nationals

Castro finds learning about new teammates tough during COVID-19

August 03, 2020, 5:10pm

Nationals second baseman Starlin Castro is getting acclimated to his new teammates, even if that is made more difficult because of social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. "It's kind of weird," Castro said during a Zoom call late last week. "It's kind of really weird. But the good thing is, we've got like what, two weeks, three weeks in spring training to meet each other, to meet all the guys before all these things get crazy. We keep talking. I try to keeping knowing all the...

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Nats reinstate Soto and Suero, Stevenson optioned

August 04, 2020, 12:01pm

Nationals

Nats reinstate Soto and Suero, Stevenson optioned

The Nationals have reinstated outfielder Juan Soto and right-hander Wander Suero from the injured list, and optioned Andrew Stevenson to the alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Va. Soto has been out since July 23, but appeared in three summer training games, going 4-for-10 (.400) with two doubles and two RBIs. "He will be available to pinch-hit today," said manager Davey Martinez during today's pregame Zoom call. "Just probably want to give him another day or two. We will see. He's...

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Hot night for Kendrick lifts Nats past Mets 5-3

August 04, 2020, 8:58pm

Nationals

Hot night for Kendrick lifts Nats past Mets 5-3

Howie Kendrick had not played in a game since July 28. Recently, manager Davey Martinez said the veteran was dealing with upper back tightness, so the skipper decided to rest him. Following their game against the Blue Jays July 30, the Nationals had five days off because their series with the Marlins was postponed. Kendrick was able to get about four at-bats in during their intrasquad game Sunday. The rest and then a final warmup appeared to pay dividends for Kendrick on Tuesday night in his...

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Soto makes 2020 debut tonight, Strasburg to throw sim game

August 05, 2020, 10:45am

Nationals

Soto makes 2020 debut tonight, Strasburg to throw sim game

Nationals manager Davey Martinez said Juan Soto will return to the lineup tonight for the final game of the two-game set against the Mets. The skipper was assured that Soto was ready to go. He will play left field and bat in the cleanup spot against Mets starter Rick Porcello. "I talked to him last night," Martinez said on the pregame Zoom video call. "He did everything yesterday and he felt good. He said he is ready. He took a bunch of swings yesterday. I know he ran, he did some outfield...

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Despite loss, Soto "feels good to be back," contributes RBI double

August 05, 2020, 6:24pm

Nationals

Despite loss, Soto "feels good to be back," contributes RBI double

After missing the first 13 days of the regular season, Juan Soto took the field for the first time in 2020 for a game that counted, going 2-for-4 with a double and RBI in the Nationals' 3-1 setback against the Mets at Nats Park Wednesday night. Despite the loss, Soto was happy to finally return and play after being away from the team due to a positive test result for COVID-19. "It feels good to be back, be with the team, try to have fun in the game and everything," Soto said during a...

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Nats DFA BonifÃ¡cio, option Bourque to get roster to 28

August 06, 2020, 7:40am

Nationals

Nats DFA BonifÃ¡cio, option Bourque to get roster to 28

In order to get down to the league-mandated 28-man roster by noon ET today, the Nationals optioned right-hander James Bourque to their Fredericksburg site and designated for assignment veteran Emilio BonifÃ¡cio. With the return of Wander Suero, Bourque's appearances would have diminished. Bourque appeared in two games, most recently 1/3 of an inning July 28 against the Blue Jays in which he walked Teoscar HernÃ¡ndez and induced a groundout by Cavan Biggio to end the ninth inning. On July...

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Martinez urging Kieboom to "have fun" in field

August 07, 2020, 3:38am

Nationals

Martinez urging Kieboom to "have fun" in field

Third baseman Carter Kieboom has played in four games for the Nationals this season, showing great patience at the plate and an eye for the strike zone. Kieboom is batting .417 (5-for-12) with four walks and one RBI. His on-base percentage is .563 and his OPS is .979. If he played a minimum amount of games, that OPS would rank 13th in the National League. On July 30 against the Blue Jays in a 6-4 victory, Kieboom went 2-for-2 with two walks and enjoyed a span of reaching base six consecutive...

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Strasburg set for season debut Sunday, Scherzer playing catch

August 07, 2020, 11:00am

Nationals

Strasburg set for season debut Sunday, Scherzer playing catch

Nationals manager Davey Martinez had good news to report as he began his pregame media conference Friday prior to the series opener against the Orioles. Martinez confirmed that Stephen Strasburg is back healthy from his right wrist injury and is set to make his season debut Sunday in the series finale. "He just felt good," Martinez said of Strasburg during the Zoom video call. "He's been throwing. We got him ready for his start so he's on his regular routine right now. He said he feels...

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Milone returns to Nats Park and delivers big win for his new team

August 07, 2020, 6:05pm

Nationals Orioles

Milone returns to Nats Park and delivers big win for his new team

Left-hander Tommy Milone returned to Nats Park, where he made his major league debut, and pitched his best game of this young season, scattering three hits over six shutout innings in the Orioles' convincing 11-0 victory over the Nationals. Milone did a great job of keeping the Nats lineup guessing, firing a mid-80's mph fastball, a 79-mph changeup and his slider. He recorded seven groundouts, four flyouts, three strikeouts and no walks in facing 22 batters. Starlin Castro had a double and a...

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Martinez likes Finnegan's work ethic, Fedde's versatility

August 08, 2020, 8:11am

Nationals Orioles

Martinez likes Finnegan's work ethic, Fedde's versatility

The Nationals have entered a span of 13 days of games scheduled without a break. Last week they were off Monday and Thursday, not to mention having last weekend's entire series with the Marlins postponed because of the coronavirus. Manager Davey Martinez said Friday he likes the notion of playing every day because it feels more like a normal season. "For me, on the schedule we have 13 days straight," Martinez said on a Zoom video call. "We are just trying to get through the day. That's the...

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Game 12 lineups: Nats vs. Orioles

August 09, 2020, 2:47am

Nationals Orioles

The Nationals must make a quick turnaround as they look to snap a three-game skid and avoid a sweep at the hands of the Orioles with an early Sunday afternoon series finale on the docket today at Nats Park. And the Nats (4-7) could not ask for a better pitcher to be their stopper, right-hander Stephen Strasburg (0-0), making his season debut after recovering from a right wrist injury that scratched his scheduled first start way back on July 25. The Nats need a spark, because at the start of...

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Rizzo on his contract status: "I'm not worried about it"

August 09, 2020, 9:00am

Nationals

Rizzo on his contract status: "I'm not worried about it"

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo met with the media Sunday prior to the series finale against the Orioles and talked about the state of his club after 11 games. He said there are some reasons the team has struggled out of the gate at 4-7. "They sound like excuses, so I'm not going to use 'em," Rizzo said on a Zoom video call. "But, yeah, obviously the unevenness of the schedule, that doesn't help with your routine, your rhythm, either on the mound or at the plate. But we're dealing...

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Martinez on suspended game: "It's part of this 2020 season"

August 09, 2020, 1:57pm

Nationals Orioles

Martinez on suspended game: "It's part of this 2020 season"

The Orioles scored five runs in a big fifth inning off of Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg and led 5-2 in the top of the sixth inning when a rain delay was called on the field. Heavy rains lasted 20 minutes at Nats Park. But the bigger problem occurred when the grounds crew was unable to get the tarp on the field before the infield became unplayable. The tarp somehow became tangled as the grounds crew tried to unroll it, preventing them from unfurling it in time to protect the infield from...

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Strasburg on concern over feeling in wrist and thumb: "I felt it"

August 10, 2020, 3:45am

Nationals Orioles

Strasburg on concern over feeling in wrist and thumb: "I felt it"

Sunday began with Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo feeling pretty good about getting Stephen Strasburg back for his season debut. The right-hander had been out since being scratched from his first start on July 25 due to a right wrist impingement, which was causing tingling in his thumb. Max Scherzer is back on the schedule after his last start went only 27 pitches due to a sore right hamstring. He is expected back tomorrow night at New York. With Patrick Corbin and AnÃbal SÃ¡nchez...

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Harris back with Nats, live BP session set for Tuesday

August 10, 2020, 1:27pm

Nationals

Harris back with Nats, live BP session set for Tuesday

Reliever Will Harris made the trip to New York as a member of the five-man Nationals taxi squad, a good sign that if everything goes well this week, he could be back in the bullpen at the end of this series or in Baltimore. Manager Davey Martinez said Harris will throw to live batters tomorrow and that will be the final test to see how his tender groin has recovered the past 10 days. "I talked to him today (and) he said he felt good," Martinez said on a pregame Zoom call from Citi Field. "We...

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Fastball velocity a tick off, but Corbin's slider lethal again

August 10, 2020, 7:20pm

Nationals

Fastball velocity a tick off, but Corbin's slider lethal again

Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin used his slider, mixing it at different speeds, and rode a huge early lead to dismantle the Mets 16-4 in the first game of a four-game series Monday night at Citi Field. New York was held to five hits with Corbin on the hill. The left-hander used his slower slider early in counts, and then turned the velocity up later in at-bats to baffle the Mets lineup. He struck out four, allowing doubles to Jeff McNeil and Wilson Ramos. But those were the only two...

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Romero looks "fearless," could be added to roster if Nats need lefty

August 11, 2020, 12:58pm

Nationals

Romero looks "fearless," could be added to roster if Nats need lefty

Nationals manager Davey Martinez announced Monday that the club's five-man taxi squad included left-hander Seth Romero, who has never pitched in the major leagues. The 2017 first-round selection out of the University of Houston missed all of the 2019 season as he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery. It was an interesting choice, showing the Nats have confidence in Romero and his stuff and believe that he is very close to making that next step. Plus, looking at the structure of the Nats bullpen...

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Turner's early homer and late sliding catch bookend 2-1 win for Nats

August 11, 2020, 7:32pm

Nationals

Turner's early homer and late sliding catch bookend 2-1 win for Nats

Trea Turner went 2-for-4, smacking a solo homer over the right field wall on the game's second pitch and then helping the Nationals with his defense late in a nail-biting 2-1 win over the Mets at Citi Field on Tuesday night. The blast was the 10th leadoff home run of his career, a new Nationals record. With a home run and a single to start the contest, Turner was in the midst of five hits in his last six at-bats in the series. He now has two homers in the first two games in New York. After...

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Game 15 lineups: Nats at Mets

August 12, 2020, 11:47am

Nationals

The Nationals love wearing their gray road uniforms. The Nats are finding all kinds of ways to win games, blowouts and pitcher's duels, all on the road. They won Monday night, 16-4, and Tuesday night, 2-1. Overall, they are 4-0 on the road this season, counting the two games with Toronto that had to be played at Nats Park. Manager Davey Martinez joked after their first game in New York they might wear the gray road uniforms more often. The Nationals are now 66-42 (.611) in their last 108 games...

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Concern for Strasburg's hand; Harris likely back tomorrow

August 12, 2020, 12:57pm

Nationals

Concern for Strasburg's hand; Harris likely back tomorrow

Nationals manager Davey Martinez said Stephen Strasburg has still got some tingling in his hand, something the right-hander reported feeling again after his last start Sunday afternoon at Nats Park against the Orioles. "I was a little bit concerned," Martinez said during his pregame Zoom video call. "We will see how he feels. Yesterday he threw a little bit. He still felt it, so we will see where he is at. It's raining right now, so we will see if he can go out there and throw again today....