nationals

DC Sports Hall of Fame to add seven area greats as 2021 Inductees

April 29, 2021, 7:53am

Washington, D.C. - Five individuals who had distinguished careers in a variety of sports are among seven people who have been selected for induction into the Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame in 2021. The formal induction into the DC Sports Hall of Fame is conducted at Nationals Park prior to a Washington Nationals game. A date for the induction ceremony to recognize this year's honorees, as well as those selected to the Class of 2020, has yet to be scheduled. The 2021 DC Sports Hall of Fame...

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Lester still waiting for decision, Soto still waiting to throw

April 28, 2021, 1:38pm

Nationals

Lester still waiting for decision, Soto still waiting to throw

The Nationals haven't yet figured out their pitching plans for the weekend. And it doesn't appear they will until they've decided if Jon Lester truly is ready to make his long-awaited season debut. Lester, who opened the season on the COVID-19 injured list, has made three rehab starts at the club's alternate training site in Fredericksburg. On Sunday, he threw 90 pitches over six innings, which would typically be as much as a pitcher needed before he was activated. And the Nats may indeed...

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Bell recalls struggles in minors to help battle current slump

April 27, 2021, 9:17pm

Nationals

Bell recalls struggles in minors to help battle current slump

It's no secret that the Nationals need Josh Bell to have a good year in order to reach the levels of success they aspire for this season. That's what general manager Mike Rizzo was banking on when he acquired the slugging first baseman from the Pirates for two pitching prospects on Christmas Eve, the first big move of the offseason. And after he tore through Grapefruit League action by hitting .383 with a 1.328 OPS, six home runs and 15 RBIs, that's what the Nationals thought they were going...

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Game 21 lineups: Nats vs. Blue Jays in Dunedin

April 28, 2021, 11:44am

Nationals

Game 21 lineups: Nats vs. Blue Jays in Dunedin

The Nationals need to generate offense any way they can right now. How do they do that, given the resources currently available to them? They have to stick with some of their struggling regulars and sprinkle in some backups who create more favorable matchups. Tonight, with left-hander Steven Matz on the mound for the Blue Jays, that means an emphasis on right-handed hitters. Manager Davey Martinez decided the best way to do that was to stack four right-handed bats atop his lineup (Trea Turner,...

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Nats live and die by longball in 9-5 loss to Blue Jays (updated)

April 27, 2021, 6:07pm

Nationals

Nats live and die by longball in 9-5 loss to Blue Jays (updated)

If not for the date on the calendar, you would have thought Tuesday night's game was a late Grapefruit League matchup between the Nationals and Blue Jays. A spring training stadium only filled with 1,471 fans under a clear Florida night sky. Plenty of hard-hit balls and loud outs. Balls lost in the Florida breeze and the lack of major league lighting. And a handful of pitching changes, at least by one team. Alas, Tuesday night's game counted, and the Nationals found themselves on the wrong...

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Game 20 lineups: Nats at Blue Jays

April 27, 2021, 12:06pm

Nationals

Earlier this month, former Nationals catcher Jonathan Lucroy compared his time in D.C. to the storyline of the movie "The Replacements," in which Keanu Reeves leads a group of replacement players on the fictional Washington Sentinels to the playoffs in their fictional football league. (Of course, that movie was loosely based on the 1987 Washington Football Team replacements who won three games and helped the team go on to win the Super Bowl.) Well, I'm no Shane Falco, but I'll do my best as...

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Martinez on Turner's forearm, constructing lineup with DH

April 27, 2021, 2:24pm

Nationals

Martinez on Turner's forearm, constructing lineup with DH

The Nationals breathed a heavy sigh of relief earlier today when manager Davey Martinez spoke to Trea Turner and the shortstop told him that he was feeling well enough to play tonight. Turner was struck by a pitch in his left forearm during Sunday's series finale against the Mets at Citi Field and departed the contest early, adding yet another name to the long list of injury concerns. But after X-rays returned negative, Turner was diagnosed with a contusion and had Monday's scheduled off-day...

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Slumping at the plate, Schwarber is still performing in the field

April 26, 2021, 7:47pm

Nationals

Slumping at the plate, Schwarber is still performing in the field

Kyle Schwarber has not lived up to the standard expected of him through his first two weeks on the Nationals' active roster, and he'd be the first to admit that. The 28-year-old outfielder is batting an ice-cold .192 (10-for-52) with one homer, three RBIs, 18 strikeouts and only two walks in 13 games since coming off the COVID-19 injured list. There have been some hard-hit balls recently, including a 409-foot shot to the base of the wall in center field Sunday in New York that was snagged by...

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How do Nats find ways to score runs while Soto's out?

April 25, 2021, 8:03pm

Nationals

How do Nats find ways to score runs while Soto's out?

You can talk about the reasons the Nationals are currently 8-11 and point out that Juan Soto and Stephen Strasburg are currently on the injured list, that nobody in their rotation outside of Max Scherzer owns an ERA under 4.64 or that nine members of the opening day roster were in quarantine on opening day. And all of those are indeed among the reasons the Nats are 8-11 as they spend this off-day on the Florida Gulf Coast in advance of a two-game interleague series versus the Blue Jays at their...

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Nats hope healthy Zimmerman doesn't go cold after week off

April 25, 2021, 8:18am

Nationals

Nats hope healthy Zimmerman doesn't go cold after week off

It's not uncommon for Ryan Zimmerman to go an entire week without appearing in a major league game. This is a player, after all, who has dealt with every manner of injury throughout his 16-year career, and has required time off both in the short and long term to get his body right. But never before has Zimmerman missed an entire week while on the Nationals' active roster and, by all accounts, healthy enough to play. Until this week. It's been seven days since the face of the franchise showed...

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Corbin's struggles, Nats' mistakes lead to another loss (updated)

April 25, 2021, 11:53am

Nationals

Corbin's struggles, Nats' mistakes lead to another loss (updated)

The final tally - Mets 4, Nationals 0 - suggested a one-sided game. It suggested yet another rough start for Patrick Corbin and yet another lifeless afternoon at the plate for a Nats lineup that has been shut out five times in 19 games to begin the season. In reality, this had a chance to be a far more competitive ballgame, perhaps even a victory for the visitors. It proved not to be because the Nationals did just about everything in their power to spoil the countless opportunities they had to...

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Hernandez makes most of rare start, makes case for more

April 24, 2021, 7:53pm

Nationals

Hernandez makes most of rare start, makes case for more

Yadiel Hernandez has two stints on the Nationals roster already this season, once because of the club's end-of-spring COVID-19 outbreak and once because of Juan Soto's shoulder strain. He entered Saturday having taken 11 plate appearances in eight games, starting only one of them. So what did the 33-year-old rookie outfielder think when he learned he not only was in Saturday's lineup against the Mets, but would be batting second? "In reality, I wasn't expecting it," he said during a Zoom...

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Early offense, Ross' return to form produce blowout win (updated)

April 24, 2021, 3:27pm

Nationals

Early offense, Ross' return to form produce blowout win (updated)

Davey Martinez sat in a portion of the visitors' clubhouse at Citi Field designated for Zoom press conferences around 1:30 p.m. today and expressed a profound desire for his Nationals to do something in particular in their upcoming game against the Mets. "I think we need to start scoring earlier in the game," the Nats manager said. "We've been scoring runs late. We need to start scoring runs early to take a little bit of pressure off our starting pitching, and see where that takes...

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Game 19 lineups: Nats at Mets

April 25, 2021, 6:41am

Nationals

Despite what they might try to insist, managers are a superstitious lot. When something works one day, they tend to not want to change it up the next day. So when the Nationals scored a season-high seven runs Saturday with a new-look lineup, you shouldn't be surprised to see Davey Martinez go right back to the same lineup for today's series finale in New York. Yes, that means Josh Harrison and Yadiel Hernandez are at the top of the batting order again. And it means Josh Bell, despite his...

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Seeking offensive spark, Martinez trying out new look at top

April 24, 2021, 10:49am

Nationals

Seeking offensive spark, Martinez trying out new look at top

Few right now would envy Davey Martinez, whose challenge to fill out a nightly lineup card is about as daunting as it's been at any point in his four seasons as Nationals manager. Juan Soto is on the injured list. Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber are slumping. And Anthony Rendon is in Anaheim (albeit injured himself). So on the heels of a 6-0 loss to Jacob deGrom and the Mets - the Nats' fourth shutout loss in 17 games to begin the season - Martinez recognized he needed to try something different...

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With Soto out, Bell and Schwarber's slumps are magnified

April 23, 2021, 8:53pm

Nationals

With Soto out, Bell and Schwarber's slumps are magnified

Josh Bell has been late on fastballs since the slugger made his delayed season debut nearly two weeks ago. He's been trying to catch up ever since, and Friday night's game in New York did nothing to help that process along. Facing Jacob deGrom and his 100 mph fastball all night, Bell had no chance. He saw a total of 11 pitches in three at-bats, nine of which were fastballs, seven of which he swung at. He made contact twice, fouling off one pitch and lofting a lazy fly ball to center field on...

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Nationals helpless against brilliant deGrom (updated)

April 23, 2021, 5:48pm

Nationals

The Nationals know a thing or two about brilliant pitching performances. This is the franchise, after all, that has seen Max Scherzer throw two no-hitters and strike out 20 batters in another game, Stephen Strasburg strike out 14 in his major league debut and Jordan Zimmermann hold the Marlins hitless on the final day of the regular season. It takes a lot to impress these guys, and rightfully so. Tonight, though, might have done the trick. The Nats have never been no-hit since arriving in town...

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Game 18 lineups: Nats at Mets

April 24, 2021, 9:50am

Nationals

The Nationals had no chance last night against Jacob deGrom. They can only hope to have a better opportunity for success today against Marcus Stroman. Stroman doesn't have nearly deGrom's track record, but he's been no less effective to begin the season. The right-hander, who opted out of the 2020 campaign, is 3-0 with an 0.90 ERA, having shut down the Phillies twice and the Rockies once. Unlike deGrom, Stroman is a pitch-to-contact guy. He has only 11 strikeouts in 20 innings to date. But...

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Nats' four-man rotation creates crowded bullpen

April 23, 2021, 2:09pm

Nationals

Nats' four-man rotation creates crowded bullpen

The Nationals are proceeding for now with a four-man rotation, taking advantage of three scheduled off-days in the span of a week. But they're still keeping their current No. 5 starter, plus another starting prospect, on the pitching staff as relievers for this weekend's series against the Mets. With Erick Fedde, Joe Ross and Patrick Corbin scheduled to start the next three days at Citi Field, then an off-day Monday, there was no need to use a fifth starter. Max Scherzer will take the mound...

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Bullpen proving to be Nats' most reliable unit early in season

April 22, 2021, 7:24pm

Nationals

Bullpen proving to be Nats' most reliable unit early in season

It's been a while since the Nationals opened a season with a reliable bullpen. How long? Try five years. Way back in 2016, if anyone can remember ancient history, Dusty Baker's relief corps enjoyed a dominant April. That group ended the season's opening month with a 2.53 ERA and 1.03 WHIP, led by Jonathan Papelbon's eight saves, Shawn Kelley's 0.00 ERA and contributions from the likes of Blake Treinen, Matt Belisle, Oliver PÃ©rez and Yusmeiro Petit. Yeah, things have changed just a bit...