CHICAGO – Richie Martin is starting at second base and Rougned Odor is on the bench for tonight’s series opener against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Odor usually starts against right-handers, and the White Sox are sending Johnny Cueto to the mound.

Tyler Nevin is starting at third base. Anthony Santander is in left field and Austin Hays is in right after hitting for the cycle last night.

Hays leads the Orioles in hits (71), extra-base hits (27), total bases (119), batting average (.287), slugging percentage (.482), OPS (.829), RBIs (40) and runs scored (37), and he’s tied with Cedric Mullins for the lead in doubles with 16.  

For the Orioles
Cedric Mullins CF
Trey Mancini DH
Anthony Santander LF
Austin Hays RF
Ryan Mountcastle 1B
Adley Rutschman C
Tyler Nevin 3B
Jorge Mateo SS
Richie Martin 2B

BALTIMORE – After a beautiful, unseasonably mild Tuesday evening here, it’s a very seasonable, hot and muggy and wet Wednesday afternoon here as the Nationals and Orioles prepare to wrap up their two-game interleague series. It began raining a short while ago, and the Camden Yards grounds crew rolled out the tarp, canceling batting practice. More is expected tonight, so it’s anybody’s guess whether this game will start on time or be completed at all. Stay tuned.

If they’re able to play, it’ll be Patrick Corbin on the mound trying to continue the suddenly dominant ways of the Nats rotation, which hasn’t allowed an earned run in any of its last three starts. Corbin has made it through only one of 14 starts so far this season without allowing a run, and he gave up nine (only two earned) in his last outing. So he’s not exactly primed to pick up where Erick Fedde left off Tuesday night, but we’ll see.

The Nationals get their first look at Tyler Wells as a starter. The Baltimore right-hander did pitch two innings in relief last May in D.C., but he’s blossomed into an effective member of the rotation this season. He’s allowed three or fewer runs in all but one of his 13 starts, though he’s yet to top six innings or 88 pitches.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Where: Camden Yards
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Rain, 76 degrees, wind 10 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
2B César Hernández
RF Juan Soto
1B Josh Bell
DH Nelson Cruz
SS Luis García
CF Lane Thomas
LF Yadiel Hernandez
C Riley Adams
3B Erhire Adrianza

BALTIMORE – Hello from Camden Yards, which looks different than the last time the Nationals were here. The left field wall has been pushed way back and up, turning what used to be one of the best hitter’s parks in the majors into one of the best pitcher’s parks (at least on that side of the field).

We’ll see how that impacts the Nats, but certainly Erick Fedde (tonight’s starter) and Patrick Corbin (Wednesday’s starter) won’t be complaining at all. Fedde will try to keep the recent run of quality starts by this rotation going, following in the footsteps of Josiah Gray on Saturday and Jackson Tetreault on Sunday. If he doesn’t, at least the bullpen is fresh following a much-needed off-day.

The lineup will try to pick up where it left off Sunday, when it exploded for nine runs against the Phillies. Juan Soto, Nelson Cruz and Josh Bell will be going up against right-hander Jordan Lyles, who has a 5.10 ERA and has allowed four or more earned runs in fewer than six innings in each of his last three starts.

As expected, the Nats activated Alcides Escobar off the 10-day injured list today. Escobar, out since May 31 with a hamstring strain, will assume a utility infielder spot, with Luis García remaining the everyday shortstop for now.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Where: Camden Yards
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 84 degrees, wind 7 mph out to center field

The Orioles scratched Jordan Lyles for today’s start against the Rays and replaced him with Austin Voth.

An explanation is coming later.

Lyles hasn’t gone more than 5 1/3 innings in his last four starts, and his ERA has risen from 4.10 to 5.10. No word on how today’s switch impacts the rotation moving forward.

The Orioles are off Monday.

Voth has made three relief appearances and allowed two runs in 3 1/3 innings since the Orioles claimed him off waivers from the Nationals.

After an emotional Saturday at the ballpark, the Nationals have a quick turnaround to today’s series finale, with a rare 12:05 p.m. start time. It’s at long last the end of a 14-games-in-13-days stretch that has been brutal in so many ways, with eight straight losses at the moment. They have to find a way to get through today, then finally enjoy a day off before heading up to Baltimore on Tuesday.

It’s Jackson Tetreault making his second career start this afternoon, looking for better results than he had in his debut earlier in the week when he allowed seven runs in four innings to the Braves. The young right-hander does have some backup help today in the form of Cory Abbott, who was called up from Triple-A Rochester on Friday but has yet to pitch, so he’s good for several innings in relief of Tetreault if needed. The “A” bullpen of Carl Edwards Jr., Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey should all be available, as well, after being held out of Saturday’s extra-inning loss.

What would help more than anything, though, would be a big day at the plate against Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin. Juan Soto and Nelson Cruz simply have to start producing the way they’re supposed to produce. There’s no getting around that. We’ll see if it happens on another unseasonably cool summer afternoon with the wind blowing in.

Reminder: Today’s game is only available on the Peacock streaming service. It’ll be Jason Benetti (who once called Triple-A games for the Nationals in Syracuse) with the play-by-play, joined by Kevin Frandsen and Ruben Amaro Jr. on the broadcast.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 12:05 p.m. EDT
TV: Peacock
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 72 degrees, wind 16 mph left field to right field

It’s going to be a special day at Nationals Park. If you’re coming to the game, get here early. If you’re not coming to the game, MASN will carry the entire Ryan Zimmerman jersey retirement ceremony, beginning at 3 p.m.

We’ll have plenty on that ceremony as the day plays out. As for the game … well, the Nationals are trying to snap a seven-game losing streak overall, an 11-game losing streak to the Phillies and a 12-game losing streak to National League East opponents. So, they could really use a curly W today.

They’ll have Josiah Gray on the mound for the first time in 10 days after his last start was scratched due to a long rain delay. He probably gives them their best chance for a long start all week, and they could certainly use one this afternoon, given the fact both Carl Edwards Jr. and Kyle Finnegan pitched both ends of Friday’s doubleheader, and Tanner Rainey warmed up in the opener and then pitched in the nightcap.

After facing a couple lefties on Friday, the Nationals will go up against veteran right-hander Aaron Nola, who enters with a league-leading 0.894 WHIP and 9.1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. So the challenge is real for a Nats lineup that has been awfully inconsistent.

Update: The Nationals placed left-hander Evan Lee on the 15-day injured list with a flexor strain, one day after he departed a game following a string of eight straight balls (two of them wild pitches). Davey Martinez considered that diagnosis "about as good as it could've been" and said he should be back within a few weeks. Andres Machado, who had been optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Friday, was immediately recalled to take Lee's spot in the bullpen.

If you thought this week was long already, Friday’s games aren’t even over yet. Let’s play two!

After this afternoon’s 5-3 loss to the Phillies, in which Joan Adon covered five innings on 97 pitches and Evan Lee covered one inning on 31 pitches, the Nationals will need a total team effort to snap this six-game losing streak. The pitching hasn’t been great and the offense came into today averaging 2.6 runs per game this week.

Paolo Espino gets the assignment for the nightcap, trying to provide the home team with as much length as possible as well as the Nats' first quality start since June 5. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA and 1.022 WHIP in 21 appearances this season. He’s making his second straight start after giving up just one run and four hits with two strikes over 3 ⅔ innings against the Brewers. He threw 53 pitches on Sunday, so he’ll be pushed beyond that tonight.

The Phillies are calling up 25-year-old Bailey Falter from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start tonight. In six major league appearances this season, the left-hander is 0-2 with a 4.20 ERA and 1.467 WHIP. In his two starts, he is 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.565 WHIP. Falter has been fantastic at Triple-A, however, pitching to a 1.54 ERA and 0.686 WHIP in five starts with Lehigh Valley.

Tonight officially kicks off Ryan Zimmerman Weekend here at Nationals Park. Gates open for all fans around 6 p.m. There are on-field and social media Q&A sessions with former players at 6 p.m. and an on-field Q&A session with Zimmerman at 6:20 p.m. Plus, the first 25,000 fans age 21+ will receive a Ryan Zimmerman Employee No. 11 T-shirt.

It’s going to be a long, hot day of baseball at Nationals Park, where the Nats and Phillies are scheduled to play a doubleheader. First game at 1:05 p.m., then the nightcap at 7:05 p.m.

Obviously, the Nationals need some length from their starter after a brutal week for the rotation. Joan Adon gets the ball, only 10 days after he was sent down to Triple-A Rochester with a 1-10 record and 6.95 ERA. This will likely be a one-and-done start for the rookie, who is the designated 27th man for the doubleheader, but he can help his cause with a solid outing this afternoon against a tough Phillies lineup.

After struggling against ace Zack Wheeler on Friday night, the Nats get a chance against left-hander Ranger Suárez today. That means Lane Thomas is back at the top of the lineup, in front of César Hernández and Juan Soto. Riley Adams gets the nod behind the plate, with Keibert Ruiz scheduled to catch the nightcap.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 94 degrees, wind 14 mph out to right field

NATIONALS
LF Lane Thomas
2B César Hernández
RF Juan Soto
DH Nelson Cruz
1B Josh Bell
3B Maikel Franco
SS Luis García
C Riley Adams
CF Victor Robles

The National League East has not been kind to the Nationals so far in 2022. At this point, they’ve gone an atrocious 5-20 against division foes this season, including nine straight losses to the Mets, Marlins and Braves. And tonight they face a red-hot Phillies club for the first time in the opener of a rare five-game series on South Capitol Street.

Having just been beaten up by the Braves, the Nats must now try to find a way to contain an explosive Phillies lineup that ranks second in the NL in homers and third in OPS. It’s imperative that Patrick Corbin keep the ball in the yard tonight, and he has actually been better at that this year, with only nine homers surrendered in 13 starts (after giving up a club record 37 in 31 starts last year).

Above all else, Corbin needs to provide innings. Like Erick Fedde on Wednesday night, Corbin will be throwing 100-110 pitches no matter what. It’s only a question of how many innings he can stretch those pitches into in advance of Friday’s day-night doubleheader.

Juan Soto returns to the lineup tonight after missing the last two games with bruised right knee.

Zack Wheeler, who since signing with the Phillies in 2020 has developed into one of the most consistently effective starters in the league, gets the ball tonight. The Nationals actually had some success against him last season, though, beating him three times in six starts while scoring 18 runs in 36 2/3 innings.

TORONTO – If the Orioles are going to gain a split of their four-game series against the Blue Jays, they’ll need to bounce back quickly from last night’s 10-inning walk-off loss.

Adley Rutschman is batting fourth as the designated hitter this afternoon after smacking his first major league home run and collecting his first two RBIs. He also doubled for his fourth multi-hit game.

Kyle Stowers is on the bench, with Ryan McKenna starting in left field.

Trey Mancini remains out of the lineup with swelling in his right hand.

Ryan Mountcastle has homered in consecutive games for the fifth time in his career. He’s hit 12 career homers against the Jays, most versus any opponent, and is batting .346 (38-for-110) with four doubles, 12 home runs, 21 RBIs and a 1.109 OPS in 28 games.

Well, this week has not started off well for the Nationals. After starting this 11-games-in-10-days homestand with two impressive wins against the Brewers over the weekend, the Nats have dropped three straight by a combined score of 23-10, including the first two games of this series against the division rival Braves. Not to mention all of the injury and roster news from the past 48 hours …

As they look to avoid a three-game sweep, the Nats will turn to Erick Fedde to be the stopper, something he actually has done a handful of times this season. The Nationals have won seven of the 12 games Fedde has started this season, with the right-hander going 4-4 with a 4.87 ERA. Of those seven wins, five of them were the only victories the Nationals secured in those respective series (against the Mets, Pirates, Rockies, Astros and Dodgers). And his most recent start against the Brewers stopped a three-game losing streak after the Nationals were swept out of Miami last week.

He’ll try to do it again tonight.

The Braves will send one of the National League’s best rookies in Spencer Strider to the mound for just his fourth start in his 15th appearance this season. The 23-year-old right-hander is 2-2 with a 1.122 WHIP and 2.35 ERA, which is third-best among qualified major league rookies. Strider’s three starts have come in his last three outings, over which he allowed four earned runs in 14 innings while striking out 20 and issuing just eight walks. He gave up one run on three hits and three walks with three strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings of relief against the Nats on April 11 in Atlanta.

Juan Soto is not in the lineup for the second straight game. The star right fielder slipped in the dugout and banged his right knee on the corner of a bench in the eighth inning of Monday night’s game. Manager Davey Martinez told reporters yesterday Soto’s X-ray came back clean, but today said the knee is still sore. Martinez also said during his pregame media session that Soto could be available off the bench.

TORONTO – The Orioles claimed infielder Jonathan Araúz off waivers from the Red Sox this afternoon and designated left-hander Zac Lowther for assignment. The 40-man roster remains full.

Araúz, 23, will report to Triple-A Norfolk. He went 0-for-10 in six games this season and is 30-for-147 (.204) with five doubles, four home runs and 18 RBIs in 59 games with the Red Sox over parts of three seasons.

Araúz plays shortstop, second base and third base. He’s a career .240/.315/.357 hitter in 498 minor league games and provides infield depth, versatility and experience at the upper level of the farm system.

The native of Panama signed with the Phillies as a free agent in 2014 and was traded to the Astros a year later in a seven-player deal that included Ken Giles, Mark Appel and future Orioles pitcher Thomas Eshelman. The Red Sox selected him in the 2019 Rule 5 draft.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias knows Araúz from their days in the Astros organization.

First we thought Stephen Strasburg would be starting tonight. Then we thought Josiah Gray would be starting tonight. Neither is, Strasburg because of an injury that today put him on the 15-day injured list, Gray because he wasn’t ready to bounce back after completing a full warmup session before Monday night’s game was delayed by rain.

So who’s starting for the Nationals tonight against a Braves team that has won 12 in a row to climb back into the NL East race? That would be Jackson Tetreault. Who’s Jackson Tetreault, you ask? He’s a 26-year-old right-hander drafted in the seventh round in 2017. In 12 starts at Triple-A Rochester, he went 5-3 with a 4.19 ERA and 1.293 WHIP, striking out 52 while walking 24. He’s not officially ranked among the organization’s top 30 prospects, but he made his most recent start Thursday and that means he was already on schedule for tonight, something the club’s other potential pitching options were not.

So, welcome to the majors, Jackson. Now, go out there and hold Ronald Acuña Jr., Dansby Swanson, Austin Riley and Co. in check for at least five solid innings, OK?

The Nationals could help their rookie starter out with some early run support. To do that, they’ll have to produce against lefty Max Fried, who enters 6-2 with a 2.64 ERA but hasn’t been as successful in his career against the Nats. Old stats don’t mean a whole lot, given how different this current lineup looks compared to previous ones. But they did get to Fried for three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings when they met earlier this year in Atlanta.

In addition to selecting Tetreault's contract, the Nationals have also selected the contract of right-hander Reed Garrett from Rochester and recalled lefty Francisco Pérez. Along with Strasburg's latest stop on the IL, the team made space for the three by optioning reliever Jordan Weems to Rochester and designating utility player Dee Strange-Gordon for assignment.

The Nationals spent the weekend taking advantage of a good Brewers club going through a rough stretch, extending Milwaukee’s losing streak to eight games before falling in Sunday’s finale. Now they’ll have to try to go up against a Braves team that’s absolutely on fire right now.

Atlanta enters the week on an 11-game winning streak, outscoring its opponents by 44 runs. The defending World Series champions were off to a ragged start to their season, but they’ve figured something out here recently and come to town on a roll.

Josiah Gray gets the start, and he’ll be looking to duplicate what he did at Truist Park back in April, when he held the Braves to one hit over five scoreless innings. The young righty also had a 10-strikeout game in Atlanta last summer, so he’s proven he can have some success against this very tough lineup.

The Nationals, who exploded for seven homers Friday and Saturday but were shut down Sunday, go up against Ian Anderson, who actually hasn’t faced them since he was a rookie in 2020. Davey Martinez is again going with Lane Thomas, who has gotten hot over the last few weeks, in center field leading off.

ATLANTA BRAVES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 86 degrees, wind 5 mph out to center field

The Orioles are trying to gain a split of their four-game series in Kansas City today with Dean Kremer making his second start since leaving the injured list.

Kremer faced the Guardians last Sunday and allowed three runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings. An off-day and rainout pushed him back in the rotation.

Today marks Kremer’s first career start against the Royals.

Adley Rutschman is catching today after the first three-hit game of his career yesterday afternoon. Rutschman is 5-for-11 in his last three starts.

"It kind of goes back to controlling the controllables," Rutschman told the media. "You hit balls hard and eventually, baseball's one of those games, you’re going to hit balls right at people, then you’re going to have balls that are hit hard that fall for hits. So, you’ve got to continue to roll with the punches and try to do the best you can.”

Paolo Espino has pitched in 20 games for the Nationals this season, totaling 26 2/3 innings. He’s produced a sparkling 2.03 ERA and 1.013 WHIP, striking out 20 while walking only four. He’s been one of the team’s most effective pitchers through 61 games. Except every one of his appearances has come either with the Nats leading or trailing by at least three runs. He hasn’t had a chance to pitch in a single close game yet.

That changes today, and it changes in a big way, because Espino will be starting the Nationals’ series finale against the Brewers, hoping to help lead his team to its first series sweep of the year. Davey Martinez chose the veteran right-hander over young lefty Evan Lee because he liked the matchup against Milwaukee, and because Espino has been so effective this season, even if it has come entirely in low-leverage situations.

We’ll see if Espino can translate those positive results into a much more prominent assignment, facing the team for which he made his major league debut in 2017. The Brewers have a potent lineup, and they’re desperate for success, having now lost eight in a row to fall out of first place in the National League Central.

The Nationals’ lineup has certainly been potent this weekend, blasting out 11 runs Friday and eight more Saturday, with the big three of Juan Soto, Nelson Cruz and Josh Bell playing a starring role. That group will try to keep it going to against Milwaukee starter Jason Alexander, who makes his third career start. (If this pitching thing doesn’t work out for Alexander, perhaps he can always go back to that career in architecture he always wanted to pretend to have.)

MILWAUKEE BREWERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of storms, 77 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

Good news: The Nationals scored 11 runs Friday night to cruise to victory. Bad news: The Nationals scored 11 runs Friday night to cruise to victory, because so far this season that has spelled doom for their offense the next day.

Seven times this year the Nats have scored 10 or more runs. And in five of those cases, they’ve gone on to lose their next game, scoring a total of 11 runs in those games. So they’ll be looking to buck that trend later this afternoon when they host the Brewers in the second game of this weekend series.

The lineup today is facing Eric Lauer, who carved them up last month in Milwaukee. The left-hander tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits while striking out five on May 20. (That was the game Lane Thomas tried for an inside-the-park homer but was thrown out at the plate.)

Patrick Corbin also started for the Nationals during that series, falling victim to a pair of homers. Andrew McCutchen got him on his very first pitch in the bottom of the first. Then Luis Urías jumped on the first pitch he saw in the fifth inning for a homer of his own. Both are in the Brewers lineup today.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 73 degrees, wind 4 mph in from center field

Outfielder Heston Kjerstad, the second-overall draft pick in 2020, finally is able to make his professional debut tonight at Single-A Delmarva – exactly two years after his selection from the University of Arkansas. He’s batting third and serving as the designated hitter.

Kjerstad, 23, was diagnosed with myocarditis after the draft and strained his left hamstring while chasing a line drive from Adley Rutschman in a March 11 intrasquad game in Sarasota. He’s been playing at extended spring training.

The initial prognosis had Kjerstad missing eight to 12 weeks.

The Orioles decided to let Kjerstad - the No. 9 prospect in the organization, according to MLBPipleline.com - skip the Florida Complex League, but he’s on a return-to-play progression with the Shorebirds. He’ll be removed from games in the middle innings per hamstring rehab protocol and standard practices.

Meanwhile, pitcher Cody Sedlock cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk, so he stays in the organization.

Home, sweet home! After going 3-7 over a three-city road trip, the Nationals have finally returned home to South Capitol Street. 

Tonight kicks off an 11-game homestand over the next 10 days (thanks to a doubleheader against the Phillies a week from today), starting with three games against the Brewers. The Nats will be looking for a little payback after dropping two out of three in Milwaukee last month.

Erick Fedde takes the mound for his sixth home start to open this series. He’s 3-4 with 4.88 ERA on the season and gave up two runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings against the Brewers in May.

Aaron Ashby gets the start for the Brew Crew tonight. In 12 games (six starts) this season, the young left-hander is 1-4 with a 3.13 ERA. He closed out the Brewers’ 7-0 win with a scoreless ninth inning on the same day Fedde started for the Nationals at American Family Field. As a starter, Ashby is 1-2 with a 3.45 ERA.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 78 degrees, wind 7 mph in from left field 

MIAMI – There’s going to be a right-hander wearing No. 37 on the mound for the Nationals tonight, as you may have heard. It’s the first time Stephen Strasburg will be pitching in that uniform since June 1, 2021, when he departed a start in Atlanta in the second inning with neck and shoulder discomfort, eventually to learn he needed thoracic outlet surgery.

All this time later, Strasburg is back. He has made it through the long rehab process, tossing six scoreless innings on 83 pitches last week in Rochester. Now we find out how he fares against a major league lineup.

Davey Martinez insists there are no restrictions on Strasburg tonight, but let’s be honest: The Nationals are going to be careful. They’ll monitor him inning-by-inning, but you’d think they’ll hold him to 90 pitches at most, maybe less, depending on how he looks and feels.

Strasburg will have very few familiar faces around him on the field, the Nats roster having been completely overhauled since the last time he pitched. That group of newcomers will be hoping to do everything they can to help him get through this start with minimal damage.

To make room for Strasburg on the active roster, the Nationals optioned Sam Clay to Triple-A Rochester.