Mark Zuckerman

Game 24 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

May 02, 2021, 7:11am

The Nationals have already secured their first three-game winning streak of the season. Now they've got a chance to secure their first three-game sweep of the season. Having taken the first two games of the weekend against the Marlins, the Nats will look to finish the job this afternoon, with Max Scherzer on the mound looking to rebound from a ragged start against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla. How often has he struggled in back-to-back starts? Hardly ever. Eight times since he signed with the...

0 Hits

Comments

Tags:

April by the numbers

May 01, 2021, 8:21pm

Nationals

April has come and gone for the Nationals, and nobody can say they saw the season's first month playing out the way it did. A COVID-19 outbreak sidelining nine players? Injuries to Juan Soto and Stephen Strasburg? An implosion by Patrick Corbin? A complete lack of production from Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber? There were, of course, surprisingly positive developments as well. Who expected Joe Ross and Erick Fedde to become consistently dominant pitchers? Josh Harrison and Yadiel Hernandez to...

214 Hits

Comments

Tags:

brad hand daniel hudson josh bell juan soto kyle schwarber mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime trea turner featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Corbin's arm, Bell's bat lift Nats to third straight win (updated)

May 01, 2021, 12:04pm

Nationals

Corbin's arm, Bell's bat lift Nats to third straight win (updated)

The Nationals don't need Patrick Corbin to be elite right now. They would happily settle for solid. Which is precisely what he was today during a 7-2 victory over the Marlins. With seven innings of two-run ball, Corbin turned in the exact kind of performance the Nationals have been seeking from their erratic left-hander since the season began one month ago. He wasn't in peak form, but he displayed improved command of his fastball and slider and provided length to help take pressure off the...

256 Hits

Comments

Tags:

josh bell mark zuckerman miami marlins nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin yan gomes featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Strasburg throws off mound, Soto throws in outfield

May 01, 2021, 8:23am

Nationals

Strasburg throws off mound, Soto throws in outfield

Stephen Strasburg and Juan Soto each took another step toward returning to the Nationals roster prior to today's game, Strasburg throwing off the bullpen mound for the first time since he landed on the 10-day injured list and Soto continuing to throw in right field to test out his strained left shoulder. Both players are now eligible to be activated off the IL, but both still have additional steps they need to take before the club makes the move, especially in Strasburg's case. Strasburg, who...

387 Hits

Comments

Tags:

injuries juan soto mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime stephen strasburg yadiel hernandez featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 23 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

May 01, 2021, 7:16am

Nationals

A quick turnaround from a night game to a day game is never easy, but when it comes on the heels of a walk-off win, it does at least brighten everyone's mood a little bit. So the Nationals have to be feeling pretty good about themselves after Friday night's 2-1, 10-inning victory over the Marlins, capped by Kyle Schwarber's 454-foot blast to right-center. In order to keep the good vibes going, they'll need Patrick Corbin to give themselves a chance to win today. Once this season, the...

0 Hits

Comments

Tags:

andrew stevenson kyle schwarber lineups mark zuckerman miami marlins nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin yadiel hernandez frontstory_nationals1

Nats ready to transition from alternate site to minor leagues

April 30, 2021, 8:09pm

Nationals

Nats ready to transition from alternate site to minor leagues

When they needed to make a transaction prior to Friday's game to open up a spot on the active roster for Jon Lester, the Nationals elected to option right-hander Steven Fuentes. That wasn't terribly surprising; the 23-year-old prospect hadn't appeared in a game after getting called up 10 days earlier, and the organization wants to make sure he gets back into a typical, five-day routine as a starter who may have a bright future here. The more notable aspect of the transaction was the location...

215 Hits

Comments

Tags:

davey martinez fredericksburg nationals mark zuckerman miami marlins minor leagues nationals nationals pastime nationals farm report frontstory_nationals3

Another Schwarber walk-off blast lifts Nats to victory (updated)

April 30, 2021, 6:11pm

Nationals

Another Schwarber walk-off blast lifts Nats to victory (updated)

The Nationals have gotten used to this by now, looking up at the scoreboard and staring at a string of zeros, not only in their column but next to the opponent's name as well. They'd already been involved in four games that were scoreless entering the sixth, not to mention three games that finished 1-0. (They won two of those, against the Diamondbacks and Cardinals, and lost the other, to the Dodgers.) So tonight's series opener against the Marlins on a blustery night on South Capitol Street...

272 Hits

Comments

Tags:

jon lester kyle schwarber mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime davey martinez featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Soto, Strasburg still need to pass throwing tests before return

April 30, 2021, 12:01pm

Nationals

Soto, Strasburg still need to pass throwing tests before return

The Nationals are getting Jon Lester back from the injured list tonight. They'll have to wait a while longer to get Juan Soto and Stephen Strasburg. Though both superstars are now eligible to come off the 10-day IL, neither has been able to pass the throwing tests necessary to be activated. Soto, out since April 20 with a left shoulder strain, did begin some light tossing Thursday for the first time, manager Davey Martinez said in today's pregame Zoom session with reporters. He was due to...

390 Hits

Comments

Tags:

davey martinez injuries juan soto mark zuckerman miami marlins nationals nationals pastime stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 22 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins (Lester to start)

April 30, 2021, 11:10am

Nationals

Game 22 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins (Lester to start)

The Nationals signed Jon Lester over the winter to be a big part of their rotation, counting on the veteran left-hander to make 30 starts and win big games for them. Tonight, he finally makes his D.C. debut. Lester, the last of nine Nats players still on the COVID-19 injured list, has been activated and will start tonight's series opener against the Marlins. It took longer than expected, but after three rehab outings at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg, the 37-year-old is ready to...

341 Hits

Comments

Tags:

jon lester josh bell lineups mark zuckerman miami marlins nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman trea turner featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Should the Nats rotation positives outweigh the negatives?

April 29, 2021, 9:06pm

Nationals

Should the Nats rotation positives outweigh the negatives?

What are we to make of the Nationals rotation as the season's first month comes to a close? There's ample reason for serious concern, yet there's also not-so-insignificant reason to be encouraged. The bad: Nationals starters currently own a 5.18 ERA, which ranks 28th out of 30 major league clubs. Their 1.323 WHIP is slightly better but still ranks a mere 22nd. Four times this season their starter has been charged with six or more earned runs, tied for the most in the major leagues. The good:...

297 Hits

Comments

Tags:

erick fedde joe ross jon lester mark zuckerman max scherzer miami marlins nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Thursday morning Nats Q&A

April 28, 2021, 9:05pm

Nationals

Well, it's been an eventful April for the Nationals, has it not? A COVID-19 outbreak. Injuries to Stephen Strasburg and Juan Soto. Some truly awful starts by a supposedly elite rotation. Some really ugly swings by Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber. But then there have been some spectacular starts by Max Scherzer, Joe Ross and Erick Fedde. Six homers from Trea Turner. A Ryan Zimmerman resurrection. Quality work from the bullpen. What should we make of all this? At 9-12, are the Nats in major...

0 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar q&a frontstory_nationals3

Nats bounce back with comfortable win over Jays (updated)

April 28, 2021, 6:00pm

Nationals

Nats bounce back with comfortable win over Jays (updated)

If there has been a consistent theme to a mostly disappointing April for the Nationals, it has been the all-or-nothing nature of most ballgames. There have been very few run-of-the-mill, back-and-forth contests. Most have either been comfortable wins or blowout losses. The lineup either explodes for a big night or is completely shut down. The starting pitcher either looks fantastic or gets blasted. In the long run, that formula isn't going to take the Nats to the place they desire. But in the...

217 Hits

Comments

Tags:

erick fedde josh bell josh harrison mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman toronto blue jays trea turner featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Lester still waiting for decision, Soto still waiting to throw

April 28, 2021, 1:38pm

Nationals

Lester still waiting for decision, Soto still waiting to throw

The Nationals haven't yet figured out their pitching plans for the weekend. And it doesn't appear they will until they've decided if Jon Lester truly is ready to make his long-awaited season debut. Lester, who opened the season on the COVID-19 injured list, has made three rehab starts at the club's alternate training site in Fredericksburg. On Sunday, he threw 90 pitches over six innings, which would typically be as much as a pitcher needed before he was activated. And the Nats may indeed...

225 Hits

Comments

Tags:

davey martinez jon lester juan soto mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime toronto blue jays featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 21 lineups: Nats vs. Blue Jays in Dunedin

April 28, 2021, 11:44am

Nationals

Game 21 lineups: Nats vs. Blue Jays in Dunedin

The Nationals need to generate offense any way they can right now. How do they do that, given the resources currently available to them? They have to stick with some of their struggling regulars and sprinkle in some backups who create more favorable matchups. Tonight, with left-hander Steven Matz on the mound for the Blue Jays, that means an emphasis on right-handed hitters. Manager Davey Martinez decided the best way to do that was to stack four right-handed bats atop his lineup (Trea Turner,...

264 Hits

Comments

Tags:

blue jays erick fedde hernan perez josh harrison lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime frontstory_nationals1

Slumping at the plate, Schwarber is still performing in the field

April 26, 2021, 7:47pm

Nationals

Slumping at the plate, Schwarber is still performing in the field

Kyle Schwarber has not lived up to the standard expected of him through his first two weeks on the Nationals' active roster, and he'd be the first to admit that. The 28-year-old outfielder is batting an ice-cold .192 (10-for-52) with one homer, three RBIs, 18 strikeouts and only two walks in 13 games since coming off the COVID-19 injured list. There have been some hard-hit balls recently, including a 409-foot shot to the base of the wall in center field Sunday in New York that was snagged by...

253 Hits

Comments

Tags:

davey martinez kyle schwarber mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime new york mets featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

How do Nats find ways to score runs while Soto's out?

April 25, 2021, 8:03pm

Nationals

How do Nats find ways to score runs while Soto's out?

You can talk about the reasons the Nationals are currently 8-11 and point out that Juan Soto and Stephen Strasburg are currently on the injured list, that nobody in their rotation outside of Max Scherzer owns an ERA under 4.64 or that nine members of the opening day roster were in quarantine on opening day. And all of those are indeed among the reasons the Nats are 8-11 as they spend this off-day on the Florida Gulf Coast in advance of a two-game interleague series versus the Blue Jays at their...

253 Hits

Comments

Tags:

davey martinez josh bell juan soto kyle schwarber mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime new york mets featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Corbin's struggles, Nats' mistakes lead to another loss (updated)

April 25, 2021, 11:53am

Nationals

Corbin's struggles, Nats' mistakes lead to another loss (updated)

The final tally - Mets 4, Nationals 0 - suggested a one-sided game. It suggested yet another rough start for Patrick Corbin and yet another lifeless afternoon at the plate for a Nats lineup that has been shut out five times in 19 games to begin the season. In reality, this had a chance to be a far more competitive ballgame, perhaps even a victory for the visitors. It proved not to be because the Nationals did just about everything in their power to spoil the countless opportunities they had to...

255 Hits

Comments

Tags:

davey martinez kyle schwarber mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime new york mets patrick corbin trea turner victor robles featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Nats hope healthy Zimmerman doesn't go cold after week off

April 25, 2021, 8:18am

Nationals

Nats hope healthy Zimmerman doesn't go cold after week off

It's not uncommon for Ryan Zimmerman to go an entire week without appearing in a major league game. This is a player, after all, who has dealt with every manner of injury throughout his 16-year career, and has required time off both in the short and long term to get his body right. But never before has Zimmerman missed an entire week while on the Nationals' active roster and, by all accounts, healthy enough to play. Until this week. It's been seven days since the face of the franchise showed...

182 Hits

Comments

Tags:

davey martinez juan soto mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime new york mets ryan zimmerman stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 19 lineups: Nats at Mets

April 25, 2021, 6:41am

Nationals

Despite what they might try to insist, managers are a superstitious lot. When something works one day, they tend to not want to change it up the next day. So when the Nationals scored a season-high seven runs Saturday with a new-look lineup, you shouldn't be surprised to see Davey Martinez go right back to the same lineup for today's series finale in New York. Yes, that means Josh Harrison and Yadiel Hernandez are at the top of the batting order again. And it means Josh Bell, despite his...

0 Hits

Comments

Tags:

josh bell josh harrison lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime new york mets patrick corbin victor robles yan gomes frontstory_nationals1

Hernandez makes most of rare start, makes case for more

April 24, 2021, 7:53pm

Nationals

Hernandez makes most of rare start, makes case for more

Yadiel Hernandez has two stints on the Nationals roster already this season, once because of the club's end-of-spring COVID-19 outbreak and once because of Juan Soto's shoulder strain. He entered Saturday having taken 11 plate appearances in eight games, starting only one of them. So what did the 33-year-old rookie outfielder think when he learned he not only was in Saturday's lineup against the Mets, but would be batting second? "In reality, I wasn't expecting it," he said during a Zoom...