Mark Zuckerman

Pitchers and catchers report for spring training tomorrow. And so do I. Welcome to Nats Journal. Hope you'll join me on this new endeavor, and hope you'll help spread the word! natsjournal.com/p/welcome-to-n…

Foster Griffin had his first bad start of the season as the #Reds tagged him for 9 runs before departing in the 5th. @MarkZuckerman & @AlGaldi after the #Nats failed to reach .500 yet again: open.spotify.com/episode/1seg3g…

A .500 record isn’t the goal for the Nationals, certainly not in mid-May. But one of these times, they need to actually get there so they can shift attention to the ultimate big-picture goal. natsjournal.com/p/for-nats-500…

And by "backing up Miles Mikolas," I of course meant "backing up Zack Littell," who pitches tomorrow. Mikolas might need his own backup when he pitches Sunday.

Nationals optioned RHP Zak Kent (who threw 42 pitches in relief today) to AAA after the game. Would not be surprised if we see Andrew Alvarez tomorrow backing up Miles Mikolas. Believe Alvarez was on turn to start tonight, but Rochester now has Trevor Gott listed instead.

Final: Reds 15, Nats 1. The Nationals have lost 15 consecutive games when having a chance to reach .500. The last time they won: May 14, 2024 (exactly 2 years ago) in the opener of a doubleheader against the White Sox. They then lost the nightcap to fall back under .500.

Joey Wiemer will pitch the bottom of the 8th, his second pitching appearance of the season.

If you ever wondered if MLB umpires expand the strike zone in the later innings of blowout games, Doug Eddings is proving today that yes, they do.

JJ Bleday challenged two of Doug Eddings' strike calls in the 7th inning of a 9-0 game, got one of them overturned and ultimately homered to make it an 11-0 game.

Down 9-0 in the 6th inning of Game 3 of a stretch of 16 consecutive scheduled gamedays, James Wood and CJ Abrams will get the rest of the afternoon off.

This has turned into a full blowup start by Foster Griffin, who allowed 9 runs in 4 1/3 before Blake Butera came to get him. First time he's failed to complete 5 innings this season. ERA jumped from 2.12 to 3.53.

For only the second time in 9 starts this season, Foster Griffin has allowed more than 3 runs. He's up to 6 now after back-to-back 2-out walks and back-to-back 2-run hits.

Matt McLain gets a hold of a first-pitch cutter from Foster Griffin and drives it just beyond Jacob Young's leaping attempt at the wall for a 2-run homer.

Foster Griffin strikes out the side on 15 pitches in the bottom of the 1st.

Underway on an unseasonably cool, 58-degree Thursday afternoon in Cincinnati, where the Nationals are trying to sweep the Reds and get to .500.

Nats-Orioles pitching matchups (subject to changes/openers): FRI: RHP Littell vs RHP Baz SAT: RHP Cavalli vs RHP Bassitt SUN: RHP Mikolas vs RHP Young

Nats LHP Griffin at Reds RHP Burns (12:40/Nationals TV/106.7 FM)

Game 43 on @Nats_Chat * The comeback * Could Irvin’s job be in jeopardy? * Rochester update from @JoshWhetzel natschatpodcast.com/episode-posts/…

Seven innings from five relievers without an earned run. Another clutch homer from The Louisville Slugger. Three in-game position switches from one infielder. The Nationals had to pull out all the stops last night to erase a 5-0 deficit and win in 10. natsjournal.com/p/nats-pull-ou…

Final: Nats 8, Reds 7 in 10. Daylen Lile, aka The Louisville Slugger, hit his third homer in 26 hours to put them ahead in extras. PJ Poulin then hung on for dear life to strand the tying runner at third and earn the save. The Nationals are 21-22 heading into Thursday's finale.

The view from the relocated press box here in Cincinnati (way down the third base line) stinks most of the time, but it did offer a perfect view of the fan reaching over the fence there.