ATLANTA – It’s a new day and the Nationals will be looking to get past last night’s disaster, which saw them lose 10-2 in the series opener with a 75-minute rain delay and another position player pitching.

They’ll turn to Patrick Corbin to set the tone for them on the mound this afternoon. Although the overall numbers still aren’t great (4-10 record and 5.68 ERA in 17 starts), the veteran lefty has been very impressive over his last two starts, pitching to a 1.20 ERA with 16 strikeouts and three walks over a combined 15 innings. He did, however, give up six runs in just 2 ⅔ innings here at Truist Park in his second start of the season. Here’s hoping things have changed since the last time Corbin faced the Braves.

After mustering only Juan Soto’s two-run home run off Charlie Morton last night, the Nats offense hopes to be more productive against Kyle Wright, who has been one of the more consistent starters in the league. The 26-year-old right-hander is 9-4 with a 2.91 ERA over 16 starts this season, and he should be plenty fresh after only pitching four innings and throwing 71 pitches (both season lows) in his last start against the Cardinals. (Manager Brian Snitker removed him as a precaution after the Braves jumped out to a 6-0 lead.) 

Wright hasn’t faced the Nats since 2020, but is 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA in four career appearances (two starts) against Washington.

The weather here is once again not great for baseball. The light rain falling is supposed to clear around the scheduled 4:10 p.m. first pitch, but then it’s supposed to storm all night starting around 6-7 p.m.. They may be able to start this game. Whether or not they finish is a different story.

ATLANTA – It’s been hit or miss for Erick Fedde this year. Really, it’s been hit or miss for Erick Fedde throughout his career. But he hasn’t been put under the microscope until these past two seasons as he has solidified himself in the Nationals rotation.

Sometimes he’s sharp and can use his arsenal effectively to turn in a quality (if not better) start, although he typically gets himself into high pitch counts.

Other times he’s flat and serves up easy pitches for the opponent to hit, which puts his team in a hole and also drives up his pitch count.

Tonight’s series opener against the Braves was the latter as a five-run second inning doomed Fedde and the Nats en route to a 12-2 loss in front of 41,725 fans at Truist Park.

Fedde put himself in a small deficit from the start. In the first inning, he served up a solo home run to Matt Olson on an inside and slightly elevated cutter. He needed 16 pitches to complete the first frame, a pretty standard start for the right-hander.

PHILADELPHIA – Joan Adon found himself on the mound pitching another game for the Nationals this afternoon, the struggling rookie with a league-leading 11 losses and an ERA approaching 7.00 pressed into service again when his club needed a fill-in starter.

The assignment, against a tough Phillies lineup, wasn’t advantageous for the young right-hander, but the Nats had little choice but to put him out there and hope for the best.

The end result was rather predictable. Adon labored through four innings and was charged with four runs, sending the Nationals on their way to a lackluster 5-3 loss in the series finale at Citizens Bank Park.

A game that saw Adon struggle on the mound and Juan Soto struggle in the field also saw Luis García depart with an apparent injury. The young shortstop was pulled after the sixth inning, replaced by utility man Ehire Adrianza due to what manager Davey Martinez termed a "stomach issue," even though García could be seen wincing and grabbing his right side after grounding out to second in his final at-bat.

"No, he started feeling real sick," Martinez said.

PHILADELPHIA – Joan Adon will start Thursday’s series finale for the Nationals, rejoining the big league roster to take the rotation spot that recently became vacant with Jackson Tetreault’s injury.

Needing someone to pitch against the Phillies after Tetreault landed on the 15-day injured list with a stress fracture of his right scapula, the Nats opted to go with Adon, who returns after making only one start during his most recent stint at Triple-A Rochester.

The Nationals sent the 23-year-old down after 13 starts to begin the season in the big league rotation, wanting him to work on developing his changeup and improving fastball command. But only one outing later, he was back in D.C. to face the Phillies in one of their June 17 doubleheader games, allowing four runs and seven hits in five innings.

“He was throwing the ball well,” manager Davey Martinez said. “And as you guys remember, came up here and threw the ball well. So we’ll give him an opportunity to start tomorrow.”

The club sent Adon back to Rochester after that start, and he performed well in a June 22 outing against Syracuse, allowing one unearned run with zero walks in five innings. But then came a planned break, which has extended until now.

PHILADELPHIA – Though he was able to pinch-hit late in Monday’s loss to the Marlins and bring the Nationals Park crowd to its feet just by drawing a four-pitch walk, Juan Soto is not ready to return to the lineup quite yet.

Soto, who has been dealing with a tight left calf muscle since Sunday, still hasn’t been cleared to run. So he’s sitting out tonight’s series opener against the Phillies, with the possibility again he’ll come off the bench at some point if the situation calls for it.

“After talking to him last night, he felt better but it’s still sore,” manager Davey Martinez said. “So I didn’t want to chance it. We’ll let him try to get better. We’ll see where he’s at. I know he’s going to take some swings later on, and we’ll see what’s going on. But I just wanted to give him another day, and hopefully tomorrow he can get back. We’ll do some running drills with him and see how he feels.”

Despite some initial fear the injury was serious, Soto was relieved to learn Sunday night an MRI showed no strain of the muscle. He figured it would be a day-to-day process to return to play, but after taking swings in the cage during Monday’s game he confirmed he felt well enough to pinch-hit.

The crowd roared with anticipation as Soto emerged from the dugout to pinch-hit for Victor Robles with two on and one out in the eighth inning of a 1-1 game. He then drew a four-pitch walk off Zach Pop, shuffling after a couple pitches and staring down the Marlins reliever following ball four.

Though he’s not in today’s lineup, and may not be for a few more days, Juan Soto believes he avoided any serious injury to his left calf during Sunday’s loss to the Marlins.

Soto said the MRI he underwent late Sunday showed that “everything was fine” and that he’s only dealing with tightness in the calf. He won’t play this afternoon’s series finale against Miami but hopes to return sometime during this week’s series at the Phillies.

“We’re going to be good,” he said. “They said it’s just a little bit tight. It’s going to take a couple days to see, and then go. It all depends how I’m feeling day by day.”

Soto hurt himself while tracking down Bryan De La Cruz’s third-inning double off the wall in right field. After retrieving the ball, planting and making a long throw to second base, he felt his left leg “grab.” It wasn’t enough to pull him from the game at that point, but after he ran the bases in the bottom of the fourth, he realized it was best if he departed and not risk anything worse.

“I just felt a little tight behind my knee; it was kind of my calf,” he said. “After the play, the double by De La Cruz, I threw the ball and something just grabbed me right there and it stays and stays and stays. And I think my other at-bat, the rundown, it didn’t feel that way. So I just took the decision to come out of the game and make sure everything’s fine before I keep going and make things worse.”

Good morning from Nationals Park, which is something we can’t often say. We can say it today, though, because it’s July 4th, and that means morning baseball on South Capitol Street. As has been the case every year since 2012 (except for 2020) the Nats are playing an 11:05 a.m. home game on Independence Day, an annual tradition that has become quite popular with fans (if not necessarily players who don’t love having to report to the ballpark so early in the morning for the first time since spring training).

The Nationals desperately need a win right now. They’ve been ransacked by the Marlins, losing 10 of 11 to them this season, including the first three games of this series. They were one strike away from winning Sunday. They still managed to lose in extra innings.

Patrick Corbin gets the ball for his first July 4 assignment as a National. He’s coming off his best start of the season, probably his best start in three years, having notched 12 strikeouts over eight innings against the Pirates. The lefty has felt much better about the quality of his stuff in recent outings. Now he needs to prove he can be effective on a consistent basis again.

The Nats will be facing a lefty starter for the third time in four days, in this case Braxton Garrett. The 24-year-old has spent parts of the last three seasons in the big leagues. He’s made only one career appearance against the Nationals, getting roughed up for five runs in 2 2/3 innings in September 2020. He also has surrendered 16 hits over his last 9 1/3 innings, though he has struck out 12 during that same time.

MIAMI MARLINS vs. WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 11:05 a.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (outside D.C. market), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 81 degrees, wind 4 mph in from center field

There was a no-hit bid by Pablo López, who still had zeros on the board entering the seventh. There was a quality start by Erick Fedde, who limited the damage and gave his team a chance. There was the sight of Juan Soto departing the game after four innings with a left calf injury. There was an inspiring rally in the bottom of the seventh to end López’s no-hit bid and tie the game, then a go-ahead homer by Josh Bell in the bottom of the eighth to put the Nationals on the precipice of a long-awaited victory over the Marlins.

Then there was the top of the ninth, with Tanner Rainey one strike away from closing it out but surrendering a two-run homer to Jesús Sánchez to blow the save and put Miami on the precipice of victory.

But then there was the bottom of the ninth, with Victor Robles delivering the unlikely two-out RBI single to left that tied the game and forced extra innings of a ballgame that left anyone watching in person or from afar physically and emotionally exhausted.

All of which made the Marlins' three-run rally in the top of the 10th en route to a 7-4 win as big a letdown as the Nationals have experienced throughout this frustrating season. They could've lost for the 11th time in 12 games against Miami, the 52nd time in 81 games overall, in uninspired fashion. Instead, they sucked everyone in and made them believe, only to pull the rug out and leave a crowd of 25,385 stunned and downtrodden.

"I think I wear it a lot more sometimes than they do, because I want these guys all to succeed," manager Davey Martinez said. "And it's tough when I see them not. But I've got to make sure that tomorrow I pat them on the back and say: 'That's one game. We've got so many more left. Keep doing what you've been doing.' "

That the Nationals have been bulldozed by the Mets, Braves and Phillies this season doesn’t come as a huge surprise. Those three division rivals all entered the season with high hopes and currently find themselves in a pennant race.

That the Nats have also been ransacked by the Marlins, who don’t find themselves anywhere near contention, is both surprising and incredibly aggravating to a ballclub that isn’t used to suffering this kind of domination from a traditional division doormat.

Today’s 5-3 loss at steamy Nationals Park was only the latest in a half-season’s worth of losses to this team. The Nats are now a ghastly 1-10 against Miami this year, having been outscored 59-26.

And it’s not like the Marlins are doing this to anybody else. They’re 26-39 against the rest of the league, turning the Nationals into their personal punching bag.

"Today's a different day," manager Davey Martinez said, prior to today's game, which still produced the same result. "We've got to do the the things that we need to do to win, and control some of the things they're doing. And if we do that, any given day we'll win. I worry about the way we play, not what other teams are doing."

We have reached the holiday weekend, which means a lot of earlier-than-usual baseball. The Nationals’ series opener against the Marlins is still a night game, but first pitch is at 6:05 p.m. to account for postgame fireworks (barring any excessive delays or a super-long game, fingers crossed).

The Nats have had all kinds of trouble with Miami this season, going 1-8, their only win coming May 18 in that wild, extra-inning game at loanDepot Park in which they initially thought they had won in the bottom of the ninth when Jesús Sánchez was called out for leaving third base too soon on a sacrifice fly to right, only to have the call overturned on review. (Sound similar to any other recent plays?)

Josiah Gray takes the mound tonight, and the young right-hander has been on some kind of roll lately. He’s got a 1.24 ERA, 0.966 WHIP and 31 strikeouts in 29 innings over his last five starts, never allowing more than two runs in any of them. Alas, Gray has not received a decision in any of his last three outings due to a lack of run support.

The Nationals lineup will try to provide some support tonight against a Marlins rotation that has been elite against them this season. That includes tonight’s starter, left-hander Trevor Rogers, who despite a 5.86 ERA overall has held the Nats to three runs in 11 innings over two starts this season.

MIAMI MARLINS vs. WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 89 degrees, wind 11 mph out to left field

The Nationals woke up exactly one year ago feeling as good about themselves as they had, quite possibly, since they won the World Series.

On the morning of July 1, 2021, the Nats owned a mediocre 40-38 record but had just won 14 of their last 17 games to climb back over .500 and thrust themselves into the National League East race. Kyle Schwarber was on fire at the plate. Trea Turner had just hit for the cycle for the third time in his career. Max Scherzer was still the ace. Stephen Strasburg was supposed to return from the injured list within a matter of weeks. Mike Rizzo would probably be a buyer at the trade deadline.

And then over the course of that holiday weekend, which included a four-game sweep at the hands of the Dodgers, injuries to Turner and Schwarber and Alex Avila starting a game at second base, the foundation began to crack. And by the end of a disastrous month that saw the franchise suffer all manner of calamity, the Nationals were well under .500 and Rizzo had traded away eight key veterans, signaling the end of an era of contention in D.C. and embarking on a massive franchise rebuild.

What has happened since hasn’t been pretty, at least not in terms of wins and losses on the field. The Nats have played exactly 162 games in the last 365 days, and their record is a woeful 54-108. That’s a .333 winning percentage, worst in the majors during that time frame. (Next worst are the Cubs at 59-98, a .376 winning percentage.)

One year ago, there was genuine optimism about the state of the franchise, reason to believe a run at another World Series title wasn’t far-fetched. At the very least, this organization would be in a position to try to win a title for several more years, between the big league talent already in place and the ability to spend on more to fill roster holes.

Don’t look now, but the Nationals have won five of their last seven. Would you believe that’s their best seven-game stretch since June 2021, when they went on a month-long surge to give everybody false hope before it all came crumbling down in July? They’ll try to make it six of their last eight tonight when they host the Pirates in the second of this three-game series.

The rotation has been excellent during this run, with one notable exception: Patrick Corbin, who was knocked out after four innings Wednesday night in the rain-shortened game in Baltimore. The other starters have been doing their job recently. The Nats would love for Corbin to keep it going and join the others tonight.

The Nationals also would like to get more production in clutch situations than they did Monday night. Even though they wound up winning, 3-2, they had only one hit in 12 at-bats with runners in scoring position: Maikel Franco’s game-winning homer in the bottom of the eighth. They could use more situational hitting tonight against veteran left-hander José Quintana, who had a 2.19 ERA over his first seven starts but has seen that number skyrocket to 5.18 over his last seven.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES vs. WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:055 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 79 degrees, wind 5 mph left field to right field

NATIONALS
LF Lane Thomas
RF Juan Soto
1B Josh Bell 
DH Nelson Cruz
3B Maikel Franco
2B César Hernández 
SS Alcides Escobar
C Riley Adams 
CF Victor Robles

ARLINGTON, Texas – In discussing Juan Soto’s struggles with runners in scoring position prior to Sunday’s game, Davey Martinez mentioned the importance of the Nationals slugger “accepting his walks” and thus not trying too hard to drive in runs when presented with the opportunity.

Wouldn’t you know Soto would wind up drawing four walks during Sunday’s 6-4 victory over the Rangers, though none of them came with a runner in scoring position (nor did the single he delivered in his other plate appearance). Instead, it was Josh Bell and Nelson Cruz driving Soto in during an early offensive barrage.

No matter. It’s the approach from Soto that pleased Martinez the most, and the hope that will continue when he does come up again with a chance to drive in runs.

“I would like him to walk a couple times, and then hit the ball a few times,” the manager said with a laugh. “But he’s going to take his walks, and when he’s taking his walks, I know he’s ready to hit. He’s seeing the ball. He got on base for us, and the other guys – Nellie and Josh – picked us up big-time today.”

It was the first time this season Soto drew four walks, the fourth time he’s done that during his career. It was also the first time this season he reached base five times, the sixth time he’s done that during his career.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Jackson Tetreault made his major league debut 12 days ago not necessarily based on performance, but more so based on the Nationals’ desperate need for a fill-in starter who was on schedule. Tetreault, who owned a 4.19 ERA at Triple-A Rochester, fit the bill and thus was summoned to face a Braves lineup that pounded him for seven runs in four innings.

The Nats could’ve sent the 26-year-old right-hander back to Rochester after that, but Davey Martinez believed he earned the right to make another start. And now, after successive standout performances, the manager has no reason to want to send his young pitcher back anytime soon.

"This kid comes up here, and he's very much under control," Martinez said. "He's got a good idea what he wants to do. And he works every day. We'll get him back out there in five days. He's done well."

With six-plus innings of one-run ball this afternoon, Tetreault picked up right where he left off last Sunday against the Phillies, this time earning his second career win in a 6-4 victory over the Rangers that turned way more tense than it needed to be.

Holding a five-run lead entering the ninth, Martinez asked Francisco Perez to finish it off and allow closer Tanner Rainey a chance to rest. Perez, though, didn't retire any of the three batters he faced in his first appearance in nine days, all of them scoring thanks to Nathaniel Lowe's RBI single and Jonah Heim's two-run homer. That forced Rainey into the game for a surprise save situation, which he converted.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Nine days ago, in the opener of their doubleheader against the Phillies, the Nationals tried to mount a bottom-of-the-ninth rally. Trailing by two runs, the bottom of the order got two men on base with one out, turning the lineup over and giving better hitters a chance to pull it off.

But then Lane Thomas grounded out, César Hernández struck out and Juan Soto found himself watching a 5-3 loss become official from the on-deck circle.

That was the last time Soto batted third for the Nats. In each of eight games since, he has served as their No. 2 hitter. And that has been by design.

“We’re getting all these numbers periodically, and analytically the numbers suggest our best hitter should hit two,” manager Davey Martinez said. “He’s getting a lot of opportunities with guys on base, and that’s kind of where I want him. The other thing: It happened again where he was on-deck and we couldn't get him up there (to the plate). I don’t want that. If we have a chance to win a game, I want him up and not on-deck.”

There certainly is logic behind that. It’s among the reasons Martinez had Soto batting second to begin the season. But as the slugger struggled, the Nationals decided to try him back in his more familiar No. 3 spot to see if it sparked anything in him.

ARLINGTON, Texas – They can get all the quality pitching they want, which they did tonight from Paolo Espino and Co. The Nationals know it matters only if they can also get the kind of timely hitting that has eluded them too often this season, especially from the most important batters in their lineup.

So when those guys delivered tonight, when Juan Soto and Josh Bell combined to deliver the eighth-inning run that propelled the Nationals to a 2-1 victory over the Rangers, it proved a cathartic moment for everyone in the visitors’ dugout, not the least of whom were those two big sluggers.

Soto’s 110-mph double off the wall in left-center ignited the winning rally, and Bell’s subsequent RBI single to center sealed the deal and capped off a nice homecoming for the big first baseman, who grew up in nearby Irving and did everything but homer during tonight’s win.

"It was cool, just knowing I had friends and family here," said Bell, who had 30 to 40 of them in attendance tonight and expects to have even more Saturday. "Friends that played baseball with me growing up. Being able to do this in front of them makes it all that much more special."

That eighth-inning sequence, desperately needed from a Nats lineup that has mostly been held in check all week, helped make the most out of a strong performance from the pitching staff.

BALTIMORE – Hello from Camden Yards, which looks different than the last time the Nationals were here. The left field wall has been pushed way back and up, turning what used to be one of the best hitter’s parks in the majors into one of the best pitcher’s parks (at least on that side of the field).

We’ll see how that impacts the Nats, but certainly Erick Fedde (tonight’s starter) and Patrick Corbin (Wednesday’s starter) won’t be complaining at all. Fedde will try to keep the recent run of quality starts by this rotation going, following in the footsteps of Josiah Gray on Saturday and Jackson Tetreault on Sunday. If he doesn’t, at least the bullpen is fresh following a much-needed off-day.

The lineup will try to pick up where it left off Sunday, when it exploded for nine runs against the Phillies. Juan Soto, Nelson Cruz and Josh Bell will be going up against right-hander Jordan Lyles, who has a 5.10 ERA and has allowed four or more earned runs in fewer than six innings in each of his last three starts.

As expected, the Nats activated Alcides Escobar off the 10-day injured list today. Escobar, out since May 31 with a hamstring strain, will assume a utility infielder spot, with Luis García remaining the everyday shortstop for now.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Where: Camden Yards
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 84 degrees, wind 7 mph out to center field

His week began with a freak injury after he slipped in the dugout and banged his knee on the corner of the Nationals bench, sidelining him two days. When he returned, he went 0-for-14 and saw his batting average dip to an unfathomable .216. Along the way, his manager criticized him for not hustling out a double-play grounder.

So when Juan Soto took a mighty swing at the first pitch he saw from Zach Eflin in the bottom of the second Sunday afternoon and proceeded to watch the ball fly 420 feet into the second deck in right field at Nationals Park for a three-run homer, what exactly did it feel like?

“It’s like a flush,” the slugger said. “It’s like you flush your mind, your body, everything. You just feel amazing. Your work is coming through, and you just feel amazing when you see the ball flying like that.”

It was as cathartic a moment as Soto has had on a baseball field in a while. It may or may not have signaled a turning point in his disappointing season – he still wound up 1-for-5 in the Nats’ 8-3 victory over the Phillies – but it certainly energized the 23-year-old and his teammates, who have desperately needed that kind of production from their young leader.

“We need Juan to be Juan,” said Maikel Franco, who also homered during the game. “I know it’s going to come. Everybody gets excited. After that, everybody (got) excited, and they wanted to just continue to play hard and have great at-bats and do well for the team.”

At the end of a brutal homestand that included 11 games in 10 days and left their pitching staff in shambles, the Nationals handed the ball to Jackson Tetreault, held their breath and hoped for the best.

Seven sparkling innings later, they exhaled and exulted, having watched the rookie right-hander author one of their best starts of the season, turning in the kind of pitching performance they desperately needed all week but finally got at the very end to emerge with a cathartic 9-3 victory over the Phillies.

Five days after an inauspicious major league debut, Tetreault put together a dazzling start against a tough lineup to earn his first career win and snap his team’s eight-game losing streak, not to mention a club record 12-game losing streak to the Phillies that extended back to last season.

"It's awesome," the seventh-round pick from the 2017 draft said. "Hopefully many more to come, but to get the first one under the belt is a really good feeling. And to be able to celebrate it with all the guys here was really cool."

Aided by an opportunistic lineup that got home runs from Juan Soto and Maikel Franco, Tetreault became only the third Nationals starter to complete seven innings this season, joining Erick Fedde and Patrick Corbin, who surprisingly did it on back-to-back nights at Coors Field in early May.

It was a glorious day to celebrate Ryan Zimmerman on South Capitol Street. It was unseasonably warm for mid-June at 76 degrees with low humidity, albeit 17 mph winds moving from left field to right.

Not a cloud in the sky as 42,730 fans packed Nationals Park to watch Zimmerman’s No. 11 become the first number ever retired by the club. But after all of the celebrations, tribute videos, speeches and the actual ceremony to honor the franchise’s past, the current Nationals team took the field in an attempt to give Zimmerman a victory on his special day.

“Today was good. The ceremony was unbelievable," said Davey Martinez, who was involved during the pregame ceremony himself. "I mean, it's amazing."

Unfortunately, the 2022 Nationals look more like the teams from Zimmerman’s early years, not like the winning teams he led for most of the past decade. This team was also trying to snap multiple losing streaks: They have lost seven straight games since Sunday. They have lost 12 straight to National League East rivals. And they have lost 11 in a row to these Phillies.

All of those streaks continued with today’s 2-1 extra-inning loss on Ryan Zimmerman Day in front of a sellout crowd, the largest attendance of the season. The deciding run came on Rhys Hoskins’ pinch-hit RBI single to score the automatic runner in the 10th off Reed Garrett.