nationals

Baker respects Scherzer's inner drive (Braves win 5-2)

May 20, 2017, 1:09pm

ATLANTA - Manager Dusty Baker knows he has a very special pitcher in his Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer. He said one reason why Scherzer is the pitcher he is today is his inner drive to get better every start. "You can count on Max taking the ball. He trains for it," Baker said. "He trains as hard as anyone I've ever seen. We hope that rubs off, which it has on some of the younger players, the value of training and working out. It adds to longevity and it adds to being dependable. "The...

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Baker says deciding bullpen usage "the most difficult part of the job"

May 20, 2017, 12:48pm

Nationals

Baker says deciding bullpen usage "the most difficult part of the job"

ATLANTA -- The bullpen quandary might force even Nationals' starters to try to push too far. So would the likes of Max Scherzer or Stephen Strasburg try to attempt complete games because the bullpen has not been consistent in the late innings? Manager Dusty Baker said they look to not try to push the innings with starters from start to start. "Invariably after they have a tremendous workload that we always shorten them up the next time," Baker said. "But as I keep telling you, somebody has...

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Game 42 lineups: Nats at Braves

May 20, 2017, 8:41am

Nationals

ATLANTA - Daniel Murphy is again in a nice groove. The second baseman has hit .417 (5-for-12) over the last three games with a double and two homers. He has hit homers now in back-to-back games. The last time he went back-to-back-to-back was July 9-17, 2016, spanning the All-Star break. Five of his eight homers have come with two strikes. Murphy also ranks fourth in the National League in hits (51) and tied for sixth in RBIs (32). It is Jayson Werth's 38th birthday. Bryce Harper talked about...

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Werth keeps rolling to 38th birthday, teammates take notice

May 20, 2017, 4:25am

Nationals

Werth keeps rolling to 38th birthday, teammates take notice

ATLANTA - Veteran left fielder Jayson Werth was born on this date, May 20, 1979. He turns 38 today and is still rolling along at a successful rate. Right fielder Bryce Harper says he respects the way Werth goes about his business each season. "Definitely a lot of guys on this team can learn from that and learn the type of way to go about it and the way he takes care of his body," Harper noted. "What he eats and what he puts in it. Gets the job done. Works out every single day and works hard...

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Nats bullpen struggles again in 7-4 loss to Braves

May 19, 2017, 8:13pm

Nationals

Nats bullpen struggles again in 7-4 loss to Braves

ATLANTA - Who would have thought the knockout punch Friday night would come from a light-hitting former Nationals catcher? Kurt Suzuki's two-run shot capped a comeback for the Braves as they downed the Nationals 7-4. The Nationals have now lost three in a row, matching their longest such streak of the season. The Suzuki blast highlighted a three-run eighth for Atlanta, and the Braves scored four unanswered runs to earn their 17th win. All the runs in the eighth came off of reliever Enny...

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Braves go long to grab early lead on Gonzalez (Braves win 7-4)

May 19, 2017, 4:23pm

Nationals

Braves go long to grab early lead on Gonzalez (Braves win 7-4)

ATLANTA - Left-hander Gio Gonzalez managed to get through the first inning, but he was taxed. The Braves managed two hits in the frame. Gonzalez tossed more than 20 pitches to get out of the jam. In the second, Johan Camargo singled to lead off. After one out, Dansby Swanson launched a first-pitch, two-run shot over the left-center field wall and the Braves lead 2-0. It was Swanson's fourth homer of the season. Gonzalez is up to 40 pitches after two innings. The Nationals' only hit so far was...

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Baker on facing knuckleballer: "Hope he throw you a fastball"

May 19, 2017, 2:35pm

Nationals

Baker on facing knuckleballer: "Hope he throw you a fastball"

ATLANTA - Manager Dusty Baker was in no mood to talk about Gio Gonzalez and his walk totals. Despite a 2.47 ERA, Gonzalez has walked 14 batters in his last three starts. That number spiked a bit with the seven walks allowed on May 3 against Arizona. "I'm just trying to figure why you all always ask me some negative question," Baker said. "I'm serious. It happens. Every start is not the same. Every at-bat is not the same. You just got to let it kind of play out. I don't know why walks are...

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MASN introduces daily social media show, "MASN All Access"

May 18, 2017, 1:04pm

Nationals

MASN introduces daily social media show, "MASN All Access"

You've seen our promos on MASN's broadcast of Nationals games. "Maximum Access Sports Network," another form of our acronym promoting MASN's dedication to giving fans the most access to their favorite teams. Well, we're staying true to our word. MASN is proud to introduce an all-new daily Facebook Live show "MASN All Access" with host Sara Perlman. The pregame show will feature sound from Nationals games, lineups, pitching matchups, interviews with your favorite players and coaches,...

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How running prepares pitchers for game day

May 19, 2017, 4:10am

Nationals

How running prepares pitchers for game day

Manager Dusty Baker likes to see his starting pitchers running to stay at a premium physical level for the entire season. He pointed to his Cy Young Award-winning starter Max Scherzer as the pitcher that most incorporates running into his routine to get ready for each start. Baker said it was something he noticed from his old Dodgers teammates, and others around the league back in the day, and it has stayed with him for his entire career as a player and manager. "All of them ran back then,"...

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Game 41 lineups: Nats at Braves

May 19, 2017, 12:05pm

Nationals

ATLANTA - Welcome back to SunTrust Park. It's my first visit to the new ballpark, but this is the Nationals' second time here. I walked over from my hotel across a pedestrian foot bridge. It is a very nice complex but there are lots of new restaurants and buildings and pathways still under construction. Tonight the Nationals arrive and call on left-hander Gio Gonzalez to face 42-year-old knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Daniel Murphy, Trea Turner, Chris Heisey and Brian Goodwin have never faced...

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Friday morning Nats Q&A

May 18, 2017, 9:27pm

Nationals

It's been a couple of weeks since we did one of these, and since I'm sitting at home after making the drive back from Pittsburgh last night - MASNsports.com's Byron Kerr is en route to Atlanta and will be covering this weekend's series - this seemed like a good time to take some questions and attempt to provide some answers. I'm sure there will be plenty of inquiries about the Nationals bullpen, which is perfectly appropriate given the continued disarray of that unit. But hopefully we can...

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News and notes before today's series finale (Nats lose 10-4)

May 18, 2017, 8:06am

Nationals

News and notes before today's series finale (Nats lose 10-4)

PITTSBURGH - It's not uncommon for veteran players to get a day game off after a night game. And given the Nationals' current schedule, with no break between today's series finale against the Pirates and Friday's series opener against the Braves, it's not surprising that Dusty Baker decided to sit both Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman. It does, however, create an imperfect lineup for today's game, with Brian Goodwin batting second, in front of Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon and Daniel...

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Opposite dugout: Loss of Freeman leaves a big hole for Braves to fill

May 17, 2017, 1:43pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Loss of Freeman leaves a big hole for Braves to fill

Manager: Brian Snitker (2nd season) Record: 16-21 Last 10 games: 5-4 Who to watch: LF Matt Kemp (.336/.373.588 with 6 HR, 23 RBIs), CF Ender Inciarte (.261, 5 HR, 16 RBIs), RF Nick Markakis (.315, 21 RBIs), RHP R.A. Dickey (3-3, 4.22 ERA), RHP Jim Johnson (3.38 ERA, 6 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 0-3 Pitching probables: May 19: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP R.A. Dickey, 7:35 p.m., MASN2 May 20: RHP Max Scherzer vs. RHP Bartolo ColÃ³n, 4:10 p.m., MASN May 21: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. LHP...

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David Huzzard: In NL East, are Nationals battling themselves?

May 19, 2017, 5:51am

Nationals

It is still early in the baseball season and yet it feels like it is over. The Nationals are 10 games over .500, while the second-place Braves are six games under. The National League East is a weak division and the Nationals are a team built to contend while the Mets are hampered by extraordinary bad luck, the Marlins have zero identity and an uncertain future, and the Braves and Phillies are both rebuilding teams on the right track but a year or two away from contention. The Nationals are...

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Roark trying to re-prove himself: "The game is testing me right now"

May 18, 2017, 1:13pm

Nationals

Roark trying to re-prove himself: "The game is testing me right now"

PITTSBURGH - It can be easy to forget, because he has been so consistently good for the Nationals over long stretches in his career, but things have never come that easily for Tanner Roark. This is, after all, a guy who was drafted in the 25th round by the Rangers who went 6-17 with a 4.39 ERA for the Nationals' Triple-A affiliate in 2012. That he turned himself into one of the better starting pitchers in the National League is in itself a remarkable achievement. So while Roark's ragged start...

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Nationals lose 10-4, drop second straight to Pirates

May 18, 2017, 11:53am

Nationals

PITTSBURGH - Needing innings today from Tanner Roark and then quality work from his bullpen, Dusty Baker got neither. Roark's latest abbreviated start, combined with more relief struggles, sent the Nationals today to a 10-4 loss to the Pirates and a series loss at PNC Park. Baker was hoping for much better on a steamy afternoon along the shores of the Allegheny River, hoping Roark would be efficient enough to go six-plus innings and spare his bullpen some unnecessary work. But the Nationals...

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Game 40 lineups: Nats at Pirates

May 18, 2017, 6:07am

Nationals

PITTSBURGH - We've got an early getaway day here at PNC Park, with a 12:35 p.m. first pitch on what is going to be a very warm afternoon along the banks of the Allegheny River. The Nationals will be looking to win this series, taking two of three from the Pirates before heading down to Atlanta for a weekend series with the Braves. It's Tanner Roark on the mound, looking to bounce back from a bit of a ragged start against the Phillies. The biggest thing holding Roark back so far this season...

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Goodwin's mistakes overshadowing his positive contributions

May 17, 2017, 7:46pm

Nationals

Goodwin's mistakes overshadowing his positive contributions

PITTSBURGH - For a guy who has played in just eight games and received only 13 plate appearances, Brian Goodwin has sure found himself in the middle of a lot of significant moments for the Nationals. Some of those moments have been positive ones, including a pair during Wednesday night's game: an RBI double to account for the Nats' lone run off Pirates ace Gerrit Cole and a pinpoint throw to the plate from center field to nail Gift Ngoepe. And some of those moments have been negative ones,...

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Jacob Turner runs out of gas but makes case to remain as fifth starter

May 17, 2017, 7:23pm

Nationals

Jacob Turner runs out of gas but makes case to remain as fifth starter

PITTSBURGH - The Nationals would like Jacob Turner to take over as their No. 5 starter for the immediate future. Circumstances and priorities have prevented that from happening, with the right-hander needed to help stabilize the least-stable bullpen in the majors. Tonight, though, Turner was back on the mound for the first inning, allowed to stay on the mound as long as his arm and results would allow it. And while the end result wasn't positive - the Nationals suffered a 6-1 loss to the...

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Pitching fades late as Nationals fall 6-1 to Pirates

May 17, 2017, 6:08pm

Nationals

PITTSBURGH - The Nationals needed to keep tonight's game within striking distance, knowing they faced a stiff challenge against Pirates ace Gerrit Cole. For six innings, they were able to do that. Then it fell apart and any realistic hope of a comeback was dashed. A three-run homer off tiring starter Jacob Turner in the bottom of the sixth and then three more runs off relievers Oliver PÃ©rez and Matt Albers in the bottom of the seventh carried the Pirates to a 6-1 victory over the Nationals...