BALTIMORE – The Nationals have not yet closed the gap with the Orioles that has existed for multiple seasons now. One of these teams is headed for its second straight October appearance. The other is spending the next seven weeks identifying which players will be part of a team attempting to win in 2025 and which players will not.

But the gap is shrinking, and the four head-to-head matchups between the two interleague rivals this year underscored that. After getting swept by Baltimore last season and scoring a grand total of one run in the process, the Nats split the Battle of the Beltways this season and actually outscored their opponents by five runs along the way.

Tonight’s finale was right there for the taking, as well, and could’ve given the Nationals their first series victory over the Orioles since 2018. But a lack of offense doomed them on a night when DJ Herz pitched well but took a hard-luck, 4-1 loss at Camden Yards.

Herz allowed just two runs over six strong innings, both runs scoring on one swing in the bottom of the first. His teammates couldn’t match those numbers, though, one night after busting out for nine runs on 15 hits during a lopsided victory.

Tuesday’s big win, coupled with a 3-0 victory back in May in D.C., allowed the Nationals to go 2-2 against Baltimore for the season. And the two losses were highly competitive: a 7-6, 12-inning loss in May, then tonight’s tightly contested affair.

BALTIMORE – The Nationals have not exactly enjoyed much success against the Orioles in recent years. They entered 2024 having lost 10 of their last 11 to Baltimore, having scored a grand total of one run in four head-to-head games last season. Well, the narrative appears to have flipped at last. The two teams split the series in D.C. back in May. And then the Nats won handily, 9-3, Tuesday night here at Camden Yards. Which means at worst they’ll split the season series, with a shot at winning it for the first time since 2018 if they can win tonight’s finale.

Davey Martinez would love to keep the offense going from 24 hours ago. The Nationals not only scored nine runs, they rapped out 15 hits, 10 of which featured an exit velocity in triple digits. Boy, have they been waiting for something like that. Now, how much of Tuesday’s output was familiarity with Trevor Rogers, and how much was something else? Perhaps we’ll find out tonight when they face Dean Kremer, who enters with a 4.70 ERA but has won each of his two previous career starts against the Nats, including 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball last year.

The Orioles have never seen DJ Herz before, because the left-hander made his major league debut several weeks after the two teams met earlier this season. Herz’s last start was disrupted by rain, so it’s hard to evaluate that performance. He was solid in each of his three previous starts, going five innings each time and never allowing more than two runs.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Where: Camden Yards
Gametime: 6:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 84 degrees, wind 6 mph in from left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
DH Juan Yepez
LF James Wood
1B Andrés Chaparro
2B Luis García Jr.
C Keibert Ruiz
RF Alex Call
3B Ildemaro Vargas
CF Jacob Young

Some stats and thoughts as everyone tries to forget Thursday’s rain-soaked, 10-inning loss to the Giants and looks ahead to tonight’s series opener against Anthony Rendon and the Angels …

* What’s the biggest reason the Nationals haven’t played as well over the last month as they did earlier this summer? The quality of the performances by their starting pitchers has gone dramatically downhill.

The emergence of a young rotation was the top storyline of the season’s first half, and there was a lot to like about the way MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz were not only pitching well but also pitching relatively deep into games. Over a 40-game stretch from May 22-July 4, the Nats had 17 quality starts (three or fewer earned runs over six or more innings). Unsurprisingly, the team’s record during that stretch was 20-20.

What’s happened since? Over their last 29 games, the Nationals have only five quality starts. Their record, unsurprisingly, is only 12-17 during this prolonged stretch.

Abbreviated outings have especially become a problem in recent weeks, with starters failing to complete five innings in 10 of the last 29 games. In other words, the Nats have been twice as likely to get fewer than five innings than a quality start for the last month.

With the threat of rain looming all day, the Nationals hoped their decision to move first pitch of today’s series finale against the Giants up from 4:05 p.m. to 12:05 p.m. would give them the best chance of playing the entire game. The only question was how long it would take for the game to be played, and how many times it would be disrupted by the weather.

In the end, it took nearly 5 1/2 hours of actual time, two disruptions totaling 2 hours, 2 minutes – one of them coming in the third inning, one in the eighth – and then dueling, last-ditch, three-run rallies in the ninth inning before the Nationals handed the game to the Giants in an ugly top of the 10th.

Despite getting an emotional lift from Luis García’s clutch, three-run homer that forced extra innings, the Nats still lost 9-5 when they failed to make three consecutive plays in the infield, allowing the winning run (plus three more) to score.

"It was good until it wasn't," said manager Davey Martinez, whose team was charged with four errors, three of them in the ninth and 10th, the final five runs surrendered all unearned. "We played in sloppy conditions, and we got sloppy in the last two innings."

A game that had been knotted at 2-2 since the fifth turned on its head in the ninth. Twice. The Giants got a bases-clearing double from Mark Canha on a 1-2, two-out pitch from Kyle Finnegan to take what looked like a commanding, three-run lead. Then García drove a 1-2, two-out pitch from Camilo Doval into the first row beyond the left field wall for a three-run, game-tying homer in the bottom of the inning.

They managed to play the first three games of this series without interruption. Can they actually pull it off and complete the series without issues? The Nationals are sure hoping their decision to move today’s game against the Giants up from 4:05 p.m. to 12:05 p.m. pays off. The forecast isn’t great, but hopefully whatever rain falls this afternoon isn’t enough to completely disrupt the game.

The Nats are also hoping for a four-game split, not to mention a better start out of DJ Herz today than they got from Patrick Corbin, MacKenzie Gore or Jake Irvin each of the last three nights. Each of those starters allowed at least three runs in the first three innings, with the home run a huge problem. Herz kept the ball in the park in his last outing against the Brewers, during which he allowed one unearned run and only two hits over five innings. A comparable effort today against a Giants lineup that has never seen him before would be wonderful.

At the plate, the Nationals need to channel the at-bats they put together Tuesday night while exploding for 11 runs. They actually did a decent job Wednesday against Blake Snell and the San Francisco bullpen, though they squandered a few late opportunities to rally. Today the opponent is fellow left-hander Kyle Harrison, who faced them back in April and allowed three runs over six innings but struck out eight without walking anybody.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 12:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Rain, 79 degrees, wind 9 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Alex Call
1B Juan Yepez
C Keibert Ruiz
LF James Wood
DH Harold Ramírez
3B Ildemaro Vargas
2B Luis García Jr.
CF Jacob Young

He’s not the most important player on the Nationals roster, and there are others who probably have more to prove over the next two months. But make no mistake, this is an important stretch for Luis García Jr., who would love nothing more than to continue what he’s done so far this summer throughout August and September and state once and for all the Nats should consider him their second baseman of the present and future.

It was exactly one year ago when the Nationals were quite unsure about that and optioned a slumping García to Triple-A to send him a message that he was assured of nothing. And the way manager Davey Martinez talked about him this spring, it seemed clear García still was assured of nothing and the organization wouldn’t hesitate to go in another direction at second base if he didn’t perform.

Four months later, García has done just about everything in his power to put those thoughts to rest. His defense is tremendously improved. And after an up-and-down first half at the plate, he’s now turning into one of the team’s most productive hitters, which he certainly proved this afternoon.

"It's definitely paying off for him," Martinez said. "I see a different kid. More confident. Understands what he needs to do. ... He's playing really well."

During a 6-4 victory over the Brewers that got a bit too tense late, García went 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, a single and a stolen base. By day’s end, the 24-year-old's offensive numbers for the season were creeping up on those of double play partner and National League All-Star CJ Abrams.

It’s Harry Potter Day at Nationals Park, and hopefully one or two of these young wizards know how to cast a spell to prevent it from raining. Otherwise, there’s a decent chance of storms later this afternoon. Fingers crossed they somehow hold off and allow the Nationals and Brewers to play as scheduled at 4:05 p.m. with no interruption.

The Nats, plain and simple, need a win. They’ve dropped five in a row since winning two straight in St. Louis last weekend and now reside at a season-worst 12 games under .500. They were in Friday night’s game, which was tied 3-3 in the sixth before Milwaukee broke things open against the bullpen and made it 8-3.

So it’s up to DJ Herz to keep the Brewers lineup in check. This is his first start against those guys, because he was back at Triple-A Rochester when the Nationals visited Milwaukee before the All-Star break. Herz has been solid since returning to the majors, not to mention eerily consistent. In each of his two starts, he has allowed two runs over five innings while throwing 79 pitches. Davey Martinez would certainly take that again this afternoon, though Herz is welcome to be even better if he likes.

The Nats lineup faces a familiar foe, but one wearing a different uniform: Aaron Civale. The right-hander faced them as a member of the Rays on June 29, giving up two runs on six hits and four walks over 5 2/3 innings. Since then, he’s been traded to the Brewers, for whom he has produced a 4.29 ERA and 1.429 WHIP over four starts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 92 degrees, wind 13 mph out to left

ST. LOUIS – After a two-night stretch in which they drove in 24 runs with a flurry of clutch hits, especially late-game hits, the Nationals found themselves in need of just one more late this afternoon if they wanted to pull off a rare sweep of the Cardinals.

That hit proved far more elusive in the daylight than it did the previous two evenings. And that only set the stage for St. Louis to deliver the final blow this afternoon with an even rarer development.

Paul Goldschmidt’s leadoff homer off Dylan Floro in the bottom of the ninth propelled the Cardinals to a 4-3 walk-off win, leaving the Nats to be content with a series victory but not a weekend sweep against a quality opponent.

It was the first home run surrendered this season by Floro, and it came in his 51st appearance.

"If you keep the ball in the ballpark, that means you're giving up less runs, I guess," said the 33-year-old, whose ERA was down to 1.89 prior to that final at-bat. "I'm a groundball pitcher, so I take pride in that."

ST. LOUIS – I’m not sure what the record for most runs scored in consecutive games following a no-hitter is, but I’ve got to believe the 24 runs the Nationals have scored since getting blanked by Dylan Cease has rarely – if ever – been matched. It’s really been quite the wild ride for this team the last few weeks. Would you believe they’ve won seven of their last 11? It doesn’t feel like it, because of the sweep at the hands of the Padres. But they took two of three from the Brewers prior to the All-Star break, then swept the Reds and now have taken the first two from the Cardinals.

The Nationals will go for the sweep without the services of Jesse Winker, who had been one of their most consistent offensive players all year and had taken over the No. 3 spot in Davey Martinez’s lineup. With Winker on his way to New York, Alex Call is on his way to St. Louis, though I wouldn’t expect him to get regular starts at this point. The focus could now shift to Harold Ramírez as the primary DH, and Ramírez came through last night off the bench, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs after replacing Winker.

DJ Herz, last summer’s key trade-deadline acquisition from the Cubs for Jeimer Candelario, gets the ball for the Nats. The rookie left-hander was solid in his return to the majors last week, holding the Padres to two runs over five innings. He faced the Cardinals earlier this month in D.C. and struggled, though, allowing five runs over only 4 1/3 innings, throwing a whopping 102 pitches in the process.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Busch Stadium
Gametime: 2:15 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 85 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
LF James Wood
1B Juan Yepez
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Harold Ramírez
3B Ildemaro Vargas
C Riley Adams
CF Jacob Young

After a weekend sweep of the Reds that included a series of notable rallies and some long-awaited power displays from a lineup that desperately needed it, the Nationals returned tonight to face the Padres hoping for at least some carryover effect.

Instead, they got the exact opposite. During the course of a lackluster 4-0 loss, they did very little at the plate, squandering the scoring opportunities they had and rarely hitting the ball with any real authority.

Thus did the Nats lose for the first time since the All-Star break, missing a chance to sustain some positive momentum with a tepid showing at the plate against an unheralded opposing pitcher.

Randy Vasquez, a 25-year-old right-hander who has given up a bunch of hits – especially homers – this season, combined with three San Diego relievers to shut out the Nationals on only 102 pitches.

"We hit some balls hard, but we just couldn't get any good swings off," manager Davey Martinez said. "We swung the bats today, but we really didn't work good at-bats."

The Nationals used the days before and after the All-Star break to carry an extra reliever. Turns out they only used him once before sending him back to the minors.

Eduardo Salazar, who impressed in his July 14 outing against the Brewers, was optioned to Triple-A Rochester this afternoon, a move necessitated by the return of DJ Herz, who starts tonight’s series opener against the Padres.

Salazar, who posted eye-popping numbers in nine games with Rochester after the Nationals claimed him off waivers from the Mariners last month, was called up for the final two days before the All-Star break when the club could afford to carry a ninth reliever. He pitched two innings in the first half finale in Milwaukee, striking out four batters with a sharp-breaking slider, though he also issued two walks in that game.

The Nats kept the nine-man bullpen for last weekend’s series but never summoned Salazar while sweeping the Reds. So the 26-year-old now heads back to Triple-A, where he’ll hope to make an impression again and earn his way back to the majors.

“I think we will see more eventually,” manager Davey Martinez said. “The thing about it that’s tough is, one, he’s got options. Two, he’s a depth piece for us. But he threw the ball really well. So I’m sure we’ll see more of Salazar.”

The Nationals couldn’t have asked for a better start to their second half, sweeping the Reds over the weekend in impressive fashion. Now they’ll have to try to keep it going against a team that recently swept them.

The Padres are in town, and it was only four weeks ago when they won three straight against the Nationals during a wild series in San Diego that ruined a lot of positive momentum they had built up earlier in June.

One of those games at Petco Park was started by DJ Herz, who makes his return to the big leagues tonight after officially getting recalled from Triple-A. (Reliever Eduardo Salazar was optioned to Rochester to clear up that roster spot.) Herz essentially got a 16-day break since he last pitched up here, making only one abbreviated start for Rochester to keep his arm fresh. It will be fascinating to see how the rookie left-hander returns, and whether he can find some level of more consistency than he showed in his first stint.

Right-hander Randy Vasquez is tonight’s opponent, and he will be a new face from the Nationals’ perspective, nobody on the current roster having faced him before. There will be a few ex-Padres in the lineup, though, with some extra motivation against the franchise that traded them. How will James Wood and CJ Abrams handle this assignment?

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN DIEGO PADRES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain late, 88 degrees, wind 7 mph out to left field

The second half schedule afforded the Nationals the option of waiting a while before using their fifth starter. They’ve decided, though, to go ahead and use him now.

The Nats will send that yet-to-be-announced starter to the mound Tuesday against the Padres in what is actually the team’s fourth game coming out of the All-Star break. That pushes left-hander Mitchell Parker back to Wednesday’s game, with Patrick Corbin (who started Friday night’s second half opener) pitching Thursday’s series finale against San Diego.

The presence of an off-day on the schedule this week gave the Nationals some room to maneuver if they wished. They don’t actually need a fifth starter until Saturday’s game in St. Louis, the eighth game coming out of the break.

But rather than offer all of the extra rest to one pitcher, the club decided to give others (especially Parker) an extra day before taking the mound.

“Exactly, that’s what it boils down to,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We want to try to give these guys as much rest as we possibly can. Some of these guys are going to pitch a lot more than they have in the past, so we’re trying to just stretch this out a little bit.”

Desperate for a fresh bullpen arm, especially one who could pitch multiple innings if needed, the Nationals recalled right-hander Joan Adon from Triple-A Rochester before today’s game, a move that also resulted in the demotion of left-hander DJ Herz.

Playing their 11th game in a stretch of 17 consecutive scheduled game days, the Nats knew their pitching staff was running on fumes. The last week saw the team play three extra-inning games, then the last three days saw their starters combine for only 12 2/3 innings.

So they made the call to bring up Adon, a starter throughout his career in the majors and minors but recently converted to a reliever in Rochester. The 25-year-old will be available for long relief, a role he could hold for the long term given the club’s lack of anyone else who fits that description so far this season.

“The bullpen’s been worked a lot, as we know,” manager Davey Martinez said. “It just gives us one more arm in the bullpen for the next five days, until we figure out what we’re going to do next. Hopefully, he can help us out there.”

Adon has started 26 games for the Nationals since 2021, with few positive results. In those games, he’s 3-16 with a 6.56 ERA and 1.732 WHIP. His numbers, though, were much better early in those starts than later. Opponents batted just .231 against him on his first through 50th pitches, then hit .307 against him after that.

A stretch of 17 games in 17 days in blistering early July heat has long loomed on the Nationals’ schedule. This was going to be a test not only of this growing team’s ability to compete with opponents in the pennant race, but also of this team’s physical and mental fortitude.

All of that is being put to the test right now, and though the Nats have managed to pull off some inspired wins along the way, the grind clearly is getting to them. Especially their pitching staff.

Today’s 8-3 loss to the Cardinals saw DJ Herz labor for 4 1/3 innings, putting added strain on a bullpen that already was running on fumes. What had been a decided strength through most of the season’s first half has devolved into a liability this week, with five top relievers pressed into overtime duties and the other three forced to pitch out of necessity.

Among the biggest takeaways from the last two days, in particular: The Nationals sorely lack a long man in the pen. And they may not be able to proceed much longer without one unless their starters can consistently churn out six innings a piece.

"Most of our bullpen has been going one-plus innings right now," manager Davey Martinez said. "We're trying to get to that All-Star break, to give them a break. We need some length tomorrow from our starter, that's what we need."

Saturday was a good day for the Nationals, who fielded their youngest lineup in years and scored 14 runs thanks to homers by James Wood, CJ Abrams and Keibert Ruiz. Now, can they keep something like that up? Too often this season we’ve seen an offensive explosion followed up by a lifeless showing at the plate. The challenge today: Don’t let up.

As has been the case in each of the first two games of this series, the Nats will face a veteran right-hander. They did well against Sonny Gray. They did great against Lance Lynn. Today, it’s Kyle Gibson, who enters with a 3.88 ERA but has allowed four runs in five or fewer innings in each of his last two starts.

DJ Herz starts for the Nationals, and if you think you know what you’re going to get from the left-hander, you’re fooling yourself. He’s been impossible to predict so far, with two absolutely dominant starts (including his last one against the Mets) and four shaky starts in which he didn’t complete five innings. It would be great to get back-to-back solid outings from the rookie, but the Nats have to be realistic about the situation.

It's a big day here for other reasons: The All-Star rosters will be announced later this evening, so it could wind up being a really memorable day for Abrams, Kyle Finnegan or Jake Irvin. Or perhaps even more than one of them …

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 93 degrees, wind 6 mph in from left field

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

SAN DIEGO – This series between the Nationals and Padres didn’t need any more drama. Not after the extra-inning theatrics on Monday and the extracurriculars on Tuesday.

It felt like both teams got everything off their respective chests last night and could just play a regular ballgame Wednesday.

They were able to do so. Except the Nationals were searching for a victory to avoid getting swept out of San Diego and couldn’t overcome an early deficit in an 8-5 loss in front of an announced crowd of 37,397 at Petco Park.

DJ Herz was tasked with holding the Padres lineup in check after it scored a combined 16 runs over the first two games. But as in his previous start in Colorado, the rookie southpaw couldn’t get out of the fourth inning. Today marked the shortest outing of his five major league starts to date.

Kyle Higashioka snuck a two-run homer down the left field line to give the Padres a 2-0 lead in the second. Herz left an 81 mph changeup right down the middle of the plate for the catcher to smack.