nationals

Nats call up another infielder, Schwarber wins Player of Month

July 02, 2021, 2:38pm

With Trea Turner's left middle finger getting better but not quickly enough to allow him to play tonight, and with an MRI of Jordy Mercer's right quadriceps showing a muscle strain, the Nationals were again faced with the prospect of taking the field without enough true infielders on their roster. On Thursday, they had no choice but to start backup catcher Alex Avila at second base. Tonight, they'll have a true infielder in the lineup, albeit one who wasn't really on anyone's radar....

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Nationals announce roster moves

July 03, 2021, 1:23pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals announced the following roster moves Saturday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements: * Acquired infielder Alcides Escobar from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for cash considerations and selected him to the active roster * Designated infielder Humberto Arteaga for assignment * Recalled catcher Tres Barrera from Triple-A Rochester * Recalled outfielder Yadiel Hernandez from Triple-A Rochester * Placed catcher...

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Nats attempting to add another infielder for tonight's game

July 01, 2021, 10:13pm

Nationals

Nats attempting to add another infielder for tonight's game

When two of their four major league middle infielders were unavailable due to injury and four more potential call-ups from their farm system likewise weren't available for promotion due to injury, the Nationals were left with no choice but to start 34-year-old backup catcher Alex Avila at second base for Thursday night's series opener against the Dodgers. To hear Davey Martinez discuss the state of things after the Nats' 6-2 loss in a rain-shortened five-inning game, they won't be caught in...

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Slam off Corbin in fifth seals storm-shortened loss (updated)

July 01, 2021, 6:15pm

Nationals

Slam off Corbin in fifth seals storm-shortened loss (updated)

Anyone with a smartphone and a weather app knew what was coming. It was approaching from the west and it was going to reach Nationals Park at some point this evening. It was just a question of when. And what the status of the Nationals' series opener against the Dodgers was going to be when it did arrive. The answer: It arrived moments after the Nats went down in order in the bottom of the fifth, which came moments after Patrick Corbin gave up five runs in the top of the inning. That meant...

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Game 80 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers

July 02, 2021, 12:31pm

Nationals

Here's some good news: There's no serious threat of rain tonight, the temperature and humidity have dropped and it should be a very pleasant Friday evening at the park as the Nationals and Dodgers play the second of four games this holiday weekend. And here's some more good news: Max Scherzer is on the mound. How good has the ace been? Well, over his last 10 starts, he's got a 1.70 ERA and hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of them. And he held these Dodgers to one run over six...

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Kyle Schwarber named National League Player of the Month

July 02, 2021, 1:04pm

Nationals

Kyle Schwarber named National League Player of the Month

Following a month in which he hit 16 home runs - including seven leadoff home runs - Washington Nationals left fielder Kyle Schwarber was named National League Player of the Month for June on Friday. Major League Baseball made the announcement on MLB Network. Schwarber, 28, led the National League in home runs (16), RBI (30), slugging percentage (.760) and OPS (1.122) during the month of June. His 16 home runs during the month of June were the most in any single month in Nationals history...

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Turner and Mercer out, Nats forced to start Avila at second

July 01, 2021, 2:58pm

Nationals

Turner and Mercer out, Nats forced to start Avila at second

The Nationals didn't submit tonight's starting lineup until 45 minutes before first pitch, the sense being they were waiting to see if any or all of Juan Soto, Trea Turner and Jordy Mercer were available to play after departing Wednesday's win over the Rays with injuries. Then the lineup came out, and Turner and Mercer were missing. Which leaves the Nats in a most precarious position: Backup catcher Alex Avila is starting at second base for the first time in his career. Yes, you read that...

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Nationals select the contract of Humberto Arteaga

July 02, 2021, 12:36pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals selected the contract of infielder Humberto Arteaga from Triple-A Rochester and placed infielder Jordy Mercer on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to July 1) with a strained right quad on Friday. Additionally, the Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Steven Fuentes and placed him on the 60-day Injured List with a right shoulder strain. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Arteaga, 27, joins the Nationals...

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Lester labors, but Nats take solace in his five-inning start

June 30, 2021, 9:37pm

Nationals

Lester labors, but Nats take solace in his five-inning start

Only once in his career had Jon Lester made a major league start on a hotter day, and that was 11 years prior when his Red Sox were in Texas on a 102-degree afternoon. So there was a built-in excuse for the veteran left-hander to use Wednesday after he slogged his way through five innings on a muggy 95-degree late afternoon at Nationals Park, if he chose to use it. Which he did not. Though the conditions were miserable, Lester would not give them any credence in affecting his performance during...

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Turner's third career cycle carries Nats to another win (updated)

June 30, 2021, 3:45pm

Nationals

Turner's third career cycle carries Nats to another win (updated)

The thermometer was loaded with mercury, the heat index was in triple digits, the ball was flying at Nationals Park, and as everyone else was dragging from exhaustion, there was Trea Turner racing around the bases in the bottom of the sixth, chasing history. Having already singled in the first, doubled in the third and homered in the fourth, here was Turner - on his 28th birthday - lining a ball over Manuel Margot's head in right field and immediately deciding it was time to turn on the...

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Game 79 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers

July 01, 2021, 12:31pm

Nationals

Good afternoon from Nationals Park, which just experienced a minor hurricane a few minutes ago. Seriously, it was intense. The skies have let up since then, and at this moment the forecast suggests it will be dry until about 8 p.m. That, of course, doesn't guarantee anything. So don't assume anything. As always, when we know something about the status of the game, we'll let you know. If they play, the Nationals will be looking to stay red hot against a particularly difficult opponent: the...

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Bullpen thin today, but help could be coming soon

June 30, 2021, 11:21am

Nationals

Bullpen thin today, but help could be coming soon

Asked during his pregame Zoom session with reporters around 2:15 p.m. who he planned to have pitching the late innings today if the Nationals hold a lead, Davey Martinez laughed like a manager who knew there was no simple answer to that question. "Actually, I've got a meeting at 3 o'clock with (pitching coach Jim) Hickey, so we're going to start figuring this stuff out," Martinez said. Suffice it to say, the situation is more complicated than it normally would be. Four key late-inning...

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If offered slot in Home Run Derby, Schwarber would likely pass

June 29, 2021, 9:59pm

Nationals

If offered slot in Home Run Derby, Schwarber would likely pass

Given the historic home run barrage he's been on over the last 2 1/2 weeks, it's only been natural to wonder if Kyle Schwarber is going to earn a coveted spot in the upcoming Home Run Derby at Coors Field. Schwarber, though, all but said Tuesday night he doesn't expect to find himself in Colorado in two weeks for the annual midsummer power exhibition that leads into the following night's All-Star Game. "If I was approached, I would probably not do it just in terms of ... you get a little...

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Game 78 lineups: Nats vs. Rays

June 30, 2021, 9:53am

Nationals

It is scorching hot today. It's going to be 95 degrees with a heat index well above 100 when the Nationals take the field at 4:05 p.m. for the finale of their two-game series with the Rays. If you've got tickets, make sure you dress appropriately and prepare to drink a lot of water. And, of course, make sure you're in your seats in time for the first pitch of the bottom of the first, when Kyle Schwarber digs in to face Rays opener Drew Rasmussen and tries to do it again. The current tally,...

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Schwarber starts with a bang, Hand hangs on late (updated)

June 29, 2021, 5:40pm

Nationals

Schwarber starts with a bang, Hand hangs on late (updated)

It's not quite on par with Dodger Stadium, but Nationals Park typically takes a couple innings to fill up most nights. Such is life in this traffic-infested town we call home. If you've got a ticket to watch the local nine, though, you might want to start budgeting some extra commuting time to make sure you're in your seats well before the first pitch of the bottom of the first. Because if you're not here, there's a good chance you're going to miss something memorable from the hottest...

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Cade Cavalli selected to All-Star Futures Game

June 30, 2021, 8:14am

Nationals

Cade Cavalli selected to All-Star Futures Game

One of the hottest pitchers in all of baseball resides in the Nationals farm system and is going to be in the national spotlight a couple of weeks from now during Major League Baseball's All-Star festivities, testing his talents with the best prospects the sport has to offer. Cade Cavalli has been selected to represent the organization in the 2021 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. The announcement was made earlier Wednesday morning on MLB Network's "MLB Central." Cavalli, 22, leads all of...

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Bullpen takes another hit with Rainey landing on IL

June 29, 2021, 1:15pm

Nationals

Bullpen takes another hit with Rainey landing on IL

A Nationals bullpen that already was being stretched thin with the losses of several key late-inning relievers to injury has lost another key late-inning reliever: Tanner Rainey, who today was placed on the 10-day injured list with a stress reaction in his lower right leg. It's a serious blow to a relief corps that has been trying to proceed without the services of Daniel Hudson, Kyle Finnegan and Will Harris and now enters a daunting closing stretch to the first half of the season against...

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Cavalli selected for 2021 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game

June 30, 2021, 7:30am

Nationals

Cavalli selected for 2021 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game

Washington Nationals top pitching prospect Cade Cavalli has been selected to represent the organization in the 2021 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. Major League Baseball made the announcement today on MLB Network's "MLB Central." The 22nd SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game features the top Minor League prospects competing as part of All-Star Sunday. Cavalli, 22, leads all of Minor League Baseball with 88 strikeouts and ranks among all Minor League pitchers in ERA (4th, 1.77), WHIP (7th, 0.89)...

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Soto doesn't have concrete answer for lack of power

June 28, 2021, 10:34pm

Nationals

Soto doesn't have concrete answer for lack of power

When Juan Soto steps to the plate these days, he does so with one task in mind: Get on base. Don't worry about hitting a ball 450 feet somewhere. Just do whatever it takes to reach, whether via single, walk or some other mechanism. And he's done quite well in that department, with a .396 on-base percentage that ranks among the league leaders. "Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do," Soto said Monday during a face-to-face interview with several reporters at Nationals Park. "Like I told the...

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With homer barrage, Nats take down Mets again (updated)

June 28, 2021, 6:09pm

Nationals

With homer barrage, Nats take down Mets again (updated)

As the balls flew off the bats of Kyle Schwarber (twice), Trea Turner and Gerardo Parra, and as Paolo Espino was carving up the Mets for five scoreless innings, the mood inside of Nationals Park was ... well, how exactly to describe this? Was it ecstasy? Was it delirium? Was it some emotion that has yet to be defined, because nobody in attendance had ever witnessed anything quite like this on a baseball field in a long time? And then how to describe the vibe as the Nationals bullpen turned a...