BALTIMORE – Ildemaro Vargas didn’t need to do anything yet. The Nationals utility man will have four years, seven days of big league service time at the end of the week, so he would’ve been eligible for arbitration this winter, able to negotiate his salary at a later date.

For Vargas, though, the appeal of wrapping up talks now and heading home for the offseason secure in knowing everything was already taken care of was strong.

“As a professional baseball (player), I know how the situation is,” he said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “And there is some calmness and relief to be able to go home into the offseason knowing I already have a contract made, just for peace of mind for myself and my family.”

So Vargas and the Nats made the unconventional move to come to terms on a 2024 contract today, with four games still to go in the season. Terms weren’t announced, but he’ll be back next season, earning a raise from the $975,000 salary he made this year.

Vargas joined the Nationals in August 2022, called up from Triple-A Rochester after Ehire Adrianza was traded to the Braves. He has remained part of the big league roster every day since, establishing himself as one of Davey Martinez’s most-trusted bench players and a popular veteran voice in a clubhouse loaded with younger players.

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 – The Nationals, believe it or not, haven’t been shut out often this season. Tuesday night’s 1-0 loss to the Orioles was only their eighth shutout loss this year. Only seven major league clubs have failed to score fewer times in 2023.

There are two odd facts about the Nats’ shutouts, though. They’ve all come in April, August or September. And three of them have now come at the hands of the Orioles.

The Nationals were shut out four times in the season’s first 18 games, including back-to-back times by Baltimore on South Capitol Street. One of those was a 1-0 loss to Dean Kremer. The other was a 4-0 loss to Kyle Bradish.

Wouldn’t you know Tuesday’s game was a 1-0 loss to Bradish, who tossed the first eight innings before handing over the ninth to closer Yennier Cano.

Tuesday also was the Nats’ fourth shutout loss in their last 43 games, these recent offensive struggles coming after a long streak in which they always scored runs. They went 97 games from mid-April to early-August without ever being shut out.

BALTIMORE – It shouldn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. The results of tonight’s start weren’t going to define Josiah Gray’s season, in either direction. But it’s funny how a slight disparity in certain numbers can feel significant in the baseball world, and this was one of those cases.

Gray entered his final outing of the year with an ERA of exactly 4.00. If he could hold the Orioles to two or fewer runs in five or more innings, he would lower that number. If not, he would raise it.

So when the 25-year-old proceeded to allow just one run (a leadoff homer, at that) over six strong innings, it felt important. He didn’t get the win, because the Nationals lineup once again was shut out by Baltimore in a 1-0 loss at Camden Yards. But on a purely personal level, Gray can now rest easy knowing the back of his baseball card will forever show a 3.91 ERA for his 2023 season.

Sure, it’s a far cry from the sparkling 2.77 mark he held at the end of May, or the 3.30 mark he held when he was selected for his first All-Star Game in early July. But anybody who watches baseball with any regularity can tell you the difference between an ERA that starts with a 3 and an ERA that starts with a 4.

"I think anytime you can finish on a strong outing, it takes you into the offseason with a positive mindset," Gray said. "You feel like you can kind of check that box. I've been able to have a last couple good outings, but this one feels sweet going into the offseason knowing some of the changes I've made over the last three outings have bred results. I can focus on those things and look forward to the offseason being positive."

BALTIMORE – Time is running out, but there’s still a chance Tanner Rainey pitches for the Nationals before season’s end.

Rainey, who has spent the year rehabbing from last summer’s Tommy John surgery, traveled with the team for this week’s final road trip and could be activated off the 60-day injured list either Wednesday here in Baltimore or Friday in Atlanta.

“I’m trying to think of ways to get him on the roster,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We might have to do that.”

Rainey already spent a month on a minor league rehab assignment, totaling 12 innings for three different affiliates. Though his surgically repaired elbow felt strong at the end of that stretch, he still wasn’t satisfied with his mechanics and consistency from outing to outing, so the Nationals brought him to D.C. to throw a bullpen session and then a simulated game last week.

Martinez has talked for months about the value in having Rainey pitch in the majors this season, even if it’s only one or two appearances, to give him peace of mind heading into the winter. The Nationals envision the 30-year-old right-hander playing a significant role in the back end of a 2024 bullpen that will also return Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey.

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

Lane Thomas didn’t take the field at Nationals Park on Opening Day determined to finish the season with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He didn’t even realize it was within his grasp until recent weeks, as his stolen base number began to catch up to his homer total.

“It’s one of those things where you look up, and you’re close to it,” he said. “It’s not like you’re trying to do it. You just try to get a little bit better at the whole aspect of your game, and it happens.”

Thomas said this late Sunday night, after he had stolen his 20th base of the season and also homered for the 27th time just for good measure in the finale of the Nationals’ day-night doubleheader against the Braves.

Thus did the 28-year-old outfielder become only the fourth player in Nats history to join the 20-20 Club, the first since Bryce Harper did it in 2016. Alfonso Soriano, of course, doubled the necessary output in each category during his historic 40-40 season in 2006. And Ian Desmond reached 20-20 in three consecutive seasons from 2012-14, the only player the team has ever had to do it multiple times.

“He’s just been very consistent, that guy that’s gone out there and played hard for us all year long,” manager Davey Martinez said. “I’m proud of him. He’s made some huge strides. I think he’s going to get better, as well.”

The Nationals’ pursuit of a 70th win will have to wait at least a few days and will have to come on the road. Because the Braves locked up their 100th win tonight at the expense of D.C. fans who hoped not to see that happen in the home finale.

With another impressive power display, Atlanta won 8-5 to salvage a split of this day-night doubleheader that wrapped up the home portion of the Nats’ 2023 schedule.

The Braves hit two more homers, raising their major-league-leading total to 299. Compare that to the Nationals, who hit their 146th homer tonight, and you begin to understand why one of these franchises is headed to its sixth straight postseason appearance while the other is still trying to get back there for the first time since 2019.

The Nats’ 3-2 victory in today’s opener secured win No. 69 for the club. They’ve now got five more shots to reach 70, which would represent a 15-game improvement from 2022.

All five of those games will come on the road (two in Baltimore, three in Atlanta). They closed out their home slate with a 34-47 record, up from 26-55 last year. They finished this season with a total home attendance of 1,865,832, down from last year’s total of 2,026,401, though the number was depressed somewhat by the MLB Little League Classic, which was played before a sellout crowd of 2,473 in Williamsport, Pa., but counted as a home game.

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

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and Jackson Rutledge will forever have to accept the disappointment that was his major league debut.

If he keeps doing what he’s done since that night in Pittsburgh, Rutledge will ensure fewer and fewer people remember that performance and instead focus on everything else he’s done on the mound for the Nationals.

With another impressive outing today, this time against the toughest lineup he’s faced to date, Rutledge put himself in position for his first major league win and watched his Nationals teammates finish off the Braves, 3-2, to take the opener of a day-night doubleheader.

The 6-foot-8 right-hander had no trouble with Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson and Co., tossing five innings of one-run ball on 86 pitches. He walked off the field to applause from an announced crowd of 31,989 that withstood on-and-off rain in what originally was supposed to be the Nats’ home finale but instead will be the penultimate game on South Capitol Street, with the makeup of Saturday’s rainout still to come at 6:35 p.m.

"It just tells me that I belong here," Rutledge said. "I can do it against ... one of the best lineups in baseball. I'm able to have success. That kind of gives me confidence moving forward."

Jake Irvin wanted to finish out the season. The rookie right-hander made his major league debut May 3 and (aside from having one turn skipped) remained in the rotation ever since, turning into one of the Nationals’ most unexpected positive stories of the year.

But the sore right ankle that had begun to bother him in recent starts proved significant enough to bring Irvin’s season to an abrupt end. The club placed him on the 15-day injured list Friday with ankle tendinitis, and he will not make his final start this week.

“Just one of those small, nagging things,” Irvin said. “I think it’s kind of the end of the season here, and the body is just fatiguing a little bit.”

It’s a disappointing end to what still has to be considered a positive year overall for Irvin, who wasn’t considered one of the organization’s top prospects but earned his early-season promotion after Chad Kuhl went on the IL and never gave it back.

Irvin’s overall numbers (3-7, 4.61 ERA in 24 starts) don’t jump off the page, but he enjoyed a 15-start stretch in which he had a 3.59 ERA and became the most consistently effective member of the Nats rotation.

Today is the last day to see the 2023 Nationals play at home. So why not maximize that opportunity and take in two games instead of one? Yes, thanks to Saturday’s rainout, we’ve got a Sunday day-night doubleheader against the Braves. The nightcap, which is the makeup for the rained-out game, is set for 6:35 p.m. But up first, we’ve got the originally scheduled 1:35 p.m. game.

It’ll be Jackson Rutledge making the start this afternoon, his third in the big leagues and his biggest test to date. The rookie right-hander was shaky against the Pirates but confident and effective against the White Sox. How will he fare against the best lineup in baseball?

The Braves haven’t announced who is starting which game yet, but Kyle Wright was supposed to be on the mound Saturday, with Spencer Strider pitching today. Strider leads the league in wins (18) and strikeouts (270). Wright is 0-3 with a 7.71 ERA.

Whoever they face, the Nationals will need to do a better job in clutch situations. Even though they scored six runs in Friday night’s loss, they went a measly 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position, costing themselves a chance at the win.

Update: Right-hander Allan Winans starts for the Braves. He last pitched in a Sept. 10 start against the Pirates, going 6 1/3 innings while striking out eight and allowing six hits. He has not yet faced anyone on the Nats' current roster in a big league game.

It’s easy to think of Sean Doolittle and immediately focus on everything he’s said and done off the baseball field, from his work in the community to his support for marginalized groups to his fascination with topics few people within the sport would find so compelling.

Ask Doolittle a question about Star Wars or The Grateful Dead, and it might be 15 minutes before he pauses to give you a chance to ask a second question. Name another major leaguer who can do that.

Doolittle became a fan favorite in Washington – and, prior to that, in Oakland – because of his personality, his self-deprecating humor and his genuine humanity. But let’s not gloss over this other indisputable fact: He was an awfully good big league pitcher for a long time, and surely one of the very best relievers in Nationals history.

Of the 22 relievers who have thrown at least 100 innings for the Nats since 2005, Doolittle ranks fourth in ERA (2.92), first in WHIP (1.007), third in strikeouts per nine innings (10.3), first in strikeout-to-walk rate (5.12) and third in saves (75).

Without that kind of on-field performance, Doolittle believes he could not have made the impact he did off the field.

The Nationals are limping to the finish line. And they’re doing so with a pitching staff that is running on fumes and running out of available options.

Tonight’s 9-6 loss to the Braves saw another ragged start by Patrick Corbin, who served up Ronald Acuña Jr.’s historic 40th home run right off the bat. And earlier in the day, one of the few bright spots in the Nats’ rotation saw his season come to an abrupt and unfortunate end.

Jake Irvin, who was roughed up during Thursday’s loss, was placed on the 15-day injured list with right ankle tendinitis. That will end the rookie’s season, and leave Davey Martinez scrambling to figure out who will make what would’ve been his final start next week.

Before that, though, Martinez must figure out who's going to pitch Sunday's newly announced day-night doubleheader, which became necessary when Saturday's scheduled game was postponed a day early with heavy rain and wind forecast to batter the region.

If the storm clears out, the Nats and Braves will play as planned at 1:35 p.m. Sunday, then make up Saturday's rainout at 6:35 p.m. in what now becomes the season's home finale.

Lane Thomas had already been named the Nationals’ Player of the Year last season. Then the outfielder went and improved every facet of his game to earn the honor again this season.

Thomas’ selection as 2023 Player of the Year was announced today, and he joined Kyle Finnegan (Pitcher of the Year) and Josiah Gray (Good Guy Award) in accepting their awards on the field prior to tonight’s game against the Braves.

Voting for all three awards was conducted by local media members and submitted at the start of the week.

Thomas won the award last year in large part because Juan Soto and Josh Bell were traded two months earlier, leaving his .705 OPS, 17 homers and 52 RBIs as some of the best numbers among the team’s remaining players. This time, he outperformed several others who deserved consideration, ultimately winning on the strength of a dominant first half and a late resurgence of power.

Thomas enters tonight’s game with a .271 batting average, .790 OPS, 96 runs, 160 hits, 34 doubles, 26 homers and 84 RBIs, along with 19 stolen bases and 17 outfield assists (tops in the majors).

It’s overcast but dry here on South Capitol Street. It doesn’t appear that will be the case Saturday. Or possibly Sunday, either. In other words, the Nationals and Braves sure better get tonight’s game in.

Patrick Corbin will try to hold Atlanta’s potent lineup in check, no small task. The left-hander has been better of late, with back-to-back quality starts against the Pirates and Brewers that brought his ERA down to an even 5.00. This is a much stiffer challenge, though. Corbin faced the Braves once this season, way back on Opening Day. And though he was only charged with two earned runs, he allowed four runs total and needed 85 pitches to complete three innings. That won’t get it done tonight.

Charlie Morton is on the mound for the Braves, and though he’s been good overall in his age-39 season (3.66 ERA, 182 strikeouts in 162 1/3 innings), he was hit around by both the Marlins and Phillies his last two starts.

If you missed the news earlier, Sean Doolittle announced his retirement today. The popular reliever will be here at Nationals Park for a pregame press conference and will be recognized on the field before the game. If you’ve got tickets, you’ll want to be in your seats by 6:40 p.m., according to the team.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Rain approaching, 69 degrees, wind 13 mph in from center field

Sean Doolittle, who helped reshape the Nationals bullpen into a unit worthy of a World Series title and in the process became a fan favorite for his performance, big personality and community involvement, announced his retirement today.

The popular left-hander, who turns 37 next week, was hoping to make it back to pitch for the Nationals after a partially torn elbow ligament cut short his 2022 season only five games in. But his minor league rehab from the internal brace procedure he underwent last summer was disrupted by a knee injury earlier this summer, and he made the decision not to attempt another comeback in 2024.

“After 11 incredible seasons playing the sport I love, I can say with gratitude and a full heart that I am retiring from baseball,” he said in a statement announcing the decision.

Doolittle will hold a press conference at Nationals Park this afternoon and will be recognized during tonight’s game against the Braves.

Acquired via trade with fellow reliever Ryan Madson from the Athletics in July 2017 for Blake Treinen, Jesús Luzardo and Sheldon Neuse, Doolittle had an immediate impact on the team’s fortunes, teaming up with Madson and Brandon Kintzler (acquired from the Twins that same month) to turn the league’s worst bullpen into a legitimate strength.

After he takes the mound one more time next week, what will Josiah Gray consider when he evaluates his 2023 season?

Will the Nationals right-hander look at his breakthrough first half, the 3.41 ERA that earned him the first All-Star nod of his career? Will he look at his second half struggles, the 5.13 ERA that wiped up much of what he had accomplished earlier?

Or is there something else that rises above the rest to paint a more accurate picture of Gray’s season?

“I think the first goal is to stay healthy,” he said. “But then you want to perform. You want to go out there every outing and put the team in a position to win. The last two outings, I’ve been able to do that.”

Gray has performed much better his last two starts. He struck out 10 without issuing a walk one week ago in Pittsburgh, then he allowed one run over five innings Wednesday afternoon in a blowout victory over the White Sox.

There have been precious few of these – genuine laughers – during the course of the season, certainly over the last month-plus as the Nationals have needed to scratch and claw their way to any win they could secure.

The Nats hadn’t won a game by more than four runs since Aug. 11 against the Athletics. They hadn’t won a game by more than six runs since July 22 against the Giants. They hadn't won a game by 10 or more runs since April 29, 2022.

So consider this afternoon’s 13-3 thumping of the White Sox a much-needed, well-deserved walk in the park. A team that has looked like it’s running on fumes down the stretch of the season finally had an opportunity to enjoy a victory that was firmly in their grasp the entire way.

"It's great anytime we can score some runs early, score a lot of runs and pitch well," first baseman Dominic Smith said. "Those games are fun. Those are my favorite games."

In the process today, the Nationals secured their 18th series victory of the season, six more than they managed during their nightmare of a 55-107 campaign in 2022. With nine games left on schedule, but all coming against the teams with the two best records in baseball in the Braves and Orioles, it was imperative to lock up wins No. 67 and 68 against the White Sox now to make the path to 70 by season’s end a bit more palatable.

The Nationals will skip Trevor Williams’ next turn in the rotation, but the struggling right-hander will make another start during the season’s final week.

Manager Davey Martinez said he wanted to give Williams a breather after a string of subpar outings but did not want to shut him down entirely or move him to the bullpen.

“I spoke to him, and he wants to finish the year off,” Martinez said. “I thought the best thing was to skip him one, and then let him have one more.”

Williams lasted only two innings in his most recent outing in Milwaukee, throwing a whopping 70 pitches in the process. He hasn’t completed five innings in any of his last three outings, and his ERA now stands at 5.55, with a league-leading 34 homers surrendered.

Williams’ 29 starts are his most since 2018 with the Pirates, his 141 innings his most since 2019.