nationals

Eight years later, Manny Acta finally returns to Nationals Park

May 23, 2017, 2:42pm

Baseball has taken Manny Acta all over the place the last eight years, to nearly every ballpark in the majors, to spring training complexes across Florida and Arizona, to winter ball stadiums in his native Dominican Republic and across the Caribbean. It had not, however, taken him to the corner of South Capitol Street and Potomac Avenue. No, when Acta - now third base coach for the Mariners - walked into Nationals Park this afternoon, it was the first time he had set foot here since June 12,...

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For Joe Ross, it was just like old times in 10-1 win over Seattle

May 23, 2017, 6:56pm

Nationals

For Joe Ross, it was just like old times in 10-1 win over Seattle

Joe Ross looked like the Joe Ross from the start of 2016 on Tuesday night, as the Nationals steamrolled the Mariners 10-1 at wet and rainy Nats Park. You remember that Joe Ross, right? He went 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA in his first four starts last season. But this season began with a win in Atlanta, and then a pair of starts where he didn't get through the fourth inning and allowed a combined 10 runs. This time, hours after being called up from Triple-A Syracuse, Ross was back and his velocity was...

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Rendon leads the way on another big offensive night for the Nats

May 23, 2017, 6:53pm

Nationals

Rendon leads the way on another big offensive night for the Nats

It's too much to ask of this from the Nationals lineup on a nightly basis, but it's sure nice to be reminded what this group is capable of doing on any given night. Ten runs? Check. Fifteen hits? Check. Four homers? Check. An eight-run outburst in one inning? Check. "It's fun to be a part of when you get going like that," first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. "It doesn't happen very often, so you just try to enjoy it and keep going." Tonight's 10-1 thumping of the Mariners was the...

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Stephen Drew rehabbing in Florida (Nationals roll 10-1)

May 23, 2017, 2:06pm

Nationals

Nationals manager Dusty Baker updated the rehab of infielder Stephen Drew prior to Tuesday's matchup against Seattle. Drew has been the disabled list since April 12 with a right hamstring strain. Tonight's game marks the 36th game out 44 he has missed to begin the season. Baker said Drew was supposed to rehab at an affiliate near D.C., but the inclement weather made that difficult. The team decided to try another solution. "Yeah, he's supposed to (play nearby), but it got rained out,"...

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Dusty Baker on the Joe Ross call, Jacob Turner and Brian Goodwin

May 23, 2017, 2:00pm

Nationals

Dusty Baker on the Joe Ross call, Jacob Turner and Brian Goodwin

Manager Dusty Baker explained the reasoning behind calling back up right-hander Joe Ross to start tonight's series opener against the Seattle Mariners and sending outfielder Brian Goodwin to Triple-A Syracuse. Baker said Ross' velocity is starting to get back to where it was when he was successful last season. "Well, I just heard his velocity was back up and he had maintained that velocity," Baker said. "His arm slot was better. Mike (Maddux) gave him some arm things to do. Our fitness...

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Nats once again break out the bats for Ross in 10-1 rout of Seattle

May 23, 2017, 5:35pm

Nationals

Nats once again break out the bats for Ross in 10-1 rout of Seattle

Apparently, the best way for the Nationals to score a bunch of runs is to make sure they send Joe Ross to the mound. With Ross back after a three-week demotion to Triple-A Syracuse, the Nationals broke out their big sticks during their best offensive performance in some time, blasting the Mariners during a 10-1 victory at rain-soaked Nationals Park. Jayson Werth, Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon all homered during an eight-run bottom of the fourth against embattled Seattle starter Christian...

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Game 44 lineups: Nats vs. Mariners

May 23, 2017, 11:25am

Nationals

The Nationals didn't exactly enjoy a successful road trip, losing two of three both in Pittsburgh and Atlanta. They'll hope their fortunes improve this week at home against the Mariners and Padres. Joe Ross has an opportunity to get things started on a positive note, returning from a three-week stint at Triple-A Syracuse to take the mound tonight. We'll see if the right-hander has been able to adjust his arm slot, get better downward movement on his sinker and save enough in the tank to get...

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Baker likes work Murphy puts in on defense

May 23, 2017, 4:57am

Nationals

Baker likes work Murphy puts in on defense

Second baseman Daniel Murphy continues to hit for the Nationals, something he has been able to do in his two seasons with the team. He has not stopped hitting since the National League playoffs in 2015. One of the red flags that some brought up in Murphy's move to D.C. was that his defense would be a question mark. But Murphy has made steady progress on defense. He works well in the infield with Trea Turner and Ryan Zimmerman. Manager Dusty Baker spoke recently about Murphy's reputation when...

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Nationals recall right-hander Joe Ross

May 23, 2017, 12:02pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Joe Ross from Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday and optioned outfielder Brian Goodwin to Triple-A Syracuse. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Ross, 24, who will start for Washington on Tuesday night vs. Seattle, joins the Nationals for his second Major League assignment of the season. The right-hander returns to the Major Leagues on the heels of two strong outings with Triple-A...

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Back in majors, Ross will try to rewrite his 2017 story tonight

May 22, 2017, 9:07pm

Nationals

Back in majors, Ross will try to rewrite his 2017 story tonight

Joe Ross' 2017 season to date has followed a script few, if any, could have seen coming. Even the Nationals front office, which made the decision twice to demote the right-hander to the minors, didn't intend for things to play out like this. Yes, club officials did plan to have Ross open the regular season at Triple-A, recognizing they wouldn't need a full-time No. 5 starter for several weeks. But once he made his debut April 19 in Atlanta, there was no reason to believe he'd be heading...

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Looking at closer issues around baseball

May 22, 2017, 8:21pm

Nationals

Looking at closer issues around baseball

The Nationals lead the National League East despite a bullpen that brings daily turbulence. This week at Nationals Park they will see first-hand that they aren't the only team with late-inning issues. The Nationals' bullpen ERA (5.40) is 29th in baseball. Seattle's bullpen has the highest ERA in the majors at 5.44, while San Diego is 27th at 5.04. The Mariners and Padres play in D.C. this week. Edwin DÃaz, and his blazing fastball, was the Mariners closer at the season's start, but he...

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Opposite dugout: Mariners historically don't fare well in rare interleague series vs. Nats

May 22, 2017, 2:29pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Mariners historically don't fare well in rare interleague series vs. Nats

Manager: Scott Servais (2nd season) Record: 20-25 Last 10 games: 3-7 Who to watch: DH/OF Nelson Cruz (.301/.383/.564 with 11 HR, 37 RBIs), 2B Robinson CanÃ³ (.296/.362/.533 with 8 HR, 28 RBIs), SS Jean Segura (.336/.379/.476 with 22 RBIs), RHP Christian Bergman (1-1, 2.25 ERA), LHP Marc Rzepczynski (1.54 ERA, 0.86 WHIP) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (1-2 in 2014) Pitching probables: May 23: RHP Christian Bergman vs. RHP Joe Ross, 7:05 p.m., MASN May 24: RHP Sam Gaviglio vs. RHP...

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Glover feeds off Strasburg, looks comfortable as closer

May 21, 2017, 2:15pm

Nationals

Glover feeds off Strasburg, looks comfortable as closer

ATLANTA - All the issues the Nationals had faced during their four-game skid, which included laboring starters and a bullpen that couldn't close the door, almost completely vanished Sunday afternoon as the Nationals found a way to stop the Braves 3-2. Stephen Strasburg pitched 7 2/3 innings, striking out a season-high 11 batters and allowing only two runs. Koda Glover, who was going to close Friday night if the Nationals had a late lead, came in and notched a four-out save. Strasburg came...

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Joe Ross to start Tuesday versus Seattle

May 22, 2017, 9:44am

Nationals

Joe Ross to start Tuesday versus Seattle

Right-hander Joe Ross will make his fourth start of the season Tuesday night for the Nationals when they return home to take on the Seattle Mariners, the team announced this afternoon. Ross went 1-0 with a 7.47 ERA in three starts for the Nationals in April. His first start at Atlanta on April 19 was solid. He went seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits with one walk and struck out seven for the victory. But in his next two starts - at Colorado and home against the Mets - he gave up a...

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Strasburg strikes out 11 as Nats end losing streak 3-2

May 21, 2017, 1:50pm

Nationals

Strasburg strikes out 11 as Nats end losing streak 3-2

ATLANTA - When things get a little rough around the edges, the Nationals turn to their streak-buster. Stephen Strasburg came within one out of pitching eight innings and surrendered only two runs. He struck out a season-high 11 against one walk, scattering five hits as the Nationals edged the Braves 3-2. The win snapped a season-high four-game losing streak. "You can't really let what happened the day prior affect what you do out there," Strasburg said. "I just wanted to go out there and...

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Game 43 lineups: Nats at Braves

May 21, 2017, 6:47am

Nationals

ATLANTA - Today's series finale at SunTrust Park marks the last game of the road trip. The Nationals look to salvage a game in this series and get the offense on track again. They have been able to piece together one rally the last couple of games but would prefer to have several shots at scoring. The Braves bullpen has done a nice job of keeping the late innings quiet. Even with the two losses this weekend, the Nationals have won 18 of their last 24 matchups with the Braves and lead the...

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Marty Niland: Grind of next month will tell us a lot about Nats

May 22, 2017, 6:51am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Grind of next month will tell us a lot about Nats

The Nationals are most likely spending a good bit of quality time with their loved ones on Monday's off-day because they won't be seeing much of each other for the next month. Thanks to the rescheduling of the May 11 rainout against Baltimore, the Nats are scheduled to play every day from Tuesday through June 21. That's 29 straight days, easily their longest stretch of the season without an off-day, including the first of three West Coast road trips this season. This is also a time when fans...

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Nats starters being pushed to the brink with high pitch counts

May 21, 2017, 8:28pm

Nationals

Nats starters being pushed to the brink with high pitch counts

The Nationals bullpen is a problem. That shouldn't be news to anybody at this point. But the deeper we get into the season, the more we see how the bullpen problem impacts other parts of the team's roster. And atop that list is a Nats rotation that right now is being pushed nearly to the point of exhaustion. With hardly any relief arms he trusts, Dusty Baker has been forced to ask for more than he wants from his starters. We saw it Sunday in Atlanta, when Stephen Strasburg was still on the...

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Braves bullpen douses Nats comeback attempts again

May 20, 2017, 7:33pm

Nationals

Braves bullpen douses Nats comeback attempts again

ATLANTA - During a losing streak, it is rarely just one part of the club that is not playing well. For the Nationals of 2017, losing streaks have been few. Heading into Saturday's game in Atlanta, the Nationals had endured only two losing streaks of three games apiece: May 7-9 and May 17 to the present. On a rainy Saturday night in SunTrust Park, the Nationals fell for the fourth time in a row, 5-2 to the Braves. The four-game skid is a season-worst total. When the Nationals haven't been...

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Scherzer lasts only five innings, homers hurt in 5-2 loss

May 20, 2017, 5:05pm

Nationals

Scherzer lasts only five innings, homers hurt in 5-2 loss

ATLANTA-- Max Scherzer allowed only three runs in a rain-delayed loss Saturday. But he again surrendered home runs. The Braves racked up two of them: a two-run shot for Rio Ruiz, his first career roundtripper, and a Matt Kemp solo homer. Scherzer (4-3) has now given up nine homers in his past six starts. At five innings of work, this game was his shortest stint against the Braves since 2009, when he was still with the Diamondbacks. Leading 3-2 when the game was delayed, Atlanta went on to win...