Werth returns to Nats lineup in opener vs. D-backs

Werth returns to Nats lineup in opener vs. D-backs
Right fielder Jayson Werth, who hasn't started since Aug. 7 while nursing inflammation in the AC joint in his right shoulder, will be back in the Nationals lineup tonight for the opener of a four-game series against the Diamondbacks. The sprained AC joint limited Werth, who got a cortisone injection late last week to reduce the imflammation and discomfort. Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann opposes Arizona left-hander Vidal Nuno. The Nationals are seeking their seventh straight victory. For the...
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Nats add outfield depth, ink veteran Schierholtz to minor league deal

Nats add outfield depth, ink veteran Schierholtz to minor league deal
The Nationals have signed outfielder Nate Schierholtz to a minor league contract, adding some depth to the organization and positioning the veteran for a September call-up into a pennant race. The 30-year-old Schierholtz batted .192 with six homers and 33 RBIs in 99 games for the Cubs this season before being released on Aug. 13, but is only one year removed from his finest offensive season in an eight-year career. In 2013, Schierholtz batted .251 with 32 doubles, 21 homers and 68 RBIs....
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Two recent pickups playing a major factor

Two recent pickups playing a major factor
The Nationals have now won six games in a row, their longest winning streak of the season. Oh, and they're now 16 games over .500, also a season best. Oh, and they have the best record in the National League. Oh, and they now have four games against a Diamondbacks team that is currently 18 games under .500. Things are looking up in the nation's capital. There's plenty to talk about with this team right now, from another comeback win last night to Jayson Werth's attempts to get past a...
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Williams' discusses Nats' second straight walk-off win

Williams' discusses Nats' second straight walk-off win
Earlier this week, Drew Storen noted that to win a pennant, you need to not only win the games where things go smoothly, you need to win the ugly games, too. This one would certainly qualify in the latter category. But it sure was fun to watch nonetheless. The Nationals made two errors in the sixth inning, allowing two Pirates runs to score. Rafael Soriano blew a save in the top of the ninth, surrendering three runs to turn a 4-2 lead into a 5-4 Pittsburgh advantage. The ugly aspects could be...
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Werth sits again for Pirates-Nats finale (with Pirates lineup)

Werth sits again for Pirates-Nats finale (with Pirates lineup)
Jayson Werth is out of the lineup for the sixth straight game as the Nationals look to sweep the Pirates. Werth hasn't played since last Sunday because of an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder. Michael A. Taylor starts in right field with Bryce Harper in left. Asdrubal Cabrera is also back in the lineup, batting second and playing second base after sitting on Saturday. Nats right-hander Doug Fister faces Pirates right-hander Edinson Volquez in perhaps the best pitching match-up of the...
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A comeback keeps the good times rolling

A comeback keeps the good times rolling
Asked last night how he views his team at this point in the season, with 121 games in the books and a six-game lead over the Braves in the National League East, Nationals manager Matt Williams used the word "tenacious." That word choice seems apt given the comeback that the Nats put together last night. Down 3-0 after seven innings, facing a tough Pirates bullpen, the Nats got on the board in the eighth when Kevin Frandsen drove in Michael Taylor with a bloop to right. An Anthony Rendon...
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Williams recaps Nats' 4-3 walk-off win

Williams recaps Nats' 4-3 walk-off win
There were no shortage of contributors in tonight's thrilling Nationals comeback. Craig Stammen worked three scoreless innings, keeping the Nats' deficit at three. Kevin Frandsen notched three hits in a rare start. Michael A. Taylor drew a pinch-hit, leadoff walk in the eighth, then scored the Nats' first run to make it a 3-1 game. Adam LaRoche turned a smooth 3-6-3 double play on a line shot to end the top of the eighth, then knotted the game in the bottom-half with a bolt into the home...
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Gonzalez looks to get back on track (plus lineups)

Gonzalez looks to get back on track (plus lineups)
Gio Gonzalez will be looking to get back on track as he heads to the hill tonight for the Nationals. The Nats left-hander has been in a bit of a funk lately, losing his last five decisions to fall to 6-9 on the season. Gonzalez's last three starts have been especially rough, as he as surrendered 11 runs and 20 hits while walking seven in just 14 1/3 innings. He has a 6.91 ERA over those three outings to lift his season mark to 4.00. Gonzalez has failed to make it through five innings three...
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On Soriano's shaky last few days

On Soriano's shaky last few days
There was a stretch earlier this season where Rafael Soriano wasn't just notching saves and recording scoreless innings. He was nearly untouchable. From June 15 through July 12, Soriano made 12 appearances. He didn't allow a single run in that span, surrendered just four hits and two walks and struck out 13. Opposing hitters had just a .103 batting average against Soriano in that 12-game run, with a .249 OPS. Even earlier this month, from August 1-9, Soriano had a mini dominant stretch,...
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Williams on Roark, LaRoche and more after Nats' 5-4 win

Williams on Roark, LaRoche and more after Nats' 5-4 win
A 5-0 Nationals lead after three was trimmed to 5-3 in the fourth when the Pirates got to Tanner Roark. They then got to Rafael Soriano in the ninth, and nearly completed a big road comeback. Instead, Soriano walked the tightrope yet again and notched the save, his 29th of the season, giving the Nats a 5-4 win and their fourth straight victory. Adam LaRoche and Bryce Harper each drove in two for the Nats, and Denard Span had three hits and two stolen bases. Soriano allowed three hits and a run...
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Tonight's Pirates-Nationals lineups

Tonight's Pirates-Nationals lineups
The Nationals will kick off their 10-game homestand tonight with a game against the Pirates. Right-hander Tanner Roark will face the Pirates' Charlie Morton. First baseman Adam LaRoche is 3-for-5 against Morton in his career with a home run and four RBIs. For the Pirates SS Josh Harrison RF Gregory Polanco C Russell Martin 2B Neil Walker CF Starling Marte LF Travis Snider 1B Ike Davis 3B Pedro Alvarez RHP Charlie Morton For the Nationals CF Denard Span 2B Asdrubal Cabrera 3B Anthony...
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Odds in their favor

Odds in their favor
I'm not sure whether the following piece of information will please readers or make you guys want to slam down your laptop screens and run away. So I guess I'll issue a quick warning: if you're the superstitious type, if you're the type to get annoyed by some positive news about your baseball team's chances of making the postseason, you might want to stop reading now. Just take a little break from the blog. Go catch up on some world news or check out some home decor tips for a bit and...
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Span returns to lineup, Cabrera remains in two-hole

Span returns to lineup, Cabrera remains in two-hole
NEW YORK - Denard Span is back in the starting lineup in his customary center field and leadoff roles as the Nationals go for a sweep of their three game series against the New York Mets at Citi Field. A night after hitting his first home run in a Washington uniform, second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera remains in the two-hole. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg will take the mound for the Nats, opposing the Mets' Dillon Gee. For the NationalsCF Denard Span2B Asdrubal Cabrera3B Anthony Rendon1B Adam...
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Storen comes up huge

Storen comes up huge
NEW YORK - One-run game, bottom of the seventh inning. Two Nationals errors have already been committed, allowing the Mets to load the bases with just one out. Game on the line. Momentum possibly starting to shift. Matt Williams comes out to get Jordan Zimmermann, who hadn't allowed an earned run through his 6 1/3 innings to that point. Drew Storen trots out of the Nats bullpen, handed a jam that couldn't be much tougher. Not that Storen seems to mind. "Those are the fun spots," Storen...
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Hearing from Williams, Zimmerman, Frandsen and Cabrera after Nats' 3-2 win

Hearing from Williams, Zimmerman, Frandsen and Cabrera after Nats' 3-2 win
NEW YORK - It certainly wasn't pretty. The Nationals made three errors and needed to work their way out of bases-loaded, one-out jams in both the seventh and ninth innings. Yet they still managed to come away with a tight 3-2 win over the Mets, securing a series win and giving themselves a shot at a sweep tomorrow night. Asdrubal Cabrera hit a much-needed solo homer in the top of the eighth to give the Nats a 3-1 lead and made a tremendous catch that left him tumbling over the fence down the...
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Taylor leading off, playing center field with Span getting day off

Taylor leading off, playing center field with Span getting day off
NEW YORK - After starting every Nationals game for 1 1/2 months, Denard Span is not in tonight's lineup at Citi Field. Instead, rookie Michael A. Taylor is leading off and starting in center field, one night removed from a memorable major league debut where he had his first two hits, including a two-run homer. Span had started each game since getting the second contest off during the Nats' June 28 doubleheader against the Cubs. In starting the 36 games since, he batting .377/.442/.438 with...
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Leftovers from last night

Leftovers from last night
NEW YORK - After last night's game, Mets manager Terry Collins provided what I thought was an incredibly accurate description of how Doug Fister goes about his business. "Doug throws what he wants, when he wants, where he wants," Collins told reporters. Yeah, that pretty much hits the nail on the head. And it's quite a compliment, if you ask me. Fister is now 12-3 on the season. In his last four outings, he's thrown at least seven innings without allowing an earned run three times....
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Williams, Taylor and Harper on Taylor's big debut and Nats' 7-1 win

Williams, Taylor and Harper on Taylor's big debut and Nats' 7-1 win
NEW YORK - Michael A. Taylor collected his first major league hit in his major league debut. He also ripped his first home run. And it all came in a 7-1 win. Decent little night. Taylor, called up from minors on Sunday, got his first taste of big league ball tonight with Jayson Werth sidelined with a shoulder injury, and the 23-year-old provided one of four Nationals home runs. Bryce Harper and Ian Desmond also delivered two-run shots, and Anthony Rendon added a solo homer, as the Nats cruised...
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Werth out of lineup, Taylor making major league debut

Werth out of lineup, Taylor making major league debut
NEW YORK - With Jayson Werth once again out of the Nationals lineup, rookie Michael A. Taylor will make his big league debut tonight in right field and bat eighth. Werth missed two of the Nats' three games in Atlanta due to shoulder and ankle ailments. Taylor hit a combined .315 with 20 doubles, 22 home runs, 63 RBIs and 35 stolen bases in 102 games at Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse. Doug Fister will get the start on the mound for the Nats. For the Nationals CF Denard...
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A refresher on the revocable trade waiver process

A refresher on the revocable trade waiver process
NEW YORK - The Braves continue to lose to teams not named the Nationals. Atlanta dropped another game last night, falling to the Dodgers 6-2. The Braves now are four games back of the Nats in the National League East and have dropped eight of their last 10 games. The only two wins in that span were over the Nats. Bob Nightengale of USA Today created quite a stir among a portion of the Nationals' fan base yesterday when he tweeted out that Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Ian Desmond and Gio...
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