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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OAKLAND, Calif. – The mere fact he was being called up by the Nationals to make his major league debut was reason enough to leave Mitchell Parker’s head spinning. Then the 24-year-old left-hander realized where he would be making that debut (Dodger Stadium), when he would be making that debut (Jackie Robinson Day) and who he would be facing in that debut (Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman).

How could Parker not have a million thoughts racing through his mind as he contemplates what the scene will be like tonight?

“I gave myself a couple minutes, but I’m trying not to,” he said. “I’m trying not to overthink anything. Just trying to get out there and do a job for the team. That’s all we really want to.”

The Nationals are giving Parker that opportunity, and they’re doing so with as tough a challenge as any rookie is ever likely to face in his first major league start. There’s every reason to fear this will turn out disastrous for the rookie pitcher.

But after watching him throughout his first big league camp this spring in Florida, Davey Martinez was struck by something about Parker. Something beyond his pitching repertoire.

OAKLAND, Calif. – On a day when several struggling hitters finally came through in some big spots, and on a day when their No. 5 starter turned in his third consecutive strong outing, and on a day when they opened up what felt like a comfortable lead in the rubber game of a weekend series, the Nationals somehow still found themselves lamenting a loss at the end of the day.

How did they fall to the Athletics, 7-6, and drop this series? With a bottom-of-the-sixth bullpen meltdown the likes of which they won’t soon want to remember.

When the critical inning began, the Nats held a 6-1 lead, with Trevor Williams cruising toward what should have been his third straight win to begin the season. When the inning ended, that lead evaporated, with Williams pulled three batters in and relievers Derek Law and Jordan Weems allowing six runs to score, all with two outs.

Manager Davey Martinez could have left Williams in longer but knew the veteran’s history of late-inning troubles. But after using his top four relievers (Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey, Robert Garcia and Weems) each of the previous two days, Martinez’s options weren’t as appealing as they might otherwise have been.

Put that all together and you get a particularly frustrating loss for a team that was seeking its second straight series win to cap off a successful week in the Bay Area.

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Nationals have a chance to win their second straight series this afternoon and depart the Bay Area with a 4-2 record in advance of what should be a tough series at Dodger Stadium beginning Monday night. A win today over the Athletics would be good for morale heading to L.A.

The Nats have gotten great starting pitching so far this weekend, with Jake Irvin and MacKenzie Gore combining to allow one run on five hits in 11 innings. But the bullpen also has been taxed, with the top four guys (Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey, Jordan Weems, Robert Garcia) each appearing in both games. You would have to think Davey Martinez wants to avoid using any of them a third straight day unless absolutely necessary. Some length from starter Trevor Williams would help a lot.

At the plate, the Nationals will try to be more productive against Alex Wood than they were against Paul Blackburn or Joe Boyle. Wood has been around for more than a decade now, and he’s faced the Nats a whopping 16 times in his career. Most of those starts, though, came years ago when he was with the Braves, and he was facing a very different lineup than he’ll see today.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Where: Oakland Coliseum
Gametime: 4:07 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 58 degrees, wind 9 mph left field to right field

NATIONALS
CF Jacob Young
SS CJ Abrams
DH Joey Meneses
LF Jesse Winker
RF Lane Thomas
1B Joey Gallo
2B Ildemaro Vargas
C Riley Adams
3B Trey Lipscomb

OAKLAND, Calif. – Riley Adams has been an everyday catcher before. Just not very often in the big leagues.

Since joining the Nationals in August 2021, Adams has been the team’s No. 2 catcher, backing up Keibert Ruiz, making one or two starts a week except for rare times when Ruiz has been unavailable.

This week has turned into one of those rare times. Ruiz hasn’t played since Monday, beset with flu-like symptoms that have prevented him from playing in any of the Nats’ last four games and likely will sideline him again for today’s series finale against the Athletics.

Aside from one start Wednesday by Drew Millas during his brief promotion from Triple-A Rochester, it’s been all Adams behind the plate this week. And he’s handled the situation with aplomb, delivering both offensively and defensively for a team that has desperately needed it.

“He’s a godsend for me,” manager Davey Martinez said following Sunday’s 3-1 win. “Anytime I call upon him, he does the best he can. Today was another example.”

OAKLAND, Calif. – It’s days like this, performances like this, that make you realize why the Nationals were so high on MacKenzie Gore all along.

The Nats have had promising young left-handers over the years. They’ve had guys with good fastballs. They’ve had pitchers determined to be the best.

But they’ve never had all of that wrapped into one package. Gore has everything going for him; he just needs to start putting it together on a regular basis. And on this day, he did.

With an unhittable fastball that overwhelmed the Athletics lineup, Gore struck out 11 in five scoreless innings, leading the Nationals to a 3-1 victory in one of the signature starts of his burgeoning career.

“It’s beautiful,” manager Davey Martinez said. “He goes out there and attacks the strike zone. He goes out there and competes. Hopefully, we can now see that consistency.”

OAKLAND, Calif. – Things you don’t expect to see when you come to California: a tarp covering the infield. Yes, it’s raining here today, and it’s supposed to rain on and off all day. We can only hope it doesn’t prevent the Nationals and Athletics from playing as scheduled, or at least with minimal delay. Because the idea of a Sunday doubleheader, with a flight to Los Angeles at the end of that, can’t be appealing to anyone.

The Nats got a really good start Friday night out of Jake Irvin, who gave up one hit (alas, a homer) in six innings. They’ll hope for more good stuff today from MacKenzie Gore, who was very strong last time out against the Phillies and now faces what on paper looks like a far less imposing lineup. (I know, I know. Careful what you wish for.)

The Nationals also could use a much better offensive showing than they put forth Friday night, when they managed only one run (Jesse Winker’s ninth-inning homer) and went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The good news: They don’t have to face Paul Blackburn again. It’s right-hander Joe Boyle, a rookie making his sixth career start. He was beat around by the Red Sox but then shut out the Tigers over five innings last time out.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Where: Oakland Coliseum
Gametime: 4:07 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Rain, 53 degrees, wind 11 mph right field to left field

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

OAKLAND, Calif. – As the Nationals looked up at the massive scoreboards at Oakland Coliseum, they saw the number one listed in the Athletics’ hit column most of the night. It would be changed to a two late in the evening, but that’s not exactly a big number, either.

And yet here the Nats were, coming up to bat in the top of the ninth, trailing the game because one of Oakland’s hits off Jake Irvin was Lawrence Butler’s third-inning homer and none of their own hits had produced a run.

Jesse Winker, at long last, took care of that annoying situation.

Winker’s leadoff homer in the top of the ninth off A’s closer Dany Jiménez finally got the Nats on the board and Irvin off the hook. But when they couldn't take the lead, the game moved into extra innings, at which point Trey Lipscomb made a baserunning blunder and Kyle Finnegan surrendered a walk-off single to Lawrence Butler for a tough 2-1 loss.

"We created some opportunities; just couldn't get that run in," said manager Davey Martinez, whose team went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. "Winker was our offense today."

OAKLAND, Calif. – The revolving door that is the 26th man on the Nationals roster stopped on a new name today: Amos Willingham. The club wanted to carry an extra reliever for this weekend’s series against the Athletics, so Willingham got the call to replace catcher Drew Millas, who flew to San Francisco for one game Wednesday before getting sent right back to Triple-A Rochester.

Turns out the Nats might have preferred to keep Millas around a little longer, because Keibert Ruiz remains sick with flu-like symptoms, leaving the team with only one healthy catcher tonight in Riley Adams.

Ruiz hasn’t played since Monday’s series opener against the Giants. Adams caught the following night, then Millas was called up for Wednesday’s game, which he started before being optioned back to Rochester at the end of the day.

Millas’ spot went to Willingham, recalled from Rochester this morning to give the team an eighth reliever.

“We thought we needed another guy in the bullpen,” manager Davey Martinez said. “So he’s going to be with us until otherwise noted. But I really felt like we could use another guy in the bullpen to help us out a little bit. They’ve been out there quite a bit already, so having another guy in the bullpen helps.”

OAKLAND, Calif. – For only the third time in club history, the Nationals are playing at the Oakland Coliseum. They were here in 2014. They were here again in 2017. And now they’re back in 2024. And sadly, this appears to be the last time they’ll be coming here, with the Athletics announcing plans to relocate to Sacramento for three seasons while they wait for their proposed new ballpark to open in Las Vegas. It all makes for a sad situation here for a once-proud franchise and its loyal fan base.

The Nats will look to keep things going in a positive direction tonight after taking two of three across the bay in San Francisco. They’ve got Jake Irvin on the mound for his third start of the season, seeking his first truly good start. (He actually pitched pretty well against the Phillies last week but was done in by one bad pitch to J.T. Realmuto, which turned into a three-run homer.)

Keibert Ruiz once again sits, so he must still be feeling sick. That’s not ideal, because the Nationals sent Drew Millas back to Triple-A Rochester after Wednesday’s game and called up reliever Amos Willingham this morning. So it’s Riley Adams behind the plate, with no real help unless Ruiz feels well enough to play in an emergency.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Where: Oakland Coliseum
Gametime: 9:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 57 degrees, wind 15 mph out to left field

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

SAN FRANCISCO - The Nationals were off Thursday, which may have been a good thing because enough happened the previous few days to make 24 hours of rest welcome for everyone. There have been injuries big and small, lots of stolen bases, some impressive home runs, a wild ninth-inning escape, a bunch of roster moves and more wins than losses.

Now, before the trip continues with a short drive over the Bay Bridge for this weekend's series in Oakland, let's take some time to consider all that's happened already this season. If you have a question you'd like answered, just leave it in the comments section below, then check back later for my responses.

Keep in mind, of course, that I'm on Pacific Time right now. So my first response won't be coming quite as early in the morning as it usually does!

SAN FRANCISCO – The most surprising thing about the Nationals’ 7-1 loss to the Giants on Wednesday? Nobody on the team stole more than one base during the game.

This wouldn’t normally qualify as any kind of surprise. Except the 2024 Nationals have made such feats on the basepaths so commonplace, it’s suddenly shocking when it doesn’t happen on any particular day.

The season is only two weeks old as of today, so much could still change. But at this early juncture on the baseball calendar, the Nats lead the majors with 25 stolen bases. And they’ve been caught only twice, making for a 93 percent success rate that dwarfs anything they’ve done before.

“They’re playing with their hair on fire,” manager Davey Martinez said. “And I like it.”

This was a point of emphasis from Martinez and his coaches to their players throughout spring training. They knew this lineup’s shortcomings (power) and strengths (young athleticism). Instead of lamenting what they didn’t have, why not take full advantage of what they do have?

SAN FRANCISCO – A wild, eventful, successful opening series to this long West Coast trip gave way to an entirely undramatic loss in this afternoon’s finale.

A Nationals club that did so many things well – and overcame a sudden string of injuries – to take two straight from the Giants the previous two nights, did little well during a 7-1 loss at Oracle Park. And because of it, there was no first sweep of 2024, nor a return to .500 for now.

Patrick Corbin could not make enough pitches to prevent San Francisco from racking up seven runs and 11 hits off him, the left-hander’s worst of three starts to begin the year.

Corbin’s defense did him few favors, failing to make several plays that could have bailed him out and ended innings much sooner.

And the Nats lineup inflicted very little damage against Jordan Hicks, who was all over the place yet somehow allowed only one run on four hits and two walks in six innings.

SAN FRANCISCO – The Nationals swapped a pitcher for a catcher prior to today’s series finale against the Giants, optioning Joan Adon back to Triple-A Rochester following his fill-in start Tuesday night and calling up Drew Millas to give them an extra position player for the time being.

With no need for a fifth starter again until next week in Los Angeles, the Nats decided to demote Adon, who tossed four innings of one-run ball in place of the injured Josiah Gray. Rather than call up another pitcher, they opted to add Millas, who will catch today’s game with Keibert Ruiz under the weather and Riley Adams sitting after starting Tuesday’s game.

Millas played in 11 games with the Nationals late last season, going 8-for-28 with a homer and six RBIs. He was sent to Rochester to begin this season but like the rest of his teammates had to deal with four consecutive postponements due to bad weather and thus has played in only four Triple-A games to date.

“It’s tough,” he said. “You’ve got to push yourself, hold yourself accountable in those scenarios. Honestly, I’ve never been through anything like that before, four straight days of not even remotely having a chance to play.”

Millas was enjoying the solar eclipse Monday afternoon with his fiance when Rochester manager Matt LeCroy called and informed him he needed to pack his things and fly to San Francisco to join the big league club.

SAN FRANCISCO – The Nationals have a chance today to sweep a road series, extend their winning streak to four games and reach the .500 mark. Not a bad position to be in, especially considering all the other stuff that’s been going on in recent days.

Despite the injuries, the Nats are playing good baseball right now. And another win this afternoon over the Giants would further solidify that notion.

After using up five relievers, including Hunter Harvey (who had to depart after getting hit on the left hand with a line drive), the bullpen could be thin today. So look for Patrick Corbin to get his 100 pitches in, whether it takes him four or seven innings to get there.

The Nationals made a roster move early this morning, promoting Drew Millas from Triple-A Rochester and optioning Joan Adon back down one day after he gave them four innings in place of the injured Josiah Gray. The move gives the team an extra position player (not to mention three catchers) for the time being. Eventually, they’ll need to call up another starting pitcher, perhaps Jackson Rutledge.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Oracle Park
Gametime: 3:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 67 degrees, wind 7 mph out to center field

SAN FRANCISCO – The 2024 Nationals aren’t constructed to win games with power. More often than not, they’re going to need to manufacture runs when presented with the opportunity.

Of course, nobody said they can’t do both on the same night, and emerge victorious because of it.

Thanks to an early blast from CJ Abrams, some patented small ball late and then a major escape act from Kyle Finnegan in the ninth, the Nats pulled off a 5-3 win over the Giants tonight at Oracle Park, taking the first two games of this series and securing their first three-game winning streak of the young season.

"I just think that's kind of the way we're built," said rookie center fielder Jacob Young, who became the third member of the team already this year to steal three bases in a game. "We have a bunch of guys who can do a lot of different things. ... We have a lot of ways we can hurt you."

Abrams’ two-run homer in the third – a 423-foot missile to deep right-center that nearly cleared the bleachers to reach McCovey Cove – gave the Nationals an early lead and served as a hearty welcome back for the young shortstop, who missed the previous three games with a bone bruise on his left pinky finger.

SAN FRANCISCO – Though he’s now on the injured list for the first time in his major league career, Josiah Gray was encouraged to learn the strain in his elbow and forearm is not likely to keep him out as long as a more serious injury he believes he avoided.

Gray, who officially went on the 15-day IL today with what the Nationals have termed an elbow/forearm flexor strain, said an MRI taken in recent days showed his elbow ligament is intact, as well as all other forearm muscles. The right-hander doesn’t know a precise timetable yet for his absence, but he did not suggest it will be a prolonged absence.

“Overall, a positive outlook,” he said. “It sucks to miss time and not be out there helping the guys winning games. But it’s a part of what pitchers are and what we do. I’m just going to take it on the chin and take it day-by-day.”

Gray said he first noticed an issue following Thursday’s start against the Pirates, when he “just felt a little more banged-up than usual.” He attempted to throw his standard between-starts bullpen session over the weekend and still didn’t feel right, so he alerted the Nationals training staff and had tests taken.

The strain that was discovered via MRI was muscular in nature, affecting the flexor-pronator mass, not his ulnar collateral ligament. Given the recent spate of major pitching injuries throughout the sport, with a number of prominent big leaguers needing Tommy John surgery, Gray was relieved to learn his prognosis.

SAN FRANCISCO – This was supposed to be a big outing for Josiah Gray, who would have been looking to bounce back from two ragged starts to begin his season. Instead, Gray is on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow/forearm flexor strain and Joan Adon instead will make this start against the Giants.

Adon is no stranger to the big leagues; this is his 26th career start. And he pitched here at Oracle Park two years ago, suffering a 9-3 loss. He made only one start for Triple-A Rochester, though, and that was 11 days ago when he gave up four runs (two earned) in only 2 1/3 innings. The challenge will be even tougher tonight.

The Nationals lineup does get a boost with CJ Abrams returning after three days off with a bone bruise in his left pinky finger. The shortstop took batting practice and fielded grounders prior to Monday’s game, so it appears he’s good to go. The Nats will happily welcome him back to the top of their lineup tonight as they face Giants lefty Kyle Harrison in his 10th career start.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Oracle Park
Gametime: 9:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 60 degrees, wind 11 mph out to center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
DH Joey Gallo
1B Joey Meneses
LF Jesse Winker
C Riley Adams
2B Ildemaro Vargas
3B Trey Lipscomb
CF Jacob Young