nationals

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

May 23, 2017, 5:35pm

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...

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

May 20, 2017, 1:09pm

Nationals

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

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...