Ryan McKenna gets the start in center field this afternoon with the Yankees starting left-hander Carlos Rodón.
Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter for the Orioles and James McCann is behind the plate.
Anthony Santander is starting in right field after beginning last night’s game on the bench. Jorge Mateo is the second baseman, with Jordan Westburg at third.
Colton Cowser stays in left field.
For the Orioles
Kyle Bradish is ready to make his 2024 debut.
The Oriole reinstated Bradish from the 15-day injured list this morning and he’s starting against the Yankees in the series finale at Camden Yards. Bradish was diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in January, received a platelet-rich plasma injection and worked his way back into the rotation.
Bradish’s injury rehab assignment could have run until mid-May, but the Orioles deemed him ready after one start with Double-A Bowie and two with Triple-A Norfolk.
Yohan Ramírez was designated for assignment after retiring the side in order last night in the ninth inning. He had a 6.00 ERA and 0.833 WHIP in five outings.
The 40-man roster is down to 39 players.
ARLINGTON, Texas – The opener of this interleague series was one to forget. The Nationals had only three baserunners (all via single, two of them never leaving the infield). MacKenzie Gore pitched well, but then the bullpen turned it into a rout by night’s end. A bad day all around.
The Nats will try to shrug that off and get back on track (and get back to .500) tonight, hoping for a lot more offense against left-hander Andrew Heaney than they got against right-hander Jon Gray. They’ve fared worse against lefties than righties this season, but they’ve actually won five of their last seven games against a southpaw starter, so perhaps they’re in line for another strong performance.
Speaking of strong performances, Trevor Williams has had a bunch of them to begin his season. The veteran has completed at least five innings in each of his five starts to date, and he’s never allowed more than three runs in any of them. (He’s only allowed one run in three of the starts.) We keep wondering if the magic dust is going to fade at some point, and perhaps it will. But if he can keep this up a bit longer, maybe you do have to start believing it’s legit.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at TEXAS RANGERS
Where: Globe Life Park
Gametime: 8:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors
NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
DH Nick Senzel
LF Jesse Winker
1B Joey Meneses
2B Ildemaro Vargas
RF Alex Call
3B Trey Lipscomb
C Riley Adams
CF Jacob Young
Heston Kjerstad is starting in right field and batting eighth tonight, his second time in the lineup since the Orioles recalled him.
Colton Cowser moves up to fifth. Ramón Urías is starting at third base.
Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter. Anthony Santander begins the game on the bench.
Santander’s nine doubles are tied for first in the American League, but he’s batting .213/.289/.426 in 28 games.
Adley Rutschman will try to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. He’s batting .388/.400/.592 (19-for-49) with one double, three home runs, 11 RBIs, a walk and five runs scored during his streak.
ARLINGTON, Texas – Hello from Globe Life Park, home of the defending World Series champions. The Nationals come to town flying high after a four-game sweep of the Marlins, but the challenge over the next three days will be markedly more significant. If they can pull off another win tonight, though, it’ll be notable for a couple of reasons: 1) The Nats would own a winning record at any point in the season for the first time since July 1, 2021, and 2) They would finish April with a winning record for the first time since 2017 (when Dusty Baker was manager).
The Nationals have been getting excellent starting pitching through this run, so they’ll hope that continues tonight with MacKenzie Gore. Though he didn’t have his best stuff last week, Gore impressively held the Dodgers to only one run in six innings. He should enter this start with confidence.
At the plate, the Nats will try to keep the pressure on by not only getting on base but advancing once they’re on. We saw how effective they could be running over the weekend in Miami. Look for more of the same tonight against Texas starter Jon Gray and catcher Jonah Heim, who has thrown out only 3-of-18 base stealers so far this year.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at TEXAS RANGERS
Where: Globe Life Park
Gametime: 8:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors
NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF Jesse Winker
1B Joey Meneses
2B Luis García Jr.
C Keibert Ruiz
DH Nick Senzel
RF Eddie Rosario
3B Trey Lipscomb
CF Jacob Young
The Orioles reinstated left-hander Cionel Pérez from the 15-day injured list today and optioned reliever Dillon Tate to Triple-A Norfolk.
Pérez pitched twice with Norfolk on his injury rehab assignment. He faced two batters on March 30 at Camden Yards, strained his oblique muscle and walked off the field.
Tate made 11 appearances and allowed four earned runs (five total) in 12 2/3 innings. He replaced Craig Kimbrel yesterday in the ninth inning.
Kimbrel avoided the IL and is day-to-day with tightness in his upper back. Manager Brandon Hyde said Kimbrel is feeling better.
Kyle Bradish and John Means are here and ready to be reinstated later this week. Bradish could start Thursday afternoon.
MIAMI – The Nationals have an opportunity for a four-game sweep tonight. It would be their first four-game sweep since Sept. 23-26, 2019 against the Phillies, which was actually a five-game sweep due to a doubleheader on Sept. 24. Washington's only other four-game sweep of the Marlins was Sept. 18-21, 2014 here in Miami.
A win tonight would also give the Nats at .500 record for the first time since starting the year 1-1 in Cincinnati.
If their offense continues producing like it has over the first three games, they’ll have a good chance.
The Nats have outscored the Marlins 26-14 over the first three games, thanks to 11 runs on Saturday and 12 runs yesterday. CJ Abrams, Jesse Winker, Trey Lipscomb and Jacob Young have led the way by collectively going 22-for-49 (.449) with 16 runs scored, 11 RBIs, five walks and five stolen bases over the weekend.
That foursome will try to continue creating “havoc” on the basepaths against Marlins starter Trevor Rogers. The left-hander is 0-3 with a 4.10 ERA and 1.519 WHIP over his first five outings to start the season after he was limited to just four starts last year with bicep and shoulder issues. He’s 3-2 with a 3.22 ERA and 1.349 WHIP in eight career starts against the Nats.
MIAMI – The Nationals find themselves winners of the first two games of this four-game set against the Marlins. With a win today, they’ll be winners of four of their last six series, which would be an impressive stretch as the season’s first month comes to a close next week.
The offense exploded for 11 runs yesterday, the most in a single game this season. How do they follow it up? CJ Abrams, Jesse Winker, Trey Lipscomb and Jacob Young will look to continue creating havoc on the basepaths. Some more contributions from the middle of the order would also be very welcome.
Patrick Corbin makes his sixth start this afternoon. He was roughed up in his first four, but was solid in his previous outing with 5 ⅓ scoreless innings. The veteran lefty will try to keep this Marlins team at bay after not facing them last year with his career 5-7 record, 4.05 ERA and 1.218 WHIP against them.
Ryan Weathers also makes his sixth start for the Fish. The 24-year-old lefty came to Miami from San Diego last year in a trade for Garrett Cooper. He is 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA and 1.403 WHIP to begin the year and 1-1 with a 6.35 ERA and 1.412 WHIP in two career starts against the Nats.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MIAMI MARLINS
Where: loanDepot park
Gametime: 1:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors
MIAMI – It took until the eighth inning, but the Nationals finally got the big hit they needed in order to get the series-opening win against the Marlins, a team they have struggled to beat over the past two years.
Now the question is: Can they build upon Joey Meneses’ clutch two-run hit and build an earlier lead today?
They will try to do so against Edward Cabrera, who is off to a 1-0 start with a 3.27 ERA and 1.455 WHIP in 11 innings over two starts. The right-hander has also struck out 17 batters while only issuing four walks. The 26-year-old is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.048 WHIP in four starts against the Nats, including 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.000 WHIP in his lone start against them last year.
If the offense can’t get going, it will be up to Mitchell Parker to keep the Nats in the game. The young lefty has been outstanding over his first two starts, going 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA, 0.583 WHIP, 12 strikeouts and no walks.
To the bats’ credit: Parker has been staked to early leads in each of his two starts.
MIAMI – If that Nationals homestand felt short, it’s because it was. They returned from a nine-game West Coast road trip for less than a week – with two off-days and only six games at Nats Park in between – before hitting the road again for South Beach.
And if the Nationals want to make a significant stride forward this season and build upon their 71-91 record from last year, beating the Marlins would be a good place to start. Over the past two seasons, the Nats are 6-26 against the Fish, including an abysmal 2-11 last year. Those two wins did come, though, in this building, where the Nats are 4-11 since 2022.
Trevor Williams will look to get the Nats off to a good start with his fifth outing of the year. Surprisingly, the veteran right-hander has been the best starter in the rotation to begin the season, with a 2-0 record, 2.91 ERA and 0.969 WHIP through his first four starts. But he did struggle last year against the team that drafted him, going 0-3 with a 7.59 ERA and 1.641 WHIP in four starts against the Marlins. That includes going 0-2 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.000 WHIP in two outings in Miami.
Meanwhile, the Marlins were supposed to start former Nationals farmhand Jesús Luzardo, but the young lefty was scratched this morning after experiencing discomfort in his elbow yesterday. The home side will instead throw a bullpen game, with 26-year-old right-hander Anthony Maldonado making his major league debut and first start in the bigs. Used almost exclusively as a reliever since the Marlins drafted him with their 11th-round pick in 2019, Maldonado is 3-0 with a 2.31 ERA and 0.771 WHIP in eight relief appearances with Triple-A Jacksonville.
And for the first time since I’ve been coming to loanDepot park, the roof is open for tonight’s game! It’s a beautiful night in Miami, but there are strong winds coming in from left field.
The Nationals need a win today to avoid a series sweep, a dilemma they’ve faced only once previously this season (against the Phillies). All things considered, it’s a sign of progress that they’ve mostly found themselves in a position to win series, and often have. But avoiding the sweep today against the Dodgers would be nice, especially with the pitcher they’re sending to the mound.
MacKenzie Gore vs. the L.A. lineup is a marquee matchup. If nothing else, it’s a real good challenge for the young left-hander, who was great two starts ago in Oakland but struggled last time out against the Astros. Knowing the competitor he is, Gore should be plenty motivated to get himself back on track this afternoon.
The Nationals face a brand-new face in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the other Japanese sensation on their roster who merely signed the biggest contract ever given a major league pitcher before ever throwing a pitch in the major leagues. The 25-year-old right-hander (12 years, $325 million) has been great at times, not so much at others through the first five starts of his career. He features mostly a three-pitch (fastball, curveball, splitter) with an occasional cutter thrown in there for good measure.
The Nats have Keibert Ruiz back on the roster and in the lineup. After two rehab games with Double-A Harrisburg, Ruiz has been activated off the 10-day injured list and will be behind the plate this afternoon. Drew Millas was optioned back to Triple-A Rochester.
Most notable quirk of today’s lineup: Trey Lipscomb is not starting, something you wouldn’t think we’ll see much now that he’s back in the big leagues. It’s Joey Meneses at first base, with Jesse Winker serving as DH and Eddie Rosario in left field for the series finale.
Tuesday night’s loss was a costly one for the Nationals, who not only lost the game but lost their starting right fielder for the foreseeable future. The MRI on Lane Thomas’ left knee showed an MCL sprain, and he has been placed on the 10-day injured list. We’ll hope to learn more shortly about the timetable for his return.
Rather than promote another outfielder to replace Thomas, the Nats decided to recall Trey Lipscomb only nine days after they sent him down once Nick Senzel was healthy. We hope to soon find out about the plan now for Lipscomb and others in the daily lineup, but it’s interesting to note Lipscomb will start at first base tonight with Joey Gallo in right field.
Meanwhile, Jake Irvin gets a chance to beat the Dodgers for the second time in a week. The right-hander was brilliant out west, but it’s always a challenge to face the same team twice in a row, all the more so when that team includes the likes of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 69 degrees, wind 12 mph in from left field
NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF Jesse Winker
DH Joey Meneses
2B Luis García Jr.
RF Joey Gallo
C Riley Adams
CF Eddie Rosario
3B Nick Senzel
1B Trey Lipscomb
With the Angels starting left-hander Tyler Anderson in today’s rubber match in Anaheim, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde posted a lineup that doesn’t included Heston Kjerstad or Jackson Holliday.
Kjerstad went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in last night’s 7-4 loss. Holliday was 1-for-4 with a run scored and two strikeouts.
Jorge Mateo is playing second base. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter with James McCann behind the plate.
Rutschman was 3-for-5 last night and raised his average to .323 with a .785 OPS.
Ryan Mountcastle is starting at first base after delivering a pinch-hit single last night. He replaced Ryan O’Hearn, who had a two-run double and walked twice.
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
Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg was named the American League’s Player of the Week after batting .478 (11-for-23) with a .913 slugging percentage, two doubles, a triple, two home runs, eight RBIs, a walk, five runs scored and a stolen base in six games.
Westburg led the majors in batting average and OPS (1.413), tied for the lead in total bases (21) and ranked second in slugging. He tied for the AL lead in RBIs and tied for third in on-base percentage (.500) and hits (11).
The Orioles are on an award roll with Colton Cowser winning it last week.
This is only the third time that the team’s had back-to-back recipients. Eddie Murray won it on Sept. 13-20, 1981. Don Baylor was honored on Aug. 10, 1975, followed by co-winners Jim Palmer and Ken Singleton on the 17th.
Westburg is batting .457 (16-for-35) during a nine-game hitting streak. He’s batting third tonight in Anaheim, where the Orioles begin a three-game series.
KANSAS CITY – The Orioles return to their left-handed lineup this afternoon as they try to win the series against the Royals.
Cedric Mullins returns to center field, Colton Cowser to left and Jackson Holliday to second base.
Cowser is batting .400 against fastballs this season after hitting .087 in 2023.
Jordan Westburg is batting .438 (14-for-32) with eight RBIs during an eight-game hitting streak. He’s posted a .421 average over his last 10 games, compared to .194 in his first nine.
Anthony Santander was the first Orioles player last night with three doubles since Austin Hays on April 28, 2022 in the Bronx. He’s in right field again today.
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
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
The Nationals return home from a 5-4 West Coast road trip for a celebratory weekend as the organization relives the magical 2019 World Series run for the championship’s five-year anniversary. And it is no coincidence the team they are hosting during this celebration is the team they defeated in seven games to win the World Series: the Houston Astros.
To kick off the weekend, the Nats will send to the mound one of the young pitchers they hope will help lead them to their next championship, MacKenzie Gore. The 25-year-old left-hander is off to a great start to the season and has been the Nats’ best starter to date. He leads the rotation with a 2-0 record, 2.81 ERA and 23 strikeouts over his first three starts. And although his 16 innings don’t quite qualify him for league leader boards just yet, his 12.94 strikeout-per-nine-innings rate would currently rank third among qualified major league pitchers.
After having strong outings against the Pirates, Phillies and Athletics, Gore will test his stuff against a dangerous Astros lineup that ranks in the top three in the majors in home runs, average and OPS.
Justin Verlander makes his long-awaited season debut for the Astros tonight. The three-time Cy Young Award winner started the season on the injured list with inflammation in his right shoulder and made two minor league rehab starts before rejoining the big league club. The 41-year-old right-hander is expected to be on some sort of pitch limit, so it will be in the Nats’ best interest to work good at-bats.
And just for the record, since it is World Series reunion weekend: Verlander went 0-2 and allowed seven runs over 11 innings for a 5.73 ERA in two World Series home starts against the Nats five years ago.
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
