MINNEAPOLIS – Trying to find some kind of spark for a lineup that has been shut out its last two games, Davey Martinez has moved Keibert Ruiz up to the No. 2 spot for tonight’s series opener against the Twins.

Ruiz had mostly been batting fifth or sixth this season, with two other games in the cleanup spot. He’s been one of the team’s few productive hitters in recent days, with a pair of three-hit games during the Nationals’ last homestand to raise his batting average 40 points to .262.

Martinez had tried to stick with Dominic Smith in the 2-spot, but the first baseman has looked lost at times at the plate, has zero extra-base hits so far this season and sports a weak .550 OPS. Smith was moved down to the No. 6 position tonight, the lowest he’s batted so far this year.

“We really need to get Dom going. He’s a big part of our offense,” Martinez said. “I just dropped him down a little bit. Keibert’s swinging the bat well. I talked to him today and not changing anything. Just continue to put the bat on the ball. He’s done well, so we’ll give him an opportunity to bat second today and see how it goes.”

Though he hasn’t hit for much power either, with one double in his last seven games, Ruiz has been hitting the ball with more authority, going 9 for his last 24. Even more impressive, he hasn’t struck out during this stretch.

MINNEAPOLIS – Hello from one of the Twin Cities, where there was white stuff falling from the sky just a few minutes ago. Outdoor April baseball in Minnesota: It’s a beautiful thing!

The Nationals come to Target Field for only the second time in their history, the previous visit back in September 2019, when things were just a little bit different. They’ll try to get their bats going this weekend, despite the cold here, with a tweak to their lineup: Keibert Ruiz has been moved up to the No. 2 spot, with Dominic Smith moved down to the No. 6 spot. Davey Martinez has been trying to take pressure off his young guys and let them hit down in the lineup, but at this point he really has little choice but to see how Ruiz handles a prominent position in the order.

Pretty much everything else remains status quo, with Stone Garrett again starting in left field in place of Alex Call, who will come off the bench for the series opener against Twins right-hander Tyler Mahle.

Trevor Williams gets the ball for the Nats, and he’s been solid through his first three starts, entering tonight’s game with a 3.52 ERA and 1.174 WHIP. The right-hander hasn’t completed six innings yet, but that’s not all that important with him, given his history as a swingman who may be best-suited to a maximum of five innings per start anyway.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MINNESOTA TWINS
Where: Target Field
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of snow (seriously), 39 degrees, wind 12 mph out to right field

It was a frustrating couple of days for the Nationals, who were swept by the Orioles without scoring a run in either game of their first Battle of the Beltways matchup of the season. And yet, there were still signs of encouragement, most notably in the form of Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore. But about that lineup ... yikes.

In a strange bit of scheduling, the Nats were off Monday, are off again today and will be off again next Monday in between road series at the Twins and Mets. So let's take this opportunity to delve into the topics of your choosing.

If you've got something about the Nationals you'd like to ask, submit it in the comments section below. Then check back throughout the morning for my responses ...

If this season is going to be about the development of young pitchers above all else, there are probably going to be more nights like this. Nights when the Nationals’ inept lineup can’t generate any semblance of consistent production, leading to a loss despite a quality effort by the club’s pitching staff.

Add tonight’s 4-0 loss to the Orioles to the growing list. Shut out for the second straight night by a Baltimore pitching staff that didn’t exactly come to town with a sparkling resume, the Nats never really felt like they were in it. They went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, dropped their second straight to their interleague rivals and fell to 5-13 overall.

"We're in a funk as a team," manager Davey Martinez said. "Just can't drive in that run. We out-hit them today. We just can't get that one big run across the board there."

The silver lining, then, was provided by MacKenzie Gore, who was far from outstanding in his fourth start of the season yet still showed the flashes of dominance that make the Nationals hope they’ve found their No. 1 starter.

Gore allowed three runs in six innings, all of them coming in the third and fourth. Before and after, he allowed only one batter to reach, striking out seven and departing with a 3.43 ERA and more strikeouts (25) than innings pitched (21) for the season.

Among the top priorities for Nationals’ player development at the major league level this year is the production of the young arms in the starting rotation: Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore.

In that category, they are off to a great start. Despite being 0-4, thanks in large part to the lack of run support, Gray has a 3.74 ERA over his first four starts, including five-plus innings on one-run ball against the Orioles last night. He has only allowed one home run since surrendering three on Opening Day against the Braves.

Meanwhile, Gore is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA and 18 strikeouts over his first three starts ahead of tonight’s outing against Baltimore.

But right up there with the organization’s list of goals is also keeping these two young arms fresh to pitch throughout the course of the season.

Gray more than doubled his previous season high in innings pitched last year by throwing 148 ⅔ frames. He started to fade near the end of the campaign, so the team shut him down in the last week of September.

WASHINGTON – The Orioles are getting closer to gaining reinforcements for their well used bullpen. Manager Brandon Hyde said today he is hopeful that both Mychal Givens and Dillon Tate can begin rehab assignments sometime next week.

Both right-handers have officially been on the injured list since Opening Day. Givens is out due to left knee inflammation. He pitched in four spring games, allowing one unearned run in four innings. His last spring game was March 16. Tate, on the IL with a strained right forearm, did not pitch at all during spring.

Some already thought that Givens was a bit ahead in his rehab and might push up his return date, but now it appears both pitchers could return sooner than anticipated.

“Hopefully, both of those guys are going to go out at some point next week for rehab assignments,” Hyde said.

Hyde said timelines for the return of both are “pretty similar and it’s all going to depend on how they feel. And we’re hoping to get them both out of Sarasota sometime next week.”

WASHINGTON – With an ERA of 9.49 and WHIP of 1.784 through his first three starts, O’s right-hander Dean Kremer was pitching nothing like he had yet during the 2022 season.

But on a night when he needed to turn around his season and give the pitching rotation a boost, he did both in the opener of a brief two-game series at Nationals Park.

Kremer pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings as the Orioles beat the Washington Nationals 1-0 at windy and chilly Nats Park in front of 18,747 which featured a big number of Orioles fans.

In the first three starts this year, Kremer had an ERA of 9.00 and opponent OPS of 1.015 in the first inning of his starts. But tonight was different as he got a double play to end the inning after a one-out bloop single. He needed just nine pitches to get three outs.

That was a good sign and the night continued to be a big plus for him.

Josiah Gray has unquestionably gotten off to a good start this season, especially once he overcame some early home run foibles in his first outing of the year. That’s important to the Nationals in the grand scheme, because improvement from the 25-year-old right-hander is high on their list of goals for 2023.

It would be nice, though, if the Nats could reward Gray for his efforts by getting him at least one win at some point. Or, you know, providing at least one run of support for him.

Alas, that isn’t happening at all, and the disturbing trend continued tonight during a frustrating, 1-0 loss to the Orioles in the opener of this year’s Battle of the Beltways on South Capitol Street.

Despite another strong start from Gray, the Nationals lineup was once again rendered helpless, shut out for the third time this season. Notably, all three shutouts have come during Gray’s last three starts.

"You go through some tough luck like this, when you do have good starters make some good pitches and pitch well, and it sucks," first baseman Dominic Smith said. "It sucks that we weren't able to push across a couple runs for him, especially with how well he's been pitching."

WASHINGTON – The Orioles road trip, which started with them going 2-1 against the White Sox in Chicago, continues tonight at Nationals Park when they play the first of a two-game series with the Washington Nationals.

The Orioles beat Chicago 8-4 Sunday after falling behind 4-0 after the first inning. But after scoring six runs there on Friday and Saturday, they added eight more Sunday and have scored 49 runs the last seven games and six runs or more nine times on the year.

The Orioles are 9-7 overall with a plus-7 run differential and they have won back-to-back series against Oakland and Chicago. They are 4-3 at home and 5-4 on the road and trying to go three games over the .500 mark for the first time in 2023.

The Orioles' .563 win percentage, if maintained over a full season, would result in 91 wins.

In the series at Chicago, they scored 20 runs on 30 hits with six doubles, two triples and two homers and they went 10-for-43 with runners in scoring position.

One week after landing on the injured list with a left shoulder strain, Ildemaro Vargas was able to begin taking swings, and the Nationals utilityman is aiming for a return next week when the team is in New York.

Vargas jammed his left shoulder April 9 making a diving catch of a sharp grounder in Colorado. He finished out the game but hasn’t played since and was placed on the 10-day IL on April 11.

The 31-year-old was able to begin taking swings in the cage today, though, and he will likely attempt to take a full round of batting practice on the field Wednesday afternoon.

“He actually said he felt really good,” manager Davey Martinez said. “So that’s encouraging. The next step will be to get him on the field.”

Swinging appears to be less of a concern for Vargas than fielding will be. After getting hurt, he mentioned the trouble he had reaching to catch throws and struggling to raise his left arm above his head.

The Battle of the Beltways is one of the most unique rivalries in sports.

Between 1972 and 2004, there was not a Major League Baseball team in Washington, D.C. The Orioles arrived in Baltimore in 1954. That created a couple of generations of Washington baseball fans growing up rooting for the Baltimore team.

When the Nationals arrived ahead of the 2005 season, the latest edition of the Washington baseball club started slowly, but surely, regaining its fan base in the region. But there are still plenty of fans that remained loyal to the Orioles. And with the two teams less than 40 miles apart, it has created lively atmosphere whenever the regional rivalry is renewed.

“It's kind of fun,” Nationals manager Davey Martinez said ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Orioles. “They're just around the block really. So it is fun, but for me and for the coaching staff and the players, it's business as usual. We're playing an opponent. We try to go 1-0 today. We know that they're close by. A victory would be awesome today, no matter who it is, but it is kind of fun. Plus, a good friend of mine over there is the manager as well. So I can't wait to see him and talk to him and see what's going on over there. But it'll be a lot of fun tonight.”

Martinez is of course referring to Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, who was with him on Joe Maddon’s coaching staff with the Cubs from 2015-17. When Martinez was hired as the head man of the Nationals before the 2018 season, Hyde took over as Maddon’s bench coach before being hired by the Orioles ahead of the 2019 season.

WASHINGTON – Orioles infielder Ramón Urías, who was hit in the left side of his head Saturday by a 96.2 mph pitch, is no longer in concussion protocol. He is not starting tonight, but could play in the series opener against the Washington Nationals.

“He’s cleared everything and that’s unbelievable,” said manager Brandon Hyde before today’s game. “From what that looked like and how that sounded. Such a scary moment. Passed all the tests, wants to be in there and is ready to go. I just want to make sure he feels right and he says he does. I won’t hesitate to use him off the bench, in a pinch-hitting moment or for defense late.”

The Orioles have still not announced a starter for Wednesday’s game. Right-hander Kyle Bradish is eligible to come off the injured list tomorrow and still seems likely to get that start.

“We need a starter tomorrow and we’re going to see what our options are after the game today,” said Hyde.

Hyde said "no" when asked if the Orioles would use a current starter out of the bullpen. 

The Orioles posted their lineup for tonight’s series opener against the Nationals in D.C. and didn’t announce a roster move.

Ramón Urías left Chicago in concussion protocol after being hit in the head Saturday. His condition had improved the following day, and manager Brandon Hyde will provide another update later today to the assembled media.

Ryan O’Hearn is batting ninth and playing first base in another new lineup from Hyde. Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter.

Adam Frazier moves up to fifth in the order. Gunnar Henderson is playing third base and batting seventh.

Dean Kremer is making his fourth start tonight. He’s allowed 13 runs and 16 hits with six walks in 12 1/3 innings. He’s also surrendered five home runs.

The first round of this year’s Battle of the Beltways begins tonight, and though the roles of the two participants have changed somewhat at this stage in each franchise’s development, there’s still reason to believe the baseball played the next two nights on South Capitol Street will be compelling.

The Nationals have been playing compelling baseball for nearly two weeks now: Nine of their last 10 games have been decided by one or two runs, the lone outlier a 10-5 win at Colorado. They’re also playing relatively low-scoring games, the average score this season checking in at 5.1-3.9 in the opponents’ favor. The Orioles have been playing a more varied brand of baseball so far. Nine of their 16 games have been decided by three or more runs, and their average score has been 5.9-5.4 in their favor.

Josiah Gray’s task tonight: Keep a potent lineup that ranks first in the American League in on-base percentage and second in slugging percentage and homers in check. He’s been pretty good at that so far, especially after his ragged opening inning to the season: He’s allowed only two homers in 15 innings since, while walking only five batters in 16 2/3 innings overall.

The Nats will have to try to hit the ball in the air against Dean Kremer, who has allowed five homers in only 12 1/3 innings to date, completing five innings only once in three starts. They got power from Jeimer Candelario and Luis García during Sunday’s win, so perhaps that will carry over into this week.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 65 degrees, wind 14 mph left field to right field

If two hitting coaches can help the Orioles, maybe three can do even more. So far that is proving correct as the co-hitting coaches Ryan Fuller and Matt Borgschulte are in their second seasons together on the Orioles staff. This year they were joined by Cody Asche, named before this season as offensive strategy coach.

The “three-headed monster” as Fuller calls it, must be putting in some great work as the Orioles offense is among the best in the game to start this year.

Fuller was a pregame guest Sunday on the Orioles Radio Network.

“Great start,” Fuller said of the offense on the broadcast. “Obviously comparing it to last year we got off to a slow start. We hit balls hard but they were right at people. Felt really unlucky. But this year we get off to a good start, and have a winning record, that is what we wanted to do. Start fast and go throughout the year. We’re really happy but at the same time there are still guys we are looking to get more production out of. Hard to get all nine guys going at once but that is what we are trying to do.”

And the numbers are impressive for an O’s offense that scored 20 runs over the weekend in three games in Chicago and has scored 28 runs the past four games and 49 over the last seven. In 16 games to date, the Orioles have scored six runs or more nine times.

The Nationals went into the season touting much-improved defensive play, insisting that would help make their pitching staff better. Sixteen games into the 162-game marathon, there appears to be some truth to that line of thinking.

Though they’ve still made their share of mistakes in the field, including 12 errors (tied for most in the majors) and several fly balls lost in the sun, the Nats have played a much crisper brand of baseball. The eye test says that, but so do some actual defensive metrics.

FanGraphs’ all-encompassing defensive rating has the Nationals right in the middle of the pack, ranked 15th out of 30 major league clubs. They rank 17th with minus-1 Defensive Runs Saved. They rank 16th in Defensive Efficiency, converting 69.1 percent of all batted balls into outs.

By those measurements, the Nats are an average defensive team. Which may not sound like much, until you remember they were one of, if not the worst defensive teams in baseball last year.

The biggest improvement has come in the infield. Their worst position is shortstop, with zero DRS (CJ Abrams’ three Opening Day errors didn’t help there). Their best position is third base, with 3 DRS thanks to Jeimer Candelario’s smooth play through the season’s first 16 games.

The Orioles are in D.C. tonight for the first of two games in a “beltway rivalry” that is more hype than actual substance.

Sure, it’s fun to beat the team down the road. But players would be stretching the truth like Silly Putty if they claimed to have extra motivation. This isn’t a division series.

There isn’t much of a mailbag rivalry, either. Too one-sided over here.

You have questions. I usually have answers, or at least a level of sarcasm that could distract you.

This is the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original, and it’s better than any Oscar nominated movie this year. I’m giving you information, opinions, and everything everywhere, all at once.

The Orioles have reinstated LHP Keegan Akin from the paternity list and optioned RHP Spenser Watkins to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.

Just 15 games into the season and the Orioles are setting a blistering pace for slugging and home runs. The Orioles 2023 HR total is in the top 5 of the American League. Led by Ryan Mountcastle and Adley Rutschman, the birds have been belting it out of the park regularly. And that pace could continue. The Birds will soon be facing several teams that lead the majors in home runs allowed.

While the Orioles have been making news for their home run celebrations, some of the fans have had hundreds and thousands of reasons to express their own excitement. Those excited fans are the Maryland Lottery’s Home Run Riches Contestants of the Game. In their first 15 games the Orioles have hit 22 HRs, winning $19,000 for the Lottery’s Home Run Riches Contestants of the Game. 

And as the home run tally climbs, excitement is building for what will be the Orioles’ 50th home run and a $50,000 payout for one of the lucky fans picked in the Maryland Lottery’s Home Run Riches Contestant of the Game promotion. They could get to 50 before the end of May — so now’s the time to enter! Contestants of the Game are drawn monthly, and the winners for the 28 games in May will be selected on April 25. The deadline to be part of that drawing is 11:59 p.m. on April 24. 

The Maryland Lottery is holding monthly drawings to select Contestants of the Game for each of the Orioles’ 162 regular season games. Each winner receives $500 for being picked, and will be designated as the Contestant of the Game for an upcoming Orioles matchup. They’ll also win an additional $500 for each home run the Orioles hit during their designated game. 

In celebration of the Maryland Lottery’s 50th anniversary, the Lottery will also be giving away a second $50,000 prize in the promotion’s final drawing on Aug. 29. 

The Nationals continue to do enough to keep themselves engaged in close ballgames, right through the final out of the ninth. And they continue to do just enough to keep themselves from emerging victorious by losing the second half of close ballgames.

Whether by bullpen struggle or punchless lineup, the Nats just aren’t delivering in meaningful situations when they have a chance to seize control of a game late. It’s happened several times over the last two-plus weeks, and it happened again this evening during a 6-4 loss to the Guardians that was there for the taking but never captured by the home club.

The Nationals’ 11th loss in their first 15 games followed an all-too-familiar script. They had a brief burst of offense early, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. Then they let the opposition catch up and then overtake them by the top of the fifth. And then they did very little at the plate themselves the rest of the way, shut down by Cleveland’s bullpen to suffer yet another loss by slim margin.

Four of the Nats’ last six losses have come by only one run. The others were a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday night in Anaheim, then this two-run loss that had been a one-run game until Josh Bell produced a big insurance run for the Guardians in the top of the ninth.

The common theme in all of these losses: A lack of execution in the later innings. Entering tonight, the Nationals owned a solid .751 OPS in innings 1-3, a respectable .702 OPS in innings 4-6 but a paltry .486 OPS in innings 7-9.