Inside their clubhouse Wednesday evening, the Nationals packed up their bags and prepared to depart for New York. What they really were looking forward to, though, was the day off they’ve got in the Big Apple before opening a three-game series Friday against the Mets.

It’s their first day off in two weeks, since the Thursday they had in Chicago on Sept. 4. In between, they played 14 games in 13 days, winning six and losing eight, the quality of baseball seemingly getting worse as the days passed. To wit: After winning four of their first five during this stretch, they proceeded to lose seven of their next nine.

It was, to be sure, a grueling two weeks. And that would have applied no matter the time of year, but was especially true here in September of a season that was lost months ago.

These Nationals are limping to the finish line, that much seemed clear as they were suffering a four-game sweep at the hands of the Braves this week. A Braves team, by the way, that has nothing to play for itself at the end of an even more frustrating season for a perennial contender that is about to finish with a losing record for the first time in eight years.

Why, then, did Atlanta look so energized during this series while the Nats looked so flat?

As the bottom of the fifth came to a close at windy, gray Nationals Park late this afternoon, the home team finally had reason to feel encouraged for the first time in this four-games-in-48-hours series against the Braves. Brad Lord had tossed five scoreless innings to continue his September resurgence. The lineup had figured out Atlanta starter Hurston Waldrep at last, scoring three runs in rapid fire to take the lead and snap a 15-inning scoreless streak.

And then Miguel Cairo sent Lord back to the mound for the top of the sixth, a curious decision in the moment that only looked worse when the rookie right-hander gave up hits to two of the three batters he faced before getting pulled.

Not that the bullpen performed any better. Clayton Beeter really turned the top of the sixth into a mess, the Braves ultimately scoring four runs before tacking on two more against newly promoted reliever Sauryn Lao and three more off Shinnosuke Ogasawara to hand the Nats a thoroughly frustrating 9-4 loss that completed a miserable three days at the park.

When this series opened Monday evening, the Nationals trailed the Braves by four games at the bottom of the National League East standings, still with a shot at catching them for fourth place before season’s end. Four straight losses to Atlanta, however, dashed any hope of that and left the Nats at 62-91, matching their loss total from each of the previous two years with nine games still to be played.

"It's never easy to lose," rookie right fielder Dylan Crews said. "We want to win every single day, trust me. We want to go out there and win every single time we walk out onto that field. But we've got to fix some things. We've got to command the strike zone a lot better, from both sides. We do that, a lot of good things happen."

The Nationals will get a look at another newly acquired reliver before season’s end, calling up right-hander Sauryn Lao from Triple-A and optioning Orlando Ribalta to Rochester before today’s series finale against the Braves.

Lao was claimed off waivers from the Mariners on Sept. 3, a 26-year-old rookie who pitched in two major league games for Seattle earlier this season after spending the first nine years of his professional career in the Dodgers organization.

Lao (whose name is pronounced “SOW-rin low”) made three appearances for Rochester following his acquisition from Seattle, allowing one run over 5 2/3 innings, with five hits, two walks and two strikeouts. He primarily throws a four-seam fastball that averages 92 mph and a slider that averages 86 mph, utilizing those two pitches an equal number of times in his brief big league career.

“It’s a fresh arm that can help us,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “We got him on waivers, and they want to see him, and this is a chance for him to show what he’s got, and if he can help us.”

Lao didn’t exactly take a conventional path to get here. The Dominican native was originally signed by the Dodgers in 2016 as a corner infielder, converting to a pitcher only in 2023 after his hitting career stalled out at Single-A. He has found new life in the new role, going 8-5 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.251 WHIP in 99 minor league games, including 19 starts for the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma this season.

It was a miserable Tuesday at Nationals Park, in more ways than one. There was a day-night doubleheader. There was a two-hour rain delay before they could start the nightcap. There were extra innings in that nightcap. And, ultimately, the Nationals lost both games to the Braves, leaving them in danger of a four-game sweep if they lose today’s series finale as well.

But it’s a new day, so who knows what might transpire when these teams meet again at 4:05 p.m. (weather permitting, yet again)?

It’s Brad Lord on the mound for the Nats, looking to finish out his rookie season strong after a little blip recently. Lord gave up seven runs in back-to-back starts against the Yankees and Rays, which made his ERA spike from 3.84 to 4.34. But he was much better his last two times out against the Cubs and Pirates, allowing a total of four runs in 11 2/3 innings, which has brought his ERA down to 4.21. He faced the Braves three times this season, all in May, but all as a reliever. So they’ll be seeing a different version of the right-hander this afternoon.

Offensively, the Nationals desperately need to get something going at the plate early against Hurston Waldrep after getting worked by Spencer Strider, José Suarez and Chris Sale in the first three games of the series. Waldrep, 23, is making only his 10th career start, but his major league debut actually came last summer at Nationals Park. How did the home team do that afternoon? They scored seven runs in the fourth inning off Waldrep, with the big blow being a three-run homer by Keibert Ruiz (who, alas, is not playing today).

ATLANTA BRAVES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 66 degrees, wind 10 mph in from center field

All seasons are judged on final records. The Nationals were hoping their 2025 season would finish with a better record than they had in each of the previous two seasons. But unfortunately, that goal of improving upon 71-91 has long been out of reach.

Given the state of the team, the next-best thing would be to avoid a 100-loss campaign, which would be the Nats’ second since losing 107 in 2022.

But with this 5-0 extra-inning loss to complete a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Braves, the Nats still need to win one more game over their final 10 to ensure they will avoid that dreaded 100-loss season.

After the Nats spoiled a chance to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth inning of a scoreless game (they had the winning run 90 feet away with only one out, but then popped out and had a hard-hit Luis García Jr. line drive — 101.4 mph off the bat with a .580 expected batting average — caught at the wall by Ronald Acuña Jr.), Mason Thompson entered for the 10th and immediately surrendered the first run. Pinch-hitter Drake Baldwin drilled a low slider off the right field wall to easily score the automatic runner at second, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead.

But that wasn’t the worst of it, as Thompson proceeded to load the bases with a single and a walk and then give up a three-run triple to Matt Olson to turn this once 0-0 extra-inning game into a 4-0 Braves lead. An Ozzie Albies sac fly put the final nail in the coffin, sending the announced crowd of 19,216 home after a long, cold and wet day.

And we’re back! The Nationals will try to put this afternoon’s 6-3 loss to the Braves behind them and earn a split in this doubleheader with a victory tonight.

To do that, though, they’ll have to fare much better against another left-handed Atlanta starting pitcher. José Suarez held the Nats to two runs on five hits and two walks with nine strikeouts over seven innings earlier today. The task only gets harder against Chris Sale in the nightcap.

Sale has followed up his 2024 National League Cy Young Award with another stellar campaign, posting a 5-5 record, 2.52 ERA, 1.121 WHIP and 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings over 18 starts in his ninth All-Star season. He missed time between mid-June and late August with a fractured rib cage, but he has a 2.55 ERA over his three starts since returning from the injured list.

The Nats will counter with their own All-Star southpaw starter: MacKenzie Gore. In his return from the IL with left shoulder inflammation, Gore held the Marlins to two runs over five solid innings in a tough-luck loss last week. This will be his first start of the season against the Braves.

You’ll notice Miguel Cairo’s lineup for the second game looks very different from the usual. CJ Abrams and James Wood (who struck out four times in the first game to have 209 on the season) are on the bench, while Nasim Nuñez plays shortstop and hits leadoff (yes, leadoff!) and Dylan Crews gets bumped up to the No. 2 spot.

With the season series tied 3-3 and seven games scheduled between the two teams over a 10-day stretch in the season’s final two weeks, the Nationals entered this four-games-in-three-days series with a chance to close the gap between themselves and the Braves before the end of the year.

Last night’s 11-3 drubbing was a setback, but the Nats have not one, but two chances to get back in this long set with today’s split doubleheader. But by dropping the first game, which was rescheduled from a May 21 rainout, 6-3 on this Tuesday afternoon, the Nats now must win tonight to avoid the twinbill sweep and the possibility of a four-game sweep in tomorrow’s finale.

Much like Monday night’s starter Mitchell Parker, Jake Irvin entered this afternoon’s start looking to build any positive momentum before the offseason.

For a moment, it looked like Irvin had something going to start this one. With so much talk about his velocity being down this year (his four-seam fastball has averaged 92.3 mph this season), he struck out Matt Olson with a 95.1 mph heater and touched 94 mph during his strikeout of Drake Baldwin in the first inning, stranding Ronald Acuña Jr. after a two-out single.

Irvin then stranded runners on the corners with back-to-back strikeouts in the second, but his pitch count was already up to 41. And with a 2-0 lead in the third, he induced a double play ball and stranded Acuña again after the Braves slugger hit a comebacker off Irvin’s left foot and the 6-foot-6, 234-pound starter did a somersault while trying to field the ball and throw to first.

Cole Henry wasn’t sure if the opportunity would ever come. He wasn’t even sure his baseball career would continue following thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in August 2022, just two years after the Nationals made him their second-round selection out of LSU in the 2020 MLB Draft.

But after a long road back, the right-hander was cleared to resume a normal baseball workload, leading to his major league debut on April 13 in Miami. Unfortunately, Henry’s rookie season came to an end over the weekend when he was placed on the 15-day injured list with a back strain with exactly 15 days left to go in the season.

“Yeah, it was pretty tough,” Henry said ahead of Tuesday’s split doubleheader against the Braves. “Obviously, you don't want to end that way at all, but sometimes it's just like that. It's been a long year. It's something that my body really hasn't been through before, so it just kind of happened at the end of the season, which if it were to happen, I'd rather happen now than at the beginning. So yeah, nothing major. I'll be good for a normal offseason. But yeah, it's been a great year. I felt like I had a pretty solid season. I'm just trying to look to get better this offseason. Kind of figure out where I need to improve and work on those things. And then come back next year ready to roll.”

Given Henry’s injury history with thoracic outlet syndrome, the back strain actually came as good news for the 26-year-old, who doesn’t require a serious rehab plan for the offseason and instead will just focus on strengthening for an increased workload in 2026.

“Yeah, definitely. It's nice to know that I won't have to rehab in the offseason at all,” Henry said. “Just kind of working on a couple of things and keeping my body in shape and ready to take on a bigger workload next year. So yeah, just normal wear and tear stuff that just happens throughout the season. And yeah, I'll be ready next year to go.”

Let’s play two! That’s right, the Nationals will have not one, but two chances to get back into this series against the rival Braves in today’s split doubleheader. This 1:05 p.m. game is a makeup from a rainout on May 21, which technically gave Washington a two-game series sweep over Atlanta.

After last night’s 11-3 drubbing, the Nats will look to put together better at-bats against a slew of Braves relievers, starting with opener José Suarez. The 27-year-old left-hander has spent most of this season with Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate after making three major league relief appearances over the season’s first 12 games. He was charged with three runs (two earned) and seven walks with five strikeouts across 7 ⅓ innings.

The Nats typically don’t fare well when the opposition commits to a bullpen game, so it will be in their best interest to get to Suarez early and often.

Meanwhile, Jake Irivn will start the afternoon game for Miguel Cairo’s squad. The right-hander has been the losing pitcher of record in each of his last five starts and hasn’t won a game since his gem in his hometown of Minneapolis on July 27. The Nats have lost seven of the eight games he has started since. But he did toss a quality start against the Braves in Atlanta back on May 12.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLBN (out-of-market only), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 70 degrees, wind 13 mph in from right field

The National League East standings suggest the Nationals aren’t much worse than the Braves, entering the night trailing their division foes by a mere four games in the battle to finish fourth at the end of a miserable season for both clubs.

The baseball that was on display tonight, though, offered up little evidence these two teams deserve to be lumped into the same category. This 11-3 loss felt far more like the lopsided losses the Nats routinely suffered at the hands of the playoff-bound Braves the previous four years.

At the plate, the Nationals were overwhelmed by a young flamethrower in an Atlanta jersey, in this case the resurgent Spencer Strider, who dominated over seven innings. On the mound, a Nats left-hander finishing out the string of a ragged season was battered around by experienced hitters, in this case Mitchell Parker taking the punishment.

It all made for a familiar, frustrating night on South Capitol Street, where the home team was overmatched in every way by the opposition, even if their respective positions in the standings suggest that shouldn’t have been the case.

"We didn't hit today," interim manager Miguel Cairo said. "They just hit better than us today. They were better. They beat us."

Jarlin Susana had surgery last week to repair his right lat muscle, a procedure that could impact the top pitching prospect’s availability for Nationals spring training.

Susana, the organization’s third-rated prospect behind shortstop Eli Willits and fellow right-hander Travis Sykora, injured himself during an Aug. 30 start for Double-A Harrisburg, departing after allowing three runs on one hit, three walks and a hit-by-pitch in 1 2/3 innings. A subsequent MRI revealed a lat strain, the Nats announced Sept. 5, though they were still consulting with doctors to determine a course of action.

The final determination was that the strain was significant enough to require surgery, which was performed last week. The Nationals did not offer a timeline for his recovery, but pitchers who need lat surgery typically miss a considerable amount of time.

Mets left-hander AJ Minter had season-ending lat surgery in early May. Brewers right-hander JB Bukauskas has missed the entire season following lat surgery in late February.

According to Major League Baseball’s injury glossary, Grade 1 lat strains are considered mild and require only 2-3 weeks of recovery, Grade 2 strains are considered moderate and require a month of recovery and Game 3 strains are considered severe because the muscle ruptures, requiring surgery with a considerably longer recovery period.

We’ve reached the final two weeks of the season, with only four series remaining on the Nationals’ schedule. And while they will face an interleague opponent (the White Sox) to wrap up 2025, before that they’ve got three straight series against fellow National League East opponents, two of them against the Braves.

And this first series vs. Atlanta is a four-games-in-three-days series, with a day-night doubleheader on the docket Tuesday. First up, though, is tonight’s 6:45 p.m. opener. It’ll be Mitchell Parker on the mound, hoping to pick up where he left off in Miami last week when he allowed just two runs over 7 2/3 innings in his best start in weeks. The left-hander was OK in two back-to-back starts against the Braves back in May, allowing seven runs over 10 innings but emerging with a win in one of the games and a no-decision in the other.

Spencer Strider was Parker’s opponent for the May 20 meeting between these teams, and the Nationals jumped all over him for three runs in the first and another in the second. Strider was making only his second start off the injured list at the time. And while it’s been a rocky road for the hard-throwing right-hander, he has been better of late, posting a 3.00 ERA over his last three outings.

ATLANTA BRAVES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 77 degrees, wind 9 mph in from right field

BRAVES
LF Jurickson Profar
1B Matt Olson
RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
2B Ozzie Albies
SS Ha-Seong Kim
C Drake Baldwin
DH Marcell Ozuna
CF Michael Harris II
3B Nacho Alvarez Jr.

Williams will be recognized in a pregame ceremony ahead of Monday’s 6:45 p.m. game vs. the Atlanta Braves.

Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams has been named the Club’s nominee for the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One, Major League Baseball announced today. Williams is recognized for his continuous work with Project 34, which aims to improve the lives of spinal cord injury survivors and caregivers by providing financial relief to families, as well as his support of the Nationals’ military initiatives. As part of the league-wide celebration of Roberto Clemente Day, Williams will be recognized in a pregame ceremony before Monday’s 6:45 p.m. game vs. the Atlanta Braves.

In honor of the late humanitarian Roberto Clemente, Major League Baseball annually bestows the prestigious award to the player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions – both on and off the field. Fans are eligible to vote for Williams at mlbtogether.com/ClementeAward through the end of the regular season, Sunday, Sept. 28.

Inspired to action when a spinal cord injury left his Arizona State University teammate Cory Hahn paralyzed in 2011, Williams and Hahn established their nonprofit, Project 34, in support of those who have suffered similar life-altering injuries and faced rehabilitation journeys. In 2024, Project 34 provided more than $220,000 in aid to 144 individuals and is on pace to exceed those marks in 2025. With nearly $600,000 in grants awarded since its founding, Project 34 has improved the quality of life for hundreds suffering from spinal cord injuries, restoring hope, independence, and a focus on living fulfilling, empowered lives. Working closely with Washington Nationals Philanthropies, the Club’s charitable arm, Williams has also facilitated an annual Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day at Nationals Park. Each year, the Nationals support Project 34’s efforts by designating proceeds from the 5050 Raffle to the nonprofit’s fundraising efforts, as well as hosting individuals living with spinal cord injuries at Nationals Park.

In addition to his work with Project 34, Williams has committed to volunteering his time and support for our nation’s active-duty military service members and veterans. He has participated in the Nats on Base leadership forum, made base visits to military personnel and has built heartfelt connections with families from the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), including a recent pregame meet-and-greet before the Nationals annual Heroes Day celebration on Friday, Sept. 12.

The call came down to the bullpen as the bottom of the eighth was about to get underway Sunday afternoon. The Nationals and Pirates were tied 3-3, but Clayton Beeter was informed he should start warming up, because if his teammates scored that inning, he was going to be pitching the ninth.

Yes, in a save situation for the first time in his career. And how did the 26-year-old rookie handle that news?

“It felt pretty much the same,” he insisted. “Obviously, I knew what it was. But I felt confident that I was going to go out there and keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

Which is precisely what Beeter did do. Though he put two runners on base with two outs, the right-hander responded by striking out Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds to end the game, preserve a 4-3 victory and lock up his first career save.

How was it that Beeter found himself in this unlikely situation?

They waited it out all morning and early afternoon, the game tied since the end of the second inning, just looking for some kind of break to take the lead for good.

And when that break came in the form of another misplay in center field by Oneil Cruz, the Nationals took full advantage and then rode a makeshift bullpen to a 4-3 victory over the Pirates.

Daylen Lile provided the long-awaited club hit with a one-out double to left-center in the bottom of the eighth. And when Cruz (who already let one hit scoot under his glove earlier this weekend) did it again, James Wood (who started the rally with a walk) was able to race all the way home from first with the go-ahead run.

"At first, I was just thinking double. I thought it was going to be second and third," said Lile, who finished 2-for-2 with two walks, the rookie raising his OPS to .796. "And as soon as I saw it get past Cruz, I just kicked it into second gear, get to third base, and I saw James score."

Clayton Beeter, pressed into surprise closer service, then finished it off in the top of the ninth, overcoming a two-out walk and subsequent single to earn the first save of his career, capping an impressive game for the Nationals bullpen.

Cole Henry’s impressive rookie season has come to an unfortunate and premature end.

The Nationals placed Henry on the 15-day injured list this morning with a back strain, bringing an abrupt halt to the reliever’s first big league season with exactly 15 days remaining on the schedule.

Orlando Ribalta, who had just been optioned to Triple-A Rochester three days ago to clear a spot for MacKenzie Gore’s return from the IL, was recalled and will be back in the bullpen for today’s series finale against the Pirates.

Henry struggled during a high-leverage appearance Saturday afternoon. Entrusted with the top of the eighth with the Nats leading 1-0, he walked two of the three batters he faced, throwing only seven of his 18 pitches for strikes before getting pulled in favor of left-hander PJ Poulin, who allowed both inherited runners to score during what became a four-run rally for Pittsburgh.

It was Henry’s third consecutive shaky outing. He gave up three runs (two earned) on two hits, a hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch Monday in Miami, then returned to the mound two nights later and walked two during a scoreless inning.

Who’s up for some Sunday morning baseball? Yes, the Nationals and Pirates will kick off this NFL Sunday with a special 11:35 a.m. first pitch on South Capitol Street. But it’s not one of those early Roku games. We’ve got you covered in full on MASN for this one, which has the extra early start because it’s the annual Nats on Base Abroad game.

Two members of the 2019 World Series roster (Adam Eaton and Brian Dozier) will be watching the game from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar alongside U.S. service members stationed there. Given the time difference, the Nationals got permission to move the start time up two hours from the usual Sunday first pitch.

As for the game itself, the Nationals and Pirates square off in the rubber match of the weekend series, each of the first two games won with late offense (Friday by the Nats, Saturday by the Bucs). The Nationals hope to continue to get quality starting pitching with Cade Cavalli on the mound. The right-hander makes his eighth big league start of the season, having just faced the Marlins twice in a row and allowed two runs in five innings each time, earning the win each time.

Pittsburgh sends Mike Burrows to the mound. The rookie right-hander has solid numbers (3.99 ERA, 1.237 WHIP, 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings) but he’s been restricted to no more than five innings and no more than 80 pitches since the end of July.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 11:35 a.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 79 degrees, wind 4 mph in from right field

After the surprising brilliance of Andrew Alvarez and the clutch performances of Dylan Crews and Robert Hassell III, the Nationals found themselves in position this evening to win a game in which they didn’t put a single man on base until the sixth inning.

It would’ve made for quite the uplifting outcome at the end of what was shaping up to be a disastrous day at the plate against Pirates rookie flamethrower Bubba Chandler.

Instead, the disaster came not at the plate but on the mound in the top of the eighth when three Nats relievers combined to allow four decisive runs via a flurry of walks and well-placed singles, the difference in a 5-1 loss on South Capitol Street.

What began as a scoreless pitchers’ duel between rookie starters Alvarez and Chandler, the latter of which was perfect through five innings, turned into a late bullpen meltdown, something the Nationals’ relief corps hadn’t experienced in a while.

"You're not going to be perfect all the time," interim manager Miguel Cairo said of a bullpen that has been among the majors' best units over an extended stretch. "The bullpen has been outstanding the last 3-4 weeks. Sometimes, you're just not going to have it. And you've got to move on, come back tomorrow and be good."

The first three home runs of Brady House’s career weren’t just pulled. They were pulled straight down the left field line. Good swings, all of them. But mirror images, pretty much, in each case.

That made Friday night’s homer during the Nationals’ 6-5 win over the Pirates significant. Because it didn’t look like the other homers. This time, House drove the ball to right-center.

Leading off the bottom of the sixth, with his team trailing 3-0 at the time, House jumped on a first-pitch slider from Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller and drove it 402 feet the other way, the ball clearing the out-of-town scoreboard in right-center for a solo shot that ignited the whole lineup.

“I saw it, and I just tried to be on time that at-bat,” the rookie third baseman said. “Just happened to go out, so I’m happy about it.”

It’s been a tough rookie season in some ways for House, who was called up in June with a reputation as one of the organization’s top power prospects. He slugged .519, connecting for 13 homers, in 283 plate appearances at Triple-A Rochester. But the power has dried up in the majors: Even with Friday’s blast, he’s slugging a mere .344 with four homers in 238 plate appearances at the highest level.

Friday night’s series opener against the Pirates turned into a wild one, even though the first five innings were pretty uneventful. The Nationals came back from a 3-0 deficit to score six runs in the sixth and seventh innings, taking a 6-3 lead into the ninth. Then Jose A. Ferrer nearly blew the entire lead, only to be bailed out by James Wood’s perfect throw from left field to the plate for the second-to-last out of what wound up a 6-5 victory.

They’re back at it later this afternoon, with a matchup of rookies who have a combined six major league appearances between them.

Andrew Alvarez makes his third career start, and his first two have gone exceptionally well. The left-hander tossed five scoreless in his debut against the Marlins, then held the Cubs to two runs over 4 2/3 innings last time out. Now he faces a Pittsburgh lineup that has scored the fewest runs in baseball this season (532). (For comparison’s sake, the Nats have scored 632 runs, which ranks 20th out of 30 clubs.

Alvarez wasn’t considered a top prospect. Bubba Chandler definitely was, the third-round pick in the 2021 Draft entering this season as a top-15 prospect in the sport by multiple outlets. The Pirates used the right-hander in relief three times, now he makes his second start (though he got rocked by the Brewers for nine runs in 2 2/3 innings in that previous start.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind 5 mph out to left field