Mark Zuckerman

Game 92 lineups: Nats at Pirates

July 11, 2018, 6:07am

PITTSBURGH - The Nationals and Pirates wrap up their series this afternoon at PNC Park. The Nats are looking to win two in a row and capture their second straight series. Gio Gonzalez is looking to get himself back on track. Bryce Harper is looking to make solid contact after going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts and a groundout Tuesday night. And Daniel Murphy is looking to stay hot after going 4-for-4 in Tuesday's win. And hopefully as many of you as possible will be able to watch the game. But...

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Murphy finally finding swing, hitting .349 over last 13 games

July 10, 2018, 8:32pm

Nationals

Murphy finally finding swing, hitting .349 over last 13 games

PITTSBURGH - As much as he wanted to project an air of confidence throughout his first month back in action following major knee surgery, Daniel Murphy knew he couldn't convince people not to believe what they were seeing with their own eyes. Murphy simply didn't look like himself after finally making his 2018 debut for the Nationals, eight months after having microfracture surgery on his right knee. The quality of his at-bats just weren't close to the standard he established for himself...

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Hellickson back to form, Nats back over .500 after 5-1 win (updated)

July 10, 2018, 7:16pm

Nationals

Hellickson back to form, Nats back over .500 after 5-1 win (updated)

PITTSBURGH - It was the formula that worked so well in April and May - five dominant innings from Jeremy Hellickson, then four innings from the bullpen - but had been long forgotten as Hellickson spent June recovering from a hamstring injury and then made his first start of July while under the weather. Hellickson, though, is healthy again. And tonight he pitched like the early-season version of himself again. And because his teammates were able to score runs in bunches for a stretch during...

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Voth will finally get to make MLB debut this time (Nats win 5-1)

July 10, 2018, 4:57pm

Nationals

Voth will finally get to make MLB debut this time (Nats win 5-1)

PITTSBURGH - Austin Voth was promoted from Triple-A Syracuse today for the fourth time this season. The right-hander has yet to actually make his major league debut, but it appears safe to say it'll finally happen this time around. Called up to swap roster spots with Jefry Rodriguez, who labored during Monday night's 6-3 loss to the Pirates, Voth is tentatively slated to start Saturday against the Mets (the next time Rodriguez's spot in the rotation comes up). However, it's possible the...

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Doolittle to miss at least 10 days, All-Star Game with foot injury

July 10, 2018, 2:21pm

Nationals

Doolittle to miss at least 10 days, All-Star Game with foot injury

PITTSBURGH - Sean Doolittle knew something wasn't right in his left foot as far back as Friday, but he didn't think it was anything to be concerned about, that all would be fine if he took a couple days off. But by the time Monday arrived and Doolittle decided to see how the foot felt when he threw off a bullpen mound and simulated fielding bunts, he realized this problem was more serious than he initially thought. And so today the Nationals were forced to place their All-Star closer on the...

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Game 91 lineups: Nats at Pirates (Doolittle to DL)

July 10, 2018, 11:31am

Nationals

Game 91 lineups: Nats at Pirates (Doolittle to DL)

PITTSBURGH - The Nationals need innings tonight from their starter. Which means Jeremy Hellickson may have to be pushed beyond the point they've preferred to push him so far this season. The right-hander has pitched six innings only once in 11 starts this season. He has topped the 90-pitch mark only three times. None of that may matter given the state of the Nats bullpen, which has been forced to throw a total of 27 innings over the last six days. That group does have two fresh arms added to...

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Wieters goes 1-for-4, catches full game in return from DL

July 09, 2018, 7:41pm

Nationals

Wieters goes 1-for-4, catches full game in return from DL

PITTSBURGH - Matt Wieters' return from the disabled list was rather uneventful. The veteran catcher went 1-for-4 at the plate, caught all eight defensive innings and allowed two Pittsburgh runners to steal second base. Of greater importance to Wieters was that his surgically repaired hamstring held up and allowed him to play a full big league game for the first time in nearly two months. "Obviously, would've liked to get a win, but it was fun to be out there with the guys again," he said....

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Nats can't make up for another bad start, lose to Pirates (updated)

July 09, 2018, 5:56pm

Nationals

Nats can't make up for another bad start, lose to Pirates (updated)

PITTSBURGH - The Nationals have any number of issues right now, from a super-erratic lineup equally capable of being shut out or scoring 17 runs on any given night, to a steady stream of mistakes made on the bases and in the field. None of those issues, however, can or should take priority at the moment over the most glaring problem facing this club: a starting rotation that shockingly has morphed from the roster's biggest strength to its biggest weakness. Aside from Max Scherzer, the...

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As rotation struggles, Strasburg to begin rehab (Nats lose 6-3)

July 09, 2018, 3:51pm

Nationals

As rotation struggles, Strasburg to begin rehab (Nats lose 6-3)

PITTSBURGH - Stephen Strasburg will make a rehab start Tuesday for Single-A Potomac and remains on track to rejoin the Nationals' rotation coming out of the All-Star break. And that'll be not a moment too soon for a Nats ballcub that desperately needs one of its elite starters back after a brutally difficult stretch over the last month. Strasburg, who went on the 10-day disabled list June 10 with right shoulder inflammation, is slated to pitch Tuesday for Potomac in a road game at Lynchburg....

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With Wieters back from DL, Severino optioned to Syracuse

July 09, 2018, 2:33pm

Nationals

With Wieters back from DL, Severino optioned to Syracuse

PITTSBURGH - Not quite eight weeks removed from right hamstring surgery, Matt Wieters is back on the Nationals' active roster and back in the starting lineup for tonight's series opener against the Pirates. Now the Nats can only hope the return of their No. 1 catcher makes a significant difference for a pitching staff that floundered with Pedro Severino and Spencer Kieboom behind the plate. "He led our pitching staff a lot," manager Davey Martinez said. "And Sevy did a great job. For being...

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Game 90 lineups: Nats at Pirates (Wieters activated)

July 09, 2018, 11:38am

Nationals

Game 90 lineups: Nats at Pirates (Wieters activated)

PITTSBURGH - The Nationals have scored 14 or more runs in three of their last 10 games. The Pirates have given up 17 runs twice in their last six games. So, what to expect in tonight's series opener at PNC Park? Maybe a 1-0 nail-biter? Seriously, though, who knows what to expect from the Nats these days? They seem just as likely to hit five balls into the Allegheny River as they are to get shut out. You just don't know what you're going to get on any given day. The Nationals do know they...

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The flip side of last night's comeback

July 05, 2018, 8:38pm

Nationals

The Nationals' record-breaking, 14-12 victory Thursday night had some eye-popping moments. Most of them were positive. But not all of them were. There were still some issues on display during 3 hours and 15 minutes of chaos on South Capitol Street. Start with the starter. Jeremy Hellickson was pounded by the Marlins, giving up nine runs in four innings, and doing all this when he supposedly wasn't 100 percent healthy. Prior to the game, manager Davey Martinez acknowledged Hellickson had been...

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For one night, Nats do something they'd never done before

July 05, 2018, 8:03pm

Nationals

For one night, Nats do something they'd never done before

It's easy, in hindsight, to claim you believed you could come back from nine runs down to win a major league baseball game. Deep down, there had to be plenty inside the Nationals dugout who figured they were headed for one of their most demoralizing losses of the year when the Marlins put up nine runs to their zero in the first 3 1/2 innings tonight on South Capitol Street. And yet, the vibe inside the home bullpen suggested the sense of hope was real. Even when things looked their worst,...

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Nats post largest comeback in club history, beat Marlins

July 05, 2018, 6:24pm

Nationals

Nats post largest comeback in club history, beat Marlins

There isn't a players-only meeting in the world that can accomplish what a good old-fashioned, club-record, come-from-behind victory can. Forget about the fact the Nationals gathered after Wednesday's loss to the Red Sox to air their grievances and vow to start playing better. That mattered not a whit if they didn't follow it up by beating the Marlins tonight. And boy did they beat the Marlins. Despite spotting them a nine-run lead after 3 1/2 innings. With their season seemingly teetering...

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Pitching ill, Hellickson rocked by Marlins (Nats win 14-12)

July 05, 2018, 4:33pm

Nationals

Pitching ill, Hellickson rocked by Marlins (Nats win 14-12)

For all the attention lavished upon Wednesday's postgame players meeting, the only thing that really matters for the Nationals is that they start hitting, pitching and catching the ball significantly better than they have been in weeks. They haven't been doing any of those things well so far tonight in what felt like a must-win game at the outset. One day after players held a 15-minute meeting following a series sweep at the hands of the Red Sox, the Nationals put themselves in a nine-run...

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Rodriguez could pitch tonight; Wieters, Zimmerman near rehab

July 05, 2018, 2:15pm

Nationals

Rodriguez could pitch tonight; Wieters, Zimmerman near rehab

The Nationals wasted no time placing Erick Fedde on the disabled list, even though they don't expect the right-hander to miss significant time with his shoulder injury. And they wasted no time calling up Jefry Rodriguez to replace Fedde in the rotation ... unless the rookie is needed in emergency relief of Jeremy Hellickson tonight. Fedde, who departed Wednesday morning's game after only 25 pitches when his shoulder was "having trouble getting loose," underwent an MRI afterward that...

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Game 86 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins (Fedde to DL)

July 05, 2018, 11:28am

Nationals

Game 86 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins (Fedde to DL)

The Nationals are in a tough spot, we all know that. Here's what else we know: Their final 11 games before the All-Star break come against the Marlins, Pirates and Mets. If they've got a major turnaround in them, now would be an opportune time to get started. The Nats have faced the Marlins only three times this season, and they won all three of those games in Miami. So these guys are going to be seeing a whole lot of each other over the next 2 1/2 months, beginning tonight with Jeremy...

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On Fedde's shoulder, Eaton's throw and Adams' non-usage

July 04, 2018, 8:19pm

Nationals

On Fedde's shoulder, Eaton's throw and Adams' non-usage

The headlines Wednesday at Nationals Park focused on what happened after the home team's 3-0 loss to the Red Sox, when players spent 15 minutes airing their grievances to each other and deciding it's time to quit assuming they're going to coast to another division title and start actually scratching and clawing to try to get back to the postseason. Lost in the shuffle were some important details and reactions to the events that actually took place on the field during that 3-0 loss, the...

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Players gather, demand more from each other after latest loss

July 04, 2018, 12:18pm

Nationals

Players gather, demand more from each other after latest loss

It took their 17th loss in 22 games (the club's worst stretch since 2009), their eighth shutout in 30 games (more times than they were shut out in all of 2017) and a sub-.500 record in July (the first time that's been the case since 2015) for someone inside the Nationals clubhouse to decide it was time to gather everyone together and let the emotions flow. That someone, as you might expect, was Max Scherzer. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and staff ace wasn't the only one who spoke out...

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Nats lose Fedde early, lose another game late

July 04, 2018, 10:30am

Nationals

Nats lose Fedde early, lose another game late

No matter what happened the previous night, or any other night during this agonizing stretch of baseball, the Nationals reported for work early this morning trying to feel optimistic for a change. They had Matt Adams back on the active roster only 19 days after he fractured his index finger trying to bunt. They had a full house for an 11:05 a.m. game on Independence Day in the nation's capital. And then, one inning in, optimism was quashed at the sight of another player (starter Erick Fedde)...