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Harper stays patient as teams intentionally walk him

April 26, 2016, 10:01pm

Every time Bryce Harper does something that seems straight out of a video game, we wonder the same question: Will there ever come a point where opposing teams simply don't give the young slugger any opportunity to swing the bat in any situation of consequence? We got a bit of a taste last night what that would be like, when the Phillies walked Harper three times (twice intentionally). Even then, though, manager Pete Mackanin couldn't follow through all the way with his game plan and wound up...

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Belisle lands on DL with strained calf, Solis recalled

April 27, 2016, 11:08am

Nationals

Belisle lands on DL with strained calf, Solis recalled

Unable to wait and see how severe Matt Belisle's calf injury is, with more fresh arms needed for their bullpen tonight, the Nationals have placed the veteran right-hander on the 15-day disabled list and recalled lefty Sammy Solis from Triple-A Syracuse. Solis will be in uniform and available out of the Nationals bullpen for tonight's game against the Phillies, giving manager Dusty Baker a much-needed arm that can throw multiple innings in case something happens to starter Gio Gonzalez early...

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Nationals recall Solis, place Belisle on disabled list

April 27, 2016, 10:16am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals recalled left-handed pitcher Sammy Solis from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday and placed right-handed pitcher Matt Belisle on the 15-day disabled list with a right calf strain. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Solis, 27, joins the Nationals for his first Major League assignment of the season. The highest-rated left-hander in Washington's system (No. 17, per Baseball America), Solis has allowed just one earned run in...

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Charlie Fliegel: Stephen Strasburg's supposed slider

April 26, 2016, 9:31pm

Nationals

Charlie Fliegel: Stephen Strasburg's supposed slider

Stephen Strasburg has allegedly thrown 58 sliders this season. After four games, that number seems neither noteworthy or indicative of anything. That is unless you compare it to the last few seasons. First, the number. In the last 56 starts he made prior to the beginning of 2016, he threw 18 sliders in total. This year, he's averaging 14 per start. On Sunday, he threw 20. That's a big difference. So did Strasburg learn a new pitch? Well, it's actually not first time he's thrown a bunch of...

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Phillies get Harper out late, ride Franco's hit, defeat Nats 4-3

April 26, 2016, 6:17pm

Nationals

Phillies get Harper out late, ride Franco's hit, defeat Nats 4-3

The Phillies' Andres Blanco and Cesar Hernandez had three hits apiece, while Makiel Franco's run-scoring double proved to be the difference in a 4-3 win over the Nationals in D.C. It marked the Phillies' second straight win over the Nationals, dating back to April 17. Early on, the Nationals' ace right-hander Max Scherzer had trouble again. Scherzer allowed two runs in the first inning. Opponents scoring early has been an unfortunate recurrence in his April starts. In the top of the first,...

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Scherzer's early troubles crop up again (Nats lose 4-3)

April 26, 2016, 4:10pm

Nationals

Scherzer's early troubles crop up again (Nats lose 4-3)

The first inning continues not to sit well with Max Scherzer, who once again tonight dug the Nationals into an early hole. On the heels of a shaky start in Miami five days ago, Scherzer took the mound tonight at Nationals Park and two batters later found himself trailing by two runs. He walked Phillies leadoff man Odubel Herrera on four pitches, then served up a home run to Andres Blanco on an 0-1 fastball over the plate. That's now eight first-inning runs surrendered by Scherzer in five...

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Ramos placed on bereavement list, Severino called up

April 26, 2016, 1:29pm

Nationals

Ramos placed on bereavement list, Severino called up

The Nationals have placed Wilson Ramos on the bereavement list following the death of his grandfather, Jesus Campos, leaving the club without its No. 1 catcher for at least the next three games. Ramos informed manager Dusty Baker of the news this morning and made plans to leave town. He is expected to rejoin the team early in its upcoming road trip. "I talked to him this morning; he was pretty shook up," Baker said. "He'll join us sometime over the weekend in St. Louis." Major League...

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Positive updates on Ross and Revere

April 26, 2016, 1:33pm

Nationals

Nationals right-hander Joe Ross confirmed his blister injury on his throwing hand has mended well enough that he could have started tonight. But the Nationals played it cautiously and gave Max Scherzer the start against the Phillies. "It's feeling good. I think I could throw today," Ross said. "They decided to skip me and give me some more rest. I don't think they want me to re-aggravate my finger or anything like that." Ross said he did not throw a bullpen today but believes he will...

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Game 19 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

April 26, 2016, 11:12am

Nationals

This should be Joe Ross' turn in the Nationals rotation, but the club decided to be cautious with the young right-hander's blister and skip his turn (made possible by yesterday's off-day). So it'll be Max Scherzer, still on normal rest, taking the mound for tonight's series opener against the Phillies. Scherzer is coming off a ragged start in Miami in which he was tagged for five runs and eight hits in only five innings. Afterward, he described his problem as "not finishing my pitches,"...

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Nationals recall catcher Pedro Severino, place catcher Wilson Ramos on the bereavement list

April 26, 2016, 12:39pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals recalled catcher Pedro Severino from Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday and placed catcher Wilson Ramos on the bereavement list. President of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Severino, 22, joins the Nationals for his first major league assignment of the season. A defensive standout behind the plate, Severino is currently hitting .244 in 13 games with Triple-A Syracuse. Severino joined the Nationals' big league club in August, 2015,...

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Does the Nats' red-hot start this season foreshadow anything?

April 25, 2016, 9:15pm

Nationals

Does the Nats' red-hot start this season foreshadow anything?

As much as we've focused recently on some of the Nationals' most impressive individual performances so far this season, let's not forget about the bigger picture. This is a team sport, after all, so really nothing matters more than the team's record, no matter who is contributing to that and in what manner. The Nationals, as a team, have been fantastic to date in 2016. They enter tonight's series opener against the Phillies with a 14-4 record, matching the 2012 Nats for the best 18-game...

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Steve Mears: An analysis of Tanner Roark's pitch count

April 25, 2016, 5:24pm

Nationals

Steve Mears: An analysis of Tanner Roark's pitch count

If you missed it, Tanner Roark threw a masterful 15-strikeout, two-hit shutout gem on Saturday against the Minnesota Twins. For a while there, it looked like if Roark could keep his pitch count down, he could go after the record that Roger Clemens set on April 29, 1986 with 20 strikeouts in a game, which was then equaled again by Clemens in 1996 and matched by Kerry Wood in 1998. Roark was at 96 pitches to end the fifth inning as he threw 23 pitches in that inning, and you knew that Roark...

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Rizzo weighs in on Nats' start, Giolito, pitchers and more

April 26, 2016, 3:55am

Nationals

Rizzo weighs in on Nats' start, Giolito, pitchers and more

Last weekend, Mike Rizzo met with reporters and gave his insight on how the Nationals have started this season. Of course, they were only 12-4 when he gave us this update. They are now 14-4. It still applies. "I'm happy with the start. I like the energy," Rizzo said. "I think we've been playing pretty solid fundamentally. We've been pitching well. The bullpen, with the exception of couple of hiccups, has pitched well. But I like the energy of the team, and the feeling and the vibe in the...

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Opposite dugout: Mackanin has eager Phillies playing better than expected

April 23, 2016, 1:14pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Mackanin has eager Phillies playing better than expected

Manager: Pete Mackinin (2nd season) Record: 9-10 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 3B Maikel Franco (.295 with 5 HR, 13 RBIs), 1B Ryan Howard (4 HR, 9 RBIs), CF Odubel Herrera (.286/.432/.429), RHP Vince Velasquez (2-1, 0.93 ERA), RHP Aaron Nola (1-2, 4.50 ERA), RHP Jeanmar Gomez (2.45 ERA, 4 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 1-2 Pitching probables: April 26: RHP Vince Velasquez vs. RHP Max Scherzer, 7:05 p.m., MASNApril 27: RHP Jeremy Hellickson vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m., MASNApril 28:...

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Expect greatness from Harper, but don't forget to appreciate it

April 25, 2016, 12:06pm

Nationals

Expect greatness from Harper, but don't forget to appreciate it

Bryce Harper has done some remarkable things so far this season, but here's perhaps the most remarkable thing he's done: He's been so good that we probably aren't fully appreciating just how good he's been. Think of it this way: Were you surprised at all when Harper stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth yesterday at Nationals Park as a pinch-hitter, his team trailing by a run, and proceeded to launch the game-tying homer to center field off a 3-2 fastball from Twins closer Kevin...

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Prove your Nats know-how with this week's trivia scramble

April 25, 2016, 9:39am

Nationals

Prove your Nats know-how with this week's trivia scramble

Are you the biggest Nationals fan you know? Is your head filled with facts about the Nats' inaugural season in D.C. and Bryce Harper's historic 2015 season? Well, it's time to prove your Nats knowledge! We're introducing a new on-air contest this week, presented by PNC Bank. Trivia Scramble is coming to our broadcast, and you'll have the chance to showcase your knowledge and win a Nats prize pack that includes a Jayson Werth bobblehead! Be sure to watch Nats broadcasts all week to listen...

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How Harper helped Heisey hit his first career walk-off homer

April 24, 2016, 9:14pm

Nationals

How Harper helped Heisey hit his first career walk-off homer

He had done it at Triple-A late last summer. And he had done it in Viera, Fla., earlier this spring. So maybe it was only a matter of time before Chris Heisey hit his first career walk-off homer in a major league game. "I'm kind of knocking them all out here in a short period of time," he said with a laugh. "It was definitely nice to finally hit one in the big leagues." Even nicer to do it in the bottom of the 16th inning of the craziest game just about everyone in a Nationals uniform...

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Baker and Strasburg on eighth-inning homer, Heisey walk-off

April 25, 2016, 3:52am

Nationals

Baker and Strasburg on eighth-inning homer, Heisey walk-off

In a game that that felt like two or three games in one, it might be hard to remember that through the first seven innings, Stephen Strasburg was pitching a gem. He allowed the Twins just one run and four hits through seven frames. Then in the eighth, with one out and the game tied 1-1, Joe Mauer and Eduardo Nunez singled. Brian Dozier then cranked a three-run homer to give Minnesota a 4-1 lead. Incredibly, the Nationals came back twice after that and won it 6-5 in 16 innings in a game that was...

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Marty Niland: Is this fun enough for you?

April 25, 2016, 5:19am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Is this fun enough for you?

The Nationals have a new slogan this season and it's probably not the one the marketing team envisioned. Instead of the "one pursuit" tagline the team rolled out for the 2016 season, what seems to have caught on with the fans is Bryce Harper's seemingly impromptu "make baseball fun again." Spawned in the the wake of a national magazine interview in which he lamented the unwritten rules that make the game "tired" and yearned for the spontaneity and celebration that make the game "fun,"...

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Bryce Harper on another ninth-inning game-saving home run

April 24, 2016, 5:04pm

Nationals

Bryce Harper on another ninth-inning game-saving home run

Bryce Harper has a flair for the dramatic and Sunday he added to the record books with his ninth homer of the season. With his team down 4-3 in the ninth, Harper, on his scheduled day off, faced Twins closer Kevin Jepsen and launched a 3-2 fastball over the right-center field wall for a game-tying homer. The home run saved his team again. Eventually, Chris Heisey, who had replaced Harper after that pinch-hit homer, smacked his first walk-off home run of his career as the Nationals dropped the...