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Game 156 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

September 23, 2018, 7:04am

Will the Nationals and Mets play their final head-to-head matchup of the season today? And if not, will they ever play it? That's the pertinent question right now, with the rain coming down all morning and expected to continue all day. Major League Baseball doesn't like canceling games altogether and leaving teams playing fewer than 162 games - the Marlins and Pirates already are scheduled to meet on Oct. 1 for reasons that can only be financial - but given how little is at stake here, you...

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Game 154 lineups: Nats vs. Mets (updated)

September 21, 2018, 11:26am

Nationals

Game 154 lineups: Nats vs. Mets (updated)

The Nationals could be eliminated from the National League East race tonight. That's not a scenario anyone anticipated back in February (or April or June or maybe even July or August, for that matter) but it's the reality of the situation. The Nats are eight games back of the Braves in the division with nine to play. That means the elimination number is two, which means a Washington loss and an Atlanta win make it official. (The elimination number for the NL wild card race, for what it's...

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Game 153 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

September 20, 2018, 11:21am

Nationals

And so we have come to the final homestand of the 2018 season. The Nationals host the Mets for four games, then the Marlins for three before hitting the road for an admittedly odd final series at Colorado next weekend. There will be time for some sentimentality once we reach the later stages of the homestand, but for now it's all business. Especially for the man on the mound tonight. Max Scherzer makes what lines up to be the first of three more starts this season. That number is significant,...

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Game 151 lineups: Nats at Marlins

September 17, 2018, 9:16am

Nationals

MIAMI - The Nationals wrap up what was supposed to be a three-city road trip (interrupted by the return last Thursday to D.C. for the makeup game against the Cubs) in South Florida for a pair of games against the last-place Marlins (58-91). The Nats (76-74) have won the first two series on the trip, sweeping the Phillies in Philadelphia and taking two of three from the Braves at Atlanta, and are now 39-37 on the road. The club has recently demonstrated what it is when everyone is playing well:...

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Game 150 lineups: Nats at Braves

September 16, 2018, 7:11am

Nationals

ATLANTA - The week began with a game in Philadelphia that had to be postponed not because it was raining but because it had rained and the infield couldn't be brought back to life in time. It continued with a makeup game in D.C. that the Cubs didn't want to play out of fear of Hurricane Florence (which at that point was centered more than 400 miles south of Washington). And now the week concludes with one more game at SunTrust Park, where the sun mostly shone Friday and Saturday but has now...

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Game 149 lineups: Nats at Braves

September 15, 2018, 6:52am

Nationals

ATLANTA - It's going to be another scorcher here today. We saw what the heat and humidity did to Max Scherzer's cap and jersey last night. Now imagine what it's going to do to Jeremy Hellickson's gear today in a 1:05 p.m. with sun covering the entire field. Hopefully clubhouse manager Mike Wallace has plenty of extra caps and jerseys at the ready. Hellickson makes his return after a month on the disabled list with a sprained right wrist, suffered when he tried to break his fall while...

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Game 148 lineups: Nats at Braves

September 14, 2018, 11:51am

Nationals

ATLANTA - Throughout the summer, the Nationals and Braves have known they'd be playing each other just once in September: this weekend at SunTrust Park. The way things were going, it had the potential to be a critical series in the National League East race. Emphasis on "had," not "has." Yes, the Nats still technically are alive, and perhaps a weekend sweep would put some pressure on the Braves for the season's final two weeks. But here's the key fact: Every day since August 16, the...

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Game 146 lineups: Nats at Phillies

September 12, 2018, 11:30am

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - Well, we've reached the final day and game of this wacky series. And for now, the Nationals and Phillies are on schedule and set to wrap things up tonight as planned (though there is a slight chance of rain this evening). The forecast also looks decent for Thursday's makeup game against the Cubs in D.C., and for probably Friday and Saturday's games in Atlanta. Sunday ... that could be a different story, especially if Hurricane Florence indeed turns south as is now being...

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Game 145 lineups: Nats at Phillies

September 11, 2018, 3:05pm

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - We're back for the nightcap of today's doubleheader. The field has held up, and most importantly the rain has held off all day. Now the Nationals look to sweep their second doubleheader in four days and move to within 1 1/2 games of the second-place Phillies, who are in serious trouble right now. The challenge for the Nats will be tougher tonight, with Jake Arrieta getting the start. Davey Martinez is using the same top five guys in his lineup, with changes only to the bottom...

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Game 144 lineups (take two): Nats at Phillies

September 11, 2018, 8:29am

Nationals

Game 144 lineups (take two): Nats at Phillies

PHILADELPHIA - Hello again from Citizens Bank Park, where the blowtorches were back out on the infield at noon today, only three hours before scheduled first pitch of this doubleheader. They've since been moved off to the side, but there's still a lot of tilling/rolling/drying work being done on the infield, so I'm not sure you can say with any confidence yet that today's action will start on time (or at all, if we want to consider the worst-case scenario). Oh, also there's a good chance...

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Game 144 lineups: Nats at Phillies

September 10, 2018, 11:34am

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - Hello from Citizens Bank Park, where it is currently ... raining. Ah, there's a certain sense of comfort in traveling away from home but still feeling like you're home. The forecast actually doesn't look terrible for tonight: a 30 percent chance of showers. By Nationals standards of late, that's downright beautiful! The Nationals arrive here weary from a ridiculously long weekend against the Cubs that included three games played in two days, two postponements and a final out...

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Game 143 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs

September 08, 2018, 3:24pm

Nationals

Hope you didn't stray too far from your TV, cause we're already back for the nightcap of today's doubleheader. Yes, it's starting a little later than planned thanks to the 2-hour, 10-minute rain delay before the opener. And yes, there's a chance for more rain later tonight before this one is completed. But hey, at this point why complain anymore? Nothing any of us can do to change it. The Nationals had a clear pitching advantage in the opener, with Max Scherzer facing Jaime Garcia, who...

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Orioles and Rays lineups

September 08, 2018, 11:06am

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Adam Jones is out of the Orioles' lineup again for the second game of their series against the Rays. He also didn't play last night. Chris Davis returns and is the first baseman, with Trey Mancini serving as designated hitter. Joey Rickard is in right field and Chance Sisco is catching. David Hess will make his start after a football nailed him in the eye yesterday afternoon. Hess was questionable before being sent to an ophthalmologist, who determined that the rookie...

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adam jones alex cobb chance sisco chris davis david hess joey rickard josh rogers orioles trey mancini lineups

Game 142 lineups (take two): Nats vs. Cubs (start delayed)

September 08, 2018, 5:52am

Nationals

Game 142 lineups (take two): Nats vs. Cubs (start delayed)

After a long and frustrating Friday night at the ballpark that featured fewer than two innings of baseball, the Nationals and Cubs are going to spend a long Saturday afternoon and night at the ballpark, hopefully playing 18 innings of baseball. Everything that happened last night is wiped out, officially speaking. They'll start from scratch at 3:05 p.m. today, with Max Scherzer and Jaime Garcia on the mound for their respective clubs. Cole Hamels will pitch the nightcap for Chicago; the Nats...

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Game 142 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs

September 07, 2018, 11:22am

Nationals

It's been 425 days since Joe Ross last pitched in a major league game. Something didn't look right with the right-hander on July 9, 2017 when he lasted only 3 1/3 innings against the Braves and saw his velocity drop. Turns out he had a torn ligament in his elbow that required Tommy John surgery, and we all know how long it takes to return from that. Tonight, Ross will take the mound at Nationals Park again, just shy of 14 months later. He'll be facing a tough Cubs lineup, not to mention an...

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Game 141 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs

September 06, 2018, 11:27am

Nationals

They just took the official 2018 team photo here at Nationals Park, with players, coaches and club executives all standing out in direct sunlight in the middle of the diamond on a brutally hot day to smile for a few seconds and capture a shot of the team in its entirety. That is, the team in its entirety as it currently exists on September 6. Several players who will have played a key role on this team this season aren't included, because they're no longer part of the team. That includes...

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Game 140 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals

September 05, 2018, 11:27am

Nationals

Can the Nationals play well enough tonight to take a three-game series from the Cardinals? Can Tanner Roark continue his second-half surge? Can the lineup continue to produce, right down to the bottom of the ninth? Shoot, can they simply play a nine-inning game in fewer than 3 1/2 hours? We'll find all of that out when the Nats wrap up their series with St. Louis with Roark on the mound. The right-hander took a bit of a step back in his last start, allowing three homers to the Brewers. But...

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Game 139 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals

September 04, 2018, 11:29am

Nationals

It's a disgustingly hot and muggy day here in Miami - wait, this is Washington? Could've fooled me. Step outside, close your eyes and you won't be able to tell the difference. Promise. So much for a September cool down. Anyway, the Nationals and Cardinals return to action tonight after Monday's 10-inning thriller, the Nats looking to win two straight and get over the .500 mark. They'll do so with Erick Fedde on the mound for the first time in two months. Fedde, who last pitched July 4...

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Orioles and Mariners lineups

September 03, 2018, 2:08pm

Orioles

SEATTLE - Joey Rickard is in left field and Caleb Joseph is behind the plate as the Orioles begin their three-game series in Seattle. Cedric Mullins is leading off, followed by Jonathan Villar. Adam Jones is back in right field and Tim Beckham is the shortstop. Pitcher Jimmy Yacabonis and catcher Chance Sisco are in the clubhouse and happy to be back in the majors. Chris Davis is batting .316 (12-for-38) in his last 10 games. The Mariners are 49-22 (.690) this season in games decided by one or...

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Game 137 lineups: Nats vs. Brewers

September 02, 2018, 7:03am

Nationals

The Nationals and Brewers didn't get much sleep last night, so these will be some weary teams that take the field this afternoon for the series finale. The good news: Though it's going to be hot and humid, the chance of rain appears to be minimal, some welcome relief after what happened Friday and Saturday nights. The Nats are going for a series victory, one that would not even be possible if not for their eighth-inning rally last night, with Juan Soto's bases-loaded single proving the...