Byron Kerr

Voth a good choice for spot start with Strasburg on DL

June 26, 2016, 11:00am

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with an upper back strain. The Nationals announced a corresponding move will be made on Monday. The Nationals will need a spot start on Tuesday. It is a good possibility that right-hander Austin Voth will get the call for his first major league start. He will have to be placed on the 40-man roster to get that spot. The 24-year-old Voth has distinguished himself with Triple-A Syracuse. He has a 4-3 record with a 2.99 ERA...

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Harrisburg's Lopez dominant with career-high eight scoreless innings

June 26, 2016, 8:30am

Nationals

Harrisburg's Lopez dominant with career-high eight scoreless innings

Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez pitched a career-high eight scoreless innings in Double-A Harrisburg's 4-0 win over New Hampshire on Saturday. Lopez allowed seven hits with 10 strikeouts and two walks. He has struck out 10 or more batters in four of his last five games. In the past 34 2/3 innings, he has 56 strikeouts. He fired 112 pitches. Kevin Keyes delivered a two-run double to highlight a three-run first inning for the Senators. Harrisburg has reached a season-best seven games above .500 at...

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Taylor Hearn and Jake Johansen rehab updates; Carter Kieboom GCL debut

June 25, 2016, 2:21am

Nationals

Taylor Hearn and Jake Johansen rehab updates; Carter Kieboom GCL debut

Left-hander Taylor Hearn rehabbed with the Gulf Coast League Nationals on Friday in their 7-3 11-inning win over the Gulf Coast League Mets. Hearn is working his way back from a foot injury he suffered in mid-April. He tossed three innings, allowing no runs and one hit with four walks and two strikeouts. It was his first game since April 13. Nationals top-selection infielder Carter Kieboom made his GCL Nats debut. Kieboom went 1-for-5 with a RBI. As the designated hitter, he had a single in his...

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Valdez, Voth, Perkins and Turner shine in Nats minors Thursday

June 24, 2016, 4:25am

Nationals

Valdez, Voth, Perkins and Turner shine in Nats minors Thursday

Wilmer Difo and Phillips Valdez shined in Thursday's Double-A Harrisburg 5-2 win over Portland. The shortstop Difo went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored. Valdez (1-1) earned his first Double-A victory, going five innings and allowing one run on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Georgia Tech right-hander Andew Robinson struck out three in three innings, allowing one run on one hit for his fifth hold. His ERA is 2.11. Right-hander Abel de los Santos recorded his third save...

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Solis can close, start or specialize, plus minors notes (updated)

June 22, 2016, 6:04am

Nationals

Solis can close, start or specialize, plus minors notes (updated)

Left-hander Sammy Solis can be a viable option as interim closer for the Nationals. Left-hander Sammy Solis can be a spot starter. Both of these proclamations hold true. Solis has swing-and-miss stuff in the mid-90s that can be a weapon in the ninth inning. Solis also began his career as a starter. He logged 38 starts over 64 appearances while in the minor leagues. He has already gone 1-2 with a 1.52 ERA in 19 appearances this season. In 23 2/3 innings, Solis has 29 strikeouts. His WHIP is an...

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Harper and Zimmerman look to get going at the plate

June 21, 2016, 8:10am

Nationals

Harper and Zimmerman look to get going at the plate

Nobody ever really looks good against Clayton Kershaw. Both Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman struggled to get going against the three-time Cy Young Award winner in Monday's series opener between the Nationals and the Dodgers. Harper went 1-for-4 but had three strikeouts against Kershaw. Mark Zuckerman got Harper's impressions of facing the Dodgers ace here. Zimmerman went 0-for-4 with one strikeout in the 4-1 loss. And he has had trouble getting into a rhythm recently at the plate. In June,...

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Quick rise continues for reliever Koda Glover, who jumps to Triple-A Syracuse

June 20, 2016, 3:51pm

Nationals

Quick rise continues for reliever Koda Glover, who jumps to Triple-A Syracuse

Right-hander Koda Glover made his second jump of the season today when the Nationals announced his promotion from Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A Syracuse. How quickly has he moved up? Consider Glover was selected by the Nationals in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft. He was picked in the eighth round out of Oklahoma State. The Nationals signed Glover on June 15, 2015 and he was assigned to short-season Single-A Auburn. Last July 8, he moved to low Single-A Hagerstown. Glover began this season...

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Lopez matches career-high 13 strikeouts as Harrisburg drops Reading

June 20, 2016, 4:30am

Nationals

Lopez matches career-high 13 strikeouts as Harrisburg drops Reading

Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez splashed on the scene last season in the Nationals minor league system before a minor back injury slowed his final month. He made his last appearance August 18 before being shut down. This season, fully healthy, the Nationals' No. 5 pitching prospect is on a roll. On Sunday, the Double-A Harrisburg starter struck out 13 batters for the second time in three starts as the Senators dropped Reading 4-1. Lopez went seven innings, allowing five hits with no walks and the...

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Does Joe Ross need to employ the changeup with more frequency?

June 18, 2016, 7:06pm

Nationals

Does Joe Ross need to employ the changeup with more frequency?

Right-hander Joe Ross continued to pitch to his strengths as the Nationals dropped the Padres 7-5 Friday night at Petco Park. Ross completed six innings, and allowed three runs on six hits, with two walks and six strikeouts. Between the end of the second and the beginning of the fourth inning, he set down eight straight batters. He finished with 95 pitches, 68 for strikes. He is now 6-4 this season with a 3.13 ERA. As with most starters, hitters do a better job of trying to figure out Ross the...

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Kelley made it easy to close the committee at the closer spot

June 17, 2016, 8:28am

Nationals

Kelley made it easy to close the committee at the closer spot

Manager Dusty Baker appears to be going with the closer-by-committee approach as the team waits for the return of closer Jonathan Papelbon. In last night's late game against the Padres, Tanner Roark gave Baker six innings, allowing four runs. Blake Treinen arrived in the seventh and was able to get out of the frame. Treinen pitched around a hit and a walk with two strikeouts. Felipe Rivero somehow managed to fight through the eighth. Despite being unable to throw strikes, he was able to strike...

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Notes on the bullpen, the bench, Baker and Werth

June 15, 2016, 7:37pm

Nationals

Notes on the bullpen, the bench, Baker and Werth

On Tuesday in a tie ball game, Nationals manager Dusty Baker went with left-hander Sammy Solis for the final two innings. Solis allowed an Albert Almora Jr., RBI double in the ninth to lead the Cubs past the Nationals 4-3. Then in the finale Wednesday, the Nats held a 2-1 lead heading into the top of the ninth. Kris Bryant led off with a double off of right-hander Matt Belisle, who was making his first appearance since being activated off of the disabled list. Anthony Rizzo followed with a...

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Werth completes another walk-off win as Nats beat Cubs 5-4 in 12

June 15, 2016, 6:06pm

Nationals

Werth completes another walk-off win as Nats beat Cubs 5-4 in 12

There are 162 games in a regular season, but the Nationals are making a recent habit of "this win was better than that one" with each passing series victory. On a getaway Wednesday, the Nationals found a way to come back three separate times and shock the Chicago Cubs 5-4 in a 12-inning, four-hour and 17-minute heavyweight battle. The two of the three 40-win teams in the National League put together a thriller of a finale before a standing room only crowd of 42,000 at Nats Park. And those...

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Nats and Cubs trade early runs (Werth wins it again in 12th)

June 15, 2016, 12:32pm

Nationals

Nats and Cubs trade early runs (Werth wins it again in 12th)

The Cubs raced out quickly against Stephen Strasburg. Ben Zobrist slammed a solo homer on a 1-2 pitch over the right field fence to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. Strasburg then allowed a double to Jason Heyward on a drive that Ben Revere dove for but could not catch. Kris Bryant was called out on strikes. With Anthony Rizzo at the plate, Wilson Ramos caught Heyward attempting to steal third. Strasburg then struck out Rizzo. The Nationals counterpunched in the bottom of the first. Ben Revere led...

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Baker believes Strasburg's conditioning has improved

June 15, 2016, 11:28am

Nationals

Baker believes Strasburg's conditioning has improved

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg is seeking his 11th win of the season today against the visiting Chicago Cubs. The win would also give the Nationals a series victory over the first-place Cubs. An 11th win would match Strasburg's win total from last season (11-7). Manager Dusty Baker didn't know Strasburg before this season, but has noticed a calmness with the way Strasburg goes about his business with each game. Baker believes one difference is that Strasburg is stronger physically this...

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Game 66 lineups: Cubs at Nats

June 15, 2016, 7:37am

Nationals

The Nationals and Cubs wrap up their regular season meetings today in D.C. The Cubs lead the season series 5-1, but the Nationals have the opportunity to win this three-game set with a victory today. The Cubs edged the Nationals 4-3 on Tuesday night. Center fielder Ben Revere knew it was going to be a battle. "It's just one of the games just got away from us," Revere said. "But hold our heads high, because we battled back, we got one more game to go, we win the series. Go on the road trip...

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Solis on late loss to Cubs: "It hurts"

June 14, 2016, 7:23pm

Nationals

The Nationals battled back to tie but were unable to take the lead late against the Cubs. Down 3-1, the Nats scored on a pair of sacrifice flies to tie the game heading to the ninth. After getting through the eighth, left-hander Sammy Solis ventured out to pitch the ninth. The Cubs opened with an Addison Russell walk. David Ross moved him up to second with a sac bunt. Rookie Albert Almora Jr. then broke the tie with a run-scoring double. The Cubs went on to win 4-3, handing Solis his second...

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Cubs score late to drop Nats 4-3

June 14, 2016, 6:12pm

Nationals

In a tie game in the ninth inning, Jonathan Papelbon would usually be summoned. But with the closer on the disabled list with a intercostal strain, left-hander Sammy Solis battled through the eighth and ninth innings. With the score tied at 3-3 in the ninth, the Cubs used an Albert Almora Jr. RBI double to take a 4-3 lead. The Nats were unable to score a run in their last at-bats against Hector Rondon. The Cubs evened the series with the 4-3 victory. The Nationals had trouble solving Cubs...

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Nationals host "Night Out" event at Tuesday's game, honor victims of Orlando tragedy

June 14, 2016, 3:26pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals hosted their 12th annual "Night Out" event during Tuesday's game against the Chicago Cubs. The event is one of the largest LGBT nights in professional sports. The Nationals honored the victims of Sunday's shooting in Orlando. The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C., sang "True Colors" and later the national anthem. There was also a flag unfurling on the pitcher's mound as well as recognition on the scoreboard. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Leslie...

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Baker hasn't decided who will close with Papelbon out

June 14, 2016, 1:14pm

Nationals

Baker hasn't decided who will close with Papelbon out

The Nationals placed right-hander Jonathan Papelbon on the 15-day disabled list and recalled right-hander Matt Belisle from his rehab assignment. Papelbon has a intercostal strain. Belisle was out with a right calf strain. Manager Dusty Baker must now decide who will be the closer until Papelbon returns. "I don't know yet," Baker said. "That's the same question you guys asked me: How are we going to get our bullpen leaving spring training and what roles our guys are going to have? This is...

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Nationals on top thanks to largely mistake-free defense

June 14, 2016, 6:09am

Nationals

The starting pitching and offense get most, if not all, of the headlines when talking about the Nationals and their 40-24 start. But one team statistic that some might not have realized is how well the defense has played. The Nationals lead the major leagues in fielding percentage at .990. The Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants are next at .988. The 23 errors the Nationals have surrendered are by far the lowest in the majors. The next-closest are the White Sox (28) and Giants (29). On...