Mark Zuckerman

Game 148 lineups: Nats at Braves

September 14, 2018, 11:51am

ATLANTA - Throughout the summer, the Nationals and Braves have known they'd be playing each other just once in September: this weekend at SunTrust Park. The way things were going, it had the potential to be a critical series in the National League East race. Emphasis on "had," not "has." Yes, the Nats still technically are alive, and perhaps a weekend sweep would put some pressure on the Braves for the season's final two weeks. But here's the key fact: Every day since August 16, the...

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Velocity still down, but Strasburg pitching better

September 12, 2018, 7:42pm

Nationals

Velocity still down, but Strasburg pitching better

PHILADELPHIA - Some might see the radar gun, with a fastball velocity in the 92-94 mph range, and wonder what's wrong with Stephen Strasburg. Davey Martinez sees it as an opportunity for the veteran right-hander to show off his skills that don't require velocity. "He's pitching now," Martinez said after Strasburg tossed seven innings of one-run ball to beat the Phillies on Wednesday. "He's mixing all of his pitches in and attacking the strike zone. He fell behind a couple times and got...

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Nats' stars rise to sweep Phillies, win fifth straight (updated)

September 12, 2018, 6:05pm

Nationals

Nats' stars rise to sweep Phillies, win fifth straight (updated)

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals know the math. They've reached a point in the season where it would take a miracle - or, at least, something historic - to catch the Braves and win the National League East title. But perhaps those miniscule odds are actually helping contribute to this sudden surge by one of the majors' most disappointing teams in 2018. When they were still facing real pressure to turn their season around, the Nationals caved. Now that the pressure is off, they're playing a...

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Hellickson wants to start, but Nats may not have room (up 5-1)

September 12, 2018, 2:25pm

Nationals

Hellickson wants to start, but Nats may not have room (up 5-1)

PHILADELPHIA - Jeremy Hellickson is off the disabled list and back on the Nationals pitching staff. How the veteran right-hander fits into that pitching staff over the season's final 2 1/2 weeks remains undecided. Hellickson, who hasn't pitched since Aug. 15 due to a sprained right wrist, was activated today and is willing to be available out of the bullpen for tonight's series finale against the Phillies if needed. But beyond that, the 31-year-old made it clear he believes he deserves to...

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Game 146 lineups: Nats at Phillies

September 12, 2018, 11:30am

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - Well, we've reached the final day and game of this wacky series. And for now, the Nationals and Phillies are on schedule and set to wrap things up tonight as planned (though there is a slight chance of rain this evening). The forecast also looks decent for Thursday's makeup game against the Cubs in D.C., and for probably Friday and Saturday's games in Atlanta. Sunday ... that could be a different story, especially if Hurricane Florence indeed turns south as is now being...

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Holland puts in overtime pitching both ends of twinbill

September 11, 2018, 9:03pm

Nationals

Holland puts in overtime pitching both ends of twinbill

PHILADELPHIA - Greg Holland had done it before, pitched both ends of a doubleheader. But as he pointed out, "I was younger when I did it." Yes, it had been five years since Holland last pitched twice on the same day. He actually did it twice for the Royals in 2013, recording two saves a piece on April 21 against the Red Sox and Aug. 16 against the Tigers. Holland was 27 at the time. He's 32 now, trying to turn around what, for him, has been an admittedly disastrous season. And he's managing...

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Soto leads furious Nats comeback to win in extras (updated)

September 11, 2018, 7:32pm

Nationals

Soto leads furious Nats comeback to win in extras (updated)

PHILADELPHIA - Through a set of circumstances none of them would ever want to endure again, the Nationals found themselves taking the field in the ninth inning tonight having not lost a baseball game since Thursday. Their winning streak was only three games, but add three postponements to the mix and you've got a team that hadn't known what a loss felt like in a while. Down three runs and having shown few signs of life at the plate since the early innings, there was reason to believe the Nats...

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Soto keeps climbing the teenage ladder (6-6 in 10th)

September 11, 2018, 4:40pm

Nationals

Soto keeps climbing the teenage ladder (6-6 in 10th)

PHILADELPHIA - Juan Soto keeps climbing up the Major League Baseball teenage ladder. Soto launched a two-run homer off Jake Arrieta in the top of the fourth tonight, his 17th home run of the season, which leaves him in some exclusive company. The Nationals rookie outfielder, who won't turn 20 until October 25, is now fourth all-time in major league homers by a teenager, having passed Ken Griffey Jr. tonight. The only players ahead of him: Tony Conigliaro (24 in 1964), teammate Bryce Harper (22...

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Game 145 lineups: Nats at Phillies

September 11, 2018, 3:05pm

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - We're back for the nightcap of today's doubleheader. The field has held up, and most importantly the rain has held off all day. Now the Nationals look to sweep their second doubleheader in four days and move to within 1 1/2 games of the second-place Phillies, who are in serious trouble right now. The challenge for the Nats will be tougher tonight, with Jake Arrieta getting the start. Davey Martinez is using the same top five guys in his lineup, with changes only to the bottom...

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Fedde, Kieboom lead Nats to 3-1 win in opener (updated)

September 11, 2018, 2:34pm

Nationals

Fedde, Kieboom lead Nats to 3-1 win in opener (updated)

PHILADELPHIA - The infield was playable. The rain held off. Gabe Kapler used 23 of his 39 available players. Erick Fedde put forth the best start of his young career. Spencer Kieboom lost a tooth and then hit his first career home run. And there's still another game to be played tonight at Citizens Bank Park. Who knows what the nightcap of this doubleheader has in store, but the Nationals certainly can't complain about what took place during their 3-1 victory over the Phillies in the...

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Field ready for play today, weather permitting (Nats up 3-0)

September 11, 2018, 10:17am

Nationals

Field ready for play today, weather permitting (Nats up 3-0)

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals are preparing to play two games today at Citizens Bank Park. They have no way of knowing if they'll actually be able to play two games, but they have no choice but to prepare and hope the hours of work the Phillies grounds crew put in to dry out and smooth a rain-soaked infield did the trick. "It's better," manager Davey Martinez said at 1:30 p.m., roughly 90 minutes before scheduled first pitch of the doubleheader. "It's better than yesterday. We'll see....

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Game 144 lineups (take two): Nats at Phillies

September 11, 2018, 8:29am

Nationals

Game 144 lineups (take two): Nats at Phillies

PHILADELPHIA - Hello again from Citizens Bank Park, where the blowtorches were back out on the infield at noon today, only three hours before scheduled first pitch of this doubleheader. They've since been moved off to the side, but there's still a lot of tilling/rolling/drying work being done on the infield, so I'm not sure you can say with any confidence yet that today's action will start on time (or at all, if we want to consider the worst-case scenario). Oh, also there's a good chance...

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What happens if the Nats can't play seven games this week?

September 10, 2018, 7:53pm

Nationals

What happens if the Nats can't play seven games this week?

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals mostly were able to laugh off Monday night's bizarre postponement at Citizens Bank Park due to an infield that was unplayable, the first Major League Baseball game that couldn't be played because of "wet grounds" since Sept. 21, 1987 at Milwaukee's County Stadium. But they won't be laughing at the end of this week if they aren't able to play the seven games on their schedule that all could be threatened by bad weather, creating the potential for some tricky...

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"Wet grounds" postponement adds to Nats' bizarre week

September 10, 2018, 4:36pm

Nationals

"Wet grounds" postponement adds to Nats' bizarre week

PHILADELPHIA - In this, the summer of rain delays and rainouts and agonizing losses and surprise comebacks, the Nationals tonight experienced something that would have sounded impossible if not for everything else they've experienced in recent months: a game postponed not because of rain that fell today but several days ago, making the infield unplayable. Yes, tonight's series opener against the Phillies had to be called off because - despite the frantic efforts of the Citizens Bank Park...

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Nats-Phillies opener postponed by unplayable infield

September 10, 2018, 2:06pm

Nationals

Nats-Phillies opener postponed by unplayable infield

PHILADELPHIA - After experiencing two postponements and a doubleheader that wasn't completed until 1:42 a.m. this weekend in Washington, the Nationals are now looking at a likely delay (and potential postponement) in Philadelphia due to an unplayable infield that was not covered while the Phillies were out of town in recent days. Yes, the status of tonight's series opener at Citizens Bank Park is up in the air at the moment because the infield may not be playable in time, despite the furious...

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Game 144 lineups: Nats at Phillies

September 10, 2018, 11:34am

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - Hello from Citizens Bank Park, where it is currently ... raining. Ah, there's a certain sense of comfort in traveling away from home but still feeling like you're home. The forecast actually doesn't look terrible for tonight: a 30 percent chance of showers. By Nationals standards of late, that's downright beautiful! The Nationals arrive here weary from a ridiculously long weekend against the Cubs that included three games played in two days, two postponements and a final out...

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Smooth ride for Doolittle in return from DL

September 08, 2018, 10:29pm

Nationals

Smooth ride for Doolittle in return from DL

He entered via the passenger's seat of the bullpen cart, his feet propped up on the dashboard, his glove covering his mouth to conceal the laughter underneath it all. It was the top of the eighth inning, it was 11:57 p.m., and Sean Doolittle was back pitching for the Nationals after two months on the disabled list. And, as he promised all along, he rode in on the cart, becoming the first pitcher from either the home or visiting team at Nationals Park to partake of the recently unveiled...

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Long, rainy day and night ends with doubleheader sweep

September 08, 2018, 8:40pm

Nationals

Long, rainy day and night ends with doubleheader sweep

It began with a rain delay. It ended after another rain delay. In between, the Nationals played two baseball games with the Cubs, saw Max Scherzer throw a complete game, inducted Jayson Werth into their Ring of Honor, saw Bryce Harper launch a go-ahead home run off the bullpen cart, saw Sean Doolittle become the first pitcher ever to enter Nationals Park via said bullpen cart and saw Greg Holland record the save at 1:42 a.m. in front of perhaps 200 fans. Oh yeah, the Nationals also swept a...

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Werth "honored" to be added to Nats' Ring of Honor

September 08, 2018, 5:55pm

Nationals

Werth "honored" to be added to Nats' Ring of Honor

There will be those who look at Jayson Werth's name on the faÃ§ade of the upper deck down the first base line at Nationals Park, unveiled tonight and there to stay as long as this stadium lives, and question whether the outfielder was worthy of such an honor. Those people probably have always scoffed at the $126 million contract the Nationals gave Werth way back in December 2010 and still don't believe it was the right move for the franchise. But if you watched the ceremony that took place...

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Scherzer goes the distance in 10-3 rout over Cubs (updated)

September 08, 2018, 4:01pm

Nationals

Scherzer goes the distance in 10-3 rout over Cubs (updated)

This was going to be a long, aggravating day and night at the ballpark no matter what took place on the field. Such is life when you're attempting to play a doubleheader after failing to even complete 1 1/2 innings the previous night due to rain, with more rain certain to fall in different waves during the course of this day and night. But for all the aggravation, there was at least this bit of consolation for the Nationals and their fans: They were going to get to see Max Scherzer pitch. And...