Mark Zuckerman

Soto sits again, Rainey throws again, cabbage races again

March 11, 2021, 6:23am

Juan Soto reported to The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches this morning, feeling better after spending Wednesday at home with what was believed to be a sinus issue, and wanted to play in the Nationals' exhibition game against the Marlins. And Davey Martinez initially put Soto in his lineup. He was batting second, behind Victor Robles and ahead of Trea Turner in the latest attempt by the manager to see if that new-look trio atop the order could work. Then Martinez thought better of it. Soto was...

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Lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in Jupiter (updated)

March 11, 2021, 4:25am

Nationals

Lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in Jupiter (updated)

Another day, another opportunity for Davey Martinez to try out what appears to be his preferred opening day lineup. That's the one that opens with Victor Robles, Juan Soto and Trea Turner, in that order. At this point, it should be clear Martinez really, really, really wants Robles to prove he can handle the leadoff spot. And though he has flip-flopped Soto and Turner in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, this arrangement (with Turner serving as Soto's protection) seems to be the manager's...

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How to evaluate Kieboom midway through camp

March 10, 2021, 6:29pm

Nationals

How to evaluate Kieboom midway through camp

There are two types of ballplayers in any spring training camp: Those who know they can use this time to prepare themselves for the regular season, and those who believe they need to perform now to have a chance to still be around for the regular season. As much as everyone wishes he was in the first category, the truth is many are left stuck in the latter group. These are the guys who are competing for jobs, and because of that they often feel like their spring numbers matter a lot more than...

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Scherzer ramps up, Soto stays home, Parra plays in B game

March 10, 2021, 11:42am

Nationals

Scherzer ramps up, Soto stays home, Parra plays in B game

After using his first start of the spring to make sure his sprained left ankle was healed and his pitching mechanics were still in proper form, Max Scherzer remarked that his objective was to "go out there, get my work in and worry about getting the intensity later." It appears five days counts as "later" in Scherzer's mind. Making his second start of the spring this afternoon in West Palm Beach, Fla., Scherzer looked like a midseason version of himself. He faced nine Cardinals batters and...

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Lester already noticing positive effects of parathyroid removal

March 10, 2021, 7:08am

Nationals

Lester already noticing positive effects of parathyroid removal

Though he didn't quite know it at the time, Jon Lester does know he wasn't feeling right at least a year ago. The veteran left-hander, who has built a legacy as one of baseball's true workhorses, noticed he didn't have as much energy as he used to. He would take the mound at Wrigley Field at times last season and feel way more fatigued than should've been at that stage of a game. "There would be times where I would run out in the fifth, sixth, seventh inning and feel like I hit a brick...

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Lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in West Palm Beach

March 10, 2021, 5:42am

Nationals

Lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in West Palm Beach

The second half of spring training begins today. Yep, 20 days have passed and 20 days remain before the Nationals break camp and head north. So this is about the time when things begin to start ramping up a bit, when pitchers start pitching more, when regulars start playing more. In that vein, Max Scherzer today makes his second start of the spring. He threw 38 pitches over 1 2/3 innings Friday night against the Cardinals. Today, against the same St. Louis squad, he's scheduled to throw 50...

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For Harrison, versatility is the name of the game

March 09, 2021, 7:13pm

Nationals

For Harrison, versatility is the name of the game

Josh Harrison has been an everyday player. From 2014-17, he took an average of 516 plate appearances for the Pirates and managed to earn two All-Star selections and even a ninth-place finish in National League MVP voting. Harrison's true value, though, lies in his ability to do what most others in baseball cannot do: play multiple positions well while still providing a quality bat. Which means the 33-year-old is more valuable to a club not when he's in the lineup daily, but when he's coming...

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All systems normal for Strasburg in return from wrist surgery

March 09, 2021, 4:46pm

Nationals

All systems normal for Strasburg in return from wrist surgery

The two times Stephen Strasburg took the mound in 2020, Davey Martinez couldn't help but watch nervously, knowing his co-ace was dealing with some kind of ailment in his right hand. And as he watched Strasburg the first few times he threw off a mound this spring in West Palm Beach, Fla., the fourth-year manager again had to at least think about his pitcher's surgically repaired wrist and hope there weren't any lingering issues. But by the time Strasburg strode to the mound inside The...

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Lester won't make game debut until at least next week

March 09, 2021, 10:35am

Nationals

Lester won't make game debut until at least next week

Jon Lester's Nationals debut won't come quite as soon as everyone initially hoped it might. The veteran left-hander, recovering from surgery to remove his thyroid gland, is now back in West Palm Beach, Fla., and picking up where he left off when he departed town last week for the procedure. But despite some thought at first he might pitch in a Grapefruit League game by the end of this week, the club has now decided to bring him along a bit slower. "He did some exercises yesterday, he did...

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Lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

March 09, 2021, 9:06am

Nationals

Lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

The last time Stephen Strasburg pitched in a game, he didn't make it out of the first inning. Three batters into his Aug. 14 against the Orioles at Camden Yards, the right-hander departed with an all-too-familiar slump of his shoulders, another injury having prevented him from pitching. Seven months later, Strasburg is back on the mound tonight. The carpal tunnel neuritis that plagued his wrist and caused his hand to go numb last summer has been fixed. By all accounts, he's healthy and good...

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Key to Nats having real bullpen depth: Suero and Finnegan

March 08, 2021, 7:11pm

Nationals

Key to Nats having real bullpen depth: Suero and Finnegan

The Nationals liked their bullpen depth before they ever signed Jeremy Jeffress, so they clearly still like their bullpen depth even after releasing Jeffress on Sunday for non-performance reasons. But they do need a couple of less-proven relievers to step up and prove they deserve to be trusted by manager Davey Martinez to get important outs when the season begins. The Nats' top four relief arms - Brad Hand, Daniel Hudson, Will Harris, Tanner Rainey - are set to handle the late innings. The...

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Pitching in his first game in a year, Ross feels right at home

March 08, 2021, 11:56am

Nationals

Pitching in his first game in a year, Ross feels right at home

For nearly a year, Joe Ross had only been able to play catch with his brother, Tyson, or perhaps face a few hitters on a field at home in California. Finally this spring, there were a couple of sessions of live batting practice against his Nationals teammates, but still not an actual game against another team wearing a different uniform. So while today's Grapefruit League exhibition in West Palm Beach, Fla., between the Nats and Mets may not have meant much to most of the participants, it...

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Nats won't detail Jeffress decision; Lester back in camp

March 08, 2021, 6:47am

Nationals

Nats won't detail Jeffress decision; Lester back in camp

Though they will not reveal any reasons for Sunday's release of reliever Jeremy Jeffress, the Nationals are acknowledging the surprise move was not for baseball reasons. General manager Mike Rizzo, speaking to reporters via Zoom this morning from West Palm Beach, Fla., repeated the unusual phrase he provided Sunday in announcing the Jeffress release, saying only it was for "personnel reasons." Rizzo deflected several follow-up questions seeking a more detailed explanation but did concede...

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Lineups: Nats vs. Mets in West Palm Beach

March 08, 2021, 5:18am

Nationals

Lineups: Nats vs. Mets in West Palm Beach

Slowly but surely, the Nationals are putting a team on the field that resembles the one we'll see in April. And today's game against the Mets might feature the closest yet. The lineup is full of regulars, with the added twist of Ryan Zimmerman at first base. And with Victor Robles again leading off, that creates a whole lot of depth. To wit: Starlin Castro is batting seventh in this arrangement. That's an awfully good No. 7 hitter. Davey Martinez does have Trea Turner batting second, ahead...

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How the Nats are trying to get better stopping the run game

March 07, 2021, 6:30pm

Nationals

How the Nats are trying to get better stopping the run game

In a short 2020 season filled with frustrating loses, the Nationals' Sept. 20 doubleheader opener in Miami was especially agonizing. The seven-inning game was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth when Max Scherzer loaded the bases with two outs, then thought he was out of the jam when he got Starling Marte to ground to third on his 119th pitch of the afternoon, only to watch in horror as Eric Thames dropped Carter Kieboom's low throw. That sequence was so emblematic of the Nats' disappointing...

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Lester to rejoin club Monday, Jeffress released

March 07, 2021, 6:53am

Nationals

Lester to rejoin club Monday, Jeffress released

Jon Lester is flying back to West Palm Beach, Fla., today and is expected to be back in Nationals camp Monday to resume his preparation for the season following successful surgery to remove his thyroid gland. Manager Davey Martinez said the prognosis on Lester's thyroidectomy, performed Friday in New York, were "very encouraging" and the veteran left-hander should be fine to pick up where he left off upon leaving camp the middle of last week. "He'll be with us tomorrow," Martinez said...

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A still-early attempt at projecting the opening night roster

March 05, 2021, 7:10pm

Nationals

A still-early attempt at projecting the opening night roster

Would you believe spring training is already 40 percent complete? That's right, the Nationals have made it through the first 16 days of a 40-day camp. Time flies when you're having fun, huh? (Or when there's actually baseball being played.) That's not to suggest the Nats are anywhere close to being ready for opening night, though. They've still got a lot to figure out over the next 24 days. Truth be told, they've barely answered any of the most pressing questions they faced when they...

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Ankle sprain behind him, Scherzer gets back to work

March 05, 2021, 5:02pm

Nationals

Ankle sprain behind him, Scherzer gets back to work

Max Scherzer has dealt with sprained ankles before. Both his left and his right, actually. So when it happened about four weeks ago and briefly delayed his spring training debut, the Nationals ace wasn't particularly worried about that. No, what Scherzer was more worried about was a sprained left ankle setting off a chain of events that might lead to an injured right arm. "When you progress through something like this, one little thing can lead to another little thing, and that can lead up to...

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Lester has surgery, Armenteros shut down with sore arm

March 05, 2021, 10:56am

Nationals

Lester has surgery, Armenteros shut down with sore arm

Jon Lester underwent thyroid removal surgery today in New York and was recovering this afternoon, according to Nationals manager Davey Martinez. Martinez said the club was still waiting to hear from doctors for more details about Lester's procedure, which was scheduled two days ago after the veteran left-hander and cancer survivor reported feeling tired, prompting medical tests that concluded his thyroid gland should be removed. "The only thing that came out of it was that's he's...

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Lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in West Palm Beach

March 05, 2021, 9:46am

Nationals

Max Scherzer is on the mound tonight for the Nationals, so all is right with the world. At least, as right as is possible these days. The ace right-hander, who sprained his left ankle about two weeks before pitchers and catchers reported to West Palm Beach, Fla., has overcome the injury and built his arm back up to be able to pitch tonight against the Cardinals. In the end, he's actually the first member of the Nationals' projected opening day rotation to start a game this spring. Scherzer is...