nationals

Difo, Grace, Jordan among Nats' first camp cuts

March 10, 2016, 10:07am

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals made their first cuts of spring camp, with infielder Wilmer Difo, left-hander Matt Grace and right-hander Taylor Jordan optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Additionally, right-handers Taylor Hill and Paolo Espino and catchers Raudy Read and Brian Jerolomon have been reassigned to minor league camp. "A couple guys were surprised because they were such early cuts, but some of the guys need some work," manager Dusty Baker said. Difo, one of the organization's most...

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Bronson Arroyo slated to go three innings vs. Astros (with lineup)

March 10, 2016, 5:07am

Nationals

Bronson Arroyo slated to go three innings vs. Astros (with lineup)

VIERA, Fla. - Veteran right-hander Bronson Arroyo, who is trying to force his way into the Nationals rotation as a non-roster invitee to spring training, is scheduled to go three innings in tonight's Grapefruit League game against the Astros. Jonathan Papelbon will work the ninth inning. Manager Dusty Baker is giving his regulars another night of game action for this 5 p.m. contest, which will be available on MASN. Ben Revere shifts to left field, with Michael A. Taylor in center. Jayson Werth...

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At career crossroads, Moore needs to come through in a pinch

March 09, 2016, 5:55pm

Nationals

At career crossroads, Moore needs to come through in a pinch

VIERA, Fla. - There are certain givens each spring training. A major accident will clog up Interstate 95 when you're trying to pick up the north/south thoroughfare for a road game. A new chain restaurant will open at The Avenue at Viera. The Internet at Space Coast Stadium will fade in and out, usually at the most inopportune time. And Tyler Moore will face uphill odds to make the Nationals' 25-man roster out of camp. This time around, however, Moore has an even more daunting task. He's out...

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Ben Revere tweaks his swing with a better start in mind

March 09, 2016, 12:23pm

Nationals

Ben Revere tweaks his swing with a better start in mind

LAKELAND, Fla. - Center fielder Ben Revere is doing just what the Nationals want him to do. Or is he? Two hits in three at-bats in an 11-5 loss to the Tigers on Wednesday lifted his Grapefruit League average to .500. That means he's getting on base. But two of his five hits so far have been for extra bases, including a third-inning double into the right field corner off Justin Verlander. And it's not just dumb early-spring luck that has Revere powering up. He spent the offseason studying...

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Gio Gonzalez learns quickly that his mechanics were rushed (Nats lose 11-5)

March 09, 2016, 10:35am

Nationals

Gio Gonzalez learns quickly that his mechanics were rushed (Nats lose 11-5)

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Tigers 11, Nationals 5 Recap: Lefty Gio Gonzalez's second spring start was a mixed bag, two poor innings sandwiched around a 1-2-3 frame. He allowed four runs (two earned) on two hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings. Relievers Nick Masset and Sammy Solis were also treated rudely and were charged with three runs each. The Tigers touched Nats pitchers for five home runs. Tyler Moore hit a pinch-hit home run, which is notable because he has to perform better off the...

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Dusty Baker on tradition, teaching and teamwork

March 09, 2016, 7:22am

Nationals

Dusty Baker on tradition, teaching and teamwork

LAKELAND, Fla. - Nationals manager Dusty Baker has a fondness for this central Florida city known for the citrus and phosphorus mining industries and for being an important intrastate transportation hub. His father was born here and one of Baker's early Grapefruit League games came here against the Tigers, when a youngster quickly realized the size and abilities of the competition. "They were all guys that were built like my dad and I called my dad and I said, 'Dad, I don't think I'm going...

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Dusty Baker weighs in on Danny Espinosa's offensive struggles

March 08, 2016, 12:10pm

Nationals

Dusty Baker weighs in on Danny Espinosa's offensive struggles

VIERA, Fla. - The presumed opening day Nationals shortstop has played in only three of the team's first seven Grapefruit League games and has yet to reach base. Danny Espinosa is 0-for-7 with four strikeouts, yet all signs still point to him manning the position when the Nats open in Atlanta on April 4. If there are any signs of concern, they aren't evident. Espinosa may be stumped by his slow start at the plate, and he certainly doesn't want to waste an opportunity, not with promising...

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Taking stock of a 4-2 victory and 6-1 spring start

March 08, 2016, 11:41am

Nationals

Taking stock of a 4-2 victory and 6-1 spring start

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Dusty Baker smiled at the mention that the Nationals had just won their fourth straight spring training game, improving to 6-1 in Grapefruit League play. "That's fine with me," Baker said. "I'll take it." A lineup populated with few players who will head north with the Nationals dispatched the Astros 4-2 on Tuesday afternoon. Luckily, the battery of right-hander Max Scherzer and Jose Lobaton was mostly in synch, even if Scherzer did have to battle through a 37-pitch...

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Despite high pitch count in short start, Scherzer savors battle (Nats win 4-2)

March 08, 2016, 9:57am

Nationals

Despite high pitch count in short start, Scherzer savors battle (Nats win 4-2)

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Nationals 4, Astros 2 Recap: Max Scherzer struggled through two innings - throwing 37 pitches in the first inning alone, 13 in one at-bat against A.J. Reed - but allowed only one run on three hits in his second spring start. Yusmeiro Petit tossed three scoreless innings of relief, striking out four. Jose Lobaton drove in the first two Nationals runs. The others scored on Logan Schafer's RBI single and a run-scoring double by Scott Sizemore. Left fielder Tony Campaga...

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Baker likes how new addition Petit embraces multiple roles

March 08, 2016, 7:23am

Nationals

Baker likes how new addition Petit embraces multiple roles

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - At 6-foot-1 and a mailbox-like 250 lbs., with a perpetual all-business look on his face, Yusmeiro Petit looks like anything but a Swiss Army knife. A linebacker, maybe. Perhaps a barroom bouncer who's made a living at keeping the peace. But mention Petit's name to Dusty Baker and the Nationals manager's face lights up. Baker knows Petit, who inked a one-year, $3 million deal with the Nats in December after being non-tendered by the Giants, is potentially one of the most...

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A little more on Dusty Baker's sharp learning curve

March 07, 2016, 1:49pm

Nationals

A little more on Dusty Baker's sharp learning curve

VIERA, Fla. - We're going to learn a lot about Dusty Baker during the course of spring training - how he uses his starting pitchers, which situations he thinks call for bunts, how long a leash he'll give a reliever who's struggling with his control. Answering those questions are all part of a manger's genesis into a particular job. But yesterday's postgame media session with Baker shed some light on how he approaches players young and old, as well as hitters and fielders, during this time...

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Scherzer faces Fister as Nats hit the road to play Astros

March 08, 2016, 1:42am

Nationals

Scherzer faces Fister as Nats hit the road to play Astros

KISSIMMMEE, Fla. - The Nationals will see an old friend in today's exhibition game against the Astros. Right-hander Doug Fister, who signed a one-year, $8 million deal with Houston in the offseason, will make the start for the home team. Washington counters with righty Max Scherzer, who will be making his second start of the spring. Once again, not a lot of regulars on the trip. The Nationals are excited to play the Astros, who are only an hour away and the closest opponent on the Grapefruit...

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There's an interesting history behind Joe Ross' new splitter

March 07, 2016, 12:28pm

Nationals

There's an interesting history behind Joe Ross' new splitter

VIERA, Fla. - Every pitch has a pedigree, and the lineage of the splitter Joe Ross unveiled in game for the first time Monday afternoon is a doozy. It was born in a conversation with a teammate, probably somewhere along State Road 528, the route affectionately known as the Beachline, when a group of the Nationals were heading out to bond over a Golden State Warriors-Orlando Magic basketball game last month shortly after spring training started. That pitcher learned it from a former teammate who...

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Wilson Ramos sees a big difference after LASIK surgery (Nats top Marlins)

March 07, 2016, 4:31am

Nationals

Wilson Ramos sees a big difference after LASIK surgery (Nats top Marlins)

NATIONALS GAME WRAP Score: Nationals 7, Marlins 4 Recap: Clint Robinson homered, stole a base and drove in three runs, his mammoth shot to right part of a three-run third inning of ex-National Edwin Jackson, who yielded all five runs. Catcher Pedro Severino had two hits, pushing his spring average to .571. Starting pitcher Joe Ross went 2 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on four hits, and wasn't helped by an error by second baseman Daniel Murphy. Ross, who fanned four, left when he'd thrown 51...

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Loud blasts off Scott Sizemore's bat are hard to ignore

March 06, 2016, 12:23pm

Nationals

Loud blasts off Scott Sizemore's bat are hard to ignore

VIERA, Fla. - Opportunity is knocking for Scott Sizemore, and the 31-year-old is answering loudly. Every time his bat connects with a pitch over the past week, Sizemore has made an emphatic statement. He may be one of many non-roster players in Nationals camp inked to minor league deals, but the veteran of four major league campaigns who signed late last season and finished 2015 at Triple-A Syracuse is making the most of his chances to impress. A well-struck double in Sunday's win over the...

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Ross to start, Roark to follow against Marlins (with lineups)

March 07, 2016, 3:46am

Nationals

Ross to start, Roark to follow against Marlins (with lineups)

VIERA, Fla. - Right-hander Joe Ross will get the start for the Nationals today, with righty Tanner Roark set to follow him to the mound. Both pitchers are expected to throw about 50 pitches, with a maximum of three innings. Both Ross and Roark have designs on spots in the starting rotation, so today's game amounts to a little head-to-head competition. Jose Fernandez starts for the Marlins in his Grapefruit League debut. Jonathan Papelbon is scheduled to pitch today for the Nationals, so it...

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Trea Turner's speed is just what Dusty Baker ordered

March 06, 2016, 12:03pm

Nationals

Trea Turner's speed is just what Dusty Baker ordered

JUPITER, Fla. - When he was asked at the Winter Meetings what the Nationals most needed, Dusty Baker pointed to speed as a necessary ingredient in the lineup. It's no secret Baker likes to put pressure on a defense, and fleet feet on the basepaths can also translate into meaty fastballs thrown to a slugger as opponents try to neutralize the running game. Baker has known for a while that he has a burgeoning burner in Trea Turner, easily the fastest man on his roster. But the manager has stopped...

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Namath visits Nats, plus Baker on Treinen, Ramos, Papelbon, Zimmerman

March 06, 2016, 7:05am

Nationals

Namath visits Nats, plus Baker on Treinen, Ramos, Papelbon, Zimmerman

JUPITER, Fla. - Dusty Baker was running late for his pregame meeting with the media, though the reason became readily apparent when he ambled down the left field line at Roger Dean Stadium alongside NFL Hall of Famer Joe Namath, another in the seemingly endless string of celebrities the new Nationals manager considers a friend. "I used to go hang in his places in Fort Lauderdale back in the day when I was 19, 20 years old. ... And then him and Dick Allen were from the same area, so they grew...

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Sammy Solis' escape act earns praise from Dusty Baker

March 05, 2016, 12:05pm

Nationals

Sammy Solis' escape act earns praise from Dusty Baker

VIERA, Fla. - Sammy Solis couldn't get his fastball down, and in the blink of an eye, he'd loaded the bases. A 6-4 eighth-inning Nationals lead looked precarious, but you'd never know it by what happened next on Saturday afternoon at Space Coast Stadium. The late innings of Grapefruit League games are renowned for strange occurrences. Big leads disappear quicker than pizza at a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party. Veteran pitchers are treated rudely by hitters with dubious pedigrees. Games that...

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It's Treinen's turn to make an impression (with lineups)

March 05, 2016, 12:39pm

Nationals

It's Treinen's turn to make an impression (with lineups)

VIERA, Fla. - The bus is about ready to pull away from Space Coast Stadium, bound for Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter and today's spring training game against the Cardinals. It's the second time this week the Nationals have journeyed south to Palm Beach County, which will be their home next spring if there are no delays in construction at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, but their first game against St. Louis. Don't get too married to that name. Hearing there are naming rights in play here,...