lineups - Blog

Game 32 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

May 12, 2021, 11:27am

The Nationals need to score runs tonight. This does not qualify as some sort of huge revelation. It's simply the truth. Over their last eight games, the Nats have scored an average of 3.4 runs on 7.5 hits. Which isn't great, but it's even worse when you consider they exploded for 11 runs on 10 hits during Friday night's win at Yankee Stadium. Throw that outlier from the mix, and you get an average of 2.3 runs on 7.1 hits during this stretch. So the mission tonight is clear: Score, and score...

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Updating Flaa and Baumann, Orioles and Mets lineups (updated)

May 11, 2021, 11:48am

Orioles

The Orioles have lost reliever Jay Flaa on a waiver claim by the Braves. Flaa, 28, made his major league debut on April 27 and tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He walked two Yankees and struck out Aaron Judge. The Orioles optioned him to the alternate training site in Bowie after the game to create a spot for Dean Kremer. The Orioles decided Saturday that Flaa would be designated for assignment as they claimed left-hander Brandon Waddell off waivers from the Twins and assigned him to Triple-A...

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Game 31 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

May 11, 2021, 11:14am

Nationals

The Nationals are in the midst of a rough stretch, no doubt about it. They've lost five of their last six and are back in last place in the division. And yet, when you consider they lost three of those games by one run (two via walk-off) and another by two runs, the situation very easily could be reversed. Is that reason for optimism or pessimism? Guess it depends on how you prefer to view life (or, at least, baseball). The next three nights, then, present an opportunity to flip the script and...

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Game 30 lineups: Nats at Yankees

May 09, 2021, 7:02am

Nationals

In many ways, the Nationals have looked great this weekend at Yankee Stadium. They exploded for 11 runs in Friday night's opener. They've got a decent start from Patrick Corbin in that game, then a brilliant game from Max Scherzer on Saturday. Juan Soto is back in the lineup and back in the field. Victor Robles went 3-for-4 on Saturday. The Nats scored the first run of the season off Aroldis Chapman! Yet because of an uncharacteristic meltdown from Brad Hand in both the ninth and 10th innings...

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joe ross josh bell juan soto lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime new york yankees yadiel hernandez

Game 29 lineups: Nats at Yankees

May 07, 2021, 3:38pm

Nationals

If he craves the biggest stage in baseball, it stands to reason that Max Scherzer would enjoy pitching at Yankee Stadium. It doesn't matter if it's the third incarnation of the historic ballpark. Everything about the place - the monuments in center field, the pinstriped players, the rhythmic cadence of the fans' roll call - is special. So why has the right-hander struggled - at least by Scherzer standards - in the Bronx and against the Yankees? Scherzer is 4-4 with a 4.34 ERA and a 1.531...

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Orioles and Red Sox lineups (updated)

May 08, 2021, 12:00pm

Orioles

The Orioles recalled Zac Lowther today, taking him from the alternate training site to the taxi squad to the majors for his first major league start and second appearance. Lowther tossed a scoreless ninth inning in his debut on April 25 against the Athletics at Camden Yards. The No. 11 prospect in the system per MLBPipeline.com was optioned and joined the Orioles for their West Coast trip. A start is needed tonight with Bruce Zimmermann optioned, and Lowther gets the assignment, with a spot...

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Orioles and Red Sox lineups, plus notes

May 07, 2021, 12:51pm

Orioles

The Orioles will make their seventh attempt tonight to get back to .500 for the first time since April 10 as they open a four-game series against the Red Sox at Camden Yards. As long as the weather cooperates, of course. Rain is falling and the tarp is on the field, but pitchers aren't letting it interrupt their bullpen sessions or throwing in the outfield. Austin Hays is starting in right field tonight, with Ryan Mountcastle in left and Pat Valaika playing first base. Trey Mancini is the...

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anthony santander austin hays brandon hyde chris holt john means keegan akin mac sceroler matt harvey orioles pat valaika pedro severino ryan mountcastle trey mancini lineups

Game 28 lineups: Nats at Yankees

May 07, 2021, 1:18pm

Nationals

There's really only one question everyone wants answered today: Is Juan Soto in the Nationals lineup? The answer you've been waiting for: Yes. For the first time in 18 days, Soto is starting, albeit as designated hitter. Still unable to make throws in the outfield without fear of further injury to his left shoulder, he's being held back to hit only for the Nats' series opener against the Yankees. But that's still a major development for a team that desperately needs to generate some...

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Game 27 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

May 06, 2021, 8:33am

Nationals

The Nationals need to score runs. Early in games. Too often they've found themselves trailing early and it's cost them. Their record this season when they score first: 10-2. When they don't: 2-12. There are all kinds of factors we can discuss when trying to decide why they're 12-14 overall, but that stat right there pretty tells the entire story. So it's incumbent upon today's lineup to do something early on against Drew Smyly. The good news: They did score early off Smyly back on opening...

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Game 26 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

May 05, 2021, 11:37am

Nationals

The Nationals didn't have an answer for Huascar Ynoa on Tuesday night. They better have one for Max Fried tonight or else they're going to drop their second straight to the Braves. Fried returns to Atlanta's rotation after spending the last three weeks on the injured list with a strained hamstring. The Nats already got to the lefty back in early April, to the tune of five runs and eight hits in two innings. And that was before they had a healthy lineup. Manager Davey Martinez is again...

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Orioles and Mariners lineups, news of Ray Miller's passing

May 05, 2021, 10:06am

Orioles

Freddy Galvis is out of the Orioles lineup this afternoon for their series finale in Seattle that also concludes their road trip. RamÃ³n UrÃas is the shortstop and Pat Valaika is starting at second base. Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays continue to bat 1-2 in the order. Ryan Mountcastle is the first baseman and Trey Mancini is the designated hitter. Left-hander John Means will try to maintain his roll. He's posted a 1.70 ERA, 0.838 WHIP and .163 average against in six starts and has allowed...

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Game 25 lineups: Nats vs. Braves (Soto, Harris activated)

May 04, 2021, 11:21am

Nationals

Game 25 lineups: Nats vs. Braves (Soto, Harris activated)

The Nationals have clawed their way back to the .500 mark, sweeping the Marlins over the weekend. Their next challenge is climbing over that mark and staying there, against some stiffer competition: the Braves. The three-time defending National League East champs are back in town for their second visit of the season already. They took two of three in the season-opening series on South Capitol Street, sweeping a 14-inning doubleheader after the Nats won in dramatic fashion on opening day. Things...

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Orioles and Athletics lineups (updated)

May 01, 2021, 10:45am

Orioles

Freddy Galvis has returned to the Orioles lineup today, batting seventh against the Athletics in Oakland. Galvis, previously out with a sore left adductor, is batting .348/.400/.630 (16-for-46) in his last 15 games. He slashed .115/.179/.154 (3-for-26) in his first seven. "He got off to a slow start offensively," manager Brandon Hyde said today in his Zoom call. "Really, like the last week to two weeks before he had a little bit of the groin soreness, I think you started seeing better...

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Game 23 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

May 01, 2021, 7:16am

Nationals

A quick turnaround from a night game to a day game is never easy, but when it comes on the heels of a walk-off win, it does at least brighten everyone's mood a little bit. So the Nationals have to be feeling pretty good about themselves after Friday night's 2-1, 10-inning victory over the Marlins, capped by Kyle Schwarber's 454-foot blast to right-center. In order to keep the good vibes going, they'll need Patrick Corbin to give themselves a chance to win today. Once this season, the...

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Game 22 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins (Lester to start)

April 30, 2021, 11:10am

Nationals

Game 22 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins (Lester to start)

The Nationals signed Jon Lester over the winter to be a big part of their rotation, counting on the veteran left-hander to make 30 starts and win big games for them. Tonight, he finally makes his D.C. debut. Lester, the last of nine Nats players still on the COVID-19 injured list, has been activated and will start tonight's series opener against the Marlins. It took longer than expected, but after three rehab outings at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg, the 37-year-old is ready to...

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Orioles and Yankees lineups

April 29, 2021, 7:21am

Orioles

Rio Ruiz, RamÃ³n UrÃas, Pat Valaika and Ryan Mountcastle were grouped this morning for early infield work. Three of the four are in today's lineup as the Orioles close out their series against the Yankees and head to the West Coast. Maikel Franco is the third baseman. Otherwise, UrÃas is playing shortstop, Valaika is the second baseman and Mountcastle is the first baseman. Trey Mancini is serving as the designated hitter. Mancini became the 49th player to record 500 hits in an Orioles...

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Game 21 lineups: Nats vs. Blue Jays in Dunedin

April 28, 2021, 11:44am

Nationals

Game 21 lineups: Nats vs. Blue Jays in Dunedin

The Nationals need to generate offense any way they can right now. How do they do that, given the resources currently available to them? They have to stick with some of their struggling regulars and sprinkle in some backups who create more favorable matchups. Tonight, with left-hander Steven Matz on the mound for the Blue Jays, that means an emphasis on right-handed hitters. Manager Davey Martinez decided the best way to do that was to stack four right-handed bats atop his lineup (Trea Turner,...

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Game 20 lineups: Nats at Blue Jays

April 27, 2021, 12:06pm

Nationals

Earlier this month, former Nationals catcher Jonathan Lucroy compared his time in D.C. to the storyline of the movie "The Replacements," in which Keanu Reeves leads a group of replacement players on the fictional Washington Sentinels to the playoffs in their fictional football league. (Of course, that movie was loosely based on the 1987 Washington Football Team replacements who won three games and helped the team go on to win the Super Bowl.) Well, I'm no Shane Falco, but I'll do my best as...

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Game 19 lineups: Nats at Mets

April 25, 2021, 6:41am

Nationals

Despite what they might try to insist, managers are a superstitious lot. When something works one day, they tend to not want to change it up the next day. So when the Nationals scored a season-high seven runs Saturday with a new-look lineup, you shouldn't be surprised to see Davey Martinez go right back to the same lineup for today's series finale in New York. Yes, that means Josh Harrison and Yadiel Hernandez are at the top of the batting order again. And it means Josh Bell, despite his...

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Game 18 lineups: Nats at Mets

April 24, 2021, 9:50am

Nationals

The Nationals had no chance last night against Jacob deGrom. They can only hope to have a better opportunity for success today against Marcus Stroman. Stroman doesn't have nearly deGrom's track record, but he's been no less effective to begin the season. The right-hander, who opted out of the 2020 campaign, is 3-0 with an 0.90 ERA, having shut down the Phillies twice and the Rockies once. Unlike deGrom, Stroman is a pitch-to-contact guy. He has only 11 strikeouts in 20 innings to date. But...