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The Washington Nationals are now 20 percent through their 2023 schedule, and you usually know the team you have at game 45. The Nats are a surprisingly good 8-6 in their past two weeks in their schedule.

The Washington Nationals are 8-5 since that trip in the cold weather in Minnesota woke the team up. The Nats have now won 3-of-4 series in a row, and are now on their second West Coast trip of the season. This weekend’s series is in Arizona to face the Diamondbacks, and the Nats Top-3 starters are lined up for this series.

That is all the good news. The bad news is that the “A” bullpen is taxed, and manager Dave Martinez might have to rely on some “B” bullpen today even if his team has a lead. We said the same thing yesterday, and it didn’t matter. Both Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey have appeared in the last three games and have thrown at least 50 pitches over that span. Harvey has an extensive injury history so his 55 pitches at his velo might have gone past that Scherzian “empty the gas tank” and gone to bone dry. Our hope is there are no health issues of course and no negative residual effects, but when is the last time Harvey pitched three days in a row? The answer is NEVER in his 5-season MLB career. By the way, Harvey threw 31 pitches on April 14, then wasn’t seen for a week in this season because his arm did not feel “right” per a source.

The Washington Nationals are 7-5 since that trip in the cold weather in Minnesota. This is the best baseball the team has played since mid-August of last year when the team had similar results. The last time the team won three consecutive games was September 3-5 of 2022, and Patrick Corbin was a key part of that winning streak. He pitched a 7.0 inning gem to beat the Mets 7-1. With a taxed “A” bullpen, manager Dave Martinez might have to rely on some “B” bullpen today even if his team has a lead.

The Washington Nationals had a need for a starter for today even before Chad Kuhl was placed on the 15-day IL. Friday’s rainout changed everything in the rotation, and the Nats’ braintrust had several options until they started Paolo Espino for Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, then used Cory Abbott in two innings of relief on Monday night, and Joan Adon in Rochester last night, making it apparent that it was going to be Jake Irvin. Some thought it could have been Jackson Rutledge from Double-A Harrisburg or just a bullpen start. Now, it is Irvin with a golden opportunity as the Nats do need a fifth starter to go five days from now. If you remember, Abbott was called up to replace Kuhl on the roster, and he seemed to be the presumptive starter…until he was used in relief for those two innings.