NEW YORK – It’s September, which means pennant races. And the Nationals are going to find themselves smack dab in the middle of several of them over the season’s final month, even if they aren’t battling for a postseason berth themselves.

Beginning tonight, the Nationals have 31 games left on their schedule. All but six (against the Marlins) will be played against contenders, including three this weekend with the Mets. So, yeah, this is going to be an awfully stiff challenge for a team that currently owns a 45-86 record.

Josiah Gray kicks things off this evening with his first career start at Citi Field, just a short drive from his home in New Rochelle, N.Y. Gray has been looking forward to pitching in New York for a while, and after having his last turn in the rotation skipped, he should be plenty fresh for this one. He’s been on a nice run since he last pitched Aug. 20 in San Diego; over his last three starts, he’s got a 3.12 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings.

The Nationals won’t see Jacob deGrom this weekend. They will see Max Scherzer on Saturday night. First up, though, is left-hander David Peterson, who quietly has compiled a 3.21 ERA over 89 2/3 innings this season. The Nats faced him back on May 30, though, and scored four runs in 4 2/3 innings.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 75 degrees, wind 10 mph out to left field

With a victory this afternoon, the Nationals would win the first series against the Athletics played in D.C. since 2005 and the first ever at Nats Park. And they would win this matchup between two teams with two of the worst records in baseball. A matchup that is now meaningless with next year’s MLB Draft lottery. 

After Aníbal Sánchez earned his first win of the season last night, Paolo Espino will look to do the same today. Entering his first career start against the Athletics, Espino is 0-6 with a 4.35 ERA in 34 appearances (14 starts) this year. He made two relief appearances against the A’s in 2017 as a member of the Rangers. 

Espino will be pitching on normal rest after making his last start on Saturday, thanks to Monday’s off-day. Cade Cavalli was supposed to make his second major league start this afternoon, but landed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Cory Abbott was recalled yesterday to take the top prospect’s spot on the roster and will be available out of the bullpen.

The Athletics will get to see one of their own top prospects make his major league debut in Ken Waldichuk. The 24-year-old lefty is Oakland’s No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and was the centerpiece of a four-player package the A’s received from the Yankees in exchange for Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino before the deadline. Waldichuk posted a 2.84 ERA, 1.158 WHIP and 137 strikeouts in 95 innings over his 21 starts between Double-A and Triple-A in the Yankees and A’s systems.

Major league rosters expand to 28 players today. Catcher Tres Barrera and right-hander Mason Thompson have been recalled from Triple-A Rochester.

It’s the final day of August, a month that began with the biggest trade in Nationals history and will conclude with another dismal record. The Nats enter tonight’s game 8-18 this month. It’s not as bad as their 6-19 mark from July, but it’s barely better than that.

You know who would love to get a win tonight? Aníbal Sánchez. The 38-year-old is 0-5 with a 5.72 ERA in eight starts, but he’s actually pitched much better of late. Over his last three starts (all no-decisions), he’s got a 2.51 ERA while holding opponents to a .180 batting average. You’d think a matchup against an Athletics lineup that is among the worst in baseball would be advantageous, but that didn’t prove to be the case for Erick Fedde on Tuesday.

The Nats get their first-ever look at James Kaprielian, Oakland’s 28-year-old right-hander who was originally a first-round pick of the Yankees and then got roughed up by them in his last start to the tune of eight runs in 2 2/3 innings. Kaprielian has a command problem; he’s walked 10 batters over his last 7 2/3 innings. Patience from a sometimes overanxious Nationals lineup will be key tonight.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly clear, 81 degrees, wind 9 mph left field to right field

NATIONALS
2B Luis García
RF Joey Meneses
1B Luke Voit
DH Nelson Cruz
C Keibert Ruiz
CF Lane Thomas
SS CJ Abrams
3B Ildemaro Vargas
LF Josh Palacios

CLEVELAND – Gunnar Henderson is batting sixth and playing third base tonight in his major league debut.

Henderson, the 55^th player to appear in a game with the Orioles, is sandwiched between Ryan Mountcastle and Austin Hays in the lineup.

Ramón Urías is batting fourth as the designated hitter.

Kyle Stowers and Terrin Vavra are on the bench.

For the Orioles
Cedric Mullins CF
Adley Rutschman C
Anthony Santander RF
Ramón Urías DH
Ryan Mountcastle 1B
Gunnar Henderson 3B
Austin Hays LF
Rougned Odor 2B
Jorge Mateo SS

Jordan Lyles RHP

Would you believe the Athletics have never played at Nationals Park before? That’s right, the last time the A’s were in D.C. was June 9, 2005, when Liván Hernández tossed eight strong innings on 127 pitches, Nick Johnson cleared the bases with a three-run double and Chad Cordero pitched the ninth for his 17th save in a 4-3 victory at RFK Stadium. So, yeah, it’s been a while.

These teams finally meet again here owning the two worst records in the majors. In the past, that might’ve actually put some added weight to these games, as something of a battle for the No. 1 draft pick. But Major League Baseball’s new draft lottery gives the teams with the three worst records at season’s end the same odds of landing the No. 1 pick (and it’s still only a 16.5 percent chance). So, there’s no valid reason to be rooting for the Nationals to lose the next three nights, because it won’t make any difference in their draft positioning.

Erick Fedde gets the ball tonight for his second start since returning from shoulder inflammation. The right-hander was really pleased with his outing one week ago in Seattle, when he allowed two runs over five innings, striking out six and showing off a nice curveball that he said felt better than it had in a long time. He’ll look to keep that going tonight and build up his pitch count from the restricted total of 81 he was at last week.

The Nats lineup against A’s left-hander Cole Irvin features Lane Thomas in the leadoff spot and CJ Abrams at the bottom. It’s the first time Abrams has hit ninth since joining the club. Perhaps Davey Martinez is trying to take some pressure off the rookie, who is just 6-for-44 since his promotion from Triple-A Rochester.

Be aware there is a line of thunderstorms approaching from the west. It’s not a question of if it will hit us, it’s only a question of when it’s going to happen. Let's hope it’s early enough to allow the game to begin as scheduled at 7:05 p.m. Stay tuned.

CLEVELAND - The Orioles leave Houston after winning two of three games against the team with the best record in the American League, and now they play three games in Cleveland against the leaders in the Central Division.

Yesterday’s off-day actually cost the Orioles a half-game in the wild card race. They’re two behind the Blue Jays for the last spot.

The Guardians won two of three games from the Orioles at Camden Yards on June 3-5. They’ve lost six of their last 11.

Right-hander Cal Quantrill is 10-5 with a 3.59 ERA and 1.203 WHIP in 24 starts. He’s walked 38 batters and struck out 94 in 143 innings.

Quantrill is having his best month in August, going 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 0.781 WHIP in five starts. He’s tossed six, seven and seven scoreless innings in three of his last four outings, holding the Blue Jays to one hit in seven frames on Aug. 12.

The Orioles are trying for their second three-game sweep in Houston in two seasons.

The rotation has tied a season high with four quality starts in a row, posting a 1.26 ERA during that stretch. The ERA is 2.25 in the last 11 games.

The Astros have been held to one run in the first two games. Kyle Bradish and Dean Kremer have combined for 15 2/3 innings, after Jordan Lyles completed seven innings on Thursday.

It really does start with starting pitching.

Only 1 ½ games separate the Orioles from the last wild card spot. But they’re facing Justin Verlander today.

A homestand that was supposed to provide the Nationals an opportunity to win some games against fellow non-contenders hasn’t exactly gone as hoped so far. With back-to-back losses to the Reds, the Nats already have dropped this weekend series and now need a victory today just to avoid getting swept.

Which means the pressure’s on Patrick Corbin, and we know how that has typically gone this season. Over his last eight starts, the lefty is 0-7 with a 9.82 ERA. Opponents are hitting .386 with a .441 on-base percentage during this stretch. He’s also trying to avoid becoming the majors’ first 18-game loser since Chris Archer and James Shields in 2016. So there you have it.

You’d like to believe the Nationals lineup could take the pressure off Corbin and score a bunch of runs, but as we all know, that’s just not what this current group does. They’ve totaled 12 runs in their last six games. Since the trade deadline, they’re scoring only 3.3 runs per game, down from 3.8 per game prior to Aug. 2.

CINCINNATI REDS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 87 degrees, wind 9 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
2B César Hernández
RF Joey Meneses
1B Luke Voit
DH Nelson Cruz
LF Lane Thomas
SS CJ Abrams
C Riley Adams
3B Ildemaro Varga
CF Victor Robles

Now that the dust has settled from Cade Cavalli’s major league debut, the Nationals turn their attention to trying to win this series against the Reds. They need to bounce back tonight after last night’s loss.

Paolo Espino makes his fifth career appearance against the Reds tonight, but just his first away from Cincinnati. He’s 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA over his one start and three relief appearances against Cincy. 

Espino will not only be looking for his first win of the season, but he will also be looking to snap the Nats’ streak of 42 consecutive games without the starting pitcher earning a victory.

Luis Cessa brings a 3-2 record and 5.67 ERA to the mound for the Reds. He’s only made two starts in his 38 appearances this season and only combined to pitch three innings over those two starts, setting up a possible bullpen game. Cessa has a 5.79 ERA over four career relief appearances against the Nats.

CINCINNATI REDS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 83 degrees, wind 6 mph in from left-center field 

The challenges keep coming at the Orioles, one after another, contenders leaving them and others waiting right around the corner.

A ninth walk-off win last night is followed by a three-game series in Houston, where the Orioles can visit with former teammate Trey Mancini and try to gain ground in the wild card race.

Last night’s improbable result, a 4-3 win in 11 innings over the White Sox, kept them 2 ½ games back for the last spot.

The Orioles earned their 29^th comeback win, the most since 2017, after Kyle Stowers tied the game with his first major league home run after falling behind 0-2 with two outs in the ninth. Anthony Santander singled in the 11^th for his second career walk-off hit.

The club has registered three consecutive winning months for the first time since April-June 2016.

The day has come, and not a moment too soon for a Nationals organization (and fan base) that desperately needs something to get excited about. Cade Cavalli makes his major league debut tonight, which makes this the most prominent debut for a Nats starting pitcher since Lucas Giolito in 2016.

What can we expect from Cavalli against a Reds lineup that doesn’t feature a lot of prominent names? Probably a good number of strikeouts. Possibly more than a couple walks as well, unless he can get them to chase out of the zone. Watch his pitch count, as well, because he does tend to pile up those numbers, which could prevent him from going more than five innings (if that) tonight.

The two best things the Nationals can do to help out Cavalli: Play good defense behind him, and score some runs off Reds left-hander Mike Minor (who enters with a 2-10 record and 6.44 ERA). CJ Abrams at shortstop should help in that regard. And Luis García is officially back from a groin injury, a welcome return for the club.

CINCINNATI REDS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of storms, 83 degrees, wind 7 mph out to center field

NATIONALS
LF Lane Thomas
2B Luis García
RF Joey Meneses
1B Luke Voit
DH Nelson Cruz
C Keibert Ruiz
SS CJ Abrams
3B Ildemaro Vargas
CF Victor Robles

The Orioles recalled reliever Rico Garcia from Triple-A Norfolk today to provide a fresh arm for a struggling bullpen. They optioned reliever Louis Head after last night’s game.

The club also optioned reliever Phoenix Sanders after claiming him off waivers yesterday from the Rays. He has three minor league options.

Garcia has appeared in four games with the Orioles and allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings. He has a 2.30 ERA in 14 appearances with Norfolk.

The Orioles will try tonight to win another series and move closer to the final wild card spot. They remained 2 ½ games back after last night’s 5-3 loss to the White Sox.

Kyle Stowers is in right field and Terrin Vavra is starting at second base.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is breaking out his reverse-splits lineup again tonight with the White Sox starting right-hander Lucas Giolito.

Robinson Chirinos is catching and Adley Rutschman is serving as the designated hitter. Terrin Vavra and Kyle Stowers are on the bench.

Shortstop Jorge Mateo is batting eighth tonight for the 20^th time. He’s batted second once, fifth in three games, sixth in four, seventh in 16 and ninth in 65.

Mateo is slashing .294/.342/.538 with nine doubles, four triples, six home runs, 25 RBIs and 27 runs scored in his last 44 games since July 1, and .317/.355/.574 with seven doubles, two triples, five home runs, 20 RBIs and 20 runs scored in 29 games since the All-Star break. His .929 OPS in the second half ranks 11^th in the American League.

Hyde could elevate Mateo in certain matchups, but he doesn’t want to mess with a good thing.

SEATTLE – It feels like the Nationals just got here, but they’re already set for the finale of a two-game series with the Mariners. Tough scheduling, coming all the way out here for 36 hours. They’ll try to at least split the series with a victory today, hoping they can score some runs, especially early, which has been a recurring problem for them.

They’ll take their cracks at Seattle right-hander George Kirby, the 24-year-old who makes his first career start against the Nats. He’s been quite good this summer, allowing 11 total runs over his last seven starts for a 2.63 ERA (though they tend to hold him to fewer than 100 pitches).

Aníbal Sánchez gets the start for the Nationals, still seeking his first win and perhaps pitching for his spot in the rotation as the club prepares to make some more changes. Cade Cavalli, the 2020 first-round draft pick and organizational top prospect, is set to make his major league debut Friday night against the Reds, a source confirmed today. We’ll have more on that shortly, but obviously Cavalli’s arrival will bump somebody out of the rotation, and Sánchez and Paolo Espino would seem to be the most likely options.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SEATTLE MARINERS
Where: T-Mobile Park
Gametime: 4:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 77 degrees, wind 7 mph left field to right field

NATIONALS
2B César Hernández
RF Joey Meneses
1B Luke Voit
DH Nelson Cruz
C Keibert Ruiz
SS CJ Abrams
LF Lane Thomas
3B Ildemaro Vargas
CF Victor Robles

SEATTLE – The last time the Nationals played here at what’s now known as T-Mobile Park was Aug. 31, 2014. They suffered a 5-3 loss to the Mariners, with Tanner Roark taking the loss and Fernando Rodney recording the save. The only other time the Nats played here prior to that was in June 2008, a series in which Kory Casto hit his only major league home run and Tyler Clippard recorded his first win for the organization, back when he was a starter.

So, yeah, it’s been a while. And sadly, tonight’s return to Seattle also coincides with the end of Clippard’s current stint with the Nationals, and possibly the end of his career. Needing to remove a pitcher from their roster and clear a spot for Erick Fedde, the club decided to designate the 37-year-old Clippard for assignment.

Fedde, who had been on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation, starts tonight. And he’ll be working with a new batterymate in Riley Adams, who officially was recalled from Triple-A to take the spot that opened up when Tres Barrera was optioned to Rochester.

Adams will bat seventh against Seattle lefty (and one-time Nationals prospect) Robbie Ray. The rest of Davey Martinez’s lineup includes Alex Call leading off, Joey Meneses batting second, Luke Voit returning from back spasms to bat third and Lane Thomas batting fifth on his 27th birthday. (He’ll have to keep waiting for that first opportunity to bat third in the starting lineup.)

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SEATTLE MARINERS
Where: T-Mobile Park
Gametime: 10:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 76 degrees, wind 6 mph in from left field

SAN DIEGO – The Nationals are playing some competitive baseball these days. They’ve gone 3-3 over their last six games, but two of the losses were by one run and the other one went to extra innings. They’ve managed to do that despite a lackluster (and depleted) lineup, thanks to quality pitching. During this six-game stretch, their staff ERA is an impressive 2.95, and they’ve surrendered only 34 hits in 55 innings.

The challenge today, then, is for Patrick Corbin to keep that run going. The bar for Corbin, obviously, isn’t very high. But he did at least give his team a chance in his last start, allowing four runs over six innings to the Cubs. As much as the Nats bullpen has been used this week, Davey Martinez would love to get six decent innings from his starter today. He could then go to the trio of Hunter Harvey, Carl Edwards Jr. and Kyle Finnegan (in some order) to close things out, because none of them pitched during Saturday night’s 2-1 loss.

The Nationals lineup remains depleted. Luke Voit hasn’t played since Thursday due to back spasms. Yadiel Hernandez is on the 10-day injured list with a calf strain. Keibert Ruiz gets a well-deserved day off after catching the first three games of the series. We’ll see if anyone else can step up and produce against Padres left-hander Sean Manaea, who doesn’t tend to go very deep in games. He hasn’t topped the 100-pitch mark since June 28, and he hasn’t reached the sixth inning since July 31.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN DIEGO PADRES
Where: Petco Park
Gametime: 4:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 75 degrees, wind 9 mph out to right field

NATIONALS
CF Victor Robles
LF Alex Call
1B Joey Meneses
DH Nelson Cruz
RF Lane Thomas
2B César Hernández
SS CJ Abrams
C Tres Barrera
3B Ildemaro Vargas

SAN DIEGO – It’s been a crazy season for the Nationals, but here’s the craziest stat of all that defies explanation: Against the National League East, they’re a pathetic 9-42. But against everyone else, they’re a respectable 32-38. That includes a 3-2 record against the Padres, thanks to two straight wins to open this weekend’s series. Now we’ll see if they can keep it going tonight.

Quality pitching has defined the last two wins, but the bullpen has been pretty taxed. After pitching back-to-back nights, you’ve got to assume Kyle Finnegan, Carl Edwards Jr. and Victor Arano are all unavailable tonight. So Davey Martinez might feel compelled to push starter Josiah Gray a bit deeper, just as he did in last outing against the Cubs.

The Nationals will be facing Joe Musgrove, who they did not see in last week’s series in D.C. The San Diego native is 8-6 with a 2.98 ERA, but over his last nine starts he’s actually 0-6 with a 5.00 ERA. We’ll see if the Nats can string some runs together early for a change, and not just wait until the top of the ninth to rally.

Update: Luke Voit has been scratched from the lineup again tonight.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN DIEGO PADRES
Where: Petco Park
Gametime: 8:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 72 degrees, wind 8 mph out to center field

The Orioles will try to clinch their series against the Red Sox today after moving within 1 ½ games of the last wild card spot.

They improved last night to 6-4 against the Red Sox after going 6-13 in 2021.

Michael Wacha’s reverse splits have produced a right-handed heavy lineup for the Orioles.

Austin Hays is leading off and playing left field, and Ryan McKenna is in center. Cedric Mullins is on the bench.

Also missing from the lineup are Rougned Odor and rookie Kyle Stowers. Tyler Nevin is playing third base, with Ramón Urías moving to second.  

SAN DIEGO – On the heels of an uplifting win in Thursday night’s series opener, the Nationals are back at it tonight against the Padres. And if they’re going to make it two in a row, they’re going to have to do something they couldn’t do earlier this week: Beat Blake Snell.

The San Diego lefty thoroughly dominated this lineup Sunday at Nationals Park, tossing six innings of shutout ball, surrendering three measly singles while striking out 10. The Nats had no chance against him. For what it’s worth, that day Davey Martinez was without Nelson Cruz, Keibert Ruiz and Luis García. García remains out with a groin strain, but Cruz and Ruiz are in there tonight.

Paolo Espino also started Sunday’s game, and he had a tougher time against the Padres lineup, allowing four runs over 5 2/3 innings. A couple of walks, in particular, hurt Espino, who saw his pitch count skyrocket and finished with 109 despite not completing six innings.

Of note: Josh Bell is not starting for San Diego tonight. The big guy is in a real funk right now. Over his last seven games (four of which came against the Nats) he’s 1-for-30 with zero RBIs. Maybe a night off will help him clear his head after what’s obviously been an emotionally draining few weeks.

Update: Luke Voit has been scratched from tonight's lineup with back tightness. Joey Meneses will move to first base, with Victor Robles now added to the batting order and starting in center field.

SAN DIEGO – This won’t be as notable or awkward as it was last week in D.C., but the fact that Juan Soto and Josh Bell are facing the Nationals again this soon after a trade that is still only 16 days old is pretty remarkable. Who’d have thought the only two series between these two teams would come right at this juncture of the season?

Can’t change anything about that now, though, so the Nats once again will be trying to figure out how to get Soto, Bell and the rest of the Padres lineup out over the next four days. They did a pretty good job against Soto and Bell last weekend, but they struggled to hold everyone else in check while losing two of three games.

We’ve got a rematch of the one game the Nationals won in that series tonight, with Aníbal Sánchez facing Yu Darvish. Sánchez gave up solo homers to Manny Machado and Trent Grisham in that game, but otherwise fared alright, allowing three runs over five innings to give his team a chance.

The Nats meanwhile, were shut out by Darvish for five innings before finally coming though with three runs in the sixth on back-to-back homers by Lane Thomas and Joey Meneses, then adding the go-ahead run in the seventh on Victor Robles’ RBI single to right, with César Hernández scoring only after it was determined Padres catcher Austin Nola was illegally blocking his path to the plate. Fun times.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN DIEGO PADRES
Where: Petco Park
Gametime: 9:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 74 degrees, wind 9 mph left field to right field