ANAHEIM, Calif. – It’s been a long, strange trip for the Nationals. They headed west mired on an eight-game losing streak, then won two of three in San Francisco with a surprising offensive explosion, then lost two of three in Colorado, then split the first two games of this series with the Angels. What that means: Today is the rubber game, not only of the series but of the entire trip. Given what they’ve been through, a 5-4 record would be quite an achievement, no?

The Nats have put themselves in this position thanks in large part to a resurgent rotation that has performed far better of late than it did earlier in the season. Their starters have allowed three or fewer earned runs in six of the eight games to date on the trip. And they’ve averaged nearly 5 2/3 innings per start, a significant improvement from April.

Erick Fedde is among those most responsible for that change in directions, having tossed seven innings of one-run ball at Coors Field in his last start, arguably the best of his career. The Nats will be asking for more of that from Fedde today against a really good Angels lineup, though one that has mostly been held in check so far this weekend.

The Nats lineup also has enjoyed a strong trip, producing an average of 6.8 runs and 12.1 hits per game, batting a collective .330/.384/.497 out west. That group will try to do it one more time this afternoon against Angels left-hander Patrick Sandoval, who has been outstanding early this season (1.29 ERA, zero homers allowed in 21 innings).

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone out there watching and reading, and especially to the most important moms in my life: Lois Zuckerman and Rachel Zuckerman!

ANAHEIM, Calif. – To beat the Angels tonight, the Nationals simply needed to get home runs from Josh Bell, Yadiel Hernandez and Nelson Cruz, two clutch hits from Maikel Franco, 5 1/3 solid innings from Josiah Gray and effective work from a bullpen that turned to none other than Erasmo Ramirez for the most high-leverage situation of the game.

Hey, whatever works, right?

This 7-3 victory on a lovely Saturday evening in Orange County may not have gone by the book. But at this point, the Nationals can’t afford to stick to a book that at times during the season’s first month hasn’t worked.

Contributions can come in a variety of ways, from a variety of players. On this night, that included a much-needed power display from the slumping Cruz and two big innings of relief from a guy who spent the season’s first two weeks at Triple-A Rochester and until now had only pitched with the Nats trailing, except for one appearance with them leading by eight runs.

That would be Ramirez, the 32-year-old journeyman reliever who was entrusted with the seventh and eighth innings tonight, stared down the heart of the Angels’ imposing lineup and lived to tell about it. The right-hander got into a two-out jam in the seventh when he surrendered back-to-back singles to Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, but he proceeded to get Anthony Rendon to fly out to left on the next pitch, leaving the former Nationals star third baseman 0-for-8 in the series.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Dee Strange-Gordon made the Nationals’ opening day roster because of his ability to get on base, his ability to wreak havoc once he’s on base and his ability to play a multitude of positions.

Tonight, Strange-Gordon is needed most at a new position. With struggling starter Alcides Escobar sitting on the bench, he finds himself in the lineup and at shortstop for the first time this season.

“I wanted to get him in there,” manager Davey Martinez said. “It’s been a good matchup for him. He’s been taking a lot of ground balls. On his rehab assignment, we had him play shortstop and he looked good. So I wanted to get him out there today.”

Strange-Gordon hasn’t played shortstop yet for the Nationals, but as Martinez noted, he did make several appearances there during his rehab stint with Triple-A Rochester while recovering from the undisclosed illness that left him on the injury list for 2 1/2 weeks.

The 34-year-old does have considerable experience at shortstop during his career, having first come up with the Dodgers at that position before shifting to second base and more recently learning his trade in the outfield.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – What happened to the Nationals’ lineup? A group that averaged 7.8 runs on 13.8 hits through the first six games of this road trip was shut out on four hits Friday night by Angels rookie Jhonathan Diaz and four relievers. They had a couple good scoring chances early, then practically nothing of consequence late.

They’ll need a more consistent approach and some results tonight against Angels right-hander Michael Lorenzen, who nearly tossed a complete game in his last start, holding the White Sox to three runs over 8 1/3 innings. There aren’t many Nationals hitters with consequential experience against Lorenzen. Josh Bell is 7-for-21 with a homer, and Dee Strange-Gordon is 5-for-10 in his career. Otherwise, nobody has more than five plate appearances against Lorenzen.

Josiah Gray faces one of the toughest tests of his young career tonight in the Angels’ formidable lineup. We saw Joan Adon shine at times Friday night, despite a couple of costly mistakes. Gray’s challenge tonight will be to get ahead in the count with his fastball, put away hitters with his breaking balls and avoid giving up the longball that has often been his Achilles heel in the big leagues.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Where: Angel Stadium
Gametime: 9:07 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 69 degrees, wind 10 mph out to left field

NATIONALS

ANAHEIM, Calif. – There are going to be nights during this Nationals season when the end result is going to cause immense frustration but the ultimate takeaway is going to be decidedly encouraging.

Such is life for a rebuilding ballclub, with individual performances at times carrying more weight than the final score. That may be a tough pill for some to swallow, but get used to it, because there were will more nights like this.

Nobody wants to get excited about a 3-0 loss to the Angels in which the lineup squandered some early scoring opportunities and then went mostly silent the rest of the evening. But take a deep breath and ask yourself what the most important development of the day was for the Nationals, and your answer will include the name Joan Adon.

"A lineup like they have, which is obviously a very great lineup, it gives me the excitement to try to prove myself," the 23-year-old said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. "It's such a great lineup, and if I can hold my own out there and do what I need to do, I can show people that I belong up here."

Though he was charged with the loss, having allowed three runs over five innings, Adon went toe-to-toe with the Angels’ star-laden lineup and more than held his own. The rookie right-hander certainly won over a few more supporters in the visitors’ dugout. He might’ve even impressed a few guys on the home side.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The question was kind of a set-up. Anyone who knows Anthony Rendon knew how he’d answer when asked if he’d be sentimental at all playing against the Nationals this weekend.

“No,” the Angels third baseman said with a smirk. “I mean, maybe if it was back in D.C. Then it would probably be a little different, with the fans and whatnot and being familiar with that surrounding. But here, not so much.”

Two and a half years since he last wore a Nats uniform, you’ll be relieved to know Rendon hasn’t changed at all. Well, that’s not entirely true. Now a 31-year-old father of four, not to mention recipient of a seven-year, $245 million contract, he admits he’s a more mature person and recognizes he needs to be a clubhouse leader for the first time in his career.

But deep down, he’s still the same Tony Two Bags who was drafted by the Nationals in 2011, made his major league debut two years later and then over the course of seven seasons established himself as one of the best all-around players in baseball, not to mention one of the most important contributors to the franchise’s first World Series title.

Rendon, believe it not, is already in his third season in Anaheim, and 2019 can feel like a lifetime ago. Especially when he looks across the field tonight and sees Juan Soto, Victor Robles, Patrick Corbin, Tanner Rainey and … well, nobody else who played alongside him in the World Series.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Hello from the Happiest Place on Earth. Or, more technically, right down the street from the Happiest Place on Earth. The Nationals are here facing the Angels for the first time since July 2017, a series that featured the club debuts of Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson following their acquisitions from the Athletics.

During that series, a Nationals third baseman named Anthony Rendon hit a home run. Tonight, Rendon will be facing the organization that drafted him for the first time as a member of the Angels. It’s hard to believe this is already Rendon’s third year in Anaheim, and the Nats roster he’ll see across the way tonight doesn’t include a whole lot of faces he’ll be familiar with. Nonetheless, it’ll be strange to see him going up against them as a member of a very potent Angels lineup.

It’s a sizeable challenge for rookie Joan Adon, who struggled his last time out in San Francisco, giving up four runs on four hits, three walks and two hit batters in four-plus innings. Adon will have to find a way to keep the ball in the zone tonight and avoid the big innings that have plagued him over the last month.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Where: Angel Stadium
Gametime: 9:38 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 70 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
2B César Hernández
RF Juan Soto
1B Josh Bell
DH Nelson Cruz
3B Maikel Franco
LF Lane Thomas
C Keibert Ruiz
CF Victor Robles
SS Alcides Escobar

DENVER – Josh Rogers is the only left-hander in the Nationals bullpen right now, a product of Sean Doolittle’s elbow injury and the inconsistent performances of Sam Clay and Francisco Pérez, which resulted in the recent demotion of both relievers to Triple-A Rochester.

Rogers is pitching out of the bullpen for the first time in his career, having been moved out of the rotation because of his struggles there. So all this is new for the 27-year-old.

If there’s one thing the Nats want from Rogers in this role, though, it’s for him to consistently get left-handed batters out. And in that regard, he’s been excellent. Lefties are a measly 1-for-21 against him this season, equating to a miniscule .048 batting average.

Rogers is not, however, the old-fashioned left-handed relief specialist from days of yore. With all relievers now required to face three batters (or finish an inning), he has no choice but to square off with some right-handed batters as well. And the results have not been pretty: Righties are batting a robust .327 (16-for-49) off him.

Three of those 16 hits have been home runs, including the killer, three-run shot Brendan Rodgers produced at a critical moment during Thursday’s 9-7 loss to the Rockies.

DENVER – For 48 hours, the Nationals experienced Coors Field like they’d never experienced it before. Quality pitching. Quick games. No late-inning drama. Nothing about the first two games of their series against the Rockies felt typical for this unique baseball setting.

Ah, but you can’t leave the Mile High City without experiencing the true Coors Field at least once. And sure enough, today’s sun-splashed series finale provided a far more typical affair.

It took 3 hours, 25 minutes to play 8 1/2 innings. It featured five combined homers. And it ended in a 9-7 loss to the Rockies that was defined both by the Nationals’ inability to keep the ball in the yard and their inability to do the little things right.

"Two costly mistakes," manager Davey Martinez lamented.

Those two mistakes each resulted in a three-run homer, with Garrett Hampson taking starter Aaron Sanchez deep to left in the second and Brendan Rodgers taking reliever Josh Rogers deep to center in the fifth.

DENVER – Nelson Cruz is out of the Nationals lineup for the second straight day, though manager Davey Martinez said the 41-year-old designated hitter’s lower back is feeling better.

Cruz hasn’t played since Lane Thomas pinch-hit for him in the seventh inning of Tuesday night’s series opener against the Rockies, hampered by lower back stiffness. He sat out Wednesday night’s game, only the second time he hasn’t been in the lineup this season.

Martinez said Cruz suggested he could have started today’s series finale, but the manager didn’t want to take a chance of him needing to depart early again, given the fact he only has three players on his bench at the moment.

“We’re at the point now where if we utilize him as a pinch-hitter, as far as just getting him out there, it’s great,” Martinez said. “I don’t want him to stiffen up during the game. So we thought we’d give him another day. For me, especially with our bench only being a couple guys, if we can use him later in the game, instead of putting him in and something happens … hopefully he’ll be in there tomorrow.”

Cruz has been mired in a season-long slump, entering the day with a .143 batting average and .442 OPS (both second-worst among qualified National League hitters).

DENVER – After a cold, rainy Wednesday night here at Coors Field, it’s a beautiful Thursday afternoon for the series finale between the Nationals and Rockies. The Nats have a chance to win their second straight road series, which would be no small feat under the circumstances.

They’ll hope to get the bats going again after getting shut down by left-hander Austin Gomber on Wednesday. Today they face right-hander Antonio Senzatela, who has only a bit of experience against Nationals hitters during his career. César Hernández (3-for-9, double), Josh Bell (3-for-5, double, two walks) and Maikel Franco (2-for-5, triple) have enjoyed the most success against Senzatela.

Aaron Sanchez, meanwhile, makes his third start since joining the Nats rotation. The 29-year-old right-hander faced the Giants each of his previous outings, losing to them once and then beating them in the follow-up game. Today he faces a Rockies lineup that really hasn’t done much so far this series, scoring five of its seven total runs in the bottom of the fourth Tuesday night, an inning that would’ve ended with a zero on the scoreboard if not for Alcides Escobar’s error on a tailor-made double play grounder.

Friendly reminder: Today’s game is available only on YouTube. It’s free and requires no login, only a computer, tablet, phone or smart TV of your choice. Here’s the link to watch it.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field
Gametime: 3:10 p.m. EDT
TV: YouTube
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 62 degrees, wind 8 mph in from center field

DENVER – There may be no more tried-and-true axiom in baseball than the one that stipulates a team’s No. 2 catcher will almost always start a day game after a night game. Managers don’t want to run their starting catchers into the ground, so they summon their backups to work anytime there’s a quick turnaround from one game to the next.

And for the better part of the season’s first month, that’s exactly how Davey Martinez has used Riley Adams. Five of Adams’ first seven starts behind the plate came in day games that followed night games. The lone exceptions: April 9 (a Saturday night game) against the Mets and April 19 (the nightcap of a doubleheader against the Diamondbacks).

Then on Wednesday night came a new twist: Adams started a night game following another night game, in advance of a day game. Why? Because Patrick Corbin was pitching, and right now it seems that will dictate Adams’ playing schedule more than anything else.

“They work well together,” manager Davey Martinez said prior to Wednesday’s game. “Patrick feels comfortable throwing to him, and he’s actually done well catching him. So another good opportunity for them to work together. And if it does work out well, we may have to leave him catching Corbin, if Corbin feels comfortable throwing to him, which I know he does. We’ll see how that plays out, but I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

After Corbin went eight innings allowing three earned runs and throwing only 94 pitches Wednesday night against the Rockies, Martinez may have no choice but to keep pairing up the two batterymates.

DENVER – You can’t assume the double play. It’s a time-honored baseball fact, meant mostly as guidance for official scoring but having worked its way into the sport’s lexicon.

So under that longstanding principle, Patrick Corbin was responsible for three of the five runs he surrendered tonight during the Nationals’ 5-2 loss to the Rockies.

If we’re using common sense, of course, we’d point out Corbin wouldn’t have been charged with any runs if Alcides Escobar hadn’t booted what sure looked like a 6-4-3 double play off the bat in the bottom of the fourth.

If Escobar makes that play, the inning is over with nary a run crossing the plate. But because he didn’t, a chain of events was set into motion that culminated with five Colorado runners scoring. Those would prove to be the only five runs the Nats would allow on this cold, rainy night. But they were enough to produce a loss, an odd one at that, given the fact their starter actually tossed the team’s first complete game of the season.

"We’ve got to catch the ball. We’ve got to catch the ball," an animated Davey Martinez said afterward. "And we didn’t do that today. It’s upsetting because of what Patrick did. ... The story today should be about Patrick. For me, he’s back. If he continues to do that, he’s going to help us win a lot of games. He was lights out today.”

DENVER – The Nationals transferred Sean Doolittle to the 60-day injured list this afternoon, revealing the left-hander recently received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his elbow, which will prevent him from throwing for another six weeks. They then used that new opening on the 40-man roster to claim right-hander Cory Abbott from the Giants and immediately option him to Triple-A Rochester.

The move of Doolittle from the 10-day to the 60-day IL ensures he’ll be out until at least late June, but last week’s PRP injection ensured it would probably take that long for him to recover anyway.

“He opted to do that, get it over with, get it done right away,” manager Davey Martinez said before tonight’s game against the Rockies. “Now he’s just going to rehab. He said he feels really good, which is great. We’re just going to rehab him and get him back.”

Doolittle was off to a red-hot start in April after rejoining the Nationals on a one-year, $1.5 million contract this spring. He did not allow a run over his first six relief appearances and only allowed a batter to reach base for the first time in his most recent outing.

But the 35-year-old experienced pain in his elbow during that last appearance and informed club officials. He promptly was placed on the 10-day IL, with hopes he’d be OK to resume throwing after rest and rehab for a couple weeks. All the while, though, he admitted he knew there remained the possibility the sprain was more serious and could require a significant amount of time off or even major surgery.

DENVER – The Nationals look to continue their surprisingly strong road trip tonight, trying to win two in a row over the Rockies and four of five overall since heading west last weekend.

Their bats have been on fire throughout, producing 38 runs on 61 hits over the four games on the trip to date. They’ll again hope Josh Bell and Yadiel Hernandez can stay hot, while also hoping Juan Soto and Keibert Ruiz can deliver again as they did during Tuesday night’s 10-2 win.

This will be a stiff challenge for Patrick Corbin. The lefty is coming off his best start of the season, in which he held the Marlins to two earned runs and four hits over six innings. Coors Field has not traditionally been kind to the lefty; he’s got a 5.91 ERA in 13 career games here. However, he did allow only two earned runs over six innings in each of his two previous starts here as a member of the Nationals, including a nine-strikeout showing last September in his final start of an otherwise miserable year.

The Nats made a roster move earlier today, claiming right-hander Cory Abbott off waivers from the Giants and optioning him to Triple-A Rochester. They also transferred Sean Doolittle to the 60-day injured list, which doesn’t appear to bode well for the prognosis of the popular lefty’s elbow sprain. Hopefully, we’ll get a more detailed update on him later this afternoon.

It is cold, and there is rain in the forecast later tonight. Fingers crossed it holds off until after the game ends.

DENVER – Juan Soto stepped to the plate in the top of the third Tuesday night in about as advantageous a situation as he’s ever going to find himself in. After Alcides Escobar singled and César Hernández was grazed by a pitch, the Nationals had two on with nobody out and one of the best hitters in baseball up to bat.

What transpired next, though, caught everyone at Coors Field off guard, not the least of which the visiting team’s manager.

On the first pitch from Rockies right-hander Germán Márquez, Soto squared around to bunt. He wound up fouling it off, unable to keep the ball in fair territory down the third base line.

In the dugout, Davey Martinez considered calling it a night right there.

“I was going to take my uniform off and just walk inside,” Martinez said with a laugh that suggested he wasn’t being serious. “Hey, I’ve always said just when you think you’ve seen everything in this game, watch out.”

DENVER – Something funny happened when the Nationals left the unfriendly confines of D.C. and flew west for what looked on paper like a daunting road trip.

Instead of crumbling, they’ve picked things up. Instead of looking overmatched, they’ve controlled their opponents. Instead of continuing the eight-game losing streak that plagued them at home, they’ve played their best baseball of the young season.

Tonight’s 10-2 blowout victory over the Rockies was simply the latest in a sudden string of impressive showings from the Nats. They took two-of-three in San Francisco, scoring a total of 28 runs in the process. Then they came to Coors Field and kept their foot on the gas, never giving the hometown team a chance to mount the kind of comeback this ballpark has been known to foster.

"Just seeing a lot of hits all across the lineup is huge. A lot of guys, I think, are settling in, in the rotation and throwing the ball well. And we're playing great defense. That's kind of the mixture for success," right-hander Erick Fedde said. "Maybe it was just taking a couple games to see it and believe it. Now we're playing really quality baseball."

For tonight's win, they can thank Fedde, who picked an opportune moment to author one of the best starts of his career. The right-hander allowed one run over seven innings, only the fourth time he’s ever recorded 21 outs in a big league game.

DENVER – Nineteen days have passed since Dee Strange-Gordon first was sent back to his hotel in Pittsburgh with an illness, then late sent back to Washington with instructions not to leave his home until he was medically cleared to do so.

All the veteran utilityman could do throughout the process was some agility workouts with large rubber bands, then use a virtual reality system to watch major league pitchers throw various pitches toward him. Otherwise, he couldn’t pick up a bat, couldn’t play catch, couldn’t come to the ballpark for workouts.

“Just part of it,” he said today. “That’s how the world works right now. I had to do what I had to do. I’m just thankful I didn’t get anybody else sick.”

Strange-Gordon did not get anybody else sick, and today he finally was activated off the injured list and reinstated to the Nationals’ active roster for the opener of their three-game series against the Rockies.

“It’s been a while,” he said. “Happy to see my teammates. Happy to be back.”

DENVER – The Nationals lineup just scored 28 runs over the weekend in pitcher-friendly Oracle Park. How many will they score over the next three nights at Coors Field, the greatest hitter-friendly park in major league history? The Nats haven’t hit for much power all season, even in San Francisco. So the thin air may not help them as much as the huge outfield dimensions here might.  

Davey Martinez will hope he can keep Josh Bell, Yadiel Hernandez and Victor Robles hot. He’ll also hope Juan Soto, Nelson Cruz and Keibert Ruiz can get going and start contributing on a more consistent basis. They’ll face Rockies right-hander Germán Márquez, who enters with a 5.57 ERA but has enjoyed success against the two Nationals he’s faced the most in his career: Bell (1-for-18 with a homer) and César Hernández (1-for-11).

Erick Fedde gets the start for the Nats; he was effective last time out against the Marlins, allowing only two runs on three hits. But he lasted only 4 2/3 innings because his pitch count was a whopping 91. He’s got to figure out how to finish off hitters once he gets ahead in the count and avoid those long at-bats that keep killing him.

The Nationals announced they have returned from rehab assignment and reinstated Dee Strange-Gordon, optioned Lucius Fox to Triple-A Rochester and transferred Aníbal Sánchez to the 60-day injured list.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field
Gametime: 8:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 61 degrees, wind 10 mph in from left field

DENVER – What was the secret to the Nationals’ series win over the weekend in San Francisco? A reinvigorated lineup? Effective starting pitching? Lockdown relief work?

Or was it the turning of the calendar hanging in the manager’s office?

“April, the pressure’s always to start off really good,” Davey Martinez explained Sunday. “Everybody wants to start off good, right? Sometimes it doesn’t happen and you put added pressure (on yourself). Now it’s: Hey, May 1! May 1! Go have some fun! Go play baseball!”

Maybe that had nothing to do with it. Nevertheless, the season’s first month is no over, and we have indeed shifted to May baseball, which does feel different than April baseball. We’re starting to get a better sense of the team, who’s having a good season, who isn’t and who still has time either to turn it around or fall apart.

So let’s take this opportunity, before the Nationals’ road trip continues tonight against the Rockies, to consider what we’ve seen so far, and what it might mean for the rest of the season …