Mark Zuckerman

Late mistakes cost Nationals in 10-inning loss (updated)

September 20, 2021, 6:45pm

There is little sense at this point judging a Nationals-Marlins game on the performance of the two clubs after five or six innings. As much as they've faced each other in the last month, everyone should understand by now every game is going to be decided late, either by the bullpens or by some other manner of back-and-forth chaos. So it was again tonight in Miami, where the two teams at the bottom of the National League East standings engaged in another high-scoring affair that went right down...

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Bell's work in outfield creates more playing time for Zimmerman

September 20, 2021, 2:08pm

Nationals

Bell's work in outfield creates more playing time for Zimmerman

Josh Bell starts in left field for the Nationals tonight, and while this is not a new development, it is notable that manager Davey Martinez felt comfortable enough in his slugging first baseman's ability to handle himself out there that he was willing to do this for a game inside spacious loanDepot Park. The Marlins' home stadium features one of the largest outfields in baseball, so this is perhaps not as easy an assignment for Bell as it was the three previous times he started in left field...

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Game 150 lineups: Nats at Marlins

September 20, 2021, 12:47pm

Nationals

If you feel like you've seen the Nationals and Marlins play each other enough already this season, well, join the club. Alas, there are three games remaining on the head-to-head schedule between these two division foes and those will be taking place over the next three nights. When they wrap things up Wednesday night, the Nats will have faced the Marlins 19 times for the season, but nine times over the previous month. That's a lot. And the result of this series in Miami could go a long way...

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Dramatic NL batting race has all kinds of D.C. connections

September 19, 2021, 7:12pm

Nationals

Dramatic NL batting race has all kinds of D.C. connections

As much as he wishes he could, Juan Soto can't help but notice his batting average when he steps to the plate. And even if he manages to avoid it, he can't help but hear about it from others. "You try to keep your mind away from it," the Nationals right fielder said in a Zoom session with reporters Sunday. "You decide to come out and play, have fun. But there's always comments. The comments are always going to come to you. Everybody, all my teammates, are just pushing me and wishing me...

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Espino shines again, bullpen closes out 3-0 win (updated)

September 19, 2021, 12:08pm

Nationals

Espino shines again, bullpen closes out 3-0 win (updated)

If their collective motivations at this point have dwindled to trying to avoid a 100-loss season, several Nationals nonetheless have ample motivation over the season's final two weeks on a personal level. For Juan Soto, there's a potential second straight batting title to chase, not to mention a 1.000 OPS that would've sounded unthinkable three months ago. For Tanner Rainey, there's a chance to re-establish some credibility as a big league reliever at the end of a lost season. And for Paolo...

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Avila will retire at season's end, plans to work in baseball

September 19, 2021, 8:35am

Nationals

Avila will retire at season's end, plans to work in baseball

Alex Avila came to his decision several months ago, before those double calf strains that threw a complete wrench into what he already knew would be the final season of his career. So the 34-year-old catcher has had plenty of time to contemplate what life will be like in retirement, a decision he chose to publicly announce today. "I went through that back-and-forth in my head, as far as if I wanted to play for another year," he said in a group interview in the Nationals dugout prior to...

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Game 149 lineups: Nats vs. Rockies

September 19, 2021, 6:38am

Nationals

The Nationals are not a good baseball team. Sorry to put it so harshly, but it's impossible to ignore that fact at this point. And they haven't just been bad since the trade deadline; they already were headed well in that direction a month prior to it. They've now played 70 games since July 1, and their record across that span is a dismal 20-50, worst in the majors. It also matches the worst 70-game stretch in club history, previously achieved only by the 2008 and 2009 teams. Those two...

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September workload is mental challenge for Finnegan, relievers

September 18, 2021, 7:40pm

Nationals

September workload is mental challenge for Finnegan, relievers

Kyle Finnegan is in his ninth professional season, his sixth as a full-time reliever, and he's been fairly durable the entire time. He has not, however, found himself taking on the kind of workload required of him this season in Washington. The next time Finnegan takes the mound, whether this afternoon at Nationals Park or in the coming days during the final road trip of the season, he'll do so for the 63rd time this season. He's currently tied for the 18th-most appearances by a National...

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Nats can't overcome another dud from Corbin (updated)

September 18, 2021, 3:12pm

Nationals

Nats can't overcome another dud from Corbin (updated)

The opportunity for Patrick Corbin to salvage his season has long since passed. There is no September surge that's going to change the perception of the left-hander's 2021 campaign, no strong finish that's going to leave a good taste in the Nationals' mouths as they head home for the winter. Corbin may yet deliver one or two positive moments before the season wraps up in two weeks, but that would stick out as a supreme outlier in an otherwise dreadful six months for the second-highest-paid...

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Rainey gets another chance with Nats, Suero sent down

September 18, 2021, 11:29am

Nationals

Rainey gets another chance with Nats, Suero sent down

In their never-ending quest to find some combination of relievers who can provide quality work late in games, the Nationals recalled Tanner Rainey from Triple-A before today's game against the Rockies and optioned Wander Suero to Rochester. Whether that one transaction makes a significant impact for a bullpen that is running on fumes as the season winds down remains to be seen. But Rainey's experience and recent success in the minors were enough to convince club officials to bring him back up...

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Game 148 lineups: Nats vs. Rockies

September 18, 2021, 10:19am

Nationals

At this stage of the season, you know the drill. The Nationals will be asking one of their starting pitchers to get them deep into the game with an effective performance, then hoping their bullpen can hang on the rest of the way. It's been the formula for months, and more often than not it hasn't worked. Not that manager Davey Martinez has any realistic alternatives at this point. So Martinez will send Patrick Corbin to the mound this afternoon against the Rockies and hope the veteran lefty...

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Once a pitching-rich club, Nats have lost their way

September 16, 2021, 6:42pm

Nationals

Once a pitching-rich club, Nats have lost their way

In a summer full of agonizing losses, Wednesday's 8-6 defeat at the hands of the Marlins had to rank among the Nationals' worst. Not just because of the end result, but because of the path they took to reach that result. After getting five scoreless innings from starter Josh Rogers, and after getting a well-balanced offensive attack from a lineup that has been better than advertised since the trade deadline, the Nats still found a way to lose after their bullpen imploded. Five relievers...

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First things first: Nats remain committed to Adams as catcher

September 15, 2021, 7:56pm

Nationals

First things first: Nats remain committed to Adams as catcher

Riley Adams wants you to know he's a catcher, and he wants to continue being a catcher. And the Nationals coaching staff wants you to know it considers Adams a catcher and wants him to continue being a catcher. So why is Adams taking ground balls and learning proper technique at first base right now? "Just trying to get comfortable over there, and in an emergency situation or something like that to be able to go out there and play, feel comfortable," he said in an interview outside the...

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Bullpen gives up eight to ruin Rogers' strong start (updated)

September 15, 2021, 12:59pm

Nationals

Bullpen gives up eight to ruin Rogers' strong start (updated)

The baseball that was displayed for 3 hours and 53 minutes this afternoon at Nationals Park was not of a caliber many in the announced crowd of 16,309 could have found satisfactory. The Nationals and Marlins took turns trying to out-underperform each other, from the Nats' inability to produce with runners in scoring position to the Marlins' inability to play clean defense to both bullpens' inability to protect leads. (Or, in Miami's case, throw strikes with the bases loaded.) It all made...

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Martinez, coaches honor Clemente with No. 21 jerseys

September 15, 2021, 8:31am

Nationals

Martinez, coaches honor Clemente with No. 21 jerseys

Davey Martinez won't be able to walk up the dugout steps and stand on the field for today's national anthem. After a follow-up procedure on his left ankle Tuesday, the Nationals manager remains in a cast and will again need to watch today's game from a perch in the dugout (preferably in the shade on this hot and muggy afternoon). Those who can see Martinez, though, surely will notice the special jersey he's wearing, with the number 21 on the back in honor of Roberto Clemente. For the second...

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Game 146 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

September 15, 2021, 7:04am

Nationals

The nexus of the universe stands at the corner of South Capitol Street and Potomac Avenue SE this afternoon, where both the Nationals and Marlins will be sending left-handed pitchers to the mound named Rogers. OK, so this is hardly cosmos-bending stuff, but it is a funny little quirk about the matchup for today's series finale at Nationals Park. Josh Rogers gets the start for the Nats, his third since his promotion from Triple-A Rochester. And he's been pretty good in each of his previous two...

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Bell holding his own in outfield, Soto chasing another batting title

September 14, 2021, 10:07pm

Nationals

Bell holding his own in outfield, Soto chasing another batting title

Ryan Zimmerman produced the most memorable hit of Tuesday night's 8-2 win over the Marlins when he launched a fastball from JesÃºs Luzardo 442 feet to right-center field, into the second deck at Nationals Park. But Zimmerman's presence in the lineup was made possible in part by Josh Bell's ability to remain in the lineup himself while moving out to left field for the night. It was the fourth game Bell has started in the outfield this season, and he may be back there today when the...

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Zimmerman's blast sets tone in Nats' lopsided win (updated)

September 14, 2021, 6:27pm

Nationals

Zimmerman's blast sets tone in Nats' lopsided win (updated)

Nobody in a Nationals uniform gets a bigger ovation when he steps to the plate these days than Ryan Zimmerman. He's far from the team's best player at this point, but with only three home series remaining on the 2021 schedule, everyone in attendance is well aware there are only so many more guaranteed Zimmerman plate appearances to witness. The original face of the franchise has not yet offered any clues about his intentions beyond this season, though he suggested tonight he probably won't...

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Martinez has follow-up procedure, Scherzer is Clemente nominee

September 14, 2021, 2:01pm

Nationals

Martinez has follow-up procedure, Scherzer is Clemente nominee

Davey Martinez had a follow-up procedure on his left ankle earlier today, and though he was back at Nationals Park by mid-afternoon, it was unclear if he'd be in the dugout to manage tonight's game against the Marlins. Martinez, who already watched one game from his office following his initial Sept. 2 surgery, has been wearing a cast since. He's been managing all games from the dugout, his left leg propped up on the bench, but he hasn't been able to move around or step onto the field...

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Game 145 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

September 14, 2021, 12:07pm

Nationals

The Nationals avoided the ignominy of being no-hit for the first time Monday night, but let's be honest: Even if it happened, it would've come against a worthy foe in Sandy Alcantara, an All-Star who was in peak form in the series opener. Tonight, they face a highly touted, but far less accomplished opponent in JesÃºs Luzardo. Yes, the same Luzardo the Nationals drafted and then traded to the Athletics in the Sean Doolittle/Ryan Madson deal. The same Luzardo who was traded to Miami this...