Josh Land

Yunel Escobar's hot bat has been one of Nats' few constants this season

September 19, 2015, 11:23am

Yunel Escobar enters today's matinee against the Marlins with the fourth-best batting average in the National League. If he finishes the year with his current .317 mark, it would end up being second only to his rookie year when he hit .326 in 94 games. But Escobar isn't a career .300 hitter. In his previous eight seasons before joining the Nationals, Escobar was a .276 hitter. Certainly respectable, but not the Top 10-type numbers that the 32-year-old has posted this season. "His stroke is...

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With home starts running out, Jordan Zimmermann looks to finish strong (with lineups)

September 19, 2015, 8:46am

Nationals

With home starts running out, Jordan Zimmermann looks to finish strong (with lineups)

Jordan Zimmermann takes the mound this afternoon looking to rebound from his six-run outing in Monday's 8-7 win over the Phillies. The right-hander was tagged for two homers in the game, including a game-tying three-run shot in the sixth. Zimmermann has now surrendered 21 homers on the season, the most in his seven-year career. Zimmermann is 7-3 with a 2.47 ERA in 17 starts at Nationals Park this year. Zimmermann, who becomes a free agent after the season, could be making one of his final...

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Headfirst and bloodied, Jayson Werth emerges with win

September 19, 2015, 6:14am

Nationals

Headfirst and bloodied, Jayson Werth emerges with win

Jayson Werth sat in front of his locker late last night. As the camera lights popped on, the grizzled veteran flung his long hair back, revealing a bloody dirt burn on the right side of forehead. The war wound was evidence of Werth scoring the game-winning run for the Nationals' thrilling 5-4 win. "I don't even know what happened," Werth admitted. "I hit my head too hard or something. I need to look at the replay." Werth blistered a tailing line drive to right-center, gashing the...

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Max Scherzer's fiery response to Matt Williams highlighted in Nats' 5-4 win

September 18, 2015, 8:16pm

Nationals

Max Scherzer's fiery response to Matt Williams highlighted in Nats' 5-4 win

Right-handers Max Scherzer and Jose Fernandez went toe-to-toe for the first six innings tonight, both allowing two runs. But Scherzer outlasted Fernandez, taking his start into the seventh where his defining moment of the night took center stage. With the game knotted 2-2, Miguel Rojas smoked a double off Scherzer with one down. Scherzer quickly responded, fanning Casey McGehee for the second out. With Dee Gordon - owner of the National League's second best batting average - stepping to the...

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Watch the celebration following Jose Lobaton's walk-off sac fly

September 18, 2015, 7:59pm

Nationals

Watch the celebration following Jose Lobaton's walk-off sac fly

Two Fridays ago, the Nationals sported their blue jerseys and faced their National League East rivals, the Braves, in front of the hometown crowd at Nats Park. With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 10th, Michael A. Taylor came on to pinch-hit and sent a walk-off three-run home run into the stands. Fast forward to last night's scene in D.C. The boys dawned their patriotic get-up as they hosted another division foe, the Marlins. The ballgame was knotted at 4-4 after nine innings. To the...

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Nats win 5-4 on Jose Lobaton's walk-off sacrifice fly in 10th

September 18, 2015, 3:26pm

Nationals

Nats win 5-4 on Jose Lobaton's walk-off sacrifice fly in 10th

Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer yielded a leadoff single to Dee Gordon. Two batters later, Christian Yelich launched a two-run homer to deep right-center field. It's the second straight night a Nats starter has allowed a two-run homer in the first inning. Scherzer has now surrendered 25 home runs on the season, seven more than last year and his highest total since 29 in 2011. Update: Clint Robinson answered with a solo shot to the second deck in right to start the second. It was...

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Matt Williams on Michael A. Taylor: "I think he's answered the question"

September 18, 2015, 2:08pm

Nationals

Matt Williams on Michael A. Taylor: "I think he's answered the question"

Nationals manager Matt Williams gave Michael A. Taylor a night off with right-hander Jose Fernandez on the mound and the Marlins throwing two left-handers the next two days. Taylor has struggled at the plate since banging his right knee on the center field wall at Nationals Park while trying to make a leaping catch against the Padres on Aug. 27. The 24-year-old missed seven games dealing with bruising and swelling around the knee, which limited him in the field and on the basepaths. Since...

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Max Scherzer, Jose Fernandez featured in marquee matchup (with lineups)

September 18, 2015, 11:34am

Nationals

Max Scherzer, Jose Fernandez featured in marquee matchup (with lineups)

The nation's capital is the site for the majors' marquee pitching matchup tonight as a couple heavyweight right-handers are set to face off. The Nationals send Max Scherzer to the mound while the Marlins counter with Jose Fernandez. After struggling uncharacteristically for much of the second half of the season, Scherzer experienced his best start of the past three months in a 5-0 win in Miami last Sunday. Scherzer tossed eight scoreless innings in the victory, striking out six while refusing...

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Patrick Reddington: Could Zack Greinke be free agent target for Nationals?

September 18, 2015, 6:31am

Nationals

In discussing the Washington Nationals' approach to negotiations of contract extensions with pending free agents like Jordan Zimmermann (a free agent this winter unless he re-signs) and 2009 No. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg (under team control through 2016), both of whom are on their "second elbows" after having Tommy John surgery, Washington Post writer Thomas Boswell suggested last winter that in Zimmermann's case, previous talks likely centered around a deal similar to what Ian...

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Matthew Taylor: Comparing the Orioles and Nationals seasons

September 18, 2015, 6:04am

Nationals Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Comparing the Orioles and Nationals seasons

Who has had it worse this season, Baltimore Orioles fans or Washington Nationals fans? The two teams will square off next week in a series that fans of each franchise had expected to be a tune-up for postseason play. Instead, it will be a match-up of drowning teams gasping desperately for a breath of playoff air. Neither of the teams playing near the Navy Yard next week is fully submerged just yet, but the O's and Nats have both been sinking ships for some time now. The teams have both sounded...

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Ian Desmond opens Nats' final homestand with homer, four RBIs

September 18, 2015, 5:24am

Nationals

Ian Desmond opens Nats' final homestand with homer, four RBIs

Ian Desmond was one of the few offensive bright spots for the Nationals in their untimely 6-4 loss to the Marlins last night. The 29-year-old smacked a two-run homer in the second to even the score and then drove in two more in the eighth on a clutch two-out single, accounting for the entire Nats tally on the scoreboard. Desmond's home run delivered the only runs the Nationals managed against Marlins right-hander Jarred Cosarts. "To be honest, I just caught it a little out front," Desmond...

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Time running out for Nats after 6-4 loss

September 17, 2015, 7:33pm

Nationals

Time running out for Nats after 6-4 loss

The Nationals got off to a rough start on their final homestand, suffering a costly 6-4 loss to the Marlins. Certainly the Nats will point to dropping six straight to the first-place Mets if they fail to make the playoffs, but they have also lost three of four to the Marlins over the last week. At 19 games under .500 for the season, Miami holds a 9-7 record over Washington this year. Right-hander Tanner Roark was done in by the longball in his third straight start. Martin Prado blasted a...

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Nats suffer costly 6-4 loss to Marlins

September 17, 2015, 3:16pm

Nationals

Dee Gordon singled to center to start tonight's game. Two batters later, Martin Prado smacked a hanging slider from Tanner Roark over the wall in left-center for a two-run homer. Update: Jayson Werth drew a leadoff walk in the second. After Clint Robinson grounded out, Ian Desmond hit a missile into the Marlins bullpen. The two-run homer was Desmond's 18th of the season, but first in his his last 18 games. Update II: Miguel Rojas doubled to start the fifth. After advancing to third on...

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Bryce Harper: "Everybody's gonna expect 40 a year every time I play now"

September 17, 2015, 2:31pm

Nationals

Bryce Harper: "Everybody's gonna expect 40 a year every time I play now"

Throughout the Nationals' 145 games this season, Bryce Harper's lofty batting average has remained a constant. But over the summer months, Harper's homers decreased from six in June to five in July and then only two in August. Now in September, the 22-year-old slugger is on pace to blow out the artillery show from May, when he bombed 13 homers and drove in 28 runs, winning the National League's Player of the Month. Through 15 games this month, Harper is slashing .417/.540/1.063 with nine...

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Tanner Roark kicks off final homestand (with lineups)

September 17, 2015, 11:55am

Nationals

Tanner Roark kicks off final homestand (with lineups)

Tanner Roark makes his third straight start since rejoining the Nationals rotation on Sept. 4. The right-hander has been limited to 69 pitches in each of his last two innings as he continues to stretch out after spending the majority of the season pitching out of the bullpen. Roark has allowed three runs on 13 hits over nine innings in his last two outings. The 28-year-old is 2-3 with two holds, one save and a 2.35 ERA in 11 games, including five starts, in his career against the Marlins. Yunel...

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Hitting the Books With Gary Thorne: "The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth"

September 17, 2015, 11:21am

Joe Castiglione is in his 35th broadcasting season and his 32nd with the Red Sox. No one has broadcast more Boston games than Joe. He is also authored two books on his tenure with the Red Sox, "Broadcast Rites and Sites: I Saw it on the Radio with the Boston Red Sox" and "Can You Believe It?: 30 Years of Insider Stories with the Boston Red Sox." We have long been friends and I am a longtime admirer of his work and his person. When we got together at Camden Yards to hit the books, Joe went...

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Zach Wilt: A year later, recalling Clinchmas morning

September 17, 2015, 5:33am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: A year later, recalling Clinchmas morning

Waking up in Baltimore a year ago today felt very much like Christmas morning for Orioles fans. Instead of racing to the tree to see what Santa had left us the night before, we raced to our phones and computers to check the standings to see if what we witnessed the night before really did happen. Was that champagne celebration real? Did Adam Jones really pie that fan? It was all very real and I'll never forget the way I felt all day knowing that the O's were American League East...

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David Huzzard: No question, Bryce Harper is NL MVP

September 17, 2015, 5:19am

Nationals

David Huzzard: No question, Bryce Harper is NL MVP

The very fact that Bryce Harper's legitimacy as National League Most Valuable Player is up for debate is an absurdity. The MVP award is an individual award meant to be handed out to the best player in a league at the end of the season, but too many people get caught up in the word "value" and end up trying to give it some meaning beyond simply being the best. The problem for opponents of Harper is if you debate the merits of Harper as MVP on baseball terms, you lose. Harper is the first...

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Jayson Werth providing powerful messages on and off field during stretch run

September 16, 2015, 9:30pm

Nationals

Jayson Werth providing powerful messages on and off field during stretch run

PHILADELPHIA - If the Nationals come up short - which is likely - in their bid to overtake the Mets the for the division crown, they will eventually sit back, probably cursing, and wonder why so many important players were repeatedly struck by the injury bug this year. Jayson Werth missed the first six games of the year rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery. Just when it seemed he was turning the corner, an errant fastball fractured his wrist in San Diego in mid-May, robbing the 13-year...

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Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth keep hope alive for Nats in sweep

September 16, 2015, 7:35pm

Nationals

Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth keep hope alive for Nats in sweep

PHILADELPHIA - Is the heart still beating? Five days ago, the Nationals gave everyone the feeling it was time to kick dirt on the grave after dropping their fifth straight, leaving them a season-worst 9 1/2 games out of first place. But with their pride questioned, the Nats showed a pulse in a 5-0 shutout win, led by ace Max Scherzer on Sunday. And tonight's 12-2 drubbing of the Phillies finished a sweep, powered by four homers apiece from Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth during the...