The Nationals beat the Diamondbacks 5-4 on Sunday to win their first series of the season. But 245 miles away on Long Island, another milestone was being reached. One that has slightly more historical significance in the sporting world.

Alex Ovechkin, the iconic captain of the Washington Capitals, scored his 895th career goal yesterday, breaking Wayne Gretzky’s 31-year-old record to become the National Hockey League’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Fittingly, Ovechkin’s historic goal against the New York Islanders came on a power play from the left circle. Right from his office. As it should have been.

It was the shot heard around the world, with fans, athletes and celebrities from all walks of life congratulating the greatest goal scorer to ever live. And that rang true on South Capitol Street back home in Washington, D.C., where the Nats were playing.

The Nationals showed the goal highlight on the big screen at Nats Park and congratulated Ovechkin in between the first and second innings, while the crowd of 14,528 gave The Great 8 a standing ovation with an “OVI” chant.

The Nationals entered Saturday losers of four straight, needing to win two straight games to secure their first series victory of the young season. They got the win yesterday by a score of 4-3. The task to win Sunday would be difficult against Corbin Burnes.

But the Nats bats may have found their stride this week, scoring four or more runs in all three games against the Diamondbacks. Their most impressive outing may have been this afternoon, staying patient against and peppering Burnes early on their way to a 5-4 victory in front of 14,528 fans at Nationals Park.

For the third consecutive game, the top of the Nats' order jumped out to an early lead in the first. CJ Abrams drew a leadoff walk against Burnes, then moved to third on Luis García Jr.’s single to right field. Nathaniel Lowe drove in the first run and Alex Call drove in the second a few batters later to give the Nats a 2-1 lead after the first.

After the D-backs tied the game in the top of the second, Paul DeJong led off the bottom frame with a double to left, moved to third on a flyout to right and scored on Abrams’ sacrifice fly to make it 3-2.

Burnes hit Josh Bell with a pitch and walked Call with two outs in the third to set up DeJong’s RBI double to left to make it a 4-2 game. Call tried to make it a two-run hit, but was thrown out at the plate, the second time a Nats player was called out at the dish.

Jacob Young will sit for the second straight day as the Nationals finish their three-game series against the Diamondbacks. Alex Call will play right field as Dylan Crews shifts to center, as was the case when Young sat Saturday against Arizona left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez.

Call starting against a left-hander yesterday wasn’t questioned due to his career .740 OPS against southpaws versus Young’s .678. But against right-hander Corbin Burnes, it was a wonder why the starting center fielder wasn’t back in the lineup.

“I talked to him a couple days ago. We're just doing a reset on him,” manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame press conference. “He's got a little frustrated just (with) how he is swinging. We saw some things that we wanted to address. He's been working the last two days on his swing, so he'll be back in there tomorrow.”

Young is 1-for-15 (.067) with a double, three walks, two strikeouts and 1-for-3 stolen bases in seven games. He’s only started six of those games, coming in as a pinch-runner Wednesday in Toronto but getting caught stealing for the final out in a loss.

“Well, one, he's diving to home plate,” Martinez said. “He's not seeing the ball away from him. He's not catching up to the ball inside. So we just want to address the issue and get him going.”

For the first time this season, the Nationals are in position to win a series.

The Nats will look to build upon the eight runs they put up in the first two games. But they will have a tough task against Diamondbacks starter Corbin Burnes. The right-hander is making his second start of the six-year, $210 million contract he received from Arizona over the offseason after he finished fifth in American League Cy Young Award voting in his one year with the Orioles.

Burnes was charged with four runs (two earned), four hits and three walks with eight strikeouts over 4 ⅓ innings in his Arizona debut against the Yankees. He did give up two home runs to that dangerous New York lineup, so maybe the Nats can follow the Bronx Bombers’ footsteps and take Burnes deep a couple of times this afternoon.

Today was supposed to be Michael Soroka’s second start in a Nationals uniform, but a right arm biceps strain landed him on the 15-day injured list. So instead it will be Trevor Williams taking the mound for his second start. Thanks to Thursday’s off-day, the right-hander will be on normal rest. Williams gave up 10 hits (all singles) and three runs in his 2025 debut against the Blue Jays, but for the most part had a solid five innings.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 57 degrees, wind 8 mph in from left field

The Nationals finally broke through last night with the offensive output they’ve been desperately looking for in the new season’s first week. They just couldn’t sustain it throughout the full nine innings in a series-opening loss to the Diamondbacks.

Then today, after the inaugural 2005 team was inducted into the Ring of Honor in front of 25,916 fans at Nationals Park, they did it again. Only this time, their early lead held up throughout the course of the game en route to just their second win of 2025.

The Nationals’ 4-3 win over the D-backs wasn’t anything spectacular. But it was an overall clean game of baseball, one of the few these Nats have played thus far.

James Wood led the way, as he might often be called upon to do this season, from the jump. Literally.

With two outs in the top of the first inning, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. launched a deep fly ball to left field, only to see Wood use all of his 6-foot-7 frame to leap and rob him of extra bases at the wall.

The Triple-A season began last week, with the Rochester Red Wings starting off 2-3. The rest of the minor league season begins today, with the Nationals’ Double-A, High-A and Single-A affiliates throwing out the first pitches of their seasons.

Let’s take a look at the rosters on the Nats farm and where some of the top prospects are beginning the year (with rankings in MLB Pipeline’s top 30 Nationals prospects and Top 100 prospects list in parentheses) …

TRIPLE-A ROCHESTER

Pitchers: Daison Acosta, Joan Adon, Garvin Alston, Andrew Alvarez, Hyun-Il Choi, Clay Helvey, Andry Lara (No. 16), Shinnosuke Ogasawara, Konnor Plikington, Carlos Romero, Jackson Rutledge, Jack Sinclair, Chase Solesky, Tyler Stuart (seven-day injured list, No. 14), Patrick Weigel

Infielders: Darren Baker, Jackson Cluff, Brady House (No. 3), Trey Lipscomb, Nasim Nuñez, Paul Witt, Juan Yepez

There’s only so much you can take away from the first six games of a new year. But dang it, we will try.

The Nationals’ first week of the 2025 season hasn’t gone totally according to plan. Their 1-5 record doesn’t look good on paper. But digging a little deeper, you start to see some positives they can hold their hats on.

Here are some observations from the Nats’ first week of play …

KEIBERT RUIZ IS HOT
Ruiz’s struggles in 2024 are well known. After he missed a lot of time early in the season with the flu and lost almost 20 pounds, he never fully recovered. He finished the year with a .229 average, .619 OPS, 13 home runs and 57 RBIs in 127 games last year, producing just 0.6 bWAR.

This year, he looks to be in much better shape and it’s paying off.

MacKenzie Gore set the tone for the Nationals from the get-go on Thursday. He started the 2025 regular season by striking out Trea Turner on a perfectly placed low-and-inside 96 mph fastball.

Little did we know at the time that would be the first of an Opening Day franchise-record 13 strikeouts he would record over his six brilliant innings. Making his first Opening Day start, the 26-year-old left-hander shut out a tough Phillies lineup while holding it to just one hit with no walks.

Complete domination.

But once Gore departed the game with 93 pitches after the sixth, the Nats bullpen could not follow their starter’s lead.

Handed a 1-0 lead in the seventh, a group of five Nats relievers gave up all seven of the Phillies’ runs over the next four frames in the eventual 7-3 extra-inning loss.

For a young baseball player, there’s no better moment than learning you’re going to the major leagues on the Opening Day roster. For a baseball manager, there’s no better moment than delivering that message.

For Brad Lord, it was a long road to this moment. For Nationals manager Davey Martinez, the opportunity to mess with the young pitcher was too good to pass up.

The 25-year-old right-hander has been waiting around D.C. for the past couple of days. He joined the Nats on their trip north from West Palm Beach ahead of their opening three-game series against the Phillies.

An exhibition game against the Orioles on Monday was rained out. The Nationals held one final workout at Nats Park on Wednesday, with Lord still unsure if he was staying around or packing his bags for Triple-A Rochester to start the season.

Then he got the call into the manager’s office. An answer was finally waiting for him: He had, indeed, made the Opening Day roster.

Well, just yesterday morning I took a look at the Nationals’ overall roster depth ahead of the regular season starting. I noted the importance of organizational depth as the baseball gods are unpredictable and unforgiving when it comes to injuries.

Sure enough, the Nationals announced just over an hour after my post published that left-hander DJ Herz was placed on the 15-day injured list with an elbow UCL sprain. And although we won’t have more official information on the situation until tomorrow, that injury is usually associated with Tommy John surgery and/or an internal brace procedure, which would sideline Herz until 2026.

Luckily, the Nats are confident in their organizational depth, which they believe is deeper than it has been in recent years and can help sustain a successful season.

Herz was to be a part of that depth, having been optioned down to Triple-A Rochester on Friday after a rough spring that included a bout with dead arm. The southpaw was coming off a rookie season in which he went 4-9 with 4.16 ERA while pitching some of the Nats’ most dominant starts of the season, including six innings of one-hit ball with 13 strikeouts on June 15 against the Marlins and 10 strikeouts with one run allowed July 2 against the Mets.

But after finishing four Grapefruit League starts with a 6.52 ERA, 1.966 WHIP, nine walks and only four strikeouts in 9 ⅔ innings, the Nationals decided to get Herz more seasoning in the minor leagues. And now an elbow injury has derailed his season.

The Nationals still have some roster moves to make ahead of Thursday’s Opening Day game against the Phillies. With yesterday’s rainout of an exhibition game against the Orioles, those decisions have been even harder now. No more game results to base them off of.

The final cuts need to be made, players informed they made the roster and guys moved to the injured lists. While some of these roster decisions will be difficult, there is some good news coming out of them.

For the first time in a while, the Nationals are very confident in their overall depth. The regulars on the roster enter the season with a lot of promise. But should anything unfortunate happen to their young stars, there are other talented players waiting to step up.

“It's awesome. Early in the spring when I was looking at everything and the one thing that really stuck out is that we do have some depth this year, which is great,” manager Davey Martinez said. “So we're really excited about that. I can't say enough about our organization. Our minor league coaching staff, trainers, everybody, getting these young kids prepared and ready to play. They look really good. Some of our young guys look really good. Exciting to know that they're well on their way.”

Riley Adams or Andrew Knizner will win the backup catcher’s job. Juan Yepez or José Tena will be the utilityman off the bench. And Jackson Rutledge or Brad Lord will fill out the bullpen.

After six long weeks, the Nationals have finally broken camp and departed Florida. All that stands between them and Opening Day against the Phillies on Thursday are a couple of off-days and today’s exhibition finale against the Orioles.

Yes, today’s game is the first of a five-year deal between the two neighboring clubs that will see them play an annual home-and-home exhibition series from 2026-29, with this year’s edition only taking place with one game at Nationals Park.

Jake Irvin will take the mound for the last time before he assumes the No. 2 starter’s role and faces the Phillies on Saturday. In his last Grapefruit League start on Wednesday, the right-hander was roughed up for six runs, 10 hits and two homers while experiencing a drop in his velocity. While Irvin insisted it was nothing to worry about, it is something to monitor in this otherwise unimportant game.

Although the Nationals have their regulars in the starting lineup, they aren’t expected to play the whole game. After they get their at-bats, they’ll give way to the group of bench players and prospects, some of whom are still competing for roster spots. The Nationals are expected to make their final cuts following today’s game.

This game is also the MASN crew’s final tuneup before Opening Day. I highly suggest joining Bob Carpenter and Kevin Frandsen at the top of the broadcast at 1 p.m. on MASN.

New season. New roster. And now, a new look.

The Nationals unveiled their new City Connect uniforms this morning with a special ceremony outside the remodeled team store in center field plaza at Nationals Park.

Season plan holders got an exclusive first look at the new look the team will be wearing this season. The event included guest speakers D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and former National Ryan Zimmerman, along with a video that included former Nats closer and current pitching strategist Sean Doolittle and the original song “Our Diamond, Our District” by local rock band O.A.R.

The new City Connect uniforms, titled “District Blueprint” and replacing the very popular Cherry Blossom uniforms the team has worn since 2022, are an homage to the quadrants, grand avenues and traffic circles that connect the city of Washington, D.C. The jersey features the city’s iconic street grid in tones of American denim. The District’s blueprint, if you will.

“This season marks our 20th anniversary, and my family and I are so proud of how this team has become woven into the fabric of our city,” said Nationals managing principal owner Mark D. Lerner in a statement. “These uniforms are a great representation of how baseball has the power to bring us all together, and we are continually honored to play for the people of Washington, D.C.”

The Nationals are used to having a trio of young, promising outfielders in spring training. James Wood, Dylan Crews and Robert Hassell III drew a lot of attention during their first camp together last year. And this year, they are back in the major league clubhouse at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, with Wood and Crews expected to make the Opening Day roster and Hassell due for his big league debut sometime this season.

But further down the row of lockers occupied by those now spring training regulars sits Andrew Pinckney, another young, promising outfielder getting his first taste of big league camp as a non-roster invitee and one of the Nats’ top prospects.

“I feel great. It's super cool,” Pinckney said. “You don't really expect to get the invite, you know? But I got it and I'm excited to be here. Just trying to see pitches well and trying to put my best swing on them. So yeah, I'm having a great time.”

Pinckney was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, selected three rounds after Crews, who was drafted No. 2 overall. The two were rivals in the SEC as Pinckney’s Alabama Crimson Tide watched Crews’ LSU Tigers win the national championship just weeks before the draft.

Now the two are sharing a clubhouse in West Palm Beach. And Pinckney is working to get to where Crews has already established himself: the major leagues.

The past six months must have felt like déjà vu for Robert Hassell III.

After his regular season was hampered by injury, he reported to the Arizona Fall League. Then he reported to West Palm Beach in February looking to prove he’s healthy and still a top prospect in the Nationals farm system.

Unfortunately, that has been a repeating cycle for the 23-year-old outfielder ever since he came over as one of the five prospects returned to the Nats in the 2022 blockbuster Juan Soto trade with the Padres.

So here he is once again: Back at Nationals spring training, trying to show he’s healthy, trying to prove his worth.

But before we get to what Hassell is doing this year, let’s go back to last spring training.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – CJ Abrams arrived to spring training as one of, if not the, biggest storylines at the start of a new season.

How would the young shortstop respond to his disciplinary demotion that prematurely ended his 2024 campaign?

At the start of camp, all signs pointed to Abrams responding very well. He added 10 pounds of muscle, said he got even faster over the offseason and still flashed that noticeable smile while walking around the Nationals clubhouse.

“I just put it behind me,” Abrams told the media in his first public appearance since the demotion on the first day of spring training. “Things happen, and you’ve got to move forward. I’m here now, and I'm excited to get going with the team.”

As we’ve moved to the halfway point of camp, the off-field issues have been left in the past. Now the attention has turned to Abrams’ on-field performance.

JUPITER, Fla. – As the starting lineups were announced for this afternoon's Grapefruit League action at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, one could have thought we had traveled back in time.

The starting pitcher for the visitors: Michael Soroka. The starting pitcher for the home side: Erick Fedde.

No, this was not a Nats-Braves matchup from 2019. This was a 2025 spring training game between the Nationals and Cardinals, which the good guys won in a 12-1 rout.

The two right-handers became good friends during their time with the White Sox last year. They’re even roommates here in the greater West Palm Beach area for spring training. But today they were rivals.

“It was fun. It was fun to watch Fed do what he had to do,” Soroka said after his outing was done. “I got to watch him a lot last year. I'll see what our guys are saying and I'll talk to them. Yeah, he's a special guy, first and foremost, and it's fun to go up against a friend.”

JUPITER, Fla. – The Nationals will be trying some new things this weekend as they continue to get their pitchers ready for the regular season.

For the most part, the starters are staying in the same rotation. There are just some tweaks as to how and where they’ll be getting their work done over the next couple of days.

The rotation following Michael Soroka’s start today against the Cardinals includes Trevor Williams starting tomorrow night against the Mets, with MacKenzie Gore and Kyle Finnegan pitching on the back fields at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. DJ Herz starts Saturday’s game against the Cardinals and Jake Irvin starts Sunday’s game against the Mets, with both matchups on MASN. And Shinnosuke Ogasawara will start one of Monday’s split-squad games against the Marlins.

Mitchell Parker is still day-to-day with a stiff neck after not pitching on his regularly scheduled day yesterday behind Ogasawara.

“Parker is still day-to-day,” manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame session with the media. “I want to make sure that we get this neck thing right before we send him back out.”

JUPITER, Fla. – The Nationals return to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium after yesterday’s 8-7 win over the Marlins. But this time, they’ll take on the Cardinals and an old friend.

Erick Fedde, the Nats’ first-round pick in 2014, will make this third start of spring for St. Louis. The right-hander was traded from the White Sox to the Cardinals as part of a three-team deal at last year’s trade deadline after signing a two-year, $15 million contract with Chicago following his standout year in Korea.

Opposing him will be Michael Soroka for the Nats. The right-hander is making his second start of spring after debuting here Saturday against the Red Birds. Soroka pitched three shutout innings with three strikeouts and one walk on 39 pitches.

Both pitchers would be wise to keep batters from getting balls in the air. Once again, strong winds are blowing out toward the outfield. As we saw yesterday as the Nationals and Marlins combined hit five home runs, balls can fly here if they get caught in the jet streams.

And this game is back on MASN! You can join Bob Carpenter and Dan Kolko on the broadcast starting at 1 p.m., while I’ll continue having game coverage from here in West Palm! Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler are also back on the radio broadcast streamed on Nationals.com and MLB.com.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Automated Balls and Strikes system won’t be used in Major League Baseball during the regular season. But it’s getting a good look during spring training.

The Nationals don’t have access to the technology at the CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. It’s only available at spring training stadiums that house full-season minor league teams. The Nats and Astros only have their Florida Complex League teams playing on the back fields of the complex.

But the Nats get a chance to test the system when they visit Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter or Clover Park in Port St. Lucie. And it provided two interesting moments in yesterday’s 8-7 win over the Marlins.

A Nats lineup filled with regulars got to face former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara as he works his way back from October 2023 Tommy John surgery. Some for the very first time. The Miami right-hander was efficient over his 2 ⅔ innings, but his only mishaps came while using his ABS challenges.

Budding Nats stars James Wood and Robert Hassell III – both of the blockbuster Juan Soto trade in 2022 – displayed impressive eyes at the plate against one of the league’s best pitchers.