Mark Zuckerman

Two rookie outfielders come through late in Nationals' win

August 10, 2017, 7:51pm

The Nationals expect to have a fully healthy lineup within a matter of weeks, with Michael A. Taylor set to return from the disabled list first, then Jayson Werth and Trea Turner following shortly after that. Which means Brian Goodwin is headed back to the bench in the near future, and Andrew Stevenson is likely headed back to the minors (at least until rosters expand in September). As long as both rookie outfielders are here and wearing Nationals uniforms, though, they're going to keep...

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Goodwin's late blast, bullpen's zeros propel Nats to 3-2 win

August 10, 2017, 5:57pm

Nationals

Goodwin's late blast, bullpen's zeros propel Nats to 3-2 win

Brian Goodwin may have slumped at times, and he may not have been able to duplicate the production the Nationals would have received from Adam Eaton or Michael A. Taylor had either of their top two center fielders been healthy all summer. But where would this team be without its third-stringer, who has more than held down the fort in the absence of others and has delivered more than his share of big hits along the way. Just like he did tonight. Goodwin's leadoff homer in the bottom of the...

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Turner starts full throwing, almost cleared for swinging bat

August 10, 2017, 2:16pm

Nationals

Turner starts full throwing, almost cleared for swinging bat

Trea Turner was out at his familiar shortstop position this afternoon, fielding grounders and making throws across the diamond for the first time since an errant fastball fractured his wrist six weeks ago He's been running nearly nonstop the entire time he's been on the disabled list. All that's left for Turner to do is swing a bat, and that should be happening in the very near future after the Nationals leadoff man was cleared to begin rotational weight-lifting with right hand. "That...

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Game 113 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

August 10, 2017, 11:23am

Nationals

It's too early to actually write about these things, but because you're wondering (and because we're smack dab in the middle of the dog days right now) ... the Nationals' magic number to clinch the NL East is currently 37. Obviously, there's still a long way to go, but that's also a really low number for Aug. 10. The Nats will have a chance to reduce that number to 35 tonight if they beat the Marlins again and take this four-game series from the division's current second-place squad....

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Kendrick winning over Nats with professional approach at plate

August 09, 2017, 7:55pm

Nationals

Kendrick winning over Nats with professional approach at plate

There are few compliments one ballplayer can heap on another more telling than to refer to him as a "professional hitter." It sounds silly, but that's the kind of designation that is reserved for only a select few, those who consistently produce the kind of quality at-bats that impress even the best this game has to offer. So when Dusty Baker referred to Howie Kendrick last night by that term, you knew he meant it as the highest compliment. "He knows how to hit," the Nationals manager...

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Gonzalez's dream season continues, on and off the field

August 09, 2017, 7:32pm

Nationals

Gonzalez's dream season continues, on and off the field

Some athletes try to compartmentalize their professional lives and their personal lives, making sure not to let one impact the other. Gio Gonzalez just decides to embrace it all and enjoy both to the fullest, even if they sometimes intersect. For the veteran left-hander, there was no way to separate the two this week, not with everything he experienced. Nine days ago, he nearly threw a no-hitter in Miami, on the night the Marlins were memorializing JosÃ© FernÃ¡ndez on what would have been...

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Nationals cruise to 10-1 victory behind Gonzalez, Zimmerman

August 09, 2017, 6:07pm

Nationals

An altered pitching schedule due to the birth of his son over the weekend did nothing to throw Gio Gonzalez out of whack. The left-hander was back on the mound tonight and dominated the Marlins just as he did nine days earlier in his near-no-hitter. This time, he tossed seven innings of one-run ball, leading the Nationals to a 10-1 victory on a night in which they did just about everything right. Ryan Zimmerman led the Nats' offensive barrage against Miami's pitching staff with one of the...

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Strasburg throws simulated game, says rehab start is next

August 09, 2017, 2:01pm

Nationals

Strasburg throws simulated game, says rehab start is next

Stephen Strasburg took a key step in his return to the mound for the Nationals this afternoon by throwing a simulated game, the most significant test the right-hander has put his elbow through since going on the disabled list 2 1/2 weeks ago. Strasburg said he threw 57 pitches over four simulated "innings," facing two batters (teammates Jayson Werth and Andrew Stevenson), and emerged with no concerns about the state of his elbow. "It feels really good," he said. "I'm definitely happy with...

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Game 112 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

August 09, 2017, 11:09am

Nationals

When last we saw Gio Gonzalez on the mound, he was carrying a no-hitter into the bottom of the ninth at Marlins Park before Dee Gordon broke it up on an emotional night in Miami. Since then, Gonzalez has left the Nationals for a few days for the birth of his second son, Gabriel, and now he returns to the mound for his first appearance in nine days. And the opponent ... will be the Marlins again. As we saw last night with Vance Worley and A.J. Cole, the advantage doesn't necessarily change from...

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As Taylor moves closer to return, Goodwin's numbers decline

August 08, 2017, 7:59pm

Nationals

As Taylor moves closer to return, Goodwin's numbers decline

The Nationals have been able to withstand the long-term injuries to lineup regulars by getting contributions from a number of backups. And in some cases, even the backups to the backups. But they do need to start seeing those regulars come back from the disabled list, and in the process allow those backups to slide back into the roles for which they were intended all along. There is some good news in that regard: Michael A. Taylor last night played his seventh rehab game, and launched a...

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Would-be National Worley takes them down again

August 08, 2017, 7:34pm

Nationals

Would-be National Worley takes them down again

Had things gone as originally planned, Vance Worley most likely would have started tonight's game at Nationals Park, not for the visiting club for the home squad. The Nationals signed Worley to a minor league contract last winter and offered him an invitation to big league camp. It was a non-guaranteed deal, but given the right-hander's track record and versatility, he looked like a strong bet to make the opening day roster and serve as both a long man in the bullpen and emergency starter if...

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Nats fall 7-3 as Worley beats Cole for second time in a week

August 08, 2017, 6:12pm

Nationals

Nats fall 7-3 as Worley beats Cole for second time in a week

The second A.J. Cole-Vance Worley matchup in a week didn't go any better for the Nationals than it did the first time. In a rematch of Wednesday night's blowout loss in Miami, Worley once again handcuffed the Nationals lineup while Cole served up a couple of towering home runs to the Marlins during a 7-3 loss that looked all too familiar. Worley, the journeyman long reliever/spot starter who dominated the Nationals during seven scoreless innings six days ago at Marlins Park, wasn't quite as...

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Romero throwing again after injection for forearm tightness

August 08, 2017, 2:16pm

Nationals

Romero throwing again after injection for forearm tightness

Enny Romero was back throwing on the field at Nationals Park this afternoon, cleared to begin ramping up again after tests revealed the left-hander is dealing only with muscle tightness in his forearm and nothing more serious than that. Romero had to come out of Wednesday's game in Miami after complaining of arm trouble, and the Nationals placed him on the 10-day disabled list and sent him back to Washington while the club proceeded to Chicago for the weekend. Romero said he was examined by...

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Game 111 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

August 08, 2017, 11:09am

Nationals

The Nationals' rotation is getting back to normal, with Max Scherzer having returned last night and Gio Gonzalez set to return tomorrow night. But there's one more stop-gap start needed from a fill-in tonight, and so A.J. Cole will be taking the mound to face the Marlins for the second time in a week. It didn't go so well for Cole in Miami; he allowed five runs in five innings, four of those coming during a rough bottom of the fifth. We'll see if the right-hander is able to make any...

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Fedde improves in second start, Scherzer ready to start tonight

August 06, 2017, 6:49pm

Nationals

Fedde improves in second start, Scherzer ready to start tonight

CHICAGO - There's nothing like experience, and Erick Fedde made sure to take what he learned from his major league debut last week and apply it to Sunday's start against the Cubs. For example: Trust his entire repertoire, not just two of his four pitches. "The first game, I felt like I really got away from my breaking ball, and just turned into a two-pitch pitcher," the right-hander said. "Today, I got to all four of my pitches and stayed with them throughout the game and kept guys...

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No statement, but Nats make case beating Cubs in season series

August 06, 2017, 3:09pm

Nationals

No statement, but Nats make case beating Cubs in season series

CHICAGO - There was no trophy presentation inside the cramped visitors' clubhouse at Wrigley Field this afternoon, no champagne celebration, no extra-loud music to distinguish this from any other game the Nationals have won this season. Maybe that says more about this team than anything else. Had they whooped it up and made a big deal out of a 9-4 victory over the Cubs - thrilling as it was - and the clinching of both this weekend series and the season series from the defending World Series...

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Wieters' grand slam caps Nationals' furious rally in 9-4 victory

August 06, 2017, 1:25pm

Nationals

CHICAGO - They trailed much of the afternoon, unable to string together much against Jon Lester and unable to keep Willson Contreras in the park. But the Nationals knew they still had a chance if they could: 1) keep the game close, 2) get Lester out and get into the Cubs bullpen and 3) get to their own new bullpen trio. Wouldn't you know they managed to do all three, and thanks to that - with a huge assist from Matt Wieters' biggest blast of the season - the Nationals walked out of Wrigley...

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Fedde putting away hitters early in second start (Nats win 9-4)

August 06, 2017, 11:19am

Nationals

Fedde putting away hitters early in second start (Nats win 9-4)

CHICAGO - Erick Fedde has come out throwing strikes again. And so far, that has produced better results for the Nationals rookie than in his first career start. Taking the mound seven days after he was roughed up by the Rockies for seven runs in four innings, Fedde retired the first five Cubs batters he faced today, three via strikeout. The bottom of Chicago's lineup strung together three straight two-out singles to produce the afternoon's first run, but the rookie right-hander bounced back...

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For Jageler and Brown, a week to remember in the booth

August 06, 2017, 8:56am

Nationals

For Jageler and Brown, a week to remember in the booth

CHICAGO - Dave Jageler has spent the last 11 1/2 years broadcasting Nationals games in vivid detail on the radio, so there is a natural comfort level he has found along the way. A comfort level he hasn't fully felt over the last week as he has continued to broadcast Nationals games, just in the entirely different medium of television. "I've done over 2,000 games on the radio," Jageler said. "You just do it. It's your routine. It's every day. And this is so different because I've done it...

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Game 109 lineups: Nats at Cubs

August 06, 2017, 7:38am

Nationals

CHICAGO - It's a big day at Wrigley Field, if you care about things like head-to-head records against big-name opponents. The Nationals and Cubs have not only split this weekend's series so far, they've also split the season series. Yes, each team has won three games. And so today's finale will settle that score. (And if, by some chance, the two teams wound up tied at the end of the season, that would determine home-field advantage for a theoretical playoff series.) Given the stakes, the...