Nationals may need emergency additions today to fill outfield

Nationals may need emergency additions today to fill outfield
PHOENIX - Already dealing with a thin outfield following the long-term injuries to two starters and their primary backup, the Nationals now may find themselves in a full-fledged outfield crisis for today's series finale against the Diamondbacks. Ryan Raburn is going on the bereavement list today following his grandfather's death. And Chris Heisey may need to go on the disabled list after tweaking his groin during a key triple in Saturday night's 4-3 victory at Chase Field. Even if Heisey can...
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New bullpen duo finishes off Roark's strong start

New bullpen duo finishes off Roark's strong start
PHOENIX - There are two traits required to pitch the eighth and ninth innings in the big leagues. The obvious one is stuff, the exceptional repertoire of pitches that gives a guy the best chance to retire hitters with the game on the line. But the other one, many believe, is more important. There's no one word for it, and some of them aren't clean enough to use on a family website, but let's just use the term Dusty Baker used tonight in describing why Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle were able...
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Harper launches fifth homer in seven games (Nats win 4-3)

Harper launches fifth homer in seven games (Nats win 4-3)
PHOENIX - Others in the Nationals lineup may be slumping a bit right now. Bryce Harper most certainly is not. The slugger continued his recent torrid stretch at the plate tonight, blasting a towering home run off Diamondbacks rookie Anthony Banda in the top of the first to give the Nationals a quick 1-0 lead at Chase Field. Harper's homer against the lefty, who is making his major league debut, landed on the concourse that sits high above the pool in right-center field here. No official...
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Zimmerman trying to stick to simple tweaks during slump

Zimmerman trying to stick to simple tweaks during slump
PHOENIX - It's no secret Ryan Zimmerman has been in a prolonged funk at the plate, masked only by the MVP-caliber first 2 1/2 months of his season, a start that allows him to take the field tonight at Chase Field still sporting a .319 batting average and .939 OPS. That batting average, though, stood at .372 back on June 13, his OPS at 1.140. In the five weeks since, he has hit a scant .210 with a .528 OPS, only one homer and three doubles. Zimmerman knows this. He doesn't like it. But he also...
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Game 96 lineups: Nats at Diamondbacks

Game 96 lineups: Nats at Diamondbacks
PHOENIX - Good afternoon from Chase Field, where after last night's wild 6-5 loss, the Nationals return to action and attempt to beat a quality Diamondbacks club that is handing the ball to a rookie for his major league debut. Left-hander Anthony Banda gets the call-up from Triple-A, filling the vacancy created when Taijuan Walker was placed on the paternity leave list. Banda's numbers at Reno (5.08 ERA, 1.426 WHIP) were not impressive, but he is regarded as a top pitching prospect (88th in...
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Scherzer makes surprising history with first-inning homers

Scherzer makes surprising history with first-inning homers
PHOENIX - Max Scherzer has made his share of history over the years. He's one of only 30 pitchers to throw multiple no-hitters. He's one of only 18 pitchers to win multiple Cy Young Awards. He's one of only four pitchers ever to strike out 20 batters in a nine-inning game. But the history Scherzer made Friday night in a 6-5 loss to the Diamondbacks was perhaps the most shocking thing he's ever done in the major leagues. Because you simply don't expect one of the best pitchers in the game...
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Nats overcome early homers, rally to tie, but lose in ninth

Nats overcome early homers, rally to tie, but lose in ninth
PHOENIX - After two wholly unexpected innings at Chase Field tonight, the notion of Dusty Baker facing a tough pitching decision for the bottom of the ninth seemed nothing more than wishful thinking. The Nationals trailed the Diamondbacks by five runs, all five scoring against Max Scherzer, three of them via a historic spurt in the bottom of the first. What were the odds the Nationals manager would need to decide whether or not to use his closer at the end of the night? Well, actually that...
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D-backs stun Scherzer with three straight homers (Nats lose 6-5)

D-backs stun Scherzer with three straight homers (Nats lose 6-5)
PHOENIX - Asked this afternoon what, if anything, has made Max Scherzer an even better pitcher in 2017 than he was when he won the Cy Young Award in 2016, Nationals manager Dusty Baker noted the right-hander's ability to reduce the number of home runs he has surrendered. You can probably guess what happened next. Or maybe not, given how improbable it still was. Scherzer served up three home runs to the first three batters he faced at Chase Field, three towering shots by David Peralta, A.J....
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Kelley encouraged after pair of bullpen sessions

Kelley encouraged after pair of bullpen sessions
PHOENIX - They may have added two key arms to their bullpen this week, but the Nationals also know they're going to need quality work from some members of their current relief corps before this season is over. And so the steps Shawn Kelley has been able to take over recent days in his recovery from an upper back strain can only be viewed as positive ones for this team. Kelley, out since June 17 with a strained right trapezius muscle, threw off a bullpen mound today for the second time since he...
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Game 95 lineups: Nats at Diamondbacks

Game 95 lineups: Nats at Diamondbacks
PHOENIX - Hello from Chase Field, where the roof is closed and the air conditioning is cranked up (thank God). It's a scorcher here in the Valley of the Sun, with temperatures actually below normal (101 degrees, as we speak) but the humidity unusually high. Welcome to monsoon season. No, seriously, you can look it up. Anyway, the Nationals wrap up their long and winding road trip with a weekend series against a very good Diamondbacks club that currently holds the top wild card spot in the...
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How Madson and Doolittle have evolved into elite relievers

How Madson and Doolittle have evolved into elite relievers
PHOENIX - The arrival this week of Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle to the Nationals clubhouse was met with considerable exuberance. And why not, given the significance of the addition of two relievers with experience delivering in big moments to a bullpen that had all but lost the confidence of the rest of the roster. "It kind of sets your mind at ease," left fielder and unofficial clubhouse spokesman Jayson Werth said. "You've got some guys that have been there, been in the fire, been...
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Injuries continue to force Baker to cobble together top of lineup

Injuries continue to force Baker to cobble together top of lineup
ANAHEIM, Calif. - It's part of any manager's job, trying to compensate for injuries, but the challenge for Dusty Baker over the last several weeks has been amplified. Baker already lost leadoff man Adam Eaton to a torn ACL at the end of April. Then he lost No. 2 hitter Jayson Werth to a significant bone bruise and slight fracture of his left foot in early June. Then he lost another top-of-the-order bat, Trea Turner, to a fractured wrist at the end of June. In the wake of all that, Baker has...
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In long-awaited start vs. original club, Meyer one-hits Nationals

In long-awaited start vs. original club, Meyer one-hits Nationals
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Alex Meyer's name doesn't garner much reaction from most current members of the Nationals or most members of a fan base that barely remembers the club using a first-round pick on the big right-hander way back in 2011. The handful of players who spent time with Meyer in the low minor leagues for one season, though, have fond memories of him. And the 6-foot-9 hurler, whose career hasn't panned out quite as he once hoped, still has kind words to say about the franchise that...
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Meyer cruising against former organization (Nats lose 7-0)

Meyer cruising against former organization (Nats lose 7-0)
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Alex Meyer's career hasn't panned out as originally hoped, but the Nationals drafted the big right-hander in the first round back in 2011 for a reason. And Meyer is showing exactly why tonight - against his former club. Meyer, now pitching for the Angels, has retired the first 12 batters he's faced, baffling one of the most potent lineups in baseball through four perfect innings so far. The Nationals have hit a few balls hard, and Daniel Murphy was robbed of a potential...
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Ross has Tommy John surgery, plus other injury updates

Ross has Tommy John surgery, plus other injury updates
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Joe Ross had Tommy John surgery this morning, a procedure that the Nationals said went smoothly but nonetheless will sideline the right-hander until at least the middle of the 2018 season. Ross had the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow replaced in Dallas by orthopedist Keith Meister, who reported it "went well," according to manager Dusty Baker. The typical timeline for pitchers returning from the surgery is 12 to 18 months, giving Ross a chance to contribute for...
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Game 94 lineups: Nats at Angels

Game 94 lineups: Nats at Angels
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Did you know the Nationals haven't lost a baseball game in 11 days? OK, so that's a bit misleading when you consider four of those days included the All-Star break. Nevertheless, the Nats will carry a six-game winning streak into tonight's contest against the Angels, seeking to sweep this abbreviated, two-game interleague series. They'll attempt to do so without Bryce Harper in the lineup. As both the right fielder and Dusty Baker explained last night, they collectively...
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Harper turns it up a notch with near-cycle vs. Trout's Angels

Harper turns it up a notch with near-cycle vs. Trout's Angels
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Maybe it was the presence of Mike Trout in the opposing dugout. Maybe it was the knowledge he was getting the next day off. Maybe it was just another ballgame and the opportunity to show off his skills like he does so many other nights. Whatever the case, it was hard to watch Tuesday night's game at Angel Stadium and not believe Bryce Harper was particularly motivated to do something special. And Harper indeed did something special during the Nationals' 4-3 victory. He went...
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Trio of newcomers pitch Nationals to tense win over Angels

Trio of newcomers pitch Nationals to tense win over Angels
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Dusty Baker handed the ball to three pitchers during tonight's 4-3 victory over the Angels. Not one was a member of the active roster until 2:30 p.m., each summoned to join this staff at this particular moment in time out of necessity. Edwin Jackson was here because Joe Ross blew out his elbow and suddenly this team with All-Stars anchoring its rotation needed a fifth starter. The 33-year-old journeyman promptly threw seven innings of two-run, three-hit ball to earn his first...
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Fracture and bone bruise keeping Werth out (Nats win 4-3)

Fracture and bone bruise keeping Werth out (Nats win 4-3)
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Jayson Werth is back with the Nationals, and that part he likes. But he's not back playing with the Nationals, and likely won't be for some time with his left foot still ailing, and that part he does not like. "It's doing better," Werth said this afternoon. "It's just frustrating because this injury, the bone that's injured is crucial for running." The bone that's injured is the first metatarsal, the large bone at the base of his big toe. And in addition to the bone...
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No designated closer (yet) between Madson and Doolittle

No designated closer (yet) between Madson and Doolittle
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle are both here, both wearing Nationals uniforms - Madson wearing No. 44, Doolittle wearing No. 62 - and both insist they're ready and available for whatever role Dusty Baker envisions for the newly acquired relievers. What roles exactly will those be? Well, the answer for now is a simple-yet-unsatisfying one: Baker doesn't know. Madson and Doolittle certainly will be pitching late innings for the Nationals, particularly when they hold a lead....
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