nationals

Taylor finding way to deliver big hits between strikeouts

May 14, 2017, 8:43pm

Michael A. Taylor knows he's going to be the Nationals' everyday center fielder for the foreseeable future, with Adam Eaton out for the season after tearing his ACL and no other viable in-house options for the Nationals as currently constructed. That has helped Taylor take some pressure off himself, the kind he knows he succumbs to more than he'd like as he tries to prove he belongs in the big leagues. "Definitely, I feel like I've done that this year," he said. "In years past, things...

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Marty Niland: Ideal closer for Nats might already be on the roster

May 15, 2017, 5:02am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Ideal closer for Nats might already be on the roster

Sunday was another torturous day for Nationals fans as they watched the team's erratic late-inning relief corps blow leads in both ends of a split doubleheader, wasting fine performances from starters Gio Gonzalez and Max Scherzer. Only Michael A. Taylor's eighth-inning homer--a shot that glanced off the left-field foul pole--and Matt Albers' second appearance of the day saved the Nats from a sweep at the hands of a Phillies team that entered the day trailing the Nats by nine games in the...

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Taylor's late homer bails out bullpen, Nats hold on for 6-5 win

May 14, 2017, 6:41pm

Nationals

Taylor's late homer bails out bullpen, Nats hold on for 6-5 win

They can get the gutsiest of performances from their ace. They can scratch out runs and take a lead into the late innings. It doesn't matter what happens up to that point, though, because every single Nationals game these days is decided in the eighth inning or later, good or bad. And you can now add tonight's doubleheader finale to the good column. Despite blowing a one-run lead in the top of the eighth, the Nationals stormed back in the bottom of the inning, getting a two-run homer from...

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Scherzer OK after comebacker scare

May 14, 2017, 8:18pm

Nationals

There is much that could be said about the Nationals bullpen right now. And yet, what else can be said about that group except that it is a mess and requires nightly manipulating by Dusty Baker that occasionally works and frequently does not. The Nationals won tonight's doubleheader finale over the Phillies, 6-5, thanks to Michael A. Taylor's two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth that made up for Matt Grace and Jacob Turner blowing a lead moments earlier. And they won because the last man...

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Scherzer stays in after comebacker off knee (Nationals win 6-5)

May 14, 2017, 4:49pm

Nationals

Few images would cause the Nationals and their fans to clutch their hearts right now more than the sight of Max Scherzer writhing in the ground in pain. Thus, the reaction inside Nationals Park tonight in the top of the fourth when the ace right-hander went down in a heap after taking a comebacker off his left knee was one of shock and then panic. Scherzer stayed in the game and completed the inning, though not until after several tense minutes in which he convinced manager Dusty Baker and head...

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Kelley loses lead in ninth leaving bullpen questions for Baker again

May 14, 2017, 1:59pm

Nationals

Kelley loses lead in ninth leaving bullpen questions for Baker again

The ending was set up again for the Nationals. Nursing a two-run lead into the ninth they handed the ball over to their closer. But it didn't work out as planned. The Phillies rallied for three runs off of Nationals closer Shawn Kelley in a 4-3 comeback win. It was only the third time in 21 games the Nationals had relinquished a lead after eight innings. With the Nationals leading 3-1, the Phillies Aaron Altherr led off with a solo homer to cut the advantage to 3-2. After a pop out to the...

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Game 37 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

May 14, 2017, 2:00pm

Nationals

On the heels of another in a growing list of soul-crushing losses suffered so far this season, the Nationals are right back out on the field tonight for the second half of their doubleheader with the Phillies, hoping to salvage one game and win the weekend series. The good news: Max Scherzer is on the mound. To ask for a complete game would be to ask for too much. But to ask for at least seven innings, with the possibility of more if his pitch count isn't bad, is perfectly reasonable right...

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Harper hurts the Phillies again (Nats fall 4-3, allow three in ninth)

May 14, 2017, 10:11am

Nationals

Harper hurts the Phillies again (Nats fall 4-3, allow three in ninth)

The Nationals' Bryce Harper continues to make baseball life difficult for the Phillies. In the bottom of the first, Harper hit a scorching line drive over the right-center field wall to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead. The homer was his 12th of the season and came on a 2-1 pitch. He has now hit 20 homers off the Phillies, second most to the 21 he has hit off the Marlins. Anthony Rendon hit his first triple of the season in the next at-bat, but the Nats were unable to bring him home. Left-hander...

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Nationals agree to terms with Bryce Harper for 2018

May 13, 2017, 11:19am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with right fielder Bryce Harper for the 2018 season. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. The unanimous 2015 National League Most Valuable Player, Harper opens play on Saturday leading Major League hitters this season in on-base percentage (.496), runs (37), and intentional walks (6), while ranking among Major League leaders in walks (T3rd, 28), on-base plus slugging percentage (2nd,...

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Carter Kieboom on DL with hamstring injury, no time frame for return

May 14, 2017, 9:51am

Nationals

Carter Kieboom on DL with hamstring injury, no time frame for return

Low Single-A Hagerstown Suns shortstop Carter Kieboom has been placed on the disabled list with a right hamstring injury suffered on May 12. A club source told me they are treating all symptoms at this point with Kieboom and it is too early to determine when he will return to play. The 19-year-old Nationals first-round selection in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft was recently ranked No. 98 in the top 100 of Baseball America's latest list of prospects. Kieboom was off to a good start for the...

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Game 36 lineups: Phillies at Nats Game 1 (Werth update)

May 14, 2017, 4:19am

Nationals

Game 36 lineups: Phillies at Nats Game 1 (Werth update)

Still basking in the glow of another Bryce Harper walk-off gem against Philadelphia, the Nationals and Phillies embark on a day-night doubleheader on Mother's Day in the nation's capital. The two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth Saturday night was Harper's second walk-off this season against the Phillies and fifth of his career. Game 1 features left-hander Gio Gonzalez against right-hander Jeremey Hellickson. Manager Dusty Baker has elected to rest left fielder Jayson Werth, who has dealt...

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Bolstered by Glover and Kelley, bullpen puts up zeros in victory

May 13, 2017, 8:31pm

Nationals

Bolstered by Glover and Kelley, bullpen puts up zeros in victory

Lost among the excitement of Bryce Harper's walk-off homer last night was the fact it would not have been possible if not for some stellar work by the Nationals bullpen, which turned in its best collective effort in weeks. After Tanner Roark was pulled with two outs in the fifth and his pitch count at 110, a quintet of Nationals relievers combined to toss 4 1/3 scoreless innings, keeping the game tied 4-4 to set the stage for Harper's game-winning blast in the bottom of the ninth. It's...

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After Harper's latest: "Nobody can say he ain't worth the money"

May 13, 2017, 8:03pm

Nationals

After Harper's latest: "Nobody can say he ain't worth the money"

In explaining how and why the Nationals decided to agree to terms now with Bryce Harper on a 2018 contract, some seven months before that sort of thing would normally be done, Mike Rizzo offered up a fairly simple rationale. "He's a unique player," the general manager said, "with a unique talent set that is our own." There's only one Bryce Harper, and so why wouldn't the Nationals be willing to secure him now for 2018 for $21.625 million? Especially when he keeps delivering iconic...

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Harper walks off Phillies again, leads Nats to 6-4 victory

May 13, 2017, 6:43pm

Nationals

Harper walks off Phillies again, leads Nats to 6-4 victory

Bryce Harper walked off the Phillies again. Harper blasted a pitch from Edubray Ramos over the center field wall with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Nationals a 6-4 victory to complete another impressive comeback. Harper's 11th homer of the season was the fifth walk-off blast of his career, his second this season. Both of those have come against the Phillies, his latest blast bringing the Nats back from an early 4-0 deficit. Tied heading into the bottom of the ninth, the...

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Harper and Rizzo on the deal for 2018, and what comes next

May 13, 2017, 1:58pm

Nationals

Harper and Rizzo on the deal for 2018, and what comes next

The Nationals didn't have to offer Bryce Harper a 2018 contract right now. And Harper didn't have to accept the Nationals' 2018 offer right now. So why did the two sides believe now was the time to take care of negotiations that would've been taken care of this winter and agree to a $21.625 million salary for next year? "Why now is just because it's a good time to have a comfortable player throughout the rest of the season," general manager Mike Rizzo said. "We don't have to worry...

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Phillies making Roark work once again (Nats win 6-4)

May 13, 2017, 4:26pm

Nationals

Phillies making Roark work once again (Nats win 6-4)

The Phillies made Tanner Roark work five days ago at Citizens Bank Park but couldn't make much of a dent into the right-hander. Tonight, they're making Roark work once again, and this time they're taking advantage of it. Roark surrendered a pair of two-out RBI singles in the top of the fourth - one to Michael Saunders, one to Cameron Rupp - that plated three runs and leaves the Nationals trailing 3-0 with their starter's pitch count very high early in this game. Roark has needed 86 pitches...

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Glover and Kelley must monitor health as they get back to work

May 13, 2017, 2:52am

Nationals

Glover and Kelley must monitor health as they get back to work

More on the return of Koda Glover and Shawn Kelley from the disabled list. Both relievers were reinstated Friday, with Matt Grace and A.J. Cole sent back to Triple-A Syracuse. The left hip impingement is certainly worrisome for Glover because it was a pre-existing condition that he had to work through at the end of last season. Glover recalls how the injury first popped up last season and how it affected his effectiveness. "It's one of them things where kind of like last year, I was pitching...

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Opposite dugout: Phillies simultaneously rebuilding and imploding

May 11, 2017, 8:25am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Phillies simultaneously rebuilding and imploding

Manager: Pete Mackanin (3rd season) Record: 13-19 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: LF Aaron Altherr (.351 with 7 HR), 2B CÃ©sar HernÃ¡ndez (.324 with 5 SB), 3B Maikel Franco (5 HR, 25 RBIs), RHP Jeremy Hellickson (4-1, 3.49 ERA), RHP HÃ©ctor Neris (3 saves)Season series vs. Nationals: 4-5 Pitching probables: May 12: RHP Nick Pivetta vs. RHP Tanner Roark, 7:05 p.m., MASNMay 13: RHP Vince Velasquez vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m., MASNMay 14: RHP Jeremy Hellickson vs. RHP Max Scherzer, 1:35...

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Game 35 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

May 13, 2017, 12:51pm

Nationals

This turned into a busier Saturday than initially expected, what with the surprise announcement that the Nationals and Bryce Harper have agreed to terms on a contract for 2018, buying out his final year of arbitration for $21.625 million. That agreement, general manager Mike Rizzo said, should give Harper some comfort and peace of mind as he takes the field every day for the rest of this season. That begins tonight when Harper and the Nationals host the Phillies in a series opener that was...

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Nats, Harper agree to $21.625 million salary for 2018 season

May 13, 2017, 10:54am

Nationals

Nats, Harper agree to $21.625 million salary for 2018 season

The Nationals and Bryce Harper today agreed to terms on a contract for next year, a surprisingly early move that doesn't change the fact Harper can still become a free agent after the 2018 season, but does suggest the two sides are maintaining a productive relationship as they head toward that critical moment. In essence, the Nationals and Harper are avoiding the arbitration process they would have gone through next winter, agreeing on a 2018 salary now, even though standard procedure is to...