nationals

Turner and Murphy get offense rolling (Nats win 3-2)

September 11, 2016, 10:04am

The Nationals went after Phillies southpaw Adam Morgan in the first inning. Trea Turner singled to lead off the frame. With one out, Daniel Murphy doubled down the right field line. Turner scored all the way from first base and the Nationals lead 1-0 after one inning. Left-hander Gio Gonzalez skated out of trouble in each of the first two frames. He allowed a walk in the first. In the second, the Phillies had two men on with no one out after a Danny Espinosa fielding error and an A.J. Ellis...

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Rendon's offense and defense impact another Nats victory

September 11, 2016, 1:43pm

Nationals

Rendon's offense and defense impact another Nats victory

Third baseman Anthony Rendon's bat and glove were on display again as the Nationals finished off a series with the Phillies by winning 3-2 on Sunday. Rendon connected on an RBI double and later scored on a passed ball in a crucial two-run rally in the seventh inning that provided the margin of victory. "Runs, in general, are going to be great," Rendon said. "Just got a good read, I guess, ran really fast. "2-0, that's a hitter's count so you got to be aggressive in those situations, and...

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Latos will start opener vs. Mets, Cole on Tuesday (updated)

September 11, 2016, 8:44am

Nationals

Latos will start opener vs. Mets, Cole on Tuesday (updated)

The Nationals wrap up their 19-game season series with the Mets this week, but they'll do so without having named two of their three scheduled starting pitchers. The Nats, for now, are listing both Monday and Tuesday's starters as "TBA," with only Wednesday starter Tanner Roark officially named. Stephen Strasburg would have been lined up to start the opener against New York, but the right-hander has been shut down after straining the flexor mass in his elbow Wednesday night against the...

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Nationals eke out another tight victory over Phillies 3-2

September 11, 2016, 12:26pm

Nationals

It required a little more late drama than they would have preferred, but the Nationals won another tight, low-scoring ballgame against the Phillies today, eking out a 3-2 victory to maintain some momentum heading into this week's series with the Mets. Gio Gonzalez tossed seven strong innings, Daniel Murphy and Anthony Rendon delivered key RBI doubles and the Nationals bullpen hung on for dear life late to wrap up the club's sixth win in seven games on its current homestand. Next up: the Mets,...

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Game 143 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

September 11, 2016, 6:33am

Nationals

Few members of the Nationals roster are going to be under the microscope more over the season's final three weeks than Gio Gonzalez, who (in the wake of Stephen Strasburg's injury) is going to be asked to step up and assume a prominent role in a likely postseason rotation. A strong outing today against the Phillies would be an encouraging development. The Nationals lineup, meanwhile, will hope to score some runs prior to the bottom of the eighth today. They'll be trying to do more damage...

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Melancon records another save; Harper on strategy prior to homer

September 10, 2016, 9:50pm

Nationals

Melancon records another save; Harper on strategy prior to homer

Mark Melancon made the ninth inning quiet. That's what he has done since he arrived. Melancon now has 40 saves, 10 with the Nationals, as he pitched a scoreless ninth in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Phillies. Manager Dusty Baker discussed the acquisition of Melancon after the game, a move that came at the end of July. "That's why we traded for him, him and (Mark Rzepczynski) both," Baker said. "They've really solidified our bullpen, especially because it was in kind of disarray before...

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Harper slams homer, Scherzer pitches another gem in 3-0 win

September 10, 2016, 7:11pm

Nationals

Harper slams homer, Scherzer pitches another gem in 3-0 win

In a scoreless duel, and almost on cue, Bryce Harper again played hero for the Nationals in a 3-0 victory over the Phillies on Saturday night. With a 0-0 score and just 10 hits on the board split between the squads, the Nats scored three runs in the eighth courtesy of a dramatic home run for Harper, his 24th of the season. A 3-1 offering by the Phillies Patrick Schuster was driven high into the night sky down the right field line and bounced well into the back of the Nats bullpen. Manager Dusty...

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After simulated game, Ross believes he can go past 60 pitches

September 10, 2016, 1:42pm

Nationals

After simulated game, Ross believes he can go past 60 pitches

Right-hander Joe Ross threw 60 pitches in a simulated game at Nationals Park prior to Saturday night's game against the Phillies. Ross came out of the effort feeling good about his status as he recovers from right shoulder inflammation that has kept him on the disabled list since July 3. "It felt good - fastball, slider, changeup," Ross said. "It was nice to get back out there and face some of our guys. Hot out there, easy to stay loose for a couple of up and downs. Feeling pretty...

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Scherzer departs in seventh (Nats win 3-0 on Harper homer)

September 10, 2016, 4:24pm

Nationals

Scherzer departs in seventh (Nats win 3-0 on Harper homer)

The Phillies have gotten base hits off of Max Scherzer in three of the first four innings, but have not been able to capitalize. Cesar Hernandez singled and Andres Blanco walked in the first. Scherzer proceeded to get two infield popups to end the threat. In the third, Hernandez walked and stole second. Later, Blanco was hit by pitch and stole second. But Tommy Joseph struck out to end the inning. In the fourth with one out, Freddy Galvis singled. He was wiped out by a 4-6-3 double play to...

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Strasburg receives platelet-rich plasma injection

September 10, 2016, 1:12pm

Nationals

Strasburg receives platelet-rich plasma injection

In his first meeting with the media since he was pulled from his start Wednesday night, Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg said he was relieved the MRI didn't reveal any more damage than a flexor mass strain. "It was about as good of news as you can get," Strasburg said. "So I'm just trying to take it one day at a time now and do everything I can to get out there, not only as fast as possible but feeling right at the same time." Strasburg said he was relieved by the diagnosis...

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Baker curious to see how Glover responds to rough outing

September 09, 2016, 10:05pm

Nationals

Baker curious to see how Glover responds to rough outing

Dusty Baker has suggested for several weeks he would like to see how Koda Glover handles a late-inning situation. On more than one occasion, Baker has mentioned he hopes Glover does for the 2016 Nationals what Francisco Rodriguez did for the 2002 Angels: hold the setup role for a World Series champion only a month after making his major league debut. So when Friday night's game against the Phillies presented an ideal opportunity for it, Baker didn't hesitate to use Glover in a big spot: up...

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Game 142 lineups: Phillies at Nats

September 10, 2016, 7:38am

Nationals

The Nationals are still buzzing about the impact of Trea Turner on Friday night. Turner smacked a two-run homer in the seventh that looked like it would go through the left field stands 12 rows up, then connected on a dramatic walk-off homer to center field that bounced off the angled wall near the Bud Light Loft. The Nats won 5-4 over the Phillies. It was Turner's first career walk-off homer. He even allowed Anthony Rendon to measure up and dump a bucket of ice cold Gatorade on his head....

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"Perfect" Turner savors first career game-winning homer

September 09, 2016, 8:24pm

Nationals

"Perfect" Turner savors first career game-winning homer

There are the base hits, 77 of them already in only 223 at-bats, good for a .345 batting average that would stand right alongside league leader Daniel Murphy if only he had been in the big leagues all season. There are the stolen bases (21 of them) and the runs (39 of them) in only 52 games, evidence of his blazing speed. There is the surprisingly smooth play in center field, a position that was completely foreign to him until this summer, when the Nationals realized they were desperate for...

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Turner's pair of homers give Nationals dramatic 5-4 victory

September 09, 2016, 6:42pm

Nationals

Trea Turner was supposed to inject speed and energy to the top of the Nationals lineup. Who knew he'd inject a whole lot of power as well? Turner blasted two home runs in the game's final three innings tonight, including a walk-off homer to straightaway center field that gave the Nationals a dramatic 5-4 victory over the Phillies and added another chapter to the rookie's sterling season. Turner, who hit a two-run homer on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the seventh, needed to work...

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Roark tries to continue dominance of Phillies (Nats win 5-4)

September 09, 2016, 4:24pm

Nationals

Roark tries to continue dominance of Phillies (Nats win 5-4)

Tanner Roark has enjoyed a standout season on the mound that may earn the Nationals right-hander some down-ballot votes for the National League Cy Young Award. Roark has been effective against just about everybody, but stick the Phillies in the batter's box and he really reaches for the stars. Roark tonight is looking to improve to 4-0 against Philadelphia this season and potentially lower his ERA from its current 0.64 mark, though that basically gives him zero margin for error. So far, so...

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Solis hits "roadblock," but new lefties stepping up in Nats bullpen

September 09, 2016, 2:12pm

Nationals

Solis hits "roadblock," but new lefties stepping up in Nats bullpen

It has been one of the bigger questions facing the Nationals all season: Which left-handed reliever (or relievers) can they trust when crunch-time arrives? The answer to that question has changed several times in five months. Felipe Rivero and Oliver Perez were the primary left-handers in the Nationals bullpen back in April, but then Sammy Solis emerged as manager Dusty Baker's top southpaw as May turned to June and July. Then Rivero was traded to the Pirates in the Mark Melancon deal and...

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Game 141 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

September 09, 2016, 10:55am

Nationals

On the heels of a bit of a clunker last night, the Nationals are back to work tonight against the Phillies. Tanner Roark, whose role within the rotation has become a bit more important in the last 48 hours, gets the start and will look to rediscover the consistency he displayed for most of the season before a couple of hiccups in recent weeks. Rookie right-hander Jake Thompson starts for the Phillies, one of three pitchers starting in this series who was acquired as part of the Cole Hamels...

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Friday morning Q&A from D.C.

September 08, 2016, 7:25pm

Nationals

Just when it looked like the Nationals' slow-and-steady march to the National League East title was going to proceed unabated, an all-too-familiar sight potentially altered the remainder of this season in dramatic fashion. We've seen Stephen Strasburg wince after throwing pitches before. And we've seen him leave games due to injury after only a few innings. But not since that awful August 2010 night in Philadelphia had we seen him depart like this, with legitimate reason to worry he might...

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Nationals can only shrug off rare loss to Philly

September 08, 2016, 7:16pm

Nationals

If the Nationals are fortunate enough to have reason to create a 2016 Year-in-Review video, tonight's 4-1 loss to the Phillies most certainly won't merit even a passing reference. Perhaps the most notable thing about this game was the mere fact that the Nationals lost to the Phillies. That hadn't happened since April 28, after which the Nats won nine consecutive matchups with their rebuilding division foes. "I didn't know it, but after the game somebody told me we had beaten them nine in a...

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Nats bats can't find holes during 4-1 loss to Phillies

September 08, 2016, 5:53pm

Nationals

Nats bats can't find holes during 4-1 loss to Phillies

They hit the ball hard all night. But hard contact doesn't guarantee base hits, only a better chance of base hits. And the Nationals were guaranteed nothing tonight against the Phillies and handed a 4-1 loss despite a sustained barrage of line drives that found just about every fielder wearing a glove. Rookie right-hander Alec Asher tossed two-hit ball over six innings, earning his first career win despite zero strikeouts. A trio of Phillies relievers finished things off, handing the Nationals...