How the Nats won "the craziest" game they'd ever seen

How the Nats won "the craziest" game they'd ever seen
Dusty Baker had played, coached or managed in precisely 4,405 major league games before what figured to be a run-of-the-mill series finale between the Nationals and Twins. Chris Speier has been involved in some capacity since 1971, with a few breaks scattered in there. Davey Lopes is 70 and hasn't missed a season since he was a rookie with the Dodgers during the Nixon administration. Ask any of them where today's 16-inning marathon, with all of its twists and turns and drama that ultimately...
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First-inning success continues even without Harper (Nats win in 16)

First-inning success continues even without Harper (Nats win in 16)
No Bryce Harper? No problem for the Nationals, who continue to produce in the first inning even without their MVP slugger. Matt den Dekker, subbing in right field to give Harper his first day off this season, opened the bottom of the first this afternoon with a homer into the right field bullpen, giving the Nationals a quick lead on the Twins. den Dekker, who hammered a 3-1 fastball from rookie right-hander Tyler Duffey, became merely the latest member of the Nationals lineup to make a dent...
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Why Harper sits today and why Scherzer starts Tuesday (updated)

Why Harper sits today and why Scherzer starts Tuesday (updated)
Bryce Harper is out of the Nationals lineup today for the first time this season, but don't start worrying about the MVP's health or any other ulterior motive for his absence. Manager Dusty Baker planned all along to sit Harper for his team's series finale against the Twins. Harper did appear to slightly tweak his ankle Saturday chasing down a foul ball in right field, but he played the rest of the game and showed no ill effects. Regardless, Baker had previously offered hints he planned to...
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Game 18 lineups: Nats vs. Twins

Game 18 lineups: Nats vs. Twins
It's an absolutely gorgeous Sunday here in the District, where the Nationals wrap up their interleague series with the Twins, seeking the weekend sweep and a 14-4 record that would match the 2012 Nats for the best 18-game start in franchise history. Obviously, there's a very long way to go (and much tougher competition to face) but things worked out pretty well after that previous 14-4 start (at least, until October). Stephen Strasburg will be the guy on the mound for this one, looking to...
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Friday morning Q&A from D.C.

Friday morning Q&A from D.C.
The Nationals are back home from a 4-3 road trip that very easily could have been better than that. Remember, they lost Sunday's finale in Philadelphia on Jonathan Papelbon's blown save, then they lost what looked like a favorable matchup yesterday (Max Scherzer vs. Tom Koehler) in Miami. That said, the Nats still return home with an 11-4 record, comfortably in first place in the NL East as the Twins come to town for a weekend interleague series. There are far worse positions to be in on...
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Scherzer out of sync on "flat" day for Nationals

Scherzer out of sync on "flat" day for Nationals
MIAMI - Max Scherzer returned to the dugout after the second inning this afternoon, four runs already having crossed the plate against him, said a few words to Mike Maddux and then headed down the tunnel toward the clubhouse with his pitching coach for a few minutes, trying to figure out what exactly was going wrong in this game against the Marlins. When Scherzer returned for the third inning, he did look like a different pitcher. He retired six straight batters on a total of 21 pitches and, if...
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Nats fall to Marlins 5-1 to split series

Nats fall to Marlins 5-1 to split series
MIAMI - When Bryce Harper launched his latest in a torrid string of home runs in the top of the first inning this afternoon, the Nationals had every reason to be optimistic about the early tone of their series finale against the Marlins. But when Max Scherzer took the mound for the bottom of the first and promptly served up a towering, three-run shot to Marcell Ozuna, the entire complexion of this game changed in a hurry. And it never tilted back in the Nationals' favor. Behind that...
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Harper homers again, but Scherzer labors (Nats lose 5-1)

Harper homers again, but Scherzer labors (Nats lose 5-1)
MIAMI - Bryce Harper took Tom Koehler deep yet again. Unfortunately for the Nationals, somebody took Max Scherzer deep yet again, too, leaving them in an early hole and leaving Scherzer in a heap of trouble. Harper blasted a solo home run off Koehler in the top of the first inning of this afternoon's series finale at Marlins Park, sending the first pitch he saw over the recently shortened fence in center field. It was Harper's eighth homer of the season, temporarily leaving him tied with...
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Werth sits, Taylor drops to seventh, Ross could miss start

Werth sits, Taylor drops to seventh, Ross could miss start
MIAMI - Jayson Werth is out of the lineup for the Nationals' series finale against the Marlins, though that was planned before the veteran left fielder felt tightness in his left hamstring and had to depart last night's game in the fifth inning. Both Werth and manager Dusty Baker continue to downplay the injury as minor and don't expect him to miss any significant time. "I think it was more precautionary than anything," Baker said this morning. "I didn't see it on the (daily injury)...
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Game 15 lineups: Nats at Marlins

Game 15 lineups: Nats at Marlins
MIAMI - Hello one last time from Marlins Park, where the roof actually is open as I type this. (Don't worry, it'll be closed up in time for first pitch at 1:10 p.m. Wouldn't want to play a ballgame in, you know, sunlight, would you?) The Nationals and Marlins wrap up their four-game series, with the Nats looking to win three out of four and improve to a major league-best 12-3. They'll have Max Scherzer on the mound, looking to improve to 3-0 in his first start of the season against Miami....
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More on Papelbon, Harper, Taylor and Werth

More on Papelbon, Harper, Taylor and Werth
MIAMI - Some leftover thoughts and observations to bridge the gap between last night's 3-1 victory and this afternoon's series finale at Marlins Park ... * Yusmeiro Petit got most of the attention last night, and deservedly so for his four innings of relief after Joe Ross departed with a blister on his middle finger. But let's not overlook the rest of the Nationals bullpen, which finished what Petit started. Oliver Perez retired the side in the seventh, striking out Giancarlo Stanton with a...
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After Ross' early departure, Petit saves Nationals bullpen

After Ross' early departure, Petit saves Nationals bullpen
MIAMI - It's a thankless job, one that rarely places a guy in position to be the star of a ballgame. Yusmeiro Petit has made a good living out of long relief, though, and nobody takes more pride in doing that job well than the 31-year-old right-hander. So when he does get the rare opportunity to make a difference like he did tonight during the Nationals' 3-1 victory over the Marlins, tossing four innings of one-run ball after starter Joe Ross departed with a blister, Petit deserves all the...
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Jayson Werth departs game with tight hamstring

Jayson Werth departs game with tight hamstring
MIAMI - Jayson Werth departed tonight's game at Marlins Park in the fifth inning with left hamstring tightness, an injury both the veteran left fielder and his manager downplayed as minor. "I'm fine," Werth said as he walked out of the Nationals clubhouse following a 3-1 victory over Miami. "I'll be fine." Neither Werth nor manager Dusty Baker specified how exactly the injury occurred, but Werth did cover a good amount of ground while tracking down two tough fly balls early in the game....
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Nationals grind out workmanlike 3-1 win over Marlins

Nationals grind out workmanlike 3-1 win over Marlins
MIAMI - They lost their starting pitcher after two innings, then their starting left fielder after four innings. No matter, the Nationals still went about their business and beat the Marlins 3-1 tonight, thanks to some early clutch hits and some impressive relief work. Ryan Zimmerman and Bryce Harper each delivered two-out RBI doubles to stake Joe Ross to an early lead, but the right-hander had to depart after that due to a blister on his right middle finger. Three innings later, Jayson Werth...
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Ross departs after two innings with blister (Werth out, too)

Ross departs after two innings with blister (Werth out, too)
MIAMI - Joe Ross departed his start tonight against the Marlins after two scoreless innings after a blister developed on his right middle finger, the Nationals announced. Ross showed no obvious ill effects of the blister during his abbreviated, 33-pitch outing. He allowed one hit, one walk and hit one batter, but never let a Miami runner reach second base. Ross was allowed to hit for himself in the top of the third inning and wound up drawing a walk, then scoring on Bryce Harper's two-out...
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Revere begins running, taking light swings

Revere begins running, taking light swings
MIAMI - Ben Revere has begun running and taking light swings, his first baseball-related activities since straining his right oblique muscle on opening day 2 1/2 weeks ago. Revere, who suffered the injury on his very first swing with the Nationals, ran in the outfield at Marlins Park this afternoon, then also took some light, right-handed swings in the cage to test his side. He emerged feeling confident about his recovery, albeit sore from the layoff. "Everything felt good. I just need to get...
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Game 14 lineups: Nats at Marlins

Game 14 lineups: Nats at Marlins
MIAMI - Two trends to watch tonight as the Nationals face the Marlins in the third of this four-game series under the roof: Can Joe Ross continue the rotation's dominant start to the season, and can this lineup continue to thrive against left-handed pitching? We'll start with Ross, who has been lights-out through his first two starts of the season (2-0, 0.61 ERA, .160 opponents' batting average). It's easy to forget the right-hander is only 22, with 15 big league starts on his resume,...
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With dominant start to 2016, Strasburg putting it all together

With dominant start to 2016, Strasburg putting it all together
MIAMI - Stephen Strasburg was utterly dominant last night against the Marlins, tossing eight innings of scoreless, three-hit ball. This, however, shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone who has watched Strasburg pitch so far in 2016. He's now 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA, after all. But, if you've really been paying attention to Strasburg for a while, you still shouldn't be surprised by all this. Because he has been this good since last summer. In 16 total starts since returning from the neck...
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Inside the Nationals' historic home run barrage

Inside the Nationals' historic home run barrage
MIAMI - The first home run was a laser off Jayson Werth's bat, a line drive that made a beeline for the gaudy sculpture that sits beyond the fence in left-center at Marlins Park and required some deft work by stadium workers to retrieve. ("Did it lodge in one of the dolphins?" Werth asked later.) The second home run came before anyone could point out that Werth's blast was the 200th of his career. Wilson Ramos pounced on the very next pitch Adam Conley threw in the top of the seventh,...
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Nats break pitchers' duel with four-homer seventh

Nats break pitchers' duel with four-homer seventh
MIAMI - What for six innings was shaping up to be a classic pitchers' duel between Stephen Strasburg and Adam Conley instead turned into the most dramatic barrage of home runs the Nationals have ever hit during a stunning top of the seventh that propelled them to a 7-0 thumping of the Marlins. Jayson Werth, Wilson Ramos, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman all homered during a stretch of eight batters in the decisive top of the seventh, Harper's coming with the bases loaded. It's the first time...
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