Game 135 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

Game 135 lineups: Nats vs. Mets
With their losing streak at seven games, the Nationals will send left-hander Josh Rogers to the mound against the Mets in the nightcap of today's doubleheader. Gametime is scheduled for 6:55 p.m. after the extra-inning loss in the opener, and "Nats Xtra" pregame will air at 6:30 p.m. on MASN. Rogers was 7-3 2ith a 3.70 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) for Triple-A Rochester. He was signed to a minor league contract by the Nats on June 4, three days after he was released by the Orioles. The...
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Game 134 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

Game 134 lineups: Nats vs. Mets
If the Nationals are going to halt their six-game skid, they're going to need a decent start from right-hander Erick Fedde (6-9, 5.08 ERA), who goes in the seven-inning opener of a doubleheader this afternoon. Though he's coming off a loss to the Mets on Sunday at Citi FIeld, Fedde has won two of his last three outings after a stretch that saw him drop four consecutive decisions. In his 9-4 loss to the Mets in his last start, Fedde allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits over 5 1/3...
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Game 133 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

Game 133 lineups: Nats vs. Mets
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Sean Nolin (0-2, 6.57 ERA) will take the hill tonight to face the Mets.Since being recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 11, the lefty has made three starts, two of them against the Mets, against whom he's gone 0-1 with a 6.48 ERA and a 1.680 WHIP, allowing six runs on 14 hits with no walks, three strikeouts and three homers yielded in 8 1/3 innings. The way things are going, the Nationals would be thrilled to get some length out of Nolin, whose...
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Scherzer hangs tough for six innings to finish strong, Nats win 4-3

Scherzer hangs tough for six innings to finish strong, Nats win 4-3
Josh Harrison broke a 3-3 deadlock with a drive to right field and the Nationals came back from an early deficit to upend the Mets 4-3 in the first seven-inning game of a Saturday doubleheader at Nats Park. In the bottom of the sixth, Harrison went after reliever Edwin Díaz's first pitch and laced it past Mets first baseman Pete Alonso into right field to score Brock Holt from third. Yan Gomes, making sure the ball fell before breaking for second, got forced out, but the Nationals had...
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Kieboom update, lineup notes and Corbin's final start of season

Kieboom update, lineup notes and Corbin's final start of season
Third baseman Carter Kieboom said his left wrist is improving, but he understands it was the smart move for the Nationals to place him on the injured list for the remainder of the season. Three days ago, Kieboom got hit by the Phillies' Zack Wheeler's sinker and suffered a left wrist contusion. "Grip strength is where my problem is right now," Kieboom said today on a pregame Zoom call. "Swelling is still a little bit there. I think we are going to get some more opinions at it, some more...
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Suzuki's pregame throwing drill helps his pitcher's in-game success

Suzuki's pregame throwing drill helps his pitcher's in-game success
During early pregame at Nationals Park, Kurt Suzuki and bullpen coach Henry Blanco perform a catching drill in the outfield. Suzuki stands in uniform with his catcher's glove and a baseball in center field, about 50 to 60 yards away from Blanco, who takes his spot on the right field foul line close to Nationals bullpen. Suzuki begins the program by throwing the baseball as hard as he can to Blanco, who catches it and throws it back. After Suzuki throws the first ball, he walks toward Blanco...
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Turner's early homer and late sliding catch bookend 2-1 win for Nats

Turner's early homer and late sliding catch bookend 2-1 win for Nats
Trea Turner went 2-for-4, smacking a solo homer over the right field wall on the game's second pitch and then helping the Nationals with his defense late in a nail-biting 2-1 win over the Mets at Citi Field on Tuesday night. The blast was the 10th leadoff home run of his career, a new Nationals record. With a home run and a single to start the contest, Turner was in the midst of five hits in his last six at-bats in the series. He now has two homers in the first two games in New York. After...
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Fastball velocity a tick off, but Corbin's slider lethal again

Fastball velocity a tick off, but Corbin's slider lethal again
Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin used his slider, mixing it at different speeds, and rode a huge early lead to dismantle the Mets 16-4 in the first game of a four-game series Monday night at Citi Field. New York was held to five hits with Corbin on the hill. The left-hander used his slower slider early in counts, and then turned the velocity up later in at-bats to baffle the Mets lineup. He struck out four, allowing doubles to Jeff McNeil and Wilson Ramos. But those were the only two...
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Martinez urging Kieboom to "have fun" in field

Martinez urging Kieboom to "have fun" in field
Third baseman Carter Kieboom has played in four games for the Nationals this season, showing great patience at the plate and an eye for the strike zone. Kieboom is batting .417 (5-for-12) with four walks and one RBI. His on-base percentage is .563 and his OPS is .979. If he played a minimum amount of games, that OPS would rank 13th in the National League. On July 30 against the Blue Jays in a 6-4 victory, Kieboom went 2-for-2 with two walks and enjoyed a span of reaching base six consecutive...
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Despite loss, Soto "feels good to be back," contributes RBI double

Despite loss, Soto "feels good to be back," contributes RBI double
After missing the first 13 days of the regular season, Juan Soto took the field for the first time in 2020 for a game that counted, going 2-for-4 with a double and RBI in the Nationals' 3-1 setback against the Mets at Nats Park Wednesday night. Despite the loss, Soto was happy to finally return and play after being away from the team due to a positive test result for COVID-19. "It feels good to be back, be with the team, try to have fun in the game and everything," Soto said during a...
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Soto makes 2020 debut tonight, Strasburg to throw sim game

Soto makes 2020 debut tonight, Strasburg to throw sim game
Nationals manager Davey Martinez said Juan Soto will return to the lineup tonight for the final game of the two-game set against the Mets. The skipper was assured that Soto was ready to go. He will play left field and bat in the cleanup spot against Mets starter Rick Porcello. "I talked to him last night," Martinez said on the pregame Zoom video call. "He did everything yesterday and he felt good. He said he is ready. He took a bunch of swings yesterday. I know he ran, he did some outfield...
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Hot night for Kendrick lifts Nats past Mets 5-3

Hot night for Kendrick lifts Nats past Mets 5-3
Howie Kendrick had not played in a game since July 28. Recently, manager Davey Martinez said the veteran was dealing with upper back tightness, so the skipper decided to rest him. Following their game against the Blue Jays July 30, the Nationals had five days off because their series with the Marlins was postponed. Kendrick was able to get about four at-bats in during their intrasquad game Sunday. The rest and then a final warmup appeared to pay dividends for Kendrick on Tuesday night in his...
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Nats reinstate Soto and Suero, Stevenson optioned

Nats reinstate Soto and Suero, Stevenson optioned
The Nationals have reinstated outfielder Juan Soto and right-hander Wander Suero from the injured list, and optioned Andrew Stevenson to the alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Va. Soto has been out since July 23, but appeared in three summer training games, going 4-for-10 (.400) with two doubles and two RBIs. "He will be available to pinch-hit today," said manager Davey Martinez during today's pregame Zoom call. "Just probably want to give him another day or two. We will see. He's...
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Wild card race in NL shaping up to be a down-to-the-wire affair

Wild card race in NL shaping up to be a down-to-the-wire affair
Last week at this time, the Nationals were looking forward to a series in Atlanta and weighing the possibilities of becoming a legitimate contender in the National League East. It didn't happen. The Braves won three of four games, leaving the Nationals virtually no chance to win the division. And now they are left with making a one-game wild card playoff game, something Nationals manager Davey Martinez said isn't the ideal situation. "Anything can happen,'' he said about a wild card...
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Soto powers offense early (Nats win 11-10)

Soto powers offense early (Nats win 11-10)
The Nationals jumped out in front against 2018 National League Cy Young award winner Jacob deGrom in the first inning. Asdrúbal Cabrera doubled with one out. One batter later, Juan Soto drilled a double to deep right-center field to score Cabrera. The Nats led 1-0 after one inning. Nationals starter Max Scherzer has struck out five over three innings without allowing a hit. In the bottom of the third, Trea Turner singled and stole second base. It was his 31st stolen base of the season....
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Cabrera delivers clutch hit in 7-4 win, Soto injury just mild sprain

Cabrera delivers clutch hit in 7-4 win, Soto injury just mild sprain
NEW YORK - The Nationals pulled off a dramatic rally late to finally beat the New York Mets 7-4, and got good news after the game on the status of Juan Soto. In the top of the seventh with the game tied at 3-3, former Mets infielder Asdrúbal Cabrera delivered a clutch, two-out, bases loaded two-run double down the right field line to score Adam Eaton and Anthony Rendon. "I tried to hit the ball to the other side of the field and it was a fastball in," Cabrera said of the base hit agianst...
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Game 117 lineups: Nats at Mets

Game 117 lineups: Nats at Mets
NEW YORK - The Nationals are in salvage mode Sunday after a pair of rough late-inning losses against the Mets at Citi Field. Despite enjoying leads in the eighth and ninth innings Friday and Saturday nights, the Nats fell 7-6 and 4-3 and find themselves only 1/2 game ahead of New York in the National League wild card standings. "We just come back all the way from the West Coast," said Nationals catcher Yan Gomes after Saturday's loss. "We swept the Giants over there who they were a team...
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Corbin "felt really good" for six innings in no-decision against Mets

Corbin "felt really good" for six innings in no-decision against Mets
NEW YORK - Saturday night turned into a no-decision for left-hander Patrick Corbin in the Nationals' 4-3 loss to the surging New York Mets. Corbin allowed back-to-back solo homers to J.D. Davis and Wilson Ramos in the fourth inning. He surrendered a single to Michael Conforto for the Mets' first hit in the second inning. But that was it. Corbin said he was able to refocus pretty quickly after the homers. He felt pretty good about how he was pitching during the game. "I felt good. Solo homers...
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Broken record: Nats bullpen cannot hold late lead in 4-3 loss to Mets

Broken record: Nats bullpen cannot hold late lead in 4-3 loss to Mets
NEW YORK - The Nationals are finding it a very difficult proposition to finish off games recently at Citi Field. Leading in the late going for the fifth game in a row in Flushing, the Nats lost their lead and fell 4-3 to the thriving New York Mets. Despite two clutch home runs from Juan Soto, the second one a solo shot in the eighth inning that broke a 2-2 deadlock, the Nats bullpen was unable to hold the advantage. "It's tough, but it is what it is," Soto said. "It happens sometimes. It...
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Game 116 lineups: Nats at Mets

Game 116 lineups: Nats at Mets
NEW YORK - The Nationals need to find a way to bounce back quickly from Friday's difficult loss and get back in their series with the scorching Mets. Washington led 6-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth. But the Mets exploded for six hits against Nats closer Sean Doolittle, including a three-run homer by Todd Frazier to tie the game and a walk-off single to right field by Michael Conforto to pull off the 7-6 comeback. The Mets have won seven games in a row. But the Nats skipper was ready to...
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