MILWAUKEE – When the Nationals demoted DJ Herz to Triple-A earlier this week, it opened the door for the club to carry a long reliever for the first time this season. But with the fifth starter’s spot in the rotation coming back up this evening, the team had no choice but to drop that long man in favor of a fill-in starter.

With Jackson Rutledge recalled from Rochester to start tonight’s series opener against the Brewers, the Nats optioned Joan Adon back to Triple-A, only four days after calling him up.

Adon, a starter through his entire professional career until recent weeks when he was converted to a long relief role in the minors, wound up appearing in only one game for the Nationals this week, pitching the ninth inning of what became a 5-0 loss to the Cardinals. The team never found itself in a situation where it used him for multiple innings the rest of the week.

Rutledge is not expected to remain in the majors after making his spot start tonight, so the Nats could send him back down and call up a reliever to take his spot. But they can’t recall Adon for 10 days unless he’s replacing an injured pitcher.

Club officials do still believe Adon could prove valuable later this season as a much-needed long man in the bullpen, once he gets fully acclimated to the role.

MILWAUKEE – The Nationals, as you probably realize by now, are limping into the All-Star break. They’ve lost five in a row, not to mention 13 of their last 17. They’ve gone from one game under .500 to 10 games under .500, a significant difference as they evaluate the overall state of things heading into the trade deadline at the end of the month.

What the Nats need right now, though, is a good weekend against the Brewers. They’ve got to try to summon the energy and motivation to play better baseball the next three days before dispersing around the country for the break.

They especially need to score more runs on a more consistent basis after a really rough series in New York that saw them score seven total runs in three games, five of those coming in the final two innings of Tuesday’s loss, the other two coming in the fourth inning of Wednesday’s loss. That’s just not going to cut it. Tonight, they face veteran right-hander Freddy Peralta, who over his last four starts has a 2.45 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 22 innings.

There’s a new face on the mound tonight for the Nationals: Jackson Rutledge, who officially was recalled from Triple-A, with Joan Adon optioned back to Rochester to clear a roster spot for him. Rutledge was supposed to be the first starter called up when the season began, but a rough start to his season in Rochester opened the door for Mitchell Parker, then later DJ Herz, and we’ve seen how those two seized their opportunities. This figures to be a one-off for Rutledge, who had a 6.66 ERA in 16 minor league starts this year but did allow two or fewer earned runs in three of his last four.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Where: American Family Field
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 81 degrees, wind 7 mph in from center field

NEW YORK – James Wood and Trey Lipscomb each took long roads to only end up in their own backyards. The two Nationals prospects both grew up within an hour of D.C. and now they’re teammates for the first time at the major league level.

“This is kinda how it felt all throughout the minors,” Wood said. “We just are doing the same stuff that we do normally, but it's just up here, which is always fun. It's cool.”

Wood and Lipscomb both entered the Nats farm system in 2022, but by different means. Lipscomb, a Frederick, Md., native, was drafted by the Nats in the third round out of the University of Tennessee. Two weeks later, Wood, an Olney, Md., native, was included in the biggest trade in baseball history when he and four other top prospects were shipped to the Nats in exchange for Juan Soto.

The two quickly became teammates at Single-A Fredericksburg and have risen through the system together ever since, making stops at High-Wilmington, Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester before finally making the major leagues together this past week.

“I don't think really much of it has changed to be honest,” Lipscomb said. “I feel like we came up (together). When I first got drafted and he got traded over by the Padres, we were in Low-A Fredericksburg together. We've been working our way all the way up since then. Obviously, last year started at High-A together. And then Double-A. Then obviously, spring training and Triple-A. But it's kind of just been the same. I feel like we've just been the same and just continuing to grow, us being teammates. Not only that, but our friendship together.”

NEW YORK – The Nationals entered Thursday’s matinee finale in Queens needing a win against the Mets to avoid the three-game sweep. More importantly, they needed a win to slow down their two-week slide before the finale series of the first half.

It’s been a mostly positive first half of the season for the Nationals, who have surpassed some preseason expectations, thanks in large part to some impressive performances by their young players.

They reached .500 in late April for the first time since July 2021. And they hovered around that mark for the next couple of months, sometimes even slipping into a wild card spot. But starting with a three-game sweep in San Diego in late June, the Nats have started going in the opposite direction, losing 12 of their last 16 entering today’s game.

Make that now losers of 13 of their last 17 games and five straight to fall 10 games under .500 after a 7-0 shutout loss to the Mets in front of an announced crowd of 25,710 at Citi Field.

The Nationals offense continues to slog through these weeks leading up to the All-Star break. They scored too late in Tuesday’s loss. They scored two early Wednesday, but none after that. And they didn’t score at all today.

NEW YORK – The Nationals need a win today, plan and simple. After trending in the right direction for most of the first half, they are heading the opposite way going into the All-Star break. A win to avoid a sweep at Citi Field and a couple more in Milwaukee wouldn’t be a cure-all. But it would be a good way for the team to enter the break and perhaps get back on track to start the second half.

MacKenzie Gore was beaten around in his last start for five runs on six hits and five walks in just 3 ⅓ innings against the Cardinals. But in his start before that, he held the Mets to just one run while getting eight strikeouts in 5 ⅔ innings. So he’ll try to avoid what happened to Jake Irvin the other night and continue his success against New York.

David Peterson goes for the Mets this afternoon in another rematch of starting pitchers from last week’s series in D.C. The lefty was charged with two runs on seven hits in 6 ⅓ innings against the Nats. He was similarly effective in his previous start, holding the Pirates to two runs but only completing 4 ⅓ innings.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 1:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (out-of-market only), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 87 degrees, wind 14 mph out to right-center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
LF James Wood
DH Jesse Winker
C Riley Adams
1B Juan Yepez
2B Luis García Jr.
3B Trey Lipscomb
CF Jacob Young

NEW YORK – Davey Martinez needed to shake up his lineup. For the most part, it hasn’t been getting the job done as is over the past couple of weeks. Sure there were a few offensive outbursts here and there, but it definitely needed a kickstart to be more consistent.

So what did the Nationals manager do against Mets right-hander Luis Severino? He stacked the first five spots in the batting order with four left-handed hitters and one switch-hitter. And although it was actually the right-handed hitters at the bottom of the lineup that helped give the Nats an early lead, a disastrous sixth inning led to a fourth straight loss.

The Nats fell to the Mets 6-2 in front of an announced crowd of 24,887 at Citi Field, who got very loud during the bottom of the sixth.

With a 2-1 lead, Patrick Corbin returned to the mound to give his team at least one more inning and keep the lead intact. He had been effective up until that point at only 65 pitches, but the third time through the heart of the Mets order proved too much for the veteran lefty to handle.

Three straight hits tied the game at 2-2 and that was enough for Martinez to go to the bullpen to try to keep this one close. In came Derek Law, who has struggled with inherited runners this season, with two runners in scoring position and no outs. What could have been predicted came to fruition.

NEW YORK – James Wood’s movement up the Nationals lineup continues today as he gets bumped up to the No. 2 spot against Mets right-handed starter Luis Severino. In fact, all of the Nats’ left-handed hitters moved up the order for tonight’s second game of this three-game set in Queens.

To face Severino, who held the Nats to one run on seven hits, no walks and four strikeouts over eight innings a month ago, manager Davey Martinez is putting lefties CJ Abrams, Wood, Jesse Winker, Keibert Ruiz (switch-hitter) and Luis García Jr. in the first five spots in the order. That does mean some guys have to move down.

Lane Thomas, who has hit second in 48 of his 63 games, moves down to sixth in the lineup for the first time this season.

“I just wanted to get our lefties up there against Severino, all of them up there, and see if we can score early,” Martinez said during his pregame media session. “I bumped Lane down a little bit just to take his mind off some stuff. Gotta get him ready to hit the fastball again. He's a little late, so I just wanted to get some other guys up there.”

The Nats struggled against left-hander Jose Quintana last night and have struggled to score early lately. They haven’t scored first in any of their last three games.

NEW YORK – The Nationals are hoping to start tonight’s game like they finished last night’s. Down 6-0 going into the eighth, they hit two two-run home runs and scored a fifth run over the game’s last two innings. And by doing so, they made the Mets use four relievers, including closer Edwin Díaz, in a game they should have run away with.

The Nats will try to jump on Luis Severino early. The veteran right-hander has been solid in his first season pitching for the other New York team, going 5-3 with a 3.83 ERA and 1.200 WHIP over his first 17 starts. One of those starts came against the Nats, not last week but a month ago. Severino held them to one run on seven hits, no walks and four strikeouts over eight innings.

Patrick Corbin takes the mound for the Nats. He opposed Severino in that June 5 game at Nationals Park with very different results. The veteran left-hander gave up six runs on seven hits and three home runs in just 5 ⅓ innings while taking the loss. He’ll at least try to do what Jake Irvin did last night and provide some length.

If this game gets into a battle of the bullpens, the advantage could be in the Nationals’ favor given how many relievers the Mets had to use last night while the Nats only used Jordan Weems to cover the last two innings. However, the Mets did make a couple of roster moves this afternoon to bolster their bullpen, including placing former National Reed Garrett on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation and activating right-hander Phil Maton, who they acquired from the Rays yesterday in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 79 degrees, wind 21 mph out to center field

NEW YORK – This first half has been forgettable for Keibert Ruiz. Ever since he landed on the 10-day injured list, missed 10 games and lost almost 20 pounds with a bad case of the flu in April, his season has been thrown out of whack.

But surely – and albeit slowly – the young catcher is starting to see some consistent positive results at the plate.

Ruiz’s batting average bottomed out at .127 and his on-base percentage at .184 in early May. His slugging and OPS soon followed at .207 and .392, respectively. He was still working to regain the weight and strength he lost while he was sick.

Then he needed to get his timing and feel back at the plate, reverting back to what has been his downfall in the past of using his great bat-to-ball skills to put balls in play that he shouldn’t for easy outs.

He has been the biggest disappointments for the Nationals thus far in 2024.

NEW YORK – What Jake Irvin did against the Mets on Independence Day was nothing short of special. In what turned out to be a career highlight, the right-hander struck out eight over eight shutout innings of one-hit, one-walk ball on 99 pitches.

The task for the 27-year-old tonight: A similar performance to provide the Nationals bullpen some much-needed rest and give his team a chance to win for just the second time since that spectacular outing.

Eight scoreless innings is a lot to ask anyone, nonetheless a young pitcher facing the same team in back-to-back starts. And while Irvin was able to provide the Nats some length, he and the bats weren’t able to overcome a rough second inning and another dominant start by Jose Quintana in a 7-4 loss to the Mets in front of an announced crowd of 31,243 at Citi Field.

“He wasn't as sharp," said manager Davey Martinez. "His breaking ball wasn't as sharp. He fell behind a couple of hitters and made some mistakes just by location. But all in all, he gave us some innings that we needed. So it's just one of those days.”

Irvin only gave up one hit and one walk over eight innings last week against the Mets. He matched that in the first three batters he faced tonight, including a two-bag error on a pickoff attempt to move leadoff man Francisco Lindor to third base. But he got out of the first with a comebacker and strikeout, needing 21 pitches to complete the frame.

NEW YORK – While still slowly progressing in their respective rehabs, Trevor Williams and Joey Gallo are both still a ways away from returning off the injured list for the Nationals.

Williams landed on the 15-day IL on June 4 (retroactive to June 1) with a right flexor muscle strain, a similar injury to what has kept Josiah Gray sidelined for the last three months. Although the right-hander finally began throwing recently, he’s still not near the point of throwing from a mound, nevertheless facing live hitters and starting a rehab assignment.

“No, the same,” said manager Davey Martinez when asked if there is an update on Williams ahead of this series opener against the Mets. “He's still progressing. It's going to be a process. But he's throwing up to like 60 feet and he's getting better.”

Williams was the Nats’ best starter over the first two months of the season: In 11 starts, he went 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA and 1.076 WHIP, while the Nats went 9-2 in those games. After struggling last year, the 32-year-old had made himself the team’s top trade chip ahead of this month’s deadline.

But now it’s unlikely Williams will be able to return to major league mound ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.

NEW YORK – After a 3-5 homestand, the Nationals cannot get back to a .500 record before the All-Star break next week. But they’ll have this six-game road tip to end the first half of the season and get close before a much-needed break. For reference, these Nationals are five games better than they were at this point in the season last year.

And look who they’ll face to start this road trip: An old friend in the Mets, who the Nats split a four-game series with in D.C. last week. And look who will take the mound against the Mets: Jake Irvin, who pitched one of the best games we’ve seen from a Nationals pitcher on Independence Day. The right-hander struck out eight over eight innings of one-hit, one-walk ball. Now he’ll have the challenge of facing the same New York lineup in back-to-back starts.

And look who will take the mound for the Mets: Jose Quintana. who opposed Irvin last week. The veteran left-hander held the Nats scoreless over seven innings with four hits, three walks and only one strikeout.

Do we have another pitchers’ duel on-deck for the opener of this three-game series or will the offenses exact their respective revenge?

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 83 degrees, wind 13 mph out to center field

To say this was an eventful week for the Nationals would be a gross understatement. The organization made a number of significant transactions that lowered the age of the big league roster. James Wood made his major league debut. Brady House was promoted to Triple-A. Several veterans were dropped from the roster. CJ Abrams earned his first All-Star selection. Jake Irvin pitched the game of his life on Independence Day. There were 14-run explosions, shutout losses and three extra-inning games. And heat. Lots and lots of heat.

The Nats now head out on the road to close out the first half of the season. Bobby Blanco will be with them in New York the next three nights, then I'll meet them in Milwaukee this weekend (which, by the way, wraps up with the MLB Draft). So there should be no shortage of topics for us to discuss this morning.

If you've got a question, please submit it in the comments section below. I'll do my best to answer as many as possible over the course of the morning. ...

They would never say it publicly, but the Nationals sure could’ve used a day off at the end of a long, disgustingly hot homestand. Instead, the schedule-makers had them play back-to-back, four-game series, including this wraparound set against the Cardinals that started Friday evening and ended early this evening with a result that felt a bit too predictable.

Even though their gassed pitching staff got a much-needed boost in the form of seven strong innings by Mitchell Parker, the rest of the Nats slogged their way through an awfully quiet 6-0 loss to St. Louis that featured very little hitting and some less-than-crisp defense.

The lineup was shut down by veteran Miles Mikolas, who entered with a 5.19 ERA and proceeded to throw 6 1/3 scoreless innings, and the Cardinals bullpen. The defense got a couple of highlight-reel plays in left field by James Wood but was otherwise sloppy, committing two official errors and a couple more unofficial ones.

"Not good," manager Davey Martinez said. "You saw the game. It's not good. We've got to clean that up. We can't beat ourselves, and today we beat ourselves a little bit."

And so this homestand that saw the organization summon several young players from Triple-A and cut ties with several struggling veterans finally came to an end, not in rousing fashion but with a disappointing 3-5 record. And exhausted as they may be, the Nationals don’t get to rest yet. They now head to New York and Milwaukee, closing out the 17-day stretch of baseball required of them before they get to enjoy the All-Star break next week.

Desperate for a fresh bullpen arm, especially one who could pitch multiple innings if needed, the Nationals recalled right-hander Joan Adon from Triple-A Rochester before today’s game, a move that also resulted in the demotion of left-hander DJ Herz.

Playing their 11th game in a stretch of 17 consecutive scheduled game days, the Nats knew their pitching staff was running on fumes. The last week saw the team play three extra-inning games, then the last three days saw their starters combine for only 12 2/3 innings.

So they made the call to bring up Adon, a starter throughout his career in the majors and minors but recently converted to a reliever in Rochester. The 25-year-old will be available for long relief, a role he could hold for the long term given the club’s lack of anyone else who fits that description so far this season.

“The bullpen’s been worked a lot, as we know,” manager Davey Martinez said. “It just gives us one more arm in the bullpen for the next five days, until we figure out what we’re going to do next. Hopefully, he can help us out there.”

Adon has started 26 games for the Nationals since 2021, with few positive results. In those games, he’s 3-16 with a 6.56 ERA and 1.732 WHIP. His numbers, though, were much better early in those starts than later. Opponents batted just .231 against him on his first through 50th pitches, then hit .307 against him after that.

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Joan Adon from Triple-A Rochester and optioned left-handed pitcher DJ Herz to Triple-A Rochester on Monday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Adon, 25, returns to the Nationals after tossing scoreless relief in five straight outings for Triple-A Rochester. He struck out five and allowed just three hits and two walks in 5.1 innings pitched. Adon transitioned to the bullpen after making 13 starts for the Red Wings this season.

In his only appearance in the Major Leagues this season, Adon allowed one earned run on three hits with two strikeouts and three walks in 4.0 innings in a start on April 9 at San Francisco.

Herz, 23, went 1-3 with a 5.17 ERA in seven starts for Washington in his first Major League stint. He struck out 41 batters while issuing just nine walks in 31.1 innings pitched.

It’s been a long and eventful homestand, with a pair of four-game series and a whole lot of news, both involving the roster and the All-Star Game. And it finally comes to an end this afternoon with one more game against the Cardinals. A win would leave the Nationals with a 4-4 record on the homestand, which, all things considered, would be fine. Not great, but fine.

The pitching staff, as we know, is on fumes at this point. The Nats’ last three starters have combined for only 12 2/3 innings. So they really do need some length today from Mitchell Parker. The rookie left-hander has completed six innings in three of his last four outings, so he has the ability. He’s reached the 100-pitch mark only once in 15 total starts; Davey Martinez might have to push him beyond that number today.

For the fourth straight day, the Nationals lineup faces a veteran St. Louis right-hander. This time it’s Miles Mikolas, who enters with a 5.19 ERA and 1.222 WHIP. He was lit up by the Reds two starts ago for 10 runs, but he did bounce back last time out and held the Pirates to two runs over six innings.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Hot and humid, 94 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
LF James Wood
DH Jesse Winker
C Keibert Ruiz
2B Luis García Jr.
1B Juan Yepez
3B Trey Lipscomb
CF Jacob Young

When the All-Star selection show aired Sunday evening and only one Nationals player – CJ Abrams – was unveiled, it shouldn’t have caught anyone by surprise. The Nats are a one-All-Star kind of team and have been for several years now.

For the first time in a while, though, they legitimately had three candidates with strong cases to make the roster.

Abrams clearly was deserving of his first career selection. His .859 OPS currently ranks seventh among all National League players, and he’s one of only four NL players with at least 14 homers and 14 stolen bases at the moment, along with Elly De La Cruz, Francisco Lindor and Shohei Ohtani.

But you know who else was deserving? Jake Irvin. His 2.80 ERA ranks fifth in the NL, his 1.000 WHIP ranks fourth and his 106 innings pitched rank eighth.

And you know who else was also deserving? Kyle Finnegan. His 23 saves rank second in the NL, while his 2.17 ERA and 0.964 WHIP rank fourth among all regular closers.

One of the key young faces of the Nationals’ rebuild is going to represent the organization at the All-Star Game for the first time.

CJ Abrams, who has blossomed into one of the sport’s best shortstops over the last calendar year, was selected as the Nats’ lone All-Star representative this afternoon, an appropriate honor for the 23-year-old acquired in one of the most significant trades in baseball history.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “I’m just grateful for everybody in this clubhouse right now, for my family, friends and the fans. I’m excited to go represent the Nats in Arlington.”

Abrams was placed on the National League squad by Major League Baseball, which is tasked with filling out the final spots on All-Star rosters, making sure every club is represented after fans vote for starters and players and coaches vote for reserves and pitchers.

Right-hander Jake Irvin, who entered the day fourth in the NL in ERA and WHIP, and closer Kyle Finnegan, who ranks second in saves, also received consideration and could still wind up getting an invitation to Texas next week if other pitchers need to be replaced either for injuries or recent usage issues.

A stretch of 17 games in 17 days in blistering early July heat has long loomed on the Nationals’ schedule. This was going to be a test not only of this growing team’s ability to compete with opponents in the pennant race, but also of this team’s physical and mental fortitude.

All of that is being put to the test right now, and though the Nats have managed to pull off some inspired wins along the way, the grind clearly is getting to them. Especially their pitching staff.

Today’s 8-3 loss to the Cardinals saw DJ Herz labor for 4 1/3 innings, putting added strain on a bullpen that already was running on fumes. What had been a decided strength through most of the season’s first half has devolved into a liability this week, with five top relievers pressed into overtime duties and the other three forced to pitch out of necessity.

Among the biggest takeaways from the last two days, in particular: The Nationals sorely lack a long man in the pen. And they may not be able to proceed much longer without one unless their starters can consistently churn out six innings a piece.

"Most of our bullpen has been going one-plus innings right now," manager Davey Martinez said. "We're trying to get to that All-Star break, to give them a break. We need some length tomorrow from our starter, that's what we need."