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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Game 104 lineups: Nats at Marlins

Game 104 lineups: Nats at Marlins
MIAMI - It has been pouring most of the day here in South Florida, with a tropical storm sweeping through much of the state. Fortunately, the roof at Marlins Park is closed (and hasn't sprung a leak) so the Nationals and Marlins are good to go for tonight's series opener. Gio Gonzalez takes the mound, making yet another start in his hometown. It's the left-hander's 14th career start in Miami, and he has been excellent (7-3, 2.19 ERA). Right-hander José Ureña starts for the Marlins....
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Nats still discussing relievers on trade deadline day

Nats still discussing relievers on trade deadline day
MIAMI - It's officially July 31, and that means we're now talking about the non-wiaver trade deadline in terms of hours instead of days. The final countdown to 4 p.m. Eastern time has begun. The Nationals, like all 30 clubs, will be engaged in conversations all day, seeing if there's a last-minute deal to be made. But let's be honest: They've probably already made their biggest trade of the summer. The Ryan Madson-Sean Doolittle deal, which was finalized 15 days ago, may not have...
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Fedde takes loss in tough assignment debut vs. Rockies

Fedde takes loss in tough assignment debut vs. Rockies
In a perfect world, the Nationals wouldn't have sent Erick Fedde to the mound to make his major league debut in this particular situation. A Sunday doubleheader, with the league's second-most productive lineup on the other side of the field? That's not exactly putting a guy in the best possible position to succeed. "If we had to pick a first time out for him, we probably wouldn't have picked Colorado," manager Dusty Baker said. "That's just how it was." Yes, the Nationals didn't have...
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Zimmerman sets D.C. home run record (Nats lose 10-6)

Zimmerman sets D.C. home run record (Nats lose 10-6)
Ryan Zimmerman now stands alone as the greatest home run hitter in Washington baseball history. With a three-run, opposite-field shot in the bottom of the third this afternoon, Zimmerman recorded his 238th home run with the Nationals, surpassing Frank Howard's record for a D.C. major league ballplayer. Zimmerman, the Nationals' first draft pick in 2005 and the longest tenured member of the organization, set the mark in his 1,501st career game. Howard, who clubbed 382 homers in a 16-year...
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Heisey released in latest round of roster maneuvering

Heisey released in latest round of roster maneuvering
A busy week of transactions continued this morning when the Nationals tweaked their roster for their doubleheader against the Rockies by officially promoting top pitching prospect Erick Fedde, releasing veteran outfielder Chris Heisey and making a necessary procedural move involving catcher Pedro Severino. Fedde's contract was purchased from Triple-A Syracuse, allowing the 24-year-old right-hander to start today's opener and make his major league debut. Because Fedde wasn't already on their...
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Game 102 lineups: Nats vs. Rockies (Heisey released)

Game 102 lineups: Nats vs. Rockies (Heisey released)
It's a beautiful day for a ballgame. Let's play ... well, you know. Yes, it's a doubleheader day at Nationals Park, with the Nationals and Rockies meeting in their regularly scheduled contest at 1:35 p.m. and then making up Friday night's rainout at 7:05 p.m. And there's no shortage of interesting storylines to come. The big one for the opener, of course, is the debut of Erick Fedde, who gets promoted from Triple-A Syracuse and will be on a big league mound for the first time in a couple...
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Nats get veteran Kendrick from Phillies for minor league pitcher

Nats get veteran Kendrick from Phillies for minor league pitcher
The Nationals added another veteran to their bench tonight, acquiring utilityman Howie Kendrick from the Phillies for minor league left-hander McKenzie Mills in a deal that will help alleviate recent injury concerns while providing manager Dusty Baker with more options later this season after his roster is closer to 100 percent healthy. Kendrick is hitting .340 with two homers, 16 RBIs, a .397 on-base percentage and .851 OPS this season, but the 34-year-old has played in only 39 games due to...
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Even with trip to DL, Desmond savoring return to Nationals Park

Even with trip to DL, Desmond savoring return to Nationals Park
Ian Desmond has never been one to try to hide from his emotions, so he wasn't afraid to circle this weekend on his calendar and psyche himself up over the idea of returning to Nationals Park for the first time as a visiting player. And when the 31-year-old former-National-now-Rockie arrived at the park this afternoon and walked through the hallways he called home for seven seasons, he couldn't help but feel the emotions stir up inside of him. The only thing missing: an opportunity to actually...
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Game 101 lineups: Nats vs. Rockies (game rained out)

Game 101 lineups: Nats vs. Rockies (game rained out)
You've probably seen the forecast here, not only for tonight but for most of the day tomorrow. If you haven't, it's not good. That creates a problem for the Nationals and Rockies, who don't face each other again after this weekend and need to do everything humanly possible to play three games before either club leaves town. As always, you'll know when we know. Tonight's series opener between a division leader and a wild card leader features Tanner Roark on the mound for the Nationals,...
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Stevenson's first career hit comes in unconventional fashion

Stevenson's first career hit comes in unconventional fashion
Any child who has ever picked up a bat has dreamed of recording his or her first big league hit. And anybody fortunate enough to become a professional ballplayer starts dreaming of that moment in more realistic terms, wondering when, how and against whom it will occur. Andrew Stevenson is no different than any other young ballplayer. He had envisioned what his first major league hit would look like. And this ... was not it. "No," he said. "It was off a position player. But it still goes down...
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A home run barrage the likes of which D.C. has never seen

A home run barrage the likes of which D.C. has never seen
Ryan Zimmerman isn't one to get caught up in a moment, so it's understandable he would say he felt no pressure when he stepped into the batter's box in the bottom of the third inning today, in spite of what Brian Goodwin, Wilmer Difo and Bryce Harper had just done before him. But for Zimmerman to claim he still didn't realize what happened after he rounded the bases and returned to the home dugout ... that can't be. He really didn't know? "I honestly didn't," Zimmerman insisted. "I...
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Nats launch eight home runs in 15-2 drubbing of Brewers

Nats launch eight home runs in 15-2 drubbing of Brewers
When it was over, when this two-inning explosion of offensive might was complete and the crowd of 32,118 had a moment to catch its breath and consider what exactly it had just witnessed, all that was left to do was tally up the numbers and marvel at how ludicrous it all was. In the third and fourth innings this afternoon, the Nationals sent 21 batters to the plate. They wound up with 13 runs, 13 hits, seven homers, three doubles, three singles, three walks, one stolen base. And a pigeon in the...
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Strasburg will keep throwing during DL stint

Strasburg will keep throwing during DL stint
The Nationals placed Stephen Strasburg on the 10-day disabled list this morning, a move they continue to say is one of precaution and one they hope will only sideline the right-hander for one start. Nothing changed in Strasburg's diagnosis over the last 48 hours, according to Dusty Baker. The organization wanted to be cautious all along and made adjustments to Erick Fedde's pitching schedule so their top prospect would be available to replace Strasburg in the big league rotation...
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Some shaky moments, but Gonzalez delivered when needed

Some shaky moments, but Gonzalez delivered when needed
Five batters into Wednesday night's game, Gio Gonzalez had served up the longest home run in Nationals Park history, allowed a double and then that same player to steal third without any attempt to throw him out, and allowed a run to score on a strikeout. Sounds like the recipe for a disastrous outing, right? Not exactly. Despite a shaky top of the first, Gonzalez quickly rebounded and wound up going seven strong innings. He didn't earn the win, but he kept the Nationals in position to come...
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Wildly eventful bottom of the eighth leads Nationals to victory

Wildly eventful bottom of the eighth leads Nationals to victory
They had, as Ryan Zimmerman put it, "played 15 innings of terrible baseball over the last day and a half," leaving themselves in the precarious position of losing two straight to the Brewers without so much as scoring a run. But then Daniel Murphy lofted a seventh-inning pitch from Jimmy Nelson over the right field fence, and now at least the Nationals were on the board, trailing Milwaukee by only one run. And then - well, let's just say the bottom of the eighth tonight on South Capitol...
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Source: Fedde to be promoted to Nationals this weekend

Source: Fedde to be promoted to Nationals this weekend
The Nationals are planning to promote right-hander Erick Fedde this weekend, putting their top pitching prospect on track to make his major league debut and perhaps give Stephen Strasburg more time to rest his arm. Fedde's promotion from Triple-A Syracuse, confirmed by a source familiar with the club's decision, comes as the Nationals take a cautious approach with Strasburg's forearm. Though Strasburg has been able to throw on flat ground the last two days, the nerve impingement that caused...
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2018 All-Star Game logo, date and details revealed

2018 All-Star Game logo, date and details revealed
Washington officially was on the clock as host of the 2018 All-Star Game the moment this year's Midsummer Classic in Miami ended two weeks ago. But what's a big event without a logo or a press conference with important people sitting at the dais? So consider today the unofficial start of an 11 1/2-month countdown to an event many people in this town have anticipated for decades. "It's been 49 years since we had an All-Star Game here in Washington," Major League Baseball commissioner Rob...
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Game 99 lineups: Nats vs. Brewers

Game 99 lineups: Nats vs. Brewers
The Nationals will try to even their series with the Brewers tonight, and right fielder Bryce Harper will try to extend his 17-game hitting streak, which is already a career high. He's 28-for-64 (.426) with six doubles, one triple, seven homers, 17 RBIs, 12 walks and 23 runs scored during the streak. Harper is also in the midst of a 25-game on-base streak, the second-longest of his career. During that span, he is slashing .398/.496/.724. The Nats send left-hander Gio Gonzalez to the mound...
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