nationals

New takeout slide rule benefits Nats in opening day win

April 05, 2016, 10:47am

ATLANTA - To anyone who has watched baseball for the last, oh, century or so, it looked like just about every double play that has been attempted. In the bottom of the seventh inning Monday afternoon at Turner Field, Hector Olivera grounded to third. Anthony Rendon threw to second baseman Daniel Murphy to force out Nick Markakis, who slid into and then through the bag. Murphy's turn and throw to first was way too late to get Olivera. So just a typical 5-4 fielder's choice, right? Not...

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Charlie Fliegel: Staying healthy and on field is key to Nats' season

April 06, 2016, 5:09am

Nationals

Charlie Fliegel: Staying healthy and on field is key to Nats' season

There are plenty of things that really help swing a season one way or the other. For the 2016 Nationals, the answer is painfully obvious. Let's look at a few possibilities: The bullpen - it stunk last year, except maybe not as much as you remember. The Nats ranked 10th in the majors in bullpen ERA. Mismanaged and maybe too much in its own head (a.k.a. mismanaged), but not necessarily what made 2015 bad. I have more faith in their free agent acquisitions, young talent and a dnew pitching coach...

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Scherzer dominates, but once again plagued by home runs

April 05, 2016, 7:36am

Nationals

Scherzer dominates, but once again plagued by home runs

ATLANTA - Seven innings of three-hit ball shouldn't be a footnote, but given everything else that happened during the Nationals' wild opening day victory over the Braves, Max Scherzer's impressive start did kind of get lost in the shuffle. Let's give the man his due, though, because he pitched awfully well. Scherzer looked very much like the guy who dominated most of last season, keeping the opposition from stringing together hits and walks, using his deep repertoire of pitches to strike...

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Keister intrigued by team speed as Potomac introduces 2016 roster

April 05, 2016, 1:13pm

Nationals

Keister intrigued by team speed as Potomac introduces 2016 roster

WOODBRIDGE - High Single-A Potomac manager Tripp Keister introduced his 2016 P-Nats roster Tuesday at media day and is looking forward to working with the talent the club has assembled again this season. Keister believes they can be aggressive with some speed on basepaths and on defense. "It's exciting. I think the group of position players, there's some depth to the group, there's some length to the lineup," Keister said. "We're going to have some pretty good hitters one through nine....

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Nationals to host home opener on Thursday, April 7

April 05, 2016, 11:45am

Nationals

WASHINGTON NATIONALS TO FACE MIAMI MARLINS IN 2016 HOME OPENER ON THURSDAY The Washington Nationals will celebrate opening day and the start of the 2016 season on Thursday, April 7 at 4:05 p.m. when the team hosts the Miami Marlins. THURSDAY, APRIL 7 OPENING DAY SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Emceed by Emmy Award-winning sports broadcaster and CBS News special correspondent James Brown, the opening day pregame ceremony will include: * A moment of silence honoring first responders from the Washington...

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Nats finally appreciate Murphy's performance for themselves

April 05, 2016, 3:56am

Nationals

Nats finally appreciate Murphy's performance for themselves

ATLANTA - The Nationals had seen Daniel Murphy do this sort of thing to them plenty of times over the years. So when it happened Monday afternoon, when Murphy went 2-for-3 with a homer, two walks and the RBI double that ultimately gave them a 4-3, 10-inning victory on opening day, they relished the fact he's now doing this for their benefit, not detriment. "Psh, quite a debut," shortstop Danny Espinosa said. "What else is there to say? I mean, he's a special hitter, a very smart...

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Some predictions for the 2016 season

April 04, 2016, 5:56am

Nationals Orioles

As the season opens, here are thoughts, predictions and tips on how the season is going to go: * The Nationals are going to win the National League East by eight games over the Mets. Outside of Bronson Arroyo, what problems have there been? The offense will be much improved with the left-handed bats of Daniel Murphy and Ben Revere - players who seldom strike out - adding balance. And it helps that Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon are healthy. Last spring training, Rendon had four...

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Steve Mears: Understanding Ben Revere's importance to the Nats lineup

April 05, 2016, 8:33am

Nationals

Steve Mears: Understanding Ben Revere's importance to the Nats lineup

On January 8, Ben Revere's life took one of those turns that you cannot control. He got that phone call informing him he was traded to the Washington Nationals. Revere made one of his first phone calls to Denard Span, who only gave him positive comments about the Nats. Span and Revere were teammates with the Minnesota Twins, and Span was always a person Revere knew he could go to for advice. The Nats would be Revere's third team within a year, as the Philadelphia Phillies traded him to the...

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Nats welcome Baker back to dugout with dramatic victory

April 04, 2016, 6:45pm

Nationals

Nats welcome Baker back to dugout with dramatic victory

ATLANTA - Dusty Baker has lined up along the baseline for opening day intros in a major league ballpark 42 times in his life, 20 times as manager. This is as routine as it gets for the career baseball man. But when Baker trotted out from the third base dugout at Turner Field this afternoon for the first time as Nationals manager, he did so after two years away from the sport. There was an element of newness for the 66-year-old. Not to mention several moments where Baker's blood pressure...

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Revere hopes ribcage injury sidelines him only couple of days

April 04, 2016, 5:26pm

Nationals

Revere hopes ribcage injury sidelines him only couple of days

ATLANTA - Given all the injuries they sustained last season, the sight of Ben Revere departing in the fourth inning on opening day after feeling a tug on his right side had to leave the Nationals and their fans holding their collective breath, fearing the worst. The initial indication, though, is that Revere did not seriously injure himself, suffering what manager Dusty Baker and the leadoff man described as a mild strain of one of his right ribcage muscles that may only sideline him a couple...

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Harper homers on opening day once again (Nats win in 10)

April 04, 2016, 12:54pm

Nationals

Harper homers on opening day once again (Nats win in 10)

ATLANTA - Bryce Harper loves opening day. And Bryce Harper loves to face Julio Teheran. And Bryce Harper really loves to make booing Braves fans eat their words. All of which culminated in a perfect storm this afternoon when Harper stepped to the plate for his first at-bat of the season to a raucous welcome from the Turner Field crowd and then promptly launched Teheran's 2-2 slider into the right field bleachers for his first homer of 2016. It was quintessential Harper, savoring the spotlight...

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Nationals announce winner of Fan Choice Bobblehead on MASN

April 01, 2016, 9:59am

Nationals

Drum roll, please. And the winner is ... MICHAEL A. TAYLOR! On Thursday, March 10, the Nationals gave you, the fans, 24 hours to vote for which player you wanted to see as a bobblehead to be given away at Nats Park on Sept. 9. All players on the Nationals roster who never had a Nats bobblehead or figurine before were eligible, and Natstown has spoken. Taylor beat out other fan favorites such as Tanner Roark, Jose Lobaton and Trea Turner, and was announced as the winner on MASN's "Nats Xtra"...

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Gonzalez won't make first start until next week

April 04, 2016, 11:40am

Nationals

Gonzalez won't make first start until next week

ATLANTA - The Nationals knew they wouldn't need a fifth starter until the season's second week. Few figured, though, that the guy who would end up getting bumped to that delayed start would be Gio Gonzalez. Or that the guy taking the mound for Thursday's home opener would be Tanner Roark. Gonzalez, not Joe Ross or Roark, will open the season in the bullpen and not make his first start of 2016 until next Monday against the Braves in Washington. That decision was announced by manager Dusty...

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Game 1 lineups: Nats at Braves

April 04, 2016, 8:12am

Nationals

ATLANTA - And so it begins. And it could not begin under more perfect conditions. It is an absolutely spectacular day for baseball here at Turner Field, not a cloud in the sky, a nice northerly breeze blowing, temperatures in the low 70s. The Nationals and Braves officially get underway at 4:10 p.m., with Max Scherzer taking the mound for the first time since his no-hitter at Citi Field. Scherzer will be facing an Atlanta lineup featuring noted Nats killer Freddie Freeman and ... well, these...

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Opposite dugout: Rebuilding Braves pose Nats' first test of new season

March 30, 2016, 3:41pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Rebuilding Braves pose Nats' first test of new season

Manager: Fredi Gonzalez (6th season) Record: 67-95 (fourth in NL East in 2015) Last 10 games: Season opener Who to watch: 1B Freddie Freeman (18 HR, 66 RBIs), CF Ender Inciarte (.303, 21 SB), RF Nick Markakis (.296/.370/.376) RHP Julio Teheran (11-8, 4.04 ERA), RHP Jason Grilli (2.94 ERA, 24 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (5-14 in 2015) Pitching probables: April 4: RHP Max Scherzer (14-12, 2.79 ERA) vs. RHP Julio Teheran (11-8, 4.04 ERA), 4:10 p.m., MASN2April 6: RHP Stephen...

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Nats game blog: Nationals start off well thanks to the MVP

April 04, 2016, 12:32pm

Nationals

The Braves took their time coming out of the dugout to take the field on defense on opening day. First pitch was delayed by three minutes from its scheduled 4:10 p.m. ET start time. Maybe they just didn't want to face the Nationals offense right out of the gate. The Nationals opened the 2016 season with the National League MVP crushing a homer off of the Braves' Julio Teheran in the top of the first inning, putting his team up 1-0. And it could have been a much bigger inning. Anthony Rendon...

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Scherzer excited to open another season with Nationals

April 04, 2016, 3:47am

Nationals

Right-hander Max Scherzer makes his second opening day start for the Nationals today at Atlanta and said he's not intimidated by taking the ball for the season's first game. Instead, he relishes the moment. "It's an honor," Scherzer said Friday. "It's a really cool thing to be the opening day starter because the opening day is kind of a celebration of baseball. It's a kick start to the year. So to be a part of that and be on the mound for game one it's really cool." Scherzer will be...

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Marty Niland: Five important questions facing the Nationals in 2016

April 04, 2016, 6:44am

Nationals

Many Nationals fans are still feeling the sting of disappointment from 2015, when preseason World Series predictions dissolved in a cloud of injuries, disappointing performances and clubhouse dissension. The Nats finished out of the postseason and watched as the National League East rival New York Mets stole their division, playoff and pennant dreams. For all but the most optimistic fans, there are no such lofty dreams this season. With a new manager in Dusty Baker, a revamped bullpen and new...

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2016 Nats media season predictions

April 03, 2016, 5:14pm

Nationals

ATLANTA - The day has arrived. At long last, it is officially baseball season. The Nationals and Braves will be taking the field later this afternoon for Game 1 of 162 (or possibly more). Which means it's time to make some official 2016 predictions. Many of you may remember this from previous years on previous websites, but for the uninitiated: My colleagues who cover the Nationals on a daily basis are kind enough to submit their predictions for a whole bunch of team-related questions. We...

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Sunday morning Q&A

April 02, 2016, 1:03pm

Nationals

With yesterday's early exhibition game at Nationals Park, we shook up the Q&A schedule, pushing it back to today. This might become a recurring thing during the season, changing up the day it runs based on the team's schedule that particular week. This is a good morning to do this, though, because the opening day roster is now set, the exhibition slate is complete and the countdown to Monday's 4:10 p.m. opener in Atlanta is underway. Submit your Nationals questions in the comments...