Mark Zuckerman

Nats drop nightcap in ninth, lose Herrera to injury (updated)

August 07, 2018, 6:02pm

It was right there for the taking, a doubleheader sweep and a chance to make a definitive statement that they intend to thrust themselves into the mix of the National League East's three-team pennant race right now. Instead, the Nationals squandered yet another golden opportunity to win a close ballgame, and because of that a long and exhausting day and night at the ballpark wound up as nothing more than a push. No ground gained, no ground lost. Which is not what they need right now. A 3-1...

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Soto keeps adding to rookie legacy (game tied 1-1)

August 07, 2018, 4:06pm

Nationals

Soto keeps adding to rookie legacy (game tied 1-1)

With each passing day, Juan Soto does something else that makes you pause to remember just how remarkable the Nationals rookie's season has been. No matter his age. Soto added to the growing legend tonight when he homered in the bottom of the first. To the opposite field. Off a left-hander. On an 0-2 pitch. This, of course, has become commonplace for the 19-year-old since he burst onto the scene 2 1/2 months ago and started doing things few (if any) 19-year-olds have ever done before on a...

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Game 113 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

August 07, 2018, 1:41pm

Nationals

And we're back for the nightcap of today's doubleheader. The Nationals did what they needed to in the opener, riding five strong innings from Jefry Rodriguez and a pair of four-run rallies to an 8-3 victory that moved them to within five games of the Phillies and 3 1/2 games of the Braves. There's still an opportunity to either gain or lose ground the rest of the evening, with Philadelphia playing late at Arizona. The Nats have to like the fact they've got Max Scherzer on the mound tonight,...

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Nats take doubleheader opener, gain ground in NL East (updated)

August 07, 2018, 12:14pm

Nationals

Nats take doubleheader opener, gain ground in NL East (updated)

Davey Martinez didn't want his players looking at this week's critical series as a whole, believing there was no good to be had worrying about all four games with the Braves until they'd played the first one. Well, Martinez's Nationals did exactly what they needed to do it today's matinee opener. And now they get to go for a doubleheader sweep with their ace on the mound. Behind five strong innings from fill-in starter Jefry Rodriguez, a pair of four-run rallies in the middle innings and...

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Holland ready to go and ready to reverse his season (Nats up 8-2)

August 07, 2018, 8:41am

Nationals

Holland ready to go and ready to reverse his season (Nats up 8-2)

Greg Holland last pitched on July 21, for the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. He gave up three runs to the Cubs, took a blown save and watched his ERA rise to 7.92. The Cardinals would go on to designate the veteran reliever for assignment, then released him after he cleared waivers. Today, Holland is in a No. 56 Nationals jersey, active and almost certain to pitch at some point during their key doubleheader against the Braves, hoping he can turn around a season that hasn't gone anything close to...

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Game 112 lineups: Nats vs. Braves (Holland signed)

August 07, 2018, 6:25am

Nationals

Game 112 lineups: Nats vs. Braves (Holland signed)

Who's ready for a long - and important - day and night of baseball? The Nationals better hope they are. They enter the day 5 1/2 games behind the Phillies, four games behind the Braves. By night's end, they could be anywhere from four to seven games behind Philadelphia, two to six games behind Atlanta. So, yeah, it's a big day. It all gets started with the opener of this day-night doubleheader, with Jefry Rodriguez taking the mound for the Nats. It'll be the right-hander's sixth career...

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Nats open daunting four-game series with Braves today

August 06, 2018, 7:52pm

Nationals

Nats open daunting four-game series with Braves today

They're all big games and big series for the Nationals at this point, with fewer than one-third of the season remaining on the schedule. But four games in three days against the Braves? Yeah, this is an especially big series. The Nationals get 16 more cracks in total against the two teams that have resided above them in the National League East for much of the summer: seven with Atlanta, nine with Philadelphia. If they're going to make up this deficit and return to the postseason for the...

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On Herrera's one-run save and Martinez's late-game strategy

August 05, 2018, 7:30pm

Nationals

On Herrera's one-run save and Martinez's late-game strategy

Even though Sean Doolittle has been sidelined for four weeks now with a toe injury, the Nationals on Sunday called upon Kelvin Herrera in a save situation for only the third time. The vast majority of their wins over the last month have come with sizeable leads, leaving their fill-in closer rarely taking the ball in the ninth inning with a slim lead. Sunday, though, presented a new opportunity for Herrera. And the result was especially encouraging for the right-hander and the...

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Kelley traded to A's for international bonus slot value

August 05, 2018, 2:05pm

Nationals

Kelley traded to A's for international bonus slot value

Shawn Kelley's tenure with the Nationals officially came to an end today when the club traded the veteran reliever to the Athletics in exchange for international bonus slot value. Kelley had been designated for assignment Wednesday, the morning after he upset team officials when he slammed his glove to the ground after giving up a home run in the top of the ninth inning of a 25-4 rout of the Mets. That transaction unofficially ended his time with the Nationals, but officially they had seven...

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Roark rounding into form right as Nationals need it

August 05, 2018, 1:43pm

Nationals

Tanner Roark isn't No. 1 on the list of "Most Important Nationals for the Remainder of the Season," but he's on the list somewhere, and probably closer to the top than the bottom. The Nats have been built to win behind consistently great starting pitching for many years now, and typically as Roark has gone so has the team as a whole. So among the most significant developments of the second half to date has been the reemergence of the wily right-hander as a guy who can be counted on to...

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Nats hold off Reds 2-1, get long-awaited one-run victory

August 05, 2018, 12:16pm

Nationals

Nats hold off Reds 2-1, get long-awaited one-run victory

The Nationals have shown they can win some lopsided games, riding big offensive showings to big victories. If, however, they're going to pull off a late-season surge, they're going to have to start winning some tight ballgames when there's little-to-no margin for error. Like today's series finale against the Reds, in which the Nationals held a one-run lead in the fourth inning and then tried to make it hold up the rest of the afternoon. It wasn't easy, but the challenge facing the Nats...

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Harper back in lineup after Saturday night plunking (Nats up 2-1)

August 05, 2018, 9:05am

Nationals

Harper back in lineup after Saturday night plunking (Nats up 2-1)

Bryce Harper is back in the Nationals' lineup for today's series finale against the Reds, a development that was very much uncertain when the star outfielder left the ballpark Saturday night with a barking right knee. Harper was hit by a pitch square on the kneecap during the bottom of the sixth inning of the Nats' 6-2 win over Cincinnati. He remained in the game and did take his position in right field to begin the top of the seventh but then was removed after laboring to track down a...

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Game 111 lineups: Nats vs. Reds

August 05, 2018, 6:51am

Nationals

After a long day and night at the ballpark on Saturday, the Nationals return to the ballpark today for what amounts to a pretty big series finale with the Reds. Obviously, every game is big at this point, but consider that the Nats need to win today to win the series. And carry some positive momentum into their critical upcoming four-games-in-three-days series with the Braves. Which leads into a seven-game road trip to Chicago and St. Louis. So, yeah, a win today would help a lot of things....

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Nats-Reds game postponed, day-night doubleheader Saturday

August 03, 2018, 3:32pm

Nationals

Nats-Reds game postponed, day-night doubleheader Saturday

With one round of rain having already swept through shortly before scheduled first pitch and another round expected later this evening, the Nationals' game against the Reds has been postponed. The game will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday, with the makeup game now at 1:05 p.m. and a separate ticket required for the originally scheduled 7:05 p.m. game. Gio Gonzalez and Anthony DeSclafani, tonight's scheduled starting pitchers, will take the mound for the 1:05 p.m....

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Wieters relieved, determined to improve after trade deadline

August 03, 2018, 2:14pm

Nationals

Wieters relieved, determined to improve after trade deadline

Like everyone else in the Nationals clubhouse, Matt Wieters was well aware of the dilemma his team's front office faced earlier this week as the July 31 trade deadline approached. And Wieters knew he might be affected more than just about anyone else, given his struggles the last two seasons and the sense general manager Mike Rizzo might be seeking a catching upgrade. So when 4 p.m. Tuesday came and went and Wieters realized that his situation - like the majority of the roster - hadn't...

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Game 109 lineups: Nats vs. Reds

August 03, 2018, 11:25am

Nationals

The Nationals haven't enjoyed a four-game winning streak since the final week of May, when they managed to sweep the Marlins and Orioles in successive road series. More than two months later, they finally have a chance tonight to put "W4" in the "Streak" column of the standings. It'll be Gio Gonzalez on the mound. He's coming off a strong start in Miami but still is seeking his first win since May 28 over Baltimore (during the aforementioned winning streak). The lefty did beat the Reds...

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Nats' offensive numbers looking more familiar since break

August 02, 2018, 7:45pm

Nationals

Nats' offensive numbers looking more familiar since break

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...