Mark Zuckerman

Surgery possible for Strasburg to fix carpal tunnel neuritis

August 21, 2020, 11:38am

Stephen Strasburg's follow-up exam with a hand specialist confirmed the Nationals' initial diagnosis of carpal tunnel neuritis. The veteran right-hander and the club are still discussing a course of action to address the injury, but manager Davey Martinez acknowledged surgery is a possibility. "I'm going to talk to him, see what his options are and what he wants to do," Martinez said this afternoon during his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "But I think it's something that's going...

429 Hits

Comments

Tags:

Game 22 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

August 21, 2020, 10:13am

Nationals

The Nationals return to action tonight. Howie Kendrick does not. For the sixth straight scheduled game and seventh straight day overall, Kendrick is not in the team's starting lineup. That's a growing concern, because before Wednesday night's game in Atlanta was rained out, manager Davey Martinez made it sound like there was a good chance the veteran hitter would be ready to play tonight against the Marlins. Clearly, he's not. Stay tuned. With Kendrick and Starlin Castro out for the last...

354 Hits

Comments

Tags:

davey martinez howie kendrick lineups luis garcia mark zuckerman miami marlins nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin frontstory_nationals2

Long weekend of baseball still on tap for now

August 20, 2020, 9:42pm

Nationals

Long weekend of baseball still on tap for now

After their first scheduled series was postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak that swept through the Marlins roster, the Nationals finally will face Miami for the first time in 2020 this weekend, with a rare five-game series on tap that includes the first 14-inning doubleheader in club history. At least, that's the plan as of right now. All systems appeared to be go for tonight's opener at Nationals Park, but then Thursday evening the Marlins' series finale against the Mets was called...

264 Hits

Comments

Tags:

ben braymer erick fedde mark zuckerman max scherzer miami marlins nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin wil crowe featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Thursday morning Nats Q&A

August 19, 2020, 3:46pm

Nationals

Well, the Nationals are getting back-to-back days off, thanks to last night's rainout in Atlanta. (For those who wonder why they scheduled a doubleheader for Sept. 4 instead of making up the game today, players generally tend to prefer doubleheaders over losing scheduled days off, especially at home. Plus, they would've already checked out of their hotel before heading to the ballpark yesterday afternoon.) It was an eventful road trip, one that saw the Nats officially go 5-4 but also lose the...

0 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime q&a featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Nats hope Kendrick is ready Friday, need starter Saturday

August 19, 2020, 1:47pm

Nationals

Nats hope Kendrick is ready Friday, need starter Saturday

Though he's out of the lineup for the fifth consecutive day, the Nationals continue to believe Howie Kendrick will be ready to return from a tight hamstring soon enough to make a trip to the injured list unnecessary. Kendrick last played Friday night in Baltimore, going 1-for-5 with a sacrifice fly in the Nationals' 15-3 rout of the Orioles. He has complained of a tight hamstring since, and despite some hope he would be available to pinch-hit, it hasn't happened yet. With an off-day...

225 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves ben braymer howie kendrick mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime sean doolittle seth romero wil crowe featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Game 22 lineups: Nats at Braves

August 19, 2020, 11:38am

Nationals

In spite of all their issues - and they have plenty - the Nationals can win a road series against the Braves with a victory tonight and move to within two games of first place in the National League East. Truth be told, they should already have won this series and were one out away from doing it. This doesn't mean everything's perfect in NatsTown. But it does serve as a reminder things aren't always as bad as they seem. There's still a significant challenge ahead tonight in the series...

288 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves erick fedde howie kendrick lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime yan gomes

Struggling Voth still searching for answers

August 18, 2020, 9:39pm

Nationals

Struggling Voth still searching for answers

Austin Voth earned a spot in the Nationals' opening day rotation based on the major step forward he took in 2019, when increased velocity, improved command and renewed confidence came together to make the rookie right-hander look like a part of the organization's long-term plan. Four starts into his 2020 campaign, Voth finds himself searching to gain all of that back. And soon. "Definitely the last couple starts just haven't felt confident on the mound," he said during his Zoom session...

269 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves austin voth davey martinez mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Seven relievers post five zeros in Nationals' win (updated)

August 18, 2020, 6:55pm

Nationals

Davey Martinez can wish for more innings from his rotation. Until it actually happens, he has no choice but to ask for a lot from his bullpen. That unit couldn't finish the job Monday night during a gut-punch loss in Atlanta. Tonight, seven different relievers joined forces to pitch five scoreless innings and complete the job. And when Daniel Hudson, pitching for the third straight day and only 24 hours removed from an ugly blown save, closed it out in the bottom of the ninth, the Nationals...

232 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves austin voth daniel hudson juan soto kyle finnegan luis garcia mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime tanner rainey trea turner featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

For Martinez, baseball's unwritten rules have changed

August 18, 2020, 1:50pm

Nationals

For Martinez, baseball's unwritten rules have changed

During a 16-year playing career from 1986-2001 that included 6,480 plate appearances, Davey Martinez reached a 3-0 count 300 times. And on only four of those occasions did he put the ball in play, going 2-for-4 with a triple. Such an approach wasn't uncommon in those days. Most guys didn't swing on a 3-0 count. And they certainly didn't in a lopsided game, when doing so could be construed as showing up the opposition. Martinez still feels that way. And if he was at the plate in that kind of...

268 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves davey martinez juan soto mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Game 21 lineups: Nats at Braves

August 18, 2020, 11:31am

Nationals

The Nationals did a lot of things right Monday night. And because of it, they were in position to win their series opener against the Braves at Truist Park. Of course, they didn't win because of Daniel Hudson's disastrous bottom of the ninth, so that only adds to the pressure to emerge victorious in tonight's middle game of the series. The Nats will hope to continue hitting the longball the way they did Monday when they smacked four homers. But they also need to take advantage of their other...

302 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves austin voth howie kendrick lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime frontstory_nationals2

GarcÃa shows off power, dance moves, Soto-like approach

August 17, 2020, 9:29pm

Nationals

GarcÃa shows off power, dance moves, Soto-like approach

Luis GarcÃa isn't a power hitter. At least, he hasn't been throughout his professional career. The 20-year-old infielder hit a total of 12 home runs in 1,308 minor league plate appearances. So when GarcÃa stepped to the plate Monday night in Atlanta and launched a 410-foot blast to right-center for his first home run in his ninth career major league plate appearance, his manager had some particular words of advice once he returned to the dugout. "Don't let it go to your head," Davey...

68 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves davey martinez juan soto luis garcia mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Pair of ninth-inning homers off Hudson shock Nats (updated)

August 17, 2020, 6:53pm

Nationals

Pair of ninth-inning homers off Hudson shock Nats (updated)

Yes, they already played 19 games over the last 3 1/2 weeks, an erratic stretch of games their manager referred to as "seesaw baseball." In practical terms, 2020 really began for the Nationals tonight in Atlanta with their first game against their top division rival in a season that will be defined by intradivisional play. The first of 10 games between the Nats and Braves was exactly what you'd expect it to be: a tense, tight, perhaps contentious battle between a couple of heavyweights that...

299 Hits

Comments

Tags:

anibal sanchez atlanta braves daniel hudson juan soto luis garcia mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime tanner rainey will harris featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Kieboom's glove better than expected on both sides of infield

August 17, 2020, 1:34pm

Nationals

Kieboom's glove better than expected on both sides of infield

As much as the Nationals have gone out of their way to keep Carter Kieboom focused on learning how to play third base, the rookie infielder is actually spending a lot of time on the other side of the diamond so far this season. When they utilize the shift against a left-handed batter, the Nats are leaving Trea Turner at shortstop and having Kieboom move all the way over to what would typically be the second baseman's spot on the infield (with the second baseman moving into shallow right...

284 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves carter kieboom davey martinez luis garcia mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Soto named NL Player of the Week

August 17, 2020, 11:51am

Nationals

Juan Soto was named National League Player of the Week after a torrid road trip at the plate. During a seven-game stretch at the Mets and Orioles, Soto hit .462 (12-for-26) with five home runs, 12 RBIs, 12 runs scored at a 1.610 OPS. He hit safely in six of the seven games and drove in a run in five of the seven contests. Though he doesn't qualify yet for the league leaderboard because he opened the season on the injured list while quarantining from what he believes was a false positive test...

294 Hits

Comments

Tags:

juan soto mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime nl player of the week featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 20 lineups: Nats at Braves

August 17, 2020, 11:36am

Nationals

The Nationals' season will be 33.3 percent complete at the end of the night, but they'll have played only 17.5 percent of their division games for 2020. Yes, things are moving quickly in this shortened season, but there's a whole lot of opportunity left to win the games that matter most. It begins tonight with a three-game series in Atlanta against the Braves, who are 13-10 and tied with the 9-6 Marlins for first place in the National League East but still dealing with their fair share of...

394 Hits

Comments

Tags:

anibal sanchez atlanta braves howie kendrick juan soto lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime frontstory_nationals3

After "seesaw" start, Nats want to start climbing uphill

August 16, 2020, 7:46pm

Nationals

After "seesaw" start, Nats want to start climbing uphill

There have been moments over the last 3 1/2 weeks when the Nationals looked very much like legitimate contenders, a team with a deep lineup, a dominant (when healthy) rotation and a revamped bullpen that might actually have morphed into a strength for the first time in a long time. And then there have been moments when the defending champions have looked nothing like the club that played .667 ball for more than six months last year, the current lineup ravaged by injuries and underperforming...

413 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves davey martinez mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Heated Nats eke out 6-5 win to take weekend series (updated)

August 16, 2020, 12:44pm

Nationals Orioles

Heated Nats eke out 6-5 win to take weekend series (updated)

BALTIMORE - A game that featured a lot of quality at-bats by a reconfigured lineup, a heated (and very audible) exchange with the plate umpire that led to the ejection of the hitting coach and dismissal of a pitcher watching from the stands, a dominant start by Max Scherzer that imploded via a couple of monster home runs and then a gift error to allow the go-ahead run to score ultimately came down to the two flamethrowers the Nationals now deploy at the back of their bullpen. The Nats were...

302 Hits

Comments

Tags:

baltimore orioles daniel hudson juan soto mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime pedro severino tanner rainey featured_sidebar

Game 19 lineups: Nats at Orioles

August 15, 2020, 8:04pm

Nationals Orioles

BALTIMORE - If you haven't heard, the Nationals have started this 60-game season with a 7-11 record. And if you haven't heard, the equivalent record in a 162-game season would be 19-31. Yes, with 30 percent of the 2020 season completed, the Nats are playing at exactly the same pace they played at through the first 30 percent of the 2019 season. But wait, there's more. At this point last season, the Nationals were scoring 4.38 runs per game. This season, they're scoring 4.39. Their on-base...

340 Hits

Comments

Tags:

baltimore orioles lineups mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime frontfeatured_nationals

Fedde, bats save the day after Strasburg leaves early (updated)

August 14, 2020, 8:06pm

Nationals Orioles

Fedde, bats save the day after Strasburg leaves early (updated)

BALTIMORE - Given the negative developments that already taken place over the preceding hours since they arrived at Camden Yards for 1 4/9 games of baseball, the Nationals would have been excused if they all threw up their hands in disgust at the sight of Stephen Strasburg walking off the mound with a trainer in the bottom of the first and decided to pack it in for the rest of the night. An early season of injuries, postponements and erratic play had now taken down one of their aces, who...

377 Hits

Comments

Tags:

baltimore orioles erick fedde luis garcia mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime stephen strasburg yan gomes featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Strasburg departs in first inning with apparent injury

August 14, 2020, 5:41pm

Nationals Orioles

Strasburg departs in first inning with apparent injury

BALTIMORE - Stephen Strasburg's hand doesn't appear to be OK after all. Strasburg had to come out of tonight's game against the Orioles after throwing only 16 pitches, his velocity down and his command off, the nerve issue in his right hand that prevented him from making his first two starts of the season evidently causing a problem again. The Nationals were hoping Strasburg would be fine five days after he made his delayed 2020 debut against this same Orioles lineup in D.C. After that...