WEST PALM BEACH – The Nationals are back on the Atlantic Coast side of Florida after yesterday’s cross-state trip to Fort Myers. They’ll be here for the next week before making their final trip to the Gulf Coast side a week from today to face the Twins.

What was supposed to be Trevor Williams’ spring debut turned into Zach Davies’ second start after the Nationals flipped the two starters to have Williams pitch tomorrow. Davies had a strong debut with the Nats on Tuesday, pitching two shutout innings with three strikeouts, two walks and a hit batter. The right-hander threw 23-of-40 pitches for strikes against an Astros lineup that included a lot of big-name regulars.

Today he’ll try to go a little deeper in the game against a Marlins split-squad team. Joan Adon, Tanner Rainey, Robert Garcia and Jose A. Ferrer are among the pitchers listed to follow Davies out of the bullpen.

Among the Nationals regulars in the starting lineup: Lane Thomas is leading off and in right field, James Wood is batting second and making his first appearance in left, Joey Meneses is at first base, Keibert Ruiz is catching, Nick Senzel is at third and Victor Robles is in center.

And hey, what better way to spend your Sunday than watching the game on MASN at 1 p.m.?

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Hello from JetBlue Park, aka “Fenway South.” The Nationals are making one of two cross-state trips today, this time to face the Red Sox. They’ll return to the area in eight days to face the Twins. And they brought some very intriguing names with them on the 2 1/2-hour bus ride.

James Wood and Dylan Crews are both in today’s lineup, Crews in center field while Wood serves as DH. Robert Hassell III, Brady House and Trey Lipscomb are all here and scheduled to come off the bench. And then there are three call-ups from minor league camp who came along as well: Elijah Green, Yohandy Morales and Daylen Lile. Hopefully, we get to see them at some point.

Josiah Gray is the starter on the mound, making his second start of the spring. The right-hander was really sharp in his debut against the Mets, striking out five across two scoreless innings. He’ll try to build up to three innings this afternoon against a Boston lineup that includes Rafael Devers, Trevor Story and Masataka Yoshida.

A quick programming note: I’m heading home after today’s game for a short break. Bobby Blanco is down here and will have you covered all week, so be sure to read his work (including a feature story this morning about Jacob Young) on the site.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. BOSTON RED SOX
Where: JetBlue Park, Fort Myers
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EST
TV: MLB.tv (Red Sox feed)
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 81 degrees, wind 10 mph out to left field

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles currently hold the best record for the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues combined at 7-1 and have won four in a row.

They try to keep a streak alive today when they host the New York Yankees at 1:05 p.m. at Ed Smith Stadium. The game will be televised live on MASN.

This is the first of just two spring games between these American League East rivals, a year after the Orioles won 101 games and the Yankees won 82.

Center fielder Cedric Mullins, who is 2-for-7 this spring, will lead off, followed by catcher Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle, who returns to the field at first base after he served as DH Friday in North Port.

Coby Mayo, who is batting .417 (5-for-12) is starting at third base and batting sixth.

NORTH PORT, Fla. – Jackson Holliday is in the lineup again today, this time at shortstop against the Braves in North Port.

Colton Cowser is leading off and playing center field. Ryan Mountcastle, scratched yesterday due to illness, is listed as the designated hitter.

Mountcastle said this morning that he’s feeling a little better.

Jordan Westburg is the third baseman today. Tyler Nevin, who’s 7-for-12, is in left field.

Anthony Santander is playing right.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It’s been an encouraging start to the spring season for the Nationals, who have won four of their first six games, gotten some pretty good pitching and seen their top young prospects deliver in their first big league camp. At some point, though, you’d also like to see their projected regulars start producing a little more at the plate.

It might be a tough challenge for that to happen today, with two-time All-Star Framber Valdez on the mound for the Astros. Let’s see how CJ Abrams, Lane Thomas and Keibert Ruiz in particular handle that assignment in the bottom of the first.

MacKenzie Gore makes his second start of the spring, and his first one was a good one. The left-hander was sharp over two innings against the Marlins, striking out four. Jake Irvin is also scheduled to pitch out of the bullpen, going two or three innings.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EST
TV: None
Radio: nationals.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 78 degrees, wind 15 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
C Keibert Ruiz
3B Nick Senzel
LF Jesse Winker
1B Juan Yepez
2B Trey Lipscomb
DH Travis Blankenhorn
CF Victor Robles

JUPITER, Fla. – The temperature has slowly been rising each day this week, to the point where it’s starting to become a little bit steamy down here. It could crack 80 degrees this afternoon, with some humidity, when the Nationals face the Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

This is the Nats’ sixth exhibition game, and for the sixth straight day, James Wood is playing. This time in the starting lineup, batting second and playing center field, quite the assignment for the young prospect. Wood and his Nationals teammates (including Trey Lipscomb at second base) will be facing Cardinals right-hander Kyle Gibson, so it’s another opportunity to see how the kids stack up against a veteran major leaguer.

Patrick Corbin makes his second start of the spring, hoping for better results and efficiency than he had in his debut Saturday night, when he needed 50 pitches to complete just two innings. Among the relievers scheduled to pitch today are two guys making the spring game debuts: Tanner Rainey and Derek Law. Rainey, who made his return from Tommy John surgery during the final weekend of the 2023 season, has purposely been ramped up a bit slower than his teammates, but he’s good to go now. Law, the veteran righty who signed a minor league deal after camp opened, is ready to go as well and try to start making his case to make the club.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Jupiter
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EST
TV: MLB.tv (Cardinals feed)
Radio: MLB.com (Cardinals feed)
Weather: Partly cloudy, 79 degrees, wind 9 mph in from center field

NATIONALS
RF Lane Thomas
CF James Wood
1B Joey Meneses
DH Travis Blankenhorn
3B Nick Senzel
C Riley Adams
LF Jacob Young
2B Trey Lipscomb
SS Nasim Nuñez

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Orioles brought their starting outfield to Hammond Stadium for today’s game against the Twins, though Cedric Mullins is the designated hitter.

Austin Hays is in left field and batting cleanup. Colton Cowser is in center field and Anthony Santander is in right.

Jordan Westburg gets the start at shortstop. Ramón Urías is the third baseman and Nick Maton is at second.

Maverick Handley is catching Dean Kremer, who’s making his 2024 spring debut.

Infielders Coby Mayo and Errol Robinson and outfielders Daniel Johnson, Dontá Williams, John Rhodes and Billy Cook made the trip.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – If everything goes as planned, Jackson Rutledge probably isn’t going to make the Nationals’ Opening Day rotation. But if everything goes as the team hopes, Rutledge could join the rotation at some point this season and, ideally, pitch well enough to stay.

The 2019 first-round pick made his long-awaited debut last September, his path to the majors having been slowed by injuries and struggles on the mound. The tall right-hander had a rocky first start but then acquitted himself well after that and came to camp this spring feeling better about his long-term prospects.

Rutledge already showed well in a two-inning relief appearance here Saturday. Today, he’ll get a chance to start a Grapefruit League game for the first time, facing a lineup full of guys wearing Red Sox jerseys. Technically, these are the Boston Red Sox, but if you glance at that lineup, you’re not going to see a lot of guys who are going to open the season in Boston.

The Nationals’ lineup is a mixture of regulars, bench players and kids. Dylan Crews and Drew Millas are the two prospects starting today, though James Wood and Robert Hassell III are scheduled to come off the bench. Also scheduled to pitch in relief are Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey and DJ Herz.

And the best news of all: You can watch today’s game live on MASN at 1 p.m.!

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It’s another beautiful day down here in paradise (sorry) as the Nationals return home to face the Mets for the first time this spring. The first two games have been highlighted by events that transpired after most of the starters departed. Perhaps today we’ll get a little more action from the regulars.

Davey Martinez has most of his everyday position players in the lineup. One notable exception: Brady House, who gets his first start at third base after coming off the bench Sunday against the Marlins. Jacob Young, who started in center field Sunday, is back in the lineup again today, this time in left field.

Josiah Gray takes the mound for the first time in 2024, and it’ll be interesting to see how many different types of pitches he throws during his two scheduled innings. Will Gray throw the kitchen sink at a Mets lineup he’s going to face plenty this season, or will he focus on a couple of particular offerings today?

Among the other pitchers scheduled to appear out of the bullpen are minor league starters Mitchell Parker and Cole Henry.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EST
TV: None
Radio: None
Weather: Sunny, 74 degrees, wind 9 mph in from right field

JUPITER, Fla. – The first game of the spring is always a big event, everyone excited to get started and watch real baseball. Now, though, the grind begins.

The Nationals play their first road game this afternoon, making the short 15-minute drive north to Jupiter to face the Marlins. They’ll do so with a very different lineup from Saturday night’s opener.

Joey Meneses is the only returning starter, getting a chance to play first base after serving as designated hitter Saturday. James Wood, who homered off the bench, gets a chance to start in right field. And fellow prospect Trey Lipscomb also starts at second base, a nice opportunity for him to show what he can do. Riley Adams will do the catching after Keibert Ruiz and Drew Millas worked Saturday night.

MacKenzie Gore makes the start for the Nats, hoping to complete his two innings in a much more efficient manner than Patrick Corbin did in the opener. As was the case Saturday, there will be another starter coming out of the bullpen today, with Jake Irvin following Gore and scheduled to pitch two innings himself. Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey are among the relievers on tap.

And another note: Jen Pawol, hoping to become the first female umpire in MLB history, will be calling balls and strikes today after handling the bases Saturday night.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Welcome to the 2024 Grapefruit League season, everyone! The Nationals open exhibition play tonight with a home game against their spring complex co-habitants, the Astros, at the newly renamed CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. The facility, which first opened in 2017, is being rededicated tonight, with special guest Travis Scott (who founded CACTI hard seltzers, in addition to being a Grammy-winning rap artist) throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to Josiah Gray.

As for the game itself, the Nationals will be trotting out what could be their Opening Day lineup. The batting order could be switched around from this, but for now it’s a 3-4-5-6 of Joey Gallo, Joey Meneses, Jesse Winker and Keibert Ruiz. Interesting twist: Gallo is at first base, with Meneses serving as designated hitter after a winter spent talking about how he may be a more productive hitter when he’s also playing the field. Again, this is just one game, so don’t draw any conclusions until we have more lineups to consider.

All of those starters are scheduled to take one or two at-bats before departing. That means plenty of playing time for backups, and tonight that will include three top outfield prospects: Robert Hassell III in left field, Dylan Crews in center field, James Wood in right field. That will be fun to watch.

Patrick Corbin gets the start, scheduled for two innings and 35 pitches. And he’ll be followed by two more starters: Jackson Rutledge and Joan Adon, each also scheduled for two innings and 35 pitches. Eventually, we’ll see a few relievers.

If you’re interested in watching tonight’s game, you can pick up the Astros’ TV broadcast on MLB.tv and tape-delayed at 10 p.m. on MLB Network. You can also listen to Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler on nationals.com.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Jackson Holliday is starting at second base this afternoon and batting seventh in the Orioles’ exhibition opener against the Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium.

Jorge Mateo is the shortstop and serving as Holliday’s double play partner.

Anthony Santander is the designated hitter, Austin Hays is in left field and Cedric Mullins is in center. Ryan McKenna is playing right field.

Ryan Mountcastle isn’t in the lineup. Ryan O’Hearn gets the start at first base.

Adley Rutschman is catching Corbin Burnes.

ARLINGTON, Texas – A must-win Game 3 for the Orioles brings changes to their lineup against Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.

Ryan O’Hearn gets his first start, batting fifth and serving as designated hitter. Adam Frazier is playing second base and batting ninth.

Gunnar Henderson is leading off.

Cedric Mullins is batting seventh, followed by third baseman Jordan Westburg.

Dean Kremer gets the call over veteran Kyle Gibson. He’s posted a 3.59 ERA in his last 26 starts.

A rookie will try to pull the Orioles away from the brink of elimination in the American League Division Series.

Following their Game 1 loss to the Rangers, the Orioles are starting right-hander Grayson Rodriguez this afternoon at chilly Camden Yards. Rodriguez made his first major league appearance in Arlington on April 5, allowing two runs in five innings. He also made his last against the Rangers before being optioned, surrendering eight earned runs and nine total in 3 1/3 innings on May 26 in Baltimore.

“You know, that feels like it was a year ago, honestly,” he said yesterday of his debut. “But, you know, just kind of learning how to be a pitcher in the big leagues, how to go about each and every day, I think is the big thing.”

So is starting again against your hometown team.

“Watched them a lot as a kid, a lot of Rangers and Astros games,” he said. “Just being able to face a team like that is pretty special to me. It's something I've been dreaming of for a while.”

ATLANTA – The Nationals got their coveted 70th win of the season Friday night, and it took everything they had to get there. Davey Martinez used six relievers after pulling Trevor Williams in the fourth inning. Which means he may not have as many options tonight.

The problem: Joan Adon hasn’t exactly shown a propensity for pitching deep in games. The 25-year-old right-hander has reached the sixth inning in only three of his nine starts, and he’s taken the loss in his last three outings. If Adon can’t provide length tonight, Martinez may have no choice but to use the likes of Thaddeus Ward or Cory Abbott in a situation of consequence. We also could see Tanner Rainey make his season debut tonight.

The Nationals lineup exploded for 10 runs Friday night, blasting five homers to match a season high. That came against fill-in starter Allan Winans. Tonight, they face Spencer Strider, who seeks his 20th win and to get closer to the 300-strikeout mark in his final tune-up before the postseason. The Nats did score four runs in 5 2/3 innings against Strider last weekend, so it’s not necessarily a lost cause.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Truist Park
Gametime: 7:20 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 80 degrees, wind 3 mph in from left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
DH Joey Meneses
C Keibert Ruiz
2B Luis García
1B Dominic Smith
3B Carter Kieboom
LF Jake Alu
CF Jacob Young

The Orioles are starting veteran Kyle Gibson on Saturday and remain undecided about Sunday, which would be Kyle Bradish under pre-clinching circumstances.

Uncharted territory for the franchise under the current regime.

“We’re still kind of playing with some things,” said manager Brandon Hyde.

Hyde isn’t ready to detail how the Orioles are handling their regular season finale or compensating for the extended break before Saturday’s Game 1 of the Division Series.

“It will be a lot of scheduled bullpen appearances for a lot of these guys,” Hyde said. “I didn’t want to schedule too much stuff, honestly, because I didn’t want to jinx anything. I wanted to make sure we clinched first. But now a lot of discussions are in place.”

BALTIMORE – Sure, the Nationals would love to win a game against the Orioles before season’s end. But first, they’d like to just score a run against them.

These two teams have played 27 innings against each other so far in 2023, and the Nats have yet to score in any of them. They’ve gone 0-3 by a combined score of 6-0, having twice been shut out 1-0, including Tuesday night here at Camden Yards. So perhaps tonight’s the night they finally see somebody in a curly W helmet safely cross the plate.

Patrick Corbin gets the ball for his final start of the season. The left-hander has been better this year, to be sure. But he still enters with a 5.13 ERA, 1.466 WHIP and league-leading 14 losses. In order to end his season with a sub-5.00 ERA, Corbin would need to either go seven innings allowing one earned run or five scoreless innings.

The Orioles, by the way, have a chance to clinch the American League East title tonight. They need to win and have the Rays lose to the Red Sox, so there will be plenty of scoreboard watching taking place at Camden Yards.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Where: Camden Yards
Gametime: 6:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 68 degrees, wind 7 mph in from center field

BALTIMORE – Hello from Camden Yards, where we’ve got a rare late-September edition of the Battle of the Beltways. The stakes the next two nights are quite different for these teams, with the Nationals down to the final five games of their season and the Orioles trying to clinch their first division title since 2014. Their magic number is three, so it can’t happen tonight, but it could happen Wednesday night depending on what the Rays do against the Red Sox.

The Nats will try to do their part to prevent the celebration from happening while they’re in town, beginning tonight with Josiah Gray on the mound. The right-hander is coming off a strong outing against the White Sox, allowing one run over five innings. He enters with an ERA of exactly 4.00, so a good start tonight could help him wrap up the year with an ERA that begins with a three, which would be nice.

Kyle Bradish gets the ball for the Orioles, looking to lower his ERA under 3.00, which would be quite the accomplishment for the 27-year-old right-hander. Bradish faced the Nationals way back on April 19 in D.C., tossing six scoreless for his first win of the season.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Where: Camden Yards
Gametime: 6:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 62 degrees, wind 10 mph in from center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
C Keibert Ruiz
DH Joey Meneses
2B Luis García
1B Dominic Smith
3B Ildemaro Vargas
LF Jake Alu
CF Jacob Young

A 3-2 win in the opener of today’s doubleheader against the Braves allows the Nationals to enter the nightcap feeling a little less pressure on themselves. Nobody expects them to sweep the twinbill, but if they can somehow come out and play loose and steal another victory, how impressive would that be?

To pull it off, they’ll need to take down one of the most dominant pitchers in the majors in Spencer Strider. The young right-hander entered the day leading the National League in both wins (18) and strikeouts (270). He overwhelmed the Nationals back on April 1 with six innings of scoreless ball, but they did beat him last summer with five runs in four innings here on South Capitol Street.

Seven of the nine guys who started the opener are back in Davey Martinez’s lineup, the only changes coming at third base and behind the plate, with Ildemaro Vargas and Keibert Ruiz replacing Carter Kieboom and Drew Millas, respectively.

Joan Adon gets the start, six days after the right-hander labored against the White Sox, giving up five runs and nine hits in five-plus innings. Most of the bullpen should be available tonight, but Robert Garcia (who went two innings in the opener) most likely isn’t.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Rain ending, 65 degrees, wind 6 mph in from left field

CLEVELAND – Heston Kjerstad is the Orioles' designated hitter tonight and Aaron Hicks is starting in center field.

Cedric Mullins is on the bench.

Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop and stays atop the order. Jordan Westburg is playing second base and Ramón Urías is at third.

Tyler Wells is in the bullpen tonight after the Orioles recalled him from Triple-A Norfolk. His four-seam fastball averaged 92.5 mph in the majors this season but topped at 95.7 mph while he pitched in relief with the Tides.

The Orioles bullpen has registered a 3.65 ERA in the eighth inning and later since Félix Bautista’s last appearance on Aug. 25, when it was 2.99.