players after notching his 400th managerial win. "He just keeps getting better and better. The confidence keeps growing."

LOS ANGELES – Take a glance at the major league leaders in the top offensive rate categories, note the expected names that consistently show up and then try not to gasp when Jesse Winker’s name shows up right there alongside everyone else.

Winker, who made the Nationals’ roster Opening Day roster off a minor league deal signed the day before spring training began, currently ranks third in the majors in batting average (.373), first in on-base percentage (.500), 13th in slugging percentage (.608) and fifth in OPS (1.108). The only names ahead of him in that last category: Tyler O’Neill, Mookie Betts, Marcell Ozuna and Jose Altuve.

Nobody’s suggesting Winker will remain there throughout the season. But given his hot start, and his track record of success several years ago while playing for the Reds, there’s reason to be optimistic he can remain productive for the Nats.

“I feel good with the work I’m putting in,” he said. “Obviously, it’s nice when you’re getting results, but I feel great with the work I’m doing with (hitting coach Darnell Coles and assistant hitting coach Chris Johnson).”

Winker entered the season figuring to share playing time in left field with Eddie Rosario. Three weeks later, he’s become not only an everyday player, but the Nationals’ No. 2 hitter in recent days, batting behind CJ Abrams.

LOS ANGELES – It’s another beautiful day in the City of Angels, where this afternoon the Nationals wrap up their long West Coast trip with one more game against the Dodgers. It’s the rubber game of the series, and the rubber game of the entire trip. A win today and they’d head home having gone 5-4 in California. Not bad at all.

The Nats did well against a premier starting pitcher in Tyler Glasnow on Monday night. They struggled against four relievers on Tuesday night. Now they’ll see what they can do against an unknown entity: Landon Knack, who makes his major league debut for the Dodgers. The 2020 second-round pick is the organization’s top pitching prospect, and he went 5-1 with a 2.51 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 100 1/3 innings last season between Double-A and Triple-A.

Jake Irvin looks to pick up right where he left off in Oakland last weekend, when he held the A’s to one hit over six innings. It’s a more daunting assignment today, but the tall right-hander has consistently exceeded expectations for nearly a year now, so maybe he’s got another big-time outing in him today and can send his team home with a winning road trip.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Where: Dodger Stadium
Gametime: 3:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 75 degrees, wind 3 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF Jesse Winker
RF Lane Thomas
2B Luis García Jr.
1B Joey Meneses
DH Joey Gallo
3B Nick Senzel
CF Eddie Rosario
C Riley Adams

LOS ANGELES – For the Nationals to win a second straight game here, they were going to have to produce more offense against a Dodger bullpen tasked with pitching all nine innings tonight than Patrick Corbin gave up in his traditional starting role.

Neither end of that equation held up its end of the bargain. Corbin again gave the team length but not quality, and the Nats lineup came through with only one big hit against the L.A. bullpen during a 6-2 loss at Dodger Stadium.

Corbin, who hasn’t won in this historic ballpark since the 2019 regular season, made it to the seventh inning but was charged with five runs (one of those scoring after he departed). He fell to 0-3 with an 8.06 ERA in his first four starts of the season.

"Once again, the numbers show he didn't pitch well," manager Davey Martinez said. "But all in all, he gave us six-plus innings, a couple hits here and there. We just couldn't score any runs today, couldn't get anything really going."

The Nationals got a two-run homer from the surprisingly red-hot Jesse Winker, but little else against the four relievers Dodgers manager Dave Roberts used over the course of nine innings.

LOS ANGELES – Though he’s now on the injured list with a case of influenza that has plagued him for a week, Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz was at Dodger Stadium today and went through some light drills on the field before tonight’s game.

“He’s still a little bit under the weather, but he felt good enough to come out and do something,” manager Davey Martinez said. “So that’s a good sign.”

That was a welcome development for Ruiz, who last played eight days ago, the opener of the Nats’ nine-game West Coast trip. He began feeling ill the following day and spent the rest of the week hoping he’d be well enough to play but ultimately unable to do it.

Not wanting to take any more chances with only one healthy catcher, the Nationals placed Ruiz on the 10-day IL prior to Monday’s game and recalled Drew Millas from Triple-A Rochester. Millas will start tonight’s game, ending Riley Adams’ streak of four consecutive games caught.

Teams are only allowed to backdate IL moves three days, so even if he feels well enough to play soon, Ruiz won’t be eligible to return until April 23. It’s possible the Nats will decide to have him play in a few rehab games with a minor league affiliate to give him a chance to get back into game shape before he’s activated.

LOS ANGELES – There was a lot to like about Monday night’s game from the Nationals’ perspective, from Mitchell Parker’s debut to CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr.’s offensive exploits to solid bullpen work. That was probably the team’s best win to date this season.

Which means absolutely nothing going into tonight’s game, of course. The Nats will need to do it all over again if they want to have a chance at two straight over the Dodgers, not to mention a winning road trip.

It starts with Patrick Corbin, who hasn’t exactly had a lot of success in this ballpark. Corbin has won only three of his 15 career outings at Dodger Stadium, none since 2019. And his first three starts this season haven’t been particularly inspired: 15 runs, 27 hits in 16 innings. But the old lefty will give it the old college try again tonight, hoping to hold the vaunted L.A. lineup somewhat in check and give his teammates a chance.

The Nationals will be facing a bunch of pitchers tonight, with the Dodgers set to throw a bullpen game. First up is right-hander Kyle Hurt, making his fourth big league appearance. Hurt does have big strikeout numbers in the minors – 305 of them in 188 2/3 innings – so he appears to have good stuff. We’ll see how a Nats lineup that likes to make contact fares against him before Dave Roberts hands it off to another reliever.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Where: Dodger Stadium
Gametime: 10:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 69 degrees, wind 5 mph out to center field

LOS ANGELES – Base hits to the opposite field are nothing out of the ordinary for Luis García Jr. Given his bat control, a little flick of the wrists is often all he needs to poke an outside pitch to left field for a simple single.

What García did Monday night at Dodger Stadium, on the other hand, was a welcome development. The Nationals second baseman hit his first home run of 2024, and he did so with a three-run shot to left-center.

García's blast, on a 3-2 slider from Los Angeles’ Tyler Glasnow, capped what arguably was one of the best at-bats of his major league career. Facing the flamethrowing right-hander, with two on and two out in the top of the fifth, García fell behind in the count, then took three straight pitches down and in to work his way back into a favorable count. He fouled off a 3-1 fastball at the knees. Then he got the full-count slider up and out over the plate and mashed it 103.9 mph toward left-center, where it cleared the fence for a key home runs in the Nats’ 6-4 victory.

“It felt great,” García said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “In that moment, I was just trying to hit the ball hard somewhere, drive in those two runs and try to help the team increase the lead in that moment. He left the pitch there, and I was able to drive it. I was very excited to be able to do that in that moment.”

Power displays have become a rare thing for García, whose priority at times seems to be making contact more so than making loud contact. But he does have the ability to hit the ball hard in the air; he just has to take the right swing on the right pitch to make it happen.

LOS ANGELES – Far more highly touted pitchers have made their major league debuts for the Nationals in the last 14 years than Mitchell Parker. There were first-round picks (Lucas Giolito, Erick Fedde, Cade Cavalli, Jackson Rutledge) and there were high-profile trade acquisitions (Joe Ross).

But none of them – plus a host of others in between – was able to do what Parker did tonight. Not since Stephen Strasburg’s historic performance on June 8, 2010, had a rookie starter made his big league debut for the Nationals and been credited with a win.

That Parker was the one to finally snap a streak that had reached 17 winless debuts was remarkable enough. That he did it by beating one of the most intimidating lineups he’s likely to ever see during the course of his career made this truly special.

With five strong innings of two-run ball, this previously unknown, 24-year-old left-hander led the Nats to a stirring, 6-4 victory over the Dodgers on Jackie Robinson Day and authored his name into club lore in the process.

"The kid has a very low heartbeat," manager Davey Martinez said. "I've known that for a while. Nothing seems to faze him. ... That's a tough team to face. And he did really, really well."

LOS ANGELES – Mitchell Parker’s major league debut takes center stage tonight, but the left-hander’s promotion was only one of five transactions the Nationals made prior to their series opener against the Dodgers.

With Nick Senzel ready to return from his fractured thumb, Trey Lipscomb was optioned back to Triple-A Rochester. And with the team desperately needing a healthy second catcher, Keibert Ruiz was finally placed on the 10-day injured list with influenza and Drew Millas was recalled from Rochester.

The decision to demote Lipscomb was the most difficult for manager Davey Martinez, who has been among the rookie infielder’s biggest supporters since spring training. But Senzel was ready to return only 2 1/2 weeks after suffering his injury prior to Opening Day. And with second baseman Luis García Jr. off to a strong start himself, there wasn’t going to be an opportunity for Lipscomb to get everyday at-bats the way he did since taking Senzel’s spot.

“That was really tough. Such a great kid,” Martinez said. “The whole premise is he’s got to play every day. Luis is playing well. We need to get Nick back. So he’s going to go down and play every day, and I don’t foresee him being down there long. … He’ll be back. He did really well.”

Lipscomb burst onto the scene with five hits in his first 11 big league at-bats, including a homer in Cincinnati. But he regressed since then, going just 6-for-38 over his last 11 games. In 14 total games, the 23-year-old was batting .224 with a .278 on-base percentage and .286 slugging percentage.

LOS ANGELES – It’s Jackie Robinson Day across baseball, but really there’s only one place to be for this occasion. And the Nationals have the distinct honor of being at Dodger Stadium this year for this all-important day. There was already a ceremony outside the park at the statue of Robinson, with players and coaches from both clubs attending. There will be more pregame festivities, as well.

And then there will be a ballgame, with a very fresh face on the mound for the Nats. Mitchell Parker is making his major league debut, and while the Nationals probably would have preferred a bit of a softer launch for the young left-hander than this, circumstances dictated that he get the assignment. Parker’s assignment tonight: Somehow try to contain one of the toughest lineups in the sport, especially right off the bat in the bottom of the first. If nothing else, he needs to force them to make contact to get on. Can’t be giving away free bases against the Dodgers.

The Nationals lineup scored six runs Sunday against the Athletics. They’ll need to keep that going tonight against Tyler Glasnow, the hard-throwing former Rays right-hander who now anchors the L.A. rotation. They'll do so with several roster changes announced this afternoon: Nick Senzel has been activated off the 10-day injured list, and Drew Millas has been recalled from Triple-A Rochester. Trey Lipscomb was optioned back to Rochester, and Keibert Ruiz was placed on the 10-day IL with influenza.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Where: Dodger Stadium
Gametime: 10:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 61 degrees, wind 5 mph out to center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
DH Jesse Winker
RF Lane Thomas
1B Joey Gallo
2B Luis García Jr.
3B Nick Senzel
LF Eddie Rosario
C Riley Adams
CF Jacob Young