ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles will try again today to win their first series against the Rays at Tropicana Field since 2017.

Ryan Mountcastle is out of the lineup after former Orioles reliever Jimmy Yacabonis drilled him on the left hand yesterday in the ninth inning. Mountcastle swung a bat and played catch this morning, and had the hand wrapped in ice again later.

“It’s sore, swollen, but I’m going to try to work, I guess,” he said. “Hopefully, I can get out there and play, but as of right now it doesn’t really feel great, but try to work it out.

“Hopefully, I can get in there today, but we’ll see. … In the morning it felt about the same as it did right after. Yeah, doesn’t feel great.”

Manager Brandon Hyde said Mountcastle is day-to-day.

The Nationals have played two really long games the last two nights against the Padres. Now they’ve got a quick turnaround to this afternoon’s series finale. And it’s barely an afternoon game, with a 12:05 p.m. start thanks to the good folks at Peacock who are televising the contest.

After an emotionally uplifting victory Saturday night, the Nats will once again try to win the rubber game of a series, something they’ve struggled to do all season. They’ll need to keep it going offensively, this time against left-hander Blake Snell, who will try to keep Joey Meneses in the yard. (Which, as we’ve seen, is proving far more difficult than anyone could’ve ever imagined.)

There's a new name in the lineup: Alex Call. The 27-year-old outfielder was called up from Triple-A Rochester, where he had only been for five games after getting claimed off waivers from the Guardians. And the Nats are wasting no time throwing him into the fire: Call is leading off and starting in left field. (Josh Palacios was optioned to Rochester to make room on the roster.)

Paolo Espino gets the start for the Nationals, who used up four key relievers (Steve Cishek, Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey, Carl Edwards Jr.) to pull off Saturday’s win. Davey Martinez might need to push Espino to go a bit deeper than he normally would in an attempt to save some bullpen arms.

SAN DIEGO PADRES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 12:05 p.m. EDT
TV: Peacock, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 80 degrees, wind 9 mph out to left field

The hubbub of Friday night should have dissipated now, so tonight’s game between the Nationals and Padres should feel a bit more normal. That is, as normal as it could feel with Juan Soto and Josh Bell playing for the opposition. Both former Nats should continue to receive nice ovations when they step to the plate tonight, but I wouldn’t expect nearly as much emotion or any formal acknowledgment of them in this one.

The Nationals were beaten around by San Diego’s lineup in the series opener, and that’s even with Soto and Bell playing only a minimal role in the proceedings. That’s an awfully tough lineup to contend with, and so the challenge tonight for Aníbal Sánchez is significant. The 38-year-old right-hander is still seeking his first win (or even his first no-decision) in his sixth big league start of the season. He was better in his last outing at the Cubs earlier this week, but he was done in by a pair of third-inning home runs, which continues to be his primary issue.

The Nats lineup faces a significant challenge itself in Padres starter Yu Darvish, who over his last 11 starts is 6-2 with a 2.68 ERA and 0.919 WHIP. It’s only the third time the veteran right-hander has ever faced Washington; he dominated here in D.C. way back in 2014 with the Rangers but was hit hard last summer at Petco Park in a game that became better known as the one when Max Scherzer gave up a grand slam to a relief pitcher.

SAN DIEGO PADRES 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, 78 degrees, wind 5 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
CF Victor Robles
1B Luke Voit
DH Nelson Cruz
LF Yadiel Hernandez
RF Joey Meneses
C Keibert Ruiz
2B César Hernández
3B Maikel Franco
SS Ildemaro Vargas

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Left-hander DL Hall is making his major league debut this afternoon, and the Orioles are attempting to win a fifth consecutive series as part of their amazing turnaround.

Hall joined the active roster this morning, with reliever Nick Vespi optioned again to Triple-A Norfolk. Hall, the No. 4 prospect in the organization per MLBPipeline.com and Baseball America, is the 54^th player used by the Orioles this season.

He's wearing No. 49.

Spenser Watkins is available in the bullpen and is expected to start Thursday’s makeup game against the Cubs at Camden Yards.

The Orioles want to transition Hall into a relief role after today’s outing, which could begin with Norfolk. Hall is expected to be in the Orioles’ bullpen in September after rosters expand. To be decided is how they get him to that point.

It’s going to be quite a scene at Nationals Park tonight, with a national audience able to tune in as well.

Juan Soto and Josh Bell make their returns to D.C., now as members of the Padres, only 10 days after they were sent to San Diego for six players (including five prospects) in an historic deal at the trade deadline. Very rarely do players dealt at the deadline return to their former home ballparks in this short amount of time. Even more rarely are players of Soto and Bell’s caliber traded and then return to face their former club. 

There will be tribute videos played on the big screen at Nats Park for both Soto and Bell. Fans will give them standing ovations in their first at-bats. There may even be a couple of boos directed at the front office and ownership for making this trade in the first place. But what’s done is done. And the game moves along.

Cory Abbott takes the mound for his third start with the Nationals. He pitched five shutout innings against the Mets last week, but then gave up seven runs in 3 ⅔ innings against the Phillies on Sunday. 

Mike Clevinger brings a 3-4 record and 3.60 ERA to the bump for the Padres in the series opener. Twelve of the right-handers’ 13 appearances this year have been starts, while he has poasted a 3.43 ERA as a starter. Clevinger gave up six runs over 5 ⅔ innings in his only career start against the Nats back in 2019.

BOSTON - The Orioles landed in Boston early this morning tied with the Rays for third place in the American League East and for the last wild card spot. They’re only two games behind the Blue Jays for the top spot.

They will try to improve on a 25-31 road record with one game in Boston, three in St. Petersburg, Fla. and three in Toronto.

A win tonight puts the Orioles seven games above .500 for the first time since May 22, 2017.

Dean Kremer is making the start after last night’s rainout. Austin Voth was supposed to face the Red Sox.

Kremer has made two career starts against Boston and allowed 10 runs and 12 hits in 7 2/3 innings. His only appearance at Fenway Park in 2020 resulted in seven runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings.

CHICAGO – It’s another beautiful day at the Friendly Confines, where the Nationals woke up feeling good about themselves following a dramatic, 6-5 win over the Cubs on Tuesday night. Now they’ve got a shot at a series victory and some positive vibes before they head home to face Juan Soto, Josh Bell and the Padres this weekend. (And yeah, that’s not going to sound right for a long time.)

Davey Martinez’s lineup is kind of piecemeal because Nelson Cruz remains out with a sore right shoulder and Keibert Ruiz (who was fantastic Tuesday night) gets the day game off. So it’s Lane Thomas leading off, with rookie sensation Joey Meneses batting cleanup and a less-than-fearsome power duo of César Hernández and Victor Robles batting sixth and seventh, respectively.

Suffice it to say, the Nationals need a decent start out of Josiah Gray. The right-hander has been in a rut, going 1-4 with a 7.63 ERA over his last six starts, having served up a whopping 13 home runs during that time. The good news: The wind still isn’t blowing out at Wrigley Field, though it is the warmest day we’ve had this week, so Gray does need to keep the ball down and keep it in the yard.

UPDATE: Luis García was a late scratch for unspecified reasons. César Hernández will now bat second, with Ildemaro Vargas shifting to shortstop and Maikel Franco taking over at third base.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO CUBS
Where: Wrigley Field
Gametime: 2:20 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 80 degrees, wind 5 mph in from right field

CHICAGO – It’s a beautiful day in the Windy City, with a nice breeze blowing in off Lake Michigan and barely a cloud in the sky. Maybe good weather will inspire the Nationals to play better and end their six-game losing streak.

OK, the weather probably has nothing to do with how they play tonight. What they really need is to score some runs, preferably early, and give their pitching staff a chance to pitch with a rare lead. Davey Martinez is trying a different look in his lineup, with Luis García batting leadoff, Luke Voit batting second and Nelson Cruz in the No. 3 spot. Victor Robles, who struggled Monday night, is out. So is Maikel Franco, who also struggled in the 6-3 loss.

Paolo Espino makes the start, still seeking his first win of the season. The veteran right-hander has got to keep the ball in the yard, and he’s got to find a way to get hitters out a second time through the lineup. As tempting as it might be for Martinez to go to his bullpen early, he really can’t afford to do it unless absolutely necessary, given how much that group has worked in recent weeks.

Speaking of the bullpen, the Nationals are going to have a new pitcher soon: Jake McGee. They claimed the veteran left-hander off waivers today from the Brewers, who designated him for assignment earlier in the week. McGee has had a rough season in San Francisco and Milwaukee, but he’s got a strong track record. And the Nats have been looking for a lefty reliever for some time, so once he arrives he could be a welcome addition.

To clear space on the organizational 40-man roster for McGee, the Nationals designated Triple-A outfielder Donovan Casey for assignment. Casey, you’ll remember, was one of the four players they acquired from the Dodgers last summer in the Max Scherzer-Trea Turner blockbuster. He was far from the key prospect in the whole deal, but it’s still not a great look that he was DFA’d only one year in.

CHICAGO – There’s no kind way to put this: The Nationals are in an awful state right now. This season already was bad before the trade deadline, and it’s only gotten worse since (which, considering who they dealt away, isn’t shocking at all). There was that one inspiring win over the Mets on deadline day, but there have been five straight losses since. In four of those games, they’ve trailed by at least six runs at some point. In three of those, they’ve trailed by at least nine runs at some point.

There’s not a whole lot of reason to be optimistic about what’s still to come over the season’s final 52 games, but maybe the Nats are due to catch a little bit of a break the next three weeks when they face a Cubs team that owns the second-worst record in the National League. If the Nationals can’t give themselves a chance to win two of three here at Wrigley Field, what hope is there?

It’s going to have to start with starting pitching, because the current rotation keeps digging this team into holes it can’t climb out of. And Aníbal Sánchez has been as guilty of that as anybody. The 38-year-old has made four starts to date and is 0-4 with a 7.65 ERA. He’s reached the sixth inning only once, and in that game he still gave up six runs. The home run has been a real problem for Sánchez (six allowed in only 20 innings), but with the wind blowing in from left field tonight, maybe that helps him a bit.

The Nationals lineup faces right-hander Keegan Thompson in the series opener, and he’s been something of a bright spot for the Cubs, entering with an 8-5 record and 3.48 ERA. He has been roughed up in two of his last three starts, though.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO CUBS
Where: Wrigley Field
Gametime: 8:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 71 degrees, wind 16 mph in from left field

PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals will look to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the Phillies today before heading to the north side of Chicago tonight.

Cory Abbott takes the mound for his third major league start after making his first start with the Nationals on Tuesday, when he pitched five shutout innings against the Mets. The right-hander’s Nationals debut actually came against the Phillies on June 19, when he pitched a perfect ninth inning with a strikeout to close a 9-3 win. 

Aaron Nola makes his 22nd start of the season for the Phillies this afternoon. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 1.72 ERA over his first two starts against the Nats this season. He pitched eight shutout innings with eight strikeouts at Nationals Park on June 18 and then gave up three runs in 7 ⅔ innings here at Citizens Bank Park on July 6. 

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (outside of D.C. and Philadelphia markets only), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 91 degrees, wind 13 mph out to right field 

NATIONALS
CF Lane Thomas
SS Luis García
1B Luke Voit
DH Nelson Cruz
LF Yadiel Hernandez
C Keibert Ruiz
RF Josh Palacios
2B César Hernández
3B Ildemaro Vargas 

PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals need a win tonight to avoid losing their third straight series and fourth since the All-Star break.

With all the negatives surrounding Patrick Corbin over the past couple of seasons, the one thing you can say about him is that he takes the ball every fifth day. The results of those outings haven’t always been great, but he’s available and that’s what Davey Martinez needs from his veteran starter right now.

Over his first 22 starts, Corbin is 4-15 with a 6.57 ERA, the most losses and highest qualified earned run average in the majors. In his lone start against the Phillies this year, the left-hander was tagged for nine runs (only two earned) on eight hits, one walk and two homers in 3 ⅓ innings on June 16. Corbin is 6-6 with a 3.88 ERA in 16 starts against Philadelphia in his career.

In a matchup of lefty starting pitchers, Ranger Suárez takes the mound for the Phillies with a 7-5 record and 3.60 ERA. He earned the win in the first game of the June 17 doubleheader to kick off Ryan Zimmerman Weekend at Nats Park by giving up three runs and striking out five in 5 ⅔ innings. Suárez is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA in nine games (two starts) against the Nats over his five-year career.

Nelson Cruz is back in the lineup as the designated hitter after missing the last three games with a stiff neck. Luis García gets the day off against a left-hander.

The Orioles will try today to move five games above .500 for the first time since June 7, 2017, also against the Pirates, who remain in town through the weekend. They’re 1 ½ back for the last wild card spot and two behind the Rays for third place.

Last night’s 1-0 win bumped the Orioles’ run differential to plus-eight.

The Orioles lead the majors with four 1-0 victories, their highest total since 1983, their last championship team.

The pitching staff has allowed three runs or fewer in five consecutive games, their second-longest streak of the season.

Austin Voth has posted a 2.84 ERA in 11 games with the Orioles, and today marks his eighth start. He retired all six Pirates batters he faced in an April 15 relief appearance for the Nationals – his only career game against them.

PHILADELPHIA – The weather forecasted for this weekend in the City of Brotherly Love isn’t so lovely. In typical late-summer fashion for the Mid-Atlantic region, it’s going to be hot, humid and overcast with chances of storms over the next couple of days. Here’s hoping we got the rain delay out of the way last night …

Josiah Gray makes his 20th start of the season tonight, bringing a 7-7 record and 4.59 ERA to the bump. The right-hander has had success against the Phillies this year while allowing just two runs in 12 innings, including six shutout innings on June 18 and an 11-strikeout performance on July 6. 

Right-hander Kyle Gibson will make his 21st start for the Phillies this year with a 6-4 record and 4.60 ERA. This will be his first start against the Nats since 2019. In his previous two career starts against Washington, Gibson allowed 13 runs (12 earned) over just 7 ⅔ innings.

Tonight’s game is only available on Apple TV+. Here’s a link to watch it for free with an Apple ID.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: Apple TV+
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 89 degrees, wind 8 mph out to right field 

Austin Hays remains out of the Orioles’ lineup tonight with soreness in his left side.

Brett Phillips makes his first Orioles start, playing left field for the series opener against the Pirates.

Terrin Vavra is the designated hitter tonight.

Ryan Mountcastle is looking for his first home run since July 3. He’s 5-for-46 in his last 12 games.

Dean Kremer has allowed 13 runs and 23 hits in his last three starts over 13 2/3 innings.

PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals hit the road for the second half of this week-long stretch against divisional opponents. Tonight’s opener of a four-game series will be the first of 11 games remaining between the Nats and Phillies this season.

The Nats are 2-6 against the Phils through their first eight matchups and are 9-38 against the National League East.

Luke Voit and MacKenzie Gore, two of the six players received in Tuesday’s Juan Soto-Josh Bell trade with the Padres, are meeting the Nats in Philly today, with Voit making his first start with his new team. The veteran first baseman slashed .225/.317/.416 with a .733 OPS, 13 home runs and 48 RBIs in 344 plate appearances with the Padres.

Gore is on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation. He will meet with the training staff and be examined by team doctors so they can formulate a rehab plan.

Paolo Espino makes his third start against the Phillies and second at Citizens Bank Park this season tonight. Espino is 0-3 with a 3.78 ERA this season and 0-3 with a 4.95 ERA in nine starts. He gave up four runs in 3 ⅔ innings in a start here on July 5.

It’s a new day here on South Capitol Street. The sun came up. The grounds crew worked on the field. The Nationals, or what’s left of them, reported for work. There are 56 games still to play this season, and that would’ve been the case whether Juan Soto and Josh Bell were here for them or not.

We got a glimpse Tuesday night of what the team looks like without them, and surprisingly, it wasn’t so bad. Behind strong pitching from Cory Abbott and the bullpen, and home runs from Luis García, Yadiel Hernandez and Joey Meneses, the Nats beat Jacob deGrom and the Mets 5-1. And so they once again have a chance to win a series over a National League contender.

Aníbal Sánchez is going to have to be effective for that to happen, certainly more effective than he has been in three starts to date. Against the Mets lineup, that may be a lot to ask. But if he can just provide five innings and keep his team in the game, the Nationals bullpen has been good enough to finish things off for several weeks now.

The lineup that blasted three homers Tuesday night will try to do something similar today against Chris Bassitt, who doesn’t get as much attention as deGrom and Max Scherzer but is plenty important to New York’s chances this season.

NEW YORK METS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (outside D.C. and N.Y. markets), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 91 degrees, wind 7 mph out to center field

ARLINGTON, Texas – Austin Hays is out of the lineup today due to some soreness in his left side, according to manager Brandon Hyde.

Hyde said he isn’t concerned about it. He wants to rest Hays leading into Thursday’s off-day, and expects the outfielder to play on Friday, when the Orioles open a three-game home series against the Pirates.

Brett Phillips reported to the team this morning, and the Orioles optioned outfielder Yusniel Diaz to Triple-A Norfolk as the corresponding move.

Diaz was the 51^st player used by the Orioles this season when he struck out last night as a pinch-hitter.

Phillips is wearing No. 66. A nod, perhaps, to Phillips 66.

Well, tonight’s Nationals lineup is going to look a lot different. After reportedly trading their two best hitters, Juan Soto and Josh Bell, to the Padres for five prospects and possibly more, the Nats will trot out a starting lineup that no one could imagine just a couple of weeks ago.

Soto and Bell no longer man the heart of the order. Those spots are now filled by Yadiel Hernandez and Nelson Cruz as they face Mets ace Jacob deGrom in his season debut.

After suffering a stress reaction in his right scapula during spring training, deGrom brings his 9-4 record and 2.44 career ERA against the Nationals to South Capitol Street tonight.

On the mound for the Nationals is right-hander Cory Abbott, who makes his fourth appearance and first start for Washington. He has given up two hits, one run, one home run, one walk and six strikeouts in four innings over his previous three outings.

NEW YORK METS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (outside of the D.C. and New York markets) MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 87 degrees, wind 9 mph in from left field 

ARLINGTON, Texas – Jordan Lyles is still listed as the Orioles' starter tonight. Anthony Santander is in left field, Cedric Mullins is in center and Austin Hays is in right. Rougned Odor is the second baseman.

A little over an hour before the trade deadline arrives and the Orioles haven’t made another move.

Terrin Vavra is the designated hitter. Adley Rutschman is catching.

The Orioles are 52-51 to match last year’s win total, and they’re 2 ½ games out of the last wild card spot.

Santander extended his hitting streak to 12 games last night.

With the trade deadline just over 24 hours away, I wouldn’t blame you if you immediately scrolled down in search of three names in the Nationals lineup: Juan Soto, Josh Bell and Nelson Cruz.

Well, for now, all three are in Davey Martinez’s starting lineup. Keep an eye out for late scratches and in-game replacements. It’s that time of year.

Ehire Adrianza was the first trade chip to fall with today’s announcement that he was traded to the Braves in exchange for 26-year-old outfielder Trey Harris. The Nats seemed to be showcasing him with increased playing time lately, and he heads back to the Braves to provide utility help in their postseason run. Maikel Franco returns as the starting third baseman.

We can be almost certain that Patrick Corbin isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so he’ll be ready to make his 22nd start of the season. At 4-14, the left-hander is looking to stay out of the loss column, as he is on pace to become the major leagues’ first 20-loss pitcher in two decades. He was charged with six runs on seven hits and a walk while only recording two outs in a loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Corbin is 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA in three starts against the Mets this year.

Max Scherzer makes his second start against his former club tonight, both coming at Nationals Park. He gave up three runs and struck out six over six innings while earning the win in the second game of the season on April 8. Scherzer is 6-2 with a 2.09 ERA on the year, and 1-1 with a 1.39 ERA in his five starts since returning from a strained left oblique muscle that kept him sidelined in June.

The Nationals also are hoping to start August on a better note than they finished on during a 6-19 July, just “good” enough to avoid the worst month in club history.

NEW YORK METS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 85 degrees, wind 7 mph out to left-center field

NATIONALS
CF Victor Robles
2B César Hernández
RF Juan Soto
1B Josh Bell
LF Yadiel Hernandez
DH Nelson Cruz
SS Luis García
C Keibert Ruiz
3B Maikel Franco

LHP Patrick Corbin

METS
CF Brandon Nimmo
RF Starling Marte
SS Francisco Lindor
1B Pete Alonso
DH J.D. Davis
LF Mark Canha
3B Eduardo Escobar
2B Jeff McNeil
C Tomás Nido

RHP Max Scherzer