Source: Nats in talks with veteran outfielder Parra (down 7-3)

MILWAUKEE - Desperate for healthy position players and more veterans on their bench, the Nationals are in discussions with outfielder Gerardo Parra and could finalize a deal in the coming days, according to a source familiar with the talks.

No deal is done at this point, the source said, but the addition of Parra would make sense for a Nationals club that has been decimated by injuries to its lineup and has felt the domino effect on its bench.

Parra, 32, is a career .277 hitter with a .324 on-base percentage and .726 OPS in 1,377 major league games with the Diamondbacks, Brewers, Orioles, Rockies and Giants, and a player Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has shown interest in before.

After signing a minor league contract in February, Parra made the Giants' opening day roster but struggled in 30 games, hitting .198 with a .278 on-base percentage and .546 OPS. In spite of his offensive issues, he still managed to compile a 0.5 WAR, thanks to his play at the two corner outfield positions, where he totaled +6 Defensive Runs Saved.

The Giants designated him for assignment Friday. ESPN Deportes was first to report a potential deal for Parra with Washington.

The Nationals would benefit from Parra's glove work, but outfield defense has been less of a problem for them than infield defense. Their greater need at this moment is improved offensive production, especially from their reserve outfielders.

Michael A. Taylor, pressed into starting duties in center field while Juan Soto has been on the injured list, snapped an 0-for-19 slump with a line drive single Tuesday night. But he's batting a meager .121 with a .216 on-base percentage, .368 OPS and 19 strikeouts in only 38 plate appearances overall and hasn't been able to successfully implement the swing changes he's spent months working on with hitting coach Kevin Long.

"What I'm seeing from Michael is that he's staying consistent this year," manager Davey Martinez said, referring to the swing changes. "They worked diligently with him on (eliminating) the leg kick, getting his hands in a good position to hit, and he's staying with it. He's got good swings. Now, a lot of times he's fouling balls off that he should be hitting. Now we've just got to get him to hit those balls and get ahead in counts. Instead of missing them and being 0-2 or 1-2, just put those balls in play."

Andrew Stevenson also has been pressed into outfield duties in the last week and has gone 3-for-12, but he hasn't played since injuring his back after diving headfirst into first base Monday night trying to beat out a ground ball. Martinez said Stevenson is "still sore, but he's a lot better than he was yesterday."

There is some good news on the injury front for the Nationals outfield: Soto, who has been out since April 30 with back spasms, was scheduled to hit in the cage today. The club is hopeful he'll be ready to come off the injured list when he's eligible Saturday in Los Angeles.

Update: Just when you thought it couldn't get any uglier ... it has gotten uglier. The Nationals trail 6-0 after only two innings today, the first of which was as embarrassing an inning as you'll see at this level. Jeremy Hellickson hung a curveball to Christian Yelich and watched the ball soar to right-center for a home run. Anthony Rendon booted a grounder. Adam Eaton tracked down a lazy fly ball down the left field line and then somehow missed it by five feet, turning it into an RBI double. Hellickson walked two batters and fell behind the No. 8 hitter, Orlando Arcia, 3-0 before giving up a two-run single to right. On that play Victor Robles overthrew the plate, then Hellickson made a bad return throw to Rendon at third. The second inning included another homer, this one a two-run shot by Mike Moustakas. The Nats have done very little at the plate against Brandon Woodruff. This is bad. Real bad.

Update II: Hellickson made it through four innings, throwing 99 pitches. Matt Grace entered for the fifth and served up a hoer to Manny Piña, making it 7-0 Brewers. The Nats finally got on the board in the sixth on Robles' sac fly. But that's all they got off Woodruff, who went six innings, striking out nine without a walk. It's 7-1 Milwaukee after six.

Update III: Make it 7-3 thanks to a little rally in the seventh, with Wilmer Difo and Howie Kendrick driving in runs. But it may be too little, too late today.