Scherzer and Soto lead Nats All-Stars in Midsummer Classic

Scherzer and Soto lead Nats All-Stars in Midsummer Classic
Although the American League won its eighth straight All-Star Game 5-2, the Nationals were well represented on the National League side Tuesday night. In taking the mound to kick off the game at Coors Field in Denver, Max Scherzer went from one of the last players named to the NL roster to making his fourth Midsummer Classic start. He is now one of just six pitchers in the game's history to make that many starts. Scherzer started the game by getting opposing starting pitcher and leadoff...
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Nats trade Lobstein to Brewers for cash considerations

Nats trade Lobstein to Brewers for cash considerations
Just because it's the All-Star break that doesn't mean teams can't make roster moves and trades this week, although Major League Baseball probably prefers no major moves are made to take attention away from its midsummer showcase of the sport's best players. Commissioner Rob Manfred doesn't have to worry about that because this move won't be headline news as the All-Star Game gets underway later tonight: The Nationals have traded left-hander Kyle Lobstein (who was designated for...
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Draft tracker: Nats make final picks of 2021 draft (multiple updates)

Draft tracker: Nats make final picks of 2021 draft (multiple updates)
The 2021 First-Year Player Draft concludes today with the 11th through 20th rounds, as the Nationals continue to fortify their farm system with young talent. With picks in each of the first 10 rounds, the Nationals have strayed away from their traditional approach of stocking up on pitchers by selecting seven position players and only three hurlers over the first half of this draft, headlined by high school shortstop Brady House with the No. 11 pick Sunday night. "We accomplished what we kind...
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Nats balancing rest and momentum heading into break

Nats balancing rest and momentum heading into break
It might be easy to look at the recent body of work and be down on the Nationals entering the All-Star break: a four-game sweep at home at the hands of the Dodgers, a four-game series split with the Padres when winning three of four was right in their grasp, a loss in the first game against the Giants and a growing list of injuries. But looking at the greater body of work shows that the Nationals are carrying some real momentum into next week's pause: Over their last 30 games, they are 18-12,...
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Another injury and another loss for Nats (updated)

Another injury and another loss for Nats (updated)
Who said it couldn't get worse for the Nationals? Be honest, because I know you're out there. After a tough loss Thursday night to end a four-game series in San Diego, and with an already jam-packed injured list, why would you say that knowing full well that it could, in fact, get worse? Indeed, it did get worse for the Nationals in the form of a 5-3 loss to the Giants in front of 27,345 fans at Oracle Park to start the final series of the first half of the season, while also losing their...
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Break will help injured players, Nats sign Dietrich to minors deal

Break will help injured players, Nats sign Dietrich to minors deal
Only three games stand between the Nationals and the All-Star break, starting with tonight's series opener in San Francisco against the Giants. While Juan Soto, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber will stop in Denver next week for their first All-Star Game selections before returning home (though it's unclear whether Schwarber will attend or continue to rehab his hamstring injury), the rest of the team will be using the break to give some of their injured players more time to heal. One of those...
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Game 87 lineups: Nats at Giants

Game 87 lineups: Nats at Giants
The beauty of baseball is the everyday nature of the sport, making it easy to shake off bad losses and move on to the next game. So even though it wasn't a happy flight from San Diego to San Francisco following last night's heartbreaking loss to the Padres, the Nationals can put it behind them right away with tonight's opener against the Giants. Paolo Espino will take the mound for his first road start of the season (and the first since his major league debut back on May 19, 2017 with the...
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Cade Cavalli selected to All-Star Futures Game

Cade Cavalli selected to All-Star Futures Game
One of the hottest pitchers in all of baseball resides in the Nationals farm system and is going to be in the national spotlight a couple of weeks from now during Major League Baseball's All-Star festivities, testing his talents with the best prospects the sport has to offer. Cade Cavalli has been selected to represent the organization in the 2021 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. The announcement was made earlier Wednesday morning on MLB Network's "MLB Central." Cavalli, 22, leads all of...
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Reinstated and ready to pitch, Voth can make light of broken nose

Reinstated and ready to pitch, Voth can make light of broken nose
It might not always show, but Austin Voth is a down-to-Earth guy. It's especially hard to notice when the majority of his meetings with the media over the past year and a half have been over Zoom conference calls. It's always hard to get a read on someone's personality through a computer screen. Not to mention, how often do we get to interact with a fringe starting pitcher turned long-relief arm out of the bullpen, nonetheless in person? Usually, not that often. But that situation presented...
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Fedde extends scoreless innings streak as Gomes walks off Mets (updated)

Fedde extends scoreless innings streak as Gomes walks off Mets (updated)
It hasn't been easy going for Erick Fedde over the last month. Almost a month ago, he was placed on the COVID-19 injured list after testing positive for the coronavirus in Chicago. That was just three days after he turned in one of the best performances of his career in Arizona. A little over three weeks after landing on the IL, he was reinstated after quarantining in Chicago and building his arm strength back up. That roller coaster stretch would be enough to throw any pitcher out of...
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Castro easing back in from restricted list, plus injury updates

Castro easing back in from restricted list, plus injury updates
The Nationals started the weekend by making a flurry of roster moves ahead of their four-game series against the Mets on Friday. Manager Davey Martinez clarified the statuses of some players while providing other updates on some injured high-profile starting pitchers before tonight's opener. First, the roster moves: * Starlin Castro was returned from the restricted list* Austin Voth was reinstated from the 10-day injured list* Andrew Stevenson was placed on the 10-day IL (retroactive to June...
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Game 66 lineups: Nats vs. Mets (Castro returns)

Game 66 lineups: Nats vs. Mets (Castro returns)
It's hard to make too much of a weekend series against a division rival in the middle of June. But considering the circumstances surrounding this four-game series against the Mets over the next three days, you have to put some level of importance on it if you're the Nationals. Coming off a sweep of the Pirates, riding a four-game winning streak and having won six of their last eight games, the Nationals should feel confident facing the division-leading Mets this weekend. They also have a...
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Nats add to minor league pitching depth by signing lefty Rogers

Nats add to minor league pitching depth by signing lefty Rogers
The Nationals made a small, yet not totally insignificant move Friday in an effort to replenish their minor league pitching depth. The organization signed left-hander Josh Rogers to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Rochester. The Red Wings announced the signing Friday afternoon. Rogers was released by the Orioles on Monday after four appearances (two starts) with Triple-A Norfolk. He went 0-3 with a 7.79 ERA, 1.558 WHIP and 4.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his short time...
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Scherzer's start may have made Nats' Sunday starter plan clearer

Scherzer's start may have made Nats' Sunday starter plan clearer
Every team is bound to run into this conundrum over the course of a 162-game season: The need for a replacement starting pitcher. With off-days, rainouts and injuries - all while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic this season and last - it happens more often than managers would like. But that comes with the job. Nationals manager Davey Martinez has been dealing with this issue for the better part of the last week, trying to figure out a starter for Sunday's series finale against the Phillies...
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Avila sticks to fundamentals to seal victory over Phillies

Avila sticks to fundamentals to seal victory over Phillies
Baseball is an easy game, right? Throw ball, hit ball, catch ball. Tag runner out with ball when not on a base. At least that's how easy Alex Avila made it seem while making the heads-up play of the game Friday night to preserve the Nationals' 2-1 win over the Phillies. The stage was set for some late-inning drama. Entering the ninth inning, the Nationals had a 2-1 lead - thanks to Max Scherzer's stellar start and Juan Soto's sixth-inning home run - and were facing the heart of the Phillies...
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Scherzer wins duel with Wheeler as Nats beat Phillies (updated)

Scherzer wins duel with Wheeler as Nats beat Phillies (updated)
The script couldn't have gone any better for manager Davey Martinez and the Nationals on Friday night. Unsure of his starting pitcher for Sunday's series finale in Philadelphia, and needing length from his next two starters to preserve the bullpen, Martinez turned to Max Scherzer to provide one of his usual deep outings to start this series against a division rival. And Scherzer did just that, winning a pitchers' duel with Phillies starter Zack Wheeler and helping the Nationals take the...
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Schwarber back in left field, Gomes sits again with hamstring issue

Schwarber back in left field, Gomes sits again with hamstring issue
It's easy for baseball players and fans alike to be superstitious. So when manager Davey Martinez said the other day that the Nationals were finally "healthy," it wasn't hard to imagine all of the shaking of heads and palming of foreheads around the region, expecting another injury to happen after some good health news. Well, that's what the Nationals got Friday afternoon before their series opener against the Phillies. And I'm not even referring to Stephen Strasburg's latest trip to the...
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Game 54 lineups: Nats at Phillies

Game 54 lineups: Nats at Phillies
Tonight will be the Nationals' 54th game of the season, which means we are at the one-third mark of the 2021 campaign. At 23-30, the Nationals are tied with the Marlins, six games back of the division-leading Mets, but only two games back of this weekend's opponent, the Phillies. Yet another opportunity for the Nats to gain some ground in the National League East. And they have the right guy on the mound to get them started. Max Scherzer looks to carry over his fantastic May into June...
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After weekend outburst, Robles settling back in at plate

After weekend outburst, Robles settling back in at plate
The storylines surrounding this Nationals lineup haven't really changed since spring training. They still need consistent production from big offseason acquisitions Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber. Trea Turner is showing his sneaky pop is no longer sneaky. Juan Soto is still waiting to break out of his funk to reach the incredibly high standards he's set for himself. And Ryan Zimmerman's return is proving that a year off may have done the veteran first baseman some good as he provides a lethal...
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Late homer off Harris lifts Cubs over Nats (updated)

Late homer off Harris lifts Cubs over Nats (updated)
There was still some love in the air between the Cubs and their former teammates who now wear the curly W on their caps Tuesday night. After Kyle Schwarber enjoyed a tribute video before Monday night's game, it was Jon Lester's turn to have his moment after starting last night's game on the mound. He was treated with a tribute video on the big scoreboard at Wrigley Field and was given the famed W flag that flies after Cubs victories covered with signatures and notes from his former...
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