nationals

Game 77 lineups: Nats vs. Rays

June 29, 2021, 12:38pm

It's a rare thing when a ballclub plays three different opponents on three consecutive days, but that's the case for the Nationals tonight. After wrapping up their weekend series with the Marlins on Sunday, then facing the Mets in a one-off makeup game Monday, tonight they welcome the Rays to town for the first of two games in an interleague series. These two teams split a series at Tropicana Field a couple weeks ago, but things have changed a bit since then. The Nationals have gotten red...

Comments

Tags:

joe ross kyle schwarber lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman tampa bay rays victor robles frontstory_nationals1

Robles out of lineup with sore knee, but able to take BP

June 28, 2021, 2:08pm

Nationals

Robles out of lineup with sore knee, but able to take BP

Victor Robles is out of the Nationals lineup, his right knee still bothering him enough to keep him from starting against the Mets one day after he was struck by a pitch in Miami. It was not bothering the 24-year-old center fielder enough, though, to keep him from participating in batting practice, suggesting he may not need to miss much time. Robles took a full round of BP with teammates, and though he wasn't moving around at full strength, he didn't appear to be significantly...

Comments

Tags:

andrew stevenson daniel hudson mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime new york mets stephen strasburg victor robles featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

After winning trip, Nats face daunting stretch to close first half

June 27, 2021, 7:26pm

Nationals

After winning trip, Nats face daunting stretch to close first half

Here's what the Nationals accomplished over the last two weeks: By winning 11 of 14 games, they climbed their way out of a significant hole, briefly reached the .500 mark and moved into sole possession of second place in the National League East, now within striking distance of the first-place Mets. It was the best two-week stretch this club has experienced since the end of the 2019 season, a true turnaround for a team that looked ready to collapse altogether and head into a long, hot summer...

Comments

Tags:

davey martinez mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime new york mets trea turner featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Nationals ride homers, Scherzer to victory in Miami (updated)

June 27, 2021, 12:18pm

Nationals

There are any number of reasons you can point to for why the Nationals have won or lost a ballgame this season, but here's a simple one to consider: When they hit a home run, they usually win. When they don't, they usually don't. And when they clear the fence twice in the same inning, as they did today during a 5-1 win over the Marlins? Well, that's about as good a piece of evidence as you'll get to foretell a Nats victory. Trea Turner and Josh Bell provided the big blows in this one, each...

Comments

Tags:

josh bell mark zuckerman max scherzer miami marlins nationals nationals pastime trea turner victor robles featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 76 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

June 28, 2021, 11:38am

Nationals

And so begins the closing stretch of the first half of the 2021 season, a stretch that will test the Nationals unlike any that have come before. Fourteen games in 14 days, all against contending teams. It begins tonight with a one-off against the Mets, another makeup from the season-opening series that was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The great mystery for the last 24 hours has been the identity of the Nats' starting pitcher tonight. This should've been Erick Fedde's game, but...

Comments

Tags:

gerardo parra lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime new york mets paolo espino victor robles frontstory_nationals1

Game 75 lineups: Nats at Marlins (Fedde to IL)

June 27, 2021, 6:58am

Nationals

Game 75 lineups: Nats at Marlins (Fedde to IL)

Forty-eight hours ago, the Nationals were feeling as good about themselves as they had in a while. Winners of five straight and 10 of 11, they had reached the .500 mark for the first time since May 2. What's happened since then? They've lost two in a row to the Marlins, fallen back into their offensive funk and have now seen their second-most reliable starting pitcher get hurt. Erick Fedde was placed on the 10-day injured list this morning with an oblique strain, an unexpected development to...

Comments

Tags:

erick fedde lineups mark zuckerman max scherzer miami marlins nationals nationals pastime

Parra continues to carve out niche with Nats

June 26, 2021, 11:23am

Nationals

Parra continues to carve out niche with Nats

Asking Nationals manager Davey Martinez to pinpoint what he likes most about what Gerardo Parra brings to the club is like asking a parent in a large family which child he loves the most. There's really no answer to the question, but each different facet of Parra's game seems to make Martinez take notice. Though Parra hasn't played regularly since 2018, his last of three seasons with the Rockies, he's figured a way - ways, really - to make clubs make room for him. You need a versatile...

Comments

Tags:

davey martinez gerardo parra nationals nationals pastime pete kerzel juan soto josh bell featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Fedde's strain believed mild, Strasburg throws off mound

June 27, 2021, 8:29am

Nationals

Fedde's strain believed mild, Strasburg throws off mound

Erick Fedde felt nothing during his start Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia. But when the Nationals right-hander woke up Thursday morning in Miami, his left side was bothering him. The club told him to take it easy, and he didn't attempt to throw his typical bullpen session between starts. And after an MRI revealed what manager Davey Martinez called "a minor strain of his left oblique," Fedde was placed on the 10-day injured list this morning. It's the latest blow to a Nationals rotation...

Comments

Tags:

andres machado erick fedde mark zuckerman miami marlins nationals nationals pastime stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Corbin delivers quality, but Nats struggle versus rookie (updated)

June 26, 2021, 2:56pm

Nationals

Corbin delivers quality, but Nats struggle versus rookie (updated)

Patrick Corbin followed a familiar script, allowing an opponent to take an early lead before settling in to record a quality start. And while the Nationals eventually knotted the score, they did precious little against a 27-year-old rookie making his fourth major league start. Zach Thompson kept the Nats at bay, striking out 11 in six innings, and Jon Berti's tiebreaking solo homer in the fifth inning - the only hit Corbin allowed after the opening frame - gave the Marlins a 3-2 win over the...

Comments

Tags:

juan soto kyle schwarber nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin pete kerzel starlin castro featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Nationals recall Andres Machado

June 27, 2021, 5:33am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Andres Machado from Triple-A Rochester and placed right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to June 24) with an oblique strain on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Machado, 28, has pitched to a 2.63 ERA (4 ER/13.2 IP) with 18 strikeouts, three walks and one home run allowed in 10 games out of Triple-A Rochester's bullpen. He's tossed...

Comments

Tags:

Nationals News Release nationals

Game 74 lineups: Nats at Marlins

June 25, 2021, 7:52pm

Nationals

If the Nationals are going to get back to .500 and start another winning streak, they'll need to figure out an unknown quantity in right-hander Zach Thompson, who faces them for the first time this afternoon in Miami. Thompson's early returns since being summoned from Triple-A Jacksonville have been impressive. The 27-year-old, signed as a minor league free agent in November after six minor league seasons in the White Sox organization, is 1-2 with a 1.50 ERA and 1.000 WHIP in three starts....

Comments

Tags:

josh bell kyle schwarber lineups nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin pete kerzel

Martinez on Bell's return and Parra's start

June 26, 2021, 10:53am

Nationals

Martinez on Bell's return and Parra's start

When the Nationals posted their lineup for this afternoon's game in Miami, two things jumped out: Josh Bell was back at first base after sitting out two games with a sore right side that required a precautionary MRI and Victor Robles was on the bench, with Gerardo Parra getting his first start in center field since 2019. Bell has been one of the Nationals' hottest hitters over the past six weeks, batting .298 with a .360 on-base percentage, a .544 slugging percentage and a .904 OPS since May...

Comments

Tags:

daniel hudson davey martinez gerardo parra josh bell kyle finnegan nationals nationals pastime pete kerzel stephen strasburg victor robles featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Bell expected back in lineup tonight after clean MRI

June 25, 2021, 9:12pm

Nationals

Bell expected back in lineup tonight after clean MRI

At the end of the worst game they've played in weeks Friday night, the Nationals did get some good news: Josh Bell appears to be fine and should even be in today's lineup against the Marlins. Bell, who had to be scratched from Thursday's lineup after complaining of tightness in his right side, underwent an MRI on Friday afternoon to see if he had strained his oblique muscle. But that test showed no strain, according to manager Davey Martinez, and the slugger was back taking swings later in...

Comments

Tags:

gerardo parra josh bell kyle schwarber mark zuckerman miami marlins nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Lester's dud sends Nationals to rare loss (updated)

June 25, 2021, 6:32pm

Nationals

When he stepped off the mound at the end of the sixth inning Saturday night at Nationals Park, Jon Lester felt as good as he has about himself in a long time. Ten starts into his first season in D.C., the veteran left-hander owned a 3.60 ERA. Anyone who reasonably expected anything more than that from the 37-year-old was being unreasonable. By the time he walked off the mound in the third inning tonight at loanDepot Park in Miami, Lester could not have felt anything like he did six days prior....

Comments

Tags:

jon lester kyle schwarber mark zuckerman miami marlins nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

As they await Bell's MRI, Nats prepping others at first base

June 25, 2021, 1:34pm

Nationals

As they await Bell's MRI, Nats prepping others at first base

As Davey Martinez sat down for his pregame Zoom session with reporters about 2 1/2 hours before first pitch in Miami, Josh Bell was in the process of getting an MRI on his right side. The results of that test will be on the Nationals manager's mind until he knows if his cleanup hitter can avoid a trip to the injured list. "He said he feels about the same (as Thursday)," Martinez said. "It's not bad, it's not horrible, but it's there. We'll see what happens when we get this MRI result...

Comments

Tags:

gerardo parra josh bell kyle schwarber mark zuckerman miami marlins nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

On Bell's oblique, Soto's doubles and reaching .500 again

June 24, 2021, 9:11pm

Nationals

On Bell's oblique, Soto's doubles and reaching .500 again

More news and observations after Thursday night's 7-3 win over the Marlins, the Nationals' 10th win in 11 games ... * Josh Bell was a late scratch from the lineup after reporting soreness on his right side. The Nats don't seem to believe it's anything serious, but they want to make sure he didn't strain an oblique muscle before putting him back on the field. "I didn't want to take any chances," manager Davey Martinez said in his postgame Zoom session with reporters. "He's going to go...

Comments

Tags:

davey martinez josh bell juan soto mark zuckerman miami marlins nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Schwarber's historic surge keeps Nats red-hot (updated)

June 24, 2021, 6:26pm

Nationals

Schwarber's historic surge keeps Nats red-hot (updated)

You could only laugh at the first one, because it was yet another leadoff homer by Kyle Schwarber, his fifth in 13 games since taking over the top spot in the Nationals lineup on a full-time basis a couple weeks ago. But the second one? A three-run blast one inning later? His 12th home run in 13 games? His eighth in five games? What was the appropriate reaction to that? Surely, it included a jaw dropped all the way to the floor, a glazed look in your eyes and an immediate sprint to your...

Comments

Tags:

davey martinez joe ross juan soto kyle schwarber mark zuckerman miami marlins nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 73 lineups: Nats at Marlins

June 25, 2021, 12:18pm

Nationals

You already know the Nationals have won 10 of 11 games. But did you know they've actually won nine games in a row that were scheduled to be nine innings? That's right, their last two losses came in doubleheader games that were scheduled for only seven innings (one of which turned into an eight-inning loss to the Giants). Their last nine-inning loss was June 11, the opener of their last homestand, when they lost 1-0 to San Francisco. So there's a chance tonight to make it 10 in a row in...

Comments

Tags:

jon lester kyle schwarber lineups mark zuckerman miami marlins nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman frontstory_nationals1

Espino's memorable week now includes first career save

June 23, 2021, 8:22pm

Nationals

Espino's memorable week now includes first career save

The call to the bullpen came after the bottom of the eighth, the Nationals at that point trailing the Phillies 12-11. Paolo Espino was told to warm up, and that he would be pitching the bottom of the ninth if his teammates managed to tie the game or take the lead. And when that's exactly what they did, getting a two-run single from Starlin Castro to go up 13-12 in the craziest game of the season, Espino began to make his way to the mound, now tasked with recording the final three outs but not...

Comments

Tags:

jordy mercer mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime paolo espino philadelphia phillies featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Hudson should be ready to throw off mound before Strasburg

June 24, 2021, 1:58pm

Nationals

Hudson should be ready to throw off mound before Strasburg

Davey Martinez had to get creative with his bullpen in order to win Wednesday's wild, 13-12 game in Philadelphia, ultimately asking Austin Voth, Tanner Rainey and Paolo Espino to record the final six outs. That's because closer Brad Hand was unavailable after pitching four of the previous five days, and because Daniel Hudson remains on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his right elbow. And it's still going to be a little while before Hudson is back on the active roster pitching in...