Mark Zuckerman

Game 143 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

September 12, 2017, 11:07am

And now ... it's time to play out the string. Or possibly not. The Nationals take the field tonight for the first time as 2017 National League East champs, so technically nothing is at stake. Except for those wacky Dodgers, who have lost 11 in a row and now only lead the Nats by 3 1/2 games for the best record in the league. Which means there may be more at stake over these final 19 games than anyone expected. Up first, it's tonight's opener of a three-game series against the Braves, who did...

235 Hits

Comments

Tags:

Nationals open 2018 in Cincinnati, host Yankees and Red Sox

September 12, 2017, 8:41am

Nationals Orioles

Nationals open 2018 in Cincinnati, host Yankees and Red Sox

The Nationals will open the 2018 season earlier than usual, on a different day of the week than usual and in a venue they've never opened at before. Major League Baseball announced next year's schedule this afternoon, and it features the Nationals opening March 29 in Cincinnati. That opener, on a Thursday, comes as MLB moves opening day up four days across the league, a wrinkle in the new collective bargaining agreement with players to provide for more off-days over the course of the season,...

215 Hits

Comments

Tags:

2018 schedule baltimore orioles boston red sox mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime new york yankees featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Tuesday morning Nats Q&A

September 11, 2017, 6:50pm

Nationals

So, anything interesting happen this weekend? I have to admit, I was not looking forward to waiting out the end of the Braves-Marlins game Sunday afternoon, along with the Nationals and a few thousand fans, thinking it was either going to result in an anti-climactic division clinch or a bunch of wasted time with the magic number staying stuck on one. I was wrong, though, because the scene at Nationals Park when Lane Adams hit his walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th at SunTrust Park was one...

0 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime q&a featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Fourth division title in six years was no small achievement

September 10, 2017, 9:01pm

Nationals

Fourth division title in six years was no small achievement

Because they have done this four times now in the last six years - and because each of the three previous times was followed by a first-round playoff exit - there's a tendency to downplay the significance of what the Nationals have accomplished. Yes, everybody hangs banners to commemorate division titles. But who really remembers or celebrates those in the long term? It's October success that makes real memories, and until the Nationals enjoy that they will feel like they have accomplished...

358 Hits

Comments

Tags:

dusty baker mark zuckerman mike rizzo nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Long, strange wait doesn't dampen Nats' latest celebration

September 10, 2017, 3:50pm

Nationals

Long, strange wait doesn't dampen Nats' latest celebration

The Nationals have this division-title thing down pat at this point, having now done it four times in six years. What they have not yet perfected is the art of clinching a division title on the field in front of their home fans. The 2012 National League East crown was achieved when the Braves lost in Pittsburgh while the Nats played the top of the ninth against the Phillies. The 2014 NL East was wrapped up with a win on the road in Atlanta. The 2016 NL East title wasn't official until the Mets...

266 Hits

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper dusty baker jayson werth mark zuckerman mike rizzo nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies ryan zimmerman sean doolittle featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Strasburg's latest gem, Braves' dramatic win make Nats champs

September 10, 2017, 11:52am

Nationals

Strasburg's latest gem, Braves' dramatic win make Nats champs

The Nationals clinched their fourth division title in six years late this afternoon, and all it took was Stephen Strasburg extending his scoreless innings streak to 34, a lineup of rookies and second-stringers pulling off a 3-2 win over the Phillies and the Braves rallying with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the Marlins and ultimately win in the 11th as several thousand fans celebrated 641 miles away on South Capitol Street. Suffice it to say, this wasn't your typical clinch. But...

304 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies ryan madson stephen strasburg trea turner victor robles featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Nationals could wrap up fourth NL East title in six years today

September 09, 2017, 7:45pm

Nationals

The Nationals clinched their first division title thanks to a Braves loss in Pittsburgh. They clinched their second division title with a win in Atlanta in front of only a smattering of their fans in attendance. They clinched their third division title with the combination of a win in Pittsburgh and then a Mets loss in New York a few minutes later. What the Nats haven't done during this impressive stretch over the last six seasons is clinch something with a win at home, affording themselves...

258 Hits

Comments

Tags:

dusty baker mark zuckerman miami marlins michael a. taylor nationals nationals pastime nl east philadelphia phillies stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Nats can't rally after Jackson's rough start, lose 5-4 to Phillies

September 09, 2017, 6:29pm

Nationals

Nats can't rally after Jackson's rough start, lose 5-4 to Phillies

With a chance to position themselves to clinch a division title Sunday, the Nationals put themselves in an early four-run hole tonight, clawed their way back to within a run of the Phillies but couldn't finish the job. A 5-4 loss to the Phillies snapped the Nationals' five-game winning streak, and left it up to the Braves to try to beat the Marlins late and leave open the possibility of a Sunday clinch on South Capitol Street. Atlanta pulled it off with a walk-off walk in the bottom of the...

292 Hits

Comments

Tags:

edwin jackson howie kendrick mark zuckerman michael a. taylor nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Could the Nationals catch the Dodgers for NL's best record?

September 09, 2017, 2:00pm

Nationals

The Nationals have known for some time they're going to clinch a division title and then have multiple weeks of games left to play before the postseason begins, creating an awkward situation in which Dusty Baker has to find a balance between resting his regulars while still keeping them sharp. There may, however, be a new goal for the Nats to chase even after they officially win the National League East: the league's best record and No. 1 seed for the playoffs. What once seemed unfathomable...

422 Hits

Comments

Tags:

arizona diamondbacks chicago cubs dusty baker los angeles dodgers mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime playoffs featured_sidebar postseason frontstory_nationals3

Game 142 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

September 09, 2017, 11:18am

Nationals

The Nationals can't clinch the division title tonight, but they can get as close as possible without finishing the deal. With the magic number now at three, a Nats win over the Phillies combined with a Marlins loss at Atlanta would set the stage for them to control their own destiny Sunday afternoon and not have to worry about the result of another game. That's always a preferable scenario. Tonight, it'll be Edwin Jackson looking to bounce back from a rare rough start. The veteran was tagged...

304 Hits

Comments

Tags:

edwin jackson lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies raudy read frontstory_nationals3

Scherzer rebounds after walk-filled first inning to earn win

September 08, 2017, 8:20pm

Nationals

Scherzer rebounds after walk-filled first inning to earn win

It was about as uncharacteristic a pitching display as Max Scherzer is capable of displaying. Three walks in one inning? He had only issued three or more walks in four games this season. Yet there it was Friday night for all to see. During a laborious, 28-pitch top of the first, Scherzer gave free passes to OdÃºbel Herrera, Rhys Hoskins and Hyun Soo Kim of the Phillies. Oh, there also was a three-run homer served up to Nick Williams. But that was secondary to the walks in Scherzer's...

228 Hits

Comments

Tags:

dusty baker mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Taylor's latest highlight-reel play: inside-the-park grand slam

September 08, 2017, 7:51pm

Nationals

Taylor's latest highlight-reel play: inside-the-park grand slam

Michael A. Taylor remembered what happened two years ago tonight, Sept. 8, 2015, when he singled to center field with the bases loaded against the Mets and watched Yoenis Cespedes let the ball get past him for what officially was ruled a single and three-base error. Taylor did not remember what happened 2 1/2 weeks later, Sept. 25, 2015, when he couldn't make a diving catch of Aaron Altherr's sinking liner with the bases loaded and had to chase down the ball and watch the Phillies outfielder...

241 Hits

Comments

Tags:

dusty baker mark zuckerman max scherzer michael a. taylor nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies trea turner featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Nats outslug Phillies 11-10, reduce magic number to three

September 08, 2017, 6:31pm

Nationals

Nats outslug Phillies 11-10, reduce magic number to three

Max Scherzer didn't look quite like his normal self in his return from a bruised calf, but the Nationals lineup made sure that didn't matter with another well-rounded offensive explosion to move this team one step closer to a division title. Michael A. Taylor's four-hit night that included an inside-the-park grand slam - more on that shortly - highlighted the Nationals' 11-10, too-close-for-comfort win over the Phillies and gave Scherzer the win on a night when the ace didn't look his...

203 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman michael a. taylor nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies ryan zimmerman trea turner frontstory_nationals3

Scherzer battles command problems early (Nats win 11-10)

September 08, 2017, 4:07pm

Nationals

Scherzer battles command problems early (Nats win 11-10)

Max Scherzer didn't look much like himself in the first inning tonight against the Phillies. Whether it has anything to do with the fact he took a comebacker off his left calf the last time he pitches remains to be learned. Whatever the case, Scherzer battled through an uncharacteristically ragged top of the first. He issued three walks in the inning, one of them on four pitches, and also served up a three-run homer to Nick Williams that gave Philadelphia an early 3-0 lead. The Nationals have...

193 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

After scary chest injury, grateful Sanchez returns to Nats

September 08, 2017, 1:52pm

Nationals

After scary chest injury, grateful Sanchez returns to Nats

AdriÃ¡n Sanchez last appeared on the field at Nationals Park on Aug. 26, an appearance notable for two reasons. No. 1: He delivered a key RBI single off Mets closer Jeurys Familia in the bottom of the eighth, eliciting a standing ovation from the home crowd. No. 2: A few minutes later, he was removed from the game because he was still feeling the effects of getting hit by a pitch square on the chest, a frightening moment that preceded the RBI single and gave the fans reason to offer that...

217 Hits

Comments

Tags:

adrian sanchez nationals nationals pastime syracuse chiefs featured_sidebar

Game 141 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

September 08, 2017, 11:11am

Nationals

When last we saw Max Scherzer on the mound, he was hobbling around Miller Park, capable of pitching but not running after he took a comebacker off his left calf. That was six days ago, and tonight Scherzer will be back on the mound, insisting he's fine after getting treatment and throwing twice during the week in Miami with no issues. Scherzer returns for what could turn out to be a huge weekend for the Nationals. Their four-game winning streak, combined with the Marlins' five-game losing...

0 Hits

Comments

Tags:

lineups mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies

Doolittle ready for extra workload that awaits him in October

September 06, 2017, 9:03pm

Nationals

Doolittle ready for extra workload that awaits him in October

MIAMI - From the moment the trade was consummated on July 16, Dusty Baker has known he needs to be careful about using Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson too much. Both relievers, acquired from the Athletics in the same deal, have dealt with significant arm injuries in recent years. And so both have to monitor their workloads in an attempt to keep them healthy. "Some of them have histories or being injured," Baker said. "That's what I'm trying to avoid. You can't afford to have them go down...

216 Hits

Comments

Tags:

dusty baker mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan madson sean doolittle featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Nats sweep Marlins again, move closer to another division title

September 06, 2017, 6:13pm

Nationals

Nats sweep Marlins again, move closer to another division title

MIAMI - The Nationals have known for some time they are going to win the National League East, and most likely by a wide margin. The only question was when it would become official. Well, by beating the Marlins six times in the last 10 days, they have managed to push up the clinching date by a whole lot. Tonight's 8-1 thumping at Marlins Park capped off the Nationals' second series sweep of their closest division competitor in less than two weeks. A Miami club that thought it was clawing its...

215 Hits

Comments

Tags:

gio gonzalez mark zuckerman miami marlins michael a. taylor nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Hurricane on players' minds as series concludes (Nats win 8-1)

September 06, 2017, 4:13pm

Nationals

Hurricane on players' minds as series concludes (Nats win 8-1)

MIAMI - They're playing a ballgame tonight at Marlins Park, but there aren't many fans here, even fewer than the typical sparse gathering. Which is understandable, given the way most everyone's mind is preoccupied with the fast-approaching Hurricane Irma and making preparations now either to board up homes or get out of town. Those in uniform are understandably paying close attention, as well, diverting at least some of their focus from the game. Several Nationals players are from or live in...

251 Hits

Comments

Tags:

dusty baker hurricane irma mark zuckerman miami marlins nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Scherzer will start Friday; Glover getting second opinion

September 06, 2017, 2:26pm

Nationals

Scherzer will start Friday; Glover getting second opinion

MIAMI - Max Scherzer is cleared to start Friday night as scheduled for the Nationals. The odds of Koda Glover returning to pitch for the Nats this season, however, appear to have dwindled. Scherzer was able to throw a bullpen session this afternoon with no ill effects from his bruised left calf, and the Nationals have officially listed him as Friday's starter against the Phillies. "He's getting treatment and getting his leg worked on and stuff," manager Dusty Baker said. "So, yeah, as of...