Mark Zuckerman

Bullpen thin today, but help could be coming soon

June 30, 2021, 11:21am

Asked during his pregame Zoom session with reporters around 2:15 p.m. who he planned to have pitching the late innings today if the Nationals hold a lead, Davey Martinez laughed like a manager who knew there was no simple answer to that question. "Actually, I've got a meeting at 3 o'clock with (pitching coach Jim) Hickey, so we're going to start figuring this stuff out," Martinez said. Suffice it to say, the situation is more complicated than it normally would be. Four key late-inning...

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Game 78 lineups: Nats vs. Rays

June 30, 2021, 9:53am

Nationals

It is scorching hot today. It's going to be 95 degrees with a heat index well above 100 when the Nationals take the field at 4:05 p.m. for the finale of their two-game series with the Rays. If you've got tickets, make sure you dress appropriately and prepare to drink a lot of water. And, of course, make sure you're in your seats in time for the first pitch of the bottom of the first, when Kyle Schwarber digs in to face Rays opener Drew Rasmussen and tries to do it again. The current tally,...

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If offered slot in Home Run Derby, Schwarber would likely pass

June 29, 2021, 9:59pm

Nationals

If offered slot in Home Run Derby, Schwarber would likely pass

Given the historic home run barrage he's been on over the last 2 1/2 weeks, it's only been natural to wonder if Kyle Schwarber is going to earn a coveted spot in the upcoming Home Run Derby at Coors Field. Schwarber, though, all but said Tuesday night he doesn't expect to find himself in Colorado in two weeks for the annual midsummer power exhibition that leads into the following night's All-Star Game. "If I was approached, I would probably not do it just in terms of ... you get a little...

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Schwarber starts with a bang, Hand hangs on late (updated)

June 29, 2021, 5:40pm

Nationals

Schwarber starts with a bang, Hand hangs on late (updated)

It's not quite on par with Dodger Stadium, but Nationals Park typically takes a couple innings to fill up most nights. Such is life in this traffic-infested town we call home. If you've got a ticket to watch the local nine, though, you might want to start budgeting some extra commuting time to make sure you're in your seats well before the first pitch of the bottom of the first. Because if you're not here, there's a good chance you're going to miss something memorable from the hottest...

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Bullpen takes another hit with Rainey landing on IL

June 29, 2021, 1:15pm

Nationals

Bullpen takes another hit with Rainey landing on IL

A Nationals bullpen that already was being stretched thin with the losses of several key late-inning relievers to injury has lost another key late-inning reliever: Tanner Rainey, who today was placed on the 10-day injured list with a stress reaction in his lower right leg. It's a serious blow to a relief corps that has been trying to proceed without the services of Daniel Hudson, Kyle Finnegan and Will Harris and now enters a daunting closing stretch to the first half of the season against...

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Game 77 lineups: Nats vs. Rays

June 29, 2021, 12:38pm

Nationals

It's a rare thing when a ballclub plays three different opponents on three consecutive days, but that's the case for the Nationals tonight. After wrapping up their weekend series with the Marlins on Sunday, then facing the Mets in a one-off makeup game Monday, tonight they welcome the Rays to town for the first of two games in an interleague series. These two teams split a series at Tropicana Field a couple weeks ago, but things have changed a bit since then. The Nationals have gotten red...

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Soto doesn't have concrete answer for lack of power

June 28, 2021, 10:34pm

Nationals

Soto doesn't have concrete answer for lack of power

When Juan Soto steps to the plate these days, he does so with one task in mind: Get on base. Don't worry about hitting a ball 450 feet somewhere. Just do whatever it takes to reach, whether via single, walk or some other mechanism. And he's done quite well in that department, with a .396 on-base percentage that ranks among the league leaders. "Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do," Soto said Monday during a face-to-face interview with several reporters at Nationals Park. "Like I told the...

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With homer barrage, Nats take down Mets again (updated)

June 28, 2021, 6:09pm

Nationals

With homer barrage, Nats take down Mets again (updated)

As the balls flew off the bats of Kyle Schwarber (twice), Trea Turner and Gerardo Parra, and as Paolo Espino was carving up the Mets for five scoreless innings, the mood inside of Nationals Park was ... well, how exactly to describe this? Was it ecstasy? Was it delirium? Was it some emotion that has yet to be defined, because nobody in attendance had ever witnessed anything quite like this on a baseball field in a long time? And then how to describe the vibe as the Nationals bullpen turned a...

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Robles out of lineup with sore knee, but able to take BP

June 28, 2021, 2:08pm

Nationals

Robles out of lineup with sore knee, but able to take BP

Victor Robles is out of the Nationals lineup, his right knee still bothering him enough to keep him from starting against the Mets one day after he was struck by a pitch in Miami. It was not bothering the 24-year-old center fielder enough, though, to keep him from participating in batting practice, suggesting he may not need to miss much time. Robles took a full round of BP with teammates, and though he wasn't moving around at full strength, he didn't appear to be significantly...

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Game 76 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

June 28, 2021, 11:38am

Nationals

And so begins the closing stretch of the first half of the 2021 season, a stretch that will test the Nationals unlike any that have come before. Fourteen games in 14 days, all against contending teams. It begins tonight with a one-off against the Mets, another makeup from the season-opening series that was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The great mystery for the last 24 hours has been the identity of the Nats' starting pitcher tonight. This should've been Erick Fedde's game, but...

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After winning trip, Nats face daunting stretch to close first half

June 27, 2021, 7:26pm

Nationals

After winning trip, Nats face daunting stretch to close first half

Here's what the Nationals accomplished over the last two weeks: By winning 11 of 14 games, they climbed their way out of a significant hole, briefly reached the .500 mark and moved into sole possession of second place in the National League East, now within striking distance of the first-place Mets. It was the best two-week stretch this club has experienced since the end of the 2019 season, a true turnaround for a team that looked ready to collapse altogether and head into a long, hot summer...

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Nationals ride homers, Scherzer to victory in Miami (updated)

June 27, 2021, 12:18pm

Nationals

There are any number of reasons you can point to for why the Nationals have won or lost a ballgame this season, but here's a simple one to consider: When they hit a home run, they usually win. When they don't, they usually don't. And when they clear the fence twice in the same inning, as they did today during a 5-1 win over the Marlins? Well, that's about as good a piece of evidence as you'll get to foretell a Nats victory. Trea Turner and Josh Bell provided the big blows in this one, each...

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Fedde's strain believed mild, Strasburg throws off mound

June 27, 2021, 8:29am

Nationals

Fedde's strain believed mild, Strasburg throws off mound

Erick Fedde felt nothing during his start Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia. But when the Nationals right-hander woke up Thursday morning in Miami, his left side was bothering him. The club told him to take it easy, and he didn't attempt to throw his typical bullpen session between starts. And after an MRI revealed what manager Davey Martinez called "a minor strain of his left oblique," Fedde was placed on the 10-day injured list this morning. It's the latest blow to a Nationals rotation...

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Game 75 lineups: Nats at Marlins (Fedde to IL)

June 27, 2021, 6:58am

Nationals

Game 75 lineups: Nats at Marlins (Fedde to IL)

Forty-eight hours ago, the Nationals were feeling as good about themselves as they had in a while. Winners of five straight and 10 of 11, they had reached the .500 mark for the first time since May 2. What's happened since then? They've lost two in a row to the Marlins, fallen back into their offensive funk and have now seen their second-most reliable starting pitcher get hurt. Erick Fedde was placed on the 10-day injured list this morning with an oblique strain, an unexpected development to...

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Bell expected back in lineup tonight after clean MRI

June 25, 2021, 9:12pm

Nationals

Bell expected back in lineup tonight after clean MRI

At the end of the worst game they've played in weeks Friday night, the Nationals did get some good news: Josh Bell appears to be fine and should even be in today's lineup against the Marlins. Bell, who had to be scratched from Thursday's lineup after complaining of tightness in his right side, underwent an MRI on Friday afternoon to see if he had strained his oblique muscle. But that test showed no strain, according to manager Davey Martinez, and the slugger was back taking swings later in...

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Lester's dud sends Nationals to rare loss (updated)

June 25, 2021, 6:32pm

Nationals

When he stepped off the mound at the end of the sixth inning Saturday night at Nationals Park, Jon Lester felt as good as he has about himself in a long time. Ten starts into his first season in D.C., the veteran left-hander owned a 3.60 ERA. Anyone who reasonably expected anything more than that from the 37-year-old was being unreasonable. By the time he walked off the mound in the third inning tonight at loanDepot Park in Miami, Lester could not have felt anything like he did six days prior....

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As they await Bell's MRI, Nats prepping others at first base

June 25, 2021, 1:34pm

Nationals

As they await Bell's MRI, Nats prepping others at first base

As Davey Martinez sat down for his pregame Zoom session with reporters about 2 1/2 hours before first pitch in Miami, Josh Bell was in the process of getting an MRI on his right side. The results of that test will be on the Nationals manager's mind until he knows if his cleanup hitter can avoid a trip to the injured list. "He said he feels about the same (as Thursday)," Martinez said. "It's not bad, it's not horrible, but it's there. We'll see what happens when we get this MRI result...

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Game 73 lineups: Nats at Marlins

June 25, 2021, 12:18pm

Nationals

You already know the Nationals have won 10 of 11 games. But did you know they've actually won nine games in a row that were scheduled to be nine innings? That's right, their last two losses came in doubleheader games that were scheduled for only seven innings (one of which turned into an eight-inning loss to the Giants). Their last nine-inning loss was June 11, the opener of their last homestand, when they lost 1-0 to San Francisco. So there's a chance tonight to make it 10 in a row in...

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On Bell's oblique, Soto's doubles and reaching .500 again

June 24, 2021, 9:11pm

Nationals

On Bell's oblique, Soto's doubles and reaching .500 again

More news and observations after Thursday night's 7-3 win over the Marlins, the Nationals' 10th win in 11 games ... * Josh Bell was a late scratch from the lineup after reporting soreness on his right side. The Nats don't seem to believe it's anything serious, but they want to make sure he didn't strain an oblique muscle before putting him back on the field. "I didn't want to take any chances," manager Davey Martinez said in his postgame Zoom session with reporters. "He's going to go...

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Schwarber's historic surge keeps Nats red-hot (updated)

June 24, 2021, 6:26pm

Nationals

Schwarber's historic surge keeps Nats red-hot (updated)

You could only laugh at the first one, because it was yet another leadoff homer by Kyle Schwarber, his fifth in 13 games since taking over the top spot in the Nationals lineup on a full-time basis a couple weeks ago. But the second one? A three-run blast one inning later? His 12th home run in 13 games? His eighth in five games? What was the appropriate reaction to that? Surely, it included a jaw dropped all the way to the floor, a glazed look in your eyes and an immediate sprint to your...