nationals

Marlins-Nats lineups for series opener vs. Marlins

May 26, 2014, 6:48am

The Nationals hope to build off yesterday's win in Pittsburgh now that they're back home, and they'll send Tanner Roark to the mound in this afternoon's Memorial Day contest. The Nats welcome the Marlins to town, who are handing the ball to righty Nathan Eovaldi. For the MarlinsLF Christian Yelich2B Derek Dietrich RF Giancarlo Stanton 3B Casey McGehee 1B Garrett Jones C Jarrod Saltalamacchia CF Pablo Ozuna SS Adeiny Hechavarria RHP Nathan Eovaldi For the Nats CF Denard Span 3B Anthony...

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Rendon hopes run of walks are a positive step forward

May 25, 2014, 2:37pm

Nationals

Rendon hopes run of walks are a positive step forward

Anthony Rendon has drawn 17 walks this season, and eight of them have come in his past seven games. Though his batting average has dipped from .311 on May 1 to .258 after Sunday's 5-2 victory over the Pirates, the more frequent free passes are an encouraging sign for a hitter who was viewed as a walk machine in college and the minors. "I don't think he's being any more selective now than he has been in the last year-plus," said Nationals manager Matt Williams. "He's a good hitter. He...

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Nats grab quick 2-0 lead over Pirates (Nats win 5-2)

May 25, 2014, 9:52am

Nationals

Nats grab quick 2-0 lead over Pirates (Nats win 5-2)

Doug Fister will take the mound today with a 2-0 lead, after the Nationals picked up a couple of runs early against Pirates lefty Francisco Liriano. Not all of the offense was, well, a result of the Nats' bats, but for a team struggling to score runs, who's going to complain? Denard Span started things off with a leadoff double and Anthony Rendon worked a walk. After Jayson Werth struck out, the Nats got a break when Adam LaRoche hit what normally would have been a double play ball into the...

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Fister reluctantly plays role of stopper for Nats

May 25, 2014, 2:18pm

Nationals

Fister reluctantly plays role of stopper for Nats

The Nationals wanted to end a season-high four-game losing streak, and needed a good game from right-hander Doug Fister in order to accomplish that goal. But that doesn't make Fister the team's stopper. He said as much after working 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball as the Nats salvaged the final game of a four-game series in Pittsburgh with a 5-2 win over the Pirates on Sunday afternoon. "That's the mentality we come in every day with," said Fister, who allowed six hits, walked none and...

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LaRoche returns from DL, Walters optioned (plus lineups)

May 25, 2014, 6:40am

Nationals

LaRoche returns from DL, Walters optioned (plus lineups)

Adam LaRoche is back from the left quad injury that landed him on the 15-day disabled list, and he'll go right into the Nationals lineup in his customary spots at first base and fourth in the batting order. For a team that's dropped a season-high four straight games, an infusion of offense is a welcome development. To make room for LaRoche on the 25-man roster, infielder Zach Walters was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. The Nats will keep both Tyler Moore and Greg Dobbs, deciding their bench...

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LaRoche's return can provide calmness to struggling lineup

May 25, 2014, 4:17am

Nationals

LaRoche's return can provide calmness to struggling lineup

First baseman Adam LaRoche has been activated and returns to the Nationals lineup this afternoon for the series finale at Pittsburgh. Infielder Zach Walters was sent to Triple-A Syracuse in the corresponding move. With LaRoche back in the lineup, the bench gets better, with power hitter Tyler Moore now returning to a utility role. Maybe Moore's return to the bench will also help ignite the backup crew. But the bigger statement is that with LaRoche returning, the Nationals get a consistent bat,...

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Answering the most-asked questions

May 25, 2014, 8:55am

Nationals Orioles

Two months into the season, here are answers to your most-often asked questions for your Memorial Day weekend reading: Q: Are the Blue Jays for real in the American League East? A: Yes, especially in a division where every team has flaws for the first time in who knows how many years? There is no question the Blue Jays have enough hitting. They lead the AL in home runs and are in the top five in run production. The question is the pitching: R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle are fine, but can a...

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LaRoche activated from DL, Walters optioned to Triple-A

May 25, 2014, 8:41am

Nationals

LaRoche activated from DL, Walters optioned to Triple-A

The Washington Nationals today optioned infielder Zach Walters to Syracuse and recalled from rehab and reinstated first baseman Adam LaRoche from the 15-Day Disabled List. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. LaRoche returns to the active roster after being placed on the 15-Day Disabled List on May 11 (retroactive to May 10) with a right quad strain. Upon being relegated to the DL, LaRoche led all qualified Nationals in batting...

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A .500 record 48 games in

May 24, 2014, 7:10am

Nationals

PITTSBURGH - The Nationals are .500 for the first time all season. It's weird to type. I bet it's weird to read. Fourty-eight games in, the Nats are 24-24, having lost three in a row and four of five. They're currently 3 1/2 games back of the Braves in the National League East and in third in the division, although I really hate looking at the standings this early in the season. Where do things sit on the panic meter? Depends who you ask, I guess, Fans might be getting frustrated,...

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Nats turn to Strasburg to avoid falling below .500 (with lineups)

May 24, 2014, 10:49am

Nationals

Nats turn to Strasburg to avoid falling below .500 (with lineups)

There's something about the prospect of Stephen Strasburg facing the Pittsburgh Pirates that gets Nationals fans downright giddy. Who could forget the hard-throwing right-hander's uber-hyped major league debut on June 8, 2010, when Strasburg fanned 14 Pirates in front of a sellout "Strasmas" crowd at Nationals Park. Yep, that 14-strikeout performance in his first big league game still stands as Straburg's career high in strikeouts. Who better to turn to when you've lost three straight and...

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Span on the offensive struggles, Zimmermann on his outing

May 23, 2014, 7:43pm

Nationals

Span on the offensive struggles, Zimmermann on his outing

PITTSBURGH - There's no doubt the Nationals have hit a rough stretch from an offensive perspective. Denard Span has actually gotten hot of late, and he added two hits (including a double) today, but he addressed his team's overall struggles with runners in scoring position lately. "We could do better," Span said. "We definitely could do better with guys in scoring position. You look up at the scoreboard, the number of guys left on base is very high. So we could definitely do better. But...

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Williams meets with the media after Nats' 4-3 loss

May 23, 2014, 7:30pm

Nationals

Williams meets with the media after Nats' 4-3 loss

PITTSBURGH - The Nationals have now dropped three in a row and four of their last five. It's not for a lack of scoring opportunities, that's for sure. The Nats had eight hits and drew six walks tonight. They had chances. They just couldn't come through enough times and dropped a 4-3 ballgame to the Pirates. The makings of another late-game comeback were there, as the Nats scored once in the sixth and twice in the eighth to cut a 4-0 deficit to 4-3. But Ian Desmond's drive to the wall in...

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Pirates grab early 2-0 lead in second (Nats lose 4-3)

May 23, 2014, 4:05pm

Nationals

Pirates grab early 2-0 lead in second (Nats lose 4-3)

So much for the notion that facing a pitcher who hadn't won in 14 starts would somehow be the cure for the Nationals' offensive woes. Charlie Morton, who came into the game 0-7 in his last 14 starts, has a 2-0 lead after two innings. The Pirates got to Nats righty Jordan Zimmermann in the second, when Ike Davis singled and Russell Martin doubled to put runners on second and third with none out. Pedro Alvarez struck out and Starling Marte grounded out to score a run before Zimmermann plated...

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Gonzalez's throw day pushed back, LaRoche inches closer to activation

May 23, 2014, 1:45pm

Nationals

Gonzalez's throw day pushed back, LaRoche inches closer to activation

Left-hander Gio Gonzalez's progression toward a throwing program hit a small bump in the road Friday, when left shoulder stiffness scrapped his plans to throw. Nationals manager Matt Williams didn't seem too concerned with the setback, telling reporters who expressed concern before his team's game at PNC Park against the Pirates, "It's only a day." "He's a little stiff still, so he'll continue his rehab program and we'll look to push him back a day as far as his throwing program...

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More on Treinen and Nats' lack of run production

May 23, 2014, 12:14am

Nationals

More on Treinen and Nats' lack of run production

PITTSBURGH - Five appearances into Blake Treinen's big league career, it's clear that he has the raw ability to compete at this level. Treinen's hard two-seamer touched 98 mph last night against the Pirates and was clocked at 100 mph at times in the minors. He has a changeup and slider that at times can be strong pitches for him. He has a quiet confidence and rarely seems shaken on the mound. The question going forward is whether he can develop his secondary pitches enough to still be...

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Espinosa and Moore sit, Walters and Dobbs start

May 23, 2014, 11:23am

Nationals

Espinosa and Moore sit, Walters and Dobbs start

PITTSBURGH - Matt Williams is shaking up his lineup a bit a day after the Nationals put up just one run in a 3-1 loss to the Pirates. Danny Espinosa and Tyler Moore are out of the starting lineup tonight, with Zach Walters getting the start at third base and Greg Dobbs in there at first. Jordan Zimmermann will toe the rubber for the Nats, opposed by righty Charlie Morton. For the Nats CF Denard Span 2B Anthony Rendon RF Jayson Werth C Wilson Ramos SS Ian Desmond 1B Greg Dobbs 3B Zach...

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Treinen: "My stuff plays, I just have to execute pitches"

May 22, 2014, 7:32pm

Nationals

Treinen: "My stuff plays, I just have to execute pitches"

PITTSBURGH - Both times that Blake Treinen has gotten a big league start thus far in his young career, he's pitched pretty darn well, but just hasn't been able to earn the win. Against the Dodgers back on May 6, it was a rough fifth inning that featured a couple of errors, one by Treinen himself, that led to a loss. Tonight, it was a combination of factors. A four-batter stretch in the third inning where he lost command didn't help. An inability to retire Andrew McCutchen also was an issue,...

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Williams, Span like idea of manufacturing runs with big boys out

May 23, 2014, 7:08am

Nationals

Williams, Span like idea of manufacturing runs with big boys out

Manager Matt Williams said earlier this week that nine-run games are rarities, and that if a team could score that many runs every game, they would be champions. Of course, every team would love to score that many times every game out. The pressure would be taken off the pitchers and the team would have much easier games. It is so easy to say, but much harder to accomplish, especially without your top offensive producers. I saw another statistic this week that makes sense as to where the...

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Williams on Treinen's outing, Pirates' defense in Nationals' 3-1 loss

May 22, 2014, 7:17pm

Nationals

PITTSBURGH - The Nationals got a strong outing from Blake Treinen in his second major league start, and they got a good bit of solid contact off Pirates pitching. Unfortunately for them, they also got a 3-1 loss in the first game of this four-game set at PNC Park. Treinen allowed two runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings, with five walks and four strikeouts. He allowed single runs in the third (when he retired the first two hitters, then walked Pirates starter Edinson Volquez, starting a...

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Checking in from the Steel City

May 22, 2014, 5:50am

Nationals

PITTSBURGH - Hello from the Steel City, where the Nationals will spend their next four days before heading right back to D.C. again for a lengthy homestand. Pittsburgh doesn't necessarily have a great reputation as a travel city, but I kind of like it here. The downtown area by the bridges is gorgeous when the weather is nice (it makes for a solid area to go for a jog, if I can force myself to do so) and I really enjoy PNC Park. The press box is pretty high up, but the sight lines are...