nationals

Hernandez finishing strong with an eye toward next season

September 07, 2021, 1:58pm

Yadiel Hernandez will turn 34 next month, and his youthful exuberance and willingness to do anything asked of him have ingratiated him to the Nationals, who may have to figure out how to keep him on the roster for the 2022 campaign. One thing that would make Hernandez's inclusion on the roster next season a no-brainer: if Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association can come to an agreement restoring the designated hitter to the National League, as was the case during the...

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Ruiz returns to lineup, Mercer begins rehab assignment

September 08, 2021, 2:22pm

Nationals

Ruiz returns to lineup, Mercer begins rehab assignment

Keibert Ruiz's much-hyped Nationals debut came eight days ago, in the club's homestand opener against the Phillies, with fellow former Dodgers prospect Josiah Gray on the mound. Since then, the rookie catcher has gone a pedestrian 3-for-21 at the plate, started four games, fouled a ball off his right knee and spent three days recovering from the bone bruise that caused. The Nats can only hope Ruiz will find his rhythm now that he's back in the lineup for tonight's game against the Braves....

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Nats' late rally goes for naught in 8-5 loss to Braves (updated)

September 07, 2021, 6:37pm

Nationals

Nats' late rally goes for naught in 8-5 loss to Braves (updated)

For the sixth straight game, the Nationals mounted a furious comeback, erasing a 5-1 deficit by scoring four times in the seventh to give themselves new life in the opener of their series against the Braves in Atlanta. Yadiel Hernandez's three-run homer in the seventh knotted the score at 5-5, but switch-hitter Ozzie Albies, hitting right-handed against righty Ryne Harper in the bottom of the frame, hit a two-run homer as the Braves recorded an 8-5 victory on Tuesday night. Harper started the...

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Game 138 lineups: Nats at Braves

September 07, 2021, 6:03am

Nationals

While he's been one of the bright spots in an otherwise lost season, there's no way around the fact that as righty Paolo Espino's innings totals have gone up, his effectiveness has gone down. Espino (4-4, 4.08 ERA) starts tonight as the Nationals open a three-game series at Atlanta, and is hoping to deliver both some length and some efficiency. In six starts since the trade deadline, Espino is 1-2 wih a 6.57 ERA and an opponent slash line of .297/.336/.564. He's eclipsed five innings only...

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Martinez on Ruiz's knee, plans for Rogers and Thompson

September 07, 2021, 1:33pm

Nationals

Martinez on Ruiz's knee, plans for Rogers and Thompson

Catcher Keibert Ruiz continues to recover from a bone bruise on his right knee, but Nationals manager Davey Martinez is hopeful he will have the young backstop available off the bench tonight, assuming he gets through pregame activities without any issues. "He's gonna go catch in the bullpen, take (batting practice), he's gonna run a little bit," Martinez said in his pregame Zoom session with reporters before the Nats open a series in Atlanta. "The swelling's gone down a little, but he's...

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In a pinch, nobody's been better than Stevenson

September 06, 2021, 8:50pm

Nationals

In a pinch, nobody's been better than Stevenson

When Ryan Zimmerman drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the ninth Friday night, Nationals manager Davey Martinez immediately sent Andrew Stevenson out to pinch-run for the veteran. And wouldn't you know it, but minutes later Stevenson was racing around the bases and ultimately colliding with Mets catcher Chance Sisco en route to scoring the game-tying run. So when Zimmerman drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the eighth Monday afternoon, all eyes turned to the home dugout to see if Stevenson...

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Nats finally convert late, rally to beat Mets (updated)

September 06, 2021, 12:35pm

Nationals

Nats finally convert late, rally to beat Mets (updated)

All weekend, over the course of five games in four days, the Nationals battled their way back against the Mets. Three times they trailed, once by a whopping nine runs, and rallied to tie late, only to ultimately lose in the end. But today, in their final matchup of the season, the Nats finally finished the job. Down a run in the bottom of the ninth but owning at least some confidence in their ability to rally against the New York bullpen, the Nationals stormed back to win, 4-3, getting a...

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Ruiz out with bone bruise, Adams gets first drills at first base

September 06, 2021, 9:01am

Nationals

Ruiz out with bone bruise, Adams gets first drills at first base

Keibert Ruiz has a bone bruise in his right knee, the result of a foul ball he hit off himself Saturday, and remains unavailable to catch for today's series finale against the Mets. The Nationals planned to have their rookie start multiple games of this five-game weekend series, but he wound up catching only the first half of Saturday's doubleheader. Fouling a ball off his right knee in the second inning, he writhed in pain for several minutes before returning to the batter's box and...

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Still way too soon to know what kind of pitcher Gray will be

September 05, 2021, 8:53pm

Nationals

Still way too soon to know what kind of pitcher Gray will be

As you watched Josiah Gray alternate between misfiring pitches well outside of the strike zone to his arm side and leaving them right over the heart of the plate to be hammered by Mets hitters Sunday afternoon, you couldn't help but be alarmed. This was a bad start, and there was no way to try to frame it as anything other than that. It included six runs and seven hits allowed in three innings, two more homers surrendered and 82 pitches thrown. There was nothing for Gray to hang his hat on at...

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Game 137 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

September 06, 2021, 7:29am

Nationals

At long last, the Nationals and Mets wrap up their five-game holiday weekend series, not to mention their 19-game season series, this afternoon. These two teams have been playing each other way too much lately. In fact, 11 of the Nats' last 25 games have come against the Mets. I think I speak for everyone who has had to cover or watch all these games when I say: Thank God. As for today's finale, it's Patrick Corbin on the mound, trying desperately to put together a quality start and perhaps...

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Gray battered early, bullpen blasted late in 13-6 loss (updated)

September 05, 2021, 12:42pm

Nationals

Gray battered early, bullpen blasted late in 13-6 loss (updated)

On a day in which they watched their brightest young starting pitcher get beat around for the second time in a week, the Nationals yet again found a way to overcome an early deficit and make the Mets sweat. And they yet again found a way to turn a potentially inspiring comeback into a calamitous, late-inning meltdown that made it all moot. At some point, this young team needs to show it has the ability to finish what it starts. Comebacks are nice, but curly W's are better. So it was that in...

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Game 136 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

September 05, 2021, 7:37am

Nationals

The Nationals and Mets have already played three games in this holiday weekend series, and they're not even close to wrapping it up just yet. They face off this afternoon, then will return Monday afternoon for the Labor Day finale of a rare, five-game set. After the craziness of Saturday's doubleheader, everyone would appreciate a simpler affair today. And the Nats would love to get another quality start from Josiah Gray, who failed to turn in a quality performance last time out for the first...

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Rogers stays on roster, Parra placed on IL

September 05, 2021, 8:37am

Nationals

Rogers stays on roster, Parra placed on IL

Josh Rogers is going to get another chance to pitch for the Nationals. Gerardo Parra may not get another chance to play for them. The club decided to keep Rogers on the active roster following his impressive debut Saturday night as a fill-in starter for a doubleheader split with the Mets, and manager Davey Martinez said the left-hander is likely to going to make at least one more start. In order to keep Rogers on the roster, though, the Nationals placed Parra on the 10-day injured list with...

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Martinez not worried about Ruiz's slow start at bat

September 04, 2021, 2:30pm

Nationals

Martinez not worried about Ruiz's slow start at bat

A week into Keibert Ruiz's Nationals tenure, the promising young catcher is assuming the bulk of the workload behind the plate but still trying to find his way offensively. A 1-for-5 afternoon in the Nats' 11-9 loss to the Mets left Ruiz's slash line at .148/.148/.259. Manager Davey Martinez is paying close attention to the rookie, who was anointed the organization's top prospect after coming from the Dodgers with pitcher Josiah Gray in the deal that sent pitcher Max Scherzer and shortstop...

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Newcomer Rogers beats Mets, halts skid at seven (updated)

September 04, 2021, 5:15pm

Nationals

Newcomer Rogers beats Mets, halts skid at seven (updated)

An unknown quantity produced some much-needed quality for the Nationals on Saturday night. Lefty Josh Rogers - whose contract was selected from Triple-A Rochester to start the nightcap of a doubleheader because he was on turn and filled a need - threw 5 2/3 innings of four-hit, three-run ball as the Nationals beat the Mets 4-3 to snap a seven-game losing streak. Employing a herky-jerky old-school windup with an occasional hint of hesitation, Rogers gave the Nationals the length they needed to...

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Nats rally from 9-0 hole, fall 11-9 to Mets in extras (updated)

September 04, 2021, 1:11pm

Nationals

Nats rally from 9-0 hole, fall 11-9 to Mets in extras (updated)

Erick Fedde is still searching for consistency and the Nationals continue to seek an elusive victory. Francisco Lindor led off the ninth inning with a moonshot two-run homer off Kyle Finnegan and the Mets, who blew a 9-0 lead and allowed the Nats to tie the game on Andrew Stevenson's two-run homer in the seventh, outlasted the Nats 11-9 in nine innings in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. Lindor connected on a 97 mph Finnegan sinker, completing a four-RBI day with a...

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Rogers joins Nationals, will start nightcap vs. Mets

September 04, 2021, 7:51am

Nationals

The Nationals have selected the contract of left-hander Josh Rogers from Triple-A Rochester, and he will be the 29th man for today's doubleheader against the Mets and will start the nightcap. "He'll start the second game," manager Davey Martinez said during his morning Zoom briefing with reporters. "Four-pitch mix and he throws strikes. ... Wanna give him a shot and see what he can do." Rogers, 27, was 7-3 with a 3.70 ERA in 14 games, including 13 starts, for Rochester this season. He...

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Kieboom making most of latest opportunity to impress Nats

September 03, 2021, 1:52pm

Nationals

Kieboom making most of latest opportunity to impress Nats

As the Nationals use the waning weeks of a lost season to gauge what they have moving forward, it won't be unusual to see some new faces in the lineup or some known quantities in different spots in the batting order. That's part of a retooling, and manager Davey Martinez wants to use real-time opportunities to see what he's got to work with for next season and beyond. But while some skippers in a rebuild will throw caution to the wind and seem to worry less about wins and losses, Martinez is...

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Game 135 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

September 04, 2021, 2:06pm

Nationals

With their losing streak at seven games, the Nationals will send left-hander Josh Rogers to the mound against the Mets in the nightcap of today's doubleheader. Gametime is scheduled for 6:55 p.m. after the extra-inning loss in the opener, and "Nats Xtra" pregame will air at 6:30 p.m. on MASN. Rogers was 7-3 2ith a 3.70 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) for Triple-A Rochester. He was signed to a minor league contract by the Nats on June 4, three days after he was released by the Orioles. The...

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Game 134 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

September 03, 2021, 9:09pm

Nationals

If the Nationals are going to halt their six-game skid, they're going to need a decent start from right-hander Erick Fedde (6-9, 5.08 ERA), who goes in the seven-inning opener of a doubleheader this afternoon. Though he's coming off a loss to the Mets on Sunday at Citi FIeld, Fedde has won two of his last three outings after a stretch that saw him drop four consecutive decisions. In his 9-4 loss to the Mets in his last start, Fedde allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits over 5 1/3...