There was already plenty of energy surrounding South Capitol Street ahead of the Nationals’ series finale against the Tigers. People were making their way to Nationals Park to start their holiday weekend early. And about five hours before first pitch, James Wood announced he will participate in the Home Run Derby.

The icing on the cake would be a victory at the end of the night to clinch a series win over the best team in the American League.

It was a rocky start, but the Nats indeed were able to tame the Tigers one more time for a 11-7 win to allow the crowd of 31,599 fans to enjoy the postgame fireworks, kicking off the Independence Day celebrations. It was especially enjoyable for manager Davey Martinez, who earned the 500th win of his managerial career, all with the Nationals.

“Hey, I can't do what I do without those guys in there. So I appreciate what they do," Martinez said after the game after his milestone victory. "Thank you to the Washington Nationals for giving me an opportunity to do what I love to do. I'd trade it all in for another World Series, I can tell you that. But let's keep doing what we're doing. We're playing well right now.”

Indeed, they are. The Nationals offense carried over the momentum it built up in last night’s late-inning rally to win the doubleheader nightcap. Facing an early 3-0 deficit in the first, the Nats immediately rallied to take the lead with five runs in the bottom frame.

You have to give the Nationals credit. After the disaster that was the first game of yesterday’s doubleheader against the Tigers, the Nats rallied for one of their best come-from-behind wins of the season in the nightcap, setting themselves up tonight for a chance to win this series against one of the best teams in baseball.

We are one day shy of the one-year anniversary of Jake Irvin’s best start of his career. Last year on the Fourth of July, the right-hander shut out the Mets over eight innings of one-hit, one-walk ball with eight strikeouts. It’s not Independence Day yet and it’s not the Mets, but Irvin will look to repeat his holiday dominance tonight against a tough Tigers lineup.

Meanwhile, the offense will look to carry over their late-inning fireworks from last night into tonight’s finale against Dietrich Enns. The left-hander has only made 12 major league appearances (two starts) over parts of the 2017, 2021 and 2025 seasons. After having his contract selected from Triple-A Toledo on June 26, he shut out the Athletics over five innings with one hit, two walks and four strikeouts in his lone big league start of the year.

The Nationals would love to start the holiday weekend with early fireworks ahead of tonight’s postgame show.

They also made a pregame roster move, reinstating Andrew Chafin from the 15-day injured list and optioning Ryan Loutos to Triple-A Rochester.

James Wood has been making headlines locally all season as the Nationals’ budding young superstar. Today he made national headlines with a special announcement.

Wood announced today that he will participate in the Home Run Derby on July 14 during All-Star Week at Truist Park in Atlanta.

The 22-year-old phenom became the third player to officially join the yearly event the night before the Midsummer Classic, joining Ronald Acuña Jr. of the host Braves and the major league home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Mariners.

“I just got the invite. I can't remember when, really. But it's just something cool to be part of,” Wood said at his locker ahead of tonight’s finale against the Tigers. “I was watching it a lot growing up, so it should be a lot of fun.”

The announcement comes just 367 days after Wood made his major league debut at Nationals Park last summer. He said he will have third base coach Ricky Gutierrez throw to him as he does during batting practice.

The outcome of Wednesday afternoon’s game had long since been decided by the time Andry Lara took the mound in the top of the seventh. The Nationals were well on their way to an 11-2 loss to the Tigers, a result that felt preordained the moment Trevor Williams was roughed up for six innings during a torturous top of the first.

None of that, of course, mattered to Lara. When the lanky right-hander trotted in from the bullpen, the score of the game was insignificant. The fact he was pitching in a major league game was.

“It’s incredible,” he said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid, me and my family. I just don’t have any words.”

Lara’s major league debut, in which he tossed three scoreless innings and struck out four, was probably the lone bright spot of Wednesday’s lopsided loss. But it helped keep the rest of the Nats bullpen fresh heading into the nightcap of the doubleheader, and it gave Lara a long-awaited opportunity to face big league hitters.

Six years after the Nationals signed him out of Venezuela for $1.25 million, with a rocky path in front of him, Lara finally made his debut. The 22-year-old actually had been called up for the team’s Easter Sunday doubleheader in Colorado, but neither game presented the right situation for him to pitch, so he returned to Triple-A Rochester afterward.

Their ace had labored through 5 1/3 innings of 111-pitch ball. Their lineup had gone dead silent since an early rally against the opposing starter. And their bullpen had turned a slim lead into a slim deficit, giving the crowd of 16,0965 at Nationals Park reason to believe the nightcap of today’s doubleheader against the Tigers was going down an all-too-familiar path.

And then Detroit manager A.J. Hinch turned to the usually reliable Tommy Kahnle for the bottom of the eighth, and the top half of the Nats lineup sprang back to life with one of its most impressive rallies of the season.

Scoring five runs before making an out in the eighth, then adding another after that, the Nationals took a 9-4 lead and then handed over the ninth to Kyle Finnegan, who closed out a most impressive, come-from-behind victory over one of the best teams in the majors.

That ninth inning, by the way, including a leaping catch at the wall by Jacob Young, who appeared to rob Riley Greene of a homer.

"I think we all had the same reaction, which was: Holy smokes!" designated hitter Josh Bell said. "I just held my finger up pointing. I think everybody did for about 15 seconds. Probably the best catch that I've seen in person."

As ugly as the opener of today’s doubleheader was, there are some saving graces from the Nationals’ perspective. They’ve now got their ace taking the mound in the nightcap. And thanks to six innings of relief from Jackson Rutledge, Eduardo Salazar and especially Andry Lara after Trevor Williams was knocked out early, they’ve got all of their top bullpen arms fresh and available in search of a win this evening.

All eyes will be on MacKenzie Gore to do his usual thing, and to do it against a tough Tigers lineup that leads the American League in runs scored. Gore, of course, has never been one to back down from a challenge, and he’s coming off an outstanding start in San Diego that nevertheless resulted in a 1-0 loss (his eighth of the season despite his 3.09 ERA).

So the Nationals will need to provide some run support for their No. 1 guy tonight. They face Jack Flaherty, the enigmatic 29-year-old who at times during his career has looked like a true frontline starter and at other times has looked lost. It’s been a rough season for him so far, as evidenced by his 5-9 record and 4.80 ERA. Flaherty’s biggest issue: He has surrendered 16 homers in 84 1/3 innings, seventh-most in the AL. The Nats need to hit the ball in the air against him tonight.

DETROIT TIGERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 85 degrees, wind 5 mph right field to left field

TIGERS
DH Justyn-Henry Malloy
2B Gleyber Torres
LF Jahmai Jones
1B Spencer Torkelson
CF Matt Vierling
RF Wenceel Perez
C Dillon Dingler
SS Javy Báez
3B Zach McKinstry

The Nationals didn’t need a gem out of Trevor Williams today. They needed length. And, ideally, a minimal amount of damage sustained to keep the opener of today’s day-night doubleheader against the Tigers within reach.

Eight batters into the game, the second half of that preferred equation had already been thrown out the window. But Davey Martinez had no choice but to try and at least get length out of his No. 5 starter, which explains why Williams was still on the mound in the top of the first throwing his 54th pitch of the most laborious inning of his life.

And why Williams retook the mound for the top of the second and top of the third before Martinez finally decided enough was enough. When he needed length from his starter, he got three innings, 86 pitches and a massive hole en route to an 11-2 thrashing that set a decidedly negative tone to this long day and night of baseball on South Capitol Street.

The Nats could not have drawn up a worse script for this unexpected matinee, the result of Tuesday night’s rainout. They’ll try to lick their wounds, regroup and split the doubleheader behind ace MacKenzie Gore later this evening.

"It's an unfortunate spot. I put us in a really big hole in the first game of a doubleheader," Williams said. "But I know the guys are going to come out in the second game ready to win." 

Paul DeJong always knew he’d be back playing for the Nationals again. He just couldn’t fully appreciate the process of returning from his frightening injury until he actually completed the process.

“It’s been a humbling experience for me to go back to square one and just pray to get healthy and recover from a traumatic injury,” he said. “But that process went about as good as it could have gone for me.”

It’s been 2 1/2 months since DeJong was struck by a fastball on the left side of his face during the Nationals’ April 16 game in Pittsburgh. He fractured his nose and multiple bones near his left eye, requiring surgery. He spent several weeks holed up in his apartment, watching old movies with his grandfather, who came to D.C. from Florida to help take care of him.

Then the rehab process finally began, slow and steady. DeJong, who fortunately did not suffer any vision impairment, built up to the point where he could face live pitching again. And two weeks ago, he headed off to Double-A Harrisburg for a rehab stint, his first opportunity to play competitive baseball since the injury.

Over the course of 12 games with the Senators – only four fewer than he played for the Nats before going on the 10-day IL – DeJong went 11-for-40 with a double, a homer and six RBIs. He was hit by a pitch (in the foot). And he became comfortable standing in the batter’s box again, now wearing an extended ear flap to protect the left side of his face.

Alright, what do you say we give this another shot? And then play another game after that?

Unable to commence this week’s homestand on time due to a vicious line of thunderstorms that rolled through the area Tuesday afternoon and evening, the Nationals now face the prospect of a day-night doubleheader against the Tigers this afternoon and evening. The nightcap will be the previously scheduled 6:45 p.m. game, with MacKenzie Gore starting as planned all along against Jack Flaherty (who was supposed to start Tuesday’s game).

That means today’s 1:05 p.m. game (the rescheduled game, available to anyone who had tickets to Tuesday’s rainout) will now feature Trevor Williams against Detroit left-hander Tyler Holton. Holton is not a starter. He’s an opener, specifically chosen by manager A.J. Hinch to face the top of the Nationals’ lineup in the first inning. So we’ll have to see if CJ Abrams, James Wood and Co. can throw a wrench into those plans and get on the board first.

Williams will be even more rested than he already was, hoping to keep the Tigers’ lineup in check and provide some length. Though the Nats get to carry an extra reliever today, they’ve still got another game to worry about tonight, so Davey Martinez has to be careful not to burn up too many games in the opener.

DETROIT TIGERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 80 degrees, wind 5 mph in from right field

After a week and a half of gorgeous weather in Southern California, the Nationals returned home and must now deal with the harsh reality of summer life back on the East Coast: Heat, humidity and rain.

Tonight’s homestand opener against the Tigers has been postponed, the club announced, due to the significant line of thunderstorms passing through the region this afternoon and evening. They’ll now play a day-night doubleheader Wednesday, with the rescheduled game at 1:05 p.m. in advance of the originally scheduled game at 6:45 p.m.

The Nats never had to consider any weather issues during their nine-game trip to Los Angeles, San Diego and Anaheim, with temperatures generally in the 70s and nothing but sunshine pouring down from the sky. It’s a different story back here in D.C., where temperatures have been in the 90s and dew points in the 70s, ingredients ripe for thunderstorms.

The first round of rain already blew through Nationals Park this afternoon, canceling batting practice for both teams. Though there is currently a break in the precipitation, several inches more are expected the rest of the evening and into Wednesday morning.

Fans who held tickets to tonight’s postponed game can use them for admittance to Wednesday’s 1:05 p.m. game. A separate ticket is required for the originally scheduled 6:45 p.m. game. The series still wraps up Thursday at 6:45 p.m., with a postgame fireworks show planned in advance of Friday’s traditional 11:05 a.m. Independence Day game against the Red Sox.

We’re not in California anymore. The Nationals at long last are back home after a nine-game trip west that featured a 4-5 record and a whole lot of beautiful weather days. That’s not the case anymore. It’s disgusting back here in the nation’s capital, with temperatures in the 90s, dew points in the mid-70s and heat indexes well over 100. And now there’s a massive line of storms headed this way, putting tonight’s series opener against the Tigers in serious jeopardy.

We’ll see how that all transpires, but in the meantime let’s assume they play as scheduled. The Nats will look to hold their own against the surprisingly best-in-baseball Tigers. At least they don’t have to face Tarik Skubal, who pitched another gem Sunday night and won’t pitch again until this weekend.

Jack Flaherty is no slouch, though, and the Nationals will need to put together quality at-bats against the 29-year-old, whose bottom-line numbers (5-9, 4.80 ERA) aren’t great but peripherals are much better (1.233 WHIP, 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings).

Trevor Williams, meanwhile, keeps chugging along for the Nats. At this point, you know what you’re going to get from the veteran right-hander. At best, he’s going to keep them in the game for five-ish innings. They just have to hope he keeps Detroit’s lineup to three or fewer runs along the way.

The Nats also made a pregame roster move: Paul DeJong has been activated off the 10-day injured list about 2 1/2 months after getting hit in the face by a fastball. Andrés Chaparro was optioned to Triple-A after he went just 1-for-11 in limited playing time.

James Wood could only chuckle when presented with the news he had just become the first major leaguer to be intentionally walked four times in the same game since Barry Bonds.

“That’s pretty cool,” the Nationals left fielder. “I mean, if you’re getting put in the same sentence as him, that’s pretty cool.”

Bonds, for the record, achieved his four-intentional-walk game in 2004, at age 40, during a season in which he hit 45 homers to go along with an insane slash line of .362/.609/.812. Of his all-time-record 232 walks that year, an astonishing 120 of them were intentional. He had long since established himself as the most feared hitter in baseball by then.

Wood, on the other hand, is 22 years old. Sunday was the 163rd game of his big league career. He is only beginning to establish his place in the sport, and yet the Angels’ actions over the weekend spoke volumes about the respect he already commands.

“It stinks, because I like to watch him hit. But it’s pretty crazy that they’re already taking those measures against him,” teammate Jacob Young said. “But it makes sense. He’s carried our offense for a lot of the year, and he’s special when he’s up there.”

The Nationals today made a historic announcement for the franchise, introducing AARP as the team’s inaugural jersey patch sponsor and an official community impact partner.

With media, members of the Nats front office and executives from AARP gathered in the Terra Club at Nationals Park, franchise legend Ryan Zimmerman helped announce the partnership alongside Nationals vice president of corporate partnerships Matt Lemire and AARP chief digital officer Sami Hassanyeh.

The AARP logo will appear on all team jerseys during the regular season, postseason and spring training, making its on-field debut tomorrow, July 1, when the Nationals start a six-game homestand with an opening matchup against the Tigers at 6:45 p.m. In addition to the jersey patch sponsorship, the partnership also includes community activities and activations at Nationals Park.

“When looking for our inaugural jersey patch sponsor, it was important for us to work with an organization that aligns with our values, one that embraces not just the ‘Next Gen Natitude’ on the field and in the clubhouse, but also brings together all generations of Nationals fans,” chief operating officer of Lerner Sports Group Alan Gottlieb said in a statement. “Whether you remember bringing your kids or grandkids to our inaugural season in 2005, or you’re bringing your family to the ballpark for the first time this year, this partnership is exciting for fans of all ages, and we’re proud to welcome AARP to the Nationals family for years to come.”

“Baseball is more than a game — it’s a tradition that connects us across generations,” AARP CEO Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan said in a statement. “This community-based partnership with the Nationals, and seeing the AARP logo on the Nationals’ jerseys, are powerful reminders of the memories we create with the people we love, from attending a first game with a parent to building a future with the next generation. We’re proud to team up with the Nationals to celebrate those connections here in Washington and on the road in every community across the country.”

ANAHEIM, Calif. – For eight innings, the Nationals did just enough to keep today's series finale against the Angels close, overcoming missed opportunities, missed calls and missed locations to at least put themselves in position to win.

It was, quite frankly, the kind of game they lost too many times over the last week and a half during a Southern California road trip that featured as many one-run losses as wins of any margin (three apiece).

And then when it really mattered, a Nats team wrapping up a miserable month found a way to deliver and head home finally feeling better about itself for the first time in a long time.

With a ninth-inning rally against future Hall of Fame closer Kenley Jansen, then a three-run rally keyed by several youngsters in the 11th and the first three-inning relief appearance of Kyle Finnegan's career, the Nationals pulled off a rousing, 7-4 victory at Angel Stadium that felt as significant as any other during this disappointing season.

"We haven't done as well as we'd like in the wins department this road trip," Finnegan said. "But I feel like we've played pretty good baseball. So to win a game like this - last game of a long road trip away from home, guys away from their families, grind one out in extra innings - I feel like it's good for our morale."

ANAHEIM, Calif. – As he watched from the bullpen in the bottom of the seventh Saturday night, helpless to do anything about the nightmare inning his teammates were suffering through, Kyle Finnegan tried to think of any good that could come from the situation.

The Nationals’ closer would’ve rather been on the mound himself. But that wasn’t going to happen that early in the game. So he could only watch Zach Brzykcy, Eduardo Salazar and Ryan Loutos combine to give up six runs and turn a one-run lead over the Angels into a five-run deficit, then try to help them have some perspective at the end of the night.

“When you find yourself struggling for whatever reason, watching from the outside, you want to go out there and try to help or tell them what to do,” he said. “But as a young player, I think it’s important to learn on your own. Unfortunately, in this game you learn from mistakes a lot of times. I hope these guys learn from things that have hurt them and always remember the things that have gone well.”

Finnegan has been doing a lot of watching from the bullpen in recent weeks. The Nationals today play the ninth and final game of this extra-long trip through Southern California. Their closer has appeared in only two of those games, each of them coming in San Diego, where he faced only one batter each time, entering in a non-save situation each time.

The Nats have won three games on the trip, one apiece over the Dodgers, Padres and Angels. But in each case, they won by at least four runs. So there hasn’t been a save situation for Finnegan to enter.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Nationals arrived in Southern California way back on July 19, fresh off a walk-off win over the Rockies that finally snapped their losing streak at 11 games. Today, they finally wrap up this nine-game trip through all three major league cities in the region, having lost two of three to both the Dodgers and the Padres and needing a win today against the Angels to avoid the same fate.

The good news: Davey Martinez should have his top bullpen options available to him after not having them Saturday night. So if Mitchell Parker can get the Nats through five or six quality innings, Brad Lord, Jose A. Ferrer and Kyle Finnegan are all raring to go, with Finnegan in particular available for more than one inning given how little he has pitched during this road trip.

The Nats also need to score more than the two runs they scored Saturday, only one of them coming off starter Kyle Hendricks. Today they face right-hander Jack Kochanowicz, who is 3-8 with a 5.49 ERA in 16 starts. The key: He has walked 4.2 batters per nine innings while striking out only 6.5. Patience, patience, patience from a lineup that includes all of the recent regulars with one exception: Drew Millas gets the start behind the plate after Riley Adams caught the majority of five straight games following Keibert Ruiz's head injury.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Where: Angel Stadium
Gametime: 4:07 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 85 degrees, wind 8 mph out to center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
2B Luis García Jr.
1B Nathanial Lowe
DH Josh Bell
3B Brady House
RF Daylen Lile
C Drew Millas
CF Jacob Young

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Friday night’s wacky win over the Angels may have seen the Nationals explode for 15 runs, their best offensive output in four years, but it also came at a cost. When Jake Irvin couldn’t contain Los Angeles’ offense, Davey Martinez had to lean hard on two of his few trusted relievers in order to close out an eventual 15-9 win.

Brad Lord and Jose A. Ferrer got the job done, but each was pushed to record more than three outs, with Lord totaling 36 pitches. Which left both guys unavailable tonight when the second game of the series reached the bottom of the seventh with the Nats clinging to a 2-1 lead.

Michael Soroka had already completed six innings for only the fourth time this season. And Martinez wasn’t about to send his starter back out there for the seventh for the first time. So the game fell into the hands of Zach Brzykcy. And when Brzykcy faltered, Eduardo Salazar. And when Salazar faltered, Ryan Loutos.

The end result wasn’t pretty.

The three right-handers combined to allow six runs during a nightmare inning that turned a tight, low-scoring ballgame into an 8-2 rout by the Angels, spoiling the 162nd game of James Wood’s career. With a chance to clinch their first series win in eight tries, the Nats now find themselves needing to win Sunday’s finale in order to pull that off.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Andrew Chafin is facing live hitters again and could be ready to come off the injured list during the Nationals’ upcoming homestand.

Chafin, out since June 8 with a strained right hamstring, threw a simulated game Friday at Angel Stadium and emerged feeling good about himself after the 30-pitch session.

There is a caveat, of course, given the nature of the left-hander’s injury.

“As you know, there’s nothing wrong with his arm,” manager Davey Martinez said. “It was his hamstring. So, he threw the ball well.”

The more important test for Chafin will come as he attempts to simulate running plays off the mound.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Nationals enjoyed their best offensive night in four years to open this series, blasting 15 runs on 19 hits in a slugfest victory over the Angels on Friday night. So, what should we expect tonight?

The way this lineup has operated all season, it feels like they’re more likely to be shut out by Kyle Hendricks than put up big numbers again. Hendricks has long been a master of soft contact, and we know many of the Nats’ regulars struggle with sinkers and changeups down in the zone. They’re going to have to show the kind of patience they haven’t often shown this season to have some success against the crafty veteran.

Michael Soroka, meanwhile, will look to continue what he did last weekend in Los Angeles, and then finish strong. It’s the finishing part that has given the right-hander so much trouble. Soroka’s sixth inning ERA this season is a ridiculous 22.85. His ERA in all other innings is 3.49. Clearly, he has the ability to be good. He just needs to sustain it through the conclusion of his starts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Where: Angel Stadium
Gametime: 9:38 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 80 degrees, wind 8 mph out to center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
2B Luis García Jr.
1B Nathaniel Lowe
DH Josh Bell
3B Brady House
RF Daylen Lile
C Riley Adams
CF Jacob Young

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The wildest game of the Nationals’ season was knotted at 9 in the bottom of the sixth Friday night at Angel Stadium. Nobody who had taken the mound for either team had enjoyed any substantive level of success, and now here came Brad Lord out of the bullpen to face Mike Trout with nobody out and a runner in scoring position.

It was arguably the biggest head-to-head matchup Lord has faced yet in his rookie season. The trick for the young right-hander: Don’t think of it that way.

“Coming into any close game like that, you feel the pressure of: ‘I’ve got to shut them down, throw up a zero,’” he said. “I just try to treat it like any other outing. Execute the game plan, and go right after these guys.”

And then he did exactly that. Lord retired Trout on a sharp grounder to second, with Luis García Jr. making a nifty play on the ball hit to his left. He got Taylor Ward to ground out to short, a drawn-in CJ Abrams able to hold the go-ahead runner at third. Then he got Jo Adell to ground out as well and end the inning.

And then he went right back out there in the bottom of the seventh and recorded two more outs before finally departing having thrown 36 total pitches across 1 2/3 scoreless innings. And thanks to his teammates’ best offensive night in four years, Lord emerged from it all the winning pitcher in the Nats’ 15-9 thumping of the Angels.