Mark Zuckerman

Thompson makes most of first appearance for Nats

August 02, 2021, 10:06pm

Mason Thompson had three days to think about his Nationals debut, time to sit in the bullpen and observe, time to get to know everyone, time to wonder how and when he would be called upon to take the mound for the first time. The time finally came in the top of the sixth Monday night, in a game with the Phillies that was tied 1-1 at the time. And based on what the Nationals saw from the 6-foot-7 reliever they acquired from the Padres at the trade deadline for Daniel Hudson, they couldn't have...

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Gray impresses in debut, but bullpen blows it in ninth (updated)

August 02, 2021, 6:23pm

Nationals

Gray impresses in debut, but bullpen blows it in ninth (updated)

There are going to be more nights like this at Nationals Park the rest of the season, nights that include legitimate reason for optimism and then legitimate reason for anguish. It's up to everyone - the players, the coaches, the front office, the fans - to decide what to care most about. On this unseasonably cool August Monday night, the optimists could look at Josiah Gray's Nationals debut and be thrilled with the young right-hander's five innings of one-run ball and long-term...

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While Escobar deals with injury, GarcÃa gets shot at short

August 02, 2021, 2:01pm

Nationals

While Escobar deals with injury, GarcÃa gets shot at short

It was lost in the shuffle a bit during a chaotic weekend that saw the Nationals undergo so much change, but infielder Alcides Escobar hasn't played since Friday, still dealing with a swollen left wrist after getting hit by a pitch. Escobar wasn't in the lineup for Saturday or Sunday's games against the Cubs, and he's again out of the lineup tonight against the Phillies, though he made some progress today when he played catch prior to the Nats' batting practice. "He's still going to be...

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Game 106 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

August 02, 2021, 11:47am

Nationals

The debut of a promising young pitcher is always exciting. Perhaps the circumstances that preceded Josiah Gray's debut tonight at Nationals Park weren't cause for celebration, but now that it's happened it's worth embracing. This isn't Gray's major league debut; he pitched twice for the Dodgers in the last few weeks. But there's an entirely different kind of hype and pressure for this start than either of those. He's not just a prospect who was called up. He's now one of the prospects...

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Should the Nats have locked up more of their own stars?

August 01, 2021, 9:19pm

Nationals

Should the Nats have locked up more of their own stars?

It started with Jordan Zimmermann and Ian Desmond, who departed after the 2015 season. Then came Bryce Harper following the 2018 season. And, of course, Anthony Rendon a few months after they won the 2019 World Series. The Nationals, an organization that long prided itself on developing its own star players, has seen nearly all of them depart once they reached free agency. There have been two notable exceptions over the years: Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg. Each was a high first-round...

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Fedde pushed early, Hernandez wins it late for Nats (updated)

August 01, 2021, 12:28pm

Nationals

Fedde pushed early, Hernandez wins it late for Nats (updated)

If you're wondering - for practical, in-game purposes - what will be different the next two months from everything that came before it, here was a good example in the top of the sixth this afternoon at Nationals Park. Erick Fedde, who had been cruising along against a depleted Cubs lineup, opened that frame allowing a single to Andrew Romine, then a two-run homer to Rafael Ortega at the end of a long, seven-pitch at-bat. The Nationals' lead was down to one, Fedde's pitch count was up to 91...

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Gray will debut Monday, Ruiz goes to Triple-A for now

August 01, 2021, 9:02am

Nationals

Gray will debut Monday, Ruiz goes to Triple-A for now

Josiah Gray, the top pitching prospect the Nationals acquired in this week's blockbuster trade with the Dodgers, will make his debut for the club Monday night, starting the series opener against the Phillies. The Nats officially added Gray to their active roster this morning, giving him a day to get acclimated before he takes the mound for the first of what they hope is many starts in the coming years after making him one of their centerpiece acquisitions in exchange for stars Max Scherzer and...

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Game 105 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs

August 01, 2021, 7:46am

Nationals

It's a gray Sunday at Nationals Park, and I actually mean that in the literal sense. Rain is forecast on and off throughout the afternoon. Hopefully, it doesn't impact the game, but the grounds crew has the tarp ready to go just in case. Metaphorically, it's been a gray several days for the Nats, who just wrapped up one of the worst months in club history, going 8-18. And that's just their record. As we know, a whole lot of other stuff happened that wasn't directly related to wins and...

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Reality begins to set in for Nats on day two of rebuild (updated)

July 31, 2021, 6:21pm

Nationals

Reality begins to set in for Nats on day two of rebuild (updated)

If Day 1 of the next era of Nationals baseball offered everyone a glimpse at what could still make the rest of this season fun, Day 2 offered a harsh reminder of how rough the next two months could still be. During a 6-3 loss to the Cubs, the rebuilding Nats showed little of the youthful energy and talent that was on display during Friday night's win. This game saw a ragged start from Joe Ross, sloppy defense from Carter Kieboom and Luis GarcÃa and a general lack of offense against an...

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Zimmerman endorses rebuild, contemplates his future

July 31, 2021, 4:43pm

Nationals

Zimmerman endorses rebuild, contemplates his future

Ryan Zimmerman knows what it's like to be part of a rebuild. Even if the specific details have faded from his mind over the last 12 years, the longest-tenured player in Nationals history remembers taking the field every night in 2009 on a 103-loss club that featured only a handful of players who would actually stick around long enough to be part of the club's first division title three years later. But what Zimmerman - and the Nationals, by extension - experienced this week was completely...

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Reliever Thompson is first acquisition to join Nats

July 31, 2021, 2:02pm

Nationals

Reliever Thompson is first acquisition to join Nats

The first of the 12 prospects the Nationals acquired before this week's trade deadline has joined the active roster. Mason Thompson, a reliever the Nats received from the Padres for Daniel Hudson late Thursday night, has arrived in Washington and was formally placed on the 26-man roster for tonight's game against the Cubs. The 23-year-old right-hander does have some big league experience, having debuted for San Diego last month. In four appearances, he allowed one run on four hits and one...

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Game 104 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs

July 31, 2021, 12:20pm

Nationals

At the end of an emotional 36-hour stretch for a completely gutted Nationals roster was this perhaps unexpected fact: The Nats not only beat the Cubs on Friday night, they also picked up a game on everyone in front of them in the National League East. They're now 6 1/2 games back of the Mets. No, the front office isn't suddenly regretting their decision to trade away eight veterans in the first step of an acknowledged franchise rebuild, but the guys who do take the field every night the rest...

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Newly acquired players have reshaped Nats farm system

July 30, 2021, 10:14pm

Nationals

Newly acquired players have reshaped Nats farm system

It will be years before anyone can know if the Nationals got enough legitimate prospects during their 36-hour trade deadline binge of 2021 to lift the franchise back into contention. As much as folks want to instantly grade a team's performance on trades, it simply can't be done until all involved players have a chance to prove who they are on the field. But this much we can say already about the 12 young players the Nats just acquired from six clubs in exchange for eight veterans: They have...

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New-look Nationals start off new era with win (updated)

July 30, 2021, 5:52pm

Nationals

The reboot of the Washington Nationals began tonight with a 34-year-old journeyman on the mound, a 22-year-old superstar batting third, a major-league cleanup hitter batting behind him, and a bunch of other assorted parts surrounding them. Some are potential parts of the franchise's future, some are not. It may have left a majority in the crowd of 33,882 sad, angry, intrigued, maybe even excited for the possibilities in a few cases. But this is the new reality for an organization that won its...

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Eight veterans in total dealt before deadline (updated)

July 30, 2021, 12:54pm

Nationals

Eight veterans in total dealt before deadline (updated)

When the clock reached 4 p.m. and it was all said and done, the Nationals had traded away eight veterans off their 2021 roster, four of them key contributors to the club's World Series title only 21 months ago. In their place will come 12 prospects of varying pedigrees from six other organizations, all of them now trying to win this season while the Nats begin a rebuild they hope is neither too long nor too painful. In the final moments before this afternoon's deadline, general manager Mike...

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MLB suspends Castro 30 games, Nats will release him

July 30, 2021, 8:04am

Nationals

MLB suspends Castro 30 games, Nats will release him

Major League Baseball has suspended Starlin Castro for 30 days for violating the league's domestic abuse policy, and the Nationals subsequently announced they will release the veteran infielder once he completes the suspension. "My office has completed its investigation into the allegations that Starlin Castro violated Major League Baseball's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in the league's announcement. "Having reviewed...

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Source: Nats agree to terms with first-round pick House

July 30, 2021, 6:29am

Nationals

Source: Nats agree to terms with first-round pick House

As they continue to tear down their 2021 roster in the final hours leading up to today's trade deadline, the Nationals took a key step in their quest to rebuild the franchise back up in the coming years, agreeing to a deal with recent first-round draft pick Brady House. The agreement, first reported by Baseball America and confirmed by a source familiar with the signing, is for $5 million, which is more than $450,000 above the designated slot value for the 11th overall pick. House, 18,...

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The breaking up of a champion, and the task of building another

July 29, 2021, 10:51pm

Nationals

The breaking up of a champion, and the task of building another

Breaking up is hard to do. How do you cut ties with your first true love, say goodbye to someone who brought you so much joy, explain to them you're finally ready to move on? How do you do it? First, you come to the realization yourself that it's time. Then you suck it up, tell it to their face in simple, honest terms, tell them how they'll always hold a special place in your heart and then turn around and walk away, confident you made the right decision, resisting the urge to look back over...

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Schwarber to Red Sox, Hudson to Padres (updated)

July 29, 2021, 7:57pm

Nationals

Schwarber to Red Sox, Hudson to Padres (updated)

The dismantling of the Nationals' 2021 roster continued into the night when general manager Mike Rizzo struck deals to send Kyle Schwarber to the Red Sox and Daniel Hudson to the Padres in exchange for three more prospects in total, this only hours after agreeing to a blockbuster trade that will send Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers, this after starting the day by shipping Brad Hand to the Blue Jays. The trade deadline doesn't arrive until 4 p.m. Friday, but the Nats might well be...

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Source: Nats finalizing deal to send Scherzer, Turner to L.A.

July 29, 2021, 6:10pm

Nationals

Source: Nats finalizing deal to send Scherzer, Turner to L.A.

The Nationals aren't just trading Max Scherzer to a National League West contender. They're also including Trea Turner in the deal. A blockbuster trade that will send both Scherzer and Turner to Los Angeles for four young players, headlined by the Dodgers' two top-rated prospects (catcher Keibert Ruiz and right-hander Josiah Gray), is in the final stages of being approved by all affected parties, a source familiar with the discussions confirmed tonight. Also included in the trade are...