Mark Zuckerman

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals roster is about to become whole again. With the World Baseball Classic now concluded, Tanner Roark and Daniel Murphy are on their way back to Florida for the remainder of the spring. Both players, who were in uniform at Dodger Stadium last night as the United States faced Puerto Rico in the championship game, are scheduled to fly cross-country today and be back with the Nationals on Friday. Manager Dusty Baker said he has tentatively penciled Murphy into...

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Nats breathe sigh of relief after Scherzer passes key test

March 22, 2017, 1:14pm

Nationals

Nats breathe sigh of relief after Scherzer passes key test

JUPITER, Fla. - Dusty Baker, speaking for everyone employed by the Nationals or fervently rooting for them from the outside, offered up a simple yet telling take after watching Max Scherzer make it through his first Grapefruit League start of the spring with no problems. "Boy," the manager said with a sigh of relief. "That makes me feel a whole lot better." Consider all of NatsTown worry-free about Scherzer after the ace right-hander passed his first real test of the spring with a 4...

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Scherzer makes spring debut, goes 4 2/3 innings (Nats lose 6-1)

March 22, 2017, 11:22am

Nationals

Scherzer makes spring debut, goes 4 2/3 innings (Nats lose 6-1)

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Cardinals 6, Nats 1 Recap: Max Scherzer made his first Grapefruit League start of the spring and went 4 2/3 innings, throwing 73 pitches against a Cardinals lineup featuring six regulars. The right-hander, whose debut was delayed by a stress fracture in his ring finger, allowed two runs on five hits and struck out four. One of the runs charged to Scherzer came after he departed in the fifth, when reliever Joe Nathan surrendered three straight RBI hits to pad the...

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Rotation order taking shape, Taylor still away from team

March 22, 2017, 8:35am

Nationals

Rotation order taking shape, Taylor still away from team

JUPITER, Fla. - Though they haven't formally announced anything yet, the Nationals have lined up their rotation in an order that would put Stephen Strasburg on the mound for opening day, with Tanner Roark and Max Scherzer to follow. Scherzer's recovery from a stress fracture in his right ring finger threw something of a wrench into the club's ideal plans, which would have been to let the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner start opening day (April 3 against the Marlins). But with...

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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter

March 22, 2017, 6:21am

Nationals

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter

JUPITER, Fla. - You wouldn't have thought it would take until March 22 for Max Scherzer to make his first Grapefruit League start of the spring, but here we are nonetheless. The Nationals ace was delayed by a stress fracture in his right ring finger, one that forced him to alter his grip and progress on a slower path than the other starters in camp. But Scherzer at last is ready to go, having successfully pitched three innings in a minor league game last week. He'll face the Cardinals today...

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Roark goes four scoreless as USA advances to WBC final

March 21, 2017, 8:22pm

Nationals

Roark goes four scoreless as USA advances to WBC final

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - If anyone was worried about how things would go for Tanner Roark in last night's World Baseball Classic semifinal - whether those who feared the right-hander was an underwhelming choice to start for Team USA or those who feared something might happen to negatively impact his preparation for the Nationals season - rest assured all went about as swimmingly as could have been hoped. Roark tossed four scoreless innings, needing only 48 pitches to carve his way through...

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On GonzÃ¡lez's latest effort and Romero's impressive return

March 21, 2017, 1:10pm

Nationals

On GonzÃ¡lez's latest effort and Romero's impressive return

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Gio GonzÃ¡lez hasn't faced a whole lot of adversity this spring, given how dominant he's been each time he's taken the mound. So when the left-hander found himself in a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first this afternoon, he actually viewed it as a good opportunity to remind himself how to pitch his way out of a tight spot. GonzÃ¡lez managed to do just that, getting a popup and then a ground ball to third to escape that tenuous first inning unscathed and make...

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GonzÃ¡lez strong again, Zimmerman stays hot (Nats win 3-1)

March 21, 2017, 10:33am

Nationals

GonzÃ¡lez strong again, Zimmerman stays hot (Nats win 3-1)

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Nats 3, Braves 1 Recap: Gio GonzÃ¡lez battled his way out of a first-inning jam and finished strong during a 4 1/3-inning start. The left-hander allowed one run (Tyler Flowers' homer in the fourth), threw 76 pitches and now has a 1.10 ERA in five spring appearances. Wilmer Difo's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second gave the Nationals their first run of the afternoon. Back-to-back doubles by Emmanuel Burriss and Pedro Severino, followed by a Clint Robinson...

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Nats haven't picked closer yet, will inform him before opener

March 21, 2017, 9:39am

Nationals

Nats haven't picked closer yet, will inform him before opener

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals coaching staff and front office decision makers have not yet formally gathered to discuss who will open the season as their closer, but Dusty Baker said that meeting will take place soon and the affected pitchers will know their roles before heading north. "We haven't really discussed it at any length who it is yet," Baker said this morning. "We'll have a meeting. I believe in giving everybody a vote, cause that's what good organizations do. You take...

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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Braves in West Palm Beach

March 21, 2017, 5:48am

Nationals

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Braves in West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals used to face the Braves a bunch in spring training, back when they trained only an hour from Atlanta's complex at Walt Disney World. Now that they're 2 1/2 hours away, they face their longtime division rivals only once: today at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Gio GonzÃ¡lez is on the mound, looking to continue his dominant spring and remain as efficient as he was last time out (49 pitches in five innings). The left-hander could be the first member of...

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Nathan making his case, but do the Nats have room for him?

March 20, 2017, 6:17pm

Nationals

Nathan making his case, but do the Nats have room for him?

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Joe Nathan hasn't been in this particular position - less than two weeks to go until opening day, trying desperately to make a big league roster, utterly unsure if it's going to happen - in quite some time. The 42-year-old reliever had for well more than a decade used spring training simply to prepare himself for the regular season, knowing he was locked in as his team's closer. And the only times that wasn't the case was because he was recovering from one of his two...

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Little clarity in competition for long relief job

March 20, 2017, 1:52pm

Nationals

Little clarity in competition for long relief job

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Dusty Baker prefers to have a true long man in his bullpen. The Nationals manager has said so multiple times this spring. "You need that guy," Baker said this morning. "Unless you just have a five-man rotation that's unbelievable, but those are hard to find. We've got a good one, but a lot of teams are going to need that guy." The Nationals have no shortage of long relief candidates in camp this spring, from veterans like Vance Worley, Jeremy Guthrie, Matt Albers...

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Baker, Maddux speak to USA coaching staff (Nats lose 9-3)

March 20, 2017, 9:38am

Nationals

Baker, Maddux speak to USA coaching staff (Nats lose 9-3)

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Yankees 9, Nationals 3 Recap: The largest crowd of the spring to date (7,675, a sellout) saw some early offensive fireworks from both teams. The Yankees scored four runs in the top of the second off Vance Worley, taking advantage of two walks and then RBI hits by Rob Refsnyder, Ronald Torreyes and Brett Gardner. Worley rebounded from that and was able to go 3 1/3 innings on 61 pitches in his first start of the spring. The Nationals scored three runs in the bottom of...

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Nationals trim roster with four cuts

March 20, 2017, 8:24am

Nationals

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals made another round of cuts today, reassigning left-hander Braulio Lara, catcher Spencer Kieboom, and infielders Neftali Soto and Grant Green to minor league camp. None of those moves will come as a shock to anyone, but the cuts do move the Nationals closer to making the tougher decisions that are looming in the near future. Their spring roster is now down to 43. Lara made seven appearances, giving up five runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He'll likely...

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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Yankees in West Palm Beach on MASN

March 20, 2017, 5:43am

Nationals

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Yankees in West Palm Beach on MASN

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's a big day here at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Not only are the Yankees in town, with a sellout crowd expected, but you'll be able to watch it live on MASN as well. Bob Carpenter, F.P. Santangelo and Dan Kolko have made the trip to Florida and will have today's game on the air, with some special guests along the way. On top of all that, the ballpark is hosting another game at 6:05 p.m., with the Astros entertaining the Cardinals. People around here are...

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Some encouraging (and discouraging) spring developments

March 19, 2017, 7:53pm

Nationals

Some encouraging (and discouraging) spring developments

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - We are now exactly two weeks from opening day. Time flies when you're having fun, right? The home stretch of spring training has arrived for the Nationals, who are now lining up their rotation for the regular season, setting up bullpen roles and deciding the composition of their bench. There is still plenty left to play out before the team heads north next Thursday night, but there also has been plenty of time here to draw a few conclusions, some positive and some...

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Zimmerman heats up, Strasburg finishes strong, Kelley returns

March 19, 2017, 1:38pm

Nationals

Zimmerman heats up, Strasburg finishes strong, Kelley returns

JUPITER, Fla. - Ryan Zimmerman is, by nature, as even-keeled as they get. He refuses to get too excited or too depressed about anything he does on a baseball field, certainly anything does on a baseball field in March. The veteran first baseman was able to at least smile after his performance today in the Nationals' 10-4 Grapefruit League victory over the Marlins, in which he went 3-for-3 with a homer, a double and a walk. "It's always better to get hits and do good things than get out," he...

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Taylor will be gone several days for family issue (Nats win 10-4)

March 19, 2017, 10:31am

Nationals

Taylor will be gone several days for family issue (Nats win 10-4)

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Nationals 10, Marlins 4 Recap: The Nationals broke out their bats early and often at Roger Dean Stadium, with Ryan Zimmerman leading the charge. Zimmerman went 3-for-3 with a homer, a double and a walk, leaving the veteran first baseman in a 7-for-10 hot streak after an 0-for-17 slump to open the spring. Clint Robinson also provided a big blast, clearing the bases with a three-run double in the top of the first, his first extra-base hit of the spring. Stephen...

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Roark to start WBC semifinal; Baker still worried about Murphy

March 19, 2017, 8:32am

Nationals

Roark to start WBC semifinal; Baker still worried about Murphy

JUPITER, Fla. - Tanner Roark and Daniel Murphy won't be rejoining the Nationals until Thursday at the earliest, but at least Roark is slated to get some much-needed work at the World Baseball Classic. Roark reportedly will start for Team USA in Tuesday night's semifinal game against Japan, with the Rays' Chris Archer (who had returned to spring training) saying this morning he has been told he won't be needed at Dodger Stadium for the assignment. If Roark gets the ball, it will be only his...

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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in Jupiter

March 19, 2017, 6:20am

Nationals

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in Jupiter

JUPITER, Fla. - We're back at Roger Dean Stadium yet again this afternoon, the Nationals facing the Marlins again (though this time in a split-squad group). It'll be Stephen Strasburg on the mound, making his fourth start of the spring, cleared to go up to five innings if he can keep his pitch count manageable. After getting roughed up by the Cardinals a couple of starts ago, he bounced back with a better showing against the Tigers on Monday. A few regulars made the short trip up from West...