nationals

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

June 21, 2016, 5:07pm

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...

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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....

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Nats settle for series split after another shaky Gonzalez start

June 19, 2016, 4:13pm

Nationals

Nats settle for series split after another shaky Gonzalez start

What was shaping up to be an impressive weekend to start the Nationals' first West Coast trip of the season instead ended on a sour note, with back-to-back losses in San Diego resulting in a four-game split at Petco Park. Another shaky start by Gio Gonzalez this afternoon turned into a 6-3 loss to the Padres, the Nationals' second straight after two strong wins to begin the long weekend series. Gonzalez gave up six runs (five earned) over 5 1/3 innings that got progressively laborious as his...

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Four-game stretch vs. lefties begins today (Nats lose 6-3)

June 19, 2016, 11:03am

Nationals

Four-game stretch vs. lefties begins today (Nats lose 6-3)

The Nationals are about to get a serious helping of southpaws, including one of the best baseball has seen in decades. Beginning with today's series finale in San Diego, the Nationals are scheduled to face four consecutive left-handed starters: the Padres' Drew Pomeranz, then the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, Scott Kazmir and Julio Urias. Kershaw, owner of a mere 1.87 ERA over the last four seasons and a 133-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio this season, looms large Monday night at Dodger Stadium....

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Game 70 lineups: Nats at Padres

June 19, 2016, 8:27am

Nationals

On the heels of perhaps their worst loss of the season, the Nationals will try to bounce back this afternoon and close out their four-game series in San Diego on a high note. Three out of four anywhere ain't half-bad, and the Nats would happily take that before making the short trip up the coast to Los Angeles, where Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers await Monday night. Gio Gonzalez needs a bounceback performance of his own today after a rough stretch that has seen the left-hander go 1-4 with a...

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Rivero's struggles coming to a head for Nationals

June 19, 2016, 5:45am

Nationals

The Nationals have long seen in Felipe Rivero a dynamic left-hander with the kind of overwhelming stuff that suggest he could become a big league closer some day in the not-too-distant future. That may yet happen, but at this particular moment, Rivero looks like a pitcher in need of a major overhaul. "He's in a bad state right now," manager Dusty Baker told reporters in San Diego following last night's 7-3 loss. "Nothing's really going his way." That's an understatement. Rivero has...

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Eighth-inning meltdown turns late lead into 7-3 loss

June 18, 2016, 9:58pm

Nationals

Eighth-inning meltdown turns late lead into 7-3 loss

Thanks to some timely hits, a dominant-at-times start from Max Scherzer and a couple fortuitous breaks, the Nationals found themselves in prime position to win their fourth straight game tonight and expand their ever-growing lead in the NL East. Instead, an eighth-inning meltdown by reliever Felipe Rivero turned a well-played victory over the Padres into perhaps the Nats' worst loss of the season. Rivero failed to retire any of the six batters he faced during a calamitous bottom of the eighth...