The Washington Nationals recalled infielder Trey Lipscomb from Triple-A Rochester and designated third baseman Nick Senzel for assignment on Saturday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Lipscomb, 24, returns to the Nationals after hitting .395 (15-for-38) with five doubles, three homers, 12 RBI, four walks and eight runs scored in 10 games during his most recent stint with Triple-A Rochester. This includes going 6-for-11 (.545) with two doubles and two home runs over his last three games. He played third base (6 G), first base (3 G) and second base (1 G) along the way.

This marks Lipscomb’s fourth Major League stint with the Nationals this season. Despite playing 34 games with Triple-A Rochester, he remains tied for third among National League rookies with 10 stolen bases. In 38 games with Washington, Lipscomb has hit .237 with a double, one home run, nine RBI, 11 walks and 16 runs scored.

Senzel, 29, hit .209 with 10 doubles, seven home runs, 18 RBI, 27 walks, one stolen base and 25 runs scored in 64 games with Washington.

For the third time in five days as a big leaguer, James Wood stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with a chance to win the game for the Nationals. And for the third time in five days as a big leaguer, Wood and the Nats proceeded to go to extra innings.

Where for the third time in five days, they proceeded to lose. But, for the first time, in the 11th instead of the 10th.

Unlike Monday and Tuesday nights against the Mets, the Nationals found a way to extend this game against the Cardinals. That only prolonged the heartache, with St. Louis scoring the eventual winning run on a strikeout that got away from catcher Riley Adams and the Nats lineup unable to mount one final rally before falling, 7-6.

"We've been playing a lot of these tough games here lately," closer Kyle Finnegan said. "It's a testament to our character that we keep showing up and giving everything we have. Hopefully the balls start bouncing our way, and the tides will change here soon."

Unable to mount any more offense of consequence after busting out of the gates early, the Nationals instead had to rely on an overworked bullpen to keep the game alive. That group couldn’t do it, with Hunter Harvey allowing a run in the eighth, Finnegan blowing the save in the ninth and Dylan Floro allowing St. Louis' automatic runner to score in both the 10th and 11th.

The Nationals could have ridden things out with Joey Meneses a bit longer, giving him a chance to snap out of his hitting funk until Joey Gallo is ready to return from the injured list. But with Gallo still weeks away, and with Juan Yepez on a hot streak at Triple-A Rochester, they decided now was the time to make a switch at first base.

Meneses was informed he was being optioned to Triple-A following Thursday’s win over the Mets, and this afternoon the Nats officially purchased Yepez’s contract from Rochester, giving the 26-year-old a chance to play at the big league level.

“It was all really about Joey, trying to get Joey locked in,” manager Davey Martinez said. “He’s got options. He’ll go down and try to work on his swing and just get him back. It’s not like we’ve seen the end of Joey.

“The other guy’s doing really well. Yepez has been hitting the ball really well, playing a good first base. So we wanted to give him the opportunity to come up here and see what he can do.”

Nearly two years removed from his breakthrough two-month debut at 30, Meneses had seen his numbers steadily decline, from a .930 OPS in 2022 to a .722 OPS last season to a .597 mark this season. He was slugging a mere .299 since June 1.

All morning, he waited, knowing he was likely to be summoned at some point before the end of the game. Davey Martinez was just waiting for the right moment to signal Jesse Winker to step to the plate.

“He was biting at the bit, I can tell you that,” Martinez said. “He said: ‘I’ll be ready.’ Oh, I know you’ll be ready.”

Winker has been one of the Nationals’ most consistently productive offensive players this season, and in recent weeks he has become their regular No. 3 hitter. But that’s mostly against right-handers. And with the Mets starting three lefties during this week’s four-game series, that meant a lot of time sitting on the bench and waiting for the call.

Thursday’s series finale featured left-hander Jose Quintana on the mound for New York, so it was the right-handed Harold Ramirez batting third and serving as designated hitter. But the moment Mets manager Carlos Mendoza pulled his starter and inserted righty Adrian Houser for the bottom of the eighth, Winker knew his name was about to be called.

“You’re kind of just watching the game, paying attention and seeing when a moment might arise,” he said. “And then you go and prepare and talk a gameplan. I talked to (assistant hitting coach) Chris Johnson about a quick gameplan, went up and just tried to barrel a ball.”

SEATTLE – The Orioles couldn’t let a sleeping offense lie.

Bryan Baker loaded the bases in the seventh inning with the score tied, Keegan Akin entered with two outs and the Mariners’ J.P. Crawford doubled to right-center field to plate three runs. Mitch Garver followed with a homer.

A crowd that kept verbalizing its annoyance with Seattle’s silent bats finally had reason to erupt.

Corbin Burnes’ latest quality start and Gunnar Henderson’s flirtation with the cycle were sidenotes to the Orioles’ failure to complete the sweep, losing a lead and ultimately the game, 7-3, before an announced crowd of 32,347 at T-Mobile Park

The Yankees lost again today to keep the Orioles (55-32) two games ahead in the division.

More than three months into this season, it has become clear the Nationals trust Jake Irvin. And with the stars perfectly aligned today, they trusted their young right-hander more than ever before.

And thanks to one – and only one – big hit from his teammates, Irvin and the Nats emerged victorious on Independence Day in the nation’s capital.

Irvin completed eight innings for the first time in his career, allowing one hit, one walk and nothing else on a day when the Nationals bullpen was severely depleted and needed everything it could get from the 27-year-old starter. And when Jesse Winker blasted a pinch-hit homer in the bottom of the eighth, they had the only run they needed to pull off an inspired, 1-0 victory over the Mets.

"That was unbelievable, it really was," manager Davey Martinez said. "We definitely needed that."

Held to four singles by New York starter Jose Quintana, the Nationals finally broke through in the bottom of the eighth against reliever Adrian Houser. With a right-hander finally on the mound, Martinez sent Winker up to pinch-hit for Harold Ramírez, then watched the veteran blast a 1-0 curveball to right-center for the day’s first and only run and some long-awaited support for his starting pitcher.

Against a Seattle Mariners team that ranks 13^th in the American League and 27^th in the majors scoring 3.78 runs per game, the Orioles have allowed just one run in two games.

They have 2-0 and 4-1 victories at T-Mobile Park and can complete a three-game sweep today against the AL West leaders.

The Orioles look for their sixth series sweep of the year of three games or more. They swept four at Chicago versus the White Sox from May 23-26. They won four straight in Florida against the Rays from June 7-10. They have three-game sweeps over Boston, Minnesota, and Cincinnati.

They look for the sweep against a Mariners team (47-41) that has scored just five runs during a four-game losing streak. Seattle has lost seven of nine and 10 of its past 13 games. The M’s first-place lead is down to two games over the Houston Astros.

In these two games, Baltimore pitchers have allowed just seven hits in 18 innings with six walks and 24 strikeouts against the team that has struck out more than any in the majors. Seattle batters have fanned 901 times.

SEATTLE – Ryan Mountcastle is out of the Orioles lineup this afternoon in the series finale in Seattle after returning to it last night.

Adley Rutschman also is on the bench, as the Orioles go for the sweep.

Heston Kjerstad is batting second and serving as the designated hitter.

Colton Cowser is in left field. Jordan Westburg is at third base, with Jorge Mateo at second.

Corbin Burnes seeks his 14^th quality start. He faced the Mariners on May 19 and allowed an unearned run with 11 strikeouts in six innings.

Boy, did the Nationals need that win Wednesday night. After dropping five straight to the Mets to begin the season, then falling behind 5-0, they stormed back to win 7-5 thanks to the offensive heroics of Luis García Jr. and James Wood and a really impressive job by an overworked bullpen.

The domino effect of that, though: You have to assume Robert Garcia, Hunter Harvey and Kyle Finnegan are all going to be unavailable for this morning’s series finale, none of them able to pitch for the fourth straight day. If this game is close late, Davey Martinez is going to have to rely on some different relievers for a change.

A long start out of Jake Irvin would help the cause tremendously, and Irvin has shown an ability to do that this year. He has completed at least six innings 12 times in 17 starts, and he has reached the seventh twice. If he can keep his pitch count manageable, you wonder if Martinez will push the right-hander a bit more than usual today.

After finally facing a right-hander Wednesday, the Nats will be going up against a lefty again today in veteran Jose Quintana. Given how well Wood has handled southpaws so far, you have to think he’ll remain in a prominent spot in the lineup.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 11:05 a.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv, MLB Network (outside D.C. market)
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 88 degrees, wind 5 mph out to center field

While James Wood’s first two major league games came with all of the deserved hype, the Nationals’ top prospect had yet to really deliver a signature moment.

Sure, he reached base in high-leverage moments in both games, but he hadn't yet scored his first major league run nor recorded his first major league RBI.

So maybe the third time would be the charm for Wood, who was promoted to the No. 1 prospect in baseball by Baseball America earlier today. And sure enough, his first big league moment came tonight in leading the Nationals to victory.

Wood drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single in the seventh inning of the Nats’ 7-5 win over the Mets, their first against their division rival this season.

After rallying from a 5-0 deficit to make it a one-run game entering the sixth inning, the Nationals offense put Wood in position to be the hero.

The Nationals made a switch at their backup catcher position Wednesday afternoon, recalling Riley Adams from Triple-A Rochester and optioning Drew Millas back to Rochester.

Adams, 28, was sent down to Rochester and replaced by Millas on the major league roster a month ago after he hit .215 with five doubles, two homers, six RBIs, seven walks, one stolen base and six runs scored in 25 games with the Nationals.

Now after 22 games with the Red Wings, he’s back in the big leagues with improved timing at the plate and another defensive position in his back pocket to give manager Davey Martinez more flexibility.

“Feels good to be back,” Adams said mere minutes after he returned to the clubhouse at Nats Park. “Obviously I've been here now for 20 minutes and I'm happy to be back. Happy to be here and anyway can help the team and all that stuff, I'm here for. That's what I told Davey. I'm excited to get back to work.”

Adams slashed .288/.396/.550 with a .946 OPS, three doubles, six homers, 13 RBIs, 12 walks and 16 runs scored with Rochester.

Will tonight be the night? Can the Nationals finally beat the Mets after starting the year 0-5 against their division rival? Better yet, can they do it in the standard nine innings after losing each of the first two games of this series in the 10th?

Starting pitching hasn’t been a problem for the Nats this week. On the contrary, they have remained in these games thanks to some dominant performances from their starters over the last two days. Mitchell Parker will look to continue that trend in his 15th start. The left-hander is 5-4 with a 3.32 ERA and 1.119 WHIP to begin his rookie season.

The Mets called up rookie right-hander Christian Scott to make his sixth major league start tonight. The 25-year-old is 0-2 with a 3.90 ERA and 1.084 WHIP to begin his big league career. After holding his own against two southpaws in his first two games, this will be James Wood’s first time facing a right-handed starter in the majors.

If you’re coming to the game tonight, you’ll be treated to the traditional postgame fireworks ahead of tomorrow’s July 4 celebrations.

Note: The Nationals requested unconditional release waivers on Eddie Rosario, who was designated for assignment on Monday to make room for Wood.

Tuesday’s news on Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli wasn’t good, certainly not in Gray’s case. The Nationals’ Opening Day starter, who landed on the injured list after two outings with a right flexor strain, has been shut down during the final stages of his rehab assignment after a recurrence of elbow discomfort and is scheduled to visit specialist Keith Meister in Dallas during the All-Star break.

We won’t know until then whether Gray’s injury has become far more significant and requires surgery, or whether he managed to avoid the worst and just needs more time off. Either way, it’s clear he won’t be pitching in the big leagues anytime soon, and his 2024 season could end up a complete wash.

There’s still reasonable hope for Cavalli pitching major league games for the Nationals in the relatively near future, though his return from Tommy John surgery isn’t as imminent as it once looked after the right-hander came down with the flu last week and now needs to start building up his arm yet again. Both Cavalli and Gray’s rehab assignments have been shut down.

This would have qualified as terrible news back in April. The Nats absolutely were counting on both Gray and Cavalli to be a big part of their 2024 rotation, and then for years to come after that.

It’s still bad news, but it may not be as damaging to the club’s short-term and long-term hopes as most would’ve thought when the season began. For that, we can thank the remarkable and unexpected ascension of three other young starting pitchers who have dazzled so far in the majors this year: Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz.

James Wood has spent all of two nights in the big leagues. Each time, the Nationals’ top prospect has found himself stepping to the plate to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning in a tie game. Each time, he hasn’t been able to score the winning run.

And each time, the Nats went on to lose to the Mets after a disastrous top of the 10th.

The script was basically the same tonight, New York scoring five 10th-inning runs after exploding for six in Monday’s series opener. The Nationals didn’t have a last-ditch rally in them and thus lost their fifth straight to their division rivals, this time by a more lopsided score of 7-2.

"I think I've kind of been learning quick that how close these games really are," Wood said, "and one play can really make a difference."

Kept off the bases his first three times up tonight, even though he scorched the ball each time, Wood finally got a chance to face a right-hander in his fourth plate appearance of the game, his ninth overall in the big leagues. He saw six pitches from the Mets’ Jose Butto, didn’t swing at any of them, and wound up drawing the walk.

Monday wasn’t a typical day at the ballpark. Today should be, as the hullaballoo of James Wood’s debut dies down and the rookie outfielder just gets to work on being a big leaguer for a team trying to start winning games again.

The Nationals had themselves within a game of .500 just over a week ago, but they’ve lost six of their last seven and now suddenly sit at 39-45, three games behind a Mets team they led for most of the season’s first half. They need to get this thing back in gear before it spirals too far out of control.

Wood and his teammates will be facing another left-hander tonight in Sean Manaea. The 32-year-old has solid numbers (3.89 ERA, 1.297 WHIP, 76 strikeouts in 76 1/3 innings) but he’s also walking four batters per nine innings. A Nats lineup that frequently hasn’t shown enough patience needs to show it tonight.

DJ Herz, meanwhile, starts for the Nationals, and the rookie left-hander needs a bounceback performance after back-to-back shaky outings on the road that have made his 13-strikeout gem against the Marlins feel like a distant memory. We still don’t know what exactly is going on with Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli, so Herz’s job may not be on the line tonight. But a strong outing would certainly help his cause to stick around and avoid a trip back to Triple-A Rochester.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly clear, 84 degrees, wind 10 mph out to left field

Josiah Gray is unlikely to pitch again for some time after the right-hander experienced elbow discomfort during his last rehab start, prompting the Nationals to schedule an MRI and a consultation with Dallas specialist Keith Meister during the All-Star break.

Though they don’t yet know the extent of this setback, the Nationals and Gray admittedly are worried about the possibility of a serious injury that requires him to miss considerable time after he already spent nearly three months trying to make it back from a flexor strain in his elbow and forearm.

“I’m a little concerned right now,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We got him ramped up, he looked good. Last outing, the velo wasn’t there. He said he just felt tired. His arm, he felt like he had nothing in there. So we’ll wait and see what happens.”

Gray was making his fifth rehab start of the month Sunday, his previous outing Tuesday for Triple-A Rochester going exceptionally well: six innings of one-run ball on 73 pitches. This latest appearance bore little resemblance to that one, with Gray getting roughed up for seven runs in three innings and his fastball topping out at 91.9 mph.

“Honestly, I felt really good going into it,” the 26-year-old said. “And then in between innings, I didn’t feel like I was recovering well. I just felt a little fatigued. Told the trainers, and we tried to get ahead of it. We’ll see what we’ve got when we get the MRI.”

Fans are challenged to help the Orioles collect 10,000 pounds of food

The Baltimore Orioles, in collaboration with the Maryland Food Bank, today announced the return of the 37th annual Orioles Food & Funds Drive, driven by AAA Club Alliance Inc. This important event will take place at Oriole Park at Camden Yards during the weekend series against the New York Yankees from July 12-14.

Throughout the weekend, representatives from the Orioles, AAA, Giant Food, and the Maryland Food Bank will be stationed at multiple entrances of the ballpark, collecting non-perishable food items and monetary donations from fans. Contributions will be accepted from the time the gates open until the end of the second inning.

“At AAA, the safety and well-being of the communities we serve is our top priority, whether at home or on the road,” says SCOTT LUGAR, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Membership, AAA Club Alliance. “We are honored to play a leading role in this important event and look forward to joining Orioles fans to make a difference in the lives of those in need.”

"Participation in the Food & Funds Drive is vital because it empowers us to work in partnership with corporations and our fans to create a powerful impact for those in our community who rely on these resources,” shared KERRY R. WATSON, JR., Orioles Executive Vice President of Public Affairs.

Washington Nationals top prospects outfielder James Wood, outfielder Dylan Crews and third baseman Brady House have been selected to represent the organization in the 2024 All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on July 13. Major League Baseball made the announcement Tuesday on MLB Network.” The 25^th All-Star Futures Game features the top Minor League prospects competing as part of All-Star Saturday.

Wood, 21, is the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball, according to Baseball America and MLBPipeline.com. He leads Washington’s Minor League system and ranks among all Minor League hitters in batting average (2^nd, .353), on-base percentage (2^nd, .463), OPS (2^nd, 1.058) and slugging percentage (9^th, .595). He hit .353 with 16 doubles, 10 home runs, 37 RBI, 40 walks, 10 stolen bases and 44 runs scored in 52 games for Triple-A Rochester this year. Wood made his Major League debut last night, going 1-for-4 with a walk.

The six-foot-seven, 234-pound left-handed hitting outfielder was named the International League Player of the Week on May 13 after going 10-for-22 (.455) with a double and five home runs. He later earned Player of the Month honors after slashing .394/.506/.746 with four doubles, seven home runs, 22 RBI, 17 walks and 18 runs scored during the month of May.

Wood participated in the 2023 All-Star Futures Game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. He walked in two plate appearances.

Crews, 22, is the No. 5 prospect in baseball according to Baseball America and MLBPipeline.com. He ranks in Washington’s Minor League system in RBI (3^rd, 45), stolen bases (T3^rd, 18), triples (T3^rd, 3), OPS (4^th, .788), slugging percentage (4th, .442), extra-base hits (T5^th, 24), total bases (5^th, 106), batting average (7^th, .271), doubles (T7^th, 14), home runs (T8^th, 7), hits (T8^th, 65) and runs (T8^th, 37).

James Wood was the center of attention Monday night, and he may remain so for the foreseeable future. But a whole lot of other stuff happened during the course of the Nationals’ wild, frustrating, 9-7, 10-inning loss to the Mets.

And it’s worth revisiting some of those other key developments through the course of the game …

* Another rough night for Harvey
There haven’t been many players on the roster this season more consistently reliable than Hunter Harvey, but the right-hander is in a legitimate pitching slump right now. And it’s costing his team games.

Harvey entered Monday’s affair having been scored upon in two of his three previous appearances, not to mention four of his last nine. He endured through an awful 10th-inning meltdown in San Diego last week. And then he basically re-lived it Monday night against the Mets.

Harvey faced six batters and retired only two. The three hits he surrendered were a three-run homer, a two-out double and an RBI triple. He got only two swings and misses out of his 24 pitches. And of the five balls that were put into play against him, four featured exit velocities of at least 101.5 mph, while the fifth still clocked in at 98.6 mph.

This was always going to be James Wood Night at Nationals Park, no matter how the 21-year-old performed in his major league debut, no matter the outcome of the Nats’ series opener against the Mets.

But as early evening turned to dusk turned to night on South Capitol Street, it became clear this game was going to come down to Wood at the plate – or the bases – with a chance to be the hero.

The only problem: Wood needed at least some help from his teammates, and alas they provided none at the critical moment of the game. Which then set the stage for the proceedings to flip entirely in the other direction.

A six-run top of the 10th by the Mets, five of those runs scoring off Hunter Harvey, ultimately was the difference in what devolved into a bizarre, 9-7 Mets victory, spoiling Wood’s highly anticipated debut before a crowd of 26,719 that desperately wanted to go home happy but instead left disappointed.

"Obviously, that's the end goal," the sport's No. 3-ranked prospect said at the end of a long, emotional day. "I wish we'd come out with a win. But we've got another one tomorrow, and that's all I'm focused on."