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Nationals to host two exhibition games against Minnesota Twins

March 23, 2016, 10:38am

Fans are invited to attend first exhibition game with a donation to the Nationals Dream Foundation In preparation for the 2016 home opener at Nationals Park on April 7, the Nationals will host two exhibition games against the Minnesota Twins on Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2. The first exhibition game will start at 6:05 p.m. on Friday. For this special game, seating will be limited to the lower bowl of Nationals Park. The Nationals distributed complimentary tickets to all Season Plan...

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For Wilson Ramos, seeing is believing after LASIK surgery

March 21, 2016, 7:40pm

Nationals

For Wilson Ramos, seeing is believing after LASIK surgery

VIERA, Fla. - It seems too simple an explanation to actually be true. Then again, sometimes the simplest explanation really does apply. Wilson Ramos struggled at the plate last season. Despite avoiding the disabled list for the first time in his major league career, the Nationals catcher posted a career-worst .229 batting average, .258 on-base percentage and .358 slugging percentage while striking out in a career-high 20 percent of his plate appearances. Then earlier this month, Ramos left...

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Burke Badenhop among latest relievers cut from camp

March 21, 2016, 2:07pm

Nationals

Burke Badenhop among latest relievers cut from camp

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals trimmed their list of bullpen candidates by three after today's game, reassigning right-handers Burke Badenhop, Erik Davis and Michael Brady to minor league camp. None of the three moves was surprising, but Badenhop entered camp with a realistic shot to make the roster given his track record of success. The 33-year-old right-hander, who signed as a minor league free agent during the first week of spring training, owns a 3.74 ERA in 418 career big league games with...

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Nationals announce "Pitch Your Product" winners

March 22, 2016, 7:53am

Nationals

TWO LOCAL FOOD VENDORS ARE GETTING CALLED UP TO THE MAJOR LEAGUES Maryland and Virginia restaurants win Pitch Your Product competition The Nationals announced today that two local businesses, Maryland-based Pinch Dumplings and Virginia-based Haute Dogs and Fries, were declared the winners of the "Pitch Your Product" competition and will be featured at Nationals Park during the 2016 season. The "Pitch Your Product" competition was designed to offer entrepreneurs from D.C., Maryland and...

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Weary new father Gonzalez tries to get back to work (Nats win 5-3)

March 21, 2016, 11:58am

Nationals

Weary new father Gonzalez tries to get back to work (Nats win 5-3)

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Nationals 5, Astros 3 Recap: Gio Gonzalez returned to the mound four days after the birth of his son and admittedly struggled at times to find the strike zone. The left-hander needed 87 pitches to get through 4 1/3 innings, though he only allowed one run. Batterymate Wilson Ramos supplied offensive support, homering to left-center to continue his recent surge since having LASIK surgery. Ryan Zimmerman later added a two-out, two-run double to expand the Nationals'...

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Introducing our Nationals guest blogger lineup for 2016

March 18, 2016, 11:10am

Nationals

Back in 2005, when the Nationals arrived from Montreal, they filled a tremendous void in Washington, D.C. Generations of fans who had not had a team to call their own suddenly did, parents could take their children to games and a new crop of baseball fans was born. So was a new kind of fan - those with keyboards at their disposal and opinions that flowed like frosty beer at the Red Porch. Fervent Nationals fans descended upon the blogosphere in numbers that made other baseball towns envious....

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Planned rotation to begin season: Scherzer, Gonzalez, Strasburg

March 21, 2016, 9:38am

Nationals

Planned rotation to begin season: Scherzer, Gonzalez, Strasburg

VIERA, Fla. - Max Scherzer will start on opening day for the Nationals. That's been known, if not officially stated, all along. The order of the Nationals rotation after Scherzer, however, may come as a surprise to some: Gio Gonzalez will start the season's second game, with Stephen Strasburg following him. Manager Dusty Baker confirmed that plan this morning, revealing that Gonzalez will pitch April 6 in Atlanta, with Strasburg starting the home opener at Nationals Park against the Marlins...

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Ross says heel "barely sore at all," expects to make next start

March 21, 2016, 8:54am

Nationals

Ross says heel "barely sore at all," expects to make next start

VIERA, Fla. - Joe Ross says his heel is "barely sore at all" after he was struck by a comebacker during Sunday's outing against the Tigers, and that he expects to remain on schedule and make his next start as planned. Ross said once the initial shock of taking Nick Castellanos' line drive off his right heel wore off, he realized the injury wasn't serious. "The ball hit me, and I went to put my foot down and it was pretty painful at first," he said. "I think it was more the shock, a...

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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in Viera

March 21, 2016, 7:07am

Nationals

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in Viera

VIERA, Fla. - I really not to complain about the weather while in Florida, because I know it falls on deaf ears up north. But facts are facts, and the fact is, it's really cold here today. The Space Coast Stadium thermometer read 48 degrees when the Nationals emerged from the clubhouse to begin stretching around 10 a.m. It's going to warm up a bit by gametime, but there's also a 20 mph steady wind blowing from the northwest. Not exactly pristine conditions for spring training. OK, that's...

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Treinen shines, but rest of bullpen struggles in loss to Tigers

March 20, 2016, 7:48pm

Nationals

Treinen shines, but rest of bullpen struggles in loss to Tigers

VIERA, Fla. - While much of the focus yesterday in Lakeland was on Bryce Harper's two homers and Joe Ross' early exit after taking a comebacker off his right heel, there were some other interesting developments during the Nationals' 7-6 loss to the Tigers. Let's run through the highlights and lowlights of the afternoon ... * Blake Treinen was outstanding during an unexpected, four-inning relief appearance. Treinen wasn't supposed to enter until the sixth, and he wasn't supposed to throw...

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Bryce Harper leaves Lakeland raving after two-homer game

March 20, 2016, 1:11pm

Nationals

Bryce Harper leaves Lakeland raving after two-homer game

LAKELAND, Fla. - Al Kaline, who only has been watching spring training games at Tiger Town since 1953, called it the longest home run he's ever seen hit here. Willie Horton, another Detroit legend, made sure to track down the young man who hit it and compliment him. Mike Maddux, having spent the last three decades in the game as a big league pitcher, coach and brother of a Hall of Famer, turned to Nationals manager Dusty Baker and gushed: "We get to watch this every day?" Lofty praise, all...

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With Revere and Murphy, Nats emphasizing contact at the plate

March 20, 2016, 8:33am

Nationals

With Revere and Murphy, Nats emphasizing contact at the plate

LAKELAND, Fla. - Dusty Baker, as a ballplayer, was considered something of a slugger for his time. He hit at least 20 home runs six times in his career. He also felt like he struck out too often. Hank Aaron, his Hall of Fame teammate in Atlanta at the start of his career, urged young hitters to shoot for striking out only once every 10 times up. Baker couldn't quite pull that off, ending his career with a strikeout rate of 11.5 percent. Three decades later, Baker will fill out a lineup card as...

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Joe Ross leaves game with right heel contusion (Nats lose 7-6)

March 20, 2016, 10:07am

Nationals

Joe Ross leaves game with right heel contusion (Nats lose 7-6)

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Tigers 7, Nationals 6 Recap: After Saturday's rainout in Viera, the Nationals sent their entire lineup to Lakeland this afternoon, a rare occurrence for the 90-minute drive to Tigers camp. That lineup, of course, included Bryce Harper, who rose to the occasion by homering twice off former AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, including a monster shot over the 30-foot-high batter's eye in center field. Daniel Murphy also notched a couple of hits off...

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Full Nats lineup travels to Lakeland to face Verlander

March 20, 2016, 6:37am

Nationals

Full Nats lineup travels to Lakeland to face Verlander

LAKELAND, Fla. - Yesterday was a washout for the Nationals, literally and figuratively, since heavy rain canceled their game against the Mets before a single pitch could be thrown. As a result, manager Dusty Baker has brought his entire regular lineup to Joker Marchant Stadium for today's game against Justin Verlander and the Tigers. It's not often all these guys make the 90-minute drive to Lakeland, so this will provide a rare and intriguing matchup against a former AL MVP and Cy Young Award...

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Putting together an organizational depth chart

March 19, 2016, 7:44pm

Nationals

Putting together an organizational depth chart

VIERA, Fla. - As much as we focus on the guys who will be starting on a daily basis for the Nationals during the course of the season, spring training really is more about who will be backing up those starters, the jobs that actually are up for grabs in March. With that in mind, it seems like an appropriate time to assemble an updated organizational depth chart. This isn't anything official, just an educated glimpse at how the Nats stack up at every position on the field. This includes...

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Martinson reassigned to minors, Schafer granted release

March 19, 2016, 11:10am

Nationals

Martinson reassigned to minors, Schafer granted release

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals trimmed their spring training roster a bit more Saturday, reassigning infielder Jason Martinson to minor league camp and granting outfielder Logan Schafer his unconditional release. Martinson hit .292 (7-for-24) with two RBI, four walks and 11 strikeouts this spring as a non-roster invitee. The 27-year-old infielder, a fifth-round pick in the 2010 draft, spent last season at Triple-A Syracuse, where he hit .218 with 19 homers, 56 RBIs and a .299 on-base percentage in...

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Arroyo will attempt to rehab shoulder, return in 4-to-6 weeks

March 19, 2016, 10:51am

Nationals

Arroyo will attempt to rehab shoulder, return in 4-to-6 weeks

VIERA, Fla. - Bronson Arroyo thought three days ago his career was over. Now he thinks he may have one last shot to take a big league mound again after being told by Nationals doctors his right shoulder isn't as damaged as initially feared. "It isn't often that you get a really, really bad prognosis," Arroyo said, "and call 30 of your closest friends and tell them: 'Man, I guess I got checkmated today. I'm taking it to the house.' And then a couple days later, they say maybe you've got...

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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Mets in Viera (game cancelled)

March 19, 2016, 8:31am

Nationals

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Mets in Viera (game cancelled)

VIERA, Fla. - Good afternoon from Space Coast Stadium, where the Nationals and Mets hope to complete their home-and-home series. Unfortunately, the forecast is not looking good. There's a massive storm approaching from the west. Seems to only be a question of when it arrives, not if it will arrive. For now, they're planning to start the game on time, with Joe Ross on the mound for the Nationals. It'll be Logan Verrett for the Mets, who decided to hold originally scheduled starter Matt Harvey...

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Saturday morning Q&A from Viera

March 18, 2016, 8:17pm

Nationals

VIERA, Fla. - After a break last week while I was away from Nationals camp, we're back for another Saturday morning Q&A. For those who haven't participated yet, here's how it works: You ask questions in the comments section below, I answer as many as I can over the course of the day. It's just that simple. And there are no shortage of topics to discuss this weekend, from the strange saga of Bronson Arroyo's shoulder to the impressive spring performances of young guys like Lucas Giolito...

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Nationals refute latest report about Arroyo's shoulder

March 18, 2016, 6:10pm

Nationals

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Though he admitted real concern his career might be over due to a shoulder injury, Bronson Arroyo did cling to a small glimmer of hope Thursday morning, waiting for the Nationals medical staff to review the enhanced MRI taken the previous day by - in Arroyo's words - a "non-baseball person." "That's why we want to take a couple days to really analyze it and make sure there's no way I can bring this thing back from the dead," the 39-year-old right-hander said. By...