Mark Zuckerman

Game 11 lineups: Nats vs. Braves (Eaton scratched)

April 10, 2018, 11:19am

It's a beautiful spring afternoon here in the nation's capital, the kind of day you'd much rather be sitting inside a ballpark watching a game than, oh I don't know, sitting in the Senate Judiciary hearing room, to name just one alternative. ... The real news in town is taking place 1 1/2 miles down South Capitol Street, where the Nationals are looking to make it two in a row against the Braves. And they'll do so with a new lineup wrinkle. Seeking to create some more protection for Bryce...

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Tight leg forces Kendrick to bench early in Monday's win

April 09, 2018, 7:23pm

Nationals

Tight leg forces Kendrick to bench early in Monday's win

Howie Kendrick delivered the only run-scoring hit of Monday night's game at Nationals Park. But he may not be available to his club tonight after his right leg tightened up on him late, forcing manager Davey Martinez to pull him after seven innings. "His right leg tightened up on him," Martinez said following the Nats' 2-0 win over the Braves. "That's all he told me. He didn't give specifics. Precautionary." Kendrick dealt with some leg issues late last season but seemingly had been...

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With dominance and efficiency, Scherzer authors latest gem

April 09, 2018, 7:06pm

Nationals

With dominance and efficiency, Scherzer authors latest gem

Max Scherzer tries not to think about it until he gets deep into a game. No sense worrying about going the distance until it's within realistic reach. Scherzer's goal when he took the mound tonight at Nationals Park was to get through at least seven innings on 105 pitches. That would be enough to help cover for a relief corps that tossed a combined seven frames during Sunday night's marathon loss to the Mets. Anything beyond that would be gravy. But as the zeros kept piling up and his pitch...

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Scherzer goes the distance to stop Nats' skid, win 2-0

April 09, 2018, 5:29pm

Nationals

Scherzer goes the distance to stop Nats' skid, win 2-0

With a five-game losing streak on their minds and an exhausted set of relievers in their bullpen, the Nationals tonight turned to the kind of guy who is hardwired to solve all of his team's woes in one brilliant pitching performance. Max Scherzer is the ace of this club, and the National League's back-to-back Cy Young Award winner for a reason. And that reason was on full display tonight before 19,528 brave souls who sat through another frigid evening at the park but were rewarded with a 2-0...

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Wieters to rehab with Potomac, Severino could stay with Nats

April 09, 2018, 1:51pm

Nationals

Wieters to rehab with Potomac, Severino could stay with Nats

Assuming all goes well during a brief rehab assignment with Single-A Potomac, the Nationals expect to have Matt Wieters back on their active roster Thursday when he becomes eligible to return from the 10-day disabled list. At which point they are going to face a dilemma involving the emerging Pedro Severino. Wieters, out since April 2 with a mild left oblique strain, worked out on the field at Nationals Park early this afternoon, taking batting practice from both sides of the plate and throwing...

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Game 10 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

April 09, 2018, 11:17am

Nationals

It's one thing to lose five in a row. It's another thing to lose five in a row to the two division rivals that currently sit above you in the standings. That has added a bit of significance to the Nationals' current slide, which leaves them at 4-5 overall and 3 1/2 games behind the Mets, two games behind the Braves (the two teams they've faced the last five games, it just so happens). Well, after losing two of three at SunTrust Field last week, the Nats get another crack at Atlanta the next...

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Nightmare sequence with two outs ruins Roark's outing

April 08, 2018, 9:43pm

Nationals

Nightmare sequence with two outs ruins Roark's outing

In some respects, Tanner Roark was thrilled with the way he pitched Sunday night. Why wouldn't the right-hander be happy with nine strikeouts in five innings? And yet, there was that fateful stretch of four batters in the top of the third that ultimately defined his start and made everything else secondary. Roark had recorded two quick outs to begin the inning. Then came the nitpicking. He walked Jay Bruce. He walked Todd Frazier. He walked AsdrÃºbal Cabrera. "They were close," Roark said...

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Outs on the bases haunt Nationals during 12-inning loss

April 08, 2018, 9:26pm

Nationals

Pick your reasons for the Nationals' latest loss to the Mets, this one by a 6-5 count in 12 innings. Point to Tanner Roark walking the bases loaded in the top of the third and then serving up a grand slam to AdriÃ¡n GonzÃ¡lez on his next pitch. Mention Brandon Kintzler taking the loss for the second straight day and surrendering a run for the third straight game. And be sure to include back-to-back, three-pitch strikeouts with the winning run on third by Michael A. Taylor and Pedro...

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Nats lose to Mets in 12, get swept and fall below .500 mark

April 08, 2018, 8:11pm

Nationals

Nats lose to Mets in 12, get swept and fall below .500 mark

The Nationals can't say they didn't keep giving themselves opportunities to beat the Mets tonight and avoid a disheartening, early-season, three-game sweep at the hands of their division rivals. All the opportunities in the world, though, mean nothing if you can't deliver in those situations. Or, at the very least, not commit baserunning blunders every 15 minutes or so. So it was that the Nats went down again tonight, this time in an agonizing, 6-5, 12-inning loss on a cold, dreary Sunday...

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Murphy still needs a week of running before playing games

April 08, 2018, 3:08pm

Nationals

Murphy still needs a week of running before playing games

Daniel Murphy's advancement in daily workouts - running sprints in the outfield, taking full rounds of batting practice and grounders at second base - may suggest the rehabbing Nationals veteran is nearly ready to begin playing in games. To anyone who is having that notion right now, manager Davey Martinez wants you to start pumping the brakes a bit. Despite the significant progress he's made in the last week, Murphy still has some significant hurdles to cross before he suits up for a...

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Game 9 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

April 08, 2018, 12:11pm

Nationals

It's been a very pleasant, if just a bit chilly, afternoon here in the nation's capital. Would've been a great day for a ballgame. Unfortunately the Nationals and Mets don't play til 8:08 p.m., after the sun has gone down and the temperatures drop. It's going to be in the low 40s for most of tonight's game, maybe even dipping into the 30s before the end of the game. Don't worry, though, at least the Metro closes at 11 p.m. ... OK, enough complaining for now. The Nationals kind of need to...

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Kintzler struggles again, Severino surprises at the plate

April 07, 2018, 8:34pm

Nationals

Kintzler struggles again, Severino surprises at the plate

After a disastrous appearance Thursday that was capped by a grand slam, Brandon Kintzler vowed to get back to throwing his bread-and-butter pitch (sinker) instead of the off-speed pitch (slider) he inexplicably relied too much on that afternoon. The good news about Kintzler's return to the mound Saturday: He threw only one slider among the 15 pitches he threw during the top of the seventh. The bad news: He still gave up two runs to the Mets, turning the Nationals' 2-1 lead into a 3-2 deficit...

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Rendon, Nats lament quick ejection during latest loss

April 07, 2018, 1:33pm

Nationals

Rendon, Nats lament quick ejection during latest loss

Anthony Rendon didn't say a word - "I don't think my mouth even opened to chew gum," the mild-mannered Nationals third baseman said - but it was his actions and not his words in the third inning of today's 3-2 loss to the Mets that caught plate umpire Marty Foster's ire. When Foster saw Rendon step out of the batter's box after Steven Matz's 2-1 curveball up in the zone was called a strike, he told Rendon "we gotta play, you gotta get back in there," according to crew chief Joe West,...

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Frustrated Nats drop fourth straight, fall 3-2 to Mets

April 07, 2018, 12:04pm

Nationals

Frustrated Nats drop fourth straight, fall 3-2 to Mets

They kept their composure during three straight losses. By the fourth, the Nationals couldn't hold back their frustration any longer. Particularly with an umpire with a healthy strike zone on a cold afternoon in the District. Today's 3-2 loss to the Mets, in which the tying and go-ahead runs were scored off reliever Brandon Kintzler in the top of the seventh, leaves the Nationals with an even .500 record through eight games. More concerning, it leaves them 2 1/2 games behind New York in the...

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Rendon, Martinez ejected arguing strike three call (Nats lose 3-2)

April 07, 2018, 10:36am

Nationals

Rendon, Martinez ejected arguing strike three call (Nats lose 3-2)

For all his mild-mannered appearances in interviews, Davey Martinez has insisted all along he can get riled up with the best of them when he gets upset. And he just proved it in the bottom of the third inning at Nationals Park. Moments after Anthony Rendon was ejected following a borderline strike three call by plate umpire Marty Foster, Martinez came storming out of the dugout and earned the first ejection of his managerial career, tossing his cap and kicking dirt on the plate in a show that...

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Cole pushed back, Hellickson still in Florida

April 07, 2018, 9:02am

Nationals

Cole pushed back, Hellickson still in Florida

A.J. Cole will remain in the Nationals rotation for now. But he'll be pushed back a couple of days. With Jeremy Hellickson continuing to breathe down his neck. Friday's off-day afforded the Nats the opportunity to adjust their rotation, and they've decided to have Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg remain on a five-day schedule and start Monday and Tuesday against the Braves. Cole now will slot in behind Strasburg and start Wednesday's series finale against Atlanta, hoping for much better...

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Romero designated, Montero goes on paternity list

April 07, 2018, 7:33am

Nationals

Romero designated, Montero goes on paternity list

The combination of a short bench, better-than-expected weather and the pending birth of a player's child led the Nationals to make a flurry of roster moves before today's game against the Mets. Already playing with a four-man bench to begin the season, the club was facing the possibility of even fewer options after Adam Eaton tweaked his ankle during Thursday's home opener. Though the dynamic leadoff man says he feels "great" and is expected back in the lineup Sunday, the Nationals decided...

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Game 8 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

April 07, 2018, 5:24am

Nationals

It's cold. It's gray. It's windy. But it's dry at Nationals Park, and it appears it's going to stay that way the rest of the day. So there will indeed be baseball this afternoon, the second game of this weekend series against the Mets, who are off to a 5-1 start and the (extremely early) top spot in the National League East division. Given the conditions, this should be a good day to be a pitcher, especially a left-handed pitcher since the wind is blowing in from left field. And wouldn't...

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Kintzler regrets using off-speed pitches in four-run inning

April 06, 2018, 11:12am

Nationals

Kintzler regrets using off-speed pitches in four-run inning

The vast majority of Brandon Kintzler's appearances this season should come with the Nationals leading, or perhaps tied, late in games. But the right-hander hadn't pitched in a week, and with the club off Friday, manager Davey Martinez wanted to make sure he and fellow bullpen stalwarts Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle got some work in Thursday regardless of the score. So it was that Kintzler found himself on the mound for the top of the seventh, the Nationals trailing the Mets 4-2, the...

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Friday morning Nats Q&A

April 05, 2018, 7:11pm

Nationals

So I sense a little bit of angst out there among the Nationals faithful. Is that a fair reading of public opinion following three straight losses, including Thursday's 8-2 dud against the Mets in the home opener? The Nationals looked great for four games; they've looked far-from-great in three games since. The top of the order is hitting, the rest of the lineup, not so much. The two aces got battered around a bit the last two days. And the bullpen remains a work in progress. And now we've...