World Series Game 5 lineups: Nats vs. Astros (Scherzer scratched)

World Series Game 5 lineups: Nats vs. Astros (Scherzer scratched)
No matter what happens, whether positive or negative, tonight is the final baseball game of 2019 at Nationals Park. We've never known that before going in, at least not going into a postseason game. So it makes for both an exciting and bittersweet feeling. This season will end not here in D.C. but in Houston, either Tuesday night in Game 6 or Wednesday night in an oh-so-stressful Game 7. But Nationals manager Davey Martinez opened his pregame press briefing with a piece of unexpected news: Max...

World Series Game 4 lineups: Nats vs. Astros

World Series Game 4 lineups: Nats vs. Astros
Perhaps with the hubbub of Friday night's festivities behind them, everything at Nationals Park tonight will feel a little more normal for the Nationals. Or at least as normal as a World Series game can feel. Point is, the outcome of tonight's game is really important for both teams. At the end of the night, the Nationals are either going to be up three games to one or the Astros are going to have tied the series and recaptured home field advantage. On paper, the Nats would seem to have...

World Series Game 3 lineups: Nats vs. Astros

World Series Game 3 lineups: Nats vs. Astros
It's Oct. 25 and there's a ballgame being played on South Capitol Street tonight. How cool is that? Welcome to the World Series, Washington. It's kind of a circus around here, but there's no better reason to have a circus in town than this. There's also the matter of the actual ballgame, which let's not forget is kind of important. The Nationals had a great time in Houston, but now they need to keep the positive vibes going and not give the Astros reason to feel like they're right back...

World Series Game 2 lineups: Nats at Astros

World Series Game 2 lineups: Nats at Astros
HOUSTON - And we're back. If Game 1 of the World Series wasn't thrilling and/or nerve-racking enough for you, you're in luck because the Nationals and Astros are right back at it tonight for Game 2, with no shortage of storylines to consume. The most significant, of course, is the overall state of the series following the Nats' 5-4 win last night. All of a sudden, they're sending Stephen Strasburg to the mound with a chance to head home up two games to none in the best-of-seven series. How...

World Series Game 1 lineups: Nats at Astros

World Series Game 1 lineups: Nats at Astros
HOUSTON - The Nationals are playing in the World Series tonight. Yes, that's a true statement. What seemed elusive for so long is reality. At 8:08 p.m. Eastern time, Trea Turner will step into the batter's box and face Gerrit Cole, at which point the 115th Fall Classic will be underway and Washington baseball history will forever be changed. We've had nearly a week to rehash what happened in the National League Championship Series and preview what could happen in this World Series. None of...

NLCS Game 4 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals

NLCS Game 4 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals
The Nationals have played 2,456 games during their 15 years of existence. Many of those games carried little to no meaning. A decent number of them were significant but not historic. Twenty-eight of them have come in the postseason. None have featured the stakes that are on the table tonight. For the first time in their history, the Nats are playing for a pennant. One more win over the Cardinals and they'll win the National League Championship Series and reach the World Series. And if they do...

NLCS Game 3 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals

NLCS Game 3 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals
You couldn't conjure up a better forecast for the first National League Championship Series game played in the District of Columbia. There isn't a cloud in the sky. The temperature at gametime will be in the upper 60s, dropping into the low 60s later in the evening. This is what October is supposed to look and feel like. Nationals Park should be rocking tonight, starting with the pregame festivities that will include the ceremonial first pitch thrown out by Parker Staples, a pediatric cancer...

NLCS Game 1 lineups: Nats at Cardinals (Hudson on leave)

NLCS Game 1 lineups: Nats at Cardinals (Hudson on leave)
ST. LOUIS - It's 46 degrees. The wind chill is 39. It's not going to be pleasant at all. But none of that matters, because there's a ballgame tonight and the Nationals are playing in it. The Nats' first National League Championship Series gamesis going to present some challenges, and we're not just talking about the weather at Busch Stadium. The lineup and roster are missing three key players: Daniel Hudson, Kurt Suzuki and Victor Robles. Hudson, who flew from Los Angeles to Phoenix early...

NLDS Game 5 lineups: Nats at Dodgers

NLDS Game 5 lineups: Nats at Dodgers
LOS ANGELES - And so it has come to this. Nationals. Dodgers. Game 5 of the National League Division Series. They wouldn't have had it any other way. The winner goes to the NL Championship Series, against either the Braves or Cardinals, whose Game 5 should be wrapping up right around the time this one starts. Reminder: The Nats would not get home field advantage against either opponent, so Games 1-2 would be on the road, with Games 3-5 in D.C., then potential Games 6-7 back on the road. First...

NLDS Game 4 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers

NLDS Game 4 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers
This is the fourth time the Nationals have trailed two games to one in a best-of-five series. Twice in the past, they've gone on to win Game 4 (Jayson Werth's walk-off homer in 2012, Stephen Strasburg's dominant start at Wrigley Field in 2017) and force a Game 5. Once they lost and were eliminated (Aaron Barrett and Matt Thornton in San Francisco in 2014). What does tonight hold in store for us? Well, Max Scherzer is on the mound, and if he's in peak form, obviously the Nationals have a...

NLDS Game 2 lineups: Nats at Dodgers

NLDS Game 2 lineups: Nats at Dodgers
LOS ANGELES - If the Nationals are going to win tonight and even up this best-of-five series, they're going to have to score runs. That sounds like a "no, duh" statement, but it's a simple fact. They were shut out Thursday night in Game 1, and they really didn't hit much at all in their wild card win Tuesday night. They just need to find a way to put more runners on base, and then find a way to get as many of those runners as possible across the plate. That won't be an easy task against...

NLDS Game 1 lineups: Nats at Dodgers

NLDS Game 1 lineups: Nats at Dodgers
LOS ANGELES - It's a beautiful day in the City of Angels, but then again most days here are. Dodger Stadium is resplendent as ever, set to host yet another postseason series, the Nationals for the second time. The Nats won one of the two games they played here in 2016. Everything starts anew tonight, with Game 1 of the National League Division Series pitting these two star-studded franchises against each other again, with some of the same cast of characters but plenty of new ones as well....

NL wild card game lineups: Nats vs. Brewers

NL wild card game lineups: Nats vs. Brewers
Well, here we go. Tonight the Nationals take the field for a ballgame that both feels familiar and yet completely foreign. It's another winner-take-all home game in October, the fourth in eight years for this team. But it's the first wild card game, so that gives tonight's proceedings an entirely different context. So much of the talk leading up to this game has been about the Nationals' pitching plan. And certainly it will be important who Davey Martinez decides to use after Max Scherzer...

Game 162 lineups: Nats vs. Indians

Game 162 lineups: Nats vs. Indians
It's Game 162, which has meant many different things over the years. Sometimes it's a celebration of a great regular season and final prep for the Division Series. Sometimes it's a meaningful game to determine a postseason berth or home-field advantage. Sometimes it's the end of a long road that won't continue. For the Nationals, this Game 162 is simply a bridge between a week's worth of big games and Tuesday's wild card showdown. The only thing at stake is a chance to finish 93-69,...

Game 160 lineups: Nats vs. Indians

Game 160 lineups: Nats vs. Indians
When the 2019 schedule was announced way back when, this final series featuring an interleague matchup stuck out like a sore thumb. Nobody wants to finish up the season with interleague games, but as long as the two leagues have 15 teams apiece, Major League Baseball has no choice but to do this. So the Nationals and Indians drew the short straw and will face each other this weekend. It's a really important weekend for both teams, of course. The Nationals are trying to secure home field...

Game 159 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 159 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
Nationals manager Davey Martinez rested stars Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon on Wednesday and the Nats still won 5-2 over the Phillies. Second baseman Brian Dozier led off for the first time this season and delivered a late homer in the win. Now the Nats go for a five-game series sweep of the Phillies with the idea of resting another one or two players as Tuesday's wild card game draws near. The Nats (89-69) want to keep winning to make sure they host that game. They lead the Brewers (88-70)...

Game 158 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 158 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
It's the day after a clinch, and that always makes for some, uh, interesting lineup decisions. Like Brian Dozier leading off. Or Asdrúbal Cabrera playing third base. Or Wilmer Difo starting at shortstop. All of those are true of the Nationals lineup tonight, and understandably so. Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner can definitely benefit from at least one (if not more) days off. Truth be told, this lineup has more regulars in it than you might expect under the circumstances. Including all three...

Game 157 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 157 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
Well, here we go. The Nationals took care of business this afternoon. Now, if they can take care of business again tonight, and if the Pirates can snap their long losing streak and extend the Cubs' long losing streak, there's going to be a celebration on South Capitol Street tonight. The Nationals can only take care of their own business and then hope the Pirates do their part. With that in mind, they'll happily send Max Scherzer to the mound for the nightcap. The ace looked like the ace...

Game 155 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 155 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
This has been looming on the schedule for months. Five games in four days against the Phillies, the result of a rainout in mid-June. At the time, we had no idea how significant this would be for one or both of these teams, or even whether it would be significant for either of them. The answer: It's very significant for the Nationals, not all that significant for the Phillies, who remain mathematically alive but are hanging on by a thread. (Their elimination number is three.) The Nats, of...

Game 154 lineups: Nats at Marlins

Game 154 lineups: Nats at Marlins
MIAMI - Hello one last time from Marlins Park, where the Nationals will look to continue their utter dominance of the local ballclub. The Nats are 15-3 vs. the Marlins this season - they actually lost the first two games way back in April! - and carry an 11-game winning streak into today's series finale. I don't care how large the disparity in talent is between teams, that's really hard to do. The Nationals sure could use one more win this afternoon, though, because with the Brewers doing...