Mark Zuckerman

Nats' offensive numbers looking more familiar since break

August 02, 2018, 7:45pm

Levelheaded ballplayers like to espouse the belief that everything will even out over a 162-game season, and numbers that may look subpar in May or July inevitably will resemble career norms come late September. "They're called averages for a reason," these players will say. If you believe in that mantra, you like what you've seen from several key Nationals of late. And you probably believe it's going to continue over the season's final two months. Take Bryce Harper, for example, who...

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Nationals ride early six-run rally to rout of Reds (updated)

August 02, 2018, 6:19pm

Nationals

Compile a list of "Things the Nationals Need to Do Better to Make the Playoffs in 2018," and somewhere near the top it would read: "Better Situational Hitting." It's not the only thing this team lacked through the season's first four months, but it's among the most significant, and one of the best ways to ensure a higher rate of success in the season's final two months. So consider how important the bottom of the second inning was in tonight's 10-4 victory over the Reds, when the...

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Soto is Rookie of Month again, plus injury updates

August 02, 2018, 2:18pm

Nationals

Soto is Rookie of Month again, plus injury updates

Among the many traits Juan Soto has displayed during his unexpected rookie season, perhaps the most impressive has been the remarkable consistency he has maintained throughout. Soto's OPS in May (when he played in only 12 games) was .998. In June, it was 1.050, earning him National League Rookie of the Month honors. And in July, it was .924, earning him those honors once again. Yes, Soto today was named NL Rookie of the Month for the second consecutive time, testament not only to his...

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Game 108 lineups: Nats vs. Reds

August 02, 2018, 11:26am

Nationals

It is pouring at this moment on South Capitol Street, and there is rain in the forecast at various points throughout the remainder of the afternoon and evening. What that means for tonight's series opener against the Reds ... we just don't know yet. Stay tuned. As always, when we know, you'll know. The Nationals would very much like to play, trying to sustain some positive (on-field) momentum from their two-game sweep of the Mets and sending Max Scherzer to the mound. That's a nice...

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Harper going the other way more, leading to more hits

August 01, 2018, 8:48pm

Nationals

Harper going the other way more, leading to more hits

You can spend hours upon hours trying to figure out why the Nationals have struggled all season to find offensive consistency, but sometimes it's the simplest explanations that make the most sense. Like this one: When Bryce Harper hits, the Nats win. When he doesn't, they lose. The numbers back this up. Harper's offensive slash line in games the Nationals have won this season is a robust .298/.411/.662, which adds up to a 1.073 OPS. His slash line in games the Nationals have lost:...

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Milone again leads the way as Nats sweep Mets (updated)

August 01, 2018, 10:43am

Nationals

Milone again leads the way as Nats sweep Mets (updated)

They aren't going to score 25 runs every night, the Nationals very much know this. Given the inconsistent nature of their offensive performance this season, they know their best path to a late-season surge is going to come from their pitching staff, first and foremost a rotation that has surprisingly underachieved all summer. Who would have imagined, though, that salvation would come in the form of Tommy Milone? Yes, Tommy Milone. The long-ago Nationals prospect who was among the players sent...

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Nats drop Kelley, citing "disrespect" in Tuesday's game

August 01, 2018, 8:10am

Nationals

Nats drop Kelley, citing "disrespect" in Tuesday's game

Citing the "disrespect" they felt he displayed toward his manager and the organization as a whole when he slammed his glove to the ground in frustration in the ninth inning of Tuesday night's 25-4 win over the Mets, the Nationals designated reliever Shawn Kelley for assignment this morning, perhaps making a broader statement in the process to a clubhouse of players that has been through a tumultuous season to date. "You're either in or you're in the way," general manager Mike Rizzo said....

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Nats pound Mets 25-4 to end long day at end of long July

July 31, 2018, 6:21pm

Nationals

Nats pound Mets 25-4 to end long day at end of long July

First, the obvious caveat: What the Nationals did tonight on South Capitol Street has no bearing on what they do Wednesday afternoon on South Capitol Street, or in any other future game in 2018. We've seen this enough times this season to know there is no such thing as momentum, at least not for this Nationals club. So just take tonight's events for what they're worth and simply enjoy the fact that a ballclub that has disappointed in so many ways this season and earlier in the day made the...

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Why the Nationals essentially stood pat: "Track record"

July 31, 2018, 3:00pm

Nationals

They didn't buy, at least not in July. They didn't sell, at least not in the kind of significant way that had been suggested was possible. In the end, the Nationals essentially stood pat at the trade deadline, keeping Bryce Harper and everyone else on the current roster except for Brandon Kintzler, who was dealt to the Cubs for a Single-A reliever. So what message, then, did the front office just send a clubhouse full of players and a region full of fans who have spent the last four months...

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Nationals send Kintzler to Cubs in lone deadline deal

July 31, 2018, 12:16pm

Nationals

If the Nationals were going to sell before today's trade deadline, they certainly had no shortage of veteran relievers on short-term contracts to offer up to other clubs. In the end, the guy they chose to move was a bit of a surprising one: Brandon Kintzler, who was dealt to the Cubs for Single-A right-handed reliever Jhon Romero. That was the club's only move before the 4 p.m. deadline. Kintzler, who turns 34 on Wednesday, had become a key late-inning reliever for the Nationals since his...

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Decision day for Nats, with Harper at the center of it all

July 30, 2018, 9:02pm

Nationals

Decision day for Nats, with Harper at the center of it all

Four months of ups and downs, encouraging moments and discouraging moments, reasons for hope and reasons for despair come to a head today. It's July 31, and the time has come for the Nationals front office to make some big decisions. And the biggest decision may well involve the biggest name in their organization: Bryce Harper. What would have sounded like a hoax in early April - or, shoot, even in early July - is at least within the realm of possibility today. The Nationals could deal Harper...

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Six potential trade deadline scenarios for the Nationals

July 29, 2018, 5:31pm

Nationals

The Nationals, in the strictest of baseball senses, are off today. On the heels of a roller coaster 3-4 road trip through Milwaukee and Miami, the players and coaching staff will catch their breath today, spend time with their families and prepare to return to action Tuesday night against the Mets on South Capitol Street. The Nationals, as an organization, are by no means off today. This may prove to be among the busiest days they have all summer, with everyone in the front office now charged...

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Nats go quietly in finale, now face deadline decision (updated)

July 29, 2018, 11:56am

Nationals

Nats go quietly in finale, now face deadline decision (updated)

MIAMI - It's tough to imagine that the outcome of one game on July 29 in front of a crowd of 12,112 at Marlins Park that was more interested in the Talking Pitbull Bobblehead Giveaway than the actual ballgame being played would be the sole determinant whether the Nationals front office decides to be a buyer or a seller before Tuesday's trade deadline. Club executives have watched the Nats play 105 games now in 2018, and the total sum of those four months should leave them with a better feel...

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Reynolds makes fourth straight start at third (Nats down 5-0)

July 29, 2018, 8:26am

Nationals

Reynolds makes fourth straight start at third (Nats down 5-0)

MIAMI - Mark Reynolds has played more games in his career at third base than any other position, but the vast majority of those games came early in his career with the Diamondbacks and Orioles, a full decade ago. Reynolds didn't spend a moment at third base in either 2016 or 2017 with the Rockies, and whatever playing time he has received with the Nationals this season has almost exclusively come at first base. Until this weekend. With Anthony Rendon away from the club for the entire series...

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Game 105 lineups: Nats at Marlins (updated)

July 29, 2018, 6:41am

Nationals

Game 105 lineups: Nats at Marlins (updated)

MIAMI - Is it actually possible that the fate of the Nationals' season comes down to one game on July 29 at Marlins Park? If they win today's series finale, they'll reach the trade deadline with a winning record and be either five or six games back in the division. If they lose, they'll reach the trade deadline with a losing record and be either six or seven games back in the division. In reality, that's not a significant difference. In the perception of the people who must decide whether...

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Despite another no-decision, a positive start for Gonzalez

July 28, 2018, 10:15pm

Nationals

Despite another no-decision, a positive start for Gonzalez

MIAMI - Lost amid the hubbub over the way Saturday night's game at Marlins Park ended was the way Gio Gonzalez pitched to ensure the outcome was still undecided in the final innings. The Nationals ultimately lost to the Marlins 2-1 in 10 innings, but not because of a poor start by their left-hander. Gonzalez authored one of his best outings of the season, allowing one run on three hits over seven innings and matching his season-high with 114 pitches thrown. "Progress," Gonzalez said. "It's...

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Nats left frustrated by 10-inning loss, on multiple levels

July 28, 2018, 8:14pm

Nationals

Nats left frustrated by 10-inning loss, on multiple levels

MIAMI - They could have made it all moot had they simply scored at any point during the first eight innings of tonight's game, or added the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth after tying things up with an impressive rally, despite that runner standing only 90 feet away with one out. But the Nationals did none of that, and so they left themselves in a position where an odd - and ultimately controversial - bottom of the 10th proved the difference between a potentially uplifting win and yet...

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Nats rally to tie game in ninth, then lose in 10th

July 28, 2018, 6:38pm

Nationals

Nats rally to tie game in ninth, then lose in 10th

MIAMI - The Nationals have proven they can win in blowout fashion, having done it each of the previous three days. It's the close games they're still having trouble with, and tonight was merely the latest example ... with a twist. With an opportunity to extend their winning streak to four games and potentially pick up ground again on both the Phillies and Braves, the Nationals pulled off a top-of-the-ninth rally to tie the Marlins and send the game into extra innings, only to then lose in the...

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Injection has Strasburg optimistic he'll be back soon (Nats down 1-0)

July 28, 2018, 2:28pm

Nationals

Injection has Strasburg optimistic he'll be back soon (Nats down 1-0)

MIAMI - Stephen Strasburg rejoined the Nationals today and is extremely optimistic he'll be pitching for them again in the near future after receiving a nerve-block injection in his neck two days ago. "It's very encouraging," the right-hander said. "I think they've kind of crossed all the boxes now, and it seems like it's something that should be good to go, and I'm excited to get back out there with the guys." Strasburg thought he was on track to do just that when he returned from a...

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Game 104 lineups: Nats at Marlins

July 28, 2018, 11:34am

Nationals

MIAMI - Three wins in a row is nice. Four in a row would be nicer for a Nationals club that flat-out owns the Marlins right now. The Nats are 8-1 against them this season, 16-1 over the last calendar year. And they've still got 10 more games to play vs. Miami in 2018. Gio Gonzalez has been a part of that ownage. The Miami native went 4-0 with a 1.59 ERA against the Marlins last season and allowed two runs in five innings in his lone appearance against them so far this year. It's been said...