Mark Zuckerman

Finally healthy after two months, Doolittle off DL (another delay)

September 07, 2018, 2:04pm

What would Sean Doolittle have thought, the Nationals closer was asked today, if told when he first noticed what felt like a minor left toe injury on July 7 that he wouldn't return for two months? "I would've said you were crazy," the left-hander said. "I was feeling really good, and I was pitching better than I ever have in my career. If you had told me when I came out of that game that night that I was going to have to wait two months to get to do that again, I would've said you were...

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Game 142 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs

September 07, 2018, 11:22am

Nationals

It's been 425 days since Joe Ross last pitched in a major league game. Something didn't look right with the right-hander on July 9, 2017 when he lasted only 3 1/3 innings against the Braves and saw his velocity drop. Turns out he had a torn ligament in his elbow that required Tommy John surgery, and we all know how long it takes to return from that. Tonight, Ross will take the mound at Nationals Park again, just shy of 14 months later. He'll be facing a tough Cubs lineup, not to mention an...

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Morning notes: Robles, Holland and really long games

September 06, 2018, 8:20pm

Nationals

Morning notes: Robles, Holland and really long games

With left-handers starting for the Cubs the rest of the weekend, Victor Robles is most likely going to get some significant playing time and get his first major league start of the season. We got a taste of the dynamic rookie late during Thursday night's game, though, when he took over in center field as part of a double switch and found himself right in the center of action. Robles pinch-hit in the bottom of the seventh with a runner on first and nobody out. He grounded to third but managed...

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Nats lose another marathon to Cubs, 6-4 in 10 (updated)

September 06, 2018, 7:07pm

Nationals

Nats lose another marathon to Cubs, 6-4 in 10 (updated)

They battled, just like they always do. They also lost a close game late to the Cubs, which they also have done a few times in the last month. The Nationals' 6-4, 10-inning loss to Chicago tonight felt oh so familiar to anyone who has watched these teams play this summer. Just as they did twice during an agonizing weekend at Wrigley Field in August, the Nats put themselves in position to win. And just as they did then, they could not do the little things necessary to actually win. Up 4-3 in...

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Murphy ready for emotional return to Nationals Park

September 06, 2018, 2:25pm

Nationals

Daniel Murphy flew from Milwaukee to Washington late Wednesday night, rode home and slept in his own bed for the first time in 2 1/2 weeks. There was comfort in that routine, to be sure. Then Murphy rode today to Nationals Park and instead of entering the home clubhouse kept walking around the concourse to the visitors' side behind third base, where his No. 3 Cubs jersey was hanging in his locker and his name was listed in the No. 1 lineup slot for tonight's series opener. Yeah, these are...

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Game 141 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs

September 06, 2018, 11:27am

Nationals

They just took the official 2018 team photo here at Nationals Park, with players, coaches and club executives all standing out in direct sunlight in the middle of the diamond on a brutally hot day to smile for a few seconds and capture a shot of the team in its entirety. That is, the team in its entirety as it currently exists on September 6. Several players who will have played a key role on this team this season aren't included, because they're no longer part of the team. That includes...

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Nationals rally again, but lose again to Cardinals (updated)

September 05, 2018, 6:41pm

Nationals

It is becoming something of a running joke, that no matter how bad they play, no matter the deficit they face, the Nationals always seem to find a way to bring the tying run to the plate late in ballgames. Even though that doesn't always result in victory, it has legitimately become a defining quality of a team that certainly has been a major disappointment this season but rarely has rolled over and conceded defeat. So it shouldn't have surprised anyone when it happened again tonight, when...

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Rizzo expresses frustration with season, support for Martinez

September 05, 2018, 2:26pm

Nationals

Rizzo expresses frustration with season, support for Martinez

That the question was asked at all is evidence of the disappointment that has been the Nationals' 2018 season. But given the events of the last five months, not to mention the organization's history of changing managers, Mike Rizzo couldn't have been surprised today when he was asked during a wide-ranging scrum on the field at Nationals Park whether Davey Martinez will return in 2019. Rizzo's reply: "I haven't considered any other scenario." Skeptics will immediately dig up Rizzo's...

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Game 140 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals

September 05, 2018, 11:27am

Nationals

Can the Nationals play well enough tonight to take a three-game series from the Cardinals? Can Tanner Roark continue his second-half surge? Can the lineup continue to produce, right down to the bottom of the ninth? Shoot, can they simply play a nine-inning game in fewer than 3 1/2 hours? We'll find all of that out when the Nats wrap up their series with St. Louis with Roark on the mound. The right-hander took a bit of a step back in his last start, allowing three homers to the Brewers. But...

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Lacking in trusted options, Nats 'pen taking a pounding

September 04, 2018, 8:50pm

Nationals

Lacking in trusted options, Nats 'pen taking a pounding

The Nationals had 12 pitchers sitting in their bullpen Tuesday night, but that doesn't mean Davey Martinez had an abundance of appealing options when he needed to call down there for an arm. Of those 12 relievers, only two were on the club's opening day roster: Matt Grace and Sammy SolÃs. Only four of them have pitched in 30 or more games for the Nats this season: Grace and Solis, Justin Miller and Wander Suero. Tim Collins has made 27 appearances over two stints in Washington. Greg...

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Mistakes aplenty in Nats' 11-8 loss to Cards (updated)

September 04, 2018, 7:16pm

Nationals

Mistakes aplenty in Nats' 11-8 loss to Cards (updated)

In this summer of extremes for the Nationals, tonight's 11-8 loss to the Cardinals somehow felt appropriate. The Nats pitching staff posted zeros in six different innings during this game, often in impressive fashion. The lineup posted a four-spot in the bottom of the fifth with an impressive rally, then scored three times in the bottom of the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate. Unfortunately, the top of the second, sixth and ninth also counted in this contest, so the 11 combined...

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Robles returns to D.C. and finally gets to play with Soto

September 04, 2018, 2:19pm

Nationals

Robles returns to D.C. and finally gets to play with Soto

When Victor Robles arrived in Washington one year ago, he was touted as the Nationals' future star outfielder, the man who would perhaps make Bryce Harper's potential departure less difficult to swallow. When Robles arrived in Washington today, he found himself with a locker right next to Juan Soto, who over the last 3 1/2 months has taken over the title of Harper's potential replacement and already a star for the Nationals at 19. Not that Robles has suddenly turned into chump change. His...

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Game 139 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals

September 04, 2018, 11:29am

Nationals

It's a disgustingly hot and muggy day here in Miami - wait, this is Washington? Could've fooled me. Step outside, close your eyes and you won't be able to tell the difference. Promise. So much for a September cool down. Anyway, the Nationals and Cardinals return to action tonight after Monday's 10-inning thriller, the Nats looking to win two straight and get over the .500 mark. They'll do so with Erick Fedde on the mound for the first time in two months. Fedde, who last pitched July 4...

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Nats add six to roster, including Robles, Ross, McGowin

September 04, 2018, 11:15am

Nationals

Nats add six to roster, including Robles, Ross, McGowin

The Nationals added six players to their September roster today, promoting outfielder Victor Robles, infielder Adrian Sanchez, and right-handers Austin Voth and Kyle McGowin from Triple-A Syracuse, while also activating Erick Fedde and Joe Ross off the 60-day disabled list. With the minor league regular season wrapping up Monday, the Nationals had no more reason to wait to expand their roster. They now have 32 active players, including catcher Pedro Severino and reliever Austen Williams, who...

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Nats re-up with Single-A affiliates, leaving only Triple-A left

September 03, 2018, 8:07pm

Nationals

Nats re-up with Single-A affiliates, leaving only Triple-A left

Though the Nationals are still seeking a new Triple-A affiliate for the 2019 season, they already know their Double-A and both Single-A affiliates are going to stay exactly as they have more than a decade. The Nats announced new two-year extensions with both high-Single-A Potomac and low-Single-A Hagerstown on Monday, continuing their longstanding affiliations with both clubs through 2020. Neither announcement was a surprise; the Nationals have enjoyed a strong relationship with each club for...

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Harper delivers late to propel Nats to 10-inning win (updated)

September 03, 2018, 1:00pm

Nationals

Harper delivers late to propel Nats to 10-inning win (updated)

Whether the remaining month in the Nationals' 2018 season carries significance from the team's standpoint or not, there are individual performances aplenty to care about. Such is life when your roster includes a Cy Young Award candidate, a Rookie of the Year candidate and perhaps the final weeks of Bryce Harper's tenure in Washington. So while today's 4-3, 10-inning victory over the Cardinals probably won't make much difference in a National League playoff race the Nats have unofficially...

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Robles, Ross will be among Tuesday's call-ups (3-3 after nine)

September 03, 2018, 10:03am

Nationals

Robles, Ross will be among Tuesday's call-ups (3-3 after nine)

The Nationals' already-crowded outfield is going to get more crowded Tuesday when Victor Robles is promoted from Triple-A Syracuse to make his first big league appearance of the season. And with Joe Ross also making his return from Tommy John surgery, the Nats will have some pitching decisions to make. Though the club hasn't formally announced its full complement of September call-ups, manager Davey Martinez did acknowledge today that Robles will be among the players promoted following the...

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Nats prospect Romero has Tommy John surgery

September 03, 2018, 8:45am

Nationals

Nats prospect Romero has Tommy John surgery

The Nationals' long-term pitching plans took another hit last week when prospect Seth Romero had Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ligament in his elbow. Romero, the Nationals' first-round pick in the 2017 draft and fifth-rated prospect entering the season according to Baseball America, is expected to miss the entire 2019 season while recovering from surgery. The procedure was performed Thursday in Los Angeles by orthopedist Neal ElAttrache, according to a Nats spokesman. It's a...

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Game 138 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals

September 03, 2018, 6:35am

Nationals

Homecoming Week at Nationals Park continues. First, it was Gio Gonzalez and the Brewers. Coming up Thursday it'll be Daniel Murphy, Brandon Kintzler and the Cubs. But today it's Matt Adams and the Cardinals in town. Adams is batting third and starting at first base this afternoon, but it's been a slow start for Big City in his return to St. Louis. He's 3-for-21 with zero extra-base hits since the trade two weeks ago. Adams and his cohorts will be taking their hacks against Max Scherzer, who...

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Williams' scoreless debut a bright spot in loss

September 02, 2018, 7:48pm

Nationals

Williams' scoreless debut a bright spot in loss

The lasting image of Sunday's game for most will be of the two towering home runs surrendered by Jefry Rodriguez and Tim Collins during a seven-run fifth inning that turned the Nationals' series finale against the Brewers upside-down. For Austen Williams, the lasting image will be of the sixth and seventh innings. Yes, the game already flipped to the opponent's favor, with Milwaukee holding a 9-4 lead it would not relinquish. But the score doesn't matter so much when a young pitcher makes...