nationals

Game 52 lineups: Nats at Giants

May 31, 2017, 2:41pm

SAN FRANCISCO - Things have changed as the Nationals and Giants prepare to play the finale of their series tonight. For one thing, the temperature has warmed up a bit, the clouds have dissipated and it's actually a nice day by the bay. For another, Bryce Harper is suspended and not available to play in any of the next three games. The Nationals will attempt to sweep the series with a diminished lineup. Dusty Baker has bumped Daniel Murphy up to the No. 3 spot, with Ryan Zimmerman remaining in...

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Unlikely Albers-Glover combo has stabilized Nationals bullpen

May 30, 2017, 11:16pm

Nationals

SAN FRANCISCO - Maybe everyone should have listened to Koda Glover a couple of weeks ago when the rookie reliever insisted the beleaguered Nationals bullpen would be just fine. Glover reiterated that sentiment Tuesday night after closing out the Nationals' 6-3 victory over the Giants that included the latest in a string of dominant performances by this relief corps. "What'd I tell you earlier? We're starting to roll. We're fine," Glover said. "Like I said when everybody was kind of...

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No drama, only a convincing victory for Nats in San Francisco

May 30, 2017, 10:41pm

Nationals

No drama, only a convincing victory for Nats in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO - The best revenge is living well, and Dusty Baker knew that well in advance of tonight's game against the Giants. Would there be retaliation for Hunter Strickland's intentional plunking of Bryce Harper 24 hours earlier? No, not if the Nationals manager had anything to say about it. "The best thing for us to do is beat up on them and win tonight," Baker said. The Nationals didn't entirely beat up on the Giants, but they made an early statement with some quick offense against...

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Hits piling up on chilly night in San Francisco (Nats win 6-3)

May 30, 2017, 8:03pm

Nationals

Hits piling up on chilly night in San Francisco (Nats win 6-3)

SAN FRANCISCO - The Nationals made Jeff Samardzija work. And they inflicted some damage against the Giants right-hander. But they also squandered more than a few opportunities to expand their lead and now find themselves in a tight ballgame. Despite racking up nine hits and forcing Samardzija to throw 100 pitches in four innings, the Nationals scored only three runs in tonight's second game of a three-game series at AT&T Park. Ryan Zimmerman and Daniel Murphy delivered back-to-back,...

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Luke Erickson: Looking at the start of short-season ball

May 30, 2017, 4:24pm

Nationals

Luke Erickson: Looking at the start of short-season ball

Now is the time when the Nationals' minor league system starts to expand to its full complement of seven affiliates. It begins with the launch of the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League and the DSL Nationals this weekend. They'll be joined by the short-season Single-A Auburn Doubledays of the New York-Penn League on June 19 and the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and GCL Nationals a week later. Coverage in the DSL and GCL is nearly non-existent because of the timing (late-morning to noon...

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Nationals insist there won't be retaliation vs. Giants

May 30, 2017, 5:31pm

Nationals

SAN FRANCISCO - Neither the Nationals nor the Giants were totally satisfied with the punishments handed down by Major League Baseball today for Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland. The Nats felt Harper deserved a suspension fewer than four games, Strickland a suspension more than six games. The Giants felt the opposite way. On one point, though, both sides appear to agree: The matter is closed, and there's no reason for any carryover tonight or in the future. "I don't think retaliation is the...

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Game 51 lineups: Nats at Giants

May 30, 2017, 2:46pm

Nationals

SAN FRANCISCO - Hello again from AT&T Park, where the Nationals and Giants will play the second game of their series tonight. Whether there's anything in addition to baseball taking place here tonight remains to be seen. With Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland suspended but appealing, both guys are eligible and available to play. And Harper is in the lineup, batting third as always in between Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman. We'll see if Strickland gets into the game out of the Giants...

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Harper suspended four games, Strickland gets six; both appeal

May 30, 2017, 2:26pm

Nationals

Harper suspended four games, Strickland gets six; both appeal

SAN FRANCISCO - Bryce Harper has been suspended four games by Major League Baseball for charging the mound yesterday after getting hit with a 98 mph fastball by Hunter Strickland, who was suspended six games for his actions. Both players have appealed the suspensions and will be eligible to play tonight when the Nationals and Giants meet in the second game of their three-game series at AT&T Park. The suspensions were doled out by Joe Torre, MLB's chief baseball officer, and varied somewhat...

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Harper, Murphy lead early All-Star Game voting

May 30, 2017, 8:36am

Nationals

Harper, Murphy lead early All-Star Game voting

SAN FRANCISCO - Major League Baseball made an announcement today about Bryce Harper. But not the one everyone has spent the last 18 hours anticipating in the wake of yesterday's brawl at AT&T Park. This announcement, though, underscored just how popular Harper is, not only among Nationals fans but across the sport. Which is why the 24-year-old has received more All-Star votes so far than any other player in the National League. The first All-Star Game ballot update of the year was unveiled...

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Before brawl, Roark continues recent return to form

May 29, 2017, 10:00pm

Nationals

Before brawl, Roark continues recent return to form

SAN FRANCISCO - So, there was an actual ballgame played yesterday afternoon at AT&T Park. Easy as that might have been to forget once Hunter Strickland decided to reignite a three-year-old feud with Bryce Harper. The Nationals beat the Giants, 3-0, with one of those runs made possible by Strickland's apparently premeditated plunking of Harper in the top of the eighth. It was a nice way to start this long West Coast trip, and it leaves the Nats with a 31-19 record, the best record they've...

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Will MLB be able to rid game of beanball incidents?

May 30, 2017, 11:27am

Nationals Orioles

Will MLB be able to rid game of beanball incidents?

First, it was the beanball war between the Red Sox and Orioles, starring Manny Machado. Now it's the Nationals and Giants recovering from a good old-fashioned baseball brawl in San Francisco on Monday. Here's the question: Is there anything Major League Baseball can do to put an end to beanballs before some one gets seriously hurt with a 95 mph heater to the face? Giants relief pitcher Hunter Strickland was reliving the 2014 National League Division Series, a series won by the Giants even...

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Three-year-old grudge fuels brawl between Harper, Strickland

May 29, 2017, 5:15pm

Nationals

Three-year-old grudge fuels brawl between Harper, Strickland

SAN FRANCISCO - Baseball grudges are a strange thing. They carry over from year to year, sometimes longer. Events you think would bury the hatchet instead only allow the bad vibes to fester. Everybody in this game remembers everything that happened before. And so when Bryce Harper stepped to the plate in the top of the eighth this afternoon at AT&T Park, with Hunter Strickland on the mound in what had been a nondescript game that eventually ended a 3-0 Nationals victory over the Giants,...

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Strickland's action provides extra motivation for Nats now

May 30, 2017, 7:52am

Nationals

Strickland's action provides extra motivation for Nats now

The one postgame quote that resonates after the Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland brawl in Monday's 3-0 Nationals win over the Giants is this one: "It's so in the past that it's not even relevant anymore," Harper told reporters after the game. "They won the World Series that year. I don't even think (Strickland) should be thinking about what happened in the first round. He should be thinking about wearing that ring home every single night. I don't know why he did it or what he did it...

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Harper-Strickland brawl mars Nationals' 3-0 win over Giants

May 29, 2017, 3:11pm

Nationals

SAN FRANCISCO - The Giants won the war over the Nationals in the 2014 playoffs. That apparently didn't stop Hunter Strickland from starting a fight against Bryce Harper three years later. A major benches-clearing brawl broke out after Strickland drilled Harper with a first-pitch fastball in the top of the eighth inning today as a long-festering vendetta marred what eventually ended as a 3-0 victory for the Nationals over the Giants. Strickland had faced Harper only twice before, both times in...

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Zimmerman inching up home run leaderboard (Nats win 3-0)

May 29, 2017, 1:29pm

Nationals

Zimmerman inching up home run leaderboard (Nats win 3-0)

SAN FRANCISCO - Ryan Zimmerman's ascent up the franchise home run leaderboard took a brief hiatus, but he's back at it this afternoon in the opener of the Nationals' long West Coast trip. Zimmerman launched a solo homer to left-center to lead off the top of the second and stake the Nationals to an early lead against the Giants. His 420-foot moonshot off left-hander Matt Moore was his 14th of the season, one behind club leader Bryce Harper. That blast ended a power drought for Zimmerman, who...

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Drew activated off DL, Heisey begins rehab assignment

May 29, 2017, 11:46am

Nationals

Drew activated off DL, Heisey begins rehab assignment

SAN FRANCISCO - The Nationals' bench got a major boost today at the start of a long West Coast trip when Stephen Drew was activated off the disabled list, his right hamstring strain finally healed enough to allow him to play on the big league roster. Drew had been out since April 12, suffering his hamstring injury only three days after teammate Trea Turner did the same. But while Turner was able to return only 12 days later, Drew needed nearly seven weeks to be cleared for game...

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Game 50 lineups: Nats at Giants

May 29, 2017, 9:03am

Nationals

SAN FRANCISCO - Hello from the banks of McCovey Cove, where it's currently 54 degrees with a nice marine layer hovering over everything as the Nationals begin their week-long tour of the Bay Area. Yes, this is a rare (and nice) road trip that includes three games against the Giants, an off day and then three games against the Athletics on the other side of the bay. These Giants are not the Giants we've come to know over the last half-decade or so, languishing near the bottom of the National...

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Opposite dugout: Struggling Giants find themselves in unfamiliar position

May 27, 2017, 3:51pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Struggling Giants find themselves in unfamiliar position

Manager: Bruce Bochy (11th season) Record: 22-30 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: C Buster Posey (.333 with 7 HR, 11 RBIs), 1B Brandon Belt (10 HR, 22 RBIs), 3B Eduardo NÃºÃ±ez (.283 with 17 RBIs, 13 SB), RHP Matt Cain (3-3, 4.45 ERA), RHP Mark Melancon (2.51 ERA, 10 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-4 in 2016) Pitching probables: May 29: RHP Tanner Roark vs. LHP Matt Moore, 4:05 p.m., MASN2 May 30: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP Jeff Samardzija, 10:15 p.m., MASN2 May 31: RHP...

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Ross falls back into early-season struggles, Treinen's foot bruised

May 28, 2017, 3:38pm

Nationals

Ross falls back into early-season struggles, Treinen's foot bruised

Against the Padres on Sunday, Joe Ross was unable to build off his last start. This was the same scenario that hurt him to begin the season. On April 19, he had a good start against the Braves. He followed that with two tough starts against Colorado and the Mets in which he allowed a combined 10 runs over 8 2/3 innings. After working on his mechanics at Triple-A Syracuse and building his velocity back up, Ross returned to D.C. and had a very solid effort in a 10-1 win over Seattle on May 23. In...

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Nationals reinstate infielder Stephen Drew

May 29, 2017, 9:24am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals reinstated infielder Stephen Drew from the 10-day disabled list and optioned left-handed pitcher Matt Grace to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Drew, 34, missed 41 games with a right hamstring strain. The veteran infielder had appeared in eight games before the injury struck, going 4-for-18 (.222) with one double, three runs scored and four RBI. A valuable member of the...