Mark Zuckerman

Game 21 lineups: Nats at Dodgers

April 21, 2018, 1:46pm

LOS ANGELES - They beat Clayton Kershaw. Now the Nationals have a chance to take this weekend series with another win tonight at Dodger Stadium. And they'll have Stephen Strasburg on the mound leading the way. Strasburg has enjoyed some significant success against the Dodgers in his career. In seven starts versus Los Angeles, the right-hander has surrendered more than two earned runs only once. And he had two dominant outings last season against L.A. The Nationals go up against a lefty for the...

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More on Scherzer's start, Grace's hip and SolÃs' big escape

April 20, 2018, 10:57pm

Nationals

More on Scherzer's start, Grace's hip and SolÃs' big escape

LOS ANGELES - Though he was the clear winner of Friday night's vaunted showdown with Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer wasn't exactly in peak form for the Nationals. The reigning back-to-back National League Cy Young Award winner allowed only one run over six innings and emerged with the win in the Nats' 5-2 victory over Kershaw and the Dodgers, but he found himself pitching out of jams all night, with a heavy workload. Los Angeles put at least one runner in scoring position in five of...

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Nats jump on Kershaw, then ride Scherzer and bullpen to win

April 20, 2018, 10:26pm

Nationals

Nats jump on Kershaw, then ride Scherzer and bullpen to win

LOS ANGELES - Ballplayers don't like to make a big deal out of any one individual game, especially the 20th game of a 162-game season. There are, however, exceptions, and Max Scherzer versus Clayton Kershaw certainly qualified. Only 12 times before in major league history had two pitchers with three Cy Young Awards apiece gone head to head, none in the last dozen years. So even the principal participants tonight were willing to concede they had some extra juice when they took the...

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Aggressive approach pays off early vs. Kershaw (Nats win 5-2)

April 20, 2018, 6:50pm

Nationals

Aggressive approach pays off early vs. Kershaw (Nats win 5-2)

LOS ANGELES - How do you beat Clayton Kershaw, Davey Martinez was asked this afternoon. "You've got to be aggressive," the Nationals manager said. "He's going to be in the strike zone. So get a good pitch you can hit." How about three pitches to three batters? Is that aggressive enough? The Nats came out swinging tonight against the Dodgers' three-time Cy Young Award winner, and they were greatly rewarded for the no-holds-barred approach, scoring two runs in the top of the first to give...

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Nats expect Rendon back this weekend, Eaton during road trip

April 20, 2018, 5:07pm

Nationals

Nats expect Rendon back this weekend, Eaton during road trip

LOS ANGELES - Anthony Rendon fouled a ball off his left big toe one week ago, in the fifth inning last Friday night at Nationals Park. He hasn't played since, and despite initial hope he'd be back for tonight's series opener against the Dodgers, he's not in the lineup. Which begs the question: Why, given the fact he's now been out seven days, was Rendon not placed on the 10-day disabled list? "He constantly kept saying he was getting better and better," manager Davey Martinez said. "And...

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Game 20 lineups: Nats at Dodgers

April 20, 2018, 2:31pm

Nationals

LOS ANGELES - The sun is shining, the mountains in the distance aren't being obscured by smog and Max Scherzer is facing Clayton Kershaw tonight at Dodger Stadium. Yep, this is about as good as it gets. The Nationals and Dodgers open up a big weekend series at Chavez Ravine, and they're starting it off in style with as good a pitching showdown as you can get. Scherzer versus Kershaw represents only the 13th head-to-head matchup in major league history (postseason included) between pitchers...

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Cole designated for assignment, Torres added to bullpen

April 20, 2018, 2:04pm

Nationals

Cole designated for assignment, Torres added to bullpen

LOS ANGELES - Needing a fresh arm in their bullpen after a taxing series at Citi Field, the Nationals promoted veteran right-hander Carlos Torres from Triple-A Syracuse and made the decision to cut ties with A.J. Cole. Cole, who was out of options, was designated for assignment and now is available to any other club to claim off waivers over the next week. If he clears waivers, the Nationals could then either outright Cole to the minors or release him. General manager Mike Rizzo had been...

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Nats in much better standing as road trip shifts to West Coast

April 20, 2018, 8:23am

Nationals

Nats in much better standing as road trip shifts to West Coast

LOS ANGELES - The Nationals left Washington five days ago, reeling from a 3-7 homestand, heading to New York to face a red-hot Mets club that had opened up a six-game lead in the National League East division, all the while knowing they still had to head out west to face the Dodgers and Giants to conclude this long road trip. Well, the East Coast portion of the trip is now complete, the West Coast portion is set to begin, and the Nationals find themselves in much better shape than they were in...

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Reeling Nationals face suddenly critical series in New York

April 15, 2018, 8:48pm

Nationals

Davey Martinez won't look at the standings, certainly not in April. He doesn't believe it does him or his players any good to pay attention right now to the records of other teams in relation to their own record. Which is all well and good except for one teensy little fact: The Nationals head to New York tonight for the opener of a three-game series trailing the Mets in the National League East division by six games. Good luck ignoring the standings now, right? "We've got to play...

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Nats teetering on the brink after mistake-filled homestand

April 15, 2018, 2:42pm

Nationals

Nats teetering on the brink after mistake-filled homestand

There were outs inexplicably made on the bases. There were home runs being served up despite pitchers being in advantageous counts. There were countless opportunities for long, sustained rallies, the kind of opportunities made possible when you draw 10 walks to the opposition's one on the afternoon. Consider all the reasons the Nationals should have won today's game against the Rockies, not the least of which was the desperation they exhibited today trying to salvage a four-game series split...

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Late mistakes doom Nationals in 6-5 loss to Rockies

April 15, 2018, 12:50pm

Nationals

If the Nationals intend to scrap their way back from a ragged start to their season, they're going to have to do so playing smart, fundamentally sound baseball. They certainly didn't do that today during a 6-5 loss to the Rockies that easily could have tilted in their direction had they simply not made a handful of drastic mistakes at critical moments. And because of all that, they now head to New York for the start of a three-city road trip trailing the Mets (who beat the Brewers in walk-off...

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Will Hellickson start Monday in New York? (Nats lose 6-5)

April 15, 2018, 10:27am

Nationals

Will Hellickson start Monday in New York? (Nats lose 6-5)

The Nationals have not yet named a starter for Monday night's series opener against the Mets. That in itself offers a hint that the club is preparing to add veteran Jeremy Hellickson to its big league roster and send him to the mound at Citi Field. A.J. Cole is on turn to make the start, but the right-hander (who was roughed up in his season debut before improving in his second outing) has been spotted in the Nationals bullpen several times this weekend. Hellickson, meanwhile, was initially...

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Murphy heading to Florida to play in extended spring training

April 15, 2018, 8:24am

Nationals

Murphy heading to Florida to play in extended spring training

As the Nationals head out on a long road trip, Daniel Murphy is heading down to Florida to start playing in extended spring training games. Murphy, now in the final stages of rehab from October microfracture knee surgery, is scheduled to fly to West Palm Beach on Monday and begin getting at-bats with others from the organization who remain at the club's complex for extended spring training. The veteran second baseman has been with the big league club throughout the season's first 2 1/2 weeks,...

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Game 16 lineups: Nats vs. Rockies

April 15, 2018, 6:25am

Nationals

The weather was absolutely delightful yesterday when the Nationals beat the Rockies 6-2. The weather is most definitely not delightful today as the two clubs wrap up their four-game series. It's overcast, the temperature has been dropping all morning and will continue to drop through the afternoon, and there's rain in the forecast. It's just a question of when the rain arrives. For now, it doesn't appear to be a threat to the start of the game, only later in the game (if at all). But even...

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On Scherzer's hit, Goodwin's wrist, Romero's departure

April 14, 2018, 8:19pm

Nationals

On Scherzer's hit, Goodwin's wrist, Romero's departure

Some Sunday morning news and notes before the Nationals and Rockies wrap up their four-game series ... * It didn't lead to any actual runs scored for the Nationals, but there's no denying Max Scherzer's fifth-inning single Saturday served as something of a wakeup call for a slumbering offense and fired up the entire dugout. The Nationals trailed the Rockies 2-1 and hadn't found any way to escape the doldrums that had been present throughout the series. Then Scherzer lined a 1-2 pitch from...

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Squeeze play highlights Nats' long-awaited rally

April 14, 2018, 1:37pm

Nationals

Squeeze play highlights Nats' long-awaited rally

Michael A. Taylor wasn't surprised when he got the sign from Bob Henley. "I'm ready for anything," the Nationals center fielder said. "We did work on it in spring training, so I feel comfortable with it." "It" was the safety squeeze manager Davey Martinez called in the bottom of the sixth this afternoon, the Nationals and Rockies tied at that point with runners on the corners and one out. At a time when his team was searching for any way possible to score a key run, Martinez decided to...

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Nats finally rally, reward Scherzer for gem, beat Rockies 6-2

April 14, 2018, 11:58am

Nationals

Nats finally rally, reward Scherzer for gem, beat Rockies 6-2

The rally was coming, of this Davey Martinez was sure. Give a lineup like this enough chances, the rookie manager figured, and it would happen. Even if that lineup featured only four regulars and a couple of names even the die-hards might not have known prior to a week ago. Sure enough, the rally did finally come. It came in the bottom of the sixth today at Nationals Park. And once it did, the Nationals finally could breathe the sigh of relief they'd been holding in for days. With a four-run...

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Scherzer dominating after early blast (Nats win 6-2)

April 14, 2018, 10:20am

Nationals

Scherzer dominating after early blast (Nats win 6-2)

If the Nationals, with a makeshift lineup, needed Max Scherzer to be perfect today, they found out very quickly that wouldn't be the case. Scherzer issued a four-pitch walk to Gerardo Parra and then served up a two-run homer to Charlie Blackmon in the top of the first this afternoon, leaving the offensively challenged Nats in an early 2-0 hole against the Rockies. Not that Scherzer is pitching poorly in his fourth start of the season. Through five innings, that early walk-homer combo...

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Rendon still dealing with sore toe, Goodwin out with sore wrist

April 14, 2018, 8:21am

Nationals

Rendon still dealing with sore toe, Goodwin out with sore wrist

Anthony Rendon isn't in the Nationals lineup this afternoon. That's not a surprise, given the third baseman had to come out of Friday night's game after fouling a ball off his left big toe. The real question now is how much time Rendon will need before he is ready to return to an already-struggling lineup that keeps losing key players to injury. "He's sore, real sore," manager Davey Martinez said this morning. "So he's probably going to be day-to-day." Rendon hurt himself fouling a...

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Game 15 lineups: Nats vs. Rockies (Goodwin scratched)

April 13, 2018, 8:07pm

Nationals

Game 15 lineups: Nats vs. Rockies (Goodwin scratched)

The last thing the Nationals want to do is call today's game - on April 14, mind you - "must-win." But let's not kid ourselves here. Having lost eight of their last 10, and having fallen a full six games behind the Mets in the National League East division - seven games in the loss column - this team simply can't afford to lose a Max Scherzer start. The Nationals needed Scherzer to halt their last losing streak (five games). Today they'll ask him to halt their current three-game skid and...