The Washington Nationals are looking to improve upon last season and gain ground in the National League East.

Last season was a growing process for the Nationals, who who continue to take positive steps forward in their rebuilding process. Fans will get a look at some of the best young players in the league during what many consider another improving season.

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The Nationals are hoping for more positive signs of development on the pitching side from Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore. Both are expected to be at the front of Washington’s rotation.

The biggest pieces on offense to keep tabs on are at the top of the lineup in CJ Abrams and Lane Thomas. Abrams has plenty of speed at the top of the lineup, stealing 47 bases last season. Lane Thomas also has plenty of power, leading the team with 28 home runs in 2023.

Wednesday night, the Washington Nationals held the club’s second annual UK-US Friendship Day at Nationals Park, celebrating the recent coronation of King Charles III and the enduring partnership between the two nations.

As the night’s guest of honor, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak personally requested that the ceremonial first pitch be given to Stuart Taylor, CEO of the Allied Forces Foundation, in recognition of Taylor’s many years of public service in support of military veterans, active-duty personnel and the trans-Atlantic relationship.

Sunak was joined on the field by Taylor and Nationals manager Davey Martinez for the UK and US national anthems, which were punctuated by a flyover performed by F/A 18s piloted by United States Navy Lt. Josh Chester and British Royal Navy Lt. Cmdr Thomas Sharp. The UK anthem was performed by the Royal Marines Band, and the US anthem by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band.

You can watch video of the UK-US Friendship Day festivities here.

The Washington Nationals celebrated the club’s 18^th annual Night OUT on Tuesday, the longest-running Pride event in Major League Baseball. The first 20,000 fans received a Screech Night OUT bobblehead, and fans who purchased the special ticket package also received an exclusive t-shirt with $5 from every special ticket benefitting Team DC. With more than 7,100 special tickets sold, tonight’s event was the largest Night OUT in the organization’s history.

As special guests of the game’s presenting partner, Team DC, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi threw out the game’s ceremonial first pitch; and Rex Wheeler, also known as Lady Camden, runner-up on Season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, held the President’s Race finish line.

You can watch video of the Night OUT festivities here.

The Washington Nationals welcomed 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, USC quarterback and graduate of D.C.’s Gonzaga College High School Caleb Williams to Nationals Park for today’s game vs. the Detroit Tigers. Williams threw out the ceremonial first pitch, which was caught by Nationals pitcher Mason Thompson.

You can watch Williams' first pitch here.

In case you missed it, Washington Nationals were honored by MLB as the 2022 Green Glove Award finalist for the National League East. The team led the division in waste diversion, which is done through practices such as recycling, composting, food donations and energy recovery. This is the third year in a row that the Nationals have received this honor. 

The Nationals remain committed to bringing baseball to the region sustainably. Recent efforts have included: installing the first two Reverse Vending Machines in MLB, with the machines having recycled thousands of items since August and encouraging the practice among fans with the chance to win fun prizes; teaming up with WGL Energy and Chesapeake Bay Foundation to plant trees for every Nationals run scored at home; recycling last season’s playing field, creating 680 tons of topsoil to be used in other community projects; and continuing to harvest hundreds of pounds of food from the ballpark’s rooftop garden, which is distributed to local communities.

You can learn more about the the Nationals' sustainability efforts here.

The Washington Nationals proudly welcomed representatives from the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the Embassy of Japan for today’s annual Blossoms & Baseball game.

Prior to today’s event, the NCBF, in partnership with the Embassy, donated a National Cherry Blossom Festival giant cherry blossom sculpture to the Nationals for display at Nationals Park. The sculpture, titled Refresh, Renew, Rebloom, was designed and painted by Prism Specialties Art Restoration. It was temporarily on display in the Navy Yard neighborhood in 2022 and will now be displayed on ballpark’s main concourse near the Washington Suites.

Today’s ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Ambassador of Japan to the United States Koji Tomita.

Last month, the Embassy hosted a World Baseball Classic celebration, including strong cherry blossoms representation, welcoming representatives from the tournament’s participating teams as well as the Washington Nationals and NCBF.

Tomorrow night’s game (Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. vs. Tampa Bay Rays) is Military Appreciation Day presented by PenFed at Nationals Park.

To thank our service members, the Nationals are providing two free tickets to active duty, dependents, veterans, retirees, reservists, National Guard and Department of Defense civilians with military ID or proof of service. Tickets can be claimed at the Home Plate Box Office beginning when gates open at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday (two free tickets per ID, while supplies last).

Highlights of tomorrow’s pregame ceremonies include:

· Simultaneous Ceremonial First Pitches thrown by:

    Major General Joel Jackson, Commander, Air Force District Washington

It wasn’t the most graceful of slides. A catcher barreling headfirst into first base, a Velcro strap careening off of his elbow guard. 

But he was safe. Anything for Tres Barrera to get his first big league hit in over a month.

“First, I was trying to run so fast to get to first base,” Barrera said, smiling. “I saw (Braves second baseman Vaughn Grissom) dive, I was like, 'Dang, I gotta get there.' I kinda felt my body weight shift over to the front side, so I was almost trying to keep myself from falling and looking dumb so I just said, 'I’ll go into a headfirst slide' after that.

“It probably still didn’t look very cool, but honestly, that’s what happened.”

Despite being recalled from Triple-A Rochester three weeks ago, Barrera hadn’t received a single plate appearance since Aug. 21, instead watching from the bench as Riley Adams and Israel Pineda caught game after game.

ATLANTA - Like a library desperate for an overdue rental, the Nationals were making empty threats, lacking the power to follow through. 

Washington had scored just five total runs and gone a combined 4-for-22 with runners in scoring position over the last three games, all losses. 

But Wednesday in Atlanta, the Nats finally broke through, and all it took was one mighty swing from Joey Meneses. 

The 30-year-old rookie mashed a two-run homer onto the second deck in left field in the seventh inning, turning around what was then a 2-1 game and helping the Nationals (52-97) take the series finale over the Braves (93-56) by a final of 3-2. 

"I can't say enough about what Joey's been doing since he came here," manager Davey Martinez said after the win. "He's been hitting doubles, homers, getting on base, playing good defense."

ATLANTA - Thirty-four Nationals have pitched at least one inning this season, a remarkably high total that includes five rookies and three position players.

The 35th could be the most intriguing to date.

MacKenzie Gore, the former top-100 prospect acquired from the Padres in the Juan Soto/Josh Bell trade, will make another rehab start for Triple-A Rochester tonight as he pushes to make his Nats debut before season’s end.

Manager Davey Martinez expects Gore to throw about 60-65 pitches, hoping to see more consistency from the 23-year-old.

“This is like spring training all over for him,” said Martinez. “We’ll try to give him four ups and see where he’s at.”

ATLANTA - Last night’s injury to Patrick Corbin shined an even brighter light on the Nationals’ missing pitching depth.

But it doesn’t get to the heart of the team’s central issue right now: lack of run production. 

The Nationals have scored just five total runs over their last three games, including two in each of the first two games of their series against the Braves. They haven’t left the yard since a four-homer game against the Marlins on Sept. 17.

After Joey Meneses’ four-hit day in the series opener Monday, no Nat collected more than one hit in Tuesday’s 5-2 loss. Washington went just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. 

Atlanta, meanwhile, clinched a postseason berth with last night’s win and the Brewers’ loss to the Mets. 

ATLANTA - Cade Cavalli, Sean Doolittle, Stephen Strasburg, Tanner Rainey, Jackson Tetreault, Evan Lee…

Patrick Corbin.

The list of injured Nationals pitchers contains rookies and veterans. It has consumed righties and lefties alike. It seems to grow by the week.

After Corbin exited Tuesday’s game with back spasms, an already lean Nats rotation thinned even more, leaving Josiah Gray, Erick Fedde and Anibal Sanchez as the only bona fide starters. 

Perhaps you could throw Cory Abbott in the mix. Paolo Espino lurks.

ATLANTA - Patrick Corbin took an exceptionally long time between pitches. He shuffled his feet, kicked some dirt and adjusted his belt ever so slowly before turning around and motioning to the second base umpire.

Something wasn’t quite right.

Corbin left with back spasms in the first inning of Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Braves after throwing just 12 pitches. After throwing a 76-mph slider high and outside to Matt Olson and fidgeting around the rubber, the lefty was greeted by manager Davey Martinez and head athletic trainer Paul Lessard.

Corbin, who leads the Nationals (51-97) in both starts and innings pitched, stretched his back before taking a slow walk to the visitors' dugout.

"He just threw a pitch and (his back) tightened up on him," Martinez said after the game. "We watched him, he started trying to stretch. We went out there and he said it just cramped up on him. ... As he was getting back on the mound, he said he couldn't get loose, so the smart thing to do is just get him out of there."

ATLANTA - Nationals starter Patrick Corbin exited Tuesday’s game against the Braves with an apparent injury after throwing just 12 pitches in the first inning.

Corbin’s final pitch of the evening was a 76-mph slider up-and-away to Braves cleanup hitter Matt Olson. The lefty was slow to return to the rubber before eventually calling for time.

Corbin, who leads the team in innings pitched, has averaged 82 mph on his slider this season, per FanGraphs. 

He stretched his back while being attended to by manager Davey Martinez and director of athletic training Paul Lessard, then headed toward the visitors' dugout with Lessard. Erasmo Ramirez warmed quickly and replaced Corbin on the mound, completing a strikeout of Olson.

Corbin retired just two batters and allowed a single to Dansby Swanson.

ATLANTA - When Joey Meneses signed with the Atlanta Braves, he was three days from his 19th birthday. It was May 2011, and Truist Park was six years from being built.

Eleven years later, a 30-year-old Meneses played his first game in Atlanta, wearing the uniform of the Braves’ division rivals. He went 4-for-4 with four singles, raising his batting average to .325 through his first 41 career big league games. 

“The whole time I was playing in the minors to get to this point, to get this opportunity,” Meneses said through interpreter Octavio Martinez after Monday’s game. “I just want to do as well as possible up here and, hopefully, remain here as long as possible.”

Meneses’ Baseball-Reference page can’t be read without scrolling several times. His career includes stops in Mexico, Japan and four major league organizations, spanning 12 years.

There were plenty of good seasons in there. His final season in the Braves organization came in 2017, when he hit .292 with a .763 OPS for Double-A Mississippi at age 25. After signing with the Phillies that winter, Meneses hit .311 with 23 home runs and an .870 OPS for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

ATLANTA - It’s been an awfully long time since the Nationals have put together a complete offensive game. The Nats haven’t scored more than five runs in a game since a Sept. 8 blowout win in St. Louis. 

A day after Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara tossed a one-run complete game in Washington, the Nats' bats sputtered again in Atlanta last night, plating just two runs on nine hits in a 5-2 loss.

Optimism comes in the form of the opposing pitcher, veteran Charlie Morton, who has been prone to surrendering the longball this season. The 38-year-old has allowed 24 homers in 28 starts, tied for sixth-most in the National League.

Nats starter Patrick Corbin is two spots ahead of Morton on that list, lobbing 27 dingers in his 29 starts. 

Last night’s loss dropped the Nats to 3-11 against the Braves this season and 13-48 against the NL East as a whole.

ATLANTA - Lined with wooden lockers and topped by fluorescent bulbs, the visitor’s clubhouse at Truist Park isn’t the most well-lit room. It’s even darker from behind Nelson Cruz’s sunglasses.

The 42-year-old has donned the shades as he deals with a lefty eye infection that has kept him out of action since Sept. 13. But the specs could be coming off soon.

“He’s better,” said manager Davey Martinez. “The drops are working. It’s very slow but he said he feels better today.”

“It’s good news, so hopefully we can get him back here in a few days.”

Cruz took batting practice with the team before Monday’s series opener, another step towards a return that appears imminent.

ATLANTA - Alex Call raced back to the warning track, found the wall, halted, and leapt upward, kicking up dirt and reaching his glove toward the sky.

He missed.

The ball, hit at a 41-degree launch angle, floated inches above Call’s glove, and Austin Riley’s 37th home run of the season landed in the seats just beyond the left field wall.

Even the Braves’ pop-ups are home runs.

Atlanta (92-55) mashed their National League-leading 221st and 222nd homers of the season in a 5-2 win over Washington (51-96) in the series opener on Monday night. The Nationals, meanwhile, scored just two runs on nine hits, keeping their homer total at a paltry 126.

ATLANTA - When the equipment truck loaded up in D.C. and prepared to drive to the Nationals' charter plane, it was crammed with more catching gear than usual.

A total of four catchers have spots in the visitors' clubhouse at Truist Park: Riley Adams, Tres Barrera, Israel Pineda and Keibert Ruiz. Adams starts tonight, catching starter Cory Abbott, while Barrera and Pineda will be on the bench. Ruiz is the surprise addition, as the 24-year-old has recently been cleared to travel with the team.

“He’s feeling better,” said manager Davey Martinez of Ruiz, who has been sidelined since Sept. 8 with a testicular contusion. “He’s still pretty sore, but he obviously is feeling better, he’s able to fly with us.”

Ruiz won’t appear in any more games in 2022, but the Nats have designs for him in the final two weeks of the season.

“We want to keep him around,” Martinez said before Monday’s series opener. “Before the season’s over, he can maybe just kinda work out light and get going so that when the time comes, we feel like he’s ready to get ready for the season, spring training next year.”

ATLANTA - The Nationals' penultimate road trip of the season begins in Atlanta, with serious National League East implications at play, at least for the home team.

Cory Abbott, hours before his 27th birthday, takes the mound for the Nats as they open a three-game series against the Braves, who sit just one game behind the Mets in the division. Serving a variety of roles for Washington this season, Abbott is looking to improve upon a quietly impressive September, during which the righty has posted a 3.48 ERA in 10 1/3 innings. 

Abbott will face an Atlanta lineup that lacks star second baseman Ozzie Albies, who fractured his right pinkie in Sunday's win over the Phillies. The 25-year-old will be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season. He'll be replaced by rookie Vaughn Grissom, who bats ninth in the series opener tonight.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Truist Park
Gametime: 7:25 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 86 degrees, wind 6 mph out of the north

NATIONALS