nationals

Nats swept in Beltway Series after blowing late lead

September 24, 2015, 12:16pm

The Orioles jumped on Tanner Roark early. Gerardo Parra belted a leadoff double over Michael A. Taylor's head in center. And then on a full count, Manny Machado smoked a fastball back up the middle for an RBI single. Update: Orioles starter Tyler Wilson did not attempt any form of retaliation against Bryce Harper or any other member of the Nationals as he went through their lineup the first time. Harper drew a walk in his first at-bat, his sixth free pass of the series. Matt Wieters lined a...

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Orioles and Nationals playing must-win games, hoping for outside help

September 24, 2015, 3:54pm

Nationals Orioles

Orioles and Nationals playing must-win games, hoping for outside help

As the interleague series between the Orioles and Nationals came to an end with a Bryce Harper grounder Thursday night, both under-achieving teams are left with an almost impossible predicament: Win every game and hope for help. The lifeless Nationals, swept by the Orioles after a 5-4 loss, have missed chances to pick up ground on the first-place Mets in the National League East. The Mets aren't the same dynamic team that swept the Nationals in D.C. earlier this month. They finished a 3-6...

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Danny Espinosa's season likely ends with hamstring tear

September 24, 2015, 11:36am

Nationals

Danny Espinosa's season likely ends with hamstring tear

Nationals manager Matt Williams revealed before today's game that Danny Espinosa is "likely done for the season" with a small tear in the attachment of his right hamstring. "It's a very difficult spot and for him to try to ramp up and get to a point where he can play," Williams said. "It's a great risk and if it tears any more at that spot, then it's a long, long rehab." The versatile infielder first experienced pain in his hamstring while racing to the plate to score the eventual...

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Tanner Roark looks to prevent sweep in Beltway Series finale (with lineups)

September 24, 2015, 8:31am

Nationals

Tanner Roark looks to prevent sweep in Beltway Series finale (with lineups)

Tanner Roark takes the mound for the Nationals in the Beltway Series finale with the Orioles. The right-hander is coming off on his roughest outings of the season, surrendering two homers and six runs over five innings in a 6-4 loss to the Marlins last Thursday. Roark is 3-3 with a 5.66 ERA over nine starts this season. The Orioles send rookie right-hander Tyler Wilson to the hill for the fourth start of his major league career. Wilson, 25, is 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA. For the Orioles: CF Gerardo...

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Nats game blog: Tanner Roark looking for first victory against Birds

September 24, 2015, 11:14am

Nationals

Nats game blog: Tanner Roark looking for first victory against Birds

Well, this isn't working out like the Nationals might have hoped it would. The Nationals need to win games. They are as close to must-win as you can get. Actually, they are getting fearfully close to the point where they will need to win out and require the Mets to lose out. In the last three games in New York, they have the ability to do that. It's these other eight games that are the issue. And the Mets lead is 6 1/2 games, which seems tremendously robust with 11 games remaining. For two...

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Matt Williams on possible retaliation: "If something happens, we'll deal with it"

September 24, 2015, 10:54am

Nationals

Matt Williams on possible retaliation: "If something happens, we'll deal with it"

Nationals star outfielder Bryce Harper called Jonathan Papelbon hitting Manny Machado with a pitch one at-bat after Machado crushed a game-changing two-run shot a "pretty tired" scenario. Harper expects the Orioles to possibly retaliate by going after him today in the series finale. Manager Matt Williams said any team coming after Harper or any of his players with a pitch following a beaning incident in a previous game has his attention. "I've got concern any time any of our guys...

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Manny Machado beats Max Scherzer in deciding moment

September 23, 2015, 7:57pm

Nationals

Manny Machado beats Max Scherzer in deciding moment

There wasn't any theatrical, profanity-laced outburst on the mound tonight. Nationals manager Matt Williams remained in the dugout, allowing ace Max Scherzer to go mano a mano with one of the majors' elite hitters late in a one-run game with the season hanging by a thread. This time, Scherzer lost the battle, surrendering a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh to Orioles star Manny Machado as the Nationals fell 4-3. Scherzer's bat helped the Nats rally in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead....

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Retaliation won't surprise Bryce Harper: "I'll probably get drilled"

September 24, 2015, 4:46am

Nationals

Retaliation won't surprise Bryce Harper: "I'll probably get drilled"

This afternoon's series finale will undoubtedly be filled with added drama beyond the minimal chances both teams have of making their way to the playoffs. All eyes will be on whether the Orioles choose retaliation after Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon plunked Manny Machado in the ninth last night. Papelbon never admitted to purposely hitting the star third baseman, but his intentions seemed fairly clear to the Orioles. Machado, whose massive two-run homer off Max Scherzer in the seventh...

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Papelbon on ejection for hitting Machado: "I was pretty surprised"

September 23, 2015, 7:20pm

Nationals

Papelbon on ejection for hitting Machado: "I was pretty surprised"

The Orioles' Manny Machado crushes a two-run shot in the seventh versus Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer. In the ninth with two outs, Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon throws a wild pitch early to Machado that's up by his batting helmet. Later in the at-bat, he drills Machado in the left shoulder. Home plate umpire Mark Ripperger throws Papelbon out of the game. Papelbon was not warned for his high pitch early in the at-bat. The benches were not warned. But the hit-by-pitch was all...

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David Huzzard: The importance of a winning season

September 24, 2015, 5:21am

Nationals

David Huzzard: The importance of a winning season

With every passing day as the playoffs become more and more of an improbability, it is important to remember the 2015 Washington Nationals are still playing for something. With 78 wins and eleven games to play, the Nationals need to go 4-7 to clinch their fourth consecutive winning season. This might not sound like much or even that important. What's the big difference between 82 wins and 78 at this point? The Washington Nationals aren't making the playoffs either way, but the last time a...

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Ryan Zimmerman on all his injuries: "It's been a rough couple of years for me"

September 23, 2015, 4:34pm

Nationals

Ryan Zimmerman on all his injuries: "It's been a rough couple of years for me"

Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman has been out since September 7 with left oblique soreness. Manager Matt Williams said Wednesday during pregame that Zimmerman is doing light swings in the batting cage and working off a tee. It's a small step as Zimmerman looks to get back to baseball activities. "He's been swinging," Williams said. "Still feels it, unfortunately. So it's light in the cage. It's fungo and tee work, a little bit of soft toss. So he's trying to work through that part...

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Max Scherzer loses battle with Manny Machado, Nats fall 4-3

September 23, 2015, 3:25pm

Nationals

Max Scherzer loses battle with Manny Machado, Nats fall 4-3

Just as he did in his last start, Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer surrendered a two-run homer in the first inning of tonight's game. Scherzer retired Gerardo Parra and Manny Machado before walking Chris Davis. Steve Pearce then hammered Scherzer's 95 mph fastball over the left field wall for his 14th home run. The Nats answered in the bottom of the frame. After a leadoff double, Anthony Rendon scored on Yunel Escobar's single to center. Update: When Jonathan Schoop whiffed in the fourth,...

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Mike Rizzo on Matt Williams' future: "We're going to certainly evaluate everything"

September 23, 2015, 2:04pm

Nationals

Mike Rizzo on Matt Williams' future: "We're going to certainly evaluate everything"

With Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, Ian Desmond and Denard Span set to become free agents at season's end, the makeup of the Nationals in 2016 figures to be quite different. The most intriguing, though, revolves around whether the Nats manager will remain the same. This afternoon, Nationals general Mike Rizzo manager made his normal weekly appearance with show hosts Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier on 106.7 The Fan in D.C. Early in the interview, Paulsen gave Rizzo the opportunity to go on...

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Nats game blog: Max Scherzer seeks third straight quality start as he takes on Orioles

September 23, 2015, 12:45pm

Nationals

Nats game blog: Max Scherzer seeks third straight quality start as he takes on Orioles

The Nationals have been unable to gain ground this season when presented with opportunity from the Mets. It seems that almost every time the Mets are idle, the Nationals have lost the game they play that day. So instead of gaining a 1/2 game, they lose that 1/2 game. And ever since they lost their division lead in early August, when the Mets have lost or look like they will lose, the Nationals have not been able to win their game that same day. Last night, the Mets went down 4-1 early against...

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Gio Gonzalez felt he should have stuck to game plan in 4-1 loss to Orioles

September 22, 2015, 7:11pm

Nationals

Gio Gonzalez felt he should have stuck to game plan in 4-1 loss to Orioles

Left-hander Gio Gonzalez got into some trouble in the second inning with an issue that has hurt him in the past: walks. Two walks in that frame fueled an Orioles rally. Baltimore got back-to-back run-scoring base hits from Ubaldo Jimenez and Nolan Reimold to lead 2-0. Later, the top of the order went after Gonzalez in the fifth. RBI doubles from Chris Davis and Steve Pearce added to the Orioles' advantage. The Orioles eventually won the game 4-1. "The inning that (Gonzalez) gave up the two...

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Max Scherzer nearing career and team highs for strikeouts (with lineups)

September 23, 2015, 11:31am

Nationals

Max Scherzer nearing career and team highs for strikeouts (with lineups)

Right-hander Max Scherzer makes his second start of the season against the Orioles tonight. Scherzer nearly threw a complete game in Baltimore on July 12, leaving with two outs in the ninth after Adam Jones' second homer. Drew Storen came on to close out a 3-2 win for the Nationals in the final game before the All-Star break. Scherzer is 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA in his last two starts, both wins for the Nationals over the Marlins. His 237 strikeouts are second highest in the National League to the...

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Are Nationals looking to build another home run bat in their system?

September 22, 2015, 7:22am

Nationals

Since 2010, the Nationals enjoyed a solid run from Tyler Moore, Steven Souza Jr. and Michael A. Taylor, who displayed home run power at the minor league level. Moore hit 107 homers and drove in 435 RBIs in the minors. Souza crushed 93 homers and had 421 RBIs. Taylor launched 51 homers and had 273 RBIs in the minors. Souza is now with the Tampa Bay Rays after a trade that brought starter Joe Ross and shortstop Trea Turner to the Nationals. Moore has been a solid bench bat for a few seasons now...

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Bryce Harper walks into Nats' record books

September 23, 2015, 4:58am

Nationals

Bryce Harper walks into Nats' record books

Bryce Harper changed history again last night, breaking a record that represents the respect and fear opposing teams have for him while also validating the vulnerability of the Nats lineup surrounding him. Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez actually went ahead 0-2 on Harper in the first before shying away from the strike zone with four consecutive balls. Harper's 116th free pass tied him with former slugger Adam Dunn's 2009 mark for most walks in a single season in Nationals history. With...

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Rachel Levitin: After season full of Nats' injuries, all eyes will be on Rizzo this offseason

September 23, 2015, 6:12am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: After season full of Nats' injuries, all eyes will be on Rizzo this offseason

After last night's 4-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the Washington Nationals are 6 1/2 games back while the New York Mets maintain first place in the National League East. All other teams in the division have already been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. The magic number is six. No matter what happens at the tail end of the 2015 season, though, the unfortunate part of the year - besides possibly missing the playoffs, since it's not a done deal yet - is the fact that this team...

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Plenty of missed opportunities in Nats' 4-1 loss

September 22, 2015, 7:06pm

Nationals

Plenty of missed opportunities in Nats' 4-1 loss

As time continues ticking away on the regular season, the Nationals can't afford to squander any opportunities. With the Braves knocking off the Mets tonight, the Nats had a prime chance to cut the division lead to 5 1/2 games. But left-hander Gio Gonzalez once again battled command issues early and the Nationals bats came out sluggish as the Orioles took the opener 4-1. Caleb Joseph and J.J. Hardy entered tonight's game batting .246 and .213, respectively. Gonzalez walked them both in the...