CHICAGO – Jordan Westburg is batting fifth tonight and playing third base in the series opener in Chicago.

Colton Cowser is in left field, Cedric Mullins is in center and Anthony Santander is in right.

Ryan Mountcastle is the first baseman, with Ryan O’Hearn serving as designated hitter.

Adley Rutschman leads the Orioles with 56 hits. He joins Milwaukee’s William Contreras (65) as the only catchers ranking first on their teams.

Grayson Rodriguez has a streak of 12 straight scoreless innings, third-longest by an Orioles starter behind Cole Irvin’s 22 2/3 and Albert Suárez’s 12 1/3.

The Orioles completed their suspended game today with a 3-1 loss to the Cardinals, setting up this afternoon’s series finale before the charter flight to Chicago.

A win is needed to prevent the sweepless streak in the regular season from ending at 106 series.

Nolan Gorman hit a two-run homer off Keegan Akin in the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie. Akin inherited a runner from Jacob Webb.

Ryan Mountcastle singled today to interrupt a 1-for-26 slump. He’s on the bench for the second game.

Left-hander Nick Vespi was added as the 27^th man. The Cardinals added right-hander Chris Roycroft.

You couldn’t draw up more extreme polar opposites for the first two games of a series than what we just experienced. The Nationals blew out the Twins on Monday night, 12-3. Then the Twins blew out the Nationals on Tuesday night, 10-0. So who knows what to expect in today’s matinee finale?

The Nats have to get a better start from Jake Irvin than they got from Patrick Corbin. Irvin, native of Bloomington, Minn., will be plenty motivated facing his hometown team. He’s coming off a bit of a rough outing in Philadelphia, where he gave up four runs in five innings against a very good lineup. He’ll try to provide some more length this afternoon.

Simeon Woods Richardson, today’s Minnesota starter, has been very good, entering this one with a 2.97 ERA and a 25-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. But the right-hander made only one big league appearance last year, and it happened to come against the Nationals. Who roughed him up for five runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MINNESOTA TWINS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 85 degrees, wind 10 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Eddie Rosario
LF Jesse Winker
DH Joey Meneses
2B Luis García Jr.
3B Ildemaro Vargas
1B Joey Gallo
C Riley Adams
CF Jacob Young

Ryan Mountcastle is in tonight’s lineup at first base, as the Orioles try to even their series in St. Louis.

Mountcastle came off the bench last night. He hadn’t been in the lineup for two of the last three games.

Kyle Stowers is in right field. Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter.

Anthony Santander, playing with a bruised left knee, is on the bench.

Jordan Westburg is batting cleanup again.

The Nationals ended their losing streak and extended the Twins’ losing streak with a blowout win Monday night. Now they’ll look to make it two in a row and generate some positive momentum for the first time in a couple weeks.

They’ll hand the ball tonight to Patrick Corbin, who has quietly strung together some solid starts. In five outings since April 23, he’s 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA, limiting damage while surrendering only one home run. He’ll look to keep that up against a Twins club that has scored only 12 runs during its seven-game losing streak.

The Nats lineup finally busted out Monday for 12 runs, scoring thanks to a combination of home runs, clutch hitting and aggressive baserunning. They really are at their best when they can do all three things, and they’ll try to do it again tonight against Joe Ryan, Minnesota’s 27-year-old right-hander who has been quite good with a 1.019 WHIP and 58 strikeouts to only seven walks.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MINNESOTA TWINS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 80 degrees, wind 9 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Eddie Rosario
LF Jesse Winker
DH Joey Meneses
2B Luis García Jr.
3B Nick Senzel
1B Joey Gallo
C Keibert Ruiz
CF Jacob Young

Ryan Mountcastle is out of the Orioles lineup again tonight to begin a three-game series in St. Louis.

Mountcastle sat out Saturday's game and played first base yesterday. He had two doubles and a triple on May 11 but has one hit in his last 20 at-bats. He hasn’t drawn a walk since April 24.

Anthony Santander, who’s receiving treatment on a bruised and swollen left knee, is the designated hitter.

Jordan Westburg is batting cleanup for the second time in his career.

Cedric Mullins is in center field. Mullins stole his 100^th career base yesterday and needs three more to tie Corey Patterson for eighth in club history.

The Nationals’ schedule has been pretty wonky to begin this season. They’ve played 28 road games, only 17 home games. They’ve played 20 interleague games, only 10 intradivision games. The good news: They’re back home after a tough, 2-7 road trip. But they’re back to facing American League teams all week, with the Twins here for three and then the Mariners coming to town this weekend.

A Nats lineup that did sort of break out for five runs Sunday in Philadelphia (only three of those runs coming early, when the game was still close) will see a sort of familiar face tonight in Pablo López. The former Marlins right-hander is in his second season in Minnesota and comes into this start with a 4-3 record and 3.93 ERA. The Nats faced López on a cold night at Target Field last year and got to him for five runs in four innings.

The Twins will be seeing Mitchell Parker for the first time. The rookie left-hander continues to exceed expectations in his first month-plus in the big leagues, and he still hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a start up here. He’ll try to hold down a Twins lineup that ranks in the middle of the pack in the AL so far in most offensive categories.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MINNESOTA TWINS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 76 degrees, wind 6 mph right field to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Eddie Rosario
LF Jesse Winker
DH Joey Meneses
2B Luis García Jr.
3B Nick Senzel
1B Joey Gallo
C Keibert Ruiz
CF Jacob Young

Adley Rutschman gets a rare day off this afternoon as the Orioles conclude their series against the Mariners at Camden Yards. They also have reached the end of their three-opponent homestand.

Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter. Colton Cowser is in right field while Anthony Santander receives treatment on a bruised left knee.

Austin Hays stays in the lineup in left field. Jordan Westburg is batting second for the first time in his career.

Ryan Mountcastle returns to the lineup. He hasn’t drawn a walk this month.

Corbin Burnes is working on an extra day of rest. He has a 2.68 ERA and 1.006 WHIP in nine games despite averaging 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings, the lowest of his career.

PHILADELPHIA – A difficult road trip comes to an end this afternoon for the Nationals, who lost two of three in Boston, then two of three in Chicago and now have to win today just to avoid getting swept by the Phillies. The crazy part of it all: They’ve lost five of these six games by either one or two runs. The combined score on this road trip is 25-20 for the opponents, despite the lopsided record.

But today’s a new day, and maybe the Nats will finally score enough runs to win a game. They’ve had no trouble giving themselves chances (they currently rank sixth in the majors in plate appearances with runners in scoring position!), but they’ve had all kinds of trouble converting those chances (they rank 23rd in RBIs in those situations).

Trevor Williams will look to continue his wildly impressive start to the season, hoping to keep this daunting Phillies lineup in check. Williams finally surrendered his first homer of the year last time out in Chicago. Can he keep Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Co. inside Citizens Bank Park this afternoon? The fate of the Nationals may rest on that challenge.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 72 degrees, wind 8 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
2B Ildemaro Vargas
RF Eddie Rosario
DH Luis García Jr.
3B Nick Senzel
1B Joey Gallo
C Keibert Ruiz
LF Jesse Winker
CF Jacob Young

PHILADELPHIA – It’s a gray, rainy Saturday here in the City of Brotherly Love, which wasn’t very kind to the Nationals on Friday night. The Nats lost their third straight, this one by the count of 4-2 to the Phillies, the only two runs they’ve scored since Tuesday in Chicago. Maybe the rain is just what they need to break out of their funk?

With left-hander Cristopher Sánchez on the mound for Philadelphia, Davey Martinez has a mostly right-handed lineup, certainly in the prominent spots. That includes a 2-3-4-5 of Ildemaro Vargas, Joey Meneses, Nick Senzel and Riley Adams. Joey Gallo and Jesse Winker are still starting, but they’re both down in the lineup. Luis García Jr., who was scratched Friday with a right heel injury, isn’t in the lineup again tonight, though I would imagine we could see him come off the bench later to face a right-handed reliever.

MacKenzie Gore, another lefty, starts for the Nationals, and it will be his task to hold down the Phillies lineup as best as possible. Gore did defeat them earlier this season, allowing two runs over 5 2/3 innings. He’s made eight starts now, and he has yet to be charged with more than three earned runs in any of them. And yet he hasn’t earned a win since April 13 in Oakland, a long stretch in spite of his quality performances.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 6:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Rain ending, 67 degrees, wind 5 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
2B Ildemaro Vargas
DH Joey Meneses
3B Nick Senzel
C Riley Adams
1B Joey Gallo
RF Victor Robles
LF Jesse Winker
CF Jacob Young

PHILADELPHIA – They lost two of three in Boston. Then they lost two of three in Chicago. How will the Nationals fare the next three days in Philadelphia, home of a team with a 30-14 record?

It’s going to be a challenge, especially for a Nats lineup that was shut out twice by the White Sox and is really struggling to score runs right now. That group does have one power hitter back for the first time in three weeks, though: Joey Gallo. Gallo has officially been activated off the 10-day injured list. The corresponding move: Trey Lipscomb was optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Gallo and Co. will hope to make some loud contact tonight against the always-tough Zack Wheeler.

Jake Irvin gets the ball for the Nationals, looking to hold a dangerous Phillies lineup in check. Trea Turner is currently on the IL, but the rest of their regulars are healthy and productive, including Bryce Harper. The Nats will need Irvin’s best tonight, given their own offensive woes.

Luis García Jr. was removed from tonight's lineup and is replaced by Ildemaro Vargas. He'll bat fifth behind Gallo, who was moved up to the clean-up spot. 

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 6:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 70 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left field

CHICAGO – The Nationals are playing decent baseball right now. They’re not, however, playing winning baseball. Since reaching the .500 mark on April 29 thanks to their sweep in Miami, they’ve gone 6-7. They’ve lost two in a row only once in that time, but they’ve also won two in a row only once. Every bit of positive momentum is halted by a subsequent loss.

Not that a win today would make that much difference, but it would at least give the Nats a series win over a White Sox club that admittedly has played better of late but still owns a wretched 13-30 record overall.

It would be especially nice if the Nationals could score some runs. And not just with one rally, but multiple rallies over multiple innings. During the aforementioned 13-game stretch they’re on, they’ve scored an average of 3.8 runs. And that includes the two breakouts against the Blue Jays, when they scored nine and 11 runs. More is needed today against left-hander Garrett Crochet, who has a 4.63 ERA but leads the league with 64 strikeouts.

Patrick Corbin gets the nod for the Nats, and though his season numbers (5.91 ERA) still don’t look good, he has been markedly better in recent outings (3.54 ERA his last four starts). The bullpen, thankfully, didn’t get overworked during Tuesday’s doubleheader. And with an off-day Thursday before the road trip continues in Philadelphia, Davey Martinez should have everyone at his disposal once Corbin departs.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Where: Guaranteed Rate Field
Gametime: 2:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 59 degrees, wind 14 mph out to right field

The Orioles will try again today to squeeze in a game against the Blue Jays despite more rain in the forecast.

Jordan Westburg is leading off for the first time in his major league career. Gunnar Henderson moves to the cleanup spot for the 11^th time.

Kyle Bradish makes his third start after allowing two runs and striking out 14 batters in 9 2/3 innings following his reinstatement from the injured list. He’s made seven career starts against the Blue Jays and registered a 5.25 ERA and 1.417 WHIP in 36 innings.

Orioles starters have gone an average of 5.7 innings per start, fifth-highest in the majors, per STATS. The Blue Jays are 14^th at 5.3.

George Springer is 7-for-17 with four doubles and a home run against Bradish. Bo Bichette is 5-for-15 with two homers, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is 5-for-17 with a homer, and Alejandro Kirk is 5-for-10 with a double.

CHICAGO – And we’re on to Game 2 of today’s straight doubleheader, the Nationals and White Sox wrapping up a long afternoon and evening on the South Side. This one features an interesting pitching matchup.

Erick Fedde, the former first-round pick of the Nats way back in 2014 who never put it all together in six seasons with them, makes the start for the White Sox. After a year spent in South Korea, where he won the league MVP award, Fedde signed a two-year, $15 million with Chicago and has proceeded to go 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in eight starts for his new club.

Mitchell Parker, meanwhile, makes his sixth career start tonight, seeking his first win since start No. 2 when he shut out the Astros over seven innings. The rookie left-hander has pitched well since then, he just hasn’t benefited from a lot of run support. (He’s not alone in that department.)

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO WHITE SOX (GAME 2)
Where: Guaranteed Rate Field
Gametime: 7:50 p.m. EDT (Approx.)
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 55 degrees, wind 17 mph out to right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
3B Trey Lipscomb
RF Eddie Rosario
1B Joey Meneses
2B Luis García Jr.
C Keibert Ruiz
DH Jesse Winker
LF Ildemaro Vargas
CF Jacob Young

CHICAGO – Alright, let’s give this another try. After Monday’s series opener at Guaranteed Rate Field was rained out, the Nationals and White Sox will play two today. And it’s an old-school, traditional, single-admission doubleheader. Game 1 starts at 4:40 p.m. Eastern, with Game 2 set to start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener. If everything goes smoothly, we should wrap up around the same time as we would’ve all along. (Wishful thinking, obviously.)

Both teams are sticking with their pitching plan, so it’ll be Trevor Williams vs. Chris Flexen in the opener as was planned from the outset. Mitchell Parker faces former National Erick Fedde in the nightcap.

Both teams also get to call up a 27th man for the day, and the Nats chose to go with Jackson Rutledge. The right-hander’s season has gotten off to a rough start at Triple-A Rochester (6.67 ERA, 1.630 WHIP in seven games), and he just threw 91 pitches three days ago in Scranton. But he’s only here in case the team needs a few innings of relief in either game. In a perfect world, he won’t be needed and he’ll head back to Triple-A and prepare for his next start.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CHICAGO WHITE SOX (GAME 1)
Where: Guaranteed Rate Field
Gametime: 4:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 57 degrees, wind 16 mph out to right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
CF Jacob Young
LF Eddie Rosario
1B Joey Meneses
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Nick Senzel
C Riley Adams
3B Trey Lipscomb
RF Victor Robles

The Orioles made a second outfield-related roster move today, reinstating Austin Hays from the 10-day injured list and designating Ryan McKenna for assignment.

McKenna can decline an outright assignment and become a free agent if he clears waivers.

Hays worked out on the field earlier today before the Orioles decided to reinstate him.

Hays and Kyle Stowers are on the bench tonight. Colton Cowser is playing left field and Cedric Mullins is in center after being out of the last two lineups.

Jordan Westburg is the third baseman and Jorge Mateo is at second.

BOSTON – Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! I hope each and every one of you gets to enjoy your special day. I want to give a special shoutout to my own mom, Darlene, back at home and to all the mothers in my life.

This Mother’s Day will be extra special for the Nationals if they can beat the Red Sox and leave Fenway Park with a series win.

Jake Irvin gave them one of the best starts of his career yesterday, but that wasn’t enough in a 4-2 loss. MacKenzie Gore will look to replicate Irvin’s efforts with a better final result.

Gore boasts a 2-3 record, 3.44 ERA, 1.471 WHIP and 11.1 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate over his seven starts to date. The southpaw was roughed up for six runs in just three innings Sunday against the Blue Jays. But the lineup bailed him out in what would be a wild back-and-forth finish, ending in a Nats victory. Today he’ll try to get out to a good start like Irvin and Patrick Corbin have done this weekend.

Brayan Bello returns from the injured list to make his sixth start of the year. The right-hander went down with right lat tightness on April 24 (retroactive to April 21). He is 3-1 with a 3.04 ERA and 1.050 WHIP over his first five starts. His last start came on April 19, when he pitched six shutout innings with seven strikeouts against the Pirates.

BOSTON – The Nationals pulled off a win last night with Patrick Corbin on the mound, thanks to five strong innings from the veteran lefty. The offense also staked him to an early lead and then provided two insurance runs in the ninth inning.

Now with a victory already in hand, they turn to two of their better starters for the remainder of the series: Jake Irvin and MacKenzie Gore.

Irvin takes the ball this afternoon with a 2-3 record, 3.72 ERA and 1.190 WHIP. The right-hander was charged with four unearned runs in his last start against the Blue Jays. He’s given up two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five outings. If you take out his rough start against the Dodgers (six runs in 4 ⅔ innings), Irvin has a 2.65 ERA over his six other starts.

Cooper Criswell takes the mound for the Red Sox. Although he has made major league appearances in each of the last three seasons, the 27-year-old still holds his rookie status. The right-hander has pitched well over his first five appearances (four starts) this season, going 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA and 1.065 WHIP. He hasn’t given up more than two runs in any of his appearances, but he hasn’t pitched more than five innings either.

If the Nats offense can jump on him early again, that should set them up for more success, especially with Kyle Finnegan not pitching last night. 

Colton Cowser is starting in center field this afternoon as the Orioles try to secure a series win against the Diamondbacks.

Heston Kjerstad gets the start in left field. Cedric Mullins goes to the bench against an opposing right-hander.

Jorge Mateo remains at second base. Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter.

Gunnar Henderson collected his 40^th career double last night, making him the fifth player in Orioles history with 40 doubles and 40 home runs before turning 23. He joins Boog Powell, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken Jr. and Manny Machado. Henderson is the only Oriole to also have 10 triples.

Jordan Westburg has 24 RBIs, one more than his rookie total last season.

BOSTON – Hello from historic (and chilly) Fenway Park! This weekend is my first time shipping up to Boston since I was a young lad, a trip I don’t necessarily remember. So I’m very excited to be your trusty beat reporter live from Bah-stan.

The Nats are nearing the end of a wicked 14-game stretch against American League teams. After these three games against the Red Sox, they’ll head to the south side of Chicago to face a different shade of sox and wrap up three weeks’ worth of interleague play. Entering tonight, the Nats are 7-7 against AL teams and 11-8 on the road.

Patrick Corbin makes his eighth start in the opener. He’s 0-3 with a 6.45 ERA and 1.8095 WHIP. Though he once again got roughed up early in his last outing, he actually turned in a quality start with three runs over six innings against the Blue Jays. The veteran lefty needs to get off to better starts, however: He’s given up 16 runs in innings 1-3 compared to nine in innings 4-6.

Corbin is 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA and 2.478 WHIP in two career starts at Fenway, the last one coming in 2016.

Tanner Houck makes his eighth start for the Red Sox, going 3-3 with a 1.99 ERA and 0.971 WHIP over his first seven with all but one coming in as a quality start. He pitched a complete-game shutout against the Guardians on April 17, while holding them to just three hits and striking out nine. He has pitched three scoreless outings on the year. He has a 9.1 strikeout-per-nine-innings rate and his 2.08 Fielding Independent Pitching leads the major leagues.