Mark Zuckerman

MLB clears Zimmerman of PED use alleged in Al Jazeera report

August 19, 2016, 8:43am

ATLANTA - Major League Baseball has cleared Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman of any violations of the league's drug program, announcing today no evidence of wrongdoing was found during an investigation prompted by Al Jazeera America's controversial report of steroid use in professional sports earlier this year. MLB also cleared Phillies slugger Ryan Howard of the same allegations, made by pharmacist Charlie Sly in the report Al Jazeera aired in January. "The Office of the Commissioner...

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Friday morning Q&A from Atlanta

August 18, 2016, 9:17pm

Nationals

ATLANTA - There remains much baseball yet to be played - 41 games, to be exact - but the Nationals are sitting in an awfully comfortable position this morning. They're 9 1/2 games up on the Marlins in the National League East, with a 99.4 percent chance of winning the division (according to Baseball Prospectus). That doesn't, however, mean there aren't still questions facing this team. There's the back end of the rotation. There's the left side of the bullpen. There's the makeup of Dusty...

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Lopez finds his inner "caged animal" in dominant start

August 18, 2016, 9:09pm

Nationals

Lopez finds his inner "caged animal" in dominant start

ATLANTA - Reynaldo Lopez, to anyone who meets or watches him for a few minutes, is a quiet young man. Inside that calm veneer, however, is a 22-year-old pitcher who wants to take on the world and exudes the confidence necessary to do just that. Consider Lopez's reply to a question following tonight's 8-2 Nationals victory over the Braves, one in which the rookie right-hander struck out 11 batters over seven superb innings of what was, to that point, a tightly contested ballgame. "At the...

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Lopez tosses much-needed gem as Nats beat Braves 8-2

August 18, 2016, 7:54pm

Nationals

Lopez tosses much-needed gem as Nats beat Braves 8-2

ATLANTA - Salvation for the Nationals' overtaxed pitching staff came not from either of their aces, nor from an established big leaguer. No, when the Nats really needed a big-time pitching performance tonight, they turned to a 22-year-old flamethrower making his fourth career start. Reynaldo Lopez overwhelmed the Braves for the better part of seven innings, striking out 11 while allowing only one earned run, leading the Nationals to a much-needed 8-2 victory at Turner Field that was close...

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With velocity back, Cole returns to majors (Nationals win 8-2)

August 18, 2016, 2:46pm

Nationals

ATLANTA - There is probably some irony in the fact that A.J. Cole made his first appearance in a big league clubhouse of the season at Turner Field, the site of his first career big league appearance, and one that did not go particularly well. Few remember the details of Cole's debut on April 28, 2015, because they were an afterthought by night's end. The Nationals rookie right-hander was torched for nine runs in two innings, but his teammates got him off the hook with the biggest rally in...

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Zimmerman, Lobaton set to return from DL on Friday

August 18, 2016, 2:21pm

Nationals

Zimmerman, Lobaton set to return from DL on Friday

ATLANTA - Ryan Zimmerman and Jose Lobaton are on their way to Atlanta and are expected to be activated off the disabled list in time for Friday night's game at Turner Field, Nationals manager Dusty Baker said today. Both Zimmerman and Lobaton completed a three-day rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse, emerging with no issues and convincing club officials they're ready to return. "They're on the way now," Baker said prior to the Nationals series opener against the Braves. "There's a...

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Game 120 lineups: Nats at Braves (Cole up, Goodwin down)

August 18, 2016, 11:26am

Nationals

Game 120 lineups: Nats at Braves (Cole up, Goodwin down)

ATLANTA - Hello from Turner Field, which is in full countdown mode right now. There are only 22 Braves games left to be played in this ballpark. The bad news: The Nationals will be here for seven of those games, with a four-game series this weekend and then another three-game set next month before they shut down the place for good and move to a new park in the northwest Atlanta suburbs. The Nats come here reeling a bit from a taxing three days at Coors Field in which the bullpen was forced to...

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With strong arm and strong glove, Roark beats the heat

August 14, 2016, 8:12pm

Nationals

With strong arm and strong glove, Roark beats the heat

Even when he's being praised, Tanner Roark often seems to be undersold. Most have come to realize the right-hander is legitimately one of the best pitchers in baseball. And any who haven't need only see his 13-6 record and 2.81 ERA in 24 starts to realize it. Few, however, give Roark credit for being a complete pitcher, right down to the part where he field his position exceptionally well. "He's a good athlete," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "Guys kid him because he doesn't look...

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Harper talks his way into lineup, helps Nationals win

August 14, 2016, 2:07pm

Nationals

Dusty Baker wanted to give Bryce Harper one more day off. His struggling right fielder hadn't played in eight days due to a neck injury that had become the source of significant speculation with each passing 24 hours, but why push it and send him out there on an afternoon in which the heat index registered 107 degrees in advance of a long flight west to Colorado for the start of a long road trip? Upon seeing yet another Nationals lineup without his name included, though, Harper went into...

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Nationals blow out Braves 9-1 to complete winning homestand

August 14, 2016, 12:17pm

Nationals

Bryce Harper returned to the lineup this afternoon and helped the Nationals take a quick lead on the Braves. Anthony Rendon, who is becoming a consistent force of production once again, later put an exclamation point on a 9-1 thumping of Atlanta on a sweltering hot afternoon in the District. Harper, playing for the first time in eight days since a neck injury sidelined him, roped an RBI double in his first at-bat and also walked and scored. The struggling right fielder hadn't been in the...

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Harper doubles to contribute to early lead (Nationals win 9-1)

August 14, 2016, 10:46am

Nationals

They don't have Daniel Murphy or Jayson Werth in the starting lineup today, but the Nationals are off to a perfectly fine start against the Braves, thanks in no small part to a guy playing for the first time in eight days: Bryce Harper. Harper doubled and drove in one of the Nationals' three runs during a first-inning outburst, staking his team to an early 3-1 lead over the Braves on a sweltering afternoon in the District. Sidelined for five games and seven days with a neck injury, Harper was...

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After late change, Harper will play for first time in eight days

August 14, 2016, 8:24am

Nationals

After late change, Harper will play for first time in eight days

Bryce Harper wasn't in the lineup the Nationals initially announced for today's series finale against the Braves, the sixth straight game and eight straight day he would be sidelined with a neck injury. And then about 45 minutes later, Harper suddenly was playing again. The Nationals announced a new lineup, and this time it included Harper. In his first appearance since Aug. 6, the reigning National League MVP will bat third and start in right field. No official explanation has been given yet...

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Game 116 lineups: Nats vs. Braves (Harper starting)

August 14, 2016, 6:41am

Nationals

Game 116 lineups: Nats vs. Braves (Harper starting)

It is going to be yet another scorcher today at Nationals Park. And this time they'll be playing under direct sunlight, with temperatures heading into the upper 90s and the heat index approaching 110. (Think these guys might be just a bit eager to head west to the drier, thinner air of Colorado?) Before they can turn their attention to the Rockies and the upcoming road trip, the Nationals have some business to take care of today. They're trying to win the rubber game of their weekend series...

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Treinen seizes opportunity to become fireman out of Nats 'pen

August 12, 2016, 8:08pm

Nationals

Treinen seizes opportunity to become fireman out of Nats 'pen

Blake Treinen has been through his ups and down over the last two years, offering the Nationals glimpses of his abilities out of the bullpen but too often balancing those out with prolonged periods of inconsistency that left his role undefined. If the last three months are a sign, though, the right-hander may have at last found his place, and the Nats couldn't be happier to have it happen. Over a span of 35 appearances that dates back to May 15, Treinen has posted an 0.84 ERA, allowing just...

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Braves, heat and humidity combine to take down Strasburg

August 12, 2016, 7:53pm

Nationals

Braves, heat and humidity combine to take down Strasburg

The air temperature was 94 degrees when Stephen Strasburg took the mound this evening at Nationals Park, the heat index 103 (which actually was down seven degrees from a few hours earlier). Heat, humidity and Strasburg have not made for a great combination over the years, and they certainly did not mesh well tonight during what became an 8-5 loss to the Braves on the most uncomfortable evening of the summer. "Obviously, as you can see, I sweat profusely," said the right-hander, who has been...

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Baker hoping for best during 20-game stretch (Nats lose 8-5)

August 12, 2016, 3:49pm

Nationals

Baker hoping for best during 20-game stretch (Nats lose 8-5)

Dusty Baker wanted his players to enjoy all the days off they've had recently, because he knows they won't be getting any more for quite some time. The Nationals tonight open a stretch of 20 consecutive days with games on the schedule, a three-week span that includes parts of two homestands and parts of two road trips. This after the Nats just had three of the previous eight days off. It's not exactly an ideal scenario for a ballclub, or for a manager trying to navigate his club through the...

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Harper still sidelined as nature of injury is questioned

August 12, 2016, 1:40pm

Nationals

Harper still sidelined as nature of injury is questioned

Bryce Harper once again is not in the Nationals lineup, and there doesn't seem to be any more clarity to what exactly is keeping the struggling slugger from playing. Or when he'll be ready to return. The Nationals continue to refer to Harper's ailment as a "stiff neck," with manager Dusty Baker also mentioning a recurring "spasm." But late this afternoon, Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci reported that Harper "has been playing through a right shoulder injury for the past two months,"...

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Game 114 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

August 12, 2016, 11:06am

Nationals

It's now Day 6 of the Bryce Harper Stiff Neck Watch, and the end result is the same: He's not in the lineup. You've got to think the Nationals are reaching a critical point in this process. If they can't be certain Harper is on the verge of returning, they're going to have to consider the disabled list. Tonight's series opener against the Braves features Stephen Strasburg on the mound, seeking his 16th victory. He'll be attempting to do that in some of the most extreme weather conditions...

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On Saturday's starter, and other roster machinations

August 11, 2016, 1:36pm

Nationals

On Saturday's starter, and other roster machinations

Stephen Strasburg is pitching tonight's series opener for the Nationals against the Braves. Tanner Roark is pitching Sunday. Which leaves Saturday's starter as the always mysterious "TBA." At least, officially, that's what the Nats are saying. All signs, however, point to Reynaldo Lopez making the start. The right-hander is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Syracuse, so he's already properly lined up. Why are the Nationals going to call up one of their prospects now when the schedule allows...

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Thursday morning Nats Q&A

August 10, 2016, 8:28pm

Nationals

This is a particularly strange portion of the Nationals schedule. They've had three of the last eight days off. They just played their second two-game interleague series against the Indians. Now they prepare to play 20 consecutive days before getting another break, after the calendar has already turned to September. Through it all, the Nats haven't let up. They enter the day 21 games over .500, holding a 7 1/2-game lead over the Marlins and a 10-game lead over the Mets in the National League...