Mark Zuckerman

Nationals still evaluating trade offers for Scherzer

July 29, 2021, 2:55pm

The Nationals are still evaluating trade offers for ace Max Scherzer, with the Padres having put forth a package of prospects that might be enough but other contenders still attempting to top it, according to sources familiar with the discussions. Despite a late-afternoon report by The Athletic that general manager Mike Rizzo was close to a deal with San Diego, sources said nothing has been finalized yet and a handful of other clubs remain in contention. Complicating matters is the fact any...

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Game 102 lineups: Nats at Phillies

July 29, 2021, 10:43am

Nationals

As if there hasn't been enough drama already today, there's still another ballgame to be played in Philadelphia! The Nationals and Phillies face off one more time, with another scheduled seven-inning game. And with a big line of thunderstorms bearing down on the area at some point later this afternoon, it may be a good thing the game is only scheduled for seven innings. Patrick Corbin gets the start, one day after he was originally supposed to pitch. The left-hander may be hours away from...

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Nats' first trade: Hand to Blue Jays for catching prospect

July 29, 2021, 8:52am

Nationals

Nats' first trade: Hand to Blue Jays for catching prospect

The first of several deals the Nationals are expected to make over the next 28 hours was finalized today when closer Brad Hand was traded to the Blue Jays for catching prospect Riley Adams. The trade was announced by the Nats during the first inning of their game against the Phillies but apparently processed prior to first pitch, because outfielder Yadiel Hernandez was recalled from Triple-A Rochester and immediately placed on the active roster. Hand was among the most likely of the Nationals'...

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Scherzer starting in Philly, four players go on COVID-19 IL

July 29, 2021, 7:51am

Nationals

Scherzer starting in Philly, four players go on COVID-19 IL

Max Scherzer will start today's doubleheader opener in Philadelphia in what could very well be both his swan song after seven seasons with the Nationals and one last showcase for scouts of several clubs interested in acquiring the three-time Cy Young Award winner before Friday afternoon's trade deadline. Scherzer will take the mound at Citizens Bank Park for a Nationals team that needed to place four players (Trea Turner, Daniel Hudson, Austin Voth, Alex Avila) on the COVID-19 injured list...

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Nationals left to prepare for another wild, uncertain day

July 28, 2021, 6:35pm

Nationals

What does today have in store for the Nationals? It should be a fairly straightforward question, but the way things have been going around here lately, anything and everything feels possible. If the day goes according to plan, the Nats and Phillies will play 14 innings of baseball, beginning at 12:05 p.m. We don't yet know who's pitching either of those games, but Patrick Corbin was supposed to start Wednesday's game before it was postponed, and Max Scherzer was supposed to start today's...

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Nats' game off after four players, eight others test positive

July 28, 2021, 1:48pm

Nationals

Nats' game off after four players, eight others test positive

The wildest week in recent Nationals history took another unexpected turn when Major League Baseball announced tonight's game in Philadelphia is being postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak following Tuesday night's revelation that Trea Turner tested positive for the coronavirus. MLB made the announcement at 5:45 p.m., saying the third game of this planned four-game series against the Phillies was called off "to allow for continued testing and contact tracing involving members of the Nationals...

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Strasburg news should be final indicator it's time to rebuild

July 27, 2021, 10:08pm

Nationals

Strasburg news should be final indicator it's time to rebuild

It's impossible not to consider this week one of the most consequential in Nationals history. We don't yet know how it will end, but based on what has already transpired and what could be coming next, the ramifications for the franchise - both in the short- and long-term - are enormous. It would be one thing if this was strictly about Friday's trade deadline, but it's not. There's more, and this one might be more important than anything else that happens. More important than Max Scherzer...

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Turner leaves after positive test, Hand closes out win (updated)

July 27, 2021, 6:22pm

Nationals

Turner leaves after positive test, Hand closes out win (updated)

As if this week's events - and the prospect of events still to come - hadn't already left the Nationals and all who observe them on edge, here now was the sight of Trea Turner departing tonight's game in Philadelphia after scoring on Josh Bell's top-of-the-first homer. Given the date on the calendar and the organization's July freefall, it wasn't inappropriate to immediately wonder if Turner had just been traded. Then, as replays of his trip around the bases began to be shown, it seemed...

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Strasburg to have career-altering thoracic outlet surgery

July 27, 2021, 2:13pm

Nationals

Strasburg to have career-altering thoracic outlet surgery

A week that already was shaping up to be one of the saddest in the Nationals' recent history was jolted by another dagger of bad news today: Stephen Strasburg needs surgery for neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome, a potentially career-altering injury. Strasburg's diagnosis came Monday night after an examination by specialist Gregory Pearl, the same Dallas doctor who performed thoracic outlet surgery on Nationals reliever Will Harris earlier this year. Unlike Harris, whose condition was caused...

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Game 100 lineups: Nats at Phillies

July 27, 2021, 11:37am

Nationals

In what is shaping up to be one of the most significant weeks in club history, the Nationals do still have games to play every night. It may be too late for their performance on the field to change the front office's mind about what comes next, but they will be taking the field nonetheless and attempting to win a game against the Phillies. Losers of five straight and 16 of their last 21, the Nats will try to get back on track tonight behind Erick Fedde, who was sharp last time out, allowing...

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How far are Nats willing to go in selling at the deadline?

July 26, 2021, 10:08pm

Nationals

How far are Nats willing to go in selling at the deadline?

The Nationals are going to be sellers this week, of that there can be no doubt at this point. If it wasn't already clear after Sunday's walk-off loss in Baltimore, it surely was after Monday's walk-off loss in Philadelphia. But there are different approaches to selling at the trade deadline, and that's where the real intrigue comes in as general manager Mike Rizzo starts fielding phone calls from his counterparts across baseball and decides how to proceed. Are the Nats just selling veterans...

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Hand blows another save, Nats collapse in Philly (updated)

July 26, 2021, 6:47pm

Nationals

Hand blows another save, Nats collapse in Philly (updated)

Whatever the rest of this week has in store, of one thing you can be sure: Davey Martinez is going to keep encouraging his Nationals to block out whatever trade deadline chatter they're hearing and just concentrate on that night's task. "That message stands firm. I want them to focus on today," the fourth-year manager said on Zoom prior to tonight's series opener in Philadelphia. "Nobody knows what's going to happen an hour from now, nevertheless tomorrow or the next day. We've got a...

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Nats waiting to name Scherzer as Thursday's starter

July 26, 2021, 1:58pm

Nationals

Nats waiting to name Scherzer as Thursday's starter

In unveiling their rotation plan for this week's series in Philadelphia, the Nationals declined to name a starter for Thursday's game at Citizens Bank Park. That, of course, is Max Scherzer's spot, and the reason they haven't officially named him their starter yet is because they're waiting to see if his right triceps feels fine after a minor tweak last week. Scherzer went through a standard bullpen session this afternoon, and according to manager Davey Martinez, that session went well and...

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Game 99 lineups: Nats at Phillies

July 26, 2021, 11:41am

Nationals

Just how dire has the Nationals' predicament become? Well, consider the following ... The Nats are 5-15 this month. That's the worst 20-game stretch this team has experienced since June/July 2018. And prior to that, it hadn't happened since 2010, the last time the franchise lost 90 games in a season. What does that mean? Well, there are 64 games now left. The best 64-game stretch in club was 44-20, which came (not surprisingly) during the 2019 season. If the current Nationals somehow go...

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Rizzo's plan for Cavalli doesn't appear to include D.C. in 2021

July 22, 2021, 6:59pm

Nationals

Rizzo's plan for Cavalli doesn't appear to include D.C. in 2021

There may no prospect in baseball, certainly no pitching prospect, whose stock has risen around the sport this season more than Cade Cavalli. The Nationals felt all along they had something special in their 2020 first-round draft pick. Now the rest of the industry is catching on and recognizing the right-hander's immense talent and potential, which was on full display during the All-Star Futures Game in Colorado last week. Cavalli is not, however, a finished product yet. Not even close, given...

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Thursday morning Nats Q&A

July 21, 2021, 9:32pm

Nationals

The All-Star break ended one week ago, and suffice to say, it's been an awfully eventful first week back for the Nationals. There's been some good. There's been some bad. And there's been some chaos, as well. This is a critical stretch of the season for the Nats, who begin the day six games back of the Mets, still five games under .500 at 45-50. They've got a day off, then open a three-game weekend series in Baltimore on Friday as the final push to the July 30 trade deadline...

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Nats can't get ahead in regulation, lose in 10th (updated)

July 21, 2021, 6:26pm

Nationals

Nats can't get ahead in regulation, lose in 10th (updated)

They waited all night for the hit that would break a deadlocked ballgame. Just one hit at the right moment to drive in the go-ahead run and put them on a path to sweep the Marlins. And when the Nationals couldn't get the job done during nine innings of traditional baseball, they were left to try to do it in extra innings of non-traditional baseball. Which didn't suit them very well. It was Miami that pushed across two runs in the top of the 10th off closer Brad Hand, while the Nats went down...

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As Gomes and Avila rehab, Barrera earning starts behind plate

July 21, 2021, 2:28pm

Nationals

As Gomes and Avila rehab, Barrera earning starts behind plate

When the All-Star break arrived and they found themselves without either of their two experienced catchers due to injury, the Nationals elected not to go with a pair of rookies and instead signed 37-year-old RenÃ© Rivera, who had recently been released by Cleveland. And then they thrust Rivera right into the lineup for Friday's second-half opener against the Padres, then again Saturday night. Rivera was back behind the plate Sunday for the resumption of the previous night's suspended game,...

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Game 95 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

July 21, 2021, 12:56pm

Nationals

The Nationals find themselves in a position to sweep the Marlins tonight, and that's exactly the position they hoped to be in at the start of this critical week. They've taken advantage of a softer schedule, and now they'll try to take complete advantage of it and win their third straight over Miami, fourth straight overall. Erick Fedde gets the start, and he'll look to do what Jon Lester and Paolo Espino did before him: Shut out the Marlins without issuing any walks. That latter part is...

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Nats won't decide to buy or sell until right before deadline

July 20, 2021, 9:36pm

Nationals

Nats won't decide to buy or sell until right before deadline

If their general manager is to be believed, the Nationals have nine more days to prove they deserve to be trade deadline buyers and not sellers. Mike Rizzo, taking questions from beat reporters Tuesday for the first time since April, outlined a two-pronged approach he plans to take as the July 30 trade deadline approaches. He could decide to buy or he could decide to sell. And it all depends on how his team plays during this critical stretch and what the standings look like at the end of...