Soto getting X-rays, Cabrera getting starts over Dozier (down 7-4)

Lost in the shuffle of Tuesday night's record-breaking comeback win was the fact Juan Soto took a fastball off his right elbow in the sixth inning and was in serious pain.

Not serious enough to prevent Soto from playing a big role in the Nationals' late comeback, but serious enough to necessitate an X-ray this morning.

The club is awaiting word of that test, but Soto is in the lineup for today's series finale against the Mets. And even if he is hurt, it didn't prevent him from delivering two key hits in Tuesday's win.

Soto was hit by a Jacob deGrom fastball on the right elbow in the bottom of the sixth and immediately went down in pain. After a long talk with and examination by director of athletic training Paul Lessard, Soto trotted down to first base, remaining in the game.

Two innings later, he walloped a 443-foot homer off deGrom, showing no ill effects. And then in the bottom of the ninth, he singled off lefty Luis Avilán, the hit that set the stage for Ryan Zimmerman's two-run double and Kurt Suzuki's three-run, walk-off homer.

Soto wore a temporary pad underneath his arm sleeve for his final two at-bats, and the Nationals today fitted him for a more substantial guard.

"He said he feels OK. Sore, a little sore," manager Davey Martinez said. "He's going to wear an arm guard, the same one Anthony (Rendon) has on. He wore it yesterday and it didn't seem to bother him much. He hit a home run with it on, so it was kind of nice."

Meanwhile, Asdrúbal Cabrera is in the Nationals lineup for the seventh time in the last nine games while Brian Dozier sits for the fifth time in seven games.

Martinez said it's simply based on matchups and performance, with Cabrera (batting .328 since joining the Nationals one month ago) earning playing time against right-handers over Dozier.

"Cabrera is playing well," the manager said. "And I've had conversations with Dozier. ... Dozier's done well. I talked to him today. Obviously we have a couple lefties coming up (in Atlanta this weekend), which he'll (face). But the whole thing is getting everybody involved and keeping everybody going. So far, it's worked out. They get it. They understand. And I love the fact that they get it."

Though Adam Eaton felt well enough to pinch-hit Tuesday night - he was in the on-deck circle when Suzuki launched the game-winner - he still isn't ready to return to the field because of a bone bruise on the outside of his right knee.

"He was ready to pinch-hit. He can hit," Martinez said. "It's just the running part, the stopping and going and everything. We've got to get him going."

Gerardo Parra once again starts in right field in Eaton's place. The veteran is mired in a 2-for-37 slump, but he's 9-for-18 with a double and a homer in his career vs. Mets starter Zack Wheeler.

"I truly believe he's just pulling off a little bit," Martinez said, explaining Parra's recent struggles. "I talked to him last night about just staying in the middle of the field again. He's another guy where I know he doesn't like to walk. He likes to hit. But he needs to get the ball in the strike zone and stop chasing."

Update: Though they've pushed across only one run so far, the Nationals have made Wheeler work a ton through the first two innings of today's game. He's already at 58 pitches, with 34 of those coming during a prolonged second inning rally. Impressively, that rally began with two outs, nobody on and the No. 8 hitter at the plate. But Parra, just as Martinez predicted, had more success against Wheeler, singling to right. Aníbal Sánchez then notched only his fifth hit of the season, a single to center. Trea Turner's RBI single to right scored Parra with the game's first run. The Nats kept the pressure on and loaded the bases for Anthony Rendon, a good position to be in. Rendon would fly out to left to end the inning, but they've put together some good at-bats against Wheeler and driven up his pitch count. Sánchez, meanwhile, was cruising through his first two innings but then watched as Juan Lagares torched an 87-mph cutter in the top of the third for a line drive homer to straightaway center field. So this game is tied 1-1.

Update II: The Nats keep putting pressure on Wheeler but can't score. They've had nine baserunners in four innings and made him throw 91 pitches, but they've still notched only the one run. The Mets, on the other hand, got a two-run, opposite-field homer from Robinson Canó in the top of the fourth, and so they now lead 3-1.

Update III: This just wasn't Sánchez's day. He couldn't keep the ball down in the zone and he paid for it. The Mets scored seven runs off the right-hander in five-plus innings. It's the most runs he's allowed all season. And unless the Nationals can come back from a 7-1 deficit in the sixth to at least tie this game, Sánchez will be on the hook for his first loss since May 10.

Update IV: You'll never guess what the Nationals are doing. They're rallying. They just scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth, getting RBI hits from Cabrera and Rendon. So it's now 7-4 heading to the seventh, and this one is far from over.