Good Morning, Washington Nationals Fans,

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, April 19.

Welcome to the Morning Briefing! Haden here. Let’s talk about this weekend's slate of games.

Leading this Morning’s Briefing: Astros return to Nationals Park

The Nationals will face off against their spring training complex buddies for the first time since 2022. That’s the significance of this weekend, right? No, it’s the fifth anniversary of the Nationals winning it all back in 2019.

Celebrate the 2019 World Series Champions with the Nats Report

Richard • Apr 19, 2024

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The Nationals will face Justin Verlander in his 2024 debut today, with MacKenzie Gore getting the start against a struggling Astros lineup. Ronel Blanco and Cristian Javier start in the subsequent games against Trevor Williams and Mitchell Parker.

And the Astros are struggling. They currently hold a 6-14 record. They have the second-highest team ERA in the majors, behind only the Rockies. The offense has been good, with the fourth-highest OPS in the majors. Despite that high OPS, they are 14th in runs scored. The dam on those runs will break eventually, but hopefully, it will last another weekend.

Tonight’s game begins at 6:45 pm ET and will be televised on MASN.

Down in the Minors

Red Wings 6, Mud Hens 5; Mud Hens 7, Red Wings 3: Jackson Rutledge made his first appearance since taking a comebacker off his foot, going two innings with one strikeout. James Wood went 3-8 in the doubleheader. Carter Kieboom went 1-2 with a walk. Trey Lipscomb went 2-7. Travis Blankenhorn went 2-7 with a double and a triple.

Richmond Flying Squirrels 6, Harrisburg Senators 2: Brady House was the story of the game, going 2-3 with a home run, a triple, and a walk. The Squirrels got all of their runs early, with all of them coming within the first six innings.

Wilmington Blue Rocks 6, Greenville Drive 4: Kevin Made stays hot, going 2-3. Marcus Brown went 2-4 and Daylen Lile went 1-4 with a stolen base.

Fayetteville Woodpeckers 4, Fredericksburg Nationals 0: The Nats got two-hit by the Woodpeckers, with Jose Colmenares and Roismar Quintana notching those hits. Brenner Cox made a great throw to prevent it from being 5-0.

Featured Stories of the Day

Capitals face off against Rangers on Sunday via Twitter

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