nationals

Game 73 lineups: Nats at Dodgers

June 22, 2016, 2:27pm

LOS ANGELES - The Nationals need a win tonight, plain and simple. They certainly don't want to leave the West Coast on a five-game losing streak before heading to Milwaukee for the weekend. So they'll need a strong offensive performance against 19-year-old phenom Julio Urias, still seeking his first big league victory in his sixth try. The left-hander has electric stuff and hasn't been giving away free passes (he has 22 strikeouts and only three walks in his last three starts), but he also...

Comments

Tags:

joe ross lineups los angeles dodgers mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman wilson ramos dusty baker frontstory_nationals3

Wednesday Q&A from Los Angeles

June 21, 2016, 10:24pm

Nationals

LOS ANGELES - This has turned into a more eventful trip - certainly more negative events - than the Nationals would have liked when they first arrived on the West Coast six days ago. After two well-played victories in San Diego to get the road trip started, they have now dropped four straight, two of them in games they led by multiple runs in the eighth inning. Stephen Strasburg was scratched with an upper back strain. The bullpen is in a bad place right now with Jonathan Papelbon on the...

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime q&a frontstory_nationals3

Nats waste opportunities, watch Dodgers seize theirs

June 21, 2016, 10:16pm

Nationals

Nats waste opportunities, watch Dodgers seize theirs

LOS ANGELES - The fateful bottom of the eighth - specifically Yasmani Grandal's towering, game-changing, three-run homer off Tanner Roark - will show up in every highlight reel late tonight and into tomorrow. And certainly it deserves that treatment, because it was the obvious difference in the Dodgers' 3-2 victory over the Nationals. But the less obvious difference in this game, the overriding factor that left Roark in position to lose the game on one swing, came during the previous 7 1/2...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper danny espinosa jayson werth los angeles dodgers mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime tanner roark featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Solis can close, start or specialize, plus minors notes (updated)

June 22, 2016, 6:04am

Nationals

Solis can close, start or specialize, plus minors notes (updated)

Left-hander Sammy Solis can be a viable option as interim closer for the Nationals. Left-hander Sammy Solis can be a spot starter. Both of these proclamations hold true. Solis has swing-and-miss stuff in the mid-90s that can be a weapon in the ninth inning. Solis also began his career as a starter. He logged 38 starts over 64 appearances while in the minor leagues. He has already gone 1-2 with a 1.52 ERA in 19 appearances this season. In 23 2/3 innings, Solis has 29 strikeouts. His WHIP is an...

Comments

Tags:

byron kerr lucas giolito nationals sammy solis nationals farm report frontstory_nationals2 hagerstown suns patrick anderson

Charlie Fliegel: Roark remains underrated in Nationals rotation

June 22, 2016, 5:53am

Nationals

The season is nearly 45 percent complete, and the Nationals are leading their division by 4 1/2 games. Sure, the season is far from over, but they've got the fourth- best record in the league, and they look strong. Individual players that usually come to mind as the reasons for this are probably Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, Wilson Ramos, Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer. And those guys are a huge part of it. But there's one player who doesn't get enough credit for what he's done for this...

Comments

Tags:

charlie fliegel guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz tanner roark

Nats won't wait until last minute to make decision on Strasburg

June 21, 2016, 5:07pm

Nationals

Nats won't wait until last minute to make decision on Strasburg

LOS ANGELES - The Nationals don't know yet if Stephen Strasburg will be able to make his next scheduled start, but they don't intend to wait til the last minute to make a decision the way they did Monday night when they scratched the right-hander about 90 minutes before first pitch with an upper back strain. For now, the Nationals are hoping Strasburg will be able to go Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee, slotting back into his original spot in the rotation. But for that to happen, they'll likely...

Comments

Tags:

dusty baker mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime stephen strasburg yusmeiro petit featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Harper homers to the opposite field again (Nats lose 3-2)

June 21, 2016, 7:09pm

Nationals

Harper homers to the opposite field again (Nats lose 3-2)

LOS ANGELES - It took Bryce Harper 2 1/2 months to hit his first opposite-field homer of the season. It took him only five days to hit his second. Harper took Scott Kazmir deep to left field in the top of the first inning tonight at Dodger Stadium, giving the Nationals an early 1-0 lead with yet another encouraging sign the once-slumping MVP is getting his stroke back. Harper went the other way on Kazmir's 2-1 pitch, sending it beyond left fielder Howie Kendrick's leap and beyond the fence....

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper los angeles dodgers mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime tanner roark featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Game 72 lineups: Nats at Dodgers

June 21, 2016, 2:18pm

Nationals

LOS ANGELES - It is a full 20 degrees cooler this afternoon at Dodger Stadium than it was yesterday at this time. Which means it's only in the mid-80s. Still remarkably more comfortable for the second game of this series, which finds the Nationals trying to snap a three-game losing streak. They'll be facing their third straight left-handed starter tonight, this time in the form of Scott Kazmir, who is no Clayton Kershaw, as evidenced by the fact he hasn't lasted more than five innings in any...

Comments

Tags:

lineups los angeles dodgers mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime tanner roark featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Harper and Zimmerman look to get going at the plate

June 21, 2016, 8:10am

Nationals

Harper and Zimmerman look to get going at the plate

Nobody ever really looks good against Clayton Kershaw. Both Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman struggled to get going against the three-time Cy Young Award winner in Monday's series opener between the Nationals and the Dodgers. Harper went 1-for-4 but had three strikeouts against Kershaw. Mark Zuckerman got Harper's impressions of facing the Dodgers ace here. Zimmerman went 0-for-4 with one strikeout in the 4-1 loss. And he has had trouble getting into a rhythm recently at the plate. In June,...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper byron kerr nationals ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Nats find out the hard way how tough it is to beat Kershaw

June 20, 2016, 10:37pm

Nationals

Nats find out the hard way how tough it is to beat Kershaw

LOS ANGELES - Against Clayton Kershaw, you can't expect to score runs. You can only hope to give yourself as many opportunities to score runs as possible. So Dusty Baker couldn't find fault with the approach his Nationals lineup had last night against the Dodgers ace. He just wished his guys had found some way to make the most of one of the opportunities they had, which might well have altered the course of what became a 4-1 loss at Dodger Stadium. "All you can get are opportunities," Baker...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper clayton kershaw los angeles dodgers mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime dusty baker featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Strasburg scratched with upper back strain, Petit to start

June 20, 2016, 5:06pm

Nationals

Strasburg scratched with upper back strain, Petit to start

LOS ANGELES - One of the season's most anticipated pitching matchups won't happen after all. The Nationals were forced to scratch Stephen Strasburg from tonight's outing against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers with an upper back strain. Reliever Yusmeiro Petit will now start in his place, facing a stiff challenge on short notice. The change was announced less than 90 minutes before first pitch at Dodger Stadium. Strasburg had arrived at the ballpark earlier in the afternoon, walking into the...

Comments

Tags:

los angeles dodgers mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime stephen strasburg yusmeiro petit featured_sidebar

Petit trying to hold his own vs. Kershaw (Nats lose 4-1)

June 20, 2016, 7:06pm

Nationals

Petit trying to hold his own vs. Kershaw (Nats lose 4-1)

LOS ANGELES - The highly anticipated Stephen Strasburg vs. Clayton Kershaw matchup didn't happen, but Yusmeiro Petit is doing what he can to at least keep this thing interesting. Forced into emergency duty when Strasburg was scratched with a strained upper back, Petit faced the daunting challenge of matching up with perhaps the best pitcher on the planet and holding the Dodgers lineup in check along the way. Three innings in, Petit has made just one mistake. That mistake, though, sailed over...

Comments

Tags:

clayton kershaw mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime stephen strasburg yusmeiro petit

Strasburg hopeful of making next start after L.A. scratch

June 20, 2016, 10:10pm

Nationals

Strasburg hopeful of making next start after L.A. scratch

LOS ANGELES - Stephen Strasburg first felt what he described as "a little pinch" in his upper back Saturday while lifting weights in San Diego, but over the course of the next 48 hours, the Nationals right-hander and his club held out hope he'd still be able to make his scheduled start tonight against the Dodgers. It wasn't until sometime after 5 p.m. PDT, less than two hours until first pitch, when Strasburg realized the treatment he had been receiving wasn't going to be enough to allow...

Comments

Tags:

clayton kershaw dusty baker los angeles dodgers mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime stephen strasburg yusmeiro petit featured_sidebar

Steve Mears: Looking at Nats' other options for replacement starter

June 21, 2016, 5:21am

Nationals

Steve Mears: Looking at Nats' other options for replacement starter

The Nationals got all the way to June 20 before they needed a sixth starter, as Stephen Strasburg was scratched from his start with an upper back strain and replaced by Yusmeiro Petit. The Nats were fortunate earlier in the season when Joe Ross had a blister and with days off they could skip his start. Not so lucky this time, and that begs the question as to who would be the Nats' replacement starter if they needed one again? Taylor Jordan is out for the season, and A.J. Cole is really the...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz stephen strasburg steve mears

Game 71 lineups: Nats at Dodgers (Strasburg scratched)

June 20, 2016, 2:36pm

Nationals

Game 71 lineups: Nats at Dodgers (Strasburg scratched)

LOS ANGELES - Hello from the one and only Dodger Stadium, still beautiful after all these years, even when it's 107 degrees. Yes, you read that right. It's 107 degrees as I sit here in the open-air press box preparing tonight's lineups thread. I've been to L.A. in the summer countless times in my life - we used to come here almost every summer when I was a kid - and I cannot ever remember it being anywhere close to this hot. The good news, if there is any: It'll be dropping back down into...

Comments

Tags:

clayton kershaw lineups los angeles dodgers mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime stephen strasburg frontstory_nationals3

Marquee pitching matchup tonight at Dodger Stadium

June 19, 2016, 8:00pm

Nationals

Marquee pitching matchup tonight at Dodger Stadium

Some thoughts before I board my flight to Los Angeles, where the Nationals and Dodgers open a three-game series late tonight... * If you like marquee pitching matchups, they don't get a whole lot better than tonight's showdown at Dodger Stadium. Yes, it's Stephen Strasburg vs. Clayton Kershaw. How good are these two guys? Let us count the ways. Strasburg is 10-0 this season, Kershaw is 10-1. Strasburg has 118 strikeouts and only 24 walks this season. Kershaw has 133 strikeouts and - good...

Comments

Tags:

clayton kershaw los angeles dodgers mark zuckerman michael a. taylor nationals nationals pastime stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Nats agree to terms with 23 selections from First-Year Player Draft

June 20, 2016, 10:47am

Nationals

Nats agree to terms with 23 selections from First-Year Player Draft

The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with 23 players from the 2016 First-Year Player Draft, including their first pick (No. 28 overall), shortstop Carter Kieboom. Nationals President of Baseball Operations & General Manager Mike Rizzo and Assistant General Manager & Vice President of Scouting Operations Kris Kline made the joint announcement. Kieboom, 18, will begin his professional career in Viera, Fla., playing for the Gulf Coast League Nationals. The standout infielder was...

Comments

Tags:

Nationals News Release nationals

Nats agree to terms with 23 players from First-Year Player Draft

June 20, 2016, 10:39am

Nationals

Nats agree to terms with 23 players from First-Year Player Draft

The Nationals announced this afternoon that they have agreed to terms with 23 players selected in the recent First-Year Player Draft, including first-round selection Carter Kieboom, the 28th overall pick in the first round. Kieboom, an 18-year-old shortstop out of Walton (Ga.) High School who had committed to Clemson, will begin his career in the Nats' Rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate in Viera, Fla. Kieboom was considered one of the top prep hitters available in the draft, and hit .366...

Comments

Tags:

carter kieboom frontstory_nationals2 nationals nationals farm report nationals pastime pete kerzel spencer kieboom

Opposite dugout: Strasburg vs. Kershaw highlights Nats-Dodgers in L.A.

June 20, 2016, 6:05am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Strasburg vs. Kershaw highlights Nats-Dodgers in L.A.

Manager: Dave Roberts (1st season) Record: 38-33 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: SS Corey Seager (.280/.342/.502 with 15 HR, 36 RBIs), 1B Adrian Gonzalez (.274 with 32 RBIs), CF Joc Pederson (12 HR, 31 RBIs), LHP Clayton Kershaw (10-1, 1.58 ERA), RHP Kenley Jansen (1.59 ERA with 19 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (4-2 in 2015) Pitching probables: June 20: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. LHP Clayton Kershaw, 10:10 p.m., MASN2 June 21: RHP Tanner Roark vs. LHP Scott Kazmir, 10:10...

Comments

Tags:

bobby blanco dodgers frontstory_nationals3 nationals nationals buzz opposite dugout

Marty Niland: Plenty of All-Star talent on this year's Nats roster

June 20, 2016, 5:06am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Plenty of All-Star talent on this year's Nats roster

Time is running out to cast All-Star ballots, and for the first time in several years, more than one member of the Nationals deserves consideration for a starting spot. The National League team has included two Nats in each of the last three seasons, as well as in 2005, the Nats' first season in Washington. In their breakout 2012 season, four Nationals were selected to the team. In every other season since moving from Montreal, the Nats have had the requisite one player on the squad. Only...