NEW YORK – This isn’t the first time the Nationals have faced Max Scherzer since trading him away two years ago. This is actually the fifth time they’ll face their former ace, the second time this season. And Scherzer has done quite well against them, going 3-0 with a 2.78 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings.

But this may not be the same Scherzer we’ve seen in the past. He just turned 39 on Thursday. He’s given up four or five runs in three of his last four starts. His 4.20 ERA is his worst since 2011, and the two homers he’s surrendering per nine innings represents the worst rate of his career.

Making tonight’s matchup all the more compelling is the fact the Nationals send MacKenzie Gore to the mound. Former ace vs. potential future ace. Gore has a long way to go to show up in the same sentence as Scherzer, but he has shown plenty of glimpses of his dominance this season. For example, he’s allowed zero or one run in eight of his 20 starts. The problem: He’s allowed five or more runs in four of his last eight starts.

So which version of Gore will show up tonight? And will he be able to outperform Scherzer? Should be a fun one.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 87 degrees, wind 10 mph out to left field

NEW YORK – It was easy to focus on the manner in which the Nationals lost Thursday night’s game to the Mets, 2-1. Both runs allowed came off the bullpen, which had to adjust on the fly after a sudden downpour halted play with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning before Kyle Finnegan could throw his first pitch.

Davey Martinez, though, recognized the larger problem with Thursday’s game. It had nothing to do with the Nats pitching staff. It had everything to do with their lineup.

“We’ve got to start swinging the bats,” the manager said. “We’ve got guys on third base with less than two outs, in games like this, those runs are important. We’ve got to have better at-bats, any way you can to get the ball in the outfield. We’ve got to do a better job of that.”

The only run the Nationals scored in this game came in the top of the sixth, and it wasn’t exactly a rousing rally that made it possible. CJ Abrams drew a leadoff walk and then stole second. Jeimer Candelario reached on catcher’s interference. Joey Meneses singled through the left side of the infield to load the bases. And Keibert Ruiz then lofted a ball to right field for the sacrifice fly that scored Abrams.

That’s all they managed all night. Even though there were opportunities for more.

NEW YORK – Kyle Finnegan trotted in from the bullpen, took the ball from Davey Martinez and began warming up for what was about to be the biggest moment of the night. The bases were loaded with one out in the bottom of the eighth, the Nationals and Mets were tied and Finnegan was going to have to try to pitch his way out of this jam and send the game to the ninth still tied.

And then before he could actually throw his first pitch to Mark Canha, Finnegan turned to his right and saw the Citi Field grounds crew racing into action. Umpires motioned to everyone to get off the field. The PA announcer instructed fans to take cover. And this tie ballgame was thrust into a most untimely delay just moments before the skies over Flushing opened and dumped torrential rain and wind onto the now-covered field.

By the time it was finally OK to play again, some 97 minutes later, Finnegan was back on the mound, ready to face that bases-loaded jam again. And though the Nats closer did his job, it wasn’t enough to prevent the eventual winning run from scoring.

Canha’s sacrifice fly to right on Finnegan’s fifth pitch was enough to lift the Mets to a wild, 2-1 victory at the end of a long and strange night at the ballpark.

"As a a reliever, you're constantly getting warmed up and then sat down," Finnegan said. "So I just played it like that. I was fine. No issues."

NEW YORK – Two key Nationals relievers are ready to start facing live hitters in game-like situations. The club is motivated to get one of them off the injured list as soon as possible, not as much with the other.

Carl Edwards Jr. and Tanner Rainey are both scheduled to face hitters in a simulated game Friday in West Palm Beach, Fla., the first time each right-hander will reach that stage of his respective rehab program.

A simulated game is usually the final step for a recovering pitcher before he begins a minor league rehab assignment, but while Edwards may be ready to take that final step soon, the Nats appear likely to wait a bit longer with Rainey.

Edwards, on the 15-day IL with inflammation in his shoulder, has been out since June 19. The 31-year-old, who had a 3.69 ERA and two saves in 32 appearances before getting hurt, was going to be one of the Nationals’ top trade chips this summer. With the Aug. 2 deadline now only five days away, Edwards is almost out of time to make it back onto the active roster to prove to interested clubs he’s fully healthy again.

Teams are allowed to trade players who are on the IL – the Nats did it with Kyle Schwarber in 2021 – but the return for injured players is almost always going to be diminished to some extent. If the Nationals can get Edwards back on the active roster and to pitch at least once for them before Aug. 2, they might be able to find a taker willing to give up a prospect of more consequence for the veteran setup man.

NEW YORK – The Nationals just completed their best homestand of the season. They’ve won nine of their last 14 overall. Now they’ll see if they can keep it up on the road against a Mets team that desperately needs to turn things on, lest they actually become sellers at next week’s trade deadline.

Yeah, the situation is that dire here in Flushing, where the most expensive team in baseball has the eighth-worst record in baseball, is 17 1/2 games out of first place and 7 1/2 games out of the wild card race, with five teams to chase in front of it. If we’re being realistic, the Mets probably need to sweep this four-game series to make a compelling case for owner Steve Cohen to buy before Tuesday’s deadline.

The Nats will try to prevent that with their All-Star starter on the mound for the series opener tonight. Josiah Gray is coming off an excellent outing against the Giants, when he allowed one run and four hits over seven innings. He’s already pitched very well here at Citi Field this year, shutting out the Mets over six innings April 25.

Kodai Senga starts for New York. The 30-year-old rookie from Japan hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in a month, lowering his ERA to 3.27 in the process. He faced the Nationals in that same late-April series, allowing two runs in five innings but taking the loss.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of storms, 81 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left field

The first rain delay – in which it never rained hard enough for the infield to be covered – was frustrating. The second rain delay – in which it did actually rain and sent everyone running for cover in the top of the seventh – was more frustrating.

But at the end of a long night of baseball, there was no frustration in the home clubhouse at Nationals Park. There were nothing but smiles after a rousing, come-from-behind, 6-5 victory over the Rockies that only came to fruition after all the misery and waiting that predated it.

Joey Meneses’ three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth capped a four-run rally and propelled the Nats to a much-needed victory on the heels of an ugly loss the previous night. It was witnessed by only a fraction of the 18,182 who paid to attend tonight’s game, but those who were still there at 11:35 p.m. to see Meneses launch a 1-1 pitch from right-hander Justin Lawrence deep to left were glad they waited it out.

The Nationals trailed 4-1 when the evening’s second rain delay disrupted the top of the seventh. When the game resumed at 10:59 p.m., they sprang back to life.

"It's not so much frustrating as it was a little tedious," Meneses said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. "Just a little boring, the way you get yourself warmed up, then you have to stop and do it all over again. But it definitely was very satisfactory to be able to pull off the win. Especially because if we would've stopped the game because of the rain delay, we would've lost the game."

It’s not exactly become a regular occurrence, but it’s no longer a once-in-a-blue-moon event. For the fourth time in the last month, the Nationals have both Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams in the lineup together.

Ruiz once again will serve as designated hitter for tonight’s game against the Rockies, with Adams catching as Davey Martinez tries to find ways to keep two hot bats in the lineup at the same time.

Martinez’s motivation is pretty simple. Adams has been one of baseball’s most productive backup catchers, entering tonight’s game batting .289/.344/.542 with five doubles, two triples, four homers and 11 RBIs in only 91 plate appearances. Ruiz, meanwhile, has been hot himself over the last month, batting .323/.371/.523 with four doubles, three homers and 11 RBIs over his last 17 games.

“I just try to pick days where I can do it,” Martinez said. “After this weekend, looking at everything, it just made sense for them both to get a chance to get more at-bats. I want to keep Riley going; he’s swinging the bat well. And also, Keibert’s swinging the bat really good right-handed.”

Martinez first started both of his catchers June 22 against the Diamondbacks and watched them go a combined 6-for-8 with a double and a homer. All told in the three games they’ve both started, they’ve gone a combined 11-for-25.

Was Monday night’s ugly loss to the Rockies an aberration, or have the Nationals reverted back into the form they showed prior to their weekend sweep of the Giants? Guess we’ll find out tonight when they return to the field looking to bounce back.

They’re facing an opposing starter they’ve had some success against in Austin Gomber. The Colorado left-hander enters with a 6.18 ERA and 22 homers allowed in 102 innings this season, and that includes his start way back on April 8 when the Nats scored five runs in 4 2/3 innings off him. And that doesn’t include the two starts Gomber made against the Nationals last season, when they scored 10 runs on 14 hits across eight total innings.

Davey Martinez's lineup has a few wrinkles to it: Joey Meneses is playing first base tonight with Keibert Ruiz serving as designated hitter, opening the catching spot for Riley Adams. All of that bumps Dominic Smith to the bench. Also on the bench is Luis García, who takes a seat as Michael Chavis starts at second base.

Trevor Williams happened to oppose Gomber in that April 8 game at Coors Field and pitched much better than his counterpart, allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings. Williams continues to give the Nationals a chance most times he takes the mound, though his record is only 5-5 thanks to a lot of no-decisions. He’ll hope to get back in the win column tonight.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of storms, 81 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left field

Jeimer Candelario tries his best not to think about it. There’s always another game to prepare for, batting practice to take, grounders to field. That’s how he keeps his mind off the subject everyone else wants to bring up with him: Next week’s trade deadline.

“You know how it is: I want to be able to live day by day,” the Nationals third baseman said. “I know the deadline is there, but I don’t want to pay attention to that. I want to keep going, helping my team where I’m at. Right now, I’m here. And I want to control what I can control right here.”

The Nationals have no superstars on the block this late July. Max Scherzer and Trea Turner were dealt two summers ago. Juan Soto and Josh Bell were dealt last year. The best chip they’ve got is Candelario, who is enjoying a strong season and is due to be a free agent, and that makes him far and away the most likely player on the roster to be moved before the Aug. 1 deadline.

Candelario, who signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Nats last winter after getting non-tendered by the Tigers, has professed his desire to stay in D.C. He’s performed well, and on Monday night delivered his 16th homer of the season to match Lane Thomas for the team lead, to go along with 28 doubles, 50 RBIs and an .821 OPS. He’s also played solid defense and would be a welcome addition for any contending team in need of help at third base.

Despite the noise surrounding him, Candelario has managed to continue to play well. He’s now hit six homers in July, more than any previous month.

Remember how everything went so well for the Nationals over the weekend? How they played crisp, clean, aggressive, winning baseball against the contending Giants and emerged with their first three-game sweep in more than two years?

Well, the Nats took the field tonight looking to keep those positive vibes going against the National League’s worst team and proceeded not to do anything they did well the previous three days.

During the course of a 10-6 loss to the Rockies, the Nationals looked nothing like the best version of themselves that had just been on display. They got a poor start out of Patrick Corbin. They did next-to-nothing at the plate against a couple of unheralded Colorado pitchers. They were charged with two errors in the field. They ran into one of the most egregious outs on the bases you’ll see all year. They were called for a balk when the pitcher turned to make a pickoff attempt at first base only to realize the runner wasn’t being held on.

"We made some mistakes," manager Davey Martinez said. "A couple of mistakes uncharacteristic to ourselves."

So it was the Nats failed to pull off their first four-game winning streak since June 27-30, 2021, back when Kyle Schwarber was launching home runs and Trea Turner was hitting for the cycle for a ballclub that believed it could compete for another World Series title.

Victor Robles bounded into the Nationals clubhouse this afternoon, bursting with the kind of energy that can mean only one thing: The injured outfielder is in a good mood about the current state of his body.

“Much better, thanks,” Robles said when asked how he’s feeling before making a beeline for Davey Martinez’s office to update the manager on the condition of his back.

Robles has played in only 36 games this season, only five since May 6 when he suffered his initial back injury sliding into second base in Arizona. After rehabbing that injury and returning to the active roster about six weeks later, he reinjured himself trying to make a lunging catch in center field before crashing into the wall.

That was five weeks ago. Robles has spent the bulk of that time at the Nationals’ spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., rehabbing and getting treatment. He still hasn’t progressed to the point where he’s doing any baseball activities, but the team is moving his home base back to D.C. to keep a closer eye on him and monitor his progress in person.

“I talked to him for a little bit in my office and he said he feels much better,” Martinez said. “We want to get eyes on him, get him moving around a little bit, and then we’ll go from there. He always has that bubbly energy, but it’s good to see him here.”

Anything interesting happen over the weekend? Sheesh, you take a few days off for a quick family vacation, and look what happens. The Nationals sign and introduce first-round pick Dylan Crews, then go and pull off their first three-game sweep in more than two years. At this point, I’m just hoping they let me back in the ballpark today.

The weekend sweep came against a good Giants team. Next up is a three-game series with the Rockies, the worst team in the National League. That guarantees nothing, of course, but the matchup on paper should favor the home team.

The Nats lineup really produced against San Francisco and will now try to continue that trend against a Colorado pitching staff that ranks last in the league in most categories. Right-hander Jake Bird will open tonight’s game, but based on past usage don’t expect him to go more than an inning or two.

Patrick Corbin gets the start for the Nationals, who would love to get at least six innings out of their veteran left-hander. Corbin was excellent for five innings last week against the Cubs before faltering in the sixth.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

CHICAGO – Rarely does a team deal away two stars, one of them a surefire Hall of Famer, in one trade deadline transaction. Now consider how rare it is for a team to do that two years in a row.

Suffice it to say, the Nationals’ 2021 and 2022 trade deadline moves were highly unusual. Teams just don’t generally put the likes of Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Juan Soto and Josh Bell all on the trade block in the span of 12 months. Whether they should’ve done that or not is an old debate at this point. It’s too late now to change history.

What isn’t debatable is the significance of the Scherzer/Turner deal to the Dodgers in 2021 and the Soto/Bell deal to the Padres in 2022. Those two moves alone netted the Nationals four current young major leaguers, one of the highest-rated prospects in baseball, two more who could reach the majors in the coming years and two others who to date haven’t panned out.

“I think we impacted our franchise greatly,” general manager Mike Rizzo said this week when asked to look back at his last two deadlines. “I think that we put the rebuild process in overdrive. And I think that we’re further along than if we hadn’t done those two trade deadlines.”

We’re now 12 days away from this year’s trade deadline (Aug. 1), and this much is clear: While the Nationals do have a few quality players who could be attractive to contenders, they don’t have anyone who compares to the aforementioned fabulous four. There are no franchise-altering deals to be made this time, only some calculated transactions and some interesting decisions to be made on a few guys who still could or could not be part of the Nationals’ long-term plans.

CHICAGO – With a chance to win another road series, with a chance to use their few remaining reliable relievers late, the Nationals yet again put themselves in position to emerge victorious.

This time, despite an inspired rally to tie the game in the eighth, they watched as one of those few trusted relievers gave up the eventual winning run minutes later. Then they watched as one of the unproven relievers turned this game into another rout in a matter of seconds.

Mason Thompson, entrusted with a tie game in the bottom of the eighth, was the pitcher of record in what finished as an 8-3 loss to the Cubs. Cory Abbott gave up the grand slam that blew things wide open after Thompson was pulled with the bases loaded later in the inning.

Through injuries, demotions, promotions and a flurry of transactions in recent weeks, the Nats bullpen has devolved into a mess in its current incarnation. There's no immediate help coming. They have no choice but to keep putting the same group on the mound and hope things will finally click.

"It's still the same game," Thompson said. "At the end of the day, we've just got to go out there and do a better job of helping the team win."

CHICAGO – The Nationals made yet another bullpen move today, calling up recently acquired right-hander Rico Garcia from Triple-A Rochester and placing Paolo Espino on the 15-day injured list with a flexor strain in his right ring finger.

It’s the club’s 10th bullpen change in six weeks, evidence of a revolving door unit that has dealt both with injuries and poor performances from those who have tried to fill the void.

Garcia only joined the organization one week ago when he signed a minor league deal after getting released by the Athletics, for whom he posted an 8.31 ERA in seven appearances. The 29-year-old wound up pitching only twice for Rochester before getting the call he was reporting to Chicago to join the big league staff.

“Everything kind of happened so quickly,” Garcia said. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity to be here.”

The 5-foot-9 Hawaii native has endured through a winding professional career that has included major league stints with the Rockies, Giants, Orioles and A’s. In total he’s pitched 27 big league games, producing a 6.89 ERA and 1.837 WHIP.

CHICAGO – As ugly as Tuesday night – and oh boy was it ugly – the Nationals still arrive at Wrigley Field today with a chance to win this series and head home with a 3-3 record on the second-half-opening trip. Even better news: The two semi-reliable relievers they still have are both available.

Kyle Finnegan and Mason Thompson are good to go if the situation presents itself in the late innings. So is Jordan Weems, who hasn’t appeared since Sunday in St. Louis. So the key, then, is for Trevor Williams to at least provide five (ideally six) quality innings and give his a team a chance, which is basically what he’s done all year. Williams is plenty fresh, because his last start was cut short after 2 2/3 innings due to rain. So there’s no reason he can’t reach, or even top, 100 pitches tonight if he’s performing well enough.

Veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks starts for the Cubs, and he has allowed nine runs, 18 hits and six homers over his last 10 1/3 innings after pitching quite well prior to that. Hendricks isn’t an overpowering guy; his changeup is his go-to pitch. It’s imperative for these Nationals hitters to stay patient with him and not get jumpy at the plate.

The Nationals announced some roster moves this afternoon, selecting the contract of right-hander Rico Garcia from Triple-A Rochester, placing Paolo Espino on the 15-day injured list with a flexor strain of his fourth right finger and transferred Israel Pineda (right finger fracture) to the 60-day IL.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO CUBS
Where: Wrigley Field
Gametime: 8:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 76 degrees, wind 7 mph right field to left field

CHICAGO – It's been quite an eventful start to the second half of the season. The Nationals experienced three rain delays in St. Louis, winning a suspended game in extra innings before dropping the other two. They saw their closer land on the injured list and their best trade chip suffer an injury that fortunately didn't linger for long.

Since arriving in Chicago, the Nats have won a game behind the efforts of their two remaining reliable relievers, then lost the next night after the rest of that bullpen allowed 14 runs in two innings. Yes, that's 14 runs in two innings.

On the minor league level, they promoted one of their top prospects to Double-A, they signed a bunch of recent draft picks (including two guys well above slot value) and are now just trying to lock up their No. 1 pick before next week's deadline.

Oh, and the trade deadline is fast approaching, as well.

Given all that, this seems like a good time to take your questions. Submit them in the comments section below, then check back throughout the morning for my responses ...

CHICAGO – Davey Martinez knew it was probably going to come to this tonight. With Mason Thompson and Kyle Finnegan having both pitched 1 1/3 innings in order to seal Monday night’s win over the Cubs, the Nationals manager was going to have to entrust some high-leverage situations to young, untested relievers in this game.

So it was no surprise when the bullpen door underneath the right field bleachers opened up in the sixth and seventh innings of a tight ballgame and out trotted Amos Willingham and Jose A. Ferrer. Sadly, it may not have surprised many when those two rookies – and then journeyman Paolo Espino – imploded before everyone's eyes, combining to allow an astounding 14 runs and turn a tight ballgame into a farcical, 17-3 loss.

This is the current state of the Nationals bullpen. With Hunter Harvey (elbow strain) and Carl Edwards Jr. (shoulder inflammation) on the injured list, Martinez has only two semi-proven late-inning options in Thompson and Finnegan. And when he needed those two to record the final eight outs of Monday’s 7-5 win, he left himself with no choice but to see how these newcomers might handle a big moment.

It did not go well.

Willingham, a 2019 17th round pick who hadn’t pitched above Single-A before this season, got out of a sixth-inning jam but did not retire any of the four batters he faced in the seventh. Patrick Wisdom homered to open that inning, and three singles followed before Martinez pulled the 24-year-old.

CHICAGO – Brady House’s double-promotion in the last month from Single-A Fredericksburg to High-A Wilmington to Double-A Harrisburg was an aggressive one, Mike Rizzo readily admits. But the Nationals general manager believes the 2021 first-round pick can handle that jump, and didn’t hesitate to make the move earlier today.

“We just thought he was ready,” Rizzo said. “We’re going to challenge him to the next level, and we’ll see how he does. No expectations. It’s an aggressive level for him.”

House, the 11th overall pick two summers ago from Winder-Barrow (Ga.) High School, has enjoyed a major bounceback season after spending much of 2022 on the injured list dealing with a nagging back ailment. The organization had him return to Fredericksburg to begin the season, but promoted him to Wilmington one month ago and then watched him continue to perform at a high level.

House posted a .908 OPS in 16 games at High-A, even better than the .869 mark he produced in 36 games at Single-A. He also took well to his position switch from shortstop third base, all of which convinced the Nationals he was ready for another jump so soon.

“With the transformation over to third base, I think he feels very comfortable defensively,” Rizzo said. “And he’s done so well offensively, we felt he was going to end the season at Double-A anyway in our minds. So when he was performing so well, we thought: ‘He’s performing well. We’ll get him to Double-A, since he’s going there anyways.’”

CHICAGO – The Nationals threw the kitchen sink at the Cubs in order to win Monday night’s series opener, with MacKenzie Gore reaching the seventh inning and Mason Thompson and Kyle Finnegan each recording four outs to lock up a 7-5 victory. It’s safe to say they won’t be able to do the same tonight, assuming both Thompson and Finnegan are unavailable.

So if the Nats are in a position to win late, it’ll be fascinating to see who Davey Martinez puts on the mound. He mentioned Jordan Weems, Amos Willingham and lefties Jose A. Ferrer and Joe La Sorsa following Monday’s game. That would be quite a collection of inexperienced late-inning options.

First things first. Patrick Corbin needs to give them a chance to win. The left-hander was great in two of his last four starts (against the Mariners and Rangers) but was hit around in the other two (against the Padres and Reds). Which version of Corbin, who was activated off paternity leave Monday, will show up tonight at Wrigley Field?

With right-hander Jameson Taillon on the mound for the Cubs, it’s the lefty-heavy version of the Nationals lineup taking the field. That means Corey Dickerson starts in left field over Stone Garrett, even though Garrett (.650) at this point actually owns a higher OPS against right-handed pitchers than Dickerson (.619).

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO CUBS
Where: Wrigley Field
Gametime: 8:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 72 degrees, wind 8 mph in from right field