nationals

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter

March 07, 2017, 5:01pm

JUPITER, Fla. - It's an overcast day in South Florida, rain currently falling at Roger Dean Stadium. But there's baseball in store, as the Nationals face the Cardinals at 1 p.m. By that time, the rain should have moved out and the only obstacle will be the clouds blocking the sun. Stephen Strasburg will try to build on his successful March 3 spring training debut, a two-inning stint against these same Cardinals. In that game, Strasburg pitched from the stretch, a new technique aimed at...

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Blink and you'll miss what Koda Glover is doing this spring

March 07, 2017, 1:02pm

Nationals

Blink and you'll miss what Koda Glover is doing this spring

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Every spring, there's a guy who opens eyes. This year, Koda Glover is that guy in Nationals camp. But blink and you'll miss what Glover is accomplishing as he tries to cement a spot in the Nationals bullpen, perhaps even worm his way into the closer conversation. Yesterday against the Red Sox, Glover made quick work of some established major league hitters. He struck out the side in the sixth, getting Mitch Moreland and Jackie Bradley Jr. swinging and Chris Young on a...

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Ross on his outing, Baker and Maddux on Scherzer

March 07, 2017, 12:39pm

Nationals

Ross on his outing, Baker and Maddux on Scherzer

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Joe Ross has a plan. He knows what he wants to work on in Grapefruit League games, and even when the results aren't so pleasant - like the back-to-back home runs he gave up in the first inning of the Nationals' 5-3 loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday - he isn't going to be deterred. That's the beauty of spring training, when you can slide into a mechanical funk and then pull yourself out of it. Adds a whole new meaning to being a work in progress. Ross acknowledged that...

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Ross rebounds after first inning, but Worley struggles (Nats lose 5-3)

March 07, 2017, 10:12am

Nationals

Ross rebounds after first inning, but Worley struggles (Nats lose 5-3)

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Red Sox 5, Nationals 3 Recap: Right-hander Vance Worley allowed three runs in the fourth inning as the Red Sox snapped a 2-2 tie. Worley walked the first two batters he faced and now sports a 7.50 ERA. ... Joe Ross allowed two solo homers in the first inning - to Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez - in his 2 2/3 innings. ... Anthony Rendon and Wilmer Difo drove in Washington runs. ... Reliever Koda Glover struck out the side in the sixth. ... Drew Ward drew a...

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Scherzer and Wieters on his first live BP session

March 07, 2017, 7:31am

Nationals

Scherzer and Wieters on his first live BP session

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Max Scherzer threw off a mound for the first time this spring Tuesday morning, using all of his pitches - but still a three-fingered grip on his fastball to protect the slow-healing fractured knuckle on his right ring finger. The 44-pitch live batting practice session was caught by Matt Wieters and watched carefully by Nationals manager Dusty Baker and general manager Mike Rizzo. Minor leaguers Spencer Kieboom, Carter Kieboom, Yadiel Hernandez, Nick Banks, Raudy Read and...

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Starting lineups: Red Sox vs. Nats in West Palm Beach

March 06, 2017, 10:48am

Nationals

Starting lineups: Red Sox vs. Nats in West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Right-hander Joe Ross makes his second start of the spring today when the Nationals host the Red Sox in a 1:05 p.m. game that will be aired live on MASN. You have to wonder who the Red Sox angered to draw three straight road games on the East Coast. Yesterday, they played at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches against the Astros. Tomorrow, they head up the coast to Port St. Lucie to face the Mets. Three straight roadies across the state from their spring headquarters in...

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Lee out with non-displaced fracture of left elbow

March 07, 2017, 4:07am

Nationals

$Lee out with non-displaced fracture of left elbow$

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A little after 8 a.m., Nick Lee walked into the Nationals clubhouse at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, popped his backpack off his shoulder and onto the chair in front of his locker stall, and stored his keys in his lockbox. If not for the fact that his left arm was wrapped in a bandage and encased in a black sling, there was no hint that today was any different than any other in spring training. Lee is recovering from what manager Dusty Baker called a non-displaced...

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No closer? No problem, insist members of Nats bullpen

March 05, 2017, 9:11am

Nationals

No closer? No problem, insist members of Nats bullpen

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Shawn Kelley doesn't know who the Nationals closer is going to be to start the season. Neither does Blake Treinen nor Joe Nathan nor Joe Blanton nor Dusty Baker. (Well, maybe Baker knows deep down who he intends to have pitching the ninth inning, but he's publicly insisting that decision hasn't been made yet.) To outsiders, this appears to be cause for concern, maybe even a major problem. How can a team as good as the Nationals, a team trying to win its fourth...

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What can be gleaned from spring training statistics?

March 06, 2017, 7:20am

Nationals

What can be gleaned from spring training statistics?

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Now that we've reached the midpoint of spring training - which is about a week longer than usual due to the World Baseball Classic - it might be a good time to talk about spring training statistics and what can be learned from them. In a word, little. A wise baseball sage once cautioned me against putting too much stock into spring or September numbers. Simply put, statistics are like a pushover parent; with enough cajoling, batting of the eyes and pouty lips, you can...

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Roark, Murphy ready for intensity of World Baseball Classic

March 05, 2017, 12:09pm

Nationals

Roark, Murphy ready for intensity of World Baseball Classic

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - There is no way to adequately prepare in only two spring training starts for pitching in a high-level international competition at the end of the week. Tanner Roark knows this. He also knows he has done everything he can so far this spring to prepare himself as best he can for his next assignment: the powerhouse Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. "I feel like I'm well prepared," the Nationals right-hander said. "Body feels good, arm feels good, mind...

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Nats' early camp roster: Johansen and Silvestre

March 06, 2017, 1:34am

Nationals

Nats' early camp roster: Johansen and Silvestre

Moving on, we'll spotlight a couple of the pitchers from the Nationals' early camp roster. Right-hander Jake Johansen showed well in the Arizona Fall League to wrap up his season. In nine games for the Glendale Desert Dogs, Johansen posted a 2.13 ERA without a decision. He allowed 13 hits and three earned runs in 12 12/3 innings, with five strikeouts and three walks. After making 30 starts in his first two seasons in the minors, Johansen has focused on coming out of the bullpen since...

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Pitchers still ahead of hitters this spring (Nats lose 4-2)

March 05, 2017, 10:01am

Nationals

Pitchers still ahead of hitters this spring (Nats lose 4-2)

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Twins 4, Nationals 2 Recap: In his final tune-up before the World Baseball Classic, Tanner Roark looked as sharp as he could, tossing four scoreless innings on 57 pitches. The right-hander scattered two hits and struck out three, setting himself up well to next pitch for Team USA against the Dominican Republic on Saturday night at Marlins Park. Dusty Baker's lineup featured seven regulars, but those hitters couldn't manage much against Twins left-hander Hector...

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Baker understands risk of watching spring games from field

March 05, 2017, 7:26am

Nationals

Baker understands risk of watching spring games from field

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's a familiar sight in spring training ballparks across Florida and Arizona, managers and coaches watching the game not from the dugout but from folding chairs stationed behind the on-deck circles, on the field of play. Given how many players there typically are in spring training, and given the less-than-official nature of these games, many managers and coaches like to sit in those chairs to get a better view of pitchers and batters. All the while, though, they know...

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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Twins in West Palm Beach

March 05, 2017, 5:58am

Nationals

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Twins in West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Today marks the last time we'll see Tanner Roark, Daniel Murphy and four others in Nationals uniforms for a little while. Later this afternoon, the Nats' six representatives in the World Baseball Classic are set to leave camp and join their home countries to play in the international tournament. (Along with Team USA's Roark and Murphy, Rafael MartÃn and Oliver PÃ©rez will pitch for Mexico, Jhonatan Solano will catch for Colombia and Enny Romero will pitch for the...

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A mid-spring fan's guide to West Palm Beach

March 04, 2017, 6:24pm

Nationals

A mid-spring fan's guide to West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - We have reached, believe it or not, just about the halfway point of spring training. (Time flies when you're having fun, huh?) Which means there has been ample time to start to get to know both the complex at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and the entire area. I knew very little previously about this part of South Florida, aside from having driven through it on a few occasions over the years. And there's still plenty more to learn. But given the fact I'm heading...

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Lee injury in ninth puts damper on otherwise clean game

March 04, 2017, 11:43am

Nationals

Lee injury in ninth puts damper on otherwise clean game

JUPITER, Fla. - This was shaping up to be an entirely positive afternoon for the Nationals, who got three scoreless (and efficient) innings from Gio GonzÃ¡lez and then five more scoreless innings from a parade of relievers to carry a 1-0 lead over the Cardinals into the bottom of the ninth at Roger Dean Stadium. And then things took a decided turn for the worse. St. Louis' Patrick Wisdom launched a game-tying home run to left to lead off the inning, leaving the game suddenly tied 1-1. Then...

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Relive "Nationals Classics": Clinchmas 2014 and wild walk-offs

March 03, 2017, 7:05am

Nationals

Isn't it great to have live baseball on your television again? Yeah, agreed, it's the best. Just a reminder that you have two more Nationals spring training games airing live on MASN this week: Tuesday, March 7, against the Red Sox at 1 p.m., and Sunday, March 12, against the neighbor Astros also at 1 p.m. Sprinkled around these live games are a few more "Nationals Classics" airing on MASN to keep feeding your baseball needs. On this week's slate, a memorable clinching of the National...

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GonzÃ¡lez tosses quick three innings vs. Cards (it's a 1-1 final)

March 04, 2017, 9:44am

Nationals

GonzÃ¡lez tosses quick three innings vs. Cards (it's a 1-1 final)

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP SCORE: Nationals 1, Cardinals 1 Recap: Gio Gonzalez cruised through three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk and using two double-play grounders to help him record nine outs on only 29 pitches. Wilmer Difo produced the game's first run thanks to a single, two bases advanced on Lance Lynn's wild pickoff throw and Grant Green's RBI groundout. The Nationals bullpen put up more zeroes to protect the 1-0 lead, with Joe Nathan, Matt Albers, Jimmy Cordero and...

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Wieters still catching bullpens, Norris dealing with sore back

March 04, 2017, 7:44am

Nationals

Wieters still catching bullpens, Norris dealing with sore back

JUPITER, Fla. - Matt Wieters has been in a Nationals uniform for more than a week now, but has yet to take the field with his new team for a game. That development should be only a few days away, though, with the veteran catcher still focused for now on catching bullpen sessions from the Nats pitching staff. While the Nationals are playing the Cardinals today in Jupiter, Wieters stayed back in West Palm Beach and was scheduled to catch Joe Ross' bullpen session, the latest opportunity to get...

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Zimmerman pleased with process over results in first game

March 03, 2017, 5:07pm

Nationals

Zimmerman pleased with process over results in first game

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - When Ryan Zimmerman stepped to the plate Friday for the first time this spring, then ripped a line drive to left field, there was an audible reaction from the crowd at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. It would have been difficult to strike a baseball with much more authority than the Nationals first baseman did. The crowd reaction, though, quickly changed to groans when Cardinals left fielder Randal Grichuk ranged two steps to his right and snagged the ball out of the...