lineups - Blog

Game 53 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

September 21, 2020, 10:53am

We have reached the final week of a most unusual regular season. Around these parts, that usually means a pennant race, a potential clincher for the Nationals and maybe a few days to rest guys up for the postseason. Not in 2020. Though the Nats are technically still alive, practically speaking they're done. Their elimination number, if you're wondering, is currently three, so the earliest they could be officially knocked out is Tuesday. (Update: It turns out they actually could be eliminated...

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Game 51 lineups: Nats at Marlins

September 20, 2020, 7:23am

Nationals

OK, it's time for the second of three doubleheaders the Nationals have scheduled in a five-day span. Slowly but surely, they're getting through this rough stretch and approaching the finish line of a difficult season. Davey Martinez decided to have Max Scherzer start this afternoon's opener in Miami, thinking he can hopefully get six or even seven innings out of his ace and save his entire bullpen for the nightcap, in which Ben Braymer will start but several relievers will be needed....

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Game 50 lineups: Nats at Marlins

September 19, 2020, 12:41pm

Nationals

Well, if you're a fan of symmetry and symbolism, tonight's game is really important for the Nationals. To lose, not to win. Because if they lose, their season record will be 19-31. Yep, same as it was after 50 games last season. The difference, of course, is that one year ago they had 112 games to turn everything around and this year they have 10 games. So the chance of this 19-31 start producing the same result as the last 19-31 start are nearly impossible. Let the record show, these...

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Lineups and notes on rotation, Armstrong, offense and more

September 16, 2020, 1:05pm

Orioles

Lineups and notes on rotation, Armstrong, offense and more

Ryan Mountcastle is back in left field tonight as the Orioles continue their series against the Braves at Camden Yards. Mountcastle made his first start at first base last night in a 5-1 loss. Pat Valaika is playing first base, Andrew Velazquez is at second base and Hanser Alberto has moved to third. Austin Hays is in center field instead of Cedric Mullins. JosÃ© Iglesias produced his 15th multi-hit game last night, tied with Alberto for the team lead. Iglesias is batting .375 (24-for-64)...

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alex cobb andrew velazquez austin hays cedric mullins dean kremer john means jorge lopez jose iglesias keegan akin orioles pat valaika pedro severino ryan mountcastle shawn armstrong featured_sidebar lineups frontstory_orioles2

Game 47 lineups: Nats at Rays

September 16, 2020, 7:00am

Nationals

How do the Nationals avoid a repeat of Tuesday night's lifeless, 6-1 loss to the Rays? They need to get a much better pitching performance and they need to hit. Obviously. On the mound, it's up to Austin Voth to somehow make the leap into a guy who can actually get hitters out twice in a game. We know he can do it the first time through the order. It's time for him to show he can do it the second time as well. At the plate, it's up to this lineup to not get freaked out by the Rays'...

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Game 46 lineups: Nats at Rays (Rainey to IL)

September 15, 2020, 11:32am

Nationals

Game 46 lineups: Nats at Rays (Rainey to IL)

The Nationals' final road trip of 2020 begins tonight in St. Petersburg, Fla., where they'll face the Rays in the first of a quick two-game series. It's a rematch of last week's two-gamer in D.C., both of those games won by the Nats. But the challenge may be greater this time. For one thing, the Nationals just lost their best reliever. Tanner Rainey has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right flexor strain, a move that is retroactive to Sept. 12. Rainey had pitched very well...

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Orioles and Braves lineups

September 15, 2020, 12:18pm

Orioles

Ryan Mountcastle is making his first major league start at first base tonight as the Orioles continue their series against the Braves at Camden Yards. Mountcastle has been working out at first and played the position in the minors before the Orioles shifted him to left field during the 2019 season at Triple-A Norfolk. Austin Hays remains in left field and is batting ninth. Hanser Alberto returns to the lineup at second base. JosÃ© Iglesias remains the No. 2 hitter. DJ Stewart is batting third...

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austin hays dj stewart hanser alberto jose iglesias orioles pat valaika ryan mountcastle thomas eshelman lineups frontstory_orioles2

Game 45 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

September 13, 2020, 6:41am

Nationals

When the 2020 regular season ends two weeks from today - How crazy is that? - and we try to find answers for what went wrong for the Nationals, it might be easy to point out the heartbreakers they lost to the Braves as especially low points. To be sure, there have been some really tough losses in there, a couple of blown saves by Daniel Hudson and a couple more one-run losses this week. And yet, if they can win this afternoon behind Max Scherzer, the Nationals will have split the season series...

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Orioles and Yankees lineups

September 13, 2020, 7:09am

The Orioles will try to avoid a four-game sweep today at Yankee Stadium with Ryan Mountcastle again batting third and left-hander John Means on the mound for his eighth start of the season. JosÃ© Iglesias is the designated hitter again and Pat Valaika is getting the start at shortstop. DJ Stewart is batting sixth against Yankees left-hander J.A. Happ. For the Orioles Hanser Alberto 2B JosÃ© Iglesias DH Ryan Mountcastle LF Pedro Severino C Renato NÃºÃ±ez 1B DJ Stewart RF Pat Valaika SS...

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Game 43 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

September 11, 2020, 10:45am

Nationals

After a difficult night at the ballpark, the Nationals return for the second game of this four-game weekend series against the Braves, hoping for better results this time. As always, they'll have to find a way to keep Ronald AcuÃ±a Jr. and Freddie Freeman in the yard. The good news: Erick Fedde managed to keep Freeman in the yard last week when he faced him in Atlanta. The bad news: AcuÃ±a led off the game with a homer off him, the first of three homers Fedde surrendered in 3 2/3...

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Orioles and Yankees lineups in opener

September 11, 2020, 9:25am

Orioles

The Orioles activated veteran right-hander Alex Cobb from the injured list leading into today's start in the opener of today's doubleheader against the Yankees in the Bronx. Cobb is the 29th man for the doubleheader. A corresponding roster move must be made after the nightcap, and it doesn't have to involve Cobb. The 40-man roster and 60-man player pools are full. Pat Valaika is playing first base and batting ninth, with Chris Davis on the bench. Davis hasn't played since the Orioles...

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Game 42 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

September 10, 2020, 10:57am

Nationals

How do you stop a team that just scored 29 runs last night? By sending your winless No. 5 starter with an 8.26 ERA to the mound, obviously. On paper, tonight's matchup does not appear to favor the Nationals. Austin Voth is pitching, still seeking his first win in his eighth start of the season. And he's facing a Braves lineup that just set a modern National League record last night with 29 runs in a blowout win over the Marlins, a game in which they actually didn't score in either the first...

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Game 41 lineups: Nats vs. Rays

September 08, 2020, 10:59am

Nationals

The 2020 regular season, believe it or not, is now two-thirds complete. There are only 20 games left for the Nationals to try to climb their way back into the expanded postseason, and the odds remain awfully slim. At 15-25, they're currently five games behind the .500 Marlins and Giants for the eighth and final berth in the National League field. To get to .500, the Nats would need to go 15-5 the rest of the way. Maybe they'd get in a game or two under .500, but you get the idea. It's going...

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Game 40 lineups: Nats vs. Rays (GarcÃa scratched)

September 07, 2020, 11:55am

Nationals

Game 40 lineups: Nats vs. Rays (GarcÃa scratched)

After what felt like the longest road trip ever - but in reality was only 10 days and 11 games - the Nationals return home tonight to open a five-game homestand. And they're facing stiff competition right out of the gate in the exceptional Rays. Owners of the American League's best record at 28-13, Tampa Bay has quietly put together an outstanding team, even if many of the names don't jump right out at you. The Rays don't hit for a ton of power, but they get on base and they score runs. So...

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Game 38 lineups: Nats at Braves (Kieboom recalled)

September 05, 2020, 12:49pm

Nationals

Game 38 lineups: Nats at Braves (Kieboom recalled)

Friday's doubleheader took a lot out of the Nationals, who over the course of 14 innings of baseball used eight pitchers, gave up 16 runs on 18 hits and eight walks, allowed seven homers and threw 259 pitches. So, what do they have left in the tank for tonight's game in Atlanta? Well, they've got Erick Fedde starting, and they've got to hope he can provide some quality innings so Davey Martinez can hold off on his bullpen as long as possible. Fedde was pretty good in his first five starts,...

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Game 36 lineups: Nats at Braves (Soto scratched)

September 04, 2020, 9:04am

Nationals

Game 36 lineups: Nats at Braves (Soto scratched)

If you thought the first two legs of the Nationals' road trip were tough, look at what they still must contend with now to wrap up this long and painful trek up and down the East Coast. After losing two of three in Boston and all four in Philadelphia, they now have four games in three days in Atlanta, starting with today's doubleheader at Truist Park. After needing 6 2/3 innings out of six relievers in Thursday's heartbreaking loss, Davey Martinez would love to be sending two starters to the...

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Game 35 lineups: Nats at Phillies

September 03, 2020, 9:38am

Nationals

If you thought this road trip was brutal enough already for the fading Nationals, consider what still awaits: four games in three days against the Braves, starting with Friday's doubleheader in unincorporated Atlanta. So given what's still to come, today's series finale in Philadelphia would sure be a nice game to win, wouldn't it? It's going to take a complete reversal of recent events for the Nationals to do it. They've got to string together hits, especially early, against Zach Eflin....

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Game 34 lineups: Nats at Phillies

September 02, 2020, 11:41am

Nationals

Another day, another chance for the Nationals to flip the script and beat the Phillies, something they've been unable to do in four tries so far this season. None of those previous four games, however, had Max Scherzer on the mound. Tonight's does. Scherzer gets the ball on the heels of a dominant outing at Fenway Park last Friday, when he allowed one run over six innings, striking out 11 without issuing a walk. He will need to be at his best tonight to hold down the Phillies lineup and give...

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Game 33 lineups: Nats at Phillies

September 01, 2020, 11:50am

Nationals

As we've seen, there are two major issues plaguing the Nationals right now: starting pitchers who dig them into early holes and a lineup that isn't consistently producing beyond Trea Turner and Juan Soto. Tonight, we'll find out if they can reverse both trends and emerge victorious in Philadelphia. The good news: Patrick Corbin has been pitching well, and he pitched well against these same Phillies last week in D.C. For six innings, the left-hander allowed only a solo homer to Rhys Hoskins....

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Game 31 lineups: Nats at Red Sox

August 30, 2020, 7:14am

Nationals

The 2020 regular season is now 50 percent complete, and the Nationals have won exactly one series to date. And even that requires an asterisk: They won both of their designated "road" games against the Blue Jays at Nationals Park, which officially counted as its own two-game series even though it immediately followed Toronto's two straight wins in the same park with the Nats serving as home team. Point is, this team simply hasn't been able to get onto any kind of modest roll and at least...