Mark Zuckerman

Little goes according to script in Nats' 7-3 loss (updated)

April 16, 2019, 6:21pm

Stephen Strasburg was serving up home runs with alarming regularity. The Giants, owners of the least productive lineup in the National League, were piling up runs. Davey Martinez was getting fired up and getting ejected. And Trevor Rosenthal was throwing strikes and retiring batters. No, very little went according to script tonight during the Nationals' 7-3 loss to the Giants. Was this just one of those nights when nothing makes sense? Or was any of this evidence of anything still to come?...

288 Hits

Comments

Tags:

Sources: Rendon, Nationals resumed negotiations today

April 16, 2019, 2:04pm

Nationals

Both the Nationals and Anthony Rendon have insisted they're willing to hold contract negotiations in-season, and they're staying true to their word. Rendon and general manager Mike Rizzo met this afternoon prior to batting practice before the Nationals' series opener against the Giants, according to multiple sources familiar with the meeting, which took place in the team's family room just outside the home clubhouse at Nationals Park. Managing principal owner Mark Lerner participated in the...

442 Hits

Comments

Tags:

anthony rendon contracts mark zuckerman mike rizzo nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Game 15 lineups: Nats vs. Giants

April 16, 2019, 11:22am

Nationals

We've got a pretty cool pitching matchup here in tonight's series opener between the Nationals and Giants. It's Stephen Strasburg versus Dereck RodrÃguez, son of IvÃ¡n, who of course was behind the plate for Strasburg's major league debut nine years ago. Yep, it's OK to start feeling old after reading that tidbit. After a great rookie season, RodrÃguez has pitched OK through his first three starts this year. But the way things are going, the Giants don't need great work out of...

288 Hits

Comments

Tags:

lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime san francisco giants stephen strasburg frontstory_nationals3

Some positive early-season developments (non-bullpen division)

April 15, 2019, 12:03pm

Nationals

Some positive early-season developments (non-bullpen division)

You know what the dominant storyline of the Nationals' season has been to date. It's been the overriding narrative in nearly all of their 14 games so far. Which sometimes pushes other players and facets of this team out of the spotlight, through no fault of their own. So as a new week begins and the Nationals prepare to host the Giants for three games, let's talk about some players and some performances without resorting to using the "B word" ... * Though individually they haven't all hit...

265 Hits

Comments

Tags:

adam eaton anthony rendon juan soto kurt suzuki mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin stephen strasburg victor robles yan gomes featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

SÃ¡nchez turns in latest gem for Nationals rotation

April 13, 2019, 8:59pm

Nationals

Before Wander Suero pitched a 1-2-3 top of the eighth, before Adam Eaton and Howie Kendrick hit back-to-back homers in the bottom of the eighth, before Sean Doolittle closed it out in the top of the ninth for the Nationals' first save of the season, there was AnÃbal SÃ¡nchez. The Nats' dramatic 3-2 win over the Pirates on Saturday wouldn't have been possible without the late heroics of several key figures. But neither would it have been possible without the seven standout innings...

40 Hits

Comments

Tags:

anibal sanchez mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime pittsburgh pirates featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

After drama on ice, a comeback on the diamond

April 13, 2019, 4:19pm

Nationals

After drama on ice, a comeback on the diamond

As he stood in the batter's box with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, fouling off pitch after pitch, Adam Eaton heard some random pockets of the stands at Nationals Park begin to cheer. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but he knew they weren't cheering his foul balls off Richard RodrÃguez. What Eaton didn't know was that 2.4 miles north of here at Capital One Arena, Brooks Orpik had just scored in overtime to give the Capitals a Game 2 win over the Hurricanes in their...

179 Hits

Comments

Tags:

adam eaton davey martinez howie kendrick mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime pittsburgh pirates wander suero washington capitals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Back-to-back blasts propel Nationals to come-from-behind win

April 13, 2019, 2:28pm

Nationals

The Nationals finally found a formula to win a game late: Get a scoreless top of the eighth from one of their few effective relievers, take the lead with back-to-back homers in the bottom of the eighth, then let Sean Doolittle take care of the ninth. Oh, and do all this moments after the Capitals win a playoff game in overtime a few miles away. Talk about a turn of events. On an otherwise lazy Saturday afternoon that saw them flail away at the plate for seven innings against Chris Archer, the...

220 Hits

Comments

Tags:

adam eaton anibal sanchez howie kendrick mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime pittsburgh pirates sean doolittle wander suero featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Williams is next man up in ever-changing bullpen

April 13, 2019, 11:46am

Nationals

Williams is next man up in ever-changing bullpen

Austen Williams figured something was up when he was summoned out of Fresno's bullpen in the third inning of Friday night's game at Las Vegas. He knew he wasn't being called in to pitch that early in a game. Sure enough, Williams' hunch was correct. He was being called up to Washington, and now he had to race the clock (and the sun) to get to D.C. in time for today's 4:05 p.m. game against the Pirates. Williams' itinerary: A red-eye flight from Las Vegas to Chicago, then a connecting...

293 Hits

Comments

Tags:

austen williams bullpen davey martinez justin miller mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime wander suero featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 13 lineups: Nats vs. Pirates

April 13, 2019, 8:27am

Nationals

The sun is out, and it's going to be a warm afternoon here on South Capitol Street as the Nationals and Pirates return to action after last night's rainy (and frustrating, for the Nats) affair. They'll try to get back on track with AnÃbal SÃ¡nchez on the mound, though, as we all know, the performance of the starter matters less than the performance of whichever relievers are summoned from the bullpen to replace said starter. On that front, the Nationals have a new face in the bullpen...

269 Hits

Comments

Tags:

anibal sanchez austen williams howie kendrick justin miller lineups mark zuckerman matt adams nationals nationals pastime pittsburgh pirates

Bullpen's latest collapse ends with Miller headed to IL

April 12, 2019, 8:13pm

Nationals

Bullpen's latest collapse ends with Miller headed to IL

They can't trust their planned setup man in any situation of consequence. The other experienced right-hander they added this winter can't prevent an inherited runner from scoring. The lefty they signed late in spring training doesn't look fully ready for this workload. And now one of the few members of the Nationals bullpen to perform early on and merit a chance in high-leverage spots is injured after three straight disastrous outings. Suffice it to say, the Nationals relief corps - already...

238 Hits

Comments

Tags:

davey martinez justin miller kyle barraclough mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime pittsburgh pirates featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Corbin's gem, Rendon's blasts wasted by another bullpen loss

April 12, 2019, 6:34pm

Nationals

Corbin's gem, Rendon's blasts wasted by another bullpen loss

Only two weeks in, the Nationals' lineup has established an encouraging trend for late-game heroics, often making up for the club's bullpen woes. Alas, they can't always count on their bats to do the job their relief corps cannot. Especially when they've already done it once on a given night. It happened tonight during a 6-3, 10-inning loss to the Pirates that was as discouraging as any to date this season. The Nationals wasted a brilliant performance by Patrick Corbin. They wasted Anthony...

225 Hits

Comments

Tags:

anthony rendon justin miller kyle barraclough mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin pittsburgh pirates sean doolittle tony sipp featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Scherzer pushed back to Sunday, Sipp good to go tonight

April 12, 2019, 1:46pm

Nationals

Scherzer pushed back to Sunday, Sipp good to go tonight

Max Scherzer insists he could start as planned Saturday, but the Nationals decided not to take any chances with their ace after he was struck by a comebacker in his last outing, so they've pushed him back to Sunday's series finale against the Pirates. AnÃbal SÃ¡nchez will now start Saturday afternoon, though the veteran right-hander will be on normal rest thanks to the club's off-day in between their just completed road trip and upcoming homestand. "It didn't affect anything,"...

352 Hits

Comments

Tags:

anibal sanchez davey martinez injuries mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime pittsburgh pirates tony sipp featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Game 12 lineups: Nats vs. Pirates

April 12, 2019, 11:26am

Nationals

For the first time this season, the Nationals are facing someone other than the Mets or Phillies. If they play, that is. Yes, if it's a home game, that means there's rain in the forecast. It appears that we may be OK early on, but there is a line of storms approaching that could impact us later tonight. As always, when we know something, you'll know it, too. The Nationals face a Pirates club that is off to a solid 6-5 start thanks to dominant pitching. They lead the league with a 2.61 ERA...

293 Hits

Comments

Tags:

lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin pittsburgh pirates frontstory_nationals3

As bullpen finally settles down, Nats say no to Norris

April 11, 2019, 6:35pm

Nationals

As bullpen finally settles down, Nats say no to Norris

That minor league deal the Nationals were working on with Bud Norris? It isn't happening anymore. And that Nationals bullpen that had been a train wreck through the season's first eight games? It might be starting to come together. Norris had been invited to West Palm Beach earlier this week to work out at extended spring training as Nationals baseball and medical personnel determined whether they believed the veteran right-hander was worth signing right now as a potential Band-Aid for their...

183 Hits

Comments

Tags:

bud norris joe ross mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies tony sipp trevor rosenthal wander suero featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Thursday morning Nats Q&A aboard Amtrak

April 10, 2019, 7:58pm

Nationals

SOMEWHERE ALONG THE AMTRAK NORTHEAST CORRIDOR - There's nothing quite like covering a road trip via the train. It's the way they used to do it all the time a few generations ago, and we still get a few opportunities to do it in the 21st century, like when the Nationals play the Mets and Phillies in succession. What a road trip this turned out to be to cap off a wild two weeks to begin this season. The Nats have survived their 11-game gauntlet against two division rivals and emerged with a...

0 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime new york mets philadelphia phillies q&a featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Nats win laugher, head home above .500 (updated)

April 10, 2019, 6:41pm

Nationals

Nats win laugher, head home above .500 (updated)

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals left town one week ago having survived a ragged homestand against the Mets and Phillies, with a mess of a bullpen, a shortstop with a broken finger and a daunting road trip looming against those same two division rivals. The Nationals will return home tonight owners of a winning record, thanks to a potent lineup that scored 49 runs in six games, quality starting pitching, better bullpen work, and a renewed vibe that has allowed this club to relax and enjoy the ride...

169 Hits

Comments

Tags:

anthony rendon bryce harper jeremy hellickson mark zuckerman matt adams nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies tony sipp trevor rosenthal victor robles featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

After 0-for-9 start, Adams looks to find his groove (Nats up 14-0)

April 10, 2019, 3:17pm

Nationals

After 0-for-9 start, Adams looks to find his groove (Nats up 14-0)

PHILADELPHIA - Matt Adams knows the situation here. He's not going to be regular playing at first base as long as Ryan Zimmerman is healthy. So the big slugger knows he's going to have to get himself into a rhythm at the plate even when he's only getting one at-bat a night as a pinch-hitter. "It's tough coming from spring training when you're playing every other day," he said. "You're getting pretty steady at-bats. And then you come in, and I knew I was going to be Zim's backup. He's...

180 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman matt adams nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Scherzer still recovering from comebacker, start in question

April 10, 2019, 2:06pm

Nationals

Scherzer still recovering from comebacker, start in question

PHILADELPHIA - Though they've listed him as their starter for Saturday's game against the Pirates, the Nationals aren't 100 percent sure yet Max Scherzer will be able to pitch as scheduled because he's still feeling the effects of a comebacker off his lower right leg in his last outing. Scherzer would normally have thrown off a bullpen mound today in advance of his next start. But with his ankle wrapped, he walked out to the field at Citizens Bank Park this afternoon and only threw off flat...

202 Hits

Comments

Tags:

anibal sanchez mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime new york mets pittsburgh pirates featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 11 lineups: Nats at Phillies

April 10, 2019, 11:32am

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - If you thought last night's game had some fireworks, you may want to tune in again tonight for the series finale between the Nationals and Phillies. Because if these two lineups were able to produce against Stephen Strasburg and Aaron Nola the way they did, imagine what could happen against Jeremy Hellickson and Nick Pivetta. No offense to those two right-handers, but they don't have the track record of last night's starters. And both have been beaten up by these respective...

229 Hits

Comments

Tags:

jeremy hellickson lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies frontstory_nationals1

Despite landmines, Nats surviving early NL East gauntlet

April 09, 2019, 10:24pm

Nationals

Despite landmines, Nats surviving early NL East gauntlet

PHILADELPHIA - It was well past 11 p.m. and inside the Nationals clubhouse players were still coming down from the high they had just experienced during a dramatic, come-from-behind 10-6 victory over the Phillies. Their manager seemed to be on the verge of tearing up as he praised his team for battling through a wild ballgame to emerge victorious. The players had let out a huge roar after holding a postgame "cabbage race" that continued a tradition started in spring training. Over by his...