Mark Zuckerman

Game 107 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

July 30, 2019, 11:13am

Why was Monday night's win so important for the Nationals? Because it allowed them to take early control of this three-game series with the Braves, who are now the ones facing some pressure to bounce back and not let their lead in the division dwindle to 3 1/2 games. The Nationals still have plenty of work to do to take this series, and they face a stiff challenge tonight with Erick Fedde - not Max Scherzer - getting the start. Fedde hasn't faced Atlanta yet this season, but he's quietly put...

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Soto shows off improved glove with leaping grab at wall

July 29, 2019, 8:34pm

Nationals

Soto shows off improved glove with leaping grab at wall

The ball went flying off Adam Duvall's bat and all eyes immediately turned toward Juan Soto in deep left field to gauge just how well Duvall had hit it. The way he calmly backtracked to the wall, Soto certainly seemed to have a bead on it. But when he ran out of real estate and had to leap, the crowd at Nationals Park held its collective breath, waiting to see which side of said wall it would come down on. Only Soto knew for sure he was going to haul it in. "I never thought it's going to be...

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Rendon's slam lifts Nats a step closer to Braves (updated)

July 29, 2019, 6:31pm

Nationals

Rendon's slam lifts Nats a step closer to Braves (updated)

He stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, two outs and a ballgame between the division's top two clubs tied in the bottom of the sixth. The crowd, which had been fairly docile all night, only stood to urge the batter on once he got to a 2-0 count and the scoreboard began pleading with everyone to "Get On Your Feet!" Once they rose, they didn't sit down again until Anthony Rendon had crushed the ball 412 feet to left field, circled the bases, danced through a line of teammates in the...

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Scherzer placed on IL, Fedde recalled (updated)

July 29, 2019, 11:18am

Nationals

Scherzer placed on IL, Fedde recalled (updated)

Max Scherzer spent a grand total of 20 days on the injured list in his first 11 1/2 seasons as a big league pitcher. Among all his other achievements during a potential Hall of Fame career, his ability to take the ball every turn through the rotation for more than a decade stood out as especially rare in today's game. Now a lingering back injury is guaranteed to keep the Nationals ace sidelined at least 26 total days in the span of a month, all during a critical portion of the season in which...

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After surviving Dodgers, banged-up Nats now host Braves

July 28, 2019, 7:33pm

Nationals

After surviving Dodgers, banged-up Nats now host Braves

The Nationals survived their weekend series with the Dodgers. That's probably the best way to describe what took place the last three days on South Capitol Street, where the majors' hottest team of the last two months took on the majors' best team of the entire season and suffered a pair of frustrating losses before bouncing back to win Sunday's finale. Given the matchup and the state of their pitching staff, the Nats couldn't complain about the 1-2 result. Nor their 3-4 overall record...

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Strasburg again leads the way in much-needed win (updated)

July 28, 2019, 12:48pm

Nationals

Strasburg again leads the way in much-needed win (updated)

Max Scherzer was trying to get his upper back healthy enough to pitch again. Davey Martinez and Adam Eaton were fuming in the clubhouse after getting ejected in the bottom of the first. Matt Adams was in the trainer's room getting his injured right foot treated. The Nationals were missing plenty this afternoon as they faced the very real prospect of a weekend sweep at the hands of the Dodgers, and their first four-game losing streak since May. But they had something their vaunted opponents did...

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Scherzer's chances of facing Braves dwindling (Nats win 11-4)

July 28, 2019, 8:54am

Nationals

Scherzer's chances of facing Braves dwindling (Nats win 11-4)

Max Scherzer's chances of missing another start against the Braves appear to be growing, leaving the Nationals again facing the prospect of a critical series with the National League East leaders without the services of their ace. Scherzer, still dealing with a lingering upper back injury that has limited him to one start in the last three weeks, has not yet thrown a ball since receiving a stem cell injection Friday for what he described as a "mild strain" of the rhomboid muscle on top of...

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Game 105 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers

July 28, 2019, 6:22am

Nationals

The Nationals haven't been in this position for a while, needing to win a series finale to avoid a sweep. It was an all-too-common scenario back in April and May, but they've usually found themselves in the polar opposite situation since. But after dropping their first two games to the Dodgers this weekend - not to mention after dropping Thursday's finale against the Rockies as well - they really need a win this afternoon. Stephen Strasburg's on the mound, and that's a good thing for the...

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Nationals left confused by ruling on play at plate

July 26, 2019, 8:56pm

Nationals

The focus should have been on Adam Eaton, whose 11-pitch at-bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh Friday night might well have been his best of the season. After fouling off five straight pitches from Cy Young Award contender Hyun-Jin Ryu, the Nationals' scrappy No. 2 hitter lined a base hit over the shortstop's head, bringing the tying run home as a crowd of 37,491 roared with approval. But the focus instead wound up on what happened at the end of the dramatic play during...

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Nationals' fatal flaw on display in 4-2 loss to Dodgers (updated)

July 26, 2019, 6:26pm

Nationals

The pennant race tonight returned to South Capitol Street, where a crowd of 37,491 turned the ballpark as electric as it had been in at least a month, the last time the Nationals faced a fellow National League contender. The Nationals and Dodgers put on a show worthy of these kind of high stakes and gave a taste of what a potential five-game series might look and feel like should they meet again come October. Then again, during a 4-2 loss the Nats also offered up a painful look at the fatal...

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Muscle strain leaves Scherzer's status up in the air

July 26, 2019, 2:20pm

Nationals

Muscle strain leaves Scherzer's status up in the air

Though he felt fine in the immediate aftermath of Thursday's start against the Rockies, Max Scherzer cautioned all along he wouldn't know he was in the clear from his lingering back injury until he saw how he felt after he woke up today. So when Scherzer arose this morning and felt tightness in his upper back, he was frustrated but not surprised. And now the Nationals ace again faces uncertain status for his next start. Scherzer had an MRI taken earlier today, and that test revealed what he...

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Game 103 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers

July 26, 2019, 11:19am

Nationals

And now begins the toughest portion of the Nationals' schedule. They've been able to feast on some struggling teams (Marlins, Tigers, Royals, Orioles, Rockies) in recent weeks, but now the Nats have back-to-back series against the National League's top two teams to date this season: the Dodgers and Braves. Next week's series vs. Atlanta means more in the grand scheme of things, but that doesn't mean the Nationals can gloss over this weekend set with the 30-games-over-.500 Dodgers, who have...

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Scherzer rusty, but healthy in return from injured list

July 25, 2019, 9:19pm

Nationals

Scherzer rusty, but healthy in return from injured list

Max Scherzer would've liked the outcome to be better. He would've liked to last more than five innings. He would've liked to give up fewer than three runs. He would've liked to not be pulled after only 86 pitches. But all of that from Thursday's start was secondary in Scherzer's mind to the more pressing takeaway: He felt healthy for the first time in three weeks. And as long as he still feels healthy when he gets up today and heads to Nationals Park to play catch, he'll be satisfied...

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After clutch hits, exhausted Nats bullpen takes loss (updated)

July 25, 2019, 3:51pm

Nationals

After clutch hits, exhausted Nats bullpen takes loss (updated)

After getting an abbreviated start from Max Scherzer, yet another clutch hit from Gerardo Parra, a tack-on homer from Matt Adams and six outs from Tanner Rainey, Tony Sipp and Wander Suero, Davey Martinez reached the top of the ninth this evening with the Nationals holding a one-run lead over the Rockies. But now the second-year manager had to answer the most pressing question of the day: Who was going to pitch the ninth? This isn't a difficult question the vast majority of the time. Sean...

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Soccer star Krieger celebrated before series finale (Nats lose 8-7)

July 25, 2019, 12:57pm

Nationals

Soccer star Krieger celebrated before series finale (Nats lose 8-7)

Growing up a baseball fan in Northern Virginia in the '90s, Ali Krieger was an Orioles fan. Given the fact there was no major league team in Washington at the time - not to mention the quirky fact her aunt grew up with and actually dated Cal Ripken Jr. way back when - this was understandable. Once baseball returned to town in 2005, Krieger was all-in on the Nationals. And that still holds true today, even as the soccer star travels the world winning World Cups and returns home now to Orlando,...

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Voth shut down with shoulder tendinitis

July 25, 2019, 11:05am

Nationals

The Nationals' fifth-starter carousel is going to be without one of its members for a while. Austin Voth, who was beginning to establish himself as a viable back-of-the-rotation option for manager Davey Martinez before landing on the injured list earlier this week, has been diagnosed with shoulder tendinitis and has been shut down from throwing. Voth was tentatively scheduled to start last Sunday in Atlanta, taking over with Max Scherzer not yet ready to return from his own injury. But the...

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Game 102 lineups: Nats vs. Rockies

July 25, 2019, 9:01am

Nationals

The last time Max Scherzer was on the mound for the Nationals, he was wearing an Expos uniform. And he was on fire. With seven scoreless innings of 11-strikeout ball against the Royals, Scherzer had capped off a brilliant seven-start stretch that included a 7-0 record, 0.87 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 79-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Scherzer, of course, hasn't pitched since then because of a back injury, finally diagnosed as an inflamed bursa sac underneath his right shoulder blade. He's back at last...

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Nationals' 50-game turnaround has been historic

July 24, 2019, 2:58pm

Nationals

When the Nationals hit their low point back on May 24, more than a few publications wrote off their chances of winning in 2019. Why, a certain longtime beat writer declared it would be "nearly impossible to turn the entire season around." Ha ha ha. What a moron. Guess what the Nationals proceeded to do. They turned their entire season around. There's still a long way to go, and they haven't clinched anything yet. But what the Nats have done just to this point to get back into the thick of...

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Nationals do enough right to win opener (updated)

July 24, 2019, 12:08pm

Nationals

The stands were mostly empty, the prospect of a long day and night of baseball was looming and the Nationals and Rockies had to conjure up the energy to get through today's doubleheader opener on their own. That made for what at times was a sleepy afternoon of baseball on South Capitol Street. In the end, the Nationals managed to engage themselves just enough at the right moments to walk away with a 3-2 victory and give themselves an opportunity to sweep the doubleheader when Patrick Corbin...

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Adams back in spotlight with Zimmerman on IL (Nats up 2-1)

July 24, 2019, 8:29am

Nationals

Adams back in spotlight with Zimmerman on IL (Nats up 2-1)

Matt Adams has been in this position before. It happened last year. It happened earlier this year. Adams has known throughout his tenure with the Nationals that his playing time would be limited when Ryan Zimmerman was healthy. But he's also known he would need to step in and become a regular if and when Zimmerman suffered injury, an all-too-frequent occurrence in recent years. So when Zimmerman went down Sunday night with a recurrence of the plantar fasciitis that sidelined him two months...