Gonzalez going on paternity leave, Scherzer aiming to start Monday

Gonzalez going on paternity leave, Scherzer aiming to start Monday
CHICAGO - The Nationals are going to have to piece together their rotation for the rest of the weekend at Wrigley Field, but they expect to have Max Scherzer and Gio Gonzalez back pitching for them once they return to Washington on Monday. Gonzalez, who was lined up to start Saturday against the Cubs, returned to Washington to be with his wife when she delivers the couple's second child. The left-hander will go on the paternity leave list, with Edwin Jackson now starting Saturday's...
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Game 107 lineups: Nats at Cubs

Game 107 lineups: Nats at Cubs
CHICAGO - It's a cool, gray, windy day on the North Side, the kind of weather you don't normally expect in early August, but maybe in early October. So consider this another good test for the Nationals, who open a weekend series with the Cubs in a potential preview of this fall's National League Division Series. Tanner Roark gets the start, and the Wilmington, Ill., native surely will have plenty of friends and family in attendance. If recent history is any indication, look for a large...
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Potential NLDS preview on display this weekend at Wrigley

Potential NLDS preview on display this weekend at Wrigley
CHICAGO - The Nationals still have 56 games to play, the Cubs 55. More than one-third of the season remains. But we'd be lying to ourselves if we didn't point out that this weekend's series at Wrigley Field is very likely going to be a preview of the National League Division Series. The Nats have been running away with the NL East for months, leading the division by an average of 10 games since Memorial Day. The Cubs may only lead the Brewers by 1 1/2 games in the NL Central at the moment,...
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How Doolittle became a closer throwing nothing but fastballs

How Doolittle became a closer throwing nothing but fastballs
Sean Doolittle made his major league debut on June 5, 2012, entering from the Athletics bullpen with two outs in the top of the fifth to face Rangers slugger Nelson Cruz. Doolittle, who had been drafted as a first baseman out of the University of Virginia, had converted to a pitcher only one year prior to his debut and made only 17 pitching appearances in the minors before suddenly finding himself on the mound at O.co Coliseum. Given those circumstances, Doolittle did what any smart rookie...
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Romero likely headed to DL with forearm strain

Romero likely headed to DL with forearm strain
MIAMI - The Nationals' ever-changing bullpen appears destined for another change after Enny Romero had to leave tonight's loss to the Marlins with a forearm strain that manager Dusty Baker said likely will send the left-hander to the disabled list. Pitching the sixth inning in what was a blowout loss to Miami, Romero faced four batters, allowing a run. He said he felt the tightness in his forearm after throwing a changeup to Giancarlo Stanton, then attempted one more fastball after that....
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Lifeless Nationals shut out by Worley, lose series to Marlins

Lifeless Nationals shut out by Worley, lose series to Marlins
MIAMI - The dog days of August have arrived, and anyone who questions whether that's a real thing needs only to have watched the Nationals slog their way through their last two games at Marlins Park. Things had been going swimmingly through the first 10 1/2 innings of this series, with Gio Gonzalez nearly throwing a one-hitter Monday night and Max Scherzer homering during a six-run explosion early Tuesday night. But from the moment Scherzer departed with what turned out to be neck spasms, the...
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Update on Scherzer and other injured Nationals (Nats down 7-0)

Update on Scherzer and other injured Nationals (Nats down 7-0)
MIAMI - Max Scherzer remained upbeat this afternoon, believing his neck injury isn't serious and can be fixed with a simple adjustment that could allow him to make his next start for the Nationals on schedule. Scherzer said he believes he has a pinched nerve in his neck, one that forced him out of Tuesday night's start after only one inning. The remedy: He plans to see a chiropractor sometime in the next 24 hours. It's too soon to know if Scherzer will be able to make his next start...
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Kintzler arrives, ready to pitch in any role for Nationals

Kintzler arrives, ready to pitch in any role for Nationals
MIAMI - Brandon Kintzler had been through trade deadline day before, last July 31, and he was admittedly a nervous wreck waiting to find out if the Twins had dealt him. So when this July 31 came around and he knew the team had a day off in San Diego, he decided to get away and go on a safari zoo tour with his wife. So there was Kintzler, feeding apples to a rhinoceros at 1:01 p.m. Pacific time, when his phone rang. He looked down and recognized it was a Minnesota area code. "So I figured this...
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Game 106 lineups: Nats at Marlins (Fedde, Solís optioned)

Game 106 lineups: Nats at Marlins (Fedde, Solís optioned)
MIAMI - Let's see, on Monday night Gio Gonzalez carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning. Last night, Max Scherzer homered in the top of the second and then departed after one warmup pitch in the bottom of the second with neck spasms. What does A.J. Cole have in store for us tonight? Cole gets the ball for only the second time this season in the big leagues, with the Nationals needing a one-time start in the wake of Sunday's doubleheader. Cole had a 5.66 ERA in 16 starts for Triple-A...
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Kendrick fitting right in with Nats after 5-for-5 night

Kendrick fitting right in with Nats after 5-for-5 night
MIAMI - Howie Kendrick joined the Nationals last weekend saying he simply wanted to fit in with a first-place club that already boasted no shortage of star power and big personalities. It took five games, but Kendrick ensured Tuesday night he'll fit in just fine here. Because after a 5-for-5 night at the plate, he looks very much like any other member of the National League's most productive lineup. On a night when - aside from Max Scherzer's surprise three-run homer - the Nationals didn't...
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Scherzer not concerned about neck: "This will come and go"

Scherzer not concerned about neck: "This will come and go"
MIAMI - Max Scherzer spent a good portion of his postgame session with reporters laughing and bragging about the three-run homer he launched in the top of the second inning tonight at Marlins Park. The fact he was able to do that should tell you how little he's worried about the reason he had to remove himself from the game in the bottom of the second: neck spasms. "I slept on it wrong," the Nationals ace said in the verbal equivalent of a shoulder shrug. "Sometimes you wake up in the...
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Scherzer homers, then departs with neck spasm (Nats lose 7-6)

Scherzer homers, then departs with neck spasm (Nats lose 7-6)
MIAMI - Max Scherzer abruptly pulled himself from tonight's start against the Marlins after throwing an errant warmup pitch before the bottom of the second inning, immediately motioning toward the Nationals dugout that he could not continue. Scherzer, who had tossed a perfect first inning and then launched the first home run of his career in the top of the second, jogged to the mound to begin the bottom of the second and appeared to be fine. But after a warmup toss sailed wide of catcher Matt...
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Cole likely to start Wednesday, weekend rotation unsure

Cole likely to start Wednesday, weekend rotation unsure
MIAMI - Last week's rainout in Washington has left the Nationals in a quandary, needing to call up a pitcher from their system to start Wednesday's series finale in Miami. But thanks to the long-term domino effect of the rainout, Sunday's doubleheader and Wednesday's one-time call-up, the Nats will have the ability to set their rotation however they like for this weekend's series in Chicago. What that all means ... A.J. Cole is expected to be promoted from Triple-A Syracuse to start...
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Game 105 lineups: Nats at Marlins

Game 105 lineups: Nats at Marlins
MIAMI - The last two times they've played at Marlins Park, the Nationals have seen their starting pitcher carry a no-hitter into at least the eighth inning. What does Max Scherzer have in store tonight? Scherzer, of course, was on the mound for one of those previous no-no attempts, reaching the bottom of the eighth on June 21 before a little chopper over the mound sent the Marlins on their way to a stunning 2-1 victory. Scherzer remained on the mound as that inning devolved, in large part...
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On the ever-changing bullpen and Wednesday's starter

On the ever-changing bullpen and Wednesday's starter
MIAMI - Gio Gonzalez was the talk of Little Havana on Monday night. And he was more than deserving of all the attention, considering the man carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the ninth at Marlins Park. But the Nationals' 1-0 victory would not have been secured had Sean Doolittle not been able to take over once Gonzalez surrendered his lone hit of the night and then record the game's final three outs, all while facing the heart of Miami's lineup with no margin for error. Doolittle was...
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On emotional night in Miami, Gonzalez pitches game of his life

On emotional night in Miami, Gonzalez pitches game of his life
MIAMI - When it was over, when Dee Gordon lined his 1-1 curveball cleanly into left-center field to open the bottom of the ninth to end his flirtation with history, Gio Gonzalez knew it was time to call it a night. There were still three outs to go before the Nationals could secure a 1-0 victory over the Marlins, and Gonzalez's pitch count was a manageable 106. But this wasn't about workload or trying to go the distance. Emotionally speaking, the lefty was done. "I'll be honest with you: It...
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Gonzalez loses no-hitter in ninth, Doolittle saves 1-0 victory

Gonzalez loses no-hitter in ninth, Doolittle saves 1-0 victory
MIAMI - Imagine the emotions Gio Gonzalez must have felt when he took the mound tonight at Marlins Park. He was pitching in his hometown, with family and friends in attendance. He was pitching in the ballpark that hosted the All-Star Game three weeks ago, a game the left-hander desperately wanted to participate in. And he was pitching on what would have been José Fernández's 25th birthday, a melancholy reminder of a baseball friend who was lost too soon. Now imagine how Gonzalez managed...
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Taylor begins rehab assignment with Potomac (Nats win 1-0)

Taylor begins rehab assignment with Potomac (Nats win 1-0)
MIAMI - Michael A. Taylor began a rehab assignment with Single-A Potomac this evening, the first of several much-anticipated steps for the Nationals as they try to get their starting lineup healthy again. Taylor, who has been out since July 7 with a strained right oblique muscle, led off and served as designated hitter for the Potomac Nationals in his first game action in nearly four weeks. Taylor had just recently been cleared to resume full baseball activities after being limited to light...
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Nationals "really like the look of our bullpen" after latest trade

Nationals "really like the look of our bullpen" after latest trade
MIAMI - As the clock wound down to today's 4 p.m. trade deadline, the Nationals were still in discussions with several teams over several late-inning relievers. "A lot of balls in the air," general manager Mike Rizzo said. "You've got a lot of options." When it came time to say yes to one of the deals on the table, the Twins' proposal to send Brandon Kintzler to Washington in exchange for Single-A left-hander Tyler Watson sat best with Rizzo. And so it was that in the final minutes...
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Nats acquire Twins closer Kintzler for Single-A lefty

Nats acquire Twins closer Kintzler for Single-A lefty
MIAMI - The Nationals have pulled off a deadline deal for the Twins' Brandon Kintzler, adding another late-inning arm to their reconfigured bullpen for the season's final two months, according to a source familiar with the trade. In exchange for Kintzler, who converted 28-of-32 save opportunities with a 2.78 ERA this year, the Nationals are sending Single-A left-handed Tyler Watson to Minnesota, according to the source. Whether Kintzler takes over ninth-inning duties for the Nationals remains...
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