SAN FRANCISCO – The Nationals swapped a pitcher for a catcher prior to today’s series finale against the Giants, optioning Joan Adon back to Triple-A Rochester following his fill-in start Tuesday night and calling up Drew Millas to give them an extra position player for the time being.

With no need for a fifth starter again until next week in Los Angeles, the Nats decided to demote Adon, who tossed four innings of one-run ball in place of the injured Josiah Gray. Rather than call up another pitcher, they opted to add Millas, who will catch today’s game with Keibert Ruiz under the weather and Riley Adams sitting after starting Tuesday’s game.

Millas played in 11 games with the Nationals late last season, going 8-for-28 with a homer and six RBIs. He was sent to Rochester to begin this season but like the rest of his teammates had to deal with four consecutive postponements due to bad weather and thus has played in only four Triple-A games to date.

“It’s tough,” he said. “You’ve got to push yourself, hold yourself accountable in those scenarios. Honestly, I’ve never been through anything like that before, four straight days of not even remotely having a chance to play.”

Millas was enjoying the solar eclipse Monday afternoon with his fiance when Rochester manager Matt LeCroy called and informed him he needed to pack his things and fly to San Francisco to join the big league club.

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

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

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

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

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

SAN FRANCISCO – The 2024 Nationals aren’t constructed to win games with power. More often than not, they’re going to need to manufacture runs when presented with the opportunity.

Of course, nobody said they can’t do both on the same night, and emerge victorious because of it.

Thanks to an early blast from CJ Abrams, some patented small ball late and then a major escape act from Kyle Finnegan in the ninth, the Nats pulled off a 5-3 win over the Giants tonight at Oracle Park, taking the first two games of this series and securing their first three-game winning streak of the young season.

"I just think that's kind of the way we're built," said rookie center fielder Jacob Young, who became the third member of the team already this year to steal three bases in a game. "We have a bunch of guys who can do a lot of different things. ... We have a lot of ways we can hurt you."

Abrams’ two-run homer in the third – a 423-foot missile to deep right-center that nearly cleared the bleachers to reach McCovey Cove – gave the Nationals an early lead and served as a hearty welcome back for the young shortstop, who missed the previous three games with a bone bruise on his left pinky finger.

SAN FRANCISCO – Though he’s now on the injured list for the first time in his major league career, Josiah Gray was encouraged to learn the strain in his elbow and forearm is not likely to keep him out as long as a more serious injury he believes he avoided.

Gray, who officially went on the 15-day IL today with what the Nationals have termed an elbow/forearm flexor strain, said an MRI taken in recent days showed his elbow ligament is intact, as well as all other forearm muscles. The right-hander doesn’t know a precise timetable yet for his absence, but he did not suggest it will be a prolonged absence.

“Overall, a positive outlook,” he said. “It sucks to miss time and not be out there helping the guys winning games. But it’s a part of what pitchers are and what we do. I’m just going to take it on the chin and take it day-by-day.”

Gray said he first noticed an issue following Thursday’s start against the Pirates, when he “just felt a little more banged-up than usual.” He attempted to throw his standard between-starts bullpen session over the weekend and still didn’t feel right, so he alerted the Nationals training staff and had tests taken.

The strain that was discovered via MRI was muscular in nature, affecting the flexor-pronator mass, not his ulnar collateral ligament. Given the recent spate of major pitching injuries throughout the sport, with a number of prominent big leaguers needing Tommy John surgery, Gray was relieved to learn his prognosis.

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

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

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

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

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

SAN FRANCISCO – Josiah Gray is going on the injured list and won’t make his scheduled start tonight against the Giants.

The Nationals announced today Gray was placed on the 15-day IL with what the club termed a right elbow/forearm flexor strain. Joan Adon will start in his place tonight at Oracle Park.

The severity of Gray’s injury isn’t clear yet, but the Nats were concerned enough to have Adon join them in San Francisco on Monday as part of the taxi squad they’re allowed to carry during road trips. The 25-year-old right-hander opened his season at Triple-A Rochester, allowing four runs (two earned) in 2 1/3 innings 11 days ago. He hasn’t pitched since.

Gray was named the Nationals’ Opening Day starter for the first time this spring but struggled in each of his first two outings, allowing a total of 13 runs and 15 hits in 8 1/3 innings against the Reds and Pirates. He last pitched April 4, but IL moves are allowed to be backdated only three days, so he officially goes on the IL as of April 6.

This is the first time Gray has gone on the IL in a major league career that began in 2021 with the Dodgers. Despite his at-times erratic performances since joining the Nationals that summer, his durability has never come into question.

SAN FRANCISCO – It’s the difference between a rookie that starts his career on a high note but then fades away with time and one who proves he can sustain success over the long haul, learning and adapting along the way.

It’s still far too soon which category Trey Lipscomb will fall into, but there’s no doubt the Nationals rookie infielder wants to prove he can be the type of player who adapts and grows and thus maintains success long-term.

“I think that’s the fun part about baseball: The adjustments you have to make day by day,” he said. “Not every day you’re going to get three hits. Some days you might go 0-for-3, 0-for-4. But come back to the ballpark, and the guys around this clubhouse make you feel like you’re going to go out there and get three hits every game. I think that’s the thing I’ve been going through, and I feel good.”

Lipscomb said this late Monday night after his latest notable performance in the big leagues, this one coming on the heels of his first mini-slump.

The 23-year-old took the Nats by storm his first three days with the club, going 5-for-11 with a homer and a walk. Then came the inevitable downturn, which in his case looked like a 1-for-18, five-strikeout funk over the next five days.

SAN FRANCISCO – Not that their offensive issues could be whittled down to one thing, but the Nationals hadn’t exactly been a patient bunch through the season’s first nine games. Too often, Davey Martinez found himself lamenting the fact an opposing starter had made it through the fifth inning on 60-some pitches, thanks to an overaggressive lineup that wasn’t drawing walks and wasn’t scoring runs.

The message entering tonight’s series opener against the Giants had to be an obvious one: Make Blake Snell work. The veteran left-hander, in his much-anticipated season debut, is notoriously wild. And because he signed so late this spring, he never had a chance to build his arm up and would have to be on a tight pitch count.

Consider the message received and, more importantly, implemented. The Nats took full advantage of Snell’s situation, knocked him out after three innings and coasted to their easiest win of the young season, opening this West Coast trip with an 8-1 victory at Oracle Park.

"I sat with them yesterday for a little while, just talking about getting the ball in the zone, taking your walks and extending some innings," manager Martinez said. "And we did a great job today. We came in, we had a plan."

The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner held out all winter for a nine-figure contract, but his reputation – he led the league in walks despite also leading it in ERA – scared away a number of suitors. In the end, he settled for what amounts practically to a one-year, $32 million deal with the Giants only one week before Opening Day and then rushed to get himself ready to make his debut tonight.

SAN FRANCISCO – CJ Abrams is out of the lineup for the third straight day, but the Nationals shortstop appears to be progressing from an injured finger well enough to think he will be ready to return Tuesday night.

Abrams, who suffered a bone bruise in his left pinky sliding into second base Friday night, was due to take a full round of batting practice and fielding drills prior to tonight’s series opener against the Giants. Barring any setbacks, he could be available to come off the bench tonight and then return to the lineup Tuesday.

“He felt better today,” manager Davey Martinez said. “He’s going to go out and do all baseball activities. Hopefully he’ll be available to pinch-run, pinch-hit, whatever we need him for. But if he goes through everything well, he’ll probably be back in the lineup tomorrow.”

The bone bruise is on Abrams’ glove hand, so it doesn’t really impact him in the field. The larger issue is at the plate, but he’s made progress the last few days and should be able to play through it soon.

“Right now, it’s his swinging,” Martinez said. “He said he swung the bat better today in the cage. But it is his top hand. Every time he goes to turn like that, it kind of catches him. But they taped him up; he said the tape helped. Hopefully he’ll go out there today, take batting practice and get out in the field.”

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

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

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

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

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

After a long delay while working out the financial details of his contract, Stephen Strasburg’s retirement became official Saturday night per the Nationals’ official transactions page, with the right-hander and the team releasing statements Sunday morning.

Although this announcement has been a long time coming, the finality of the official release made for an emotional morning yesterday at Nationals Park as former teammates, coaches and front office members reflected on the right-hander’s career.

The roster looks a lot different from the last time Strasburg stepped into the clubhouse back in 2022 when he was trying to revitalize his career while coming back from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. But there are still a handful of familiar faces around.

“You look back at his career and how special of a player he was. He's a huge part of why I decided to come here,” said Patrick Corbin, who was Strasburg’s teammate for four years after signing with the Nats as a free agent ahead of the 2019 season. “Hopefully, he and his family are happy now, and he can move on with life and be with his family, which I know he wants to be. So you just feel for somebody like that who was such a good player for a long time. Just unfortunate with the injuries and some setbacks, but he tried everything to come back and be part of this team. Things just didn't work out.”

Strasburg hasn’t been able to pitch since June 9, 2022, when he made his only major league start that season while giving up seven runs in 4 ⅔ innings against the Marlins. After he was unable to fully overcome thoracic outlet syndrome, he finally admitted last year that a return to the mound wouldn’t be possible.

The Nationals were in search of two things Sunday afternoon: The first quality start by a starting pitcher and a win to avoid their first series sweep of the season.

They barely missed out on the first despite a strong performance by MacKenzie Gore, but did just enough to squeak out a 3-2 victory and salvage this three-game set against the Phillies before heading to the West Coast for 10 days.

“It was good,” Gore said after his first win of the season. “It was one of those days where we needed to figure out how to win a game. I thought everybody did a great job of that.”

After a somewhat disappointing start in Monday’s home opener against the Pirates, Gore regrouped to come one out short of a quality start against a tough Philadelphia lineup.

Utilizing a good mix of four pitches, Gore relied mostly on his fastball, which sat at 97 mph throughout the afternoon. Of his six strikeouts, four came on his heater, including his last one at 99 mph to Trea Turner in the sixth, the former Nats shortstop’s third strikeout of the day.

For the second straight day, CJ Abrams remains out of the Nationals lineup for this afternoon’s series finale against the Phillies.

The young shortstop was a late scratch from the lineup yesterday with a bone bruise in his left pinky finger suffered while sliding into second base Friday night.

“He's still a bit sore. So it's still going to be day-to-day,” manager Davey Martinez said of Abrams before the finale. “We'll see how he feels throughout the day. He's getting treatment. And I'm hoping that he could pinch-hit for us today late in the game. I just don't want to push it too much. I don't want to aggravate it.”

Nasim Nuñez replaced Abrams at shortstop yesterday and went 0-for-2 before being subbed out for pinch-hitter Luis García Jr. late in the game. Ildemaro Vargas is playing short today and batting seventh.

Abrams was off to a strong start to the season before the injury, slashing .321/.387/.607 with a .994 OPS, one triple, two home runs, five RBIs, three walks and a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen bases without committing an error in the field.

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

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

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

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

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

The Nationals and Stephen Strasburg have finally reached agreement on financial terms of the right-hander’s contract that allowed him to officially retire from baseball today.

A formal announcement is still forthcoming, but two sources familiar with the agreement confirmed it has been finalized with terms amenable to both the pitcher and the organization, ending a long and protracted negotiation that threatened to ruin the Nats’ relationship with one of the most important players in club history. Major League Baseball's official transactions log shows Strasburg retired today.

Strasburg has not been able to pitch since June 9, 2022, when he made his one and only major league start of that season, giving up seven runs in 4 2/3 innings in Miami. Unable to fully overcome the symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome, even after his 2021 surgery, he finally conceded last year another comeback would not be possible.

Strasburg and the Nationals had plans to formally announce his retirement in early September 2023, but those plans were scrapped only days before the expected ceremony when the two sides couldn’t agree on the financial details of the arrangement.

Strasburg, who signed a seven-year, $245 million extension in December 2019, less than two months after winning World Series MVP honors, is still owed a little more than $100 million over the next three years. His contract, like all long-term major league contracts, was guaranteed, but the Nationals wanted to alter those terms, or at least spread out his remaining payments over a longer period of time, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

An early home run by the opposition left the Nationals in yet another early hole. A big blast of their own a few minutes later brought some life back into the park and left ample opportunity for them to make up the rest of the deficit before day’s end.

Alas, it’s kind of tough to mount a comeback – even if one requires only two runs to complete – without recording a single hit. And for the Nats, just one hit was a major chore.

Held scoreless and hitless the rest of the way following Joey Gallo’s two-run homer in the bottom of the third, the Nationals never even gave themselves a chance to mount a comeback against the Phillies, who rode their early offense to a 5-2 victory in the second game of a weekend series.

Despite getting a string of zeros from starter Jake Irvin and relievers Derek Law and Robert Garcia from the fourth through eighth innings, the Nats lineup was again shut down by a Phillies pitching staff that allowed only two hits Friday night during a 4-0 win.

All of which leaves the Nationals at 2-6 overall and now needing a win Sunday to avoid a series sweep and a hugely disappointing season-opening homestand before embarking on a long West Coast trip.

CJ Abrams was scratched from the Nationals’ lineup about two hours prior to first pitch, most likely still feeling the effects of Friday night’s slide into second base in which he jammed his left hand into the bag.

Rookie infielder Nasim Nuñez will take Abrams’ place at shortstop today against the Phillies, marking the Rule 5 Draft pick’s first career start in the major leagues.

Abrams lined a one-out single to right in the bottom of the third Friday night, advancing Luis García Jr. from second to third. Apparently believing García was going to attempt to score on the hit, he rounded first and continued to second, only to be thrown out when Bryce Harper cut off Nick Castellanos’ throw and relayed it to Trea Turner, who applied the tag in time. (García never attempted to score on the play, held up by third base coach Ricky Gutierrez.)

Abrams stayed on the ground for several seconds after the play, looking at his left hand, though he remained in the game and continued to play the rest of the way. He lined out to right his next time up and was robbed of a possible hit by left fielder Brandon Marsh in his final at-bat.

A Nationals lineup that has scored only 27 runs through seven games this season will miss Abrams’ presence. The 23-year-old leadoff man is slashing .321/.387/.607 with a team-leading two homers, five RBIs and three stolen bases.

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

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

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

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

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

Patrick Corbin pitched deeper into a game tonight than anyone else in the Nationals rotation had through the season’s first week. He did so against the best lineup the Nats have faced to date in 2024. This should have been, by all accounts, a good night for the home team.

It mattered not how Corbin pitched in this one, though. Not when his teammates did nothing of consequence at the plate against Aaron Nola or the Phillies bullpen, which mowed down the Nationals lineup during a 4-0 victory that felt way too comfortable for the visitors (aside from the bitter cold and wind on a 48-degree Friday evening).

The three runs Corbin surrendered in the top of the second were all the Phillies needed, even though they added another when manager Davey Martinez allowed his starter to return for the top of the seventh and watched him give up another run in short order before finally turning to his bullpen.

Thus did Corbin fail to get credit for a quality start, an achievement nobody in this rotation has earned yet. Nationals starters own a collective 7.60 ERA through seven games, a number eclipsed only by the Rockies at this early juncture of the season.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Nats are 2-5.

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

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

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

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

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 50 degrees, wind 17 mph left field to right field