WATFORD, England -- Troy Deeney will captain Watford in Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester City (11:55 a.m. ET, ESPN+), aiming to lift the cup to cap a remarkable journey that began with him being sent to prison for 10 months, in 2012, for an attack on a group of students in his home city of Birmingham.

The 30-year-old, who was released after three months of his sentence after displaying remorse for the incident, has since turned his life around and become a crucial figure for Watford during their rise from the EFL Championship to become an established force in the Premier League.

With Deeney preparing for the biggest game of his career this weekend, he spoke to ESPN FC about overcoming the challenges of his personal life to prove that there can be a way out of even the most difficult circumstances.

Mark Ogden: How does it feel to be captaining Watford in an FA Cup final at Wembley, considering your story up to this point?

Deeney: It's one of them games when, looking back on it now, from my background to meeting royalty (Prince William) and stuff like that, it's mental really when you think about it. We are massive underdogs, but at the same time, I'm hugely proud of the achievement.

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Ogden: You talk about your background and it's quite a compelling story, to overcome adversity to captain a team in the FA Cup final -- you spent time in prison back in 2012, tell us about that.

Deeney: I'm just a normal kid really from an inner-city background. I just got into a bit of s--- as a kid. I used to be a happy kid, a real happy-go-lucky kid, but the environment changed me really. I still am quite a happy-go-lucky person, but I've just got another side to me obviously that I don't like to bring out. Going back to 2012, it was a bad year for me. I lost my dad as well, so burying him a week before I went to jail, just having all of that emotion, it just hit me hard.

When I got to jail, it was a blessing in disguise because it made me reevaluate and check who I am as a person. It opened up new avenues ... such as seeing a psychologist and really just having to deal with my problems because I used to drink a lot as well. I used to think I was dealing with things, but I was drinking and that kind of went into a spiral effect.

Since coming out of jail, I still made mistakes daily, don't me wrong, I'm not an angel by any stretch of the imagination, but my mistakes are just normal ones now like forgetting to go to the shop when the missus asks or not putting the bins out, stuff like that.

Ogden: Some people go to prison and it doesn't change them, but you used the time to write down things you had to do and focus on what to change?

Deeney: Yeah and that's what I do now. I still stick to that. I do three-month challenges, whether it be financial, weight loss -- what I've always done is set myself a target because I think the worst thing any person can do is get stagnant and literally just be like, "life goes on," and they carry on doing this and before you know it you're back into your old ways.

[After prison] I cut alcohol and gambling out altogether, split up with my ex-partner, got a new missus who literally just don't put up with no s---. She just tells me how I am.

Everyone had written me off, which is what I needed, I need people to be like 'he can't do it anymore, he's just too old now, we've got to get rid of him,' and it's like 'I'll show you.' So I'm three and a half stone down now and I've got a beard and everything. The whole world has changed.

Ogden: After being sent to prison, did you fear being out of the game? Watford stood by you, but that could have been different.

Deeney: The new ownership took over at the same time. By August, we had 42 players at the time -- they just bought, bought, bought, and I was coming out in September, so by the time they got to the end of August, it kind of got like, "who is this number 9, where is he?" They had a few conversations with my agent and thankfully [manager] Gianfranco Zola knew of me. He must have thought, "he's got talent, let's see what he's like when he comes out." And at this point, they [Watford] weren't paying me, so it wasn't costing them.

So I came out on a Wednesday, came into the club straight away, introduced myself -- I was on a tag at the time so I had about a six-hour window -- had a quick chat with Zola and said, "I've made mistakes, but I mean business now." He said, "there are eight strikers and you are number nine," but I was like, "OK, cool, but that won't last for long."

I was really bullish at the time. I've just come out of jail, my hair is this big, I was massive as well because all I could do [in prison] was weights and push-ups, so I literally just said to him give me a week and I just ran myself for a week.

I used to travel from Birmingham, get in, just do everything -- run, gym, diet , the lot, finish at five, get back up for my curfew at seven, go to sleep, do it all again, and that's all I did, and within 10 days of being released I'd scored the winner against Huddersfield.

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Ogden: So that was the turning point for you?

Deeney: From that point on, the rest is history, but to me it's a case of putting my mind to it because there were so many distractions back home. Or, I had so many distractions I should say in terms of running round with all my pals from back home, earning a few quid, thought I was the man, and just living like an a--hole really -- that's probably the best way to describe it. I thought I was untouchable. And then the best thing about that was getting sent to jail and literally seeing who's who.

About six people wrote to me, about five people sent me money and then just a couple of people, actually two people, checked in on the missus and the little man [son Myles] at the time to see how they were. I don't ever want to get to the point where I have to see who's who. But now I know who's who and who is really around me and I'm very aware of that.

Ogden: Tell us about your tattoos and what they mean in relation to your past.

Deeney: My nan wrote me a poem when I was in there. "I fought a good fight, I finished the course, I've kept the faith." She wrote that for me, just before I want in, and I just used to read it before I went to bed. It's one of them, just keep going and you never know, you made mistakes but things keep happening.

And then I've got my dad here [on right arm]. My dad died at 47, so that would have been 2012 again. I found out he had cancer at the end of February, start of March and he died in May, so it was literally an eight-week period of seeing my superhero just go bang, bang, bang.

I've got one on my back, which is a soldier, which is basically me, just trying to get home and chill. Remember that "Gladiator" film, when he's walking through the wheat? That kind of inspiration in terms of yeah, "I'm tired of fighting now. I just want to enjoy myself."

Ogden: Is there room for a tattoo of the FA Cup if you win on Saturday?

Deeney: If that's the case, it would go all across the front here! Yeah, if we win that, it would be put on me somewhere.

Ogden: After the win against Wolves in the semifinal, you gave an interview in which you said you were being selfish by talking about what it meant to you, but it struck a nerve with a lot of people.

Deeney: I talk a lot, but I genuinely don't like to talk about myself. I like to talk about everything else, but that moment hit home because, after the game, I literally didn't want to be with any of the lads. It sounds really bad, but I just wanted to see my family. My mum doesn't really watch my games much, my missus was up there, my boys were up there, and it's like, you know when everyone that has been with you through the hard times?

With Instagram and all that now, everyone thinks life is perfect, but there's days where I go on and I'm in a bad mood or I've trained poorly or whatever it might be, I'm just in a bad mood -- they're the ones who have to deal with it and see it because I'm not a nice guy when I'm in a bad mood. I just don't speak to people and I cut myself off and, naturally, it impacts their day as well, so I just wanted to be with them and we had a nice moment.

I was in reflective mode. About 13 years ago I was paying to play football and you look at it, it's probably 15, 18 tiers below the Premier League and I was paying £10 a week to play football and be one of the lads. Now I'm captain of a team that's in the Premier League and a FA Cup final. It's mad really.

Ogden: And now you're in the FA Cup final against a team that is on for a domestic treble -- you couldn't have picked a tougher opponent I guess ...

Deeney: No, but also that's the way that Troy does it! I have to make it as hard for myself as possible, but nah, I think let's just talk about what if we've won the game. There's no excuses then. It's not like, Oh, you won it but you didn't play any of the big boys or anything like that. You have to get to this level of competition and play the best manager of this generation. You've got some of the best players around and then you've got us trying to stand in their way.

But for me, it's no fear. Look at everything we just spoke about. Football isn't going to scare me or playing against Man City ... because of everything I've been through.

Ogden: Do your teammates have the same mentality going into the game?

Deeney: I think so, from the conversations we've had with people. And this is sport, it's not real life, and how many times have you gone through the history of sport, whether it be football or boxing or whatever, there are all sorts of things that happen and you go, "where did that come from?" I'm going to enjoy the moment, I'm going to meet royalty for the first time, touching on that again I apologize, but I'm proper mind-blown that that's happening, even though he [Prince William] is a Villa fan, I'll let him off!

Ogden: You're talking about Prince William, the future king?

Deeney: Yeah the future king, but I'm a Blues fan and he's a Villa fan so, I'll give him a bit of stick for that. Everyone's telling me not to, but I think I'm going to have to.

Ogden: Teams starting with W in FA Cup finals -- Wimbledon beat Liverpool in 1988, Wigan beat Man City in 2013, Watford ...

Deeney: Yeah, I think that's where you've got to draw confidence from. I can still remember when Ben Watson scored that header [for Wigan in 2013]. You know you're going to have to ride your luck, you know you're going to have to stay within touching distance until the last 10 minutes or whatever, but every time we get a chance we've just got to score and we've got to make sure we're clinical.

Otherwise, it could be a long day.

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Latham is in doubt for the side's World Cup opener against Sri Lanka on June 1 after suffering a finger fracture during the third warm-up game against Australia in Brisbane last week.

Latham had sustained the injury while keeping wicket and was later forced to leave the field for medical attention.

According to stuff.co.nz, the injury is healing and Latham has been cleared to depart to England and Wales with the squad on Sunday, but is in doubt for New Zealand's two warm-up games and their tournament opener in Cardiff.

If Latham doesn't recover in time, Tom Blundell will become the first New Zealander since 1987 to make his ODI debut at a World Cup. Blundell was picked as the second wicketkeeper ahead of Tim Seifert, who has just recovered from a finger injury himself.

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New Zealand chief selector Gavin Larsen confirmed that both Seifert and Test wicketkeeper BJ Watling were on standby but they will not travel with the squad on Sunday.

"Whether he [Latham] takes his place in those warm-up games we'll take a day-by-day approach on that, which will be down to the medical guys and Gary [Stead] and support staff when they're over there," Larsen told Trackside Radio. "They're both ready; Tim has come off the back of his finger injury, that's OK, and BJ has been going well. We've got the different skill sets covered."

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Hours after the NFL officially announced Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson's six-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing substance policy, the eight-time Pro Bowler stood on the red carpet at his foundation's annual fundraiser and apologized and said he's "deeply disappointed" for the situation that led to him missing the Cardinals' first six games.

"Definitely, definitely sorry what broke out today ... I think you guys understand my character and also understand my commitment on and off the field, and also to my teammates and also to the Arizona Cardinals organization," Peterson said. "That's why this is apparently very, very hard for me 'cause obviously I've never been in this situation before and I never wanted to have my name attached to anything like this.

"I'm looking to move forward and put this behind me. I want to thank my family, my teammates, the coaching staff, the Arizona Cardinals community and also the organization. And I'm looking forward to getting back Week 7. I'm going to continue to try to keep that smile on my face and get back to being the best DB in the league."

Peterson gave a 139-word statement and then took questions. Reporters were threatened by his public relations team not to ask about the suspension and to keep questions on the charity event or risk the press availability ending. However, Peterson answered a variety of questions about his suspension and the timing of its announcement.

Peterson, who said he has known about the pending suspension for months, felt the timing of the news breaking Thursday morning, followed by the official announcement from the NFL a few hours later, was "horrible."

The plan, Peterson said, was to make the announcement next week after his annual fundraiser.

"It is what it is," Peterson said. "It was going to come out eventually, but definitely didn't want it to come out here tonight or today."

Peterson, however, said he felt "relieved" that the news is out so he can "put it behind me and I can move forward."

Peterson said he talked with general manager Steve Keim and that his relationship with the Cardinals is "great." However, Peterson hinted that he won't be at any of the Cardinals' voluntary organized team activities.

"Have to be a father," Peterson said. "My wife's a doctor. I'm the only one right now that can really take [my daughter] to school, so I have to take her to school each and every day and make sure she gets there secured and make sure she's picked up.

"I'm still working out, doing my due diligence to make sure that I'm in shape come mandatory minicamp."

Peterson was asked if he wanted to clarify anything about his six-game suspension.

"No, just a six-game suspension," he said.

Denver Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly will meet with the Washington Wizards to discuss the franchise's president of basketball operations job, league sources told ESPN.

Connelly, a primary target of the Wizards' search, is expected to meet with Washington as soon as Friday, league sources said.

The Nuggets' willingness to grant permission for Washington to talk to its Executive of the Year candidate is rooted in Connelly's deep ties to the Mid-Atlantic region and some extenuating family considerations, league sources said. Connelly holds a great affection for the Nuggets organization and would've only considered an overture from Washington.

The Denver ownership's confidence in general manager Arturas Karnisovas' ability to assume full control of basketball operations, if needed, also played a part in its decision to allow Connelly to hear out Washington owner Ted Leonsis, league sources said.

Connelly and Nuggets president and governor Josh Kroenke maintain a strong relationship. It is unlikely that Connelly would've sought to consider another job except for the Wizards.

Connelly, an NBA Executive of the Year candidate, methodically constructed a Western Conference contender that earned the No. 2 seed and advanced to a Game 7 against Portland in the West semifinals. Connelly signed a contract extension in February, but Washington could offer a far more lucrative package -- and the contract years and patience to overhaul a fledgling franchise.

Connelly is a Baltimore native and broke into the NBA in the Wizards front office as an intern in 1996 and rose to video coordinator, scout and personnel director before becoming an assistant GM in New Orleans in 2010. His wife is from Washington, D.C., and the couple's extended family resides in the region.

The Wizards are replacing former president Ernie Grunfeld, who was fired after 16 years on the job. Interim GM Tommy Sheppard, a candidate to earn the permanent job, is running the team now. Oklahoma City's Troy Weaver and former Atlanta and Cleveland GM Danny Ferry have both had multiple conversations with the Wizards and also remain candidates for the job, league sources said.

Connelly drafted a core of talent, including All-Star center Nikola Jokic and guards Jamal Murray and Gary Harris, and signed former All-Star Paul Millsap to a free-agent contract.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard believed there was contact before Andre Iguodala's strip that sealed the Golden State Warriors' 114-111 win in Thursday night's Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, but he didn't blame the referees for not blowing the whistle.

After the Warriors fouled with 10 seconds remaining, Lillard isolated against Iguodala on the left wing, attempting to create space to shoot a 3-pointer that would have tied the score.

However, Iguodala swiped the ball away with his right hand as Lillard went into his shooting motion, ensuring that Portland headed home down 0-2.

"I know it's a tough position for the referees to be in to make a call at that point in the game," said Lillard, who finished with 23 points but didn't score in the final 7 minutes, 42 seconds. "Tried to get a little bit of space the first time. He grabbed my arm, and I lost the ball a little bit. I regained it, and I was going to shoot it again. He got his hand on the ball.

"For me, as the offensive player, I felt like it was contact. There was a lot of contact. But, obviously, the ref is not going to decide the game or jump in at that point. You know, so ... good defensive play."

The play put the finishing touches on an ugly display of crunch-time offense by Portland, which led by 15 points at halftime and eight points after backup center Meyers Leonard made a 3 off a Lillard feed with 4:28 remaining.

The Trail Blazers missed eight of their final nine shots, the lone exception a 3 by Seth Curry that put Portland up by a point with 1:03 remaining. CJ McCollum, the star of the Blazers' Game 7 win over the Denver Nuggets in the West semifinals, missed all five of his field goal attempts down the stretch.

"We got some good looks," said McCollum, who had 22 points on 9-of-23 shooting. "I personally had some good looks. I had an open 3 I missed, and I had a floater I missed late. I had a switch with Draymond [Green]; I missed a 3-pointer. I think it's just a make-or-miss league. They played good defense, but I can live with the shots I missed every day of the week."

Green was a dominant force on both ends of the floor during Golden State's rally to close the game despite having five fouls.

Green accounted for all five of the Warriors' baskets after the Blazers went up by eight, getting two layups and dishing to teammates for a pair of dunks and a layup. That included an alley-oop to Kevon Looney for a dunk immediately after Portland took its last lead and a layup on the Warriors' next possession. Green also had two rebounds and blocked one of McCollum's shots in the final four minutes.

"We've been here before," said Green, who had 16 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 blocks in the win. "And when you are on a run like we are currently in, you've seen everything. And so we're down eight points with what, four minutes to go or whatever it was, just got to keep going, because we know we can erase eight points in a minute. So, always understanding that and having confidence in that is key, but at the same time, understanding what it takes and what needs to be done in order to do that is just as important, if not more important.

"So I think our experience really paid off tonight and just having a bunch of guys that's never going to quit."

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The fact that Sonya Curry sent a group text to her extended family on the eve of the Western Conference finals is not surprising.

She's always sending inspirational texts to the family. Or as she pronounces it, "texes, like Texas." But this "texes" message was special, because her sons -- Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Seth Curry of the Portland Trail Blazers -- are the first brothers to play against each other in a conference finals.

And while she doesn't like the Currys being called the NBA's Royal Family or First Family -- "Those titles come from other people," she says. "We're not saying that's us. We're just like everybody else. We've just been given this platform." -- Sonya Curry did want the family to enjoy this experience and handle the attention with class.

"Most of my texts are kind of motivational," she told ESPN after Stephen's Warriors bested Seth's Trail Blazers 114-111 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series Thursday night.

"I send a lot of scripture. In this one I just told everyone, 'God is the reason we're in this position as a family. So if he's helped get us here, it's up to us to represent him with class in the stands, on the court, wherever.'"

Seth's fiancée, Callie Rivers, responded. So did Stephen and his wife, Ayesha. So did Sonya's daughter, Sydel Curry Lee.

"Everybody is pretty good about responding except for Seth," Sonya Curry said. "He read it though."

Seth was standing off to the side, in the hallway outside the family room at Oracle Arena after the loss Thursday. He'd played great, scoring 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting. But the Warriors came back to win a game they'd trailed by as many as 17 points. And his older brother had, once again, led the way with 37 points and eight assists.

Sonya Curry is so stressed watching her sons, she skipped her pre-game tradition ? pic.twitter.com/7YtxHOFt6I

— ESPN (@espn) May 17, 2019

"It worked out perfectly tonight," Stephen Curry joked after the game. "He played well and we won." The room laughed. It was the perfect older brother thing to say. But damn it, Seth Curry wanted this one. And Sonya wanted it for him, too.

"You know what my prayers have been?" she said, looking over at her younger son. "For Seth to steal the ball from Stephen, go down and hit a shot and lift his arms up."

Seth actually did that Thursday. In fact, three of his four steals in the game came at the expense of his older brother.

"I feel like I've seen every Warrior game over the last 10 years," Seth Curry said. "Every Steph game. So I feel like I know some of the things they like to do and some of the things he likes to do."

But Seth and the Trail Blazers aren't in the mood for moral victories. These are the conference finals and they had the defending champions on the ropes. Meyers Leonard hit a 3-pointer to give Portland a 108-100 lead with 4:28 left to play. But Golden State closed on a 14-3 run, while Portland missed eight of its last nine shots and got outrebounded 9-2.

Andre Iguodala sealed things with a late steal on Damian Lillard as Lillard rose up to take a deep 3-pointer.

"We stole that game," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "I thought they outplayed us for much of the night. The majority of the night. But we brought enough competitive fire in the second half to overcome their great play."

There have been dozens of games like this during the Warriors' run and they are always so devastating for opponents. The Warriors will come out complacent, with regular-season intensity, Kerr says, and a proud opponent will capitalize on it to build a double-digit lead. It can smell the upset.

Then the Warriors find the "appropriate fear," to quote San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, and they zoom back into the lead with a blizzard of Curry and Klay Thompson 3-pointers.

Thursday, the Warriors made their gut-punching run in the third quarter, when Thompson outscored Portland by himself during a 27-8 run over an eight-minute stretch.

From the time the Blazers had their largest lead (67-50 with 11:44 left in the third) to Golden State's taking its first lead of second half (77-75 with 3:48 left in quarter), Portland didn't attempt a single 3-pointer. But it didn't fold.

Seth Curry hit two deep 3-pointers from an area the Oracle Arena crowd is used to seeing Steph fire from. His 3-pointer with 5:31 to go gave Portland a seven-point lead and felt a little like a comeuppance.

Was the little brother finally going to have his day? Whether you love the Currys and their wholesome, classy image or find them a bit saccharine, you had to relate to Seth Curry in that moment.

Competing with an older brother as likeable and successful as Stephen Curry must be like trying to push Santa Claus off his pedestal.

As his older brother stepped to the line to take three critical free throws with 2:01 to go, Seth whispered to him after the first make, "That's 70 in a row."

Stephen broke his routine and looked over at his brother. He knew what his younger brother was up to.

"I was trying to get in his head and jinx him," Seth said.

"He looked over at me and said, 'OK, now it's gonna be 72.' And then he made them both."

ESPN's Tim Keown contributed to this report.

SAN DIEGO -- Ian Kinsler hit a mighty three-run homer to put the San Diego Padres ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and then had a profane outburst as he crossed home and then again in the dugout.

Many fans on social media felt it was directed at them, and manager Andy Green said it "was not the right response."

Kinsler, who hasn't been a fan favorite as he has struggled since joining the Padres on an $8 million, two-year deal, said otherwise.

"That was for my teammates," Kinsler said after the 4-3 victory Thursday night. "It had nothing to do with the fans. It's for my teammates. It's an inside thing with them. Just trying to get everybody fired up. We had a tough road trip. I'm a passionate player. I try to get my teammates going. That was it."

He declined to say exactly what he said.

"That's why it's inside," he said. "We need the fans behind us. We need the city of San Diego to be passionate with us and on our side. Hopefully that's the way they see this team."

Kinsler's homer and reaction overshadowed the Padres setting the major league record by going 8,020 games without a no-hitter since their inception. Then again, fans have been used to that since 1969.

Franmil Reyes also homered, connecting off San Diegan Trevor Williams an inning before the Pirates starter left because of discomfort in his right side.

Green had a different take than Kinsler.

"I think we're aware of what's going on," the manager said. "I understand the emotion of the game a little bit, the frustration he's felt up to this point. I'm not excusing anything by any stretch, but understanding what it feels like to go to the plate every day and grind and struggle. The world we live in, you hear a lot of hostility, so some of that comes out at times."

Green said the Padres have an "outstanding" fan base, and that fans have the right to express displeasure.

"We as professionals should handle that displeasure in a more positive way than it was handled today," Green said. "With him, he knows that. He's played the game a long time. ... Clearly not expressed well today. Ultimately, though, he's a passionate baseball player."

Green said he'd talk with Kinsler about it.

Kinsler's three-run shot off Richard Rodriguez (0-3) with two outs in the sixth gave the Padres a 4-2 lead and got them off the hook for some shoddy play. It was Kinsler's fifth.

Gregory Polanco made it a one-run game with a homer to right in the seventh, his third.

Adam Frazier singled to left off lefty Eric Lauer with two outs in the third to extend the Padres' streak of futility into record territory. The Padres remain the only major league team without a no-hitter. The previous longest streak of 8,019 games without a no-hitter from a franchise's inception was by the New York Mets, who got their first no-hitter, by Johan Santana, on June 1, 2012.

"It was still kind of early in the game," Frazier said. "It's pretty cool to extend that streak. I didn't know about it; just trying to get a hit. I'm glad we weren't the team that let them break that record, or whatever you want to call it."

The Padres have had pitchers take no-hitters into the eighth inning or beyond several times since their expansion season of 1969 but have never completed one. Some fans feel the franchise is cursed because manger Preston Gomez lifted Clay Kirby after eight no-hit innings against the New York Mets on June 21, 1970.

"It's not a record that we want. I think one's coming soon," Lauer said.

Adam Warren (3-1) pitched two-thirds of an inning for the win, and Kirby Yates pitched the ninth for his major league-leading 17th save.

Reyes homered into the Padres' bullpen beyond the fence in left-center with one out in the third, his 13th.

The Pirates tied it in the fifth after the Padres gave them several extra chances, including when rookie Kevin Newman, who played locally at Poway High, doubled to shallow right on a ball that ticked off Kinsler's glove as the second baseman tried to make a basket catch while right fielder Reyes and first baseman Eric Hosmer also converged on the ball. Newman went on to score on Frazier's soft chopper to the right of the mound, beating Lauer's throw home.

The Pirates went ahead 2-1 on an unearned run in the sixth on two singles, an error and a wild pitch.

Williams, who played at nearby Rancho Bernardo High, left with two outs in the fourth after striking out Myers. He gave up one run and two hits, struck out five and walked one.

Williams loaded the bases with one out in the first on a walk, single and hit batter before striking out Alex Dickerson, who also played at Poway High, and getting Myers to ground out.

"I think it's hard to evaluate the outing. He was competing like he always does. He was going out there, making pitches," manager Clint Hurdle said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: Green said "it'd probably still be a little bit of a stretch" to expect rookie SS Fernando Tatis Jr., on the IL because of a strained left hamstring, to return to the team before the end of this seven-game homestand. Green said Tatis, who was hurt on April 28, still isn't running at 100 percent.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Jordan Lyles (3-1, 2.09 ERA), who pitched with San Diego for parts of the 2017 and 2018 seasons, is scheduled to start Friday night.

Padres: LHP Joey Lucchesi (3-2, 4.57) held the Pirates to one hit in five innings in a 4-3 victory at Petco Park on June 30.

WASHINGTON -- Nothing has come easy for the 2019 Washington Nationals.

That includes simple tasks like ... winning a series. On Thursday, the Nationals eked out a 7-6 victory over the visiting New York Mets, giving them their first series win in a month.

Since taking two of three from the as-expected lowly Giants in mid-April, the almost-as-lowly-but-surprisingly-so Nats hadn't come out on top in seven consecutive series. Although there's little to no shame in getting the business end of meetings with teams like the Brewers, Cardinals and Phillies -- all of whom victimized Washington recently -- there's all kinds of shame in getting bested by the Marlins.

Yes, those Marlins.

When the Nats kicked off their seven-series skid by dropping two of three in Miami, they earned the dubious distinction of becoming the only team to lose a series to the futile Fish this season. And they did so despite the fact that both Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg -- two of the National League's premier pitchers -- took the hill during that set.

Nearly a month later, the exact opposite happened: They bested the Mets during a series in which neither Scherzer nor Strasburg pitched. But outfielder Gerardo Parra did.

Actually, that's a lie -- Parra didn't pitch. But given the extent of his contributions against the Mets, it was as if he did. In the finale against New York on Thursday, Parra reached base all four times he batted, going 3-for-3 with a home run, a double and a walk, and driving in three runs. He also started at first base, a position the 32-year-old outfielder had played only a couple dozen times in his career prior to signing with Nationals last week. Oh, and he stole a base too.

"He brings fire, he brings that energy," catcher Kurt Suzuki said of his new teammate, who was released by San Francisco after hitting .198 over the first month of the season. In his second game with Washington, Parra hit a grand slam against the Dodgers and has now driven in more runs in five games with his new team than he did in 30 games with his old one. "He can spark the club a little bit and he's done it before," Suzuki said. "He's playing really well for us and we're really excited to have him on our team."

It's not like the Nationals had much of a choice. With starter Ryan Zimmerman on the shelf (plantar fasciitis) and backup Matt Adams (shoulder) keeping him company, and with utility man Howie Kendrick dealing with neck stiffness, Washington needed somebody to play first base. Anybody. Even if that body is (generously) listed at only 5-foot-11 and isn't used to playing there.

"It's not easy," Parra said of manning the cold corner. "People think first base is easy. I do my best."

So far, Parra's best hasn't exactly been Gold Glove material. In the Mets series, there were multiple instances where batters reached base thanks to less-than-perfect throws that a more experienced first baseman might have handled with relative ease. To his credit, though, Parra has yet to be charged with an error since joining Washington.

He's not the only one -- the entire Nationals team went errorless against New York, just like it did during its previous four-game set against the Dodgers. Prior to that, the Nats hadn't gone a single series without committing a miscue. Although errors aren't the defensive measuring stick they used to be, the fact that Washington has gone seven games without flubbing is a big deal for a deeply disappointing club that spent the first quarter of the season looking sloppy and sleepwalkerish.

"They played really well the last few days," said manager Dave Martinez, whose club was expected to contend for the NL East title but is currently seven games under .500, even with the recent uptick. "That's what we've talked about, playing clean baseball."

For Washington, playing clean baseball is a whole lot easier now that third baseman Anthony Rendon is back on the field. When Rendon -- one of the game's most complete but underrated players -- went down with an elbow contusion April 20, the Nats were hovering right around .500. They proceeded to lose 10 of their next 15 games. His return has been a stabilizing force, both in the field and at the plate. Getting Trea Turner back -- the speedy shortstop broke his finger in early April and could make his return as soon as this weekend -- will be a huge boost, too.

But perhaps the best news of all, at least in the near term, is that the Nationals are riding a two-game winning streak. (Hey, don't laugh: If they win one more, it'll be their first three-game streak of the season, which would leave Miami as the only team that hasn't won three straight.) With Scherzer and Strasburg slated to pitch the next two days, the possibilities suddenly seem limitless for Washington. Or at least as limitless as they can seem for a club that has the second-worst record in the NL and is about to throw down with a red-hot Cubs squad that has the second-best record.

"Feels pretty good," Martinez said when asked what it was like to finally win a series.

So what if it almost didn't happen. So what if closer Sean Doolittle almost coughed up a three-run lead in the ninth inning, when he fanned Keon Broxton with the bases loaded to seal the deal. The bottom line is that, drama or no drama, the deal was ultimately sealed. These days in D.C., that's cause for celebration.

Said Martinez: "I'm going to have a glass of wine."