Game 9 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals (Drew placed on DL)

Game 9 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals (Drew placed on DL)
The Nationals today send Max Scherzer to the mound with a chance to sweep the Cardinals. Now, hit the rewind button 48 hours and ask yourself how that statement would've sounded to you at the time. The Nats have righted the ship a bit here the last two nights, riding a ridiculously productive lineup to a pair of blowout wins and now have their ace pitching this afternoon's series finale. It's been a nice bounceback after a rough weekend in Philadelphia. Scherzer will be facing his hometown...
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Game 7 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals (Turner to DL)

Game 7 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals (Turner to DL)
The Nationals are back in town, home for the entire week to face the Cardinals and Phillies, hoping for some better results than their weekend in Philadelphia. The bullpen probably will have a major say in how this all turns out, but first things first ... Tanner Roark is on the mound for the Nats in tonight's opener against St. Louis. He pitched well in his season opener, allowing two runs in six innings against the Marlins. If he can go six or seven tonight, the Nationals bullpen should be...
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Game 5 lineups: Nats at Phillies

Game 5 lineups: Nats at Phillies
PHILADELPHIA - If you asked anybody on the first day of spring training to name the Nationals' No. 5 starter to open the season, I don't think you would have found many people who would have replied: Jeremy Guthrie. Yet when the Nats take the field this evening at Citizens Bank Park, the man on the mound will be none other than the right-hander celebrating his 38th birthday in most surprising fashion. The lack of need of a permanent fifth starter until later this month is what prompted this...
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Game 3 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

Game 3 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins
I know what you're thinking: There's no way they can play baseball in D.C. today. Well, that may prove to be true, but I don't think we're going to get definitive word on that for a while. Because as hard as it is raining right now, and as much as it's expected to continue raining this afternoon, it is expected to stop at some point, perhaps sometime around or shortly after scheduled first pitch at 4:05 p.m. So in other words, stay tuned. If they do play, the Nationals will be going for...
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Game 2 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

Game 2 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins
The hoopla of opening day is over. The frustration of the day-off-after-opening-day is over. Now we begin the grind of the baseball season, Game 2 of 162. For the Nationals, there is good news before they take the field tonight against the Marlins: Anthony Rendon is in the lineup, his left calf feeling better a full nine days after he fouled a ball off it in Florida. Not that there was ever serious concern about him, but as we've seen, until a guy is actually in the lineup, you just never know...
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Game 1 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

Game 1 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins
The day has come at last. The 2017 season is here, and it all gets underway this afternoon on South Capitol Street when the Nationals host the Marlins in Game 1 of 162 (or more). There will be plenty of pomp and circumstance leading up to first pitch at 1:05 p.m., from the introduction of both teams to the ceremonial first pitches thrown by one member of each of the five branches of the military to the national anthem by the U.S. Army Brass Quintet and flyover by the F/A-18E Super Hornets to...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Red Sox in Fort Myers

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Red Sox in Fort Myers
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Hello from JetBlue Park, aka "Fenway South," spring training home of the Red Sox. This is my first time here, and I believe that means I've now hit for the Grapefruit League ballpark cycle. (Not sure if that's something I should be proud of or embarrassed by.) Anyways, the Nationals are here for their final Florida game of the spring, the first of three straight games they're playing the Red Sox, with tomorrow's exhibition at Nationals Park and Saturday's exhibition in...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter
JUPITER, Fla. - It's looking like a newsy day at Nationals camp, the penultimate day of spring training. The team announced a flurry of cuts this morning: Vance Worley was granted his unconditional release; A.J. Cole and Trevor Gott were optioned to Triple-A Syracuse; Jacob Turner, Neal Cotts and Jhonatan Solano were reassigned to minor league camp. That leaves Jeremy Guthrie as the only non-roster player still here. Meanwhile, we may finally get our long-awaited answer about the identity of...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Mets in Port St. Lucie

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Mets in Port St. Lucie
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Who wants to see a 29-year-old Heisman Trophy winner with extremely limited baseball experience step into the batter's box against the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner? Well, you're in luck, because that's going to happen today at First Data Field. Tim Tebow is going to bat against Max Scherzer. In a game. Probably more than once. The Nationals today get their first taste of the circus that is Tebowmania. The former football player is, inexplicably, still...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals and Astros face each other for the second straight day, the only difference that the Nats are wearing white pants this time while the Astros wear gray. Such are the perks of the shared spring training complex, all that differentiates road games from home games are the color of slacks. Gio González takes the mound for this one, looking to continue what has been a dominant spring to date. The lefty has a 1.10 ERA in five starts, having allowed only 12...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - When last he stood on a mound throwing a pitch, Tanner Roark was at Dodger Stadium, wearing a Team USA uniform and facing an imposing Japanese lineup in a do-or-die World Baseball Classic semifinal game. The stakes won't be quite as high this afternoon when Roark returns to the mound, this time wearing a Nationals uniform at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, facing the Astros in a Grapefruit League game. High stakes or not, this is this still an important outing for...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in West Palm Beach

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals are playing a rare day-night, split-squad doubleheader today, with half the club facing the Cardinals at home this afternoon and the other half facing the Marlins in Jupiter this evening. If you're in town and trying to decide which game to attend ... come to The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. As you can see below, all the regulars are in the lineup here. The lone exception is Daniel Murphy, who along with Tanner Roark has reported back to camp following...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Mets in West Palm Beach (1:45 p.m. start)

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Mets in West Palm Beach (1:45 p.m. start)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - We really haven't had much reason to worry about the weather this spring, but today that's unfortunately the case. The skies have darkened over The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in the last hour, and there's a good chance of heavy rain this afternoon, threatening the Nationals' game against the Mets. If the weather cooperates, Bob, F.P. and Dan will have the call on MASN, and you'll be able to watch a good sampling of Nats regulars take the field. As has been the...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter
JUPITER, Fla. - You wouldn't have thought it would take until March 22 for Max Scherzer to make his first Grapefruit League start of the spring, but here we are nonetheless. The Nationals ace was delayed by a stress fracture in his right ring finger, one that forced him to alter his grip and progress on a slower path than the other starters in camp. But Scherzer at last is ready to go, having successfully pitched three innings in a minor league game last week. He'll face the Cardinals today...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Braves in West Palm Beach

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Braves in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals used to face the Braves a bunch in spring training, back when they trained only an hour from Atlanta's complex at Walt Disney World. Now that they're 2 1/2 hours away, they face their longtime division rivals only once: today at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Gio González is on the mound, looking to continue his dominant spring and remain as efficient as he was last time out (49 pitches in five innings). The left-hander could be the first member of...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Yankees in West Palm Beach on MASN

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Yankees in West Palm Beach on MASN
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's a big day here at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Not only are the Yankees in town, with a sellout crowd expected, but you'll be able to watch it live on MASN as well. Bob Carpenter, F.P. Santangelo and Dan Kolko have made the trip to Florida and will have today's game on the air, with some special guests along the way. On top of all that, the ballpark is hosting another game at 6:05 p.m., with the Astros entertaining the Cardinals. People around here are...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in Jupiter

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in Jupiter
JUPITER, Fla. - We're back at Roger Dean Stadium yet again this afternoon, the Nationals facing the Marlins again (though this time in a split-squad group). It'll be Stephen Strasburg on the mound, making his fourth start of the spring, cleared to go up to five innings if he can keep his pitch count manageable. After getting roughed up by the Cardinals a couple of starts ago, he bounced back with a better showing against the Tigers on Monday. A few regulars made the short trip up from West...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - We haven't quite reached the home stretch of spring training, but we're getting closer. Starters are beginning to play more regularly and play more innings on a given day. Pitchers are being stretched out, cleared to go five innings and 75 pitches if they can get there. Beginning tomorrow, the Nationals won't even be using a designated hitter anymore, finally letting their pitchers hit. That's a shame for Joe Ross, though, because he probably enjoys hitting more than...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in Jupiter

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in Jupiter
JUPITER, Fla. - Hello from Roger Dean Stadium, where the Nationals seem to play every couple of days. Today they're facing the Marlins, and sending their top pitching prospect to the mound. Erick Fedde isn't going to make the opening day rotation, but because Tanner Roark is pitching in the World Baseball Classic and Max Scherzer has yet to pitch in Grapefruit League games - that will change the next turn around the rotation, by the way - the Nationals have been able to get a good look at...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Mets in West Palm Beach

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Mets in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals host the Mets this afternoon inside The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, but there will be an interesting development taking place at the same time outside the ballpark. Max Scherzer is scheduled to start a minor league game, the first time he's facing another team this spring and trying out his three-fingered fastball grip. All things considered, Scherzer's outcome may be more important than anything that takes place in the big league game. As for that...
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