nationals

Soto not in Nats lineup after tweaking knee Thursday

August 06, 2021, 1:39pm

Davey Martinez arrived in the visitors' Zoom press conference room in Atlanta shortly before 5 p.m. today and immediately was asked about Juan Soto's status for the Nationals' series opener against the Braves. Martinez, while insisting he's not significantly concerned about his star slugger's right knee, made it clear he was hesitant to put him in tonight's lineup. "I'm at 50-50 right now, I really am," Martinez said. "Unless he comes in and says he's feels great, we might do...

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Ross strong, but Nats blow another late lead in loss (updated)

August 05, 2021, 3:55pm

Nationals

Ross strong, but Nats blow another late lead in loss (updated)

Erick Fedde was allowed to push his limits during a season-high 108-pitch outing on Sunday, emptying the tank and showing the Nationals what he can muster while on his last legs. Joe Ross, in a similar position as Fedde in this rotation, was able to do the same this afternoon, even in the Nats' eventual 7-5 loss to complete a sweep at the hands of the Phillies in front of 22,575 fans at home. Ross' case is a little different than Fedde's, since he didn't pitch last year and is still...

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Game 109 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

August 05, 2021, 8:50am

Nationals

This afternoon's series finale against the Phillies represents another opportunity for a young Nationals pitcher to go out and show what he can provide the team down the line, while also trying to avoid a four-game sweep at home. Joe Ross makes his 19th start of the year today. He's 5-9 with a 4.00 ERA after giving up five runs (four earned) in last weekend's start against the Cubs. In the start prior, he held this very Phillies club to just three hits over five scoreless innings in...

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McGowin nearing rehab assignment, coaches to be cleared Sunday

August 05, 2021, 11:21am

Nationals

McGowin nearing rehab assignment, coaches to be cleared Sunday

With the additions of new names and faces over the past week, the Nationals are still waiting for the returns of some familiar folks, hopefully sooner rather than later. On the field, the Nats are still without Kyle McGowin, who has been on the 10-day injured list since July 11 with right biceps fatigue. The right-handed reliever took a big step in his return this afternoon by throwing off the mound in the bullpen and then to live hitters on the field at Nationals Park. "He threw 24 pitches....

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Who starts opening day 2022 for the Nationals?

August 04, 2021, 9:59pm

Nationals

Upon recording his 10th strikeout of the night late Wednesday, Max Scherzer stalked off the mound at Dodger Stadium and returned to the home dugout, where a bunch of new teammates doled out high-fives and ultimately pushed the three-time Cy Young Award winner back up the steps to acknowledge a sellout crowd seeking a curtain call. On the other side of the country, Nationals fans could be excused for feeling sickened by the sight of it all. Scherzer wearing Dodger blue, striking out Jose Altuve...

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Kids show off power, but Nats lose third straight (updated)

August 04, 2021, 6:15pm

Nationals

Kids show off power, but Nats lose third straight (updated)

The Nationals and Phillies existed, for four months, in roughly the same neighborhood. Both star-laden teams struggled to get on any kind of a roll but kept themselves within close enough striking distance of the Mets to believe they might still have a shot at winning an exceptionally weak National League East this season. But then the Nats cratered over the final two weeks of July and decided to hold a fire sale, trading away nearly every veteran on their roster in an attempt to retool for the...

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Coaching staff remains out, Escobar returns to lineup

August 04, 2021, 1:59pm

Nationals

Coaching staff remains out, Escobar returns to lineup

One week after learning they had tested positive for COVID-19, two remaining Nationals players, five coaches and four other staffers still have not been cleared to rejoin the club. Manager Davey Martinez said the affected personnel are anxious to get back to work but are forced to remain away from the team until getting the green light from officials. "Not yet. Nothing," Martinez said during his Zoom session with reporters prior to tonight's game against the Phillies. "We're still waiting...

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Nats to open 2022 at Mets, home opener vs. Phillies

August 04, 2021, 9:38am

Nationals Orioles

Nats to open 2022 at Mets, home opener vs. Phillies

The Nationals will open the 2022 season at Citi Field, facing the Mets, before returning to D.C. to host the Phillies in their home opener four days later. Major League Baseball is nothing if not predictable when it comes to scheduling. The league unveiled its 2022 schedule today, and it features all kinds of familiar-looking matchups. The Nationals open March 31 on the road against the Mets, the fourth consecutive year they will have been scheduled to face New York on opening day, though the...

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After "crazy couple of days," Adams hopes to stay in D.C.

August 03, 2021, 8:43pm

Nationals

After "crazy couple of days," Adams hopes to stay in D.C.

Riley Adams was in Worcester, Mass., on Thursday, preparing to play that night for the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate against Red Sox prospects, when he learned he needed to get to Rochester, N.Y., instead. He had just been traded to the Nationals for closer Brad Hand. After an emotional goodbye with his longtime teammates from the Blue Jays' system, the 25-year-old catcher made his way to Rochester, and on Friday he was in the Red Wings lineup, going 0-for-3 with two walks. And he was ready...

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Game 108 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

August 04, 2021, 12:05pm

Nationals

There are players we know are going to be part of the Nationals' plan in 2022, and there are players we know are not going to be part of their plan in 2022. And then there are those who don't really fall into either category. They aren't necessarily building blocks for the future, but they also still serve a valuable function and could return next year to do the same. Like Paolo Espino. At 34, he's hardly in position to be a long-term part of the Nationals rotation. But he's been really...

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Nats keep it interesting but can't rally vs. Phillies (updated)

August 03, 2021, 5:40pm

Nationals

Nats keep it interesting but can't rally vs. Phillies (updated)

The Nationals, no matter who remains on their ever-changing roster, continue to play well enough to keep themselves in every game. Give them that. Whether the organization's goal remains winning in 2021 or not, the players who still comprise the 26-man roster are doing everything in their limited power to try to pull it off. They managed to take two of three from the equally rebuilding Cubs over the weekend, and though they've now lost two in a row to the semi-contending Phillies, they had a...

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Nationals announce 2022 schedule

August 04, 2021, 9:34am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals - in conjunction with Major League Baseball - announced their 2022 schedule on Wednesday. The 18th season of Nationals baseball will commence with an Opening Day matchup against the New York Mets at Citi Field on March 31st. Opening Day 2022 will mark the sixth time the Nationals (2005-pres.) have faced the Mets on Opening Day. Washington's initial road trip will feature three games against the Mets before the home opener at Nationals Park against the Philadelphia...

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Thompson makes most of first appearance for Nats

August 02, 2021, 10:06pm

Nationals

Thompson makes most of first appearance for Nats

Mason Thompson had three days to think about his Nationals debut, time to sit in the bullpen and observe, time to get to know everyone, time to wonder how and when he would be called upon to take the mound for the first time. The time finally came in the top of the sixth Monday night, in a game with the Phillies that was tied 1-1 at the time. And based on what the Nationals saw from the 6-foot-7 reliever they acquired from the Padres at the trade deadline for Daniel Hudson, they couldn't have...

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Suero optioned to Rochester, Adams and Guerra join roster

August 03, 2021, 2:25pm

Nationals

Suero optioned to Rochester, Adams and Guerra join roster

The Nationals optioned Wander Suero to Triple-A Rochester this afternoon, demoting the struggling reliever in hopes of getting him straightened out after a series of late-inning meltdowns that culminated with a blown save Monday night. Suero was one of two players removed from the active roster prior to tonight's game, joining catcher RenÃ© Rivera, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right elbow contusion. To fill those spots, the Nationals called up just-acquired catcher Riley...

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Game 107 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

August 03, 2021, 12:01pm

Nationals

Games like last night, when a recently acquired prospect makes his debut, are about the future. Games like tonight, when a struggling veteran takes the mound yet again, are about something else. Patrick Corbin is part of the Nationals' future, but that's only because his contract dictates it. He's signed for three more seasons and still owed $82 million. He's not going anywhere. So the Nats need Corbin to figure out how to be an effective pitcher again, something he hasn't been since the...

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Gray impresses in debut, but bullpen blows it in ninth (updated)

August 02, 2021, 6:23pm

Nationals

Gray impresses in debut, but bullpen blows it in ninth (updated)

There are going to be more nights like this at Nationals Park the rest of the season, nights that include legitimate reason for optimism and then legitimate reason for anguish. It's up to everyone - the players, the coaches, the front office, the fans - to decide what to care most about. On this unseasonably cool August Monday night, the optimists could look at Josiah Gray's Nationals debut and be thrilled with the young right-hander's five innings of one-run ball and long-term...

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While Escobar deals with injury, GarcÃa gets shot at short

August 02, 2021, 2:01pm

Nationals

While Escobar deals with injury, GarcÃa gets shot at short

It was lost in the shuffle a bit during a chaotic weekend that saw the Nationals undergo so much change, but infielder Alcides Escobar hasn't played since Friday, still dealing with a swollen left wrist after getting hit by a pitch. Escobar wasn't in the lineup for Saturday or Sunday's games against the Cubs, and he's again out of the lineup tonight against the Phillies, though he made some progress today when he played catch prior to the Nats' batting practice. "He's still going to be...

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Nationals recall Riley Adams, select contract of Javy Guerra

August 03, 2021, 11:56am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals recalled catcher Riley Adams and selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Javy Guerra from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday. Additionally, the Nationals placed catcher RenÃ© Rivera on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to Aug. 2) with a right elbow contusion and optioned right-handed pitcher Wander Suero to Triple-A Rochester. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Adams, 25, was acquired by the Washington...

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Should the Nats have locked up more of their own stars?

August 01, 2021, 9:19pm

Nationals

Should the Nats have locked up more of their own stars?

It started with Jordan Zimmermann and Ian Desmond, who departed after the 2015 season. Then came Bryce Harper following the 2018 season. And, of course, Anthony Rendon a few months after they won the 2019 World Series. The Nationals, an organization that long prided itself on developing its own star players, has seen nearly all of them depart once they reached free agency. There have been two notable exceptions over the years: Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg. Each was a high first-round...

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Game 106 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

August 02, 2021, 11:47am

Nationals

The debut of a promising young pitcher is always exciting. Perhaps the circumstances that preceded Josiah Gray's debut tonight at Nationals Park weren't cause for celebration, but now that it's happened it's worth embracing. This isn't Gray's major league debut; he pitched twice for the Dodgers in the last few weeks. But there's an entirely different kind of hype and pressure for this start than either of those. He's not just a prospect who was called up. He's now one of the prospects...