The Washington Nationals woke up Friday morning in a city that suddenly felt its curse was lifted, that suddenly believed playoff demons could be exorcised, and was hopeful it could happen again. They also woke up months from their chance to do the exorcising, with no guarantees they will get that chance at all. As the San Francisco Giants come to town Friday night, the Nationals are tied with the Braves for first in the National League East, having learned last weekend that Atlanta is not going away any time soon. The chance at redemption must be earned, and the Nationals still have four months of work to do.

Still, this weekend’s series against the 31-31 San Francisco Giants should be promising for a team that has been waiting for its stars for months and might finally get one of them back. Here are a few things to think about as the Nationals — an even-year World Series hopeful — take on the Giants, formerly the even-year World Series locks. The Nationals struggled against the Giants when they played them earlier this season, losing two of three in April in San Francisco.

MIGHTY MOUSE RETURNS?

Adam Eaton was the best player in baseball in the first week of the season, accumulating absurd numbers as the Nationals’ leadoff man while playing with an ankle that caused him a great deal of pain. Now, after missing two months and having another surgery, a year after missing all but one month of his first season as a National, Eaton could finally be ready to return. He is eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list Friday and publicly expressed his intentions to do so. The Nationals have been more cautious with the outfielder, though they might not be able to hold him back now.

Whenever Eaton does return, and barring a setback it seems likely to be this weekend, the Nationals have a decision to make: Do they take Juan Soto, who is hitting .346 with a .981 OPS, out of the lineup to make room? Or do they bump center fielder Michael A. Taylor, sacrificing Gold Glove-caliber defense for Eaton’s offense? Taylor has been hitting better lately, but he is no Eaton, both in terms of contact and quality of at-bats.

PITCHING INTRIGUE

The Giants will throw left-handed rookie Andrew Suarez against Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals on Friday night. Suarez is someone they have never faced before, but also someone with whom the Nationals’ front office is particularly familiar. The Nationals drafted Suarez as a junior out of Miami in the second round of the 2015 draft, thinking they would be able to sign him. They were not, one of the few times over the course of Mike Rizzo’s tenure as general manager that they used a pick that high on a player they could not sign. Suarez ended up returning to Miami for his senior season and was chosen by the Giants with the 61st pick the next year, four slots lower than where the Nationals had taken him.

On Saturday, the Giants will throw rookie right-hander Dereck Rodriguez, another familiar face for the Nationals, if only because he looks just like his father. Rodriguez is the son of former National Ivan Rodriguez, who has a field in his name in Northern Virginia and his name on the Nationals’ ring of honor. Rodriguez hit .255 in 155 games for the Nationals over two seasons.

WILL BRYCE BUST OUT?

Bryce Harper is again in a slow streak, something that has never been the norm for the former MVP but that is becoming so this season. He is hitting .160 in his past seven games and has struck out 13 times in his past 25 at-bats entering Friday night’s game while walking only twice. Friday is June 8, about a month before Nationals Park hosts the All-Star Game and about four months before he hits free agency for the first time, and Harper is hitting .229.

Harper got a day off last weekend, which did not seem to help him at the plate. The idea of him getting more time off when Eaton returns seems far-fetched, though perhaps Eaton will change the dynamic of the top of the lineup enough to help Harper somewhat. In the meantime, the 25-year-old is maintaining elite power numbers while struggling to come up with hits between home runs. As of Friday morning, 37.5 percent of his hits have been home runs. He has 18 homers and just 30 other hits.

PITCHING PROBABLES

Friday: LHP Andrew Suarez vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg

Saturday: RHP Dereck Rodriguez vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez

Sunday: LHP Derek Holland vs. RHP Max Scherzer