With smoke from Canadian wild fires getting worse in the region, Major League Baseball postponed today’s scheduled series finale between the Nationals and Diamondbacks, citing the health risks current conditions pose for players, fans and stadium workers alike.

The teams were able to play Tuesday and Wednesday night as planned under a hazy sky that wasn’t nearly as bad as it was in Philadelphia and New York, where games were postponed Wednesday. They were supposed to finish the three-game series at 1:05 p.m., but the air quality is considerably worse today, with Washington officially categorized as “Code Purple.”

The decision whether to play or not was made by MLB, with consultation with both teams and the MLB Players Association, and was announced about 90 minutes before first pitch.

“This postponement was determined following conversations throughout the day with medical and weather experts and the two impacted clubs regarding clearly hazardous air quality conditions in Washington, D.C.,” the league said in a press release.

This was to be the last time the Nationals and Diamondbacks faced each other this season, but Arizona will now be forced to come back to Washington for a June 22 makeup game at 1:05 p.m., a common off-day for both teams. The Nats begin a West Coast trip to San Diego and Seattle the following day. The D-backs will make a side trip to D.C. in between series at Milwaukee and San Francisco.

Today's 1:05 p.m. game vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks has been rescheduled due to the poor air quality in the Washington, D.C. area.

The game will be made up on Thursday, June 22 at 1:05 p.m. All tickets and parking passes for today's game will be honored for the rescheduled game.

Perhaps if other things had progressed in a different manner the rest of the night, Lane Thomas’ throw in the top of the fifth Wednesday would’ve carried more weight. In the end, the play had no bearing on the outcome of the Nationals’ game, a 6-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.

That doesn’t mean it didn’t feel significant in the moment, though. Or that it wasn’t noticed by everyone at Nationals Park.

When Corbin Carroll lined a hit to right to open the top of the fifth, Arizona looked like it was poised to start another rally against Patrick Corbin and perhaps cash in this time after being shut out since taking a quick 3-0 lead in the first. And when Thomas couldn’t cleanly field the ball on a hop, Carroll looked like he was destined for a leadoff double.

Until Thomas retrieved the ball and fired it toward second base, where CJ Abrams made a nice scoop and applied the tag to Carroll in time for the out.

It was a big play in what was a 3-2 game at that moment. And it was only the latest by Thomas, who has really come to his own in right field this season.

Tomorrow night’s game (Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. vs. Tampa Bay Rays) is Military Appreciation Day presented by PenFed at Nationals Park.

To thank our service members, the Nationals are providing two free tickets to active duty, dependents, veterans, retirees, reservists, National Guard and Department of Defense civilians with military ID or proof of service. Tickets can be claimed at the Home Plate Box Office beginning when gates open at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday (two free tickets per ID, while supplies last).

Highlights of tomorrow’s pregame ceremonies include:

· Simultaneous Ceremonial First Pitches thrown by:

    Major General Joel Jackson, Commander, Air Force District Washington

The Washington Nationals proudly welcomed representatives from the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the Embassy of Japan for today’s annual Blossoms & Baseball game.

Prior to today’s event, the NCBF, in partnership with the Embassy, donated a National Cherry Blossom Festival giant cherry blossom sculpture to the Nationals for display at Nationals Park. The sculpture, titled Refresh, Renew, Rebloom, was designed and painted by Prism Specialties Art Restoration. It was temporarily on display in the Navy Yard neighborhood in 2022 and will now be displayed on ballpark’s main concourse near the Washington Suites.

Today’s ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Ambassador of Japan to the United States Koji Tomita.

Last month, the Embassy hosted a World Baseball Classic celebration, including strong cherry blossoms representation, welcoming representatives from the tournament’s participating teams as well as the Washington Nationals and NCBF.

The Washington Nationals celebrated the club’s 18^th annual Night OUT on Tuesday, the longest-running Pride event in Major League Baseball. The first 20,000 fans received a Screech Night OUT bobblehead, and fans who purchased the special ticket package also received an exclusive t-shirt with $5 from every special ticket benefitting Team DC. With more than 7,100 special tickets sold, tonight’s event was the largest Night OUT in the organization’s history.

As special guests of the game’s presenting partner, Team DC, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi threw out the game’s ceremonial first pitch; and Rex Wheeler, also known as Lady Camden, runner-up on Season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, held the President’s Race finish line.

You can watch video of the Night OUT festivities here.

Wednesday night, the Washington Nationals held the club’s second annual UK-US Friendship Day at Nationals Park, celebrating the recent coronation of King Charles III and the enduring partnership between the two nations.

As the night’s guest of honor, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak personally requested that the ceremonial first pitch be given to Stuart Taylor, CEO of the Allied Forces Foundation, in recognition of Taylor’s many years of public service in support of military veterans, active-duty personnel and the trans-Atlantic relationship.

Sunak was joined on the field by Taylor and Nationals manager Davey Martinez for the UK and US national anthems, which were punctuated by a flyover performed by F/A 18s piloted by United States Navy Lt. Josh Chester and British Royal Navy Lt. Cmdr Thomas Sharp. The UK anthem was performed by the Royal Marines Band, and the US anthem by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band.

You can watch video of the UK-US Friendship Day festivities here.

In case you missed it, Washington Nationals were honored by MLB as the 2022 Green Glove Award finalist for the National League East. The team led the division in waste diversion, which is done through practices such as recycling, composting, food donations and energy recovery. This is the third year in a row that the Nationals have received this honor. 

The Nationals remain committed to bringing baseball to the region sustainably. Recent efforts have included: installing the first two Reverse Vending Machines in MLB, with the machines having recycled thousands of items since August and encouraging the practice among fans with the chance to win fun prizes; teaming up with WGL Energy and Chesapeake Bay Foundation to plant trees for every Nationals run scored at home; recycling last season’s playing field, creating 680 tons of topsoil to be used in other community projects; and continuing to harvest hundreds of pounds of food from the ballpark’s rooftop garden, which is distributed to local communities.

You can learn more about the the Nationals' sustainability efforts here.

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Cory Abbott from Triple-A Rochester and designated Erasmo Ramírez for assignment on Wednesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

In his last two starts for Triple-A Rochester, Abbott allowed just two hits and one run in 10.0 total innings (0.90 ERA), with 12 strikeouts. Since April 28, Abbott has allowed more than one run in a game just once, working at least 5.0 innings in four of his five starts. Over that span, he has struck out 33 in 23.0 innings. In total, Abbott’s 51 strikeouts this season ranks third in Washington’s Minor League system.

Abbott, 27, joins the Nationals for the third time this season after two previous stints in May. He has allowed three hits and one run in 4.0 total innings in two appearances for Washington so far in 2023. Abbott was selected off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on May 4, 2022, and went on to enjoy five stints with Washington last season. He made nine starts (0-5, 6.00 ERA, 36 SO) and seven relief appearances (2.00 ERA, 9 SO), held opponents to a .186 average at home. In his last two starts of 2022, Abbott struck out a total of 13 (seven in 5.0 IP vs. Atlanta, Sept. 26 and six in 4.0 IP at New York (NL), Oct. 4).

Ramírez, 33, was 2-3 with a 6.33 ERA in 23 games this season.

The sting of the Nationals’ 10-5 loss to the Diamondbacks still loomed over the entire home clubhouse Tuesday night, but Stone Garrett couldn’t help but light up when asked about the grand slam he clubbed way back in the first inning off a team and a pitcher he knew all too well.

“It felt freaking good,” the 27-year-old said, his smile growing wide. “That’s my best friend pitching. And your old team. Keibert (Ruiz) just hit two home runs off his old team (last week at Dodger Stadium), so it feels good. Revenge game.”

Designated for assignment by Arizona last November, then signed by the Nats two weeks later, Garrett already faced his former team last month at Chase Field. And he already faced Tommy Henry, the 25-year-old left-hander who became one of his closest friends and a regular roommate through their respective treks up the organizational ladder.

This, though, meant far more. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, Garrett launched a changeup from his good buddy deep to left, the ball clearing the fence for the first grand slam of his career and the first grand slam by any Nationals player at home since Yan Gomes on June 15, 2021.

“It felt like a good pitch,” Henry told reporters in the visitors’ clubhouse. “Yeah, it’s unfortunate it was him. It’s unfortunate in any circumstance, but unfortunate it was him because I probably won’t hear the end of it now.”

For the second straight game, Davey Martinez pulled a struggling starter in the middle innings and entrusted a struggling reliever to keep a close game against a quality opponent close.

And for the second straight game, that struggling reliever not only couldn’t keep the game close, he couldn’t even keep it close enough for his Nationals teammates to have a realistic shot at coming back by night’s end.

Jake Irvin was tonight’s fading starter, and Erasmo Ramirez was tonight’s struggling reliever. They bore a striking resemblance to Trevor Williams and Andrés Machado from two days prior in a loss to the Phillies. In this case, the opponent was the Diamondbacks, who took full advantage of the Nats’ pitching woes during a 10-5 victory that further underscored some major problems for the home club.

"Walks," an unusually and visibly aggravated Martinez lamented. "We're walking too many guys. Hitting batters. Falling behind. Pitching 2-0, 1-0, 3-1. You're not going to win very many games like that. We've got to clean that up."

The Nationals have now lost six of their last eight, and a recurring theme throughout this stretch has been ragged relief pitching, whether in the middle or late innings. The situation already was dire entering the day, with the Nats owning the National League’s worst bullpen ERA (4.73) and WHIP (1.433), and things only got worse.

The Nationals made the first of what could be several moves in coming days to address a bullpen that has become the roster’s weakest link, designating Andrés Machado for assignment and recalling Jordan Weems from Triple-A Rochester.

Machado, who was tagged for four runs and gave up a pair of killer homers during Sunday’s loss to the Phillies, was out of options and couldn’t be demoted to the minor leagues without first clearing waivers. The Nationals will wait to see if the 30-year-old clears, but because he already went through this process last winter he’ll have the right to refuse an outright assignment to Triple-A and could elect to become a free agent instead.

A somewhat consistently effective bullpen arm for the Nationals in 2021-22, Machado had a 3.41 ERA and 1.326 WHIP across 91 appearances. But after opening this season in Rochester and making his return to the majors in late April, he struggled. In 14 games, he finished with an 8.47 ERA and 1.765 WHIP.

“It’s a tough move,” manager Davey Martinez said. “I really like Machado, and he’s got good stuff. It’s just his location was not good, and he was getting hit really hard.”

A Nats bullpen that performed well in 2022 and entered this season as a perceived strength has instead turned into a major cause for concern. The group enters tonight’s game against the Diamondbacks with a National League-worst 4.73 ERA and 1.433 WHIP.

The Nationals and Diamondbacks engaged in a highly entertaining series one month ago in Phoenix, the D-backs ultimately winning two of the three games (though one only after storming back to win in the bottom of the ninth). Now the surprise National League West leaders come to D.C. for a three-game series against a Nats club that continues to compete but would like to emerge victorious a few more times against quality opponents.

Jake Irvin gets the start, the seventh of his young career. The rookie right-hander showed some glimpses of improvement last time out against the Dodgers but still wound up allowing four runs in five innings to that potent lineup. The Nationals could sure use a solid start out of Irvin, whose spot in the rotation isn’t necessarily on thin ice, but it isn’t exactly solid either.

The Nats face yet another left-hander in Tommy Henry, who held them to two runs in six innings last month at Chase Field, both runs scoring on a Keibert Ruiz double. As noted here before, these guys have fared much better against lefties this season than righties, so here’s a chance to keep that trend going and provide Irvin with some run support.

As expected, there’s a bullpen roster move today: Andrés Machado was indeed designated for assignment following Sunday’s rough outing. Right-hander Jordan Weems was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take his spot. So the Nats remain without any left-handed relievers for now.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Hazy, 80 degrees, wind 13 mph out to right field

The notion that Stephen Strasburg might still come back to pitch for the Nationals again, sadly, seemed to pass months ago.

When manager Davey Martinez revealed on the first day of spring training Strasburg was unable to complete an offseason bullpen session without a recurrence of the nerve pain that has plagued him for several years, the writing was on the wall.

And when general manager Mike Rizzo said on Opening Day the 34-year-old needed to rehab his injury “if nothing more, just to play with his children, get back to regular life,” it underscored the severity of the situation, far beyond anything that takes place on a baseball field.

Strasburg has not appeared at Nationals Park this season during the hours leading up to, during or after a home game. His locker remains where it has always been, his jersey and belongings neatly arranged, essentially untouched. Teammates he barely knows walk past it every day, with little reason to think about the pitcher whose name hangs above it.

Strasburg isn’t currently participating in any rehabilitation activities, as The Washington Post reported over the weekend. He resides on the 60-day injured list, technically still a part of the team but not on anybody’s immediate radar.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Washington Nationals’ Night OUT celebration on Tuesday, June 6, as a special guest of the game’s presenting partner, Team DC.

This year’s Night OUT celebration is the club’s 18^th, making it the longest-running Pride event in Major League Baseball. The first 20,000 fans in attendance will receive a Screech Night OUT bobblehead, and fans who purchase a special Night OUT ticket will also receive an exclusive t-shirt with $5 of every special ticket purchased donated to Team DC, a charitable organization that educates the LGBTQ community on the benefits of individual and team sports participation.

Speaker Emerita Pelosi is being recognized for her long-standing commitment to fighting for the rights and dignities of the LGBTQ+ community, dating from her first congressional speech in 1987 on the AIDS crisis, up through leading recent legislation guaranteeing civil rights protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

It was an eventful week for the Nationals. It started in Los Angeles with three competitive games at Dodger Stadium, capped by an impressive, five-homer performance in a series-closing victory. It ended in D.C. with three competitive games at Nationals Park, capped by an unfortunate, five-homer performance by the Phillies in a series-closing victory.

Now, with an off-day heading into another home series against the Diamondbacks, let's take a moment to discuss everything that has happened, on and off the field of late. (And, yes, that includes the Stephen Strasburg situation, if you're interested.)

Submit your questions in the comments section below, then check back throughout the morning for my responses ...

SAN FRANCISCO – For Orioles rookie Gunnar Henderson, there were reasons to believe he could have a swing like that coming.

One where he hit what proved to be a game-winning homer in the seventh inning in a tie game. One where he did it off the pitcher with the fifth-best ERA in the National League and one that had gone 33 innings without giving up a homer.

One where he produced an exit velocity of 110.7 mph – both the hardest-hit ball by him all year and the hardest allowed by Giants starter Logan Webb, who had an ERA of 1.68 his previous seven starts.

Henderson’s bat has been, slowly at times, trending up. He had an OPS of .740 in May, drove in three runs just a few games earlier and nine of his 17 hits last month went for extra bases. The contact was getting louder more often.

And Webb found out the kid was ready to come through in a big moment.

Kyle Finnegan returned to the dugout after getting out of the top of the eighth Friday night, having surrendered the tying run to the Phillies (albeit an unearned run due to CJ Abrams’ throwing error) and having thrown 13 pitches.

Davey Martinez tried to tell Finnegan his night was done. The right-hander insisted it was not.

“I just felt like I had some more in me, and I wanted to empty the tank,” Finnegan said. “It was a good, hard-fought game, and I felt like I could go out there and get some more outs for us.”

So Martinez let Finnegan go back to pitch the ninth, understanding he wouldn’t let him go beyond his pre-designated limit of 35 pitches for his late-inning relievers.

Finnegan wound up finishing the game, securing the Nationals’ 8-7 win over the Phillies, on 34 pitches.

Mike Devereaux spent 12 years in the majors and played everywhere in the outfield, with center his most dominant position. He climbed fences and crashed the late-night highlights after arriving in Baltimore in 1989, when the Orioles shocked the industry by going from historically worst to contending until the final weekend.

Devereaux worked as a guest instructor at spring training in February and was struck by some similarities with this year’s club, which began its series in San Francisco last night with the third-best record in baseball and serious intent to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

“I got to meet these guys and I can see the confidence within them, and I can obviously see the talent,” he said this week. “They’re a young team, kind of like in ’89, and you see the drive. I had a feeling, and I told them, when Mike (Elias) said this is not a rebuilding year anymore, it changed everything. It’s like, ‘we’re ready to start winning.’”

The Orioles must keep it going while Cedric Mullins is on the injured list with a strained right groin muscle.

An impressive collection of players have skillfully patrolled center for the Orioles, most notably Hall of Famer Paul Blair, and Devereaux ranks Mullins highly on the all-time list.

The Nationals and Phillies took the field on a steamy, early June evening on South Capitol Street in a position neither likely expected to find itself at this stage of the season. An overachieving Nats club entered the night only one game behind the defending National League champions, who haven’t come close to living up to their lofty expectations two months into the 2023 campaign.

What took place over the ensuing three-plus hours suggested this head-to-head competition may not be nearly as lopsided as everyone assumed.

Despite blowing an early six-run lead, the Nationals rallied to re-take the lead in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a clutch, two-out stolen base by Alex Call and Lane Thomas’ subsequent RBI single. And Davey Martinez’s overworked, recently ineffective “A” bullpen somehow found a way to close out an 8-7 victory before a crowd of 29,827 to catch their division rivals in unlikely fashion.

Yes, the Nationals and Phillies are now tied in the NL East, one team the proud owner of a 25-32 record, the other a not-so-proud owner of the same record.

"It means a lot," Thomas said. "Nobody really expected us to be here. I think we take a few series like we have over the last month, and we could be sitting pretty good here in a few months."