nationals

Turner and Eaton will play critical roles for Nats in 2017

April 03, 2017, 2:51am

Two important changes to the 2017 version of the Nationals are at center field and shortstop. Trea Turner moves from center field to his natural position of shortstop. Newcomer Adam Eaton now mans the middle of the outfield. Both are expected to hit near the top of the order to take advantage of their contact bats, speed and patience at the plate. Even after playing shortstop for his whole baseball life, Turner said it still takes a while to get back in tune with the speed you see from the...

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2017 Nats media season predictions

April 02, 2017, 7:17pm

Nationals

OK, your long nightmare is over. It's no longer the offseason. It's no longer the preseason. It's officially baseball season again in Washington. Opening day is full of all kinds of traditions, and so it is that we present our own annual tradition: the Nationals media opening day season predictions. Now in its eighth year of existence, this feature has spanned three different websites and has had some revolving door participants, as the beat has changed over time. But it always makes for...

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Marty Niland: Three keys to success for the Nationals in 2017

April 03, 2017, 6:22am

Nationals

Washington sports fans are a demanding lot. We're not satisfied with merely winning. We are disappointed if our teams don't improve. We're not entitled like New Yorkers, who expect to contend for a championship every year. But neither do we feel cursed, like Cubs fans before their team broke its 107-year record of futility last October. This is city where few living souls can remember its only World Series title, and folks have seen six presidential inaugurations since its last championship...

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Opposite dugout: Marlins start another season of high expectations in D.C.

March 28, 2017, 4:32pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Marlins start another season of high expectations in D.C.

Manager: Don Mattingly (2nd season) Record: 79-82 (third in NL East in 2016) Last 10 games: Season opener Who to watch: RF Giancarlo Stanton (27 HR, 74 RBIs), CF Marcell Ozuna (23 HR, 76 RBIs), LF Christian Yelich (.298, 21 HR, 98 RBIs), RHP Dan Straily (14-8, 3.76 ERA), AJ Ramos (2.81 ERA with 40 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (9-10 in 2016) Pitching probables: April 3: RHP Edinson Volquez (10-11, 5.37 ERA) vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg (15-4, 3.60 ERA), 1:05 p.m., MASNApril 5:...

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Nats savor the full Navy experience: "Today was awesome"

April 01, 2017, 2:54pm

Nationals

Nats savor the full Navy experience: "Today was awesome"

ANNAPOLIS - From the morning spent dining with a roomful of midshipmen and touring the United States Naval Academy grounds to the early afternoon spent dressing in a locker room in a football stadium down the road to the late afternoon spent playing an exhibition game in front of 1,030 fans (most of them in full dress uniform) in the tiniest ballpark most of them had seen in a long time, this was no typical day for the Nationals. Their spring training finale, which ended in a 4-4 tie with the...

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2017 MLB predictions

April 01, 2017, 8:12pm

Nationals

And so the time has come. Baseball season begins today for the Yankees, Rays, Giants, Diamondbacks, Cubs and Cardinals. It begins Monday for everybody else, including the Nationals. Which means it's time for some predictions. Don't worry, our annual Nats beat writer predictions will be posted Monday morning, an opening day tradition. For now, you'll just have to be satisfied with my own personal league-wide predictions. Who's going to win each division? Who's going to capture the wild...

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25-man roster includes Difo and Taylor, no Ross or Guthrie

April 02, 2017, 8:00am

Nationals

25-man roster includes Difo and Taylor, no Ross or Guthrie

The Nationals will open the season with only four starting pitchers but six bench players. The club announced its opening day roster this morning, and it does not include Joe Ross or Jeremy Guthrie. Ross, who had been tabbed all along as the No. 5 starter, was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Guthrie, who was trying to make it as a long reliever, was reassigned to minor league camp, but he's expected to report to Syracuse to begin the season. With only four starting pitchers (Stephen Strasburg,...

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Nationals announce 2017 opening day roster

April 02, 2017, 7:32am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals announced their 2017 Opening Day roster on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. The Nationals' 25-man roster is comprised of 11 pitchers (four starting pitchers, seven relievers), two catchers, seven infielders, and five outfielders. With an even mix of veterans and youth, the Nationals' will open the 2017 season with 11 players under the age of 30, and 11 players with at least seven years of service...

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Strasburg on his new look and how he will try to stay healthy for the entire season

April 02, 2017, 3:06am

Nationals

Strasburg on his new look and how he will try to stay healthy for the entire season

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg enters his eighth season with the Nationals on Monday. He gets the opening day start against the Marlins. The 28-year-old is making his 157th start with the Nationals, and has tossed 924 1/3 innings since 2010, striking out 1,084 batters. He looks a little bit different this year. The beard he has grown makes him look older. Strasburg believes it has had another effect in the clubhouse. "At least the guys who have had beards here, they have kind of accepted me in...

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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Red Sox in Annapolis

March 31, 2017, 7:19pm

Nationals

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Red Sox in Annapolis

ANNAPOLIS - They say anytime you come to the ballpark, you have a chance to see something you've never seen before. Well, that's definitely going to be true today. Hello from Max Bishop Stadium at the United States Naval Academy, where this afternoon the Nationals and Red Sox are going to play a truly unique exhibition game. This is the first time a service academy has hosted anything like this, and the scene at this quant, 1,500-seat ballpark is going to be unlike anything we've ever...

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Final roster decisions come into focus with 48 hours to go

April 01, 2017, 10:56am

Nationals

Final roster decisions come into focus with 48 hours to go

ANNAPOLIS - The focus of today's game at the United States Naval Academy is mostly on the setting and the hundreds of midshipmen who are getting the chance to watch major leaguers up close and personal. There is, however, still some business to attend to, and for the Nationals that means finalizing their opening day roster. They haven't made any formal announcement yet, but there does appear to be some more clarity to their 25-man roster. Jeremy Guthrie was the lone player still in big league...

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Scherzer closes out abbreviated spring (Scherzer to start Friday)

April 01, 2017, 1:15pm

Nationals

Scherzer closes out abbreviated spring (Scherzer to start Friday)

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Nats 4, Red Sox 4 Recap: Playing at Max Bishop Stadium in front of several hundred U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen, the Nationals and Red Sox wrapped up spring training in a unique setting. Max Scherzer had to work against Boston's grind-it-out lineup, but the right-hander got better as his afternoon progressed and finished with two runs allowed in five innings, throwing 91 pitches. The Nats got two quick runs in the bottom of the first off left-hander Eduardo...

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Nats players honored, excited about playing at Navy

March 31, 2017, 7:07pm

Nationals

Nats players honored, excited about playing at Navy

The Nationals face the Red Sox in the Naval Academy Baseball Classic today. The day will begin with a breakfast reception and then the players will tour the Academy. The game's first pitch is slated for 2 p.m. and it is not open to the public. It will be broadcasted on MASN. The Naval Academy Baseball Classic pregame ceremony will include: * Ceremonial first pitch thrown by The Honorable Sean J. Stackley, Acting Secretary of the Navy * Our nation's colors presented by the U.S. Naval Academy...

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Robinson clears waivers, joins Triple-A Syracuse

March 31, 2017, 2:20pm

Nationals

Robinson clears waivers, joins Triple-A Syracuse

The Nationals announced that outfielder/first baseman Clint Robinson cleared waivers and has accepted his assignment to Triple-A Syracuse. Robinson remains in the Nationals organization but is no longer on the 40-man roster. He was placed on outright waivers on March 28. Adam Lind effectively takes Robinson's spot on the roster. The veteran lefty bat has six seasons of 20 or more home runs on his resume and was riding a guaranteed contract. Robinson made a big splash on the Nationals roster in...

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Nats excited in return to D.C., ready for Monday to arrive

March 31, 2017, 11:28am

Nationals

Nats excited in return to D.C., ready for Monday to arrive

The Nationals are back in D.C. preparing for Monday's opening day. They will play just one game over these next three days, a scheduled exhibition against the Boston Red Sox from the Naval Academy on Saturday. Friday's exhibition game at Nats Park was cancelled due to inclement weather. Manager Dusty Baker noticed the cooler temps as the club arrived back into D.C., leaving Florida and the 87-degree weather behind. "I got a little shock when we walked off the plane last night because it's a...

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Roster spot within his grasp, Guthrie is at peace with whatever happens

March 31, 2017, 11:48am

Nationals

Roster spot within his grasp, Guthrie is at peace with whatever happens

If Jeremy Guthrie is at all worried about what will happen in the next couple of days - whether he'll buck improbable odds to snag a 25-man roster spot with the Nationals after coming to camp as a non-roster invitee and forcing his way into a crowded bullpen picture - the 37-year-old isn't showing it. Before Friday's exhibition game at Nationals Park against the Red Sox was rained out, the right-hander was folding clothes at his locker stall, talking and joking with his teammates. It's the...

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District 34 podcast: 2017 Nationals season preview

March 30, 2017, 11:57am

Nationals

Baseball is back and that means so is the District 34 podcast presented by MASNsports.com! Bobby Blanco and Byron Kerr are back with brand-new episodes all season long to bring you the best Nationals coverage filled with in-depth analysis and behind-the-scenes features for your listening pleasure. When we last left you, the Nationals had just been eliminated from a close matchup with the Dodgers in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. Now we have an entire offseason's worth of...

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Baker on Rendon's calf injury: "He's not ready" (game canceled)

March 31, 2017, 9:54am

Nationals

Baker on Rendon's calf injury: "He's not ready" (game canceled)

The bruised left calf that kept Anthony Rendon out of the final three Grapefruit League games continues to trouble the Nationals third baseman, and manager Dusty Baker isn't sure whether the injury will affect Rendon's status for Monday's season opener against the Marlins. "I don't know," Baker said Friday afternoon when asked about Rendon's prognosis for the opener. "You guys want me to have that crystal ball and I don't know. We'll see. He's day-to-day." Rendon is still bothered...

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With closer named, Nats bullpen has chance to be exceptional

March 30, 2017, 2:14pm

Nationals

With closer named, Nats bullpen has chance to be exceptional

While everyone spent the last seven weeks - or, actually, the last 5 1/2 months - worrying about who was going to be the Nationals closer in 2017, a slightly more important fact might well have been glossed over: This team could have a really good bullpen in 2017. And that's not just touting the company line. Stop for a moment and consider the seven men most likely to comprise the Nats' relief corps come Monday afternoon ... Blake Treinen Shawn Kelley Koda Glover Joe Blanton Sammy SolÃs...

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Nationals to face Marlins in 2017 home opener on Monday

March 31, 2017, 11:33am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals will celebrate opening day and the start of the 2017 season on Monday, April 3 at 1:05 p.m. when the team hosts the Miami Marlins. On Monday, all gates at Nationals Park will open at 11 a.m. in celebration of opening day. Before Nationals home games during the remainder of the season, Center Field Gate will open two hours prior to the scheduled first pitch. This is a change for the 2017 season. All remaining gates will continue to open one and a half hours prior to the...