nationals

Coronavirus prompts change to autograph signings

March 07, 2020, 6:52am

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Though there haven't been any confirmed coronavirus cases in the immediate vicinity yet, the Nationals are taking their first precautionary steps toward helping prevent the virus from spreading at their spring training facility. The club announced this morning changes to the way players and coaches approach autographs and fan interactions at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and other spring training stadiums. All Nationals personnel have been advised to avoid...

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Split-squad lineups: Nats vs. Marlins and Mets

March 07, 2020, 6:08am

Nationals

Split-squad lineups: Nats vs. Marlins and Mets

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals have their second split-squad day of the spring, and that means everybody's playing but spread out between two towns at the same time. Davey Martinez is staying here in West Palm Beach to watch Joe Ross face the Marlins. He's got Eric Thames (making his return 11 days after suffering a calf strain) leading off and serving as DH. He's got Juan Soto and Howie Kendrick in his lineup as well. Tim Bogar and Chip Hale are making the trip to Port St. Lucie to...

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Three-batter rule could play right into Nats' hands

March 06, 2020, 5:41pm

Nationals

Three-batter rule could play right into Nats' hands

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Most of the discussion surrounding Major League Baseball's new three-batter minimum rule for relievers has focused on the negative impact it will have on teams' pitching staffs. But what if there's a flip side to the equation, and the controversial rule change might actually be a positive for some teams' offenses? Davey Martinez is banking on that very possibility. As he has studied and contemplated the new rule, the Nationals manager keeps drawing the same...

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SÃ¡nchez sharp, Strickland struggles, Stevenson succeeds

March 06, 2020, 5:38pm

Nationals

SÃ¡nchez sharp, Strickland struggles, Stevenson succeeds

JUPITER, Fla. - Some thoughts, observations and quotes from the Nationals' 7-3 loss tonight to the Marlins ... * AnÃbal SÃ¡nchez was sharp. Really sharp. The veteran right-hander tossed four innings of scoreless ball. He allowed only one hit (a single up the middle). He did not walk a batter. He struck out three. He threw only 50 pitches. SÃ¡nchez did this despite not necessarily feeling 100 percent comfortable on the mound. "I think early in the game, I just tried to put the pitch in...

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Thames, Robles will return to DH on Saturday (Nats fall 7-3)

March 06, 2020, 12:50pm

Nationals

Thames, Robles will return to DH on Saturday (Nats fall 7-3)

JUPITER, Fla. - The Nationals will get two big bats back in their lineup Saturday. Eric Thames and Victor Robles each are scheduled to return from minor injuries, each serving as designated hitter for the Nats' split-squad games (home versus the Marlins, away against the Mets), according to manager Davey Martinez. Thames hasn't played since Feb. 25 due to left calf tightness, but he has slowly been ramping up activities in recent days and has been cleared to return to the lineup. The big...

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Despite October success, Hudson is still a reluctant closer

March 06, 2020, 2:54am

Nationals

Despite October success, Hudson is still a reluctant closer

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Daniel Hudson pitched the ninth inning of three postseason clinching Nationals wins last October. He recorded the final three outs of the National League wild card game, preserving a 3-2 victory over the Brewers. He notched the final four outs of the team's NL pennant-clinching win over the Cardinals. And when it came time for the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, Davey Martinez handed the ball to him and watched as he finished off the Astros and set off a...

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Lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in Jupiter

March 06, 2020, 9:09am

Nationals

JUPITER, Fla. - It's a bit of a transition day for the Nationals as far as the lineup goes. Most of the regulars played last night. And with split-squad games tomorrow, pretty much everyone will play either at home against the Marlins or in Port St. Lucie against the Mets. Which means most of the big names get tonight's game off. The most noteworthy guys in this lineup are Kurt Suzuki and AsdrÃºbal Cabrera. The rest are fringe players trying to force their way onto the opening day roster or...

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Trio of big name pitchers struggles in blowout loss

March 05, 2020, 4:24pm

Nationals

Trio of big name pitchers struggles in blowout loss

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The games down here don't count, so the Nationals could afford to brush off tonight's 11-0 trouncing at the hands of a split-squad Cardinals team as insignificant in the grand scheme of things. And that's probably a fair reaction to a blowout loss on March 5. Really, what conclusions can reasonably be drawn from a game like this? Still, it had to be at least a little concerning for Davey Martinez to watch three of his most important pitchers get roughed up by a...

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Updates on Eaton, Robles, Thames and Harris (Nats lose 11-0)

March 05, 2020, 12:23pm

Nationals

Updates on Eaton, Robles, Thames and Harris (Nats lose 11-0)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals are fielding a lineup loaded with regulars tonight. Well, loaded with healthy regulars. A few guys who normally would be playing remain sidelined with nagging ailments. The list includes Adam Eaton, who departed Tuesday's game with a tight left hamstring. The veteran right fielder apparently didn't think the injury was serious and only came out of the game after mentioning it to teammate Howie Kendrick, who then informed manager Davey Martinez. Martinez...

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Lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in West Palm Beach

March 05, 2020, 9:36am

Nationals

Lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Hello once again from FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. It's good to be back after a brief trip home. Thanks as always to Pete Kerzel for filling in during my break. I'll be here the rest of camp, and hopefully things start to ramp up soon as opening day inches closer. The Nationals, who just enjoyed their first of two days off this spring, are back at it tonight with a lineup loaded with regulars. In fact, this may well give us a clue about Davey Martinez's...

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Focused Rainey won't assume Nationals bullpen job is his

March 02, 2020, 3:43pm

Nationals

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. - Every time manager Davey Martinez or general manager Mike Rizzo outline their plans for the Nationals bullpen, they include hard-throwing right-hander Tanner Rainey. And with good reason. Throw triple-digit fastballs complemented by a wipeout slider and you make people take notice. But any thoughts that he's secured a position in the Nationals relief corps is definitely news to Rainey, a 27-year-old who has no intention of assuming anything while he battles to make the...

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The skinny on the Nats' fifth starter competition

March 03, 2020, 8:44am

Nationals

The skinny on the Nats' fifth starter competition

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - For reasons both practical and personnel-related, the Nationals' competition to determine a fifth starter will likely go on until the end of spring training. "It's gonna go" on for a while, manager Davey Martinez said. To recap, three right-handers - Austin Voth, Joe Ross and Erick Fedde - are competing to be the fifth member of the starting rotation. All were drafted and developed as starting pitchers, and the Nationals appear ready for one of them to seize the...

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Scherzer on his outing, Martinez on Eaton and Thames injuries

March 03, 2020, 11:15am

Nationals

Scherzer on his outing, Martinez on Eaton and Thames injuries

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - For all his stomping on the mound and cursing when he misses painting the black, Max Scherzer is at heart a student of pitching. There's nothing the right-hander likes more than delving into the game within the game, the subtext of an at-bat that may not be discernable to the naked eye. That's how he approached his 54-pitch outing in the Nationals' 5-3 victory over the Orioles on Tuesday: an opportunity to mesh with catcher Kurt Suzuki on some of the intricacies of...

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Martinez on Robles, Strasburg and upcoming off-day (Nats win 5-3)

March 03, 2020, 6:16am

Nationals

Martinez on Robles, Strasburg and upcoming off-day (Nats win 5-3)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Victor Robles again tested his sore side by hitting in the cage today, and with a little luck, the center fielder could be back in the Nationals lineup sometime this weekend. Robles has not appeared in a game since injuring himself on a throw Wednesday in Tampa, but manager Davey Martinez said he's "getting better." With the Nationals off tomorrow, how Robles feels when he reports to camp ahead of Thursday night's game will go a long way toward determining his next...

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Versatile Bonifacio has utility role down to a science

March 02, 2020, 8:38am

Nationals

Versatile Bonifacio has utility role down to a science

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Astute fans might recall Emilio Bonifacio's first tour of duty with the Nationals. He played the second half of the 2008 season in D.C., coming over from the Diamondbacks in exchange for reliever Jon Rauch in July and being sent to the Marlins as part of the deal that netted pitcher Scott Olsen and outfielder Josh Willingham about four months later. What does Bonifacio remember about his time as a National on that 59-102 team? "Not much," he laughed. "Wally and...

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Lineups: Orioles vs. Nats in West Palm Beach

March 02, 2020, 1:12pm

Nationals Orioles

Lineups: Orioles vs. Nats in West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's a while since the Orioles traveled to West Palm Beach for a Grapefruit League game - 1997, to be exact. That's when the Braves and Expos shared Municipal Stadium and the Birds would travel up from their spring camp in Fort Lauderdale. But the opening of Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter spelled the end to the Braves-Expos pairing in 1998. The Braves headed to Orlando and the Expos to new digs in Jupiter before swapping complexes with the Viera-based Marlins...

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Wrapping up a 3-2 victory

March 02, 2020, 12:01pm

Nationals

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Joe Ross knows he's immersed in a battle to be the Nationals' fifth starter. A few more outings like he had Monday in a 3-2 victory over the Marlins and the right-hander might just lock up the spot he covets. Emilio Bonifacio played the hero's role, though it got a little sticky in the bottom of the ninth with the teams knotted at 2-2. Cody Wilson broke for home on what was supposed to be a safety squeeze with Bonifacio batting and was easily tagged out. But Bonifacio...

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Martinez on Kieboom, Harris, Robles and World Series (Nats win 3-2)

March 02, 2020, 5:28am

Nationals

Martinez on Kieboom, Harris, Robles and World Series (Nats win 3-2)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - With observers focusing on every swing he takes and every grounder he fields at third base, Carter Kieboom is off today. He's getting a chance to reset and Nationals manager Davey Martinez continues to preach to the 22-year-old that he needs to relax. Given an extended opportunity to replace the departed Anthony Rendon at third base, Kieboom has struggled this spring. He's hitting .083 (1-for-12) without an extra-base hit and has committed two errors at the hot corner....

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Rubber-armed Suero is continuing to learn and progress

March 01, 2020, 1:18pm

Nationals

Rubber-armed Suero is continuing to learn and progress

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - If spring training is a time to try new things, Wander Suero is a perfect candidate to learn. After two seasons in the Nationals bullpen, the lanky right-hander continues to tantalize with his willingness to take the ball whenever asked and a cutter that can be an effective out pitch. So what does manager Davey Martinez want to see out of the 28-year-old coming off a season in which he pitched in 78 games, went 6-9 with a 4.54 ERA and struck out 81 batters in 71 1/3...

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Lineups: Marlins vs. Nats at West Palm Beach

March 02, 2020, 2:59am

Nationals

Lineups: Marlins vs. Nats at West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The competiton for the Nationals' No. 5 starter role takes front and center this afternoon, when right-hander Joe Ross faces the Marlins in his second spring start. Ross, who is battling right-handers Austin Voth and Erick Fedde for the last spot in the rotation, worked two perfect innings in his last outing on Wednesday against the Yankees in Tampa. Ross was supposed to follow Max Scherzer in the team's exhibition opener, but rain cost him that opportunity after he'd...