Three straight two-out hits from the Astros, the last was a three-run homer from Jose Altuve on a Miles Mikolas slider. The Nationals trail 4-1. The Astros haven't had a ton of extremely hard-hit balls so far, but they're making Mikolas pay anyway.

A big thank you to @theyarejett.bsky.social and their friends for speaking to me about pride night at Nationals Park and what the event meant to them: app.thebaltimorebanner.com/VG6JLGQ37ZDC...

Cavalli's outing is done after 2 2/3 innings. Blake Butera is going to Mitchell Parker with runners on the corners and two outs in the third. Of Cavalli's 6 hits allowed, four came in counts where he was ahead 0-2 or 1-2 at one point. Here's his pitch chart:

Last time I was here, James Wood was set to make his major league debut during the next homestand. Two years later, Wood leads NL outfielders in HRs and OBP.

Chris Bassitt allows a three-run homer to Keibert Ruiz and the Orioles are down 3-0. For the most part, everything the Nationals have put into play has been hard contact.

Cade Cavalli struggled in his last start with command. In the first inning today, he threw 16 of 20 pitches for strikes. A lot of them were right down the middle.

Mitchell Parker has four strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings of relief. Here's his pitch mix tonight compared to last season. Six whiffs on 14 swings against his slider.

Silver lining: Jacob Young, who is batting fifth, hit a two-run homer in the seventh. He's off to a great start this year (.295, .849 OPS). He's elevating the ball a lot more than he did in seasons prior. Small sample size but worth following the rest of the year.

A look at Cavalli's pitch chart from the second inning:

CJ Abrams crushed a 100-mph fastball from Paul Skenes for a homer. Nationals lead 1-0. Abrams' run value on pitches over the heart of the plate this year was 4 entering today. I'm sure that'll go up with that swing. He's doing a good job of taking advantage of mistakes.

CJ Abrams just launched a three-run homer for his second homer of the season. He watched it but it got out this time. Nationals lead 3-0. His two homers this season have been pitches away that he's pulled out. (Philly - left, LA - right)

Here's what Blake Butera said tonight when @markzuckerman.bsky.social asked if the two missed ABS calls would alter the team's strategy moving forward:

An interesting series of at-bats for the Nationals with the bases loaded. Nasim Nuñez challenged pitch 3 (upheld), then was rung up on pitch 6 but the Nats were out of challenges. Keibert Ruiz hit a sacrifice fly so the Nats do get a run there. 4-2 Washington.

Miles Mikolas allowed 12 ER (9 HRs) in two starts against the Cubs last season, struggled vs. LHH. In those outings, Mikolas' changeup usage was around 20%. Today, he's relying on the changeup more and fastball less vs. LHH. Ten changeups (30%) vs. LHH through four.

Asked Blake Butera pre-game about how he’ll split up playing time between catchers Drew Millas and Keibert Ruiz:

Here’s what Blake Butera had to say about CJ Abrams getting thrown out at second base on Opening Day. Abrams came up to Butera in the dugout and owned up to the mistake:

Three straight hits for the Nationals and they've tied this one up 2-2 in fourth. Washington's hitters have whiffed on 18 of the 29 pitches they've swung at to this point. But here's a look at the balls they've put in play:

Another season of Nationals baseball is underway. Eight-pitch top of the first for the road team with a pair of strikeouts.

This view will never get old. Happy Opening Day!

He keeps every story I write in boxes in his home. He calls me to ask if I know when my stories make it on the front page of the sports section. It’s an honor to be part of the @postsports.bsky.social team. Always have felt that way but especially today.

The Nationals claimed UTL Mickey Gasper off waivers from the Minnesota Twins and DFA’d Andry Lara. Gasper has appeared in 58 big league games over the last 2 seasons The positions he’s played in those games: DH, 1B, 2B, LF and C.

Back in November, Paul Toboni said, for the time being, he wasn't planning on hiring a GM. But during his initial press conference back in October, he said he had the support to hire one if he felt it was best for the organization:

We just talked to Devin Pearson and Paul Toboni. Their answers about technology stood out to me among other things:

James Wood was a finalist for an NL Silver Slugger but didn’t win the award. Juan Soto, Corbin Carroll and Kyle Tucker are the 2025 NL outfield recipients. Here’s how he stacked up against Carroll/Tucker:

Here's what Paul Toboni said when @granthpaulsen.bsky.social asked him if he made decisions on the staff changes or if he received help from others in the process:

Season 4 (🤯) is complete! An extremely eventful one. Thanks to everyone who followed along, really blessed to do this job! A special thanks to my guy, @spencernusbaum.bsky.social and our editor, @sarahlarimer.bsky.social! Should be a busy offseason.

Classy from the Nationals — the whole team came out of the dugout to tip their cap to Bob Carpenter before first pitch:

Andrew Alvarez has four strikeouts through three innings, two swinging and two looking. He's not getting many whiffs (2 in 17 swings), but generating a lot of weak contact.

Bases were loaded in the 4th for Dylan Crews. He grounded into a double play on a ball he hit right in front of home. 2-1 Braves, top 5.

The Nationals loaded the bases in the fourth inning. CJ Abrams worked a full count. He was called out on strikes. Assistant hitting coach Chris Johnson just got tossed from the game. Brutal. Would've tied the game.