SAN FRANCISCO – The Nationals have a chance today to sweep a road series, extend their winning streak to four games and reach the .500 mark. Not a bad position to be in, especially considering all the other stuff that’s been going on in recent days.

Despite the injuries, the Nats are playing good baseball right now. And another win this afternoon over the Giants would further solidify that notion.

After using up five relievers, including Hunter Harvey (who had to depart after getting hit on the left hand with a line drive), the bullpen could be thin today. So look for Patrick Corbin to get his 100 pitches in, whether it takes him four or seven innings to get there.

The Nationals made a roster move early this morning, promoting Drew Millas from Triple-A Rochester and optioning Joan Adon back down one day after he gave them four innings in place of the injured Josiah Gray. The move gives the team an extra position player (not to mention three catchers) for the time being. Eventually, they’ll need to call up another starting pitcher, perhaps Jackson Rutledge.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Oracle Park
Gametime: 3:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 67 degrees, wind 7 mph out to center field

SAN FRANCISCO – This was supposed to be a big outing for Josiah Gray, who would have been looking to bounce back from two ragged starts to begin his season. Instead, Gray is on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow/forearm flexor strain and Joan Adon instead will make this start against the Giants.

Adon is no stranger to the big leagues; this is his 26th career start. And he pitched here at Oracle Park two years ago, suffering a 9-3 loss. He made only one start for Triple-A Rochester, though, and that was 11 days ago when he gave up four runs (two earned) in only 2 1/3 innings. The challenge will be even tougher tonight.

The Nationals lineup does get a boost with CJ Abrams returning after three days off with a bone bruise in his left pinky finger. The shortstop took batting practice and fielded grounders prior to Monday’s game, so it appears he’s good to go. The Nats will happily welcome him back to the top of their lineup tonight as they face Giants lefty Kyle Harrison in his 10th career start.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Oracle Park
Gametime: 9:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 60 degrees, wind 11 mph out to center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
DH Joey Gallo
1B Joey Meneses
LF Jesse Winker
C Riley Adams
2B Ildemaro Vargas
3B Trey Lipscomb
CF Jacob Young

SAN FRANCISCO – Unfortunately, there were no eclipse sightings here on the West Coast today. Fortunately, the view at Oracle Park is awe-inspiring enough, despite the absence of any celestial bodies.

The Nationals open a nine-game West Coast trip tonight, the first six of which take place in the Bay Area, with a nicely scheduled San Francisco-Oakland pairing all week before they head to Los Angeles. And they’ve arrived here just in time to be part of a big debut for the home team.

Blake Snell, the top free agent pitcher who sat around unsigned all winter and spring, finally makes his Giants debut tonight. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner with the Padres is ready to go after his late start to spring training, but you’d have to think the lefty will be limited to some extent in his first start.

Trevor Williams starts for the Nationals, and if you forgot, he actually delivered the best start of anyone in the rotation the first time through, holding the Pirates to two runs and three hits over 5 1/3 innings Wednesday in D.C. This is a great pitcher’s park, so perhaps Williams (who has been known to serve up a homer or two) will benefit from it, though the Giants have quietly assembled a really nice lineup as they try to catch the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in the NL West.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Oracle Park
Gametime: 9:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 61 degrees, wind 13 mph out to center field

The Nationals’ first homestand of the season comes to an end with this afternoon’s finale against the Phillies. The team will board a cross-country flight tonight to begin a nine-game West Coast road trip over the next 10 days.

The Nats will also try to avoid their first sweep of the season after dropping the first two games to their division rivals with MacKenzie Gore taking the mound for his second start of the regular season. The young left-hander struggled in his season debut in the Nats’ home opener on Monday, giving up three runs, five hits and two walks with six strikeouts in a loss to the Pirates.

Gore will look to be more efficient with his pitches against a dangerous Phillies lineup after needing 101 to complete 5 ⅓ innings his first time out.

CJ Abrams is out of the lineup again on Sunday. He was a late scratch before yesterday’s game with a bone bruise in his left pinky finger suffered while sliding into second base Friday night.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 60 degrees, wind 11 mph in from left field

PITTSBURGH – Austin Hays is in today’s Orioles lineup at PNC Park, playing left field and batting sixth.

Hays began yesterday’s game on the bench because of an illness but batted twice, striking out as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and grounding out in the eighth. He’s 2-for-20.

James McCann is catching and Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter. Jordan Westburg is playing third base, moving Ramón Urías to the bench.

Tyler Wells allowed three earned runs and four total in six innings against the Angels in his first start. He walked none and struck out seven.

Wells faced the Pirates on May 13, 2023 in Baltimore and tossed seven scoreless innings with one hit allowed and eight strikeouts.

If it feels like the Nationals are always trying to play catch up, it’s true. Seven games into the season, they’ve played 63 total innings. They’ve held a lead at the end of only 11 of those innings, and eight of them came in Wednesday’s coast-to-coast win over the Pirates. Suffice it to say, these guys need to get better starting pitching from the outset and better offensive performances all around.

They’ll hope for both today in the second game of their weekend series against the Phillies, and it begins with Jake Irvin. The right-hander, as has been noted several times here, was excellent this spring and entered the season feeling really good about himself. Irvin wasn’t bad in his first outing Sunday in Cincinnati, but neither was he great, finishing with three runs and seven hits allowed in five innings. The Philly lineup is certainly more imposing, so this will be a good challenge for him.

At the plate, the Nationals simply need to get something going early against Ranger Suárez. Like Irvin, the left-hander gave up three runs in five innings in his season debut. And the Nats have had some success against him in the past, totaling 18 runs on 41 hits and 12 walks across 35 2/3 innings the last two seasons.

UPDATE: Lineup change for the Nats: CJ Abrams has been scratched, most likely feeling the effects of his slide into second base last night when he jammed his left hand into the bag. So it's going to be Nasim Nuñez making his first big league start, filling in for Abrams at shortstop.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 55 degrees, wind 19 mph in from left field

After back-to-back series against National League Central foes to begin the season, the Nationals face their first NL East rival this weekend, with the Phillies coming to town for a three-game series. That means the return to town of Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and probably more than a few phans from up I-95. This has been the reality for a while now, so it really shouldn’t catch anyone by surprise.

The best thing the Nats can do to minimize the impact: Win more games. They did OK against Philly last season, going 6-7 in head-to-head matchups. So we’ll see how they handle it this season.

More than anything, the Nationals would love to get a quality start for the first time in 2024. Can Patrick Corbin be the one to do it? The matchup wouldn’t seem to favor him. Then again, in his one start against the Phillies last season, he tossed five innings of one-hit ball. So maybe there’s hope for the veteran lefty.

The Nats will also try to jump out to an early lead for only the second time this season. They’ll do so against Aaron Nola, who was lit up by the Braves in his first start of the year, not to mention his first start since signing a $172 million extension.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
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 cloudy, 50 degrees, wind 17 mph left field to right field

PITTSBURGH – Colton Cowser is in left field for today’s series opener against the Pirates at PNC Park.

Austin Hays is on the bench.

Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter. Jordan Westburg is playing second base, and Ramón Urías is the third baseman and looking for his first hit.

Grayson Rodriguez held the Angels to one run in six innings and struck out nine batters in his first start.

The Orioles have allowed four runs or fewer in their first six games, tied for their second-longest streak to begin a season. They did it in seven in 2002.

Gray home white

They managed to play Monday’s home opener as scheduled with no interruption. They managed to play Wednesday night as scheduled with no interruption. Can the Nationals and Pirates do the impossible and play today’s series finale as scheduled with no interruption?

There’s once again rain in the forecast, so that may be too much to ask for. But perhaps the baseball gods will smile upon us again and provide a window of dryness during the late-afternoon/early-evening hours.

The Nats will again be looking to win the rubber game of a series, having missed their chance to do that Sunday in Cincinnati when Kyle Finnegan blew the save. All things considered, if they could emerge from this opening week with a 3-3 record, everyone would have to be satisfied.

Josiah Gray is back on the mound for his second start, hoping for better results than his Opening Day outing. If nothing else, the right-hander really would like to go deeper in the game, perhaps even becoming the first Nationals starter to complete six innings this season.

The Nats are making a roster move today: Jacob Young is coming up from Triple-A Rochester, with Victor Robles headed to the injured list with a left hamstring strain. Young fits the profile well to take Robles’ spot, so look for him to share center field with Eddie Rosario and come off the bench to pinch-run and play defense late in games.

The first four games of the Nationals’ season all were played in daylight, three of them starting shortly after 4 p.m., the other shortly after 1:30 p.m. Now, at last in Game 5 of the season, we get our first night game. But don’t forget: Night games at Nationals Park now start at 6:45 p.m. Adjust your commuting and TV-watching plans accordingly.

After a disappointing home opener Monday, the Nats will hope not only to beat the undefeated Pirates tonight, but perhaps even take an early lead and hold it all night. They’ve played 36 innings to date in 2024, and would you believe they’ve held the lead at the end of only three of those? That’s not a winning formula, even if they did manage to win one game in Cincinnati.

The Nationals also haven’t received a quality start from anyone yet. Trevor Williams would be an unlikely candidate to deliver the first one of those this season, but the veteran right-hander is certainly capable of keeping his team in the ballgame for five, maybe six, innings. That’s what Davey Martinez will hope for tonight before handing it over to a fresh bullpen thanks to Tuesday’s day off.

All of this, of course, depends on the weather. The forecast again isn’t great, but it looks better than it did earlier. And even though it didn’t look great Monday, they still played without a drop falling from the sky during the game. So keep hope alive!

PITTSBURGH PIRATES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Rain, 55 degrees, wind 12 mph left field to right field

In a perfect world, the Nationals would have come home from Cincinnati with a winning record to a sun-splashed ballpark for today’s home opener. Alas, this isn’t a perfect world. The Nats lost Sunday’s series finale to the Reds with a gut punch of a bottom of the ninth. And the sun will not be shining on South Capitol Street today, with lots of rain in the forecast.

The glimmer of hope? The percentage chance of rain goes down during the mid-to-late afternoon hours, so perhaps it will be dry enough to play as scheduled at 4:05 p.m. If the Nats knew Tuesday looked better, they absolutely would have postponed today’s game well in advance. Unfortunately, Tuesday’s forecast looks worse, so they really have no choice but to attempt to play today. It’s not ideal, but it’s the best they can do with what Mother Nature is throwing their way.

The Nationals come home to face a Pirates team that just swept a four-game series in Miami, two of those wins coming in extra innings. This is a team filled with young talent, making for an intriguing series here the next few days.

It’s MacKenzie Gore getting the ball for the home opener, an honor Davey Martinez wanted the young lefty to have. After less-than-dominant showings from Josiah Gray, Patrick Corbin and Jake Irvin in Cincy, it would be lovely to get some quality out of Gore today.

MASN has all the proceedings today, with a special hour-long pregame show beginning at 3 p.m. and concluding with all of the player intros, the anthem and flyover. If you can’t be here in person, be sure to tune in!

The Orioles go for the sweep this afternoon with Jordan Westburg in his third starting role in three games.

Westburg is playing third base after serving as designated hitter and playing second. He also moved over to shortstop last night in the ninth inning.

Ramón Urías goes to the bench today, with Jorge Mateo at second base.

Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter. Gunnar Henderson stays atop the order, with Cedric Mullins batting seventh.

Tyler Wells won the job as the No. 3 starter in spring training after allowing two runs in 14 1/3 innings. He’s made five career appearances against the Angels, including two starts, and allowed six runs with 14 strikeouts in 13 innings.

CINCINNATI – It was quite pleasant here on Opening Day. It was unseasonably warm and windy Saturday. Now it’s cold and rainy for today’s series finale at Great American Ball Park. Gotta love Midwest weather.

No matter the conditions, the Nationals are feeling hot after their rousing, come-from-behind win less than 24 hours ago. They’ll try to keep the momentum going and leave town with a season-opening series win over the Reds in advance of Monday’s home opener against the Pirates, and they’ll do so with their most effective pitcher from spring training on the mound.

Jake Irvin didn’t get the attention others in the rotation did, but he was unquestionably the best of the group down in Florida. Over his final 15 innings of work, the right-hander did not allow a run, scattered four hits and two walks and struck out 13. He enters his second big league season brimming with confidence, and a solid outing today would only bolster that belief.

The Nationals wound up scoring seven runs on 11 hits and six walks Saturday, but five of the runs and eight of the baserunners came from the seventh inning on. They had chances earlier but could not convert with runners in scoring position (2-for-10 through the fifth). Let’s see if they can produce better in key situations early against Reds starter Nick Martinez today and actually play with a lead instead of forcing themselves to come from behind again. Davey Martinez is trotting out the same lineup, so that means three straight starts behind the plate for Keibert Ruiz and three straight starts in center field for Eddie Rosario.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CINCINNATI REDS
Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
Gametime: 1:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 58 degrees, wind 3 mph in from right field

CINCINNATI – And now the grind begins.

With the hoopla of Opening Day – and the traditional just-in-case-of-rainout off-day – now behind them, the Nationals and Reds get down to business. There will be fewer fans and media in attendance. Things won’t be magnified as much. It’s just another ballgame today.

Except for Trey Lipscomb, who makes his major league debut after officially having his contract purchased from Triple-A Rochester, with Nick Senzel going on the 10-day injured list with a fractured right thumb. Lipscomb made all kinds of headlines this spring with his .400 batting average and solid defensive play at multiple positions, but this is still a big leap for the 23-year-old, who only two years ago was playing at Tennessee.

The Nats will try to make it easy on Lipscomb (who starts at third base and bats ninth) by doing more at the plate against Reds flamethrower Hunter Greene than they did against Opening Day starter Frankie Montas. And they’ll hope to get a better showing from Patrick Corbin than they got from Josiah Gray. Though it’s worth noting there’s a strong wind blowing out to left field here today. It’s already a small ballpark under normal conditions. Corbin is going to have to do his best to keep the ball out of the air.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CINCINNATI REDS
Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
Gametime: 4:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 74 degrees, wind 17 mph out to left field

Reliever Jacob Webb was reinstated from the paternity list this morning after the birth of daughter Hudson, and the Orioles optioned left-hander Nick Vespi to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles play their second game of the season this afternoon with Gunnar Henderson leading off again.

Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter and Jordan Westburg is playing second base.

Ramón Urías stays at third base.

Grayson Rodriguez broke camp as the No. 2 starter. He allowed five runs and 16 hits with eight walks and 10 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings.

The Orioles broke camp with their bullpen apparently set, but they made a late change this afternoon.

Nick Vespi has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk, giving the club a fourth left-hander, and Jacob Webb went on the paternity list. Webb can be gone for three days.

The 40-man roster is down to 38 players with outfielder Ryan McKenna and infielder/outfielder Tyler Nevin designated for assignment.

Kyle Bradish (right UCL sprain) and John Means (left forearm strain) are on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Monday.

Catcher Michael Pérez is on the taxi squad.

CINCINNATI – And away we go!

Forget about anything that happened last season. Forget about anything that happened over the winter. Forget about anything that happened during spring training. It all made for great conversation and debate, but it doesn’t matter anymore. Starting today, we have actual baseball to watch and evaluate.

The 20th season of Washington Nationals baseball begins on the road. It’s actually the first time the Nats have opened on the road since 2018, when rookie manager Davey Martinez debuted with a win in … Cincinnati! This is the eighth road opener in club history, and it’s strange to think the only repeat towns during that time are New York and Cincinnati of all places.

This is also only the fourth Opening Day against someone from outside the National League East. The others: at the Cubs in 2012, home against the Yankees in the bizarre 2020 season. Among division foes, the Nationals have faced the Mets and Braves five times apiece, the Marlins four times and the Phillies twice.

The last 12 season openers have seen only three starting pitchers take the mound: Max Scherzer (six times), Stephen Strasburg (four) and Patrick Corbin (two). But today, the Nats pass the ceremonial baton to someone new: Josiah Gray, who makes his first career Opening Day start, against the franchise that drafted him in 2018 (and then traded him to the Dodgers six months later).

The Nationals have broken camp. With spring training coming to a close, the team has left the warmth of West Palm Beach and returned to cold, damp Washington, D.C.

Ah, it must feel so good to be home.

Well, at least it must feel good to get the regular season started. The Nats have just one more exhibition game to play before heading to Cincinnati to face the Reds on Thursday for Opening Day. And the best part … they get to face some of their own teammates.

Yes, for the first time since the Nats have hosted an exhibition game on South Capitol Street right before the start of the season, they will face a lineup of their own top prospects instead of another major league team beginning the year on the East Coast.

Among the top prospects expected to participate in today’s game are:

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The day has come at last. It’s the final day of spring training. Later this evening, the Nationals will board their charter flight and head north to D.C. But first, there’s one last game to play down here.

The Nats, who at 15-11-1 already are assured of finishing with a winning Grapefruit League record, head up the road to face the Mets in this afternoon’s finale. They’ll have Patrick Corbin on the mound making his final tune-up start before he takes the mound Saturday in Cincinnati for Game 2 of the regular season.

The lineup isn’t quite what we’ll see Thursday in Cincinnati, but it’s probably close. Riley (“Grey Pants”) Adams is behind the plate for one more spring road game. And Joey Meneses has the day off, leaving Eddie Rosario as the designated hitter. Trey Lipscomb (still in contention for the final spot on the roster) is on the trip but will come off the bench.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: Clover Park, Port St. Lucie
Gametime: 1:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MLB.tv (Mets feed)
Radio: MLB.com (Mets feed)
Weather: Partly cloudy, 76 degrees, wind 18 mph in from center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
LF Jesse Winker
DH Eddie Rosario
1B Joey Gallo
3B Nick Senzel
2B Luis García Jr.
C Riley Adams
CF Victor Robles

SARASOTA, Fla. – Last night’s cancellation has moved Corbin Burnes into tonight’s starting role against the Blue Jays in Sarasota and put Tyler Wells in the bullpen behind him.

Burnes has allowed 11 earned runs (12 total) and 14 hits in 10 2/3 innings and surrendered five home runs in his five outings. His next start after tonight comes on Opening Day.

Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop tonight, Jorge Mateo is the second baseman and Ramón Urías is the third baseman for the split-squad Orioles. Adley Rutschman is catching.

Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter with Ryan O’Hearn playing first base.

The outfield alignment is the one usually expected from the Orioles: Austin Hays in left, Cedric Mullins in center and Anthony Santander in right.