After unplanned weekend off, Nats finally return to action

When last we saw them on the field in an actual game, the Nationals were wrapping up a two-game road sweep of the Blue Jays that took place in their own ballpark. Juan Soto was still waiting to be cleared by the D.C. Department of Health to return to work. Stephen Strasburg had not thrown off a mound in more than a week. The Marlins were stuck in a hotel in Philadelphia. The Cardinals were looking forward to their weekend series in Milwaukee.

It's only been five days, but in 2020 a lot can happen in five days.

Their originally scheduled series in Miami postponed because of the Marlins' COVID-19 outbreak, the Nationals had nobody to play all weekend. They wound up taking Friday off, then played intrasquad simulated games Saturday and Sunday before doing some light optional work Monday before tropical storm Isaias arrived.

Now, they're finally back in action, with a two-game home series against the Mets set to begin at 7:05 p.m. tonight. (Weather permitting, of course.)

The Nationals didn't need the unexpected break. They were just starting to find their groove during their series with the Blue Jays, especially at the plate. Now they have to hope they didn't lose it while waiting out the weekend.

On the bright side, Soto is now back with them and was able to play in both intrasquad games, getting a bunch of at-bats as well as some action in left field. It's not clear if he'll be activated for tonight's game or wait another day to make sure he's 100 percent ready. But his long and frustrating wait is over, and the Nationals will have their best hitter back in the lineup very soon.

Strasburg's season debut also could be looming in the near future, though it won't come this week against the Mets. After throwing 31 pitches off the mound Sunday, the right-hander (who has a nerve impingement in his wrist) is scheduled to throw what manager Davey Martinez termed a "regular bullpen session" Wednesday. That means Strasburg wouldn't be ready to pitch in a game until Friday or Saturday against the Orioles, at the earliest.

The weekend off did give the team a chance to reset its rotation, though. Patrick Corbin, who pitched exceptionally well in his July 26 debut against the Yankees, will start tonight's opener against Mets lefty Steven Matz. Max Scherzer, who pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings July 29 against Toronto, will be back on the mound Wednesday against New York's Rick Porcello.

All of this, of course, is happening right here in town. By quirk of schedule and the nomadic states of the Blue Jays and Marlins, the Nats will end up playing their first 12 games of the season at Nationals Park. Aside from one exhibition game in Baltimore, they will end up spending more than five weeks together before going on their first overnight trip (next Monday-Thursday in New York).

"It really is different knowing that we're going to be home," Martinez said last week. "And we're still going to be home for quite some time. One, it's kind of nice. Two, I know even though as far as I'm concerned we won a road trip, we swept Toronto on the road. But it's a weird situation. Like I told these guys: We've got to forget everything that's going on outside and focus on just coming out and playing and going 1-0 every day."