Mark Zuckerman

Murphy scratched with leg tightness, plus more injury updates

April 20, 2017, 2:47pm

ATLANTA - The Nationals aren't dealing with any major injuries right now, but they are dealing with a growing list of nagging injuries, and Daniel Murphy joined that list today. Murphy was initially penciled into Dusty Baker's lineup for tonight's series finale against the Braves but had to be scratched after telling his manager he was dealing with "tightness" in his right leg. The veteran second baseman had started all 14 games to date and had a 10-game hitting streak to open the season....

343 Hits

Comments

Tags:

Game 15 lineups: Nats at Braves (update: Murphy scratched)

April 20, 2017, 12:00pm

Nationals

Game 15 lineups: Nats at Braves (update: Murphy scratched)

ATLANTA - The Nationals go for the series sweep of the Braves tonight, which wouldn't be a bad way at all to end the first leg of a tough, 10-game road trip that continues Friday night at Citi Field and then heads west Monday to Coors Field. Dusty Baker will hope for a continuation of last night's offensive explosion, though he'll have a different lineup out there for this one. Daniel Murphy has been scratched. Jayson Werth, who had to leave last night's game in the third inning with groin...

295 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime stephen strasburg frontstory_nationals2

Ross impresses in long-awaited Nationals season debut

April 19, 2017, 10:25pm

Nationals

ATLANTA - In his perfect world, Joe Ross would have spent opening day at Nationals Park, not NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse. But Ross didn't take his season-opening demotion to Triple-A personally, recognizing that the Nationals weren't sending him down for performance reasons, but rather because it made the most sense for a club that didn't need a full-time fifth starter until now. Wasn't that still difficult to accept for a guy whose last start came in Game 4 of the National League Division...

289 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Minor ailments and issues aside, Nats are rolling early in 2017

April 19, 2017, 8:47pm

Nationals

Minor ailments and issues aside, Nats are rolling early in 2017

ATLANTA - There are valid reasons to be concerned about the Nationals, most notably a bullpen that fewer than three weeks into the season has required a reshuffling of roles and a spate of minor injuries including the groin spasm suffered by Jayson Werth tonight. This is not a perfect team. Let's not confuse a couple of problem areas, though, for a bad team. Or even a mediocre one. The Nationals are quite good, with a rotation that has been dynamite and a lineup that has proven it is capable...

313 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves bryce harper dusty baker joe ross mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Pair of grand slams propels Nats to 14-4 win over Braves

April 19, 2017, 7:09pm

Nationals

Pair of grand slams propels Nats to 14-4 win over Braves

ATLANTA - Freddie Freeman may own the Nationals, but Bryce Harper's ownage of Julio Teheran supersedes even the mightiest of opponents. Harper added two more homers to his deep collection off Teheran, including a grand slam that helped the Nationals overcome Freeman's latest blast off them and propel them to a 14-4 victory tonight at SunTrust Park. Joe Ross bounced back from a shaky first inning in his first major league start of the season to pitch seven strong innings and earn the win. Ryan...

329 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves bryce harper jayson werth joe ross mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman frontfeatured_nationals

Werth injured on checked swing, leaves game (Nats win 14-4)

April 19, 2017, 5:02pm

Nationals

Werth injured on checked swing, leaves game (Nats win 14-4)

ATLANTA - Jayson Werth had to depart tonight's game after injuring himself on a check-swing in the top of the third inning, the latest Nationals player to go down in the season's first month. Werth checked his swing on a 1-0 pitch from the Braves' Julio Teheran in his second at-bat of the night and appeared to grimace, his left leg perhaps tweaked. After stepping out of the batter's box, he signaled to the dugout for Nationals director of athletic training Paul Lessard, who came out to talk...

395 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves chris heisey injuries jayson werth mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

SolÃs lands on DL with elbow inflammation (Nats lead 6-2)

April 19, 2017, 4:05pm

Nationals

SolÃs lands on DL with elbow inflammation (Nats lead 6-2)

ATLANTA - Sammy SolÃs pitched a key scoreless inning during Tuesday night's victory over the Braves. Turns out he did so with something less than a perfectly healthy left arm. The Nationals placed SolÃs on the 10-day disabled list today with elbow inflammation, an injury that is not believed to be serious but was concerning enough to convince the club to shelve its top left-handed reliever for the rest of a daunting road trip. Needing to remove somebody from the active roster to clear a...

72 Hits

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper injuries joe ross mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime sammy solis dusty baker featured_sidebar

Treinen out as closer; Nats will "mix and match" Kelley, Glover

April 19, 2017, 3:04pm

Nationals

Treinen out as closer; Nats will "mix and match" Kelley, Glover

ATLANTA - Blake Treinen is no longer going to pitch the ninth inning for the Nationals, but the club isn't going to designate one replacement closer for now, choosing instead to split those duties between veteran Shawn Kelley and rookie Koda Glover. The decision was made in the wake of Treinen's latest near-meltdown Tuesday night, when the right-hander entered with a 3-0 lead in hand over the Braves and proceeded to give up two singles and issue two walks (one with the bases loaded) while...

472 Hits

Comments

Tags:

blake treinen bullpen dusty baker koda glover mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime shawn kelley featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 14 lineups: Nats at Braves (SolÃs to DL)

April 19, 2017, 12:06pm

Nationals

Game 14 lineups: Nats at Braves (SolÃs to DL)

ATLANTA - And we're back at SunTrust Park, as the Nationals and Braves prepare for the second game of their three-game series, hoping for a little less drama (or at least a lot less umpiring drama) than they got last night during what ended as a 3-1 Nats victory. We know who will be pitching the first inning for the Nationals tonight: Joe Ross, who makes his long-awaited 2017 debut after spending the last 2 1/2 weeks at Triple-A Syracuse. We don't know yet who will be pitching the ninth...

81 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves joe ross lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime blake treinen sammy solis frontstory_nationals3

Scherzer talks his way into a seventh scoreless inning

April 18, 2017, 10:40pm

Nationals

Scherzer talks his way into a seventh scoreless inning

ATLANTA - Had the bottom of the ninth gone according to plan and without incident last night, the biggest takeaway from the Nationals' 3-1 victory over the Braves would have been Max Scherzer's dominant start. As it was, Scherzer's outing took a backseat to the chaos that was the bottom of the ninth, from Blake Trienen's implosion to Shawn Kelley's takeover as closer to C.B. Bucknor's blown call on what everyone thought was the final pitch of the game but wound up as only the...

236 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves dusty baker mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Even in victory, Nationals left to fume after chaotic ninth

April 18, 2017, 8:35pm

Nationals

ATLANTA - The Nationals won a ballgame tonight. They probably are going to have a new closer when they wake up in the morning. And, oh by the way, the final out of this game turned into a full-blown fiasco after an egregious mistake that led their veteran leader to go on a postgame tirade that delicately teetered the line between acceptable criticism of umpires and the kind of rant that typically leads to punishment from league officials. Just a run-of-the-mill Tuesday night in suburban...

299 Hits

Comments

Tags:

c.b. bucknor dusty baker jayson werth mark zuckerman matt wieters max scherzer nationals nationals pastime shawn kelley featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Nats beat Braves 3-1 behind Scherzer and bailout from Kelley

April 18, 2017, 6:42pm

Nationals

Nats beat Braves 3-1 behind Scherzer and bailout from Kelley

ATLANTA - Max Scherzer scoffed after his last start when asked if his ring finger injury was finally behind him. His performance tonight would seem to confirm once and for all it's no longer a topic for discussion. Scherzer dominated the Braves with seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball, appearing to talk his way into taking the mound for his final frame and building up his pitch count to 116, leading the Nationals to a 3-1 victory that wasn't sealed until Shawn Kelley replaced Blake...

263 Hits

Comments

Tags:

blake treinen bryce harper max scherzer nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman shawn kelley featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Baker: Turner won't be activated Wednesday (Nats win 3-1)

April 18, 2017, 4:09pm

Nationals

Baker: Turner won't be activated Wednesday (Nats win 3-1)

ATLANTA - Trea Turner was at SunTrust Park this afternoon, putting his healing hamstring through a rigorous test that included baserunning drills and a full round of batting practice with his Nationals teammates, but it doesn't appear he'll remain here in Atlanta for long. Though he's eligible to come off the disabled list Wednesday, Turner likely won't play for the Nationals until he's had a chance to get at-bats and innings in a minor league rehab game, manager Dusty Baker...

281 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime trea turner featured_sidebar adam eaton bryce harper matt wieters max scherzer wilmer difo frontstory_nationals3

Ross will be recalled and start Wednesday night in Atlanta

April 18, 2017, 2:54pm

Nationals

Ross will be recalled and start Wednesday night in Atlanta

ATLANTA - Joe Ross will make his long-awaited season debut Wednesday night, and the Nationals hope they don't have to make any more changes to their rotation for quite some time. Ross will be recalled from Triple-A Syracuse and start the second game of the Nationals' series against the Braves at SunTrust Park, manager Dusty Baker said today, slotting in between Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg for the foreseeable future. The 23-year-old right-hander was healthy coming out of spring...

288 Hits

Comments

Tags:

joe ross mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 13 lineups: Nats at Braves

April 18, 2017, 11:53am

Nationals

ATLANTA - Hello from SunTrust Park, the brand-new home of the Braves. I'm still taking it all in, but my first impressions of this place are better than I expected. It actually has a few interesting features. Unfortunately, most seem to be lesser versions of similar things in other parks: a brick wall in right field (like AT&T Park in San Francisco), pine trees and rocks in the batter's eye (like Coors Field in Colorado). The main seating bowl has a Citi Field vibe to it, with dark seats,...

300 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime suntrust park

Eaton out to prove he's still an elite center fielder

April 17, 2017, 12:41pm

Nationals

Eaton out to prove he's still an elite center fielder

Ask anyone who has watched the Nationals through the season's first two weeks to name Adam Eaton's biggest contribution to the team, and you'll get a bunch of answers about his offensive performance. The 28-year-old sports a .326 batting average and .946 OPS and has successfully reached base in all 11 games he has started. Ask Eaton what he believes has been most consistent about his game so far, and you'll get an entirely different answer. "You know what? I don't think there's been much...

324 Hits

Comments

Tags:

adam eaton nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Gonzalez discovers uncharted territory: the eighth inning

April 16, 2017, 7:28pm

Nationals

Gonzalez discovers uncharted territory: the eighth inning

As Gio Gonzalez took the mound late Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park, his pitch count approaching triple digits and only a couple of empty slots remaining on the scoreboard, he couldn't help but recognize the rarity of this situation. "It was the eighth inning," the left-hander said. "I haven't seen one of those in a while." No, he most certainly hadn't. Gonzalez reached the eighth inning only once in the two previous seasons combined, so he truly was in uncharted waters when he...

324 Hits

Comments

Tags:

dusty baker gio gonzalez jayson werth mark zuckerman matt wieters nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Another magic moment for Harper to bail out victorious Nationals

April 16, 2017, 2:44pm

Nationals

Jayson Werth looked at Bryce Harper at some point this afternoon, having already seen his teammate hit one home run and deliver another opposite-field single to beat the opposition's shift. Harper, the 2012 National League Rookie of the Year and the 2015 league MVP, entered the day batting .300 and slugging .500, basically having done just about everything he could by age 24 to establish himself as one of the best players in baseball. Werth, though, is not as easily impressed as others. And...

335 Hits

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper chris heisey dusty baker jayson werth mark zuckerman matt wieters nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Harper's walk-off homer brings Nats back for thrilling 6-4 win

April 16, 2017, 12:53pm

Nationals

Harper's walk-off homer brings Nats back for thrilling 6-4 win

Their bullpen and their defense had conspired to leave them in position to suffer yet another demoralizing loss late. Then Bryce Harper decided to take matters into his own hands and completely flip the script for the Nationals. Harper's three-run homer on a full count with two outs in the bottom of the ninth brought the Nats back from the dead and gave them a 6-4 victory that already stands as their most inspired of the young season. Trailing by a run when the final frame began, the Nationals...

390 Hits

Comments

Tags:

blake treinen bryce harper gio gonzalez koda glover mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies frontstory_nationals1

Turner ready to return but will defer to Nats' medical decision

April 16, 2017, 8:34am

Nationals

Turner ready to return but will defer to Nats' medical decision

Trea Turner went through a full round of pregame drills this morning and suggested he's ready to come off the disabled list Wednesday when he's eligible, but acknowledged the Nationals may want to be more cautious in bringing him back from a mild right hamstring injury. Turner ran sprints in the outfield, took full batting practice and fielded grounders at short before today's series finale against the Phillies. That heavy workout left him optimistic he could return to game action as soon as...