nationals

2021 schedule announced, Nats to host Mets in opener

July 09, 2020, 9:30am

They aren't 100 percent sure they'll be able to start and complete the 2020 season yet, but Major League Baseball is already moving forward with plans for the 2021 season, releasing next year's schedule two weeks before this unprecedented campaign is set to begin. The Nationals are scheduled to host the Mets on opening day, which falls on April 1. Their opening homestand features three games apiece with division rivals New York and Atlanta. The Nats then hit the road and will serve as the...

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Extended break gave Kieboom chance to fix some glitches

July 08, 2020, 8:10pm

Nationals

Extended break gave Kieboom chance to fix some glitches

When last we saw him on a baseball field, nearly four long months ago, Carter Kieboom was under an intense spotlight. And feeling the heat more often than not. The Nationals' top hitting prospect, Kieboom was trying to prove he was ready to replace Anthony Rendon as the club's starting third baseman, despite precious little experience at the position. His performances through one month of spring training, both in exhibition games and on back fields, suggested he was far from comfortable at...

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Nationals announce 2021 schedule

July 09, 2020, 9:22am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals - in conjunction with Major League Baseball - announced their 2021 schedule on Thursday. The 17th season of Nationals baseball will commence with an Opening Day matchup against the New York Mets at Nationals Park on April 1st. Washington's initial homestand will feature three games against the Mets before welcoming the Atlanta Braves, April 5th-7th. Washington's first road trip will take the Nationals to Los Angeles for a three-game weekend series against the Dodgers,...

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At least three Nats pitchers not cleared for workouts yet

July 08, 2020, 11:40am

Nationals

At least three Nats pitchers not cleared for workouts yet

Three Nationals pitchers were confirmed today as having not participated in summer training yet, joining a group of five position players who have not yet been seen by reporters on the field through the first four workouts at Nationals Park. Pitchers Wander Suero, Roenis ElÃas and Joan Adon have not been cleared to join the rest of the club for summer training at Nationals Park, Davey Martinez acknowledged today, though the manager added each has tested negative for COVID-19. Suero and Adon...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Walk-off this way, please ...

July 06, 2020, 10:18am

Nationals

They don't call Ryan Zimmerman "Mr. Walk-off" without good reason. He's got 11 walk-off homers to his credit, and the notion of coming through in the clutch with the game on the line isn't a foreign concept to the longtime Nationals slugger, who has announced he will sit out the 2020 season over concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Well, the next best thing to seeing Zimmerman walk off an opponent live is seeing it on MASN - and that's where this week's slate of walk-off-heavy...

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Work ramps up in D.C. as second camp opens in Fredericksburg

July 07, 2020, 12:58pm

Nationals

Work ramps up in D.C. as second camp opens in Fredericksburg

As the regular season creeps closer - opening night versus the Yankees is 16 days away - the Nationals are starting to ramp up baseball activities following an initial period of light individual work to begin summer training. This morning, all available position players were on the field together for the first time since March 12. With multiple players at each position, they ran through the kind of defensive fundamental drills that are a daily staple of spring training but stand out right now...

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60-game schedule won't produce fair pennant race

July 07, 2020, 8:40pm

Nationals

60-game schedule won't produce fair pennant race

A 162-game season separates the great teams from the good teams, the good teams from the average teams, the average teams from the bad teams, the bad teams from the truly wretched teams. A 60-game season in which everybody's playing different schedules? Probably not. As foolish as it may be right now to look ahead three months and try to deduce how a season as tenuous as this one is might play out, it's worth at least a little bit of examination. Because even though Major League Baseball will...

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Nats to host Yankees in nationally televised MLB opener

July 06, 2020, 1:32pm

Nationals

Nats to host Yankees in nationally televised MLB opener

Major League Baseball's attempt to play the 2020 season will begin at Nationals Park with a nationally televised matchup between the reigning World Series champions and the sport's most storied franchise. The Nationals will host the Yankees on July 23 at 7:08 p.m., the first half of an opening night doubleheader on ESPN that - if successfully pulled off - will serve as the highly anticipated return of major professional team sports in America. MLB's shortened, 60-game planned schedule, which...

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Nats return to work, still waiting for several players to be cleared

July 07, 2020, 10:08am

Nationals

Nats return to work, still waiting for several players to be cleared

The Nationals returned to work today, and they did so in a manner we hadn't yet seen during these first days of summer training. Every available position player was on the field at Nationals Park at the same time this morning, coaches hitting balls to various outfielders so they could work on relay throws. At the same time, a few pitchers were throwing in the bullpen. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like a normal workout day. "It was a good day, it really was," manager Davey...

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Nationals cancel workout due to delay in test results (updated)

July 06, 2020, 6:05am

Nationals

The Nationals have called off today's scheduled workouts at Nationals Park amid concerns about the delay in getting COVID-19 test results back from Major League Baseball's lab. Despite assurances from MLB that results sent to the league's lab in Salt Lake City would be available 24 hours after testing, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said players and staff members still haven't received results from the tests they all took 72 hours ago. "We cannot have our players and staff work at...

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Nationals announce 2020 schedule and exhibition games

July 06, 2020, 2:24pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals - in conjunction with Major League Baseball - announced their 60-game 2020 schedule on Monday, along with a three-game exhibition slate. The 16th season of Nationals baseball will commence with an Opening Day matchup on ESPN against the New York Yankees at Nationals Park on Thursday, July 23rd at 7:08 p.m. ET. The opening of the 2020 season marks the first time the Nationals have held Opening Day at home in consecutive seasons since 2010 vs. Philadelphia and 2011 vs....

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What it's like being at Nationals Park for summer training

July 05, 2020, 7:15pm

Nationals

I've been getting the question multiple times a day, from family, friends and colleagues, all curious to know: What's it been like at Nationals Park during these first three days of summer training? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but the answer is: Pretty boring. That's not to say my time spent at the ballpark is worthless, or normal. It's just been rather uneventful. For those who don't know, media members are allowed to watch a portion of the daily workout (roughly 2-3 hours) from the...

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Doolittle playing for now, but has several concerns

July 05, 2020, 12:22pm

Nationals

Doolittle playing for now, but has several concerns

Sean Doolittle is here. He's been on the field, participating fully in early summer training workouts. He has thrown off the mound, at times while wearing a mask. He wants to be around for the entire 2020 season. But he's not completely convinced yet he's willing to take the risk. "So far - and we're only three days into this - our medical staff has been doing an incredible job," the Nationals reliever said. "I think it's running as smoothly as it can at this point. Like a lot of...

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Two Nationals players tested positive for COVID-19

July 05, 2020, 9:52am

Nationals

Two Nationals players tested positive for COVID-19 during the team's initial intake testing program, manager Davey Martinez revealed today. The club has not publicly identified the names of the two players and may only do so with the players' permission, per Major League Baseball's protocols this season. No player is allowed to report to Nationals Park before the intake testing results are returned, so neither player who tested positive has been to the stadium yet and come into contact with...

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Scherzer impressed with testing, gearing up for opening day

July 04, 2020, 12:53pm

Nationals

Scherzer impressed with testing, gearing up for opening day

Max Scherzer laughed when a reporter mentioned hearing he threw 65 pitches to live hitters Friday during the Nationals' first workout of the summer, then made sure to clarify that manager Davey Martinez may not have conveyed that information with 100 percent accuracy. Turns out Scherzer threw 32 pitches to hitters over two simulated innings. The 65 total Martinez revealed most likely included his warmup pitches before the batters stepped in. Still, it's a good sign of the current state of...

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Kieboom is everyday third baseman "as of right now"

July 04, 2020, 9:14am

Nationals

Kieboom is everyday third baseman "as of right now"

The Nationals' most pressing question of spring training may already be answered at the outset of summer training: Carter Kieboom is expected to be the club's everyday third baseman. Manager Davey Martinez revealed that significant bit of news today during his second video conference with reporters of this unprecedented summer camp, making it clear his plan at this moment is to pencil Kieboom's name in at third base on opening day and to keep him there throughout this planned shortened...

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Castillo opts out, Cavalli added to roster as workouts begin

July 03, 2020, 11:35am

Nationals

Castillo opts out, Cavalli added to roster as workouts begin

As they took the field (in small groups, staggered over the entire day) for the first time in nearly four months, the Nationals revealed more adjustments to their 60-man roster pool for summer training and the upcoming season, with another veteran opting out and another young prospect joining the group. Welington Castillo, the veteran catcher who had been in spring training as a non-roster invitee, informed club officials he will decline to participate this season, not wanting to risk his...

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Summer training begins today at Nationals Park

July 02, 2020, 8:39pm

Nationals

It's been 114 days since the Nationals last took the field in any kind of formal capacity. On that warm March afternoon in West Palm Beach, they faced the Yankees in an exhibition game played as the entire country was beginning to shut down due to the still-mysterious novel coronavirus. When Major League Baseball announced it was suspending operations, little could anyone have known how much time would pass before they'd gather again on a ballfield. Today, it finally happens. Not in West Palm...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Doubling down on twinbills

June 29, 2020, 9:57am

Nationals

In a time of disappointments for baseball fans everywhere, Nationals fans got an extra dose of woe this week when they learned that the face of the franchise has opted out of the 2020 season, citing his concern that returning to the clubhouse this year would greatly increase his chances of contracting the coronavirus and spreading it to his family. Ryan Zimmerman, 35, would have been easing off on his playing time this season even if the COVID-19 pandemic had not come to pass. Now with the...

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Some pressing on-field questions as Nats prepare to return

July 01, 2020, 8:59pm

Nationals

Some pressing on-field questions as Nats prepare to return

There hasn't been much reason to have actual baseball discussions around here in a while. But lo and behold, baseball players are going to begin doing baseball things inside baseball stadiums Friday for the first time in nearly four months, so it's finally appropriate to discuss some actual baseball topics. There are countless issues facing the Nationals over the next three weeks and beyond, and so many of those have to do with the unprecedented protocols everyone must follow in an attempt to...