Mark Zuckerman

Surging Bell powers Nats to late-night win in San Diego (updated)

July 05, 2021, 9:56pm

Ask anyone who has watched him - shoot, ask Josh Bell himself - to evaluate his performance through the season's first half, and the answer almost certainly will be negative. And a quick glance at Bell's season totals - .247 batting average, 12 homers, 39 RBIs, .775 OPS - would give reason to believe that. Let's not forget, though, just how big a hole Bell dug for himself six weeks in. On the morning of May 13, the Nationals first baseman owned a horrific .133/.198/.289 slash line that...

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Turner and Gomes return to lineup, Tuesday's starter is TBA

July 05, 2021, 5:21pm

Nationals

Turner and Gomes return to lineup, Tuesday's starter is TBA

A Nationals club desperate for more healthy bodies is getting two of them back for tonight's series opener in San Diego, with more potentially coming in the next few days. Trea Turner and Yan Gomes are both in tonight's lineup, Turner returning after missing four games with a jammed left middle finger, Gomes back after taking a pitch off his right arm Saturday night. The impact on Davey Martinez's batting order is significant, with Turner able to bat second in front of Juan Soto and Gomes...

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Game 83 lineups: Nats at Padres

July 05, 2021, 3:48pm

Nationals

Who's ready for some late-night baseball? Yes, after their earliest start of the season Sunday morning, the Nationals now take the field tonight in San Diego for their latest start of the season. The caffeine intake has already begun here at the home office. A four-game sweep at the hands of the Dodgers made for a tough weekend, and the task doesn't get particularly easier over the next four nights against the talented Padres, who at the moment own a .581 winning percentage that would have...

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Was Dodgers series a blip or a sign of worse things to come?

July 04, 2021, 9:18pm

Nationals

Was Dodgers series a blip or a sign of worse things to come?

As he sat at a dais next to Juan Soto and Kyle Schwarber, his fellow 2021 All-Stars, Trea Turner was asked about the Nationals' four-game sweep at the hands of the Dodgers. Turner, of course, didn't appear in any of the four games, still dealing with a jammed left middle finger from sliding hard into third base while completing his third career cycle Wednesday afternoon. And he was far from the only Nats regular stuck watching from the dugout. Also out due to injury were Schwarber, Alex...

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Turner, Soto, Schwarber all earn first All-Star selection

July 04, 2021, 12:11pm

Nationals

Turner, Soto, Schwarber all earn first All-Star selection

The Nationals will send three players to next week's All-Star Game, all of them first-time selections, while their most decorated star stays home - at least for now - despite producing one of the best first halves of his storied career. Trea Turner, Juan Soto and Kyle Schwarber all were named reserves to the National League All-Star team this afternoon, each earning a spot in the Midsummer Classic for the first time. They'll head to Denver to represent the Nats, but unless there's a need to...

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Overmatched Nats suffer four-game sweep to Dodgers (updated)

July 04, 2021, 10:44am

Nationals

Overmatched Nats suffer four-game sweep to Dodgers (updated)

You can analyze this four-game sweep at the hands of the defending World Series champions until your face turns blue, but it really boils down to a simple fact: The Dodgers had 26 healthy and versatile players whom their manager trusted to be used over the course of a ballgame, and the Nationals did not. Over the course of a difficult holiday weekend on South Capitol Street, capped by a 5-1 loss before an Independence Day crowd of 37,187, Dave Roberts consistently utilized every player from his...

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Game 82 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers

July 04, 2021, 6:27am

Nationals

Good morning from Nationals Park - and, yes, it was morning when last we spoke. Less than 11 hours after they wrapped up a rain-delayed 5-3 loss to the Dodgers, the Nationals are back to work for their annual Independence Day morning game, needing a win to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the defending World Series champs. They will do so with a lineup that remains depleted. Trea Turner is out for the fourth straight day with a left finger injury. Yan Gomes also isn't catching today,...

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After rain, Dodgers rally to send Nats back under .500 (updated)

July 03, 2021, 8:23pm

Nationals

After rain, Dodgers rally to send Nats back under .500 (updated)

The largest crowd at a D.C.-area sporting event since Dec. 22, 2019, when the Washington Football Team hosted the New York Giants in Landover, gathered on South Capitol Street tonight to watch some baseball, get an early start on Independence Day weekend and witness a fireworks display on a picture-perfect Saturday evening. What the sellout crowd of 42,064 at Nationals Park got instead was a compelling yet ultimately frustrating 5-3 loss to the Dodgers, a 1-hour, 44-minute rain delay that...

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Schwarber, Avila land on IL; Escobar acquired from Royals

July 03, 2021, 2:25pm

Nationals

Schwarber, Avila land on IL; Escobar acquired from Royals

The "injury rat" Max Scherzer referred to Friday night that is running through the Nationals clubhouse and taking a bite out of players left and right is perhaps more pervasive than anyone on the outside realized at the time. Not only did the Nats have to place Kyle Schwarber on the 10-day injured list with a significant right hamstring strain, they also had to place Alex Avila on it as well after the catcher suffered strains to both of his calf muscles, possibly while he was playing five...

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Game 81 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers (Schwarber, Avila to IL)

July 03, 2021, 11:53am

Nationals

Game 81 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers (Schwarber, Avila to IL)

How's this for a primetime nationally televised matchup tonight at Nationals Park: one of the best pitchers in baseball versus Clayton Kershaw. What, you don't believe Paolo Espino is one of the best pitchers in baseball? Among all major leaguers with at least 35 innings pitched this season, he ranks 11th in ERA (2.02), 12th in WHIP (0.869) and first in walks per nine innings (1.01). Are you a believer now? OK, so the 34-year-old journeyman faces a really tough test tonight in the Dodgers,...

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How do Nats survive Schwarber injury on top of others?

July 02, 2021, 9:42pm

Nationals

How do Nats survive Schwarber injury on top of others?

As he walked down the home dugout at Nationals Park during the bottom of the second Friday night, limping and clearly disgusted with what had just happened to him, Kyle Schwarber passed Trea Turner, Stephen Strasburg, Daniel Hudson, Kyle Finnegan, Erick Fedde, Tanner Rainey, Andrew Stevenson and Jordy Mercer. All of them were injured and unavailable to play against the Dodgers, and now Schwarber joins them with a right hamstring injury that might top them all in terms of impact on the...

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Bullpen blowup follows Schwarber injury in painful loss (updated)

July 02, 2021, 6:22pm

Nationals

Bullpen blowup follows Schwarber injury in painful loss (updated)

Max Scherzer walked off the mound after a scoreless top of the sixth, his pitch count an even 100, his Nationals holding a two-run lead on a night they were again missing Trea Turner, out with a finger injury, and then lost Kyle Schwarber to an apparent hamstring injury. Upon reaching the dugout steps, he engaged in a brief conversation with Davey Martinez. A series of high-fives and fist bumps then commenced from the rest of the roster and coaching staff to the 36-year-old ace. He did not put...

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Nats call up another infielder, Schwarber wins Player of Month

July 02, 2021, 2:38pm

Nationals

Nats call up another infielder, Schwarber wins Player of Month

With Trea Turner's left middle finger getting better but not quickly enough to allow him to play tonight, and with an MRI of Jordy Mercer's right quadriceps showing a muscle strain, the Nationals were again faced with the prospect of taking the field without enough true infielders on their roster. On Thursday, they had no choice but to start backup catcher Alex Avila at second base. Tonight, they'll have a true infielder in the lineup, albeit one who wasn't really on anyone's radar....

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Game 80 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers

July 02, 2021, 12:31pm

Nationals

Here's some good news: There's no serious threat of rain tonight, the temperature and humidity have dropped and it should be a very pleasant Friday evening at the park as the Nationals and Dodgers play the second of four games this holiday weekend. And here's some more good news: Max Scherzer is on the mound. How good has the ace been? Well, over his last 10 starts, he's got a 1.70 ERA and hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of them. And he held these Dodgers to one run over six...

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Nats attempting to add another infielder for tonight's game

July 01, 2021, 10:13pm

Nationals

Nats attempting to add another infielder for tonight's game

When two of their four major league middle infielders were unavailable due to injury and four more potential call-ups from their farm system likewise weren't available for promotion due to injury, the Nationals were left with no choice but to start 34-year-old backup catcher Alex Avila at second base for Thursday night's series opener against the Dodgers. To hear Davey Martinez discuss the state of things after the Nats' 6-2 loss in a rain-shortened five-inning game, they won't be caught in...

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Slam off Corbin in fifth seals storm-shortened loss (updated)

July 01, 2021, 6:15pm

Nationals

Slam off Corbin in fifth seals storm-shortened loss (updated)

Anyone with a smartphone and a weather app knew what was coming. It was approaching from the west and it was going to reach Nationals Park at some point this evening. It was just a question of when. And what the status of the Nationals' series opener against the Dodgers was going to be when it did arrive. The answer: It arrived moments after the Nats went down in order in the bottom of the fifth, which came moments after Patrick Corbin gave up five runs in the top of the inning. That meant...

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Turner and Mercer out, Nats forced to start Avila at second

July 01, 2021, 2:58pm

Nationals

Turner and Mercer out, Nats forced to start Avila at second

The Nationals didn't submit tonight's starting lineup until 45 minutes before first pitch, the sense being they were waiting to see if any or all of Juan Soto, Trea Turner and Jordy Mercer were available to play after departing Wednesday's win over the Rays with injuries. Then the lineup came out, and Turner and Mercer were missing. Which leaves the Nats in a most precarious position: Backup catcher Alex Avila is starting at second base for the first time in his career. Yes, you read that...

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Game 79 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers

July 01, 2021, 12:31pm

Nationals

Good afternoon from Nationals Park, which just experienced a minor hurricane a few minutes ago. Seriously, it was intense. The skies have let up since then, and at this moment the forecast suggests it will be dry until about 8 p.m. That, of course, doesn't guarantee anything. So don't assume anything. As always, when we know something about the status of the game, we'll let you know. If they play, the Nationals will be looking to stay red hot against a particularly difficult opponent: the...

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Lester labors, but Nats take solace in his five-inning start

June 30, 2021, 9:37pm

Nationals

Lester labors, but Nats take solace in his five-inning start

Only once in his career had Jon Lester made a major league start on a hotter day, and that was 11 years prior when his Red Sox were in Texas on a 102-degree afternoon. So there was a built-in excuse for the veteran left-hander to use Wednesday after he slogged his way through five innings on a muggy 95-degree late afternoon at Nationals Park, if he chose to use it. Which he did not. Though the conditions were miserable, Lester would not give them any credence in affecting his performance during...

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Turner's third career cycle carries Nats to another win (updated)

June 30, 2021, 3:45pm

Nationals

Turner's third career cycle carries Nats to another win (updated)

The thermometer was loaded with mercury, the heat index was in triple digits, the ball was flying at Nationals Park, and as everyone else was dragging from exhaustion, there was Trea Turner racing around the bases in the bottom of the sixth, chasing history. Having already singled in the first, doubled in the third and homered in the fourth, here was Turner - on his 28th birthday - lining a ball over Manuel Margot's head in right field and immediately deciding it was time to turn on the...