And we learned in their series at Sacramento against the A’s that they are both and neither.

Friday’s 23-4 victory had the feel of Washington’s 25-4 win over the Mets in 2018, while Saturday’s 15-1 loss brought the club back to reality.

Sunday, Foster Griffin scattered eight hits over seven innings to post his 11th win of the season as the Nats got back to .500 with a 5-2 win over the Athletics.

The trade deadline is two weeks away, and while six of their next nine games are against clubs with losing records, the Nationals end July and start August with an eight-game road trip in Atlanta and Philadelphia.

Digesting the Division: Atlanta (57-41) saw Chris Sale post his tenth win of the season Friday, becoming the 27th pitcher in MLB history to reach the 2,700-career strikeout threshold while doing so. Philadelphia (55-45) lost two of three to the New York Mets and got some bad news from the bullpen when reliever Brad Keller had UCL surgery over the All-Star break, putting additional pressure on a bullpen that ranks 21st in ERA. Miami (52-48) got swept by Milwaukee, extending their losing streak to six. Washington (50-50) remains on the fringe of playoff contention while the New York Mets (42-58) remain in last place. Outside of taking two of three from Philly, the Mets’ highlight of the week was Juan Soto notching one of three NL hits in the All-Star Game loss. Now he goes back to being the best player (21 homers with 52 RBI) on a bad team. Sound familiar?

Break up the Birds: The Orioles (49-51) are catching a little midseason fire, sweeping Houston to move past the Astros in the Wild Card standings. They trail Boston by two games and visit the Red Sox this week. The O’s also locked down some stability for their rotation by agreeing to a five-year contract extension worth $90 million with Kyle Bradish.

Diamond King: I did not have “Andr茅s Chaparro drives in eight” on my bingo card at any point in time this season. The light-hitting (.210 this year) first baseman went 4 for 5 with two home runs and eight RBI Friday night in Sacramento to give his numbers for the year a major boost.

Last Week’s Heroes: Curtis Mead hit .455 while driving in four and prime catching prospect Harry Ford hit .375 with a homer and four RBI. Cade Cavalli struck out nine over six innings to begin the road trip on the right foot while Riley Cornelio tossed two scoreless innings of relief. Griffin struck out two while tossing a 1-2-3 inning at the All-Star Game before posting seven strong innings in Sunday’s win at Sacramento.

Last Week’s Humbled: Zack Littell allowed eight runs over six innings while Max Kranick surrendered five runs over 0.2 frames. Luis Garcia Jr. went 0 of 5 at the plate while James Wood batted .071 with 10 strikeouts in 15 plate appearances.

Game to Watch: Wednesday, the Nats wrap up their road trip in Colorado with Cavalli looking to build off his recent outing and looking to win consecutive starts for the first time all season.

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The “summer of possibilities” lost momentum as Washington surrendered 10 of the 14 runs it allowed during the series after the seventh inning. The Nationals enter the break at 48-49, below .500, with a major league-leading 28 blown saves. The MLB record for blown saves in a season is 36, set by the Chicago White Sox in 2024.

The bullpen’s struggles have overshadowed what has otherwise been an impressive first half from several Nationals hitters.

James Wood continues to headline the offense with 89 runs scored, while Luis Garcia has hit 20 home runs and C.J. Abrams has driven in 67 runs. Curtis Mead and Daylen Lile have also produced career-best power and run production, while Jacob Young has posted standout numbers in triples and home runs. Nasim Nu帽ez, Jos茅 Tena and Jorbit Vivas have all maintained strong starts through the season’s first half.

The second half will determine whether those performances continue, but continued bullpen collapses could make those efforts meaningless.

Digesting the division: Atlanta (55-40) dropped its series in St. Louis but avoided a sweep with Sunday’s comeback victory over the Cardinals.

Philadelphia (54-43) continues to get dominant pitching from Cristopher S谩nchez, who is tied for the major league lead with 14 quality starts. He also is tied for second with 11 wins and ranks third with 144 strikeouts.

Miami (52-45) has leaned on Sandy Alcantara, who also has 14 quality starts and is tied for fifth in the majors with 10 wins.

Washington (48-49) has slipped further behind in the playoff race, while the New York Mets (40-57) appear headed toward selling at the trade deadline.

Break up the Birds: The Orioles (46-51) head into the All-Star break riding a four-game winning streak and have climbed out of last place in the AL East.

Baltimore now trails a surging Boston club that has won nine straight. The Orioles will visit the Red Sox in their second series after the All-Star break.

Diamond King: Wood continued his historic season by hitting .500 with five home runs and eight RBIs last week.

His 11 runs scored pushed his season total to a career-high 89 before the All-Star break. He also hit his ninth and 10th leadoff home runs of the season over the weekend, setting a Nationals franchise record with more than 40% of the season still to play.

Last week’s heroes:聽C.J. Abrams batted .364 with two homers and six RBI, while Curtis Mead went .409 at the plate with three homers and five RBI. Foster Griffin struck out nine over seven innings to post his tenth win of the season. Zack Littell allowed one run over four innings.

Last week’s humbled: Miles Mikolas allowed seven runs over ten innings, while Andrew Alvarez coughed up eight runs over 7.2 frames and Cole Henry surrendered four runs over 1.2 innings. Jorbit Vivas hit .125 while Daylen Lile batted .091 and Dylan Crews went .050 at the plate.

Game to watch: The Nationals return from the All-Star break Thursday with a road series against the Athletics in Sacramento.

A fast start after the break will be important, but after a first half defined by late-inning collapses, finishing games may be the bigger challenge.

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Shortstop C.J. Abrams is the first Nats player to start the midseason classic since 2018 (Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper), while James Wood makes the team as a reserve for the second straight year. This is the second All-Star game for both.

Unlike in their first appearances, when they were each largely the lone reason to watch a woeful team play, they are the key building blocks for a club that’s remaining relevant deep into summer.

The case could have been made for Foster Griffin and Luis Garcia Jr. to make the roster, as they’re also major reasons for the Nationals’ 2026 success. Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh in the heat drops the team to 2-2 in July.

They have two more home series before the All-Star break and host Houston (who are 45-47) and the New York Yankees (who have dropped nine of 10). Can they finish with a flourish?

Digesting the Division: Atlanta (52-36) keeps its cushion after taking two of three over the weekend against the New York Mets, although starting pitcher Martin Perez took a liner from Juan Soto off the forearm and is likely headed to the injured list.

Philadelphia (50-40) keeps pace while Kyle Schwarber is enjoying another odd statistical season, although it’s not like a few years ago when he became the first sub-.200 hitter to drive 100+ runs in MLB history. Instead, the outfielder’s homers account for the majority of his RBI this year (30 of 55). Miami (49-42) is making its playoff case by doing the big things right. The Marlins are ranked No. 7 in getting on base while their pitchers hold opponents to the fifth-lowest batting average in the bigs.

Washington (46-45) remains in fourth place after going 3-3 over the week, while the New York Mets (37-53) have yet to enjoy the “new manager bounce,” going 3-6 under interim skipper Andy Green.

Break up the Birds: Catcher Adley Rutschman will represent Baltimore in the All-Star Game for the third time in four years, while the team (42-49) remains a game ahead of last-place Boston in the AL East. Meanwhile, it is fellow backstop Samuel Basallo who is heating up in July (two homers and five RBI since Wednesday).

Diamond King: It wasn’t one of the two All-Stars who had the best week, but Luis Garcia Jr. who hit .318 with three homers and nine RBI. Garcia’s blast Sunday was his 19th of the season, which is his career high. Keep in mind that he has been in MLB since 2020 and we’ve yet to reach the All-Star break.

Last Week’s Heroes: James Wood hit .391 with three homers and seven RBI, including a leadoff homer on Independence Day. Daylen Lile batted .364 with two homers and four RBI. Zack Littell held hitters to one run over six innings in his lone start, while Orlando Ribalta tossed three scoreless frames. Cade Cavalli struck out a career-high 13 while posting seven scoreless innings Tuesday.

Last Week’s Humbled: Cavalli coughed up four runs (three earned with the fourth set up by his throwing error) over 2.1 innings Sunday in the Nats’ loss to Pittsburgh. Miles Mikolas allowed six runs over seven innings in his start, while Carson Palmquist surrendered four runs over two innings. Nasim Nunez hit .200 for the week while Jorbit Vivas went 1-for-12 at the plate.

Game to Watch: On Wednesday, the Nats wrap up their series with Houston and face Spencer Arrighetti (7-4, 3.81 ERA). Foster Griffin (9-2, 2.87) makes his final pre-All-Star Game start with a chance to show those with votes that they may have made a mistake.

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But while it’s nice to continue to get the better of the Orioles and have a winning record, last week’s late-inning flameouts against Philadelphia provided a red flag if this team wants to contend: the bullpen is not exactly awesome.

Three late leads vanishing against a division foe populated by former Nationals is not ideal. And it’s not just the Phillies who are hitting against this leaky pen. The Nats’ 25 blown saves are the most in the majors and the bullpen ERA of 5.02 is third-worst in MLB.

Can the front office fix what is becoming an open sore before it’s too late? Prepare to see plenty of arms thrown up against the wall to see what sticks over the next month, with any trading deadline moves being made to fix a relief corps that needs more than just a Band-Aid.

Digesting the Division: Atlanta (49-33) may still lead the NL East, but their advantage has shrunk from 10-and-a-half games to three since May 22. Philadelphia (47-37) took three of four games from the Nats in D.C. last week and the series finale included accusations of Bryce Harper flipping off fans after hitting a home run. Harper maintained that he showed his ring finger to the Washington faithful, and it remains a finger unencumbered with a World Series ring.

Miami (44-40) has stormed into contention by winning 18 of their first 24 games this month, powered by Kyle Stowers 21 RBI in June. Washington (43-42) might be in fourth place but they’re comfortably ahead of the New York Mets (35-49), who mercifully ended the reign of manager Carlos Mendoza before the weekend while also trading pitcher David Peterson (no relation to Don) to the Chicago Cubs.

O’s Woes: The Birds dropped four of six games last week, losing a series at the last-place Los Angeles Angels before witnessing Washington take two of three at Camden Yards. But unlike the Mets, the Orioles boast plenty of power at first base as Pete Alonso leads the team with 19 homers and 58 RBI.

Diamond King: Luis Garcia Jr. made the move to first base entering this season and he’s heating up big-time in June. Garcia has 11 homers with 25 RBI this month and is coming off of a week where he hit .526 with six homers and nine RBI. His 55 RBI on the season are 15 shy of his career high and we’ve yet to reach the All-Star break.

Last Week’s Heroes: Jorbit Vivas batted .333 with two homers and five RBI, while Dylan Crews went .321 while scoring seven runs. Foster Griffin struck out 18 in 14.1 innings while allowing one earned run and posting his eighth win of the season, while Zack Littell has seven victories after striking out eight over nine frames in his two outings.

Last Week’s Humbled: Brad Lord allowed seven earned runs over 3.1 innings, while Mitchell Parker coughed up six over 3.1 frames and Gus Varland surrendered five over two innings. James Wood hit .133 with 16 strikeouts in 30 at-bats, while C.J. Abrams batted .105 without an RBI.

Game to Watch: On Saturday, America celebrates its 250th birthday. The Nationals host Pittsburgh in their traditional late-morning Fourth of July slot. Pitcher Zack Littell currently has the spirit of 7-6, making him the appropriate starter on Independence Day. The Pirates will be pitching Braxton Ashcraft (7-3, 3.07 ERA), who actually has more wins and a better ERA than Paul Skenes. I’m rocking America, how about you?

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For comparison, last year’s team didn’t reach 40 wins until its 100th game of the season.

Now, the Nats find themselves a half-game out of a playoff spot nearly halfway through the season, even though they have repeatedly come up short in series finales when they have a chance to sweep after winning the first two games (doing so six times since May 14).

But this week presents a challenge with a Philadelphia team that has made the playoffs four straight seasons and has found its groove after a slow start, going 33-16 since April 27.

The season may feel like it begins at 40 wins, but it also moves quickly.

Digesting the Division: Atlanta (48-28) continues to lead the NL East thanks to a career season from Mauricio Dubon (his seven homers and 42 RBI are already approaching his single-season highs).

Philadelphia (42-35) scored 15 runs on the board Saturday against the Mets but still owns the best record for a team with a negative run differential. Give Kyle Schwarber (who homered three times Saturday and again Sunday) a few more days to get the Phillies out of the red.

Washington (40-38) and Miami (40-38) are tied for third place, while the Marlins are getting a monster month from Sandy Alcantara (4-0 with a 2.89 ERA in June).

The New York Mets (34-43) remain in last place after dropping two of three in Philadelphia. They host the Phillies this upcoming weekend.

Break up the Birds: The West Coast trip continues for Baltimore (37-42), which split a six-game stretch against division-leading Seattle and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Orioles wrap up with three games against the last-place Los Angeles Angels. The O’s host the Nationals at Camden Yards this weekend.

Diamond King: Nasim Nunez might be batting ninth, but he’s providing a spark at the bottom of the order for the Nats. Last week he hit .645 (11 of 17) with five runs scored and two RBI. The “demon on the basepaths” also stole three bases, giving him 28 to lead the National League. He has also provided strong defense this season.

Last Week’s Heroes: CJ Abrams hit three homers, while Dylan Crews belted a pair with six RBI. Paxton Schlutz tossed two scoreless innings over two games and recorded a win in relief. Foster Griffin allowed one run over six innings in his lone outing.

Last Week’s Humbled: Zack Littell allowed four runs over five innings, while Richard Lovelady blew a save. Orlando Ribalta surrendered two runs over one-third of an inning. Daylen Lile batted .100, while Jacob Young went 1-for-13 (.077) and hit the outfield wall Saturday while making a catch. He did not play Sunday.

Game to Watch: The Nationals face Philadelphia four times this week, and Thursday’s matchup has the Phillies scheduled to start Christopher Sanchez (9-3, 1.80), while the Nats are slated to pitch Miles Mikolas, who has turned in two solid outings this month along with two less effective starts.

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Confidence can be fickle over a 162-game season, one that can include losing streaks to last-place teams and meltdowns of epic proportions. The Nats have dealt with both this month. Just as they bounced back from being swept at home by Miami, manager Blake Butera鈥檚 team rebounded from blowing an eight-run lead in San Francisco on Wednesday by taking two of three from American League West-leading Seattle.

鈥淚 think really good teams do a great job of learning but then also flushing before the next game. And these guys continue to do it. I mean, they鈥檙e relentless. They play their tails off every single day. Just watch the way these guys are running around the field,鈥� Butera said.

Butera said the season will bring ups and downs.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no way a team鈥檚 only going to play well over 162 games,” Butera said. “But really good teams, in my opinion, are able to shut down those tough skids that you鈥檙e going to go through, and kind of flip that switch and get into that positive territory and move forward again.鈥�

Digesting the division: Atlanta (46-25) lost two of three to the last-place New York Mets but still owns an eight-game lead over Philadelphia (38-33), which has won seven of 11 and holds the second wild-card spot. Washington (37-35) is seven games better than it was at this point last year, one game better than Miami (36-36). The Marlins have been boosted by the scorching start of shortstop Otto Lopez, who leads the majors with a .343 batting average. That鈥檚 pretty impressive for a player who hit .246 last year. The New York Mets (32-39) won their series against the Braves thanks to big weekends from Juan Soto (6 for 10 with a homer and three RBIs) and Bo Bichette (6 for 12 with two homers and six RBIs).

O鈥檚 woes: Baltimore鈥檚 5-2 loss to San Diego dropped the Orioles to five games under .500 at 34-39. Trevor Rogers鈥� regression 鈥� he is 3-7 with a 5.86 ERA after going 9-3 with a 1.81 ERA in 2025 鈥� is one of many issues for a pitching staff that allows the second-highest batting average in the majors. And its next six games are against division leaders Seattle and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Diamond King: James Wood batted .440 with nine runs scored while tallying three homers and six RBIs. He reached 20 homers before the All-Star break, just as he did last year, and even though he is still striking out quite a bit 鈥� his 98 strikeouts are tied for the third most in MLB 鈥� one feels he will be better guarded against a second-half slump.

Last week鈥檚 heroes: Daylen Lile hit .364 with seven RBIs, while Luis Garcia Jr. tallied two homers and six RBIs. Miles Mikolas struck out five over 11 2/3 innings while recording a win Sunday in his best outing of the season, while Brad Lord tossed 4 2/3 scoreless frames over two outings.

Last week鈥檚 humbled: Zack Littell鈥檚 winning streak ended as he allowed five runs over 1 2/3 innings in a loss. Paxton Schultz surrendered six runs over three frames while Mitchell Parker went 0-2 in save opportunities. Dylan Crews hit .182, while Curtis Mead batted .118 and Drew Millas went 0 for 7 at the plate.

Game to watch: Wednesday, the Nats play Kansas City, and the Royals send out longtime nemesis Michael Wacha, who nearly no-hit Washington as a rookie with St. Louis in 2013. The 34-year-old is just 5-2 with a 3.04 ERA against the Nats in his career, so he is not in Freddie Freeman territory, but he has a history against this team.

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But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about the 2026 Nationals, it’s two things: they own the highest-scoring offense in the majors and they play much better on the road. Twenty runs in their first two games at Arizona propelled the Nats over the .500 mark once again.

And despite Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the Diamondbacks, Washington’s 21 wins away from D.C. is the second-highest total in the majors behind Atlanta.

Digesting the Division: Atlanta (45-21) has won four straight series since dropping two of three to the Nats, sweeping Pittsburgh this past weekend, thanks to Sunday’s 3-2 win made possible by Michael Harris II’s pinch-hit bases-clearing double. The outfielder was listed as day-to-day with a bad back before coming off the bench to provide the big swing.

Philadelphia (35-30) has won 10 of 14 to move into the second wild-card spot, with Brandon Marsh (.500 with three homers and six RBI in June) heating up this month. The Nationals (33-33) are two and a half games out of second place in the NL East and two games ahead of fourth-place Miami (31-35), who followed up their sweep of the Nats by taking two of three from Tampa Bay.

The New York Mets (29-36) have won seven of 10 and rookie Carson Benge went 5 for 5 with a homer and an RBI triple in Sunday’s win at San Diego.

O’s Woes: Baltimore (31-35) dropped consecutive games to Toronto to wrap up an extended stretch against AL East foes where the Birds went 8-5. They’re 1 1/2 games out of the last playoff spot in the American League and host AL West-leading Seattle this week.

Diamond King: Zack Littell followed up a 5-0 May by scattering two hits over five innings of one-run ball in Saturday’s win at Arizona. The veteran has turned around what was a nightmare start with a dream stretch where he has now won five straight starts.

Last Week’s Heroes: Foster Griffin allowed one run over five innings in his start while posting his team-high seventh win of the season, and Paxton Schultz tossed 4.2 scoreless frames of relief. Luis Garcia Jr. hit three homers with eight RBI, while Nasim Nunez batted .333.

Last Week’s Humbled: James Wood hit .190 with 11 strikeouts in 21 at-bats. Jos茅 Tena went 1 for 11 at the plate. Gus Varland allowed a run over 0.2 innings, while Miles Mikolas allowed six runs over six frames, and Clayton Beeter served up two runs over two frames.

Game to Watch: On Friday, the Nats return home with Littell (6-4, 4.76) looking to continue his magical run. Seattle starts Bryce Miller (2-0, 1.33), who’s having the best season of his career.

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The team’s 4-2 win Sunday over San Diego wrapped up its third straight series victory, and the Nationals have won five of six series, with the outlier being a split.

The 16 wins in May were the most for Washington in any month since August 2024, when the Nationals went 17-11, and the best month in games that matter for the Nats since they went 19-9 in June 2021.

“I think I said our goal from the beginning has been to make sure that each day we continue to get better and better,” manager Blake Butera said after Sunday’s victory. “I think if we continue on this track of guys putting in the work and continuing to get better day-in and day-out, I’m happy with the way things are trending right now.”

Digesting the Division: Atlanta (40-20) stands atop the NL East and owns the best record in the big leagues, thanks to a lineup that currently ranks second in MLB in runs scored (316) and in team ERA (3.13). Washington (31-29) moves ahead of Philadelphia (30-29) for second place in the division after the Phillies dropped two of three to the two-time defending champ Los Angeles Dodgers. The New York Mets (26-33) moved past Miami (26-34) after outscoring the Marlins 25-9 in a three-game sweep. The Mets are getting a nice boost from rookie Carson Benge, who hit .308 with 14 RBI in May.

Break up the Birds: The Baltimore Orioles began last week with a sweep of division-leading Tampa Bay before splitting with Toronto, proving that you can sweep the Rays and you can beat the Jays. But at 28-32, .

Diamond King: Curtis Mead hit three homers and eight RBIs. He also moved over to third base with Brady House going down to AAA Rochester and has found a home in the hot corner. “I think when you’re out there a good amount and you’re able to get into the rhythm and the flow of the game, you start to feel more comfortable,” Butera said. “It’s been awesome to see him get the opportunity to go play.”

Last Week’s Heroes: Keibert Ruiz went 6-11 at the plate for the week and threw out three base runners Sunday. James Wood hit .435 with three homers and a team-high seven runs scored while Luis Garcia Jr. drove in seven. Zack Littell struck out 12 over 13 innings pitched while winning both of his outings. Cade Cavalli struck out seven over six innings in his lone start while Clayton Beeter posted a pair of saves.

Last Week’s Humbled: Richard Lovelady allowed one run while getting just one out and Mitchell Parker allowed three runs over five innings of work. Jose Tena batted .167 while Daylen Lile went 2-23 at the plate.

Game to Watch: Sunday, the Nats wrap up their series in Arizona against a familiar face as the Diamondbacks will start Michael Soroka (7-2, 3.25 ERA), who was with Washington last year and already has more wins with the Padres this season. Cade Cavalli, after posting a 3.41 ERA in May, makes his second June start.

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Instead of outslugging the Braves, it was the Nats’ starting pitching that made the difference, as they shut out Atlanta over the three-games series.

For all we know, this might not be sustainable. There have been nights when this lineup has failed to bring home runners (19 left on base Monday night against the Mets) and the pitching staff is one or two injuries away from being underwater. Jake Irvin is on the injured list with shoulder tightness.

But as pools across the D.C. area begin to open, the Nationals are giving fans a reason to watch.

Digesting the Division: Atlanta (36-18) dropped two of three against the Nats over the weekend, with their best pitcher, Chris Sale (7-3, 1.89 ERA), not scheduled to start the series. Washington (27-27) is a half-game ahead of Philadelphia (26-27) for second place after the Phillies dropped four of six at home to Cincinnati and Cleveland.

Miami (25-29) swept the New York Mets (22-31) to maintain its stranglehold on fourth place, winning the series finale on a walk-off grand slam by Heriberto Hern谩ndez in a 4-0 win. The Mets’ consolation is that Juan Soto is beginning to heat up, with seven of his 10 homers and 13 of his 21 RBI coming this month.

O’s Woes: The Birds (23-30) bounced back from getting swept by first-place Tampa Bay by taking two of three from AL Central cellar-dweller Detroit, but they open this week by hosting the Rays.

Diamond King: CJ Abrams homered twice while driving in seven. His 45 RBI are tied for the most in the majors and sit just 20 shy of his career high, with two-thirds of the season remaining.

Last Week’s Heroes: James Wood hit .333 with a homer and five RBI while scoring six runs. Keibert Ruiz hit .357, while Dylan Crews hit his first home run after returning to the majors.

Jake Irvin struck out 13 over nine innings in his two starts before going on the injured list with shoulder tightness. Foster Griffin went 2-0 with 11 strikeouts over 11 innings, while Richard Lovelady tallied two saves.

Last Week’s Humbled: Paxton Schultz allowed six runs while getting three outs and Mitchell Parker surrendered three runs over four frames. Drew Millas hit .182, while Jos茅 Tena batted .125 and Luis Garcia Jr. went .105 at the plate.

Game to Watch: Saturday, the Nats host San Diego as Foster Griffin (6-2, 3.63 ERA) looks to continue his strong start in D.C. The Padres counter with Michael King (4-2, 2.31 ERA).

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Friday night’s “Bad Day to be a Hot Dog” event featured commemorative hats for fans, and “hot dog fries” at the concession stands that were exactly what they sound like.

On the field, the Nats took two of three from the Orioles thanks to solid pitching and an offense that continues to hum. They currently lead MLB with 255 runs scored.

Despite Sunday’s 7-3 defeat, where they allowed three home runs and stranded 10 base runners, this is a team that’s getting better 鈥� with 12 wins in their last 20 games 鈥� and has plenty of possibilities this year.

Digesting the Division: Atlanta (32-15) hasn’t wrapped up the NL East yet, but they continue to cruise. Their series win over Boston over the weekend was their 13th in 15 series this year. Philadelphia (24-23) has won 15 of 19 under interim manager Don Mattingly to move over .500, with Kyle Schwarber on a serious tear (.309 with 11 homers and 19 RBI).

Washington (23-24) is 4.5 games out of the third wild card in the National League, while Miami (21-26) lost its battle of the Sunshine State by getting outscored 18-15 while losing two of three to Tampa Bay. The New York Mets (20-26) took two of three from the cross-town New York Yankees, making their last-place season a little more bearable.

O’s Woes: The Birds (21-26) stayed out of last place in the AL East by taking two of three from the New York Yankees before dropping two of three in Washington. Brace yourselves, because they play six of their next nine games against AL East-leading Tampa Bay.

Diamond King: Daylen Lile enjoyed “friends and family week” in Cincinnati (100 miles from his Louisville hometown) by hitting three homers against the Reds. He wound up batting .385 with four homers and 10 RBI for the week, looking as sharp as he has since last September when he was named the NL Player of the Month. Paxton Schultz and Mitchell Parker each tossed three scoreless innings of relief.

Last Week’s Heroes: Keibert Ruiz hit .375 with eight RBI while Luis Garcia Jr. batted .364 with two homers. Zack Littell tossed five scoreless innings in his start, while Cade Cavalli struck out eight over 6.1 frames.

Last Week’s Humbled: Foster Griffin endured his worst start in an otherwise solid season, coughing up nine runs over 4.1 innings. Jake Irvin allowed five runs over three frames. Jos茅 Tena hit 1-13 while Nasim Nu帽ez batted 1-16. Joey Wiemer struggled at the plate (batting .143) while allowing four runs in relief of Thursday’s 15-1 loss at Cincinnati.

Game to Watch: On Sunday, the Nationals wrap up their series in Atlanta with Foster Griffin on the mound facing rookie JR Ritchie, who’s off to a solid start in his first major league season.

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The Washington Nationals lead the MLB with 39 errors and 33 unearned runs. The left side of the infield has been the culprit this year, with shortstop CJ Abrams making a team-high seven errors, while third baseman Brady House has six miscues.

But there is promise: Thursday’s 7-5 win over Minnesota saw the Nats execute a 9-4-5-2-6 rundown to end a scoring threat in the third inning, one frame after Jacob Young’s throw to the plate prevented what would have been a third Twins run in the inning.

“To see us be able to execute a play like that and have our heads up to find out where the runner is, and execute the throw, execute the rundown and ultimately get the out, which was a huge out. Also, JY’s perfect throw home earlier in the game that nailed a runner, all those little things. They matter so much,” manager Blake Butera said. “Those are two huge runs 鈥� we end up winning by two. Those little things matter 鈥� they stack up.”

The Nats took a step back over the weekend, with five more errors resulting in two unearned runs at Miami.

“Looking for glove in all the wrong places,” indeed.

Digesting the division: Atlanta (28-13) faced a potential playoff preview over the weekend, taking two of three from the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves pitchers held the high-octane Dodgers to seven runs over three games.

There’s a three-way tie for second at 19-22. How long does the “fired manager bounce” remain for Philadelphia? After winning eight of nine under interim skipper Don Mattingly, the Phillies have dropped three of five. Miami, after taking two of three from the Nats, improves to 8-5 in one-run games while Washington laments a lost opportunity to move over .500.

The New York Mets (15-25) misery continues with this intriguing stat: Bo Bichette and Mark Vientos lead the team with 16 RBI apiece while Aaron Judge paces the New York Yankees with 16 鈥� home runs.

O’s woes: There was no way the Birds were going to beat the Yankees on the night following the passing of former longtime announcer John Sterling. Sunday’s win over the Athletics keeps Baltimore out of last place by a half game. But they now have to face the very team they were outscored by 39-10 during a four-game sweep to start the month. And the New York Yankees come to Camden Yards somewhat irate after being swept by Milwaukee.

Diamond kings: The catching combination of Keibert Ruiz and Drew Millas combined to hit .167 in April. But both have begun May in a different manner, with Millas belting a two-run homer against Minnesota on Wednesday and Ruiz going 3-4 with four RBI in Thursday’s win. And while their value remains from a defensive standpoint, it’s nice to see both having success at the plate.

Last week’s heroes:聽Abrams drove in a team-high nine runs and Jose Tena hit .357 while tying James Wood with a team-high five runs scored. Wood batted .318 with a homer and four RBI. Foster Griffin improved to 4-1 on the season by striking out nine over seven innings of one-run ball at Miami while PJ Poulin tallied a win and a save.

Last week’s humbled: Andre Granillo allowed four runs over two innings while Mitchell Parker coughed up five runs over 3.2 frames. Jorbit Vivas and Nasim Nu帽ez each hit .125 while Joey Wiemer went 0-3 at the plate and got caught in a rundown as a pinch-runner in the ninth inning of a one-run loss.

Game to watch: The Orioles drop by D.C. this weekend and Saturday’s game has Cade Cavalli on the mound facing Chris Bassitt (who averaged 12 wins with a 3.89 ERA for Toronto the last three seasons). It’s a 4:05 p.m. start and Golden Tempo pulling out of the Preakness downgrades that race considerably. Enjoy a Black-Eyed Susan at the ballpark.

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One month into the season, the Nats still have not won a home series and own a major league-worst 4-12 record at Nationals Park.

Thank goodness they鈥檙e one of the better road teams in baseball. At 12-7 away from home, Washington has stayed afloat and out of an early hole that could have made this season feel lost before Memorial Day.

Digesting the Division: Atlanta (25-10) remains the lone NL East team with a winning record nearly a quarter of the way through the season, though the Braves may be without outfielder Ronald Acu帽a Jr. as he undergoes an MRI on his hamstring.

Miami (16-18) dropped two of three to Philadelphia to stay under .500, while Washington (16-19) remains in third place.

Philadelphia (14-20) has won five of six since firing manager Rob Thomson, with Don Mattingly now trying to recapture the interim magic that helped push the Phillies to the World Series in 2022.

The New York Mets (12-22) won two of three against the Angels. Mark Vientos homered twice Sunday and shares the team lead with four.

O鈥檚 Woes: Baltimore (15-19) lost 3 straight to the AL East-leading Yankees, getting outscored 27-9 over the weekend. The series ends Monday night. One of the few bright spots this year: Jeremiah Jackson鈥檚 24 RBIs, already surpassing his rookie total from last season.

Diamond King: CJ Abrams hit .429 with a home run and a team-high 7 RBIs. Through 34 games, the shortstop has driven in 27 runs. A 128-RBI pace is ambitious, but eclipsing his career high of 65 looks well within reach by Labor Day.

Last Week鈥檚 Heroes: Curtis Mead hit .357 with a team-high five runs, while Nasim Nu帽ez also batted .357. Cade Cavalli matched his career high with 10 strikeouts, and Andre Granillo and P.J. Poulin each tossed three scoreless relief innings.

Last Week鈥檚 Humbled: Zack Littell allowed five runs over 7 1/3 innings, while Miles Mikolas gave up three runs over four innings. James Young hit .182, and Keibert Ruiz and Drew Millas combined to go 3-19 at the plate.

Game to Watch: The Nationals host Minnesota on Tuesday with Cade Cavalli on the mound. The Twins counter with Taj Bradley (3-1, 2.85 ERA). Can Cavalli keep his encouraging start going?

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First, the race will be held at Laurel Park due to Pimlico Race Course renovations. Second, this might be the last time the Preakness will be held on the third Saturday of May.

Sports Business Journal reported April 13 that the race could be moved back one week to allow for horses to recover fully from their Derby run, something that kept Sovereignty out of the Preakness last May and thus eliminating any Triple Crown talk before it even had a chance to begin.

The current format of three races in five weeks has been in place for over half a century.

“Basically etched in stone in 1969, and that was in an era when horses would run every two weeks with no issue,” said Barry Abrams, host of “The Far Turn” on the EQUUS TV Network. “But that’s not how it’s done any more. More time between races is absolutely what every trainer wants, and two weeks from the Derby to the Preakness is an anachronism. And the next media rights-holder is going to put an end to that.”

NBC has broadcast the race since 2002 and its contract ends this year. The network (which also airs the Derby) is still in the mix, as is FOX (which broadcasts the Belmont Stakes). But don’t discount ABC/ESPN, the network that aired the Preakness from 1977 to 2001.

The date isn’t the only wind of change surrounding the Preakness. Churchill Downs Incorporated said it has entered into an agreement to acquire the intellectual property for the Preakness Stakes and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. Churchill Downs Incorporated previously purchased Calder Race Course in Miami and Arlington International Racecourse in Illinois before shuttering both tracks.

Abrams told 海角精品黑料 not to expect anything in the near future, but he wouldn’t be surprised if 20 years from now the Preakness is moved to a track Churchill Downs owns in, say, Richmond, Virginia.

But let’s refocus on this year’s races.

Renegade is the favorite this year at 5-1 odds (as of Thursday morning), but they’ll be starting from the No. 1 post position 鈥� a spot that hasn’t yielded a Derby winner since Ferdinand in 1986.

“It’s obviously not good. When you have a field of 20, which is the only race in North America that has a field that large, when you go from the rail, you really run the risk of being boxed in by the field up against the fence,” Abrams said. “If anybody can figure out a way to work a trip out for him it’s Irad Ortiz Jr., but he’s got to balance between using enough energy to make sure he doesn’t get swarmed but saving enough energy for the end of the race.”

Legendary trainer Bob Baffert has seen six of his horses take the Derby, including Triple Crown winners American Pharaoh in 2015 and Justify in 2018. This year he has two, and Potente has drawn significant attention at around 26-1 odds.

“I think this horse has a real chance to win. His numbers have gotten better every time, he’s won after being up near the early lead and he’s won while being not near the early lead,” Abrams said. “The problem is because he’s going from the 14 in so much traffic, he just may not get the right trip. He may get bounced around.”

Also getting Barry’s eye are the horses starting from the No. 8 and 9 posts, So Happy (6-1) and The Puma (7-1).

“The Puma has danced a lot of dances and is very consistent,” Abrams said. “He won the Tampa Bay Derby and was competitive in his other starts in Florida against really good horses like Commandment.”

Meanwhile, So Happy gives hope to those who subscribe to the “bounce” pattern of a thoroughbred.

“This horse won the Santa Anita Derby going away, while the race before that, he didn’t run well. And two starts before, he did,” Abrams said. “Has he gotten that bounce out of the way and therefore is sitting on a big race?”

Regardless of which horse finishes first, the winning pick remains a straw boater hat, madras jacket, white pants and blue Sperry shoes for men, and a fascinator for the women 鈥� plus plenty of sunscreen.

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They finished the run with a flourish, winning back-to-back extra鈥慽nning games in Chicago against the White Sox to take the series from the Pale Hose and improve to 10-6 on the road.

A winning record in April may no longer be in the cards, but a scrappy club that can hit, second in the majors in runs scored, is off to a better鈥憈han鈥慹xpected start under first鈥憏ear manager Blake Butera.

Digesting the Division: Atlanta (20-9) currently leads the majors in runs scored and ranks second in team ERA. The Braves star Washington never wants to see again is center fielder Michael Harris II, who went 7 for 16 with two home runs and seven RBIs during last week鈥檚 series in D.C.

Miami (13-15) ranks fourth in team batting average, led by the strong start of Xavier Edwards, who is hitting .343.

Washington sits in third place, followed by two early-season disappointments. While the New York Mets (9-18) shook off a 12-game losing streak, they also lost Francisco Lindor to a calf injury expected to sideline him for at least three weeks.

Philadelphia (9-19) ranks 28th in runs scored despite having Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber at the top of the lineup. Talk about the whole being less than the sum of its parts.

O’s Woes: Baltimore鈥檚 roller coaster season continued with a wild weekend against Boston. The Orioles (13-15) ran out of pyrotechnics Friday night when they hit six home runs in a 10-3 win, only to lose 17-1 the next day. The Red Sox then fired manager Alex Cora and his coaching staff before taking the series finale 5-3.

The softer portion of Baltimore鈥檚 schedule continues with a series against Houston before the Orioles run into the AL East-leading New York Yankees. Buckle up.

Diamond King: Nasim Nu帽ez drove in four runs Saturday to help lift the Nats past the White Sox in extra innings. The infielder also stole five bases during the series, becoming a demon on the base paths. His insertion into the lineup has allowed Luis Garc铆a Jr. to slide over to first base, filling what was a major vacuum at times last season.

Last Week’s Heroes: Garc铆a Jr. hit .348, James Wood belted a team-high three home runs, and Daylen Lile drove in a team-best six runs. Foster Griffin struck out 11 over 13 innings while allowing three earned runs across his two starts. Cade Cavalli struck out a career-high 10 in his lone outing of the week, and Jake Irvin allowed just three runs over 10 2/3 innings.

Last Week’s Humbled: Zack Littell鈥檚 nightmare 2026 continued when he allowed six runs over six innings, while reliever Cionel P茅rez coughed up four runs over 2 1/3 frames. CJ Abrams went 2-for-22 at the plate, and the catching combo of Keibert Ruiz and Drew Millas combined to go 2-for-23.

Game to Watch: Jake Irvin takes the ball Friday for the Nats, coming off his best start of the season. Visiting Milwaukee counters with Jacob Misiorowski, who leads the Brewers in ERA at 3.38 and strikeouts with 51. Milwaukee won the NL Central last year but sits at 14-13 and in fourth place in the majors鈥� best division, which carries a combined .572 winning percentage.

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Washington used an opener in PJ Poulin, who delivered two-thirds of a scoreless inning before handing things off to Mikolas and Andrew Alvarez. Mikolas struck out four over four innings, while Alvarez added five strikeouts across 4 1/3 innings, as the Nationals shut out the Giants 3-0 to avoid the sweep.

The opener concept is hardly new, often used by teams such as Tampa Bay, where manager Blake Butera previously worked in the front office.

The last time the Nationals used an opener was in the 2019 season, but one of the innovations set in motion by Butera this year has been a modernized pitching setup designed to better maximize the back end of the rotation. The approach mirrors other lineup adjustments, including batting power hitter James Wood at the top of the order.

Digesting the Division: Atlanta improved to 15-7 and took a five-game lead in the National League East after sweeping Philadelphia over the weekend. Austin Riley homered twice and drove in six runs during the series.

Miami, at 10-12, is tied with Washington for second place. The Marlins鈥� pitching staff has held opponents to the third-lowest batting average in the majors, but once runners reach base, they have often scored. Miami鈥檚 team ERA ranks 18th.

Philadelphia fell to 8-13 and has lost four straight series. Against Atlanta, the Phillies left 22 runners on base and went 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position.

The New York Mets have dropped to last place at 7-15, fueled by an 11-game losing streak in which they have been outscored 62-19.

O’s Woes: Baltimore, at 10-2, slipped from a tie atop the American League East to third place after losing five of seven games. The Orioles benefited early from a soft schedule, not facing a team with a winning 2025 record until last weekend, when they dropped three of four games in Cleveland. The road trip continues in Kansas City before Boston visits Baltimore this Friday.

Diamond King: C.J. Abrams has been primarily a leadoff hitter in his time with Washington, but his move to the middle of the lineup this year has paid major early dividends. Last week, the shortstop hit .318 with two home runs and three RBI.

Last Week’s Heroes: James Wood scored a team-high six runs, while Jose Tena heated up at the plate, hitting .545. Jake Irvin allowed two runs over five innings, and Gus Varland and Orlando Ribalta each notched saves.

Last Week’s Humbled: Zack Littell had two rough starts, allowing 11 runs over nine innings (no math needed for his ERA). Jackson Rutledge surrendered seven runs in just 1 1/3 innings (47.25 ERA), while Cade Cavalli allowed five runs over 5 1/3 innings. Curtis Mead hit .105 at the plate, while Jacob Young batted .182.

Game to Watch: The Nationals host National League East-leading Atlanta on Tuesday. Chris Sale already posted four wins for the Braves, but Blake Elder owns the best ERA in the rotation at 0.77. Washington counters with Foster Griffin, who is 2-0 with a 3.05 ERA.

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