Mark Zuckerman

Rodriguez making strides, making case for long-term

August 18, 2018, 8:15pm

The Nationals made a late rotation change this weekend, electing not to start Tommy Milone as planned Saturday night against the Marlins and instead promote Jefry Rodriguez from Triple-A. The rationale? Rodriguez had been on a roll - he had an 0.83 ERA over his last four starts, split between Syracuse and Washington - and Milone could prove more valuable as a much-needed long reliever in the bullpen. A lot of things didn't go right for the Nats during their 7-5, 10-inning loss. But the...

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Nats lose another wild one, fall to Marlins in 10 (updated)

August 18, 2018, 6:43pm

Nationals

Nats lose another wild one, fall to Marlins in 10 (updated)

The Nationals know they can't win every game the rest of the way, that there are going to be nights they simply don't put themselves in position to win and have to shrug off a loss. But they also know there have been and will continue to be games that are right there for the taking, games they absolutely must win if they have any hope of a meaningful, late-season charge. Games like tonight's contest against the Marlins, in which opportunities were abundant and victory was so close they could...

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Strasburg, Herrera both could return for Phillies series

August 18, 2018, 1:30pm

Nationals

Strasburg, Herrera both could return for Phillies series

The Nationals could have both Stephen Strasburg and Kelvin Herrera back on their active pitching staff for next week's series against the Phillies, though a final determination on each injured right-hander won't be made until Sunday at the earliest. Strasburg and Herrera each threw this afternoon at Nationals Park, and each appeared to emerge from the session in good shape. Strasburg threw more than 40 pitches in a bullpen session, a typical activity for him between starts. This came three...

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Game 124 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

August 18, 2018, 11:31am

Nationals

The Nationals tonight are seeking their third straight win, and they'll be doing so with a different pitcher on the mound then they originally planned. Tommy Milone no longer is starting this game; instead it'll be Jefry Rodriguez getting the promotion from Triple-A Syracuse. We haven't heard any official reasoning for this, but the hunch is simply that they liked the Rodriguez matchup against the Marlins better than Milone (who will still be available out of the bullpen). We're awaiting...

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Nationals set to unveil bullpen cart tonight

August 16, 2018, 9:47pm

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - OK, so it's not quite the addition to the Nationals bullpen everyone is looking for at this perilous moment in a season on the brink. But if the club's new bullpen cart can bring some smiles to people's faces and maybe even help relievers save some energy before they enter to pitch, this could prove to be an important late-summer acquisition after all. The Nats are set to unveil the "WGL Energy Bullpen Cart" later today and make it available for use by relievers from both teams...

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Miller, Glover close out 5-4 win to end road trip (updated)

August 16, 2018, 6:43pm

Nationals

Miller, Glover close out 5-4 win to end road trip (updated)

ST. LOUIS - It wasn't all that long ago that Davey Martinez had no shortage of established late-inning relievers at his disposal when he needed to try to close out a game. There was Sean Doolittle. There was Kelvin Herrera. There was Ryan Madson. There was Brandon Kintzler. When Martinez looked down to that bullpen this evening at Busch Stadium, though, none of those established guys were there. Or, at least not on the active roster. No, when he needed someone to protect a one-run lead against...

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After rehab start, Ross on track for September return (Nats up 5-4)

August 16, 2018, 3:50pm

Nationals

After rehab start, Ross on track for September return (Nats up 5-4)

ST. LOUIS - It may come too late to have much impact on their fortunes this season, but Joe Ross is on track to return from Tommy John surgery and pitch for the Nationals in September. Ross, who had elbow ligament replacement surgery on July 19, 2017, made a rehab start for Single-A Potomac this afternoon, throwing 63 pitches of scoreless ball over 3 2/3 innings. "He threw well," manager Davey Martinez said. "They said he had good action on his fastball, which is good, cause that's who he...

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Hellickson getting MRI, Strasburg still on target for Tuesday

August 16, 2018, 2:28pm

Nationals

Hellickson getting MRI, Strasburg still on target for Tuesday

ST. LOUIS - Jeremy Hellickson may not be able to make his next scheduled start for the Nationals, but Stephen Strasburg appears on track to return himself and perhaps mitigate the loss of Hellickson to a wrist injury suffered during Wednesday's loss. Hellickson, who hurt himself bracing for impact after he jumped over the Cardinals' Harrison Bader sliding across the plate on a wild pitch, had his right wrist wrapped in a protective sleeve today. He didn't attempt to play catch, as pitchers...

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Game 122 lineups: Nats at Cardinals

August 16, 2018, 11:48am

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - There may be no bigger house of horrors for the Nationals than Busch Stadium. Either version of the ballpark. Did you know that in the 14 seasons since this franchise arrived in D.C., it owns an 11-31 record on the road against the Cardinals? That's 11 wins in 14 seasons. That's really not good. And three of those wins came during a stunning sweep in May 2016. Given that backdrop, it's perhaps not all that surprising that the Nationals tonight are trying to avoid a four-game...

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After disastrous 72 hours, Nats cope with reality of standings

August 15, 2018, 10:28pm

Nationals

After disastrous 72 hours, Nats cope with reality of standings

ST. LOUIS - At 10:03 p.m. CDT Sunday, as Ryan Madson prepared to deliver his 2-2 pitch to David Bote at Wrigley Field, the Nationals were one strike away from moving to within 4 1/2 games of first place in the National League East. By 10:21 p.m. CDT Wednesday, as Trea Turner's fly ball to center field at Busch Stadium settled into Harrison Bader's glove, the Nationals were nine games back in the division. Yes, in the span of 72 hours, 18 minutes, this team lost 4 1/2 games in the standings....

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Nats lose Hellickson to wrist injury, fall nine games back (updated)

August 15, 2018, 7:22pm

Nationals

Nats lose Hellickson to wrist injury, fall nine games back (updated)

ST. LOUIS - This isn't the Nationals' longest road trip of the season. It only feels like it. And because of that, the 41 games that still remain on the schedule in 2018 are perilously close to losing all significance. With a lackluster 4-2 loss at Busch Stadium tonight, the Nationals dropped their third straight to the Cardinals and fell to 1-5 on this season-defining trip through Chicago and St. Louis. They are now, stunningly, the owners of a losing record at 60-61. And with the Braves...

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Strasburg could make return Tuesday vs. Phillies (Nats down 3-0)

August 15, 2018, 3:11pm

Nationals

Strasburg could make return Tuesday vs. Phillies (Nats down 3-0)

ST. LOUIS - If Stephen Strasburg recovers from today's simulated game against Nationals teammates with no lingering issues, the right-hander could make his return to the active roster as soon as Tuesday to face the Phillies in Washington, D.C. Though Davey Martinez had previously said the plan for Strasburg, out since July 20 with a pinched nerve in his neck, included a minor league rehab start, today's 70-pitch session may have convinced club officials to speed up the process and get the...

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Game 121 lineups: Nats at Cardinals

August 15, 2018, 12:43pm

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - This critical road trip in the Nationals season has not gone how they would have liked, but it's not over yet. There are two games left to be played against the Cardinals, two games that could either continue the slide into oblivion or perhaps perk everyone up a bit and recapture some semblance of positive momentum. It begins tonight with Jeremy Hellickson on the mound for the Nats. It's been quite an interesting season for the right-hander. He has allowed three or fewer earned...

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The math for the Nationals isn't pretty

August 14, 2018, 10:25pm

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - It probably feels like grasping at straws, but it's about all the Nationals can do at this point without completely giving up on the season. And they are making it plain and clear they aren't doing that. "The energy's there," Davey Martinez said after Tuesday night's 6-4 loss to the Cardinals, the Nats' third straight and fourth in five games to begin this road trip. "These guys don't quit. And they're going to fight to the end. I love them. I really do. They're playing...

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No drama, only another loss for .500 Nats (updated)

August 14, 2018, 7:28pm

Nationals

No drama, only another loss for .500 Nats (updated)

ST. LOUIS - There was no ninth-inning disaster tonight, no bullpen implosion, no nightmare for the manager or his players to have to try to explain. There was only a 6-4 loss to the Cardinals that felt relatively mundane for a Nationals club that hasn't experienced anything resembling a mundane loss in some time. There was the requisite last-gasp rally that brought the go-ahead run to the plate, because this is what they do before they ultimately walk off the field each night. But there also...

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Madson goes on DL, SolÃs sent to Triple-A (Nats down 6-4)

August 14, 2018, 3:05pm

Nationals

Madson goes on DL, SolÃs sent to Triple-A (Nats down 6-4)

ST. LOUIS - On the heels of back-to-back bullpen implosions caused both by injury and poor performance, the Nationals brought in two new relievers - Tim Collins and Trevor Gott - for tonight's game against the Cardinals and removed Ryan Madson and Sammy SolÃs from the active roster. Madson, who turned a 3-0 lead into a 4-3 loss via David Bote's walk-off grand slam Sunday night in Chicago, was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a back injury (the official diagnosis was lumbar nerve...

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Game 120 lineups: Nats at Cardinals (updated)

August 14, 2018, 12:46pm

Nationals

Game 120 lineups: Nats at Cardinals (updated)

ST. LOUIS - And we're back for another evening of exciting Nationals baseball at Busch Stadium. What does tonight have in store for the D.C. nine? It's tough to imagine anything more dramatic (or devastating) than what this team has experienced in the last 48 hours. But at this point, nothing should surprise you. We don't yet know the state of the Nats bullpen for tonight's game, but reinforcements have arrived. Ryan Madson and Sammy SolÃs are not listed on the lineup card for tonight's...

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There's no quick fix to Nationals' bullpen woes

August 13, 2018, 11:43pm

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - Every manager has to enter every game with a plan in mind for bullpen usage. He considers that night's starting pitcher. He takes into account who pitched the previous night, who warmed up and who's available tonight. He sets contingencies for an abrupt exit by the starter and/or extra innings in which someone is needed to provide length. He might even consider who's scheduled to start the next night, in case a reliever needs to be held back for that possibility. Davey Martinez...

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Nationals find new way to lose late, fall to Cards 7-6 (updated)

August 13, 2018, 7:35pm

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - The 2018 Nationals don't lose baseball games. They lose Greek tragedies. There's no such thing as a simple ballgame for this team right now. The wins, few and far between as they seem, are still excruciating affairs. The losses? Well, they fall into a category all their own, suitable only to be written about by men named Thespis or Euripides. And so even when there were glimmers of hope tonight at Busch Stadium, in the form of seventh- and ninth-inning rallies by the visiting...

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Harper's surge continues with 29th homer (Nats lead 4-2)

August 13, 2018, 5:33pm

Nationals

Harper's surge continues with 29th homer (Nats lead 4-2)

ST. LOUIS - For a guy who not long ago was laboring through the worst season of his career, Bryce Harper can still launch a baseball with the best of them. And he sure is starting to look like his peak self again. Harper hit his 29th homer of the season tonight, a solo blast that came on the 10th pitch of a fourth-inning at-bat against Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas. This being game No. 119 for the Nationals, Harper is on pace for a 40-homer season despite all his struggles earlier this...