lineups - Blog

Game 64 lineups: Nats vs. Pirates (Scherzer to IL)

June 15, 2021, 11:55am

First, the news of the day, not totally unexpected: The Nationals have placed Max Scherzer on the 10-day injured list with groin inflammation. The move is retroactive to Saturday, so that means he'll be eligible to return one week from today against the Phillies. Again, no shocker here, and Scherzer certainly seems to expect he'll be good to go by then. With a chance to add another pitcher, the Nats purchased right-hander Justin Miller's contract from Triple-A Rochester, bringing back the...

Comments

Tags:

justin miller kyle schwarber lineups mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin pittsburgh pirates frontstory_nationals1

Game 63 lineups: Nats vs. Pirates

June 14, 2021, 11:38am

Nationals

After going 3-3 against the two teams with the best records in the majors at the time (the Rays and Giants), the Nationals now host one of the worst teams in the majors the next three nights. And you've got to believe they believe they need to win at least two, if not all three, of these games. That's easier said than done, of course, especially with a lineup that has been so unproductive most of the time. Perhaps manager Davey Martinez found something over the weekend, though, with his new...

Comments

Tags:

jon lester kyle schwarber lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime pittsburgh pirates frontstory_nationals1

Orioles and Rays lineups (updated)

June 13, 2021, 7:20am

Orioles

DJ Stewart is leading off this afternoon and Cedric Mullins is on the bench as the Orioles close out their series against the Rays and hop on a flight to Cleveland. Austin Hays moves to center field. Austin Wynns stays behind the plate. Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter. Pat Valaika is playing second base. Rookie left-hander Bruce Zimmermann - yes, a local product - is 4-3 with a 4.83 ERA and 1.463 WHIP in 11 games (10 starts) over 54 innings. He's allowed five runs in his last three...

Comments

Tags:

austin hays austin wynns bruce zimmermann dj stewart jorge lopez keegan akin matt harvey orioles pat valaika ryan mountcastle frontfeatured_orioles lineups

Game 62 lineups: Nats vs. Giants

June 13, 2021, 7:04am

Nationals

To say this series has featured very little offense would be the understatement of the year. Through three games and 24 innings of baseball, the Nationals and Giants have each scored three runs. Yes, three runs. So it's probably not unreasonable to say that the first team to score in today's series finale is going to be in great position to win the game. The Nats will need some quality and some length from Joe Ross, who more than anything just needs to avoid that one bad inning that has so...

Comments

Tags:

joe ross kyle scharber lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman san francisco giants frontstory_nationals1

Game 60 lineups: Nats vs. Giants

June 12, 2021, 8:04am

Nationals

Here's some good news to begin your Saturday: The clouds are beginning to clear out of the region and there is no forecast of rain today. The Nationals and Giants should have no trouble playing both ends of today's 14-inning doubleheader. That's about the only good news, unfortunately. The Nats just announced a swath of roster moves, a couple of them quite unexpected. Here's the full list: * Right-hander Daniel Hudson was placed on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. *...

Comments

Tags:

alex avila andrew stevenson erick fedde kyle schwarber lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime san francisco giants

Game 61 lineups: Nats vs. Giants

June 12, 2021, 1:48pm

Nationals

The Nationals pitching staff is by no means in great shape right now, but it's in better shape than it might've been had Erick Fedde not delivered five scoreless innings in the opener of today's doubleheader against the Giants. That performance has given Davey Martinez the luxury of starting Jefry Rodriguez in the nightcap but not needing the right-hander to go too deep if he's not up for it. You may remember Rodriguez from 2018, when he pitched in 14 games (eight starts) and posted a 5.71...

Comments

Tags:

jefry rodriguez lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime san francisco giants trea turner yan gomes frontfeatured_nationals

Orioles and Rays lineups (updated)

June 12, 2021, 9:39am

Orioles

Austin Hays moves over to right field this afternoon against the Rays after leaving the injured list yesterday and playing left field. Ryan Mountcastle goes from first base to left field and Trey Mancini switches from designated hitter to first base. Anthony Santander is the DH. Hays leads the club with four outfield assists. Mancini hit his 98th career home run last night in his 522nd game. Only four players who began their careers with the Orioles have reached 100 homers in their first 600...

Comments

Tags:

anthony santander austin hays austin wynns freddy galvis jorge lopez orioles pat valaika ryan mountcastle trey mancini frontfeatured_orioles lineups

Game 59 lineups: Giants at Nats

June 11, 2021, 6:58am

Nationals

Well, the Nationals will try again tonight to send Max Scherzer to the mound to open a four-game series against the Giants. The Nationals have a ragged bullpen, even with an unscheduled off-day from Thursday night's rainout, and need length from Scherzer, and that has a good chance of happening. For his career, the right-hander is 4-5 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.131 WHIP in 10 career starts against San Francisco. In nine of his 12 starts this season, Scherzer has thrown at least six innings, and...

Comments

Tags:

josh bell lineups max scherzer nationals nationals pastime pete kerzel starlin castro jordy mercer josh harrison

Orioles and Rays lineups

June 11, 2021, 12:14pm

Orioles

Austin Hays has been reinstated from the injured list today, and he's in left field for tonight's series opener against the Rays at Tropicana Field. Hays is batting fifth behind first baseman Ryan Mountcastle. Trey Mancini is batting second as the designated hitter, followed by right fielder Anthony Santander. Reliever Shawn Armstrong cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk. Cedric Mullins has a nine-game hitting streak. Mountcastle has an eight-game hitting and RBI...

Comments

Tags:

austin hays lineups frontstory_orioles2

Game 59 lineups: Nats vs. Giants

June 10, 2021, 11:42am

Nationals

Hello from Nationals Park, which hasn't hosted a ballgame in 11 days. Yeah, it's been a while. The Nationals return home from a nine-game road trip in which they went 4-5, used up a lot of pitchers and took a very late-night flight back from St. Petersburg, Fla., to get here for tonight's series opener against the Giants. They may be a bit bleary eyed at this point, and the forecast of on-and-off showers won't help. Here's what will help: For the first time since the 2019 World Series,...

Comments

Tags:

lineups mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime san francisco giants frontfeatured_nationals nationals park

Game 58 lineups: Nats at Rays

June 09, 2021, 11:42am

Nationals

The Nationals, as you know by now, have not been a productive offensive team this season. But they have been more productive when facing a left-hander. Their .679 OPS versus righties ranks 20th in the majors, but their .759 OPS versus lefties ranks 11th. So maybe, just maybe, tonight's game against Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan offers an opportunity to score some early runs and set a better tone for the game than has been typical for this team. The Nats would be wise to get to McClanahan...

Comments

Tags:

juan soto lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin ryan zimmerman tampa bay rays trea turner frontstory_nationals1

Game 57 lineups: Nats at Rays

June 08, 2021, 12:29pm

Nationals

A three-city road trip that began in promising fashion, with two wins in three days in Atlanta, now reaches its final leg with the Nationals now needing a strong finish against a tough opponent. Having lost three of their last four (including two straight in Philadelphia over the weekend), the Nats tonight open a quick two-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla., against a Rays club that owns the best record in the American League at 38-23. As has been the case for several years now, Tampa Bay is...

Comments

Tags:

jon lester josh bell lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman tampa bay rays yan gomes frontstory_nationals1

Game 56 lineups: Nats at Phillies

June 06, 2021, 7:53am

Nationals

We've been wondering for days now who would be starting the Nationals' series finale in Philadelphia, taking Stephen Strasburg's spot in the rotation. Well, we finally have our answer. Today's starter will be ... Austin Voth. Manager Davey Martinez came to that decision based on the fact Voth has been a starter his whole career up until this season, and he's had four days off since his last appearance (50 pitches in relief of Strasburg). It's certainly the most logical choice among the...

Comments

Tags:

alex avila austin voth jordy mercer lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies frontstory_nationals1

Game 55 lineups: Nats at Phillies

June 05, 2021, 9:35am

Nationals

The Nationals managed to turn two runs and six hits into a win Friday night. They did so thanks to Max Scherzer's dominance over 7 2/3 innings, then Daniel Hudson and Brad Hand's relief work after that. In order to win today in Philadelphia, they're either going to need a comparable effort from Joe Ross and any relievers who follow him or a much more complete offensive showing. A more complete offensive showing would be nice, especially against Phillies right-hander Spencer Howard, who...

Comments

Tags:

alex avila bryce harper joe ross kyle schwarber lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies

Orioles and Indians lineups

June 05, 2021, 8:45am

Orioles

The Orioles will try to extend their winning streak to a season-long four games tonight with Freddy Galvis remaining the cleanup hitter between Anthony Santander and Ryan Mountcastle. Mountcastle has hit four home runs in his last 10 games, with seven extra-base hits during that span. He's 11-for-35 (.314) with two doubles, a triple and 11 RBI in those 10 games. Santander has reached base in 13 of 14 games since coming off the injured list and is batting .321 (17-for-53) during that stretch...

Comments

Tags:

lineups orioles

Game 54 lineups: Nats at Phillies

June 04, 2021, 1:03pm

Nationals

Tonight will be the Nationals' 54th game of the season, which means we are at the one-third mark of the 2021 campaign. At 23-30, the Nationals are tied with the Marlins, six games back of the division-leading Mets, but only two games back of this weekend's opponent, the Phillies. Yet another opportunity for the Nats to gain some ground in the National League East. And they have the right guy on the mound to get them started. Max Scherzer looks to carry over his fantastic May into June...

Comments

Tags:

bobby blanco bryce harper kyle schwarber lineups max scherzer nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies frontstory_nationals2

Game 53 lineups: Nats at Braves

June 03, 2021, 6:17am

Nationals

The Nationals have a chance this afternoon to take three of four from the Braves, and who saw that coming a few days ago? They've put themselves in position with a combination of power at the plate (four homers the last two nights), one gutsy start on short rest (Jon Lester) and a whole lot of innings out of their bullpen (11 innings the last two nights). Now if they're going to take the series in this early start in Atlanta, they're going to need quality innings out of Patrick Corbin. At...

Comments

Tags:

alex avila atlanta braves jordy mercer lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin ryan zimmerman frontstory_nationals1

Game 52 lineups: Nats at Braves

June 02, 2021, 1:51pm

Nationals

We've seen the Nationals put together isolated offensive explosions this season. Seven times they've scored seven or more runs. How have they done in their next game? They've averaged three runs. So there's been an issue with sustaining offensive success. Tonight the Nats will try to finally do that and put together back-to-back big performances at the plate in the wake of their 11-6 victory Tuesday night. As was the case then, they're facing a left-hander, this time Drew Smyly. He's got...

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves jon lester josh harrison juan soto lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman victor robles

Game 51 lineups: Nats at Braves

June 01, 2021, 11:32am

Nationals

May was not kind to the Nationals, who went 11-17 and fell to a season-worst eight games under .500. If you're looking for silver linings, though, they were outscored for the month by only five runs (116-111). The average score of their wins was roughly 7-3. The average score of their losses was roughly 5-2. The point, if there is one: When the Nats hit, they win. When they don't hit, they lose. So perhaps the flip of the calendar to June will benefit this team. (Nothing else has worked.) And...

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves josh harrison lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman starlin castro stephen strasburg trea turner featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Game 50 lineups: Nats at Braves (Robles activated)

May 31, 2021, 10:56am

Nationals

Game 50 lineups: Nats at Braves (Robles activated)

The Nationals need something to inject some life in their moribund offense. For now, that something will have to be Victor Robles, who has rejoined the active roster 12 days after spraining his right ankle. Robles was officially activated off the 10-day injured list today, in time for the nine-game road trip that begins late this afternoon in unincorporated Atlanta. The 24-year-old center fielder appeared in one rehab game for Double-A Harrisburg on Sunday, going 1-for-2 with a double, two...