nationals

Lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in West Palm Beach

March 05, 2021, 9:46am

Max Scherzer is on the mound tonight for the Nationals, so all is right with the world. At least, as right as is possible these days. The ace right-hander, who sprained his left ankle about two weeks before pitchers and catchers reported to West Palm Beach, Fla., has overcome the injury and built his arm back up to be able to pitch tonight against the Cardinals. In the end, he's actually the first member of the Nationals' projected opening day rotation to start a game this spring. Scherzer is...

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Cavalli, Rutledge overcome nerves in spring debuts

March 04, 2021, 12:25pm

Nationals

Cavalli, Rutledge overcome nerves in spring debuts

There were nerves, for sure. This was, after all, the first time Cade Cavalli and Jackson Rutledge had pitched in a big league spring training game. Not to mention the first time either of the Nationals' top two pitching prospects had faced hitters from another organization in a year. So it perhaps wasn't surprising when Cavalli opened the bottom of the second today in Port St. Lucie, Fla., with a walk and a misplayed comebacker. Nor was it surprising when Rutledge opened the bottom of the...

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Romero and Braymer stretching out as starters

March 03, 2021, 1:04pm

Nationals

Romero and Braymer stretching out as starters

The Nationals have been very clear about how they will utilize their top pitching prospects. Guys like Jackson Rutledge and Cade Cavalli project to be front-line starters, and general manager Mike Rizzo has confirmed that's the path the organization has set them on. But the futures of some mid-level prospects aren't as certain. Guys like Seth Romero and Ben Braymer have pitched both as starters and relievers throughout their careers, dating back to their time in college and continuing through...

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Rainey building arm back up after "minor muscle strain"

March 04, 2021, 6:13am

Nationals

Rainey building arm back up after "minor muscle strain"

None of the Nationals' projected late-inning relievers have made their spring debuts yet. Mostly, that's by design as the club slowly builds them up during the first two weeks of camp. One of them, however, has been held back not by design but by injury. Tanner Rainey, the most promising young arm in the Nats' relief corps, has been dealing with what manager Davey Martinez termed a "minor muscle strain" near his right collarbone. The right-hander was shut down for several days but has...

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Lineups: Nats vs. Mets in Port St. Lucie

March 04, 2021, 5:03am

Nationals

Lineups: Nats vs. Mets in Port St. Lucie

There are some notable names making the 45-minute trip from West Palm Beach, Fla., to Port St. Lucie today for the Nationals' exhibition game against the Mets. Ryan Zimmerman, Kyle Schwarber and Carter Kieboom are all in the lineup. So is Yan Gomes, making his spring debut behind the plate. And so is Victor Robles, whose left arm appears to be fine one day after he was hit by a pitch. (Stop us if you've heard that one before.) But the most intriguing names in today's game might well be a...

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Schwarber's swing fix got a head start, thanks to Long's visit

March 03, 2021, 7:24pm

Nationals

Schwarber's swing fix got a head start, thanks to Long's visit

Kyle Schwarber had only been a National for a handful of days. It was mid-January, and the former Cubs left fielder was just starting to chat with his new hitting coach, Kevin Long. The two talked about Schwarber's struggles last season and the state of his swing, and Long mentioned that he could come visit him at his offseason home in Tampa and work one-on-one in person. "Let's go!" Schwarber told him. "I'm ready." "All right," Long replied. "I'll be there in three days." So it was...

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In first test of new lineup, Nats get homers from two new sluggers

March 03, 2021, 12:11pm

Nationals

In first test of new lineup, Nats get homers from two new sluggers

For the first time this spring, manager Davey Martinez wrote out a lineup card featuring his six best players in the order he appears to prefer. And for the first time, the Nationals' two biggest offensive additions of the winter showed off the power that could make this such a potent and deep lineup. That Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber's home runs were each solo shots prevented the Nats from keeping pace with a Marlins lineup that clubbed out six early runs before hanging on for an 8-5 victory...

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Lester leaves camp to have thyroid removal surgery

March 03, 2021, 6:14am

Nationals

Lester leaves camp to have thyroid removal surgery

Jon Lester is leaving Nationals camp in West Palm Beach, Fla., today and will travel to New York in order to have surgery to remove his thyroid gland, manager Davey Martinez revealed this morning. Lester, the 37-year-old veteran left-hander signed over the winter following long and memorable stints with the Red Sox and Cubs, is expected to return to the club in about a week and should be cleared to pitch immediately, provided Friday's scheduled surgery goes smoothly. "If everything goes well,...

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Report: Nationals eyeing Cuban Vaquero on international front

March 03, 2021, 7:55am

Nationals

When the new international signing period begins, likely in January, the Nationals are expected to make a big splash to sign one of the top outfielders in the class. Baseball America reports the Nationals are expected to use most of their pool money on Cuban outfielder Cristian Vaquero, a 16-year-old left-handed hitter. "Vaquero is a dynamic center fielder with plus speed, a strong arm and good defensive instincts for his age," Baseball America wrote, listing Vaquero as the player who will...

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Long explains contract issue that briefly left him unemployed

March 02, 2021, 7:02pm

Nationals

Long explains contract issue that briefly left him unemployed

Kevin Long was unemployed for about two weeks last fall, two weeks that confused a lot of Nationals fans and observers, given the hitting coach's strong reputation in the sport and success during three seasons in Washington. Was Long really let go by the organization just as pitching coach Paul Menhart and third base coach Chip Hale were around the same time? And if so, how did he end up coming back to the Nats a couple weeks later and now find himself in West Palm Beach, Fla., preparing for...

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Nationals announce Read Like A Champion Summer Reading Program

March 03, 2021, 7:30am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals are proud to announce the Read Like A Champion Summer Reading program. For the last seven years, the Washington Nationals have partnered with area libraries to address the "summer slide" - the loss of learning that children and teens experience when they do not read during summer vacation - and to bring the joys of reading to as many homes as possible. Since the program first began, almost 100,000 participants have logged over 300,000 hours of reading and the program...

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Scherzer, Soto ready; Kieboom had LASIK; no fans in D.C. yet

March 02, 2021, 10:59am

Nationals

Scherzer, Soto ready; Kieboom had LASIK; no fans in D.C. yet

Max Scherzer and Juan Soto appear to be good to go after suffering minor injuries and are expected to make their spring training game debuts in the next few days. Scherzer, who sprained his left ankle two weeks before camp opened, threw to live hitters Monday for the first time this spring. He is scheduled to throw a light bullpen session Wednesday, and barring any setbacks is lined up to start Friday night against the Cardinals, according to pitching coach Jim Hickey. "As long as he responds...

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Lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in West Palm Beach

March 03, 2021, 5:23am

Nationals

Lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in West Palm Beach

Juan Soto, as promised, is making his spring debut today in West Palm Beach, Fla. And Soto, as speculated for a while around here, is going to be batting second as part of a potentially newfangled top of the Nationals lineup. Manager Davey Martinez is trotting out 1-2-3 of Victor Robles, Soto and Trea Turner, a combination that seemed possible for a while but had not actually been utilized previously. It certainly has potential, if Robles can do his part and get on base at a much higher clip as...

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Voth sees improvement in one-inning debut

March 01, 2021, 7:54pm

Nationals

Voth sees improvement in one-inning debut

There wasn't much for Austin Voth to hang his hat on in 2020, and he'd be the first to admit it. The right-hander endured through a pretty miserable summer, which at one point included an 0-5 record and an 8.26 ERA. But sometimes all it takes is one positive moment to lift a downtrodden athlete's spirit. Like that one gorgeous drive a hack golfer hits off the 18th tee at the end of an otherwise awful round, one solid outing for a pitcher at season's end can do wonders for his confidence. So...

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Zimmerman homers, feels good in first game in a year

March 01, 2021, 12:11pm

Nationals

Zimmerman homers, feels good in first game in a year

Three hundred fifty-six days had passed since Ryan Zimmerman last took the field for an organized game of baseball. The world was a lot different back on March 10, 2020, when the Nationals faced the Marlins in Jupiter, Fla. Though the coronavirus was in the news, nobody imagined it would have the power to shut down the entire country two days later. So much has happened since then, and so much has changed. Yet when he trotted out to first base just after 1 p.m. today in West Palm Beach for the...

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Soto's spring debut delayed by foul ball off the foot

March 01, 2021, 6:29am

Nationals

Soto's spring debut delayed by foul ball off the foot

Juan Soto was all set to make his 2021 spring debut today in the Nationals' home opener in West Palm Beach, Fla. Then an errant foul ball foiled those plans and delayed the slugger's debut for at least a couple of days. Soto fouled a ball off his right foot during a live batting practice session Sunday, manager Davey Martinez said. Though the Nationals aren't considering this a serious injury, they didn't want to risk putting their young star on the field today, a full month before the...

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In spring debut, Fedde rides 28-pitch roller coaster

February 28, 2021, 6:47pm

Nationals

In spring debut, Fedde rides 28-pitch roller coaster

The last thing Erick Fedde wanted to do in his first inning of the spring Sunday was get into a bases-loaded jam before recording an out, then watch as Nolan Arenado strode to the plate and received a standing ovation for his first at-bat with the Cardinals. And when he promptly spiked a sinker in the dirt to bring home a run, Fedde's 2021 debut appeared on the brink of collapse. But then, an adjustment. And a flip of the script, turning a potentially disastrous first inning in Jupiter, Fla.,...

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A sense of normalcy in Nationals' first spring game with fans

February 28, 2021, 11:52am

Nationals

Normalcy - or, at least, some semblance of normalcy - returned to Florida today. On an 82-degree Sunday afternoon in Jupiter that included abundant sunshine at times and popup showers at others, the Nationals and Cardinals played a baseball game. At 1:05 p.m., Victor Robles dug in at the plate and took a 94-mph fastball from Jack Flaherty for strike one. Trea Turner singled and advanced Andrew Stevenson to third on a hit-and-run. Josh Bell took a 3-2 slider at the knees for a walk, and home...

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Lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

March 01, 2021, 5:08am

Nationals

Lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

The Nationals play their first home game of the spring this afternoon, and there's good news and bad news. The good news: Ryan Zimmerman is in the lineup for the first time in nearly a year. The bad news: Juan Soto, who was supposed to be in the lineup, is not. Soto fouled a ball off his right foot during a live batting practice session Sunday, according to Davey Martinez. The manager said they're just being cautious, and Soto should be good to go in a day or two. But as always with these...

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Robles gets first chance to lead off, starters being eased in

February 28, 2021, 6:36am

Nationals

Robles gets first chance to lead off, starters being eased in

The last thing anyone should do is read much into spring training lineups, certainly the lineup on Feb. 28. And yet it's impossible to look at the Nationals lineup for today's Grapefruit League opener and not begin to infer some things. Specifically, the guys who are leading off and batting third. That would be Victor Robles and Trea Turner. Just as he suggested last week, manager Davey Martinez is going to take a look at Robles atop his lineup, a move that would allow Turner to move down...