After trying first half, Revere soaks in first career walk-off hit

After trying first half, Revere soaks in first career walk-off hit
Six full seasons in the major leagues has left Ben Revere with some important perspective on the sport he plays for a living. "Baseball sucks," the veteran outfielder said. "It absolutely sucks. You ask Jayson Werth - he's been in the game 100 years - and he says it sucks. But it really does. It's frustrating. "I've had games where I hit four missiles, or four hard-hit balls right at people, and your average goes down. Then there will be games where I hit four bloopers, break my bat...
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Revere's 14th-inning double gives Nats sixth straight win

Revere's 14th-inning double gives Nats sixth straight win
They played until it was too late for fireworks and too late for many fans to catch the Metro home. But those who stuck it out at Nationals Park at least got to see the home team win in dramatic fashion. Ben Revere launched a double off the wall in right-center with two outs in the bottom of the 14th inning, scoring Danny Espinosa from second base and giving the Nationals a 3-2 victory over the Reds in a game that took 4 hours, 30 minutes to complete. And that was after a 35-minute rain delay...
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Runs tougher to come by day after outburst (Nats win in 14)

Runs tougher to come by day after outburst (Nats win in 14)
One night after their 13-run explosion, the Nationals find themselves in a bit more of a pitchers' duel so far tonight against the Reds. Tanner Roark and Anthony DeSclafani each have allowed just one run through the game's first four innings, avoiding the kind of crooked-number frames that defined Thursday night's 13-4 Nats rout. The Nationals struck first, manufacturing a run in the bottom of the first via Ben Revere's leadoff single, Bryce Harper's base hit to right-center and Daniel...
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With Dunning deal done, Nats have signed top 19 draft picks

With Dunning deal done, Nats have signed top 19 draft picks
The Nationals announced the signing of pitcher Dane Dunning, the second of their two first-round picks, the final significant member of this year's draft class that had yet to come to terms. Dunning received a $2 million signing bonus, according to a club source, which is just below slot value for the 29th selection in this year's draft. A 6-foot-4 right-hander from the University of Florida, Dunning held off signing until now in part because he was still pitching for the Gators in the...
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Nationals still holding off on Strasburg-Giolito decision (6:40 start)

Nationals still holding off on Strasburg-Giolito decision (6:40 start)
The Nationals are a day closer to Sunday's game, but they are no closer to naming their starting pitcher for that afternoon's series finale against the Reds. Stephen Strasburg continues to progress well from the upper back strain that prevented him from making his last two starts, and the right-hander has expressed his desire to take the mound. The club, though, has yet to decide whether to give the ball to Strasburg or to take the more cautious route and give rookie Lucas Giolito his second...
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Game 81 lineups: Nats vs. Reds

Game 81 lineups: Nats vs. Reds
It's hard to believe, but we've reached the halfway point of the season. Yes, tonight is Game 81 for the Nationals. So how have they done to date? Well, if they can beat the Reds again tonight, they'll sit at 49-32. Do the math, that's a 98-win pace. Hard to complain much about that, right? Bryce Harper and Ben Revere are back in the lineup after getting last night off, but Wilson Ramos gets to sit this one out, with Jose Lobaton behind the plate catching Tanner Roark. Keep in mind the...
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Zimmerman, Gonzalez take much-needed positive steps

Zimmerman, Gonzalez take much-needed positive steps
Danny Espinosa was the story of last night's blowout win, not to mention the story of June for the Nationals, given his incredible resurgence at the plate that might well have saved his job. There were a couple other teammates, though, who came through during this 13-4 win over the Reds at a time when each desperately needed that kind of positive performance: Ryan Zimmerman and Gio Gonzalez. Zimmerman got the Nationals' hitting party started with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first,...
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Perseverance pays for Espinosa during torrid June at plate

Perseverance pays for Espinosa during torrid June at plate
Danny Espinosa had been down this path before, sporting a sub-.200 batting average and hearing calls from various directions for someone else to take his job. And his response - sulking, overworking, overthinking - all too often only made things worse. This time around, when he found himself hitting .199 on June 1 and hearing the calls for the Nationals to summon top prospect Trea Turner to replace him at shortstop, Espinosa fought the temptation and made a tough choice which wound up paying...
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Espinosa's pair of homers lead Nats to 13-4 blowout win

Espinosa's pair of homers lead Nats to 13-4 blowout win
If anyone was worried the Nationals, after the highs of a three-game sweep over the rival Mets, might suffer from some form of letdown against the Reds, they needed watch only one inning of baseball to have those fears assuaged. The Nationals jumped out to an early lead behind Ryan Zimmerman's three-run homer in the bottom of the first, then rode Danny Espinosa's historic pair of homers in the third and fourth innings en route to a 13-4 thrashing of an overwhelmed Cincinnati club. Winners of...
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Zimmerman, Espinosa lead offensive explosion (Nats win 13-4)

Zimmerman, Espinosa lead offensive explosion (Nats win 13-4)
Throughout his season-long struggles, and especially this month, it seems like Ryan Zimmerman perpetually has found himself behind in the count, often 0-2, before making an out. So when Zimmerman finally found himself in an advantageous situation tonight - ahead in the count, 2-0, with two on in the bottom of the first - he made sure to make the most of it. And when Danny Espinosa found himself at the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, he did the same thing he's been doing...
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Strasburg and Giolito both preparing to start Sunday

Strasburg and Giolito both preparing to start Sunday
The Nationals still haven't decided if Stephen Strasburg will return from the disabled list this weekend, but Dusty Baker seems to prefer taking the cautious route with his rehabbing right-hander. Strasburg, who is eligible to come off the DL on Friday, continues to prepare as though he may start Sunday's series finale against the Reds. Rookie Lucas Giolito, though, also is preparing for the same assignment, with the club holding off for now choosing between the two. Both Strasburg and...
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Game 80 lineups: Nats vs. Reds

Game 80 lineups: Nats vs. Reds
After a highly publicized, highly significant series against the division rival Mets that resulted in a sweep, the Nationals now find themselves hosting one of baseball's worst teams this season for the next four nights: the Cincinnati Reds. That, of course, doesn't guarantee anything. The Nats lost two of three at Great American Ball Park last month, and nearly lost the third game before eking out a 10-9 victory. But they'll need to find the same intensity they brought to the Mets series...
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Murphy makes the Mets pay again with pair of homers

Murphy makes the Mets pay again with pair of homers
Daniel Murphy won't ever say it, at least not publicly, so Max Scherzer was left to explain how his attention-deflecting teammate feels about his performance against the Mets this season. "It's just obvious that he wants to beat 'em up," Scherzer said. "It's obvious. Everybody wants to. When you face your former team, you obviously want to get the best of them. For him to come out here and really slug against them, it puts a smile on all of our faces because we know what he's going...
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Even in June, Nats recognize significance of Mets sweep

Even in June, Nats recognize significance of Mets sweep
It's the last week of June and the season isn't quite halfway complete yet, so there's only so much significance that can be applied to a three-game series at this point. The Nationals didn't make a profound statement this week. There's too much time left for that script to be flipped, as everyone in Washington painfully found out one year ago. Then again, it's not like anyone inside the home clubhouse tonight was complaining about a 4-2 victory that completed a series sweep of the...
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Nats ride Scherzer, Murphy to 4-2 win and sweep of Mets

Nats ride Scherzer, Murphy to 4-2 win and sweep of Mets
The Nationals already had this key series won after back-to-back victories the last two nights. But they weren't satisfied with that, so tonight they went for the jugular and succeeded, riding another dominant performance from Max Scherzer and a pair of Daniel Murphy homers to a 4-2 win and a series sweep of the Mets. Scherzer allowed just two hits over 7 1/3 sparkling innings, retiring 18 batters in a row at one point and striking out 10 to lead the way. Murphy accounted for three of the...
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Scherzer sharp early vs. depleted Mets (Nationals win 4-2)

Scherzer sharp early vs. depleted Mets (Nationals win 4-2)
Max Scherzer has dominated a depleted Mets lineup before. He won't be duplicating his end-of-season no-hitter tonight, but the Nationals ace is dealing and looking as sharp as he has in his previous historic starts. Scherzer has tossed three scoreless innings so far, striking out six as he attempts to lead the Nats to a series sweep over New York. Daniel Murphy's solo homer - his third against his former team already this season - gave the Nationals an early 1-0 lead, and Jayson Werth added a...
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Nats sign Latos to minor league deal, Papelbon throws sim game

Nats sign Latos to minor league deal, Papelbon throws sim game
Seeking some insurance in case a need for experienced pitching arises down the road, the Nationals have come to terms with journeyman Mat Latos on a minor league contract. Latos' deal won't be official until he passes a physical, according to a club source, but once that happens, he'll report to the Nationals' minor league complex in Viera, Fla., and attempt to work his way back after a tumultuous stretch that has seen him employed by five different franchises in the last 365 days. The...
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Game 79 lineups: Nats at Mets

Game 79 lineups: Nats at Mets
Three days ago, the Nationals were mired in a seven-game losing streak, unable to drive in a run in a key spot, with a daunting series against the Mets looming. Since then, they have won three games in a row (one over the Brewers, two over the Mets) and tonight they have a chance to sweep their chief division rivals and expand their lead over them to six games. Quite a turn of events, huh? In order to pull it off, Max Scherzer will need to put together a strong start tonight. Or at the very...
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Ramos still hitting, Harper homers and bullpen delivers

Ramos still hitting, Harper homers and bullpen delivers
Lucas Giolito got most of the attention last night and deservedly so, despite the odd nature of his rain-shortened, major league debut. But there were some other noteworthy developments during the Nationals' 5-0 victory over the Mets, so let's give some of those their due ... * Wilson Ramos continues to hit as well as any hitter in baseball. With a 2-for-4 night that included a two-run double, the Nats catcher extended his current hitting streak to 11 games, during which he's batting .383...
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Rain can't spoil Giolito's long-awaited major league debut

Rain can't spoil Giolito's long-awaited major league debut
Like every kid who grows up with a baseball in one hand, a bat in the other and the imagination to believe anything is possible, Lucas Giolito had played out his major league debut in his own mind plenty of times. But did he ever envision that debut being interrupted twice by rain, the second delay dragging on long enough to prevent him from re-taking the mound despite his effectiveness? "Not once," the 21-year-old said with a laugh. "I never saw rain in the forecast at all. I thought it...
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