Mark Zuckerman

Groundball-heavy Soto believes he's close to breaking out

May 15, 2021, 9:51pm

Any discussion of Juan Soto being in a slump has to include the qualifier that a Soto slump isn't like any other hitter's slump. Other hitters go 1-for-30 with 17 strikeouts, and that's clearly a slump. Soto goes 6-for-30 with six strikeouts and we start worrying about him. Soto has set the bar for himself extraordinarily high. But having said that, it's not inappropriate to point out he's not hitting like himself right now. And hasn't been for a while. In his first 10 games since coming...

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Ross roughed up as Nationals fall in Arizona (updated)

May 15, 2021, 7:38pm

Nationals

Davey Martinez knew what Joe Ross had been getting away with in recent starts before tonight's game in Arizona, and so the Nationals manager knew exactly what his right-hander needed to do to be successful in this outing. "The pitches are up," Martinez said during his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "When he's down, he's really effective." As such, it wasn't hard to figure out why Ross wasn't effective tonight during an 11-4 trouncing at the hands of the Diamondbacks. Plain and...

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Gomes producing at the plate despite heavy workload

May 15, 2021, 3:16pm

Nationals

Gomes producing at the plate despite heavy workload

Yan Gomes had come up to bat with a chance to hit for the cycle before. Four times, in fact, as a big leaguer. But never like this. On those four previous occasions (once with the Nationals, three times with the Indians), Gomes needed a triple to complete the cycle. And in each case, he had only one at-bat at the end of the game to try to do it. So imagine how surreal it felt for the 33-year-old catcher when he stepped up to bat in the top of the sixth Friday night in Arizona, having already...

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Game 35 lineups: Nats at D-backs

May 15, 2021, 12:28pm

Nationals

The Nationals lineup had its best night of the season Friday in Arizona. Why not stick with it again tonight, right? That's Davey Martinez's thinking, and it's hard to fault the manager for that philosophy, especially after he spent the better part of the last month tinkering every single day with a new-look batting order. So tonight the Nats will again go with Trea Turner and Josh Harrison at the top, Josh Bell in the No. 6 spot and Victor Robles at the bottom, behind the pitcher. It's a...

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Nats explode for 17 runs in desert rout of D-backs (updated)

May 14, 2021, 8:55pm

Nationals

Nats explode for 17 runs in desert rout of D-backs (updated)

After an unseasonably cool spring on the East Coast that more often than not left their bats ice-cold, the Nationals might well have stepped onto the tarmac at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix late Thursday night, breathed in the scorching hot, dry desert air and wondered if they could just head straight to Chase Field to begin their series against the Diamondbacks early. Nothing fixes an unproductive lineup like temperatures in the upper 90s and a relative humidity of 10 percent....

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Still thriving, Hudson tries to enjoy every moment he's got left

May 14, 2021, 7:02pm

Nationals

Still thriving, Hudson tries to enjoy every moment he's got left

Daniel Hudson was sitting at home in Arizona last winter, contemplating his memorable 2019 run to a World Series title and the frustrating and surreal 2020 that followed, and made a vow to himself to enjoy the 2021 season no matter what. Why? Because he has no idea at this point if he'll even get a chance to be on a big league mound in 2022. "This is the last year on this contract, and I don't know what's going to happen next year. I really don't," the 34-year-old Nationals reliever said...

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Strasburg to start Sunday for Rochester in Trenton

May 14, 2021, 4:42pm

Nationals

Strasburg to start Sunday for Rochester in Trenton

Stephen Strasburg will make a rehab start for Triple-A Rochester on Sunday, potentially the right-hander's final tune-up before he rejoins the Nationals rotation, this start coming on the road against Buffalo, even though the game will be played in Trenton, N.J. Confused enough yet? You're not alone. The most pertinent detail: Strasburg is going to face opposing hitters in an actual ballgame instead of teammates in a simulated game, the first time he will have done so since landing on the...

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Game 34 lineups: Nats at D-backs (Corbin on paternity leave)

May 14, 2021, 1:26pm

Nationals

Game 34 lineups: Nats at D-backs (Corbin on paternity leave)

Max Scherzer appears to be on one of those dominant rolls we've seen from him before, the kind that turns every one of his starts into must-see TV. Over his last six outings, the three-time Cy Young Award winner owns a 1.79 ERA, 0.769 WHIP and 52 strikeouts against only seven walks. (And remember, that stretch includes a seven-run blowup start against the Blue Jays, so he's been unbelievably great in the five other appearances.) So even though it may require some extra caffeine, it might be...

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Resurgent rotation trying to lead the way again

May 13, 2021, 8:35pm

Nationals

Resurgent rotation trying to lead the way again

If you're looking for reasons to remain optimistic about the Nationals' chances of climbing out of last place and back into the thick of the National League East race, look no further than the club's longstanding biggest strength: the rotation. Despite some notable April blowups, Nats starters have found their way again and are now leading the way, as they were expected to all along. Overall, the Nationals rotation owns a 4.27 ERA, which ranks only 17th in the majors, and 1.215 WHIP, which...

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Nats get big blasts early, big start from Corbin to win (updated)

May 13, 2021, 11:43am

Nationals

Nats get big blasts early, big start from Corbin to win (updated)

The Nationals aren't going to amount to much this season if Josh Bell, Kyle Schwarber and Patrick Corbin aren't consistently contributing to the process. They all know that, and it's why manager Davey Martinez isn't going to give up on any of them anytime soon. The roster general manager Mike Rizzo built this winter included Bell, Schwarber and Corbin in prominent positions, the first two in the heart of his lineup and the latter in the heart of his rotation. So the early-season struggles...

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Nats want one more tune-up for Strasburg before his return

May 13, 2021, 7:58am

Nationals

Nats want one more tune-up for Strasburg before his return

Stephen Strasburg is close to rejoining the Nationals rotation, but first the club needs their rehabbing right-hander to build up his innings and pitch count one more time. They just need to figure out where and when that final tune-up will take place. Strasburg, who has already pitched in two simulated games at Nationals Park, was scheduled to throw a bullpen session this morning before the team's series finale against the Phillies. His next turn to start would come Sunday, but it hasn't...

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Game 33 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

May 13, 2021, 7:04am

Nationals

To say the Nationals need to find a way to win today's series finale against the Phillies is a gross understatement. No, the season isn't over if they lose again, but if they get swept by Philadelphia after losing two of three to the Yankees after getting swept by the Braves ... well, that's not a position you want to be in. So the pressure's on this afternoon on South Capitol Street, which is probably the last thing Davey Martinez wants. He held a team meeting after Wednesday night's loss...

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Cavalli's pro career off to a rousing start in Wilmington

May 12, 2021, 10:15pm

Nationals

Cavalli's pro career off to a rousing start in Wilmington

If you're in need of a little pick-me-up following Wednesday night's extra-inning loss to the Phillies, here's one that might do the trick: Cade Cavalli's professional career is off to a fantastic start. The Nationals' 2020 first-round pick authored another impressive outing Wednesday for high Single-A Wilmington, tossing five scoreless innings while striking out eight during an eventual 1-0 win over Jersey Shore. Cavalli surrendered only one hit, a third-inning single by Jonathan Guzman,...

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Hand blows another save, Nats lose in 10th (updated)

May 12, 2021, 6:51pm

Nationals

Hand blows another save, Nats lose in 10th (updated)

They had played far from a perfect ballgame, and certainly they didn't tear the cover off the ball, but the Nationals nonetheless put themselves in position to beat the Phillies this evening, thanks to an effective start by Jon Lester, some timely hits in the sixth, a massive blunder in the outfield by Bryce Harper and strong setup work from Sam Clay and Daniel Hudson. Victory, however, could not be secured until Brad Hand pitched a scoreless ninth, something that only a week ago felt like as...

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Suero activated, Espino optioned to Rochester

May 12, 2021, 2:00pm

Nationals

Suero activated, Espino optioned to Rochester

The Nationals have activated Wander Suero from the 10-day injured list and will have their workhorse reliever available for tonight's game against the Phillies. To clear space on their active roster for Suero, the Nats optioned veteran right-hander Paolo Espino to Triple-A Rochester. Suero, who had been out since April 18 with a left oblique strain, was cleared to return three days after a one-appearance rehab assignment for Rochester. Starting the game against Lehigh Valley, he gave up two...

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Game 32 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

May 12, 2021, 11:27am

Nationals

The Nationals need to score runs tonight. This does not qualify as some sort of huge revelation. It's simply the truth. Over their last eight games, the Nats have scored an average of 3.4 runs on 7.5 hits. Which isn't great, but it's even worse when you consider they exploded for 11 runs on 10 hits during Friday night's win at Yankee Stadium. Throw that outlier from the mix, and you get an average of 2.3 runs on 7.1 hits during this stretch. So the mission tonight is clear: Score, and score...

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Emotional Zimmermann retires, recalls memories of time in D.C.

May 11, 2021, 10:13pm

Nationals

Emotional Zimmermann retires, recalls memories of time in D.C.

Jordan Zimmermann, as publicly stoic and unemotional a ballplayer as you'll ever meet, was already feeling his eyes begin to well up as he discussed his decision to retire Tuesday on a Zoom session with reporters who cover each of the three teams he pitched for during his career. "I just felt like after 15 years of playing ball, my mind was still in it, but my body wasn't," the right-hander said. And when, about 12 minutes into the call, Zimmermann was asked by a writer from Detroit about...

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Nats squander chances at plate again, fall to Phillies (updated)

May 11, 2021, 7:03pm

Nationals

Nats squander chances at plate again, fall to Phillies (updated)

You can point to a number of reasons the Nationals find themselves in the basement of a tight National League East division in mid-May, but inevitably you come back to the same irrefutable conclusion: They just aren't scoring enough runs on a consistent basis to win games. Even when they get a less-than-stellar showing from their starter, or meltdown from their bullpen, the Nats still find themselves facing a key moment late in a game in which one big hit with runners on base could be the...

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Strasburg builds up to 62 pitches, Suero almost ready to return

May 11, 2021, 12:34pm

Nationals

Strasburg builds up to 62 pitches, Suero almost ready to return

Stephen Strasburg took a significant step forward in his return from a shoulder injury today when he threw 62 pitches over four innings during a simulated game at Nationals Park. Strasburg, out since April 18 with right shoulder inflammation, was initially scheduled to only pitch three innings but felt strong enough after walking off the mound following the third simulated frame to ask for an opportunity to go back out for another. The club's coaching and medical staff agreed, so he wound up...

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Game 31 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

May 11, 2021, 11:14am

Nationals

The Nationals are in the midst of a rough stretch, no doubt about it. They've lost five of their last six and are back in last place in the division. And yet, when you consider they lost three of those games by one run (two via walk-off) and another by two runs, the situation very easily could be reversed. Is that reason for optimism or pessimism? Guess it depends on how you prefer to view life (or, at least, baseball). The next three nights, then, present an opportunity to flip the script and...