Mark Zuckerman

Nats again can't keep Braves in the yard in 7-6 loss (updated)

September 10, 2020, 5:47pm

There appear to be two ways to beat the Braves, neither simple. You can try to outslug one of the most powerful lineups in baseball. Or you can try to keep Ronald AcuÃ±a Jr. and Freddie Freeman in the ballpark. Again, neither of these is a simple task, as the Nationals have painfully learned over the last week. And because they once again couldn't keep AcuÃ±a and Freeman in the yard, and couldn't turn a good night at the plate into a great night at the plate, they suffered another loss to...

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Martinez, Nats coaches to wear No. 21 in honor of Clemente

September 10, 2020, 11:44am

Nationals

Martinez, Nats coaches to wear No. 21 in honor of Clemente

During his 16 seasons as a major league player, Davey Martinez wore five different jersey numbers: 1, 3, 14, 17 and 30. And during his decade-plus as a coach and manager, Martinez has worn No. 4. Tonight, when he steps out of the dugout at Nationals Park and lines up for the national anthem before their series opener against the Braves, he'll finally have the No. 21 on his back. With Major League Baseball celebrating Roberto Clemente Day and granting permission for players and other uniformed...

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Game 42 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

September 10, 2020, 10:57am

Nationals

How do you stop a team that just scored 29 runs last night? By sending your winless No. 5 starter with an 8.26 ERA to the mound, obviously. On paper, tonight's matchup does not appear to favor the Nationals. Austin Voth is pitching, still seeking his first win in his eighth start of the season. And he's facing a Braves lineup that just set a modern National League record last night with 29 runs in a blowout win over the Marlins, a game in which they actually didn't score in either the first...

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What to make of the Nationals' sudden resurgence

September 09, 2020, 6:57pm

Nationals

They fell to 12 games under .500, their low point in what to date had been a dismal season that was slipping away before their eyes. And then something inexplicable flipped the switch and they started winning and started looking like they were actually enjoying themselves again for the first time all year. It happened in late May 2019, and we know how that turned out in the end. Now it's starting to happen in early September 2020, and the Nationals can't help but wonder how it will end this...

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Kendrick placed on IL with left hamstring strain

September 09, 2020, 8:17am

Nationals

Kendrick placed on IL with left hamstring strain

The Nationals have placed Howie Kendrick on the 10-day injured with a left hamstring strain, a decision that seemed more and more likely in recent days as the veteran hitter struggled to get himself in the lineup. Kendrick did not play in either of the Nats' two wins over the Rays to begin the week after sitting out Sunday's series finale against the Braves. He missed a week in mid-August with what manager Davey Martinez described as "sore hamstrings," apparently debilitating enough that he...

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Doolittle tapping into former delivery to return to peak form

September 08, 2020, 9:44pm

Nationals

Doolittle tapping into former delivery to return to peak form

Step by step, Sean Doolittle is rediscovering the form that made him one of baseball's most effective relievers in recent seasons. And that's in part because of the near-step he's brought back to his delivery. After a summer of diminished velocity, gaudy stats and plenty of tinkering, Doolittle is finally starting to look like his old self again. He hasn't allowed an earned run in five appearances since returning from the injured list and a rehab stint at the Nationals' alternate training...

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Nats outplay Rays again for fourth win in five (updated)

September 08, 2020, 5:25pm

Nationals

Nats outplay Rays again for fourth win in five (updated)

These are not the 2019 Nationals. Not in name and not in style of play. Most likely, they won't finish the season like their 2019 version did, either. But for now, that's not worth stressing over. Instead, take a step back and just appreciate what this ever-changing 2020 Nationals club is now doing. They don't have the star power - or the offensive power - of their World Series champion predecessors. But over the last week, they're finally starting to play with some passion. They're...

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Injury updates on Soto, Kendrick, GarcÃa, Bacus

September 08, 2020, 11:21am

Nationals

Injury updates on Soto, Kendrick, GarcÃa, Bacus

Juan Soto is back in the Nationals lineup tonight, a welcome relief from a group that missed its best hitter for five games. But the club is still being cautious with Soto, who will be restricted to designated hitter duties tonight against the Rays while recovering from a sore left elbow. "We kind of want to keep him from throwing right now," manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "He swung yesterday. I told him: 'Just see if you can hit. We'll let you...

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Game 41 lineups: Nats vs. Rays

September 08, 2020, 10:59am

Nationals

The 2020 regular season, believe it or not, is now two-thirds complete. There are only 20 games left for the Nationals to try to climb their way back into the expanded postseason, and the odds remain awfully slim. At 15-25, they're currently five games behind the .500 Marlins and Giants for the eighth and final berth in the National League field. To get to .500, the Nats would need to go 15-5 the rest of the way. Maybe they'd get in a game or two under .500, but you get the idea. It's going...

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Despite taking a licking, Suzuki keeps on ticking

September 07, 2020, 6:23pm

Nationals

Despite taking a licking, Suzuki keeps on ticking

Kurt Suzuki has caught more than 1,400 games over 14 major league seasons, so he knows what he's getting himself into every time he squats behind the plate. It's going to be painful at times, and there's nothing he can do about that. But it does seem like the 2020 season has been exceptionally painful for the Nationals catcher, who on a nightly basis has been taking errant pitches and foul balls off every corner of his body, protected or unprotected. "I feel like as I've gotten older,...

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Scherzer, makeshift lineup come together to beat Rays (updated)

September 07, 2020, 4:46pm

Nationals

Scherzer, makeshift lineup come together to beat Rays (updated)

After a grueling, 11-game road trip that for all practical purposes quashed hopes of October baseball around here, the Nationals returned home this evening just needing to feel good about themselves for a change. A makeshift lineup that was missing four key regulars from recent weeks due to nagging injuries only made the task more challenging against a Rays club that came into the day with the American League's best record. But what that lineup lacked in name power made up for it with...

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Game 40 lineups: Nats vs. Rays (GarcÃa scratched)

September 07, 2020, 11:55am

Nationals

Game 40 lineups: Nats vs. Rays (GarcÃa scratched)

After what felt like the longest road trip ever - but in reality was only 10 days and 11 games - the Nationals return home tonight to open a five-game homestand. And they're facing stiff competition right out of the gate in the exceptional Rays. Owners of the American League's best record at 28-13, Tampa Bay has quietly put together an outstanding team, even if many of the names don't jump right out at you. The Rays don't hit for a ton of power, but they get on base and they score runs. So...

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Rizzo is latest unusual ejection for Nats in unusual year

September 07, 2020, 11:42am

Nationals

Rizzo is latest unusual ejection for Nats in unusual year

Twenty-four hours later, Nationals manager Davey Martinez still isn't entirely sure what happened between general manager Mike Rizzo and the umpiring crew during Sunday's series finale in Atlanta. "I'm actually still a little confused about the whole deal," Martinez said during his Zoom session with reporters before tonight's series opener against the Rays. "I didn't realize, honestly. I didn't realize he got thrown out." Rizzo did get thrown out by home plate Hunter Wendelstedt in...

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More on the Nationals' newsy Saturday

September 05, 2020, 9:38pm

Nationals

It turned into quite a newsy Saturday down in Atlanta. And that was before the Nationals went out and beat the Braves for the second night in a row, winning 10-4 despite the lack of Juan Soto in the lineup and a 3 2/3-inning start from Erick Fedde. Let's run back through some of the most important developments of the day ... * Mike Rizzo's contract extension There was nothing surprising about the announcement of Rizzo's new three-year deal that keeps him as the Nationals' president of...

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Nats find unconventional formula to beat Braves again

September 05, 2020, 6:42pm

Nationals

Nats find unconventional formula to beat Braves again

At this point, it's clear the Nationals aren't going to win ballgames in 2020 in the manner we've all been accustomed to for the better part of the last decade. This current team can't win on the broad shoulders of an elite rotation, nor does it currently have the power bats to outslug a lineup like the Braves possess. Tonight, the Nats proved they can do it differently. They can overcome another short and disappointing start. They can score 10 runs without benefit of a homer. And they can...

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Kieboom returns to play every day, Difo dropped from roster

September 05, 2020, 2:01pm

Nationals

Kieboom returns to play every day, Difo dropped from roster

Their lineup ravaged by a recent spate of injuries, the Nationals recalled Carter Kieboom from their alternate training camp today, plugged their struggling prospect into tonight's lineup against the Braves and declared him their starting third baseman for the rest of this abridged season. Kieboom, who had been optioned to the camp in Fredericksburg on Aug. 26, was already in Atlanta as part of the club's traveling taxi squad for this weekend's series at Truist Park. Team officials liked the...

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Game 38 lineups: Nats at Braves (Kieboom recalled)

September 05, 2020, 12:49pm

Nationals

Game 38 lineups: Nats at Braves (Kieboom recalled)

Friday's doubleheader took a lot out of the Nationals, who over the course of 14 innings of baseball used eight pitchers, gave up 16 runs on 18 hits and eight walks, allowed seven homers and threw 259 pitches. So, what do they have left in the tank for tonight's game in Atlanta? Well, they've got Erick Fedde starting, and they've got to hope he can provide some quality innings so Davey Martinez can hold off on his bullpen as long as possible. Fedde was pretty good in his first five starts,...

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Rizzo gets three-year extension to remain GM through 2023

September 05, 2020, 12:20pm

Nationals

Rizzo gets three-year extension to remain GM through 2023

As always, the Lerner family made Mike Rizzo wait. And as always, the Nationals owners ultimately kept their commitment to the man who built their baseball organization from laughingstock to World Series champion. The Nationals announced a contract extension with Rizzo today, locking up their president of baseball operations and general manager only a month before his current deal was set to expire. Terms were not publicly disclosed, but a source confirmed it is for three years, keeping Rizzo...

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Another Voth start, another loss for reeling Nats (updated)

September 04, 2020, 2:41pm

Nationals

Another Voth start, another loss for reeling Nats (updated)

Major League Baseball games are not supposed to be quite so predictable. But when you put Austin Voth on the mound against a tough Braves lineup, in the opener of a doubleheader in Atlanta 24 hours after the bullpen was burned up in an extra-inning game in Philadelphia, and then pull Juan Soto out of a Nationals lineup that simply can't afford to lose its best hitter right now, what could Davey Martinez reasonably have expected? The ensuing result at Truist Park - a 7-1 loss to kick off this...

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First step toward better outfield defense: Better first steps

September 04, 2020, 10:44am

Nationals

First step toward better outfield defense: Better first steps

Defensive metrics always must be taken with a grain of salt, especially when using them to evaluate only 35 games. But even in small doses, they can shed some insight into a player and a team's performance in the field. The numbers right now say the Nationals have the worst defensive outfield in the majors, and it's across the board. Adam Eaton, with -4 Defensive Runs Saved, is tied for last among all right fielders. Victor Robles (-6) is tied for last among center fielders. And Juan Soto...