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Monday morning Q&A from 37,000 feet above America

July 23, 2017, 9:45pm

It's a beautiful morning for a cross-country flight. (At least, I assume it is. I actually typed this last night.) After an eventful week out west, the Nationals are headed home and so is your trusty beat writer. No charter flight for me, though. No, it's Seat 27A on United Flight 236, departing Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport at (gulp!) 6:25 a.m. MST and scheduled to arrive at Washington-Dulles International Airport at 1:43 p.m. EDT. And what better way to pass the time than to...

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GCL Nats throw two no-hitters in Sunday doubleheader

July 24, 2017, 3:38am

Nationals

GCL Nats throw two no-hitters in Sunday doubleheader

Pitching a no-hitter in baseball is unique and rare. Pitching two no-hitters in back-to-back games of a doubleheader on the same day is like winning the lottery. Four pitchers for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Nats pulled off the nearly impossible Sunday by doing just that: combining to throw two seven-inning no-hitters. In the opener, Joan Baez, down from high Single-A Potomac to work on some of his mechanics, twirled six no-hit innings in a 4-0 win over the GCL Marlins. He struck out...

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Marty Niland: Despite injuries and bullpen woes, Nats making the best of it

July 24, 2017, 5:37am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Despite injuries and bullpen woes, Nats making the best of it

How are you feeling about the Nationals season so far? Are you one of those glass-half-empty types who believe that the 59-38 Nats have underachieved this season and should be competing with the Dodgers for baseball's best record, if not for so many wasted scoring opportunities and blown leads? Or is your glass half-full, thankful that the team is 21 games over .500 with the biggest division lead in the National League - 12 games approaching the end of July - despite what has been baseball's...

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Strasburg playing it cautious with forearm "achiness"

July 23, 2017, 5:19pm

Nationals

Strasburg playing it cautious with forearm "achiness"

PHOENIX - Stephen Strasburg has been through enough in eight seasons in the big leagues to have felt just about every possible ache and pain in just about every possible part of his body when he pitches. Perhaps he has dealt with more ailments than most, but if nothing else, that has helped him recognize which ailments he needs to worry about and which ones he does not. So if you want to interpret Strasburg's explanation for his early departure today during the Nationals' 6-2 victory over the...

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Nats overcome injuries to Strasburg, Romero in 6-2 victory

July 23, 2017, 3:49pm

Nationals

Nats overcome injuries to Strasburg, Romero in 6-2 victory

PHOENIX - They lost Stephen Strasburg to an apparent injury in the third inning. They lost Enny Romero to an apparent injury in the seventh inning. They had a makeshift lineup after losing two more outfielders on Saturday. They were facing an opponent with a potent lineup and an All-Star on the mound. Recipe for disaster for the Nationals, right? No, not at all. In spite of all those hurdles, the Nats somehow found a way to cobble together a 6-2 victory over the Diamondbacks this afternoon,...

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Rizzo OK waiting for injured outfielders (Strasburg out)

July 23, 2017, 12:46pm

Nationals

Rizzo OK waiting for injured outfielders (Strasburg out)

PHOENIX - Despite their sudden influx of injuries, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said he's not likely to look outside the organization for outfield help before next week's non-waiver trade deadline, believing at least some of his regulars will be back in early to mid-August. Jayson Werth (fractured left foot) and Michael A. Taylor (strained right oblique) are both on the disabled list, with Werth transferred to the 60-day DL this morning. Chris Heisey (strained groin) was placed on the...

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Stevenson, Severino get promotions with Heisey, Raburn out

July 23, 2017, 11:33am

Nationals

Stevenson, Severino get promotions with Heisey, Raburn out

PHOENIX - In a perfect world, the Nationals wouldn't have promoted Andrew Stevenson to the big leagues for the first time in this manner, with a late-night phone call and an early-morning flight from Columbus to Phoenix in advance of a 1:10 p.m. ballgame. But rarely does a baseball season play out perfectly, so when they lost Chris Heisey to a strained groin late in Saturday night's game against the Diamondbacks - after finding out earlier in the day Ryan Raburn needed to go on bereavement...

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Game 97 lineups: Nats at Diamondbacks (with roster moves)

July 23, 2017, 9:28am

Nationals

Game 97 lineups: Nats at Diamondbacks (with roster moves)

PHOENIX - It's another scorcher outside Chase Field, but thankfully the roof is closed inside and it'll be another comfortable day inside the big hangar for a ballgame as the Nationals and Diamondbacks wrap up their weekend series. There's plenty of intrigue to this one, with the Nats scrambling to get enough healthy outfielders on site to field a starting lineup. No official word yet on the moves, but Ryan Raburn is heading to the bereavement list following his grandfather's death and...

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Nationals recall Severino, select contract of Stevenson from Triple-A Syracuse

July 23, 2017, 9:47am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals recalled catcher Pedro Severino and selected the contract of outfielder Andrew Stevenson from Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday. Outfielder Ryan Raburn was placed on the bereavement list, and outfielder Chris Heisey was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left groin strain. Additionally, outfielder Jayson Werth (left foot contusion) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the...

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New bullpen duo finishes off Roark's strong start

July 22, 2017, 8:22pm

Nationals

New bullpen duo finishes off Roark's strong start

PHOENIX - There are two traits required to pitch the eighth and ninth innings in the big leagues. The obvious one is stuff, the exceptional repertoire of pitches that gives a guy the best chance to retire hitters with the game on the line. But the other one, many believe, is more important. There's no one word for it, and some of them aren't clean enough to use on a family website, but let's just use the term Dusty Baker used tonight in describing why Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle were able...

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Nationals may need emergency additions today to fill outfield

July 22, 2017, 11:16pm

Nationals

PHOENIX - Already dealing with a thin outfield following the long-term injuries to two starters and their primary backup, the Nationals now may find themselves in a full-fledged outfield crisis for today's series finale against the Diamondbacks. Ryan Raburn is going on the bereavement list today following his grandfather's death. And Chris Heisey may need to go on the disabled list after tweaking his groin during a key triple in Saturday night's 4-3 victory at Chase Field. Even if Heisey can...

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Harper launches fifth homer in seven games (Nats win 4-3)

July 22, 2017, 5:23pm

Nationals

Harper launches fifth homer in seven games (Nats win 4-3)

PHOENIX - Others in the Nationals lineup may be slumping a bit right now. Bryce Harper most certainly is not. The slugger continued his recent torrid stretch at the plate tonight, blasting a towering home run off Diamondbacks rookie Anthony Banda in the top of the first to give the Nationals a quick 1-0 lead at Chase Field. Harper's homer against the lefty, who is making his major league debut, landed on the concourse that sits high above the pool in right-center field here. No official...

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Zimmerman trying to stick to simple tweaks during slump

July 22, 2017, 3:37pm

Nationals

Zimmerman trying to stick to simple tweaks during slump

PHOENIX - It's no secret Ryan Zimmerman has been in a prolonged funk at the plate, masked only by the MVP-caliber first 2 1/2 months of his season, a start that allows him to take the field tonight at Chase Field still sporting a .319 batting average and .939 OPS. That batting average, though, stood at .372 back on June 13, his OPS at 1.140. In the five weeks since, he has hit a scant .210 with a .528 OPS, only one homer and three doubles. Zimmerman knows this. He doesn't like it. But he also...

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Game 96 lineups: Nats at Diamondbacks

July 22, 2017, 12:47pm

Nationals

PHOENIX - Good afternoon from Chase Field, where after last night's wild 6-5 loss, the Nationals return to action and attempt to beat a quality Diamondbacks club that is handing the ball to a rookie for his major league debut. Left-hander Anthony Banda gets the call-up from Triple-A, filling the vacancy created when Taijuan Walker was placed on the paternity leave list. Banda's numbers at Reno (5.08 ERA, 1.426 WHIP) were not impressive, but he is regarded as a top pitching prospect (88th in...

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Scherzer makes surprising history with first-inning homers

July 22, 2017, 12:21am

Nationals

Scherzer makes surprising history with first-inning homers

PHOENIX - Max Scherzer has made his share of history over the years. He's one of only 30 pitchers to throw multiple no-hitters. He's one of only 18 pitchers to win multiple Cy Young Awards. He's one of only four pitchers ever to strike out 20 batters in a nine-inning game. But the history Scherzer made Friday night in a 6-5 loss to the Diamondbacks was perhaps the most shocking thing he's ever done in the major leagues. Because you simply don't expect one of the best pitchers in the game...

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Nats overcome early homers, rally to tie, but lose in ninth

July 21, 2017, 10:16pm

Nationals

Nats overcome early homers, rally to tie, but lose in ninth

PHOENIX - After two wholly unexpected innings at Chase Field tonight, the notion of Dusty Baker facing a tough pitching decision for the bottom of the ninth seemed nothing more than wishful thinking. The Nationals trailed the Diamondbacks by five runs, all five scoring against Max Scherzer, three of them via a historic spurt in the bottom of the first. What were the odds the Nationals manager would need to decide whether or not to use his closer at the end of the night? Well, actually that...

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Kelley encouraged after pair of bullpen sessions

July 21, 2017, 4:46pm

Nationals

Kelley encouraged after pair of bullpen sessions

PHOENIX - They may have added two key arms to their bullpen this week, but the Nationals also know they're going to need quality work from some members of their current relief corps before this season is over. And so the steps Shawn Kelley has been able to take over recent days in his recovery from an upper back strain can only be viewed as positive ones for this team. Kelley, out since June 17 with a strained right trapezius muscle, threw off a bullpen mound today for the second time since he...

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D-backs stun Scherzer with three straight homers (Nats lose 6-5)

July 21, 2017, 6:37pm

Nationals

D-backs stun Scherzer with three straight homers (Nats lose 6-5)

PHOENIX - Asked this afternoon what, if anything, has made Max Scherzer an even better pitcher in 2017 than he was when he won the Cy Young Award in 2016, Nationals manager Dusty Baker noted the right-hander's ability to reduce the number of home runs he has surrendered. You can probably guess what happened next. Or maybe not, given how improbable it still was. Scherzer served up three home runs to the first three batters he faced at Chase Field, three towering shots by David Peralta, A.J....

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Opposite dugout: Bullpen has Diamondbacks in playoff contention

July 20, 2017, 7:52pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Bullpen has Diamondbacks in playoff contention

Manager: Torey Lovullo (1st season) Record: 55-40 Last 10 games: 3-7 Who to watch: 3B Jake Lamb (22 HR, 76 RBIs), 1B Paul Goldschmidt (.311/.427/.569), RF David Peralta (.320 average), LHP Robbie Ray (2.97 ERA, 1.21 WHIP), RHP Fernando Rodney (22 saves) Pitching probables: July 21: RHP Max Scherzer vs. TBA, 9:40 p.m., MASN2July 22: RHP Tanner Roark vs. RHP Zack Godley, 8:10 p.m., MASN2July 23: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. LHP Robbie Ray, 4:10 p.m., MASN2 Inside the Diamondbacks: In 2016, the...

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How Madson and Doolittle have evolved into elite relievers

July 20, 2017, 10:22pm

Nationals

How Madson and Doolittle have evolved into elite relievers

PHOENIX - The arrival this week of Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle to the Nationals clubhouse was met with considerable exuberance. And why not, given the significance of the addition of two relievers with experience delivering in big moments to a bullpen that had all but lost the confidence of the rest of the roster. "It kind of sets your mind at ease," left fielder and unofficial clubhouse spokesman Jayson Werth said. "You've got some guys that have been there, been in the fire, been...