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Nationals recall Matt Grace from Triple-A Syracuse, option Trevor Gott

June 15, 2017, 11:35am

The Washington Nationals recalled left-handed pitcher Matt Grace from Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday and optioned right-handed pitcher Trevor Gott to Triple-A Syracuse. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Grace, 28, returns to the Nationals for his fifth Major League assignment of the 2017 season. He has appeared in 6.2 innings across seven relief appearances, allowing three earned runs on six hits. The left-hander has a 3.71 ERA in...

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Opposite dugout: Injuries have hurt Mets in quest to challenge for NL East lead

June 14, 2017, 10:42am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Injuries have hurt Mets in quest to challenge for NL East lead

Manager: Terry Collins (7th season) Record: 30-34 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 3B Wilmer Flores (.313), LF Yoenis CÃ©spedes (.307/.391/.653 with 7 HR, 15 RBIs), CF Michael Conforto (.292/.410/.589 with 14 HR, 36 RBIs), RF Jay Bruce (17 HR, 45 RBIs), RHP Jacob deGrom (5-3, 4.33 ERA), RHP Addison Reed (2.62 ERA, 11 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 2-4 Pitching probables: June 15: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP Robert Gsellman, 7:10 p.m., MASN June 16: RHP Max Scherzer vs. LHP Steven Matz,...

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After dominant road trip, Nationals slog through 2-5 homestand

June 14, 2017, 4:24pm

Nationals

They came home one week ago, flying high after a 7-2 trip through California, and then, despite the lack of an off-day to recuperate, blew out the Orioles in a makeup game. What wasn't there to like about the Nationals at that moment? All along, though, Dusty Baker knew this was going to be an especially difficult stretch of the season for his team. Because of that makeup game, the Nationals found themselves needing to play 20 games in 20 days, never a manager's preference. So Baker couldn't...

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Nationals conclude 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft

June 14, 2017, 4:59pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals concluded Major League Baseball's 2017 First-Year Player Draft by selecting 30 players on Wednesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations & General Manager Mike Rizzo and Assistant General Manager & Vice President of Scouting Operations Kris Kline made the joint announcement. Over the three-day draft, the Nationals selected a total of 40 players: 12 right-handed pitchers, eight left-handed pitchers, seven outfielders, nine infielders and four catchers. Of...

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Today's draftees include Baker's son, Cousins' cousin (Nats lose 13-2)

June 14, 2017, 12:25pm

Nationals

Today's draftees include Baker's son, Cousins' cousin (Nats lose 13-2)

On the final day of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft, the Nationals took a couple of kids with awfully recognizable last names. The Nationals drafted both Darren Baker (Dusty's son) and Jake Cousins (Kirk's cousin) amid their flurry of third-day picks that spanned 30 rounds. Darren Baker, 18, is an infielder who hit .396 with a .476 on-base percentage at Jesuit High School in suburban Sacramento, Calif. He has already committed to play for the University of California and is expected to...

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Nationals ransacked by Braves 13-2 in series finale

June 14, 2017, 3:23pm

Nationals

On the heels of one of their best West Coast trips ever, the Nationals laid an egg over the last week at home. With an uninspired 13-2 loss to the Braves this afternoon, the Nats ended their homestand on a sour note. They finished 2-5 against Baltimore, Texas and Atlanta, leaving their 7-2 trip through California a distant memory. Today's series finale might have been the low point of the week. It didn't involve a late bullpen meltdown like some previous losses, but it was a fairly lifeless...

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Baker makes plea for bullpen help, discusses Alexandria shooting

June 14, 2017, 11:25am

Nationals

Baker makes plea for bullpen help, discusses Alexandria shooting

Dusty Baker is tired of talking about his bullpen. But every time the subject comes up, the Nationals manager finds new ways to express his opinion and perhaps drop even more hints at the front office to address the club's biggest - only? - glaring hole. "They've all struggled," Baker said of a bullpen that enters play today with a 5.02 ERA (second-worst in the majors) and .808 opponent OPS (tied for worst in the majors). "Which one would you pick out to replace? Cause I hear people from...

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Game 65 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

June 14, 2017, 8:32am

Nationals

The Nationals and Braves wrap up their series later this afternoon (weather permitting) and that means we get the latest round of Bryce Harper versus Julio Teheran. Harper owns no pitcher in baseball like he owns Teheran. In his career, he's 15-for-33 with seven homers, 17 RBIs and a 1.720 OPS against the Braves right-hander. This season? He's 2-for-2 with two homers, five RBIs and a 5.000 OPS. Yeah, probably worth tuning in at least for those head-to-head encounters. Tanner Roark gets the...

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On Murphy's big night in the field and dispute with Porter

June 14, 2017, 4:14am

Nationals

On Murphy's big night in the field and dispute with Porter

Daniel Murphy went 3-for-4 with a homer, a double and two RBIs during the Nationals' 10-5 victory over the Braves on Tuesday night, but he might've had an even greater impact on the proceedings in the field than at the plate. And in spite of a bizarre confrontation with an umpire in the top of the second inning. Murphy fielded six grounders hit his way during the game, turning two of them into above-average double plays. That included a first-inning 4-6-3 on a hot shot by Nick Markakis in...

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Ross felt he was just "OK" in no-decision

June 13, 2017, 7:38pm

Nationals Orioles

Ross felt he was just "OK" in no-decision

The Nationals dropped the Braves 10-5, thanks to another offensive outburst that included a five-run sixth inning and 14 hits overall. Right-hander Joe Ross was unable to hold an early 3-0 advantage as the Braves scored five runs to take the lead into the bottom of the sixth. But the Nationals rallied again, thanks to a two-homer three-RBI performance by Ryan Zimmerman to snap a four-game skid. Manager Dusty Baker said the big bats against Braves knuckleballer R.A. Dickey provided some relief...

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With pair of homers, Zimmerman etches name into franchise lore

June 13, 2017, 7:54pm

Nationals

With pair of homers, Zimmerman etches name into franchise lore

It's an odd existence this franchise has lived, what with 36 years spent north of the border in Montreal followed by the last 13 years in Washington, but by Major League Baseball's definition the Expos and Nationals count as one franchise. Whether fans in either city want to embrace that definition or not, there's no denying the talent that has worn this franchise's various uniforms, from Andre Dawson to Tim Raines to Gary Carter to Larry Walker to Vladimir Guerrero to Alfonso Soriano to...

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Luke Erickson: Who's going to Auburn and West Palm Beach?

June 12, 2017, 12:04pm

Nationals

Luke Erickson: Who's going to Auburn and West Palm Beach?

Tonight is Day 3 of the First-Year Player Draft and what this means to me is discovering which of the players drafted by the Nationals will be on the rosters of the short-season Single-A Auburn Doubledays and the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Nationals. That's it. I am well aware that this makes me an anomaly among some prospect followers, but consider this: I don't follow college baseball, which to me is like baseball the way 10-pin bowling is like candlepin bowling, nor do I care about the...

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Nats continue to go for pitchers in First-Year Player Draft

June 13, 2017, 7:51pm

Nationals

Nats continue to go for pitchers in First-Year Player Draft

The Nationals made pitchers their pick in nine of their first 10 selections in the first two days of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft. Assistant general manager & vice president, scouting operations Kris Kline said that was by design. "We wanted to fortify our system with pitching," Kline said. "That was the goal going in." Kline said this draft had a good mix of pitchers with "a lot of velocity and guys with secondary stuff." The Nationals selected six right-handers and three...

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Baseballs flying out of Nats Park again (Nats win 10-5)

June 13, 2017, 3:35pm

Nationals

Baseballs flying out of Nats Park again (Nats win 10-5)

What is going on at Nationals Park in mid-June to baseballs in 91 degree weather? On Monday night in the series opener between Washington and Atlanta, eight homers left the field of play, five by the Braves. On Tuesday night, the Nationals cranked back-to-back homers in the first inning, starting it all with a triple by Ryan Raburn. Bryce Harper's groundout scored Raburn and the Nats led 1-0. Ryan Zimmerman returned to the lineup with authority, crushing an R.A. Dickey offering over the...

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Zimmerman's homers, bullpen's zeroes give Nats 10-5 victory

June 13, 2017, 6:22pm

Nationals

Zimmerman's homers, bullpen's zeroes give Nats 10-5 victory

Ryan Zimmerman returned to the lineup with a pair of big blasts. And the Nationals bullpen preserved a late lead for the first time on this homestand, helping snap a four-game losing streak. Zimmerman's two home runs off R.A. Dickey paced the Nationals' offensive barrage during tonight's 10-5 victory over the Braves, one that avoided the kind of relief meltdown that became commonplace in previous nights. Enny Romero pitched two scoreless frames after Zimmerman's second blast gave the Nats...

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Updates on Werth and SolÃs

June 13, 2017, 2:13pm

Nationals

Manager Dusty Baker updated the status of left fielder Jayson Werth, who has been on the disabled list since June 4 with a left toe contusion and has missed nine games. Baker said the Nationals miss Werth as a baseball player but also as an important team leader. "Jayson is doing pretty well," Baker said. "He's not as mobile as he would like to be. As you can tell, we miss Jayson. Not only on the field, but we miss Jayson in the clubhouse, on the bus. Jayson is a strength and...

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Zimmerman returns to lineup after three-day break

June 13, 2017, 2:00pm

Nationals

Zimmerman returns to lineup after three-day break

There have been times in recent years when the loss of Ryan Zimmerman for three games wouldn't have had a dramatic effect on the Nationals, given the veteran's well-documented struggles at the plate. Right now, though, every game Zimmerman misses is a big deal for the Nats, who understandably are thrilled to have their cleanup hitter and MVP candidate back in the lineup for tonight's game against the Braves. Zimmerman sat out the last three days after tweaking his back, though he admittedly...

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Nationals select eight players on second day of MLB's 2017 First-Year Player Draft

June 13, 2017, 4:08pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals selected eight players on the second day of Major League Baseball's 2017 First-Year Player Draft. Nationals President of Baseball Operations & General Manager Mike Rizzo and Assistant General Manager & Vice President of Scouting Operations Kris Kline made the joint announcement. The Nationals kicked off Tuesday's action by selecting left-handed pitcher Nick Raquet out of the College of William and Mary (VA) in the third round. The hard-throwing lefty entered...

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Game 64 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

June 13, 2017, 11:06am

Nationals

It's an absolute scorcher here at Nationals Park today. And if last night was any indication, the ball should be flying out of the park again. The Nationals will have to hope that unlike last night, they can hit more balls out than they give up. So the challenge is on Joe Ross to duplicate his performance from over the weekend against the Orioles, when he struck out 12 batters. He pitched well against the Braves earlier this season, so perhaps this is a good matchup for the erratic...

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Baker and Murphy liked the offense Monday despite late-inning loss

June 12, 2017, 8:31pm

Nationals

Baker and Murphy liked the offense Monday despite late-inning loss

Despite the loss, the Nationals offense showed some promise with 10 runs on 17 hits in the 11-10 series-opening setback to the Braves. The Nationals had seven extra-base hits with three homers in Monday's game. Trea Turner, Brian Goodwin and Bryce Harper all hit round-trippers. Turner, Adam Lind, Michael A. Taylor and Brian Goodwin all had three hits. Taylor finished with two doubles on a 3-for-5 night. Daniel Murphy went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. He said the Rangers series was...