CHICAGO – Hello from The Friendly Confines, where it’s unseasonably warm for this time of year. The temperature reached the high 80s this afternoon, which is not the way it’s supposed to be in late September in Chicago. The wind will be blowing out to left field, though, so perhaps the Nationals can take advantage and actually hit the ball in the air for some power.

The lineup is missing Luis García Jr. for the second straight day, the second baseman still bothered by a sore right wrist. Getting the start in his place, though, is a new face: Darren Baker. Yes, the kid is in the lineup for the first time in the big leagues, and he’ll be playing in one of the ballparks he grew up in while his dad was managing the Cubs. That’s got to be a thrill for both him and Dusty.

The Nationals are facing right-hander Javier Assad, who they saw a few weeks ago in D.C. Assad tossed a quality start in that Aug. 31 game, allowing three runs over six innings. Andrés Chaparro got to him for a solo homer along the way.

It’s Patrick Corbin on the mound for the Nats in what looks to be his penultimate start for the franchise. With the team going to a six-man rotation the rest of the way with Trevor Williams coming off the injured list, Corbin is tentatively lined up to make his final start one week from today against the Royals. He’ll look to keep the Cubs within the confines tonight and give his teammates a chance.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO CUBS
Where: Wrigley Field
Gametime: 7:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 79 degrees, wind 9 mph right field to left field

35,000 FEET OVER AMERICA – I always get a kick out of using this dateline.

As you read this, I am (I hope) en route from New York to Chicago for the final road series of the season. The Nationals just got swept in ugly fashion by the Mets. Now they've got a four-game weekend series at Wrigley Field against a Cubs team that's technically still in the race but would need a miracle to make up a seven-game deficit with only 10 games to play. So perhaps that plays to the Nats' advantage.

There will be plenty to discuss when the season ends next week, but let's go ahead and take the opportunity this morning to start addressing some of those pertinent Hot Stove topics. Where do the Nationals look to be in good shape heading into 2025? Where do they need to improve? What are the chances they will be able to adequately improve and actually become a contender again?

Submit your questions in the comments section below, then check back throughout the morning for my answers. Fingers crossed the WiFi works and I'm able to crank out my responses while we're in the air. If for some reason you don't see anything from me by, say, 10:30 a.m. EDT, there unfortunately was a problem. Apologies in advance if that happens!

NEW YORK – If the Mets make the postseason – and it’s increasingly looking like they will – the Nationals will have played a significant supporting role in making it happen.

Teams may not play as many intradivision games as they used to, but they still face each other 13 times a year. And the outcomes of those games can go a long way toward determining a pennant race.

They certainly have in the case of the National League Wild Card race between the Mets and Braves. Because the Nats’ head-to-head results against those two combatants turned out to be wildly different.

Tonight’s 10-0 shellacking at Citi Field completed a season-long thumping at the hands of the Mets. The Nationals finished a dismal 2-11 against them, including 0-6 on the road. Compare that with their impressive 8-5 mark against Atlanta, and you quickly understand how New York has opened up a two-game lead for that final postseason berth with 10 games to go.

"We talk all the time about playing in our division," manager Davey Martinez said. "We've played some teams really well in our division. Some teams, we haven't. The teams that we don't play good against, we have to get better against them."

NEW YORK – Trevor Williams is set to return from the injured list and start Friday in Chicago, which sets up the Nationals to finish out the season with a six-man rotation.

Williams has cleared all hurdles in his rehab from a flexor strain in his elbow and will be activated off the 60-day IL this weekend, making his return to the mound Friday afternoon against the Cubs.

“He says he feels good,” manager Davey Martinez said. “He’ll get a chance to start, and we’ll get a chance to push these guys back a little bit.”

Williams hasn’t pitched since May 30, after which he reported elbow pain and the flexor strain was diagnosed. It took 3 1/2 months, but the right-hander made it through the entire rehab process in time to pitch again, even if he’ll only make two big league starts before season’s end.

Given how well he pitched prior to the injury – 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA and 1.076 WHIP in 11 starts – Williams earned the opportunity to come back and make these final starts, even if he doesn’t figure into the Nationals’ long-term plans. A pending free agent, the 32-year-old will get the chance to prove he’s healthy heading into the offseason.

NEW YORK – As much as the Nationals dominated the Marlins this season, they’ve been completely dominated by the Mets. A loss tonight would drop the Nats to 2-11 vs. New York, the exact opposite of their record vs. Miami. Yes, there have been some close games, including three extra-inning losses, but overall this has been an incredibly lopsided matchup in 2024.

They’ll try to at least end on a positive note and win tonight’s finale at Citi Field, but it’s a stiff challenge. The Nationals have scored two runs so far in the series, which isn’t exactly a formula for success. They have to do more at the plate, and that will be tough against veteran left-hander Jose Quintana, who hasn’t allowed a run to them in 14 innings this year.

Luis García Jr., who departed Tuesday’s game with a sore right wrist, is not in tonight’s lineup. Though he may not have been anyway against the lefty, so we can’t say for certain whether the injury is keeping him out. Dylan Crews, meanwhile, gets bumped back up to the No. 2 spot after notching his first career three-hit game while batting seventh.

DJ Herz makes his third start of the season against the Mets. He was great in one of them (zero runs, 10 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings), not very good in the other one (four runs in four innings in his major league debut). The rookie will need to be on point tonight in what could be his second-to-last outing of the year.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain late, 72 degrees, wind 10 mph in from center field

NEW YORK – Shortly after the Nationals traded him to the Mets, Jesse Winker found himself facing the Mariners, one of his former teams. Then the Reds, with whom he spent the bulk of his time in the major leagues. And now, this week, the Nats, his most recent employer and the one that may have resurrected his career.

“It’s crazy. When I got traded, I’ve played every team that I’ve played for,” he said. “And then we play the Brewers the next road trip, so it’s great. It’s really cool, man.”

Winker has become a bit of a baseball nomad in recent years. After five seasons in Cincinnati that culminated with an All-Star selection, the outfielder has now played for four different teams the last three seasons, going from Seattle to Milwaukee to Washington to New York.

His stint in D.C. was the shortest, lasting only four months. But it might well have been the most important stint he’s had to date.

After struggling with performance and injuries last year with the Brewers, Winker faced a crossroads entering 2024. He said he received only one offer for a big league contract, declining to name the particular team, plus only two offers for minor league deals with an invitation to spring training. The Nationals were one of those two, and ultimately he decided to accept their offer and reported to West Palm Beach hoping to earn his way onto the Opening Day roster.

NEW YORK – The Nationals looked ready for primetime Monday night at Citi Field. They just couldn’t deliver the one clutch hit they would’ve needed to beat the Mets.

They looked very much not-ready-for-primetime tonight. From a poor start by Mitchell Parker to a mental mistake by James Wood to an unexpected early departure by Luis García Jr., the Nats never stood a chance of stacking up with their potentially postseason-bound division rivals, who coasted to a 10-1 victory before a raucous crowd of 24,932 at Citi Field.

In one of their uglier games in a while, the Nationals were routed by New York, which has now gone two games up on the Braves (who blew a lead in Cincinnati) in the race for the third and final Wild Card berth in the National League.

"Obviously, that's not how we envisioned this game going," said Wood, who won't want to remember many details from his 22nd birthday. "But we've just got to be able to learn from it and take it into tomorrow and be better tomorrow." 

If the Mets ultimately prevail, they’ll have done so on the strength of their dominance against the Nats. New York is now 10-2 in head-to-head matchups this season, with one more game to go here Wednesday night. The Braves, on the other hand, went 5-8 against Washington, which could spell doom for their chances of reaching the playoffs for the seventh straight year.

NEW YORK – CJ Abrams is good to go again.

Abrams is back in the Nationals lineup for tonight’s game against the Mets after a four-day absence with a left shoulder ailment, having convinced club personnel he was OK to play after going through a full round of pregame workouts.

Abrams last played Thursday against the Marlins, when he made a diving stop of a sharp grounder up the middle at shortstop and jammed his left shoulder in the process. He remained in that game through its conclusion but was scratched the following evening and remained on the bench throughout the rest of the weekend as well as Monday night’s series opener at Citi Field.

Upon reporting to the park this afternoon, Abrams said he felt good enough to play. The Nats had him go through a full round of pregame workouts – batting practice on the field, ground balls at shortstop – before announcing their lineup, but manager Davey Martinez sounded optimistic when he spoke to reporters shortly before 5 p.m.

“We’ve got him in the lineup right now,” Martinez said. “He’s going to do his stretches, take some ground balls, hit, and we’ll see if he can get through it. He said he wanted to try to play today, so we’ll see how he gets through his early work, and we’ll go from there.”

NEW YORK – The Nationals did a lot of things well in Monday night’s series opener against the Mets. They got a great start from Jake Irvin. They played crisp defense. They got some decent relief pitching. What they did not get is enough offense, especially in clutch situations late in the game. The Nats finished 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, and that included 0-for-6 in the ninth and 10th innings alone, which is why they lost the game 2-1.

So more timely offense would really help the cause tonight. The Nationals will be facing Tylor Megill, who they got to for five runs in five innings back in June. They got a homer from Joey Gallo in that game, but it should be noted much of the damage that night was inflicted by guys no longer with the team (Lane Thomas, Jesse Winker, Eddie Rosario). So this will be a new group going up against Megill tonight.

Mitchell Parker faces the Mets for the second time, and the first outing didn’t go all that well. The lefty gave up five runs in six innings, including three home runs. Those were hit by Tyrone Taylor, Mark Vientos and Francisco Lindor, and while the latter is out again tonight with a back injury, the first two are playing. Parker has been good overall of late, though, and in his last five starts boasts a 3.38 ERA.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 74 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
3B José Tena
DH Juan Yepez
2B Luis García Jr.
C Keibert Ruiz
RF Dylan Crews
1B Joey Gallo
CF Jacob Young

NEW YORK – It was the first, and arguably only time Jake Irvin faced real danger Monday night. Having set down the first nine Mets he faced, now here was the Nationals right-hander dealing with a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the bottom of the fourth.

Mark Vientos had worked the count to 2-2, and as the Citi Field crowd stood and roared in search of a hit that would put the home team on top in a must-win game, it looked like Vientos had delivered. Albeit not with a line drive to a gap, but a little dribbler up the third base line.

It’s not always how you hit them, but where you hit them, and this looked like a perfectly placed infield single at the right moment.

For Irvin, it was a chance to put into practice what he and other Nationals pitchers had worked on countless times during spring training and on occasion during the season as well.

“In the moment, you can’t really think about it. You rely on your preparation,” the right-hander said. “I guess when you see the ball go down there, imagine in your head making that play. Be convicted in it.”

NEW YORK – These Nationals don’t know what postseason baseball feels like, and they won’t be finding out in 2024. They do want to experience it in 2025, though, at minimum the pressure of a September pennant race where the outcome of each game only magnifies down the stretch.

So consider the final two weeks of this season a dress rehearsal for the youngest team in the majors, with 13 games left on the schedule, all of them against teams still in the race. And the first set of games in this closing stretch – against the Mets at Citi Field – may have the most pressure-packed feeling of the bunch.

So how did the Nats handle it all in tonight’s series opener? They didn’t appear to be overwhelmed by the situation most of the night, certainly not Jake Irvin, who authored yet another gem against the Mets. But they could not deliver the one hit or the one pitch they needed with the game on the line late, and that’s why New York ultimately was celebrating a 2-1 10-inning win at the center of the diamond, a crowd of 21,694 roaring as the home team retook the final Wild Card position in the National League from the Braves.

"It's tough," manager Davey Martinez said. "(Irvin) threw the ball really well. I thought today was probably the best day I've seen him throw the ball. ... He gave us everything we needed. We just couldn't get those couple runs he needed."

Starling Marte won it with a line drive single to left off Jacob Barnes, the Nationals’ fourth pitcher of the night. Tasked with stranding the Mets’ automatic runner after his teammates couldn’t score theirs in the top of the 10th, Barnes got Francisco Alvarez to fly out to right for one out, though that allowed Harrison Bader to advance to third. Barnes then left a 3-1 fastball over the plate to Marte, who lined the ball into left field and was mobbed by his teammates as the Nats trudged off the field.

NEW YORK – Though he’s out of the Nationals lineup for the fourth straight day, CJ Abrams did partake in more pregame drills than he had since hurting his left shoulder Thursday and should be available off the bench tonight if the team needs him during its series opener against the Mets.

Davey Martinez said Abrams has made progress and wants to return to the lineup, but the manager didn’t want to force the issue just to make it happen tonight.

“We’re just going to be very cautious,” Martinez said. “But he’ll go do some activities out there, and he’ll be available to pinch-hit.”

Abrams participated in infield drills with the rest of the team this afternoon and showed no ill effects of the injury to his non-throwing arm. He took swings in the batting tunnel prior to the team’s official batting practice on the field and looked “OK,” according to Martinez.

“He took quite a few swings in the cage,” the manager said. “I’d like for him to go get ground balls and stuff like that. We’ll keep an eye on him and see how he’s doing.”

NEW YORK – We’ve reached the final two weeks of the season, and the Nationals’ final road trip. Every team remaining on the schedule has a winning record, everyone still technically in the pennant race. And these first three games come against a Mets team very much in the race, tied with the Braves for the National League’s final Wild Card berth.

The Mets have been on a sustained role, but they’re without MVP candidate Francisco Lindor, who is out with a back injury. This is still a tough lineup for Jake Irvin to face (including old pal Jesse Winker batting second and starting in right field) but he’s had some success against that group this season. On July 4, Irvin tossed eight innings of one-hit ball in the best start of his career. (Five days later, he gave up six runs to the same Mets team here at Citi Field.)

Sean Manaea is on the mound for New York, so we’ll see Davey Martinez’s right-handed-heavy lineup tonight. We’re still waiting to see if CJ Abrams is good to go after missing the last three days with a left shoulder impingement. Manaea faced the Nats on July 2 and allowed two runs over seven innings.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 73 degrees, wind 8 mph right field to left field

NATIONALS
RF Dylan Crews
LF James Wood
1B Juan Yepez
DH Andrés Chaparro
2B José Tena
3B Ildemaro Vargas
C Keibert Ruiz
CF Jacob Young
SS Nasim Nuñez

Maybe it was appropriate today’s game featured a centennial celebration of Washington’s 1924 champions, a club that won the city’s first World Series despite ranking last in the American League with a grand total of 22 home runs that season.

No team in the National League this year has hit fewer home runs than the Nationals, who entered this contest against the Marlins with a grand total of 122 on the season.

Bucky Harris, Muddy Ruel, Goose Goslin and Co. would’ve been proud of Davey Martinez’s current squad, which runs the bases with the kind of abandon more common in the Dead Ball Era than the Modern Era. They might not have known what to make, though, of the three titanic blasts that were on display this afternoon during a 4-1 victory by the home team. (Not to mention the giant scoreboard, flashing lights and instant Statcast data.)

Yes, the 2024 Nationals won a baseball game thanks to three home runs. For that, they can thank Joey Gallo, José Tena and Juan Yepez, who each delivered a solo shot during the course of the afternoon and early evening to send a crowd of 28,175 – just a bit shy of the 31,667 who packed into Griffith Stadium on Oct. 10, 1924 – home happy.

It hasn’t been their typical formula for success this season. But it’s appreciated when it happens.

Luis García Jr. has made strides in just about every aspect of his game during his breakthrough season. The Nationals second baseman has established career highs in batting average (.282), on-base percentage (.320) and slugging percentage (.445), is 21-for-25 in stolen base attempts and has turned himself into a better defensive player as well.

There’s still room for improvement in some areas, though, most notably at the plate against left-handers.

Manager Davey Martinez has been reluctant to start García against most lefties, concerned his swing mechanics haven’t been as consistent in those at-bats. García tends to let his front shoulder and hip fly open, leaving him vulnerable to pitches on the outer portion of the strike zone.

There have been a few more opportunities of late, though, and García took full advantage of his latest one Friday night. Facing Marlins lefty Anthony Veneziano in the bottom of the seventh, he put forth one of his best swings of the season and slammed a leadoff homer to help lead the Nats en route to a 4-1 victory.

“That was a big home run,” Martinez said. “He stayed on that ball, gave us another point, and then we scored another one. That was a big moment for us.”

It’s a spectacular Saturday afternoon in the nation’s capital. Maybe the matchup between the Nationals and Marlins isn’t anything to get excited about, but there are surely worse places to be on such a lovely day than the ballpark, right?

The Nats look to make it two in a row (and 10 out of 12) against Miami, and they’ll hope Patrick Corbin does his part to help make that possible. The left-hander makes his 30th start of the season, his 168th start as a National. He’s probably got two more after this one, and maybe after everything he’s been through he can finish this all off with some quality performances.

The Marlins send Valente Bellozo to the mound, and the rookie right-hander was really good when he faced the Nats last week in Miami. He tossed six scoreless innings on 85 pitches, outdueling MacKenzie Gore (who had a no-hit bid going that night). The Nationals will need to put together some better at-bats today, with the top of the lineup preferably scoring early as it did each of the last two nights.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs MIAMI MARLINS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 84 degrees, wind 10 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
RF Dylan Crews
LF James Wood
DH Juan Yepez
2B Luis García Jr.
3B José Tena
C Keibert Ruiz
1B Joey Gallo
CF Jacob Young
SS Nasim Nuñez

It has flown under the radar a bit, but DJ Herz has turned into the Nationals’ best starting pitcher over the last two months.

Since returning from a brief stint at Triple-A Rochester around the All-Star break designed to give him some extra rest, the rookie has taken the mound 10 times. And in those 10 games, he now owns a 2.76 ERA and 1.082 WHIP, all while striking out 10.5 batters per nine innings.

Including in that stretch was another gem tonight, with Herz tossing five more innings of one-run ball. And thanks to some long-awaited clutch hits from a lineup that has precious few of them the last two nights, the Nationals emerged with a 4-1 victory over the Marlins to reward Herz for his efforts.

Despite totaling only four hits, the Nats found a way to score four runs. And their bullpen didn’t squander their starter’s effort, with Eduardo Salazar, Jose A. Ferrer and Kyle Finnegan combining for four scoreless innings of relief to finish off the team’s ninth win in 11 games against Miami this season.

Herz was already on a roll entering this start, having tossed five no-hit innings against the Pirates last Saturday before he was pulled with a pitch count of 87. And when he retired the first six Marlins he faced tonight, the young lefty was now on a run of seven consecutive innings without allowing a hit.

CJ Abrams won’t get a chance tonight to see if he can continue his recent power surge at the plate.

The Nationals shortstop was scratched from the lineup after reporting a sore left shoulder, the result of a diving play during Thursday night’s 6-3 loss to the Marlins.

Abrams made a nice play diving to his left to snag Connor Norby’s sharp grounder up the middle in the top of the third, hopping to his feet and firing to first base in time for the out. He played the rest of the game but woke up this morning with shoulder stiffness. And when the condition didn’t improve by mid-afternoon, the Nats decided to scratch him from the lineup.

“He’s getting worked on right now,” manager Davey Martinez said around 4 p.m. “But I don’t want to take a chance.”

Martinez said Abrams isn’t scheduled for an MRI yet, but if he’s still dealing with the issue Saturday that could change.

Thursday was not a good night for the Nationals, who did so many things wrong during the course of a 6-3 loss to the Marlins that really should have been a win based on the way the game began and based on the way Mitchell Parker pitched.

But it’s a new day, so they’ll try to bounce back tonight and win game two of the four-game series, with another rookie left-hander on the mound who has enjoyed success against this opponent before.

Way back on June 15, DJ Herz made only his third career start. It was against the Marlins, here in D.C. And he proceeded to toss six innings of scoreless ball, striking out 13 of the 19 batters he faced that afternoon. It was a brilliant performance that suddenly showed the world just how good Herz can be when he’s locked in. He was similarly locked in last weekend against the Pirates, tossing five hitless innings on 87 pitches before he was pulled. You never really know with certainly what you’re going to get from him on any given night, but if ever the stars were aligned for a dominant performance …

The Nationals need better offensive production tonight against Edward Cabrera than they got Thursday against Darren McCaughan, who gave up three quick runs in the first inning and then nothing else the rest of the way. It’s been a while since the Nats last saw Cabrera, April 27 to be precise. They got to the right-hander for six runs in only 4 1/3 innings that afternoon, though it’s worth noting the big hits in that game came from Jesse Winker, Nick Senzel and Trey Lipscomb, none of whom are going to be here tonight.

Update: CJ Abrams was scratched from the lineup after jamming his left shoulder making a diving play at shortstop Thursday night. Everyone moves up a slot in the lineup, with Nasim Nuñez now batting ninth and starting at shortstop.

It’s too late for Keibert Ruiz’s season totals to become respectable. The Nationals catcher dug himself into such a deep hole in April and May, he simply wasn’t going to be able to climb all the way back and finish with offensive numbers that look decent on the back of his baseball card.

But anyone who has watched Ruiz over the entirety of the season can see he’s a much better hitter now than he was several months ago. He has progressively improved, and the version he’s put there of himself the last few weeks has been the best version of him.

“The way he’s playing right now – everything, defense, hitting – he’s done way better,” manager Davey Martinez said Thursday. “And he’s gotten progressively better every month after the All-Star break.”

That’s not entirely true. Ruiz was slightly better in May than he was in June, slightly better in July than he was in August. But the overall improvement most definitely is there, from a .488 OPS in March and April to a .554 OPS in May and June to a .679 OPS in July and August. And now, through the first 12 days of September, he boasts a .958 OPS built on the strength of a 12-for-36 hot streak and seven extra-base hits.

Ruiz delivered his sixth double of the month during Thursday night’s loss to the Marlins. He has been hitting the ball with more authority, especially to right field, and not chasing pitches out of the zone quite as regularly as he did during the season’s first half.