nationals

Late blasts by Robles, Soto propel Nats to wild victory (updated)

April 09, 2019, 6:57pm

PHILADELPHIA - Bryce Harper's early home run brought out a mighty roar from the Philly faithful. Victor Robles and Juan Soto's late home runs brought out the boos. And the Nationals-Phillies rivalry just got ratcheted up to a whole new level. Brushing off Harper's third-inning blast off Stephen Strasburg and a five-run deficit, the Nationals came storming back to stun the Phillies tonight, riding Robles' ninth-inning homer and Soto's gargantuan 10th-inning moonshot to a 10-6 victory in an...

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More notes on Juan Soto's gigantic home run

April 10, 2019, 3:07am

Nationals

More notes on Juan Soto's gigantic home run

Juan Soto launched an epic blast into the upper deck last night at Citizens Bank Park, building on his resume as one of the most exciting young power hitters in the game today. The three-run shot turned into the game-winner for the Nationals at Philadelphia, coming on a 1-0 pitch. The ball went over the right field foul pole. The game was tied 6-6 when Soto hit the home run. The Nats came back from a 6-1 deficit by scoring nine unanswered for the signature win 10-6 in 10 frames. Suddenly the...

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Martinez sticking with pitcher eighth, Robles ninth (tied in 10th)

April 09, 2019, 2:22pm

Nationals

Martinez sticking with pitcher eighth, Robles ninth (tied in 10th)

PHILADELPHIA - Davey Martinez has already been asked this question multiple times in the last week: Is he tempted to move Victor Robles out of the No. 9 spot in the Nationals lineup? And the manager's answer has remained consistent. "Right now, no," Martinez said. "I like what he's doing in the nine-hole. We're 10 days in, and he's done really well. I want him to just play the game. And he's having fun. He's doing the little things that we're asking him to do. He's playing really...

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Nats working to finalize minor league deal with Norris (updated)

April 09, 2019, 11:38am

Nationals

Nats working to finalize minor league deal with Norris (updated)

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals are working to finalize what will be a minor league contract with veteran right-hander Bud Norris, though the deal is not yet done, according to general manager Mike Rizzo. It's their latest attempt to patch together a viable bullpen after a disastrous start to the season. Norris will report to the Nationals' spring training headquarters in West Palm Beach and be evaluated by club officials before they determine a course of action, Rizzo said. If he checks out...

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Dozier finally rewarded for extra work with first Nats homer

April 08, 2019, 9:30pm

Nationals

Dozier finally rewarded for extra work with first Nats homer

PHILADELPHIA - Brian Dozier has been in the big leagues for eight years, and during that time he's hit 173 homers, been an All-Star and three times received MVP votes. So he's not the type to panic over a season-opening slump. And yet when he stepped to the plate in the top of the ninth Monday night, Dozier couldn't avoid the giant picture of his face on the Citizens Bank Park scoreboard and the number .071 residing next to it. "Playing a number of years, you know you can have a bad week or...

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Game 10 lineups: Nats at Phillies

April 09, 2019, 11:31am

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - Though they lost 4-3, the Nationals played a clean, pretty crisp game last night. No, it wasn't perfect, but neither was it anything like some of their other games to date that featured all manner of dysfunction. So Davey Martinez will be looking for a similar performance tonight. And yet, the Nationals need not only to play well but also to win, lest they fall to 4-6 overall and a full four games behind the Phillies in the standings. Yeah, these games matter, even in early...

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Phillies top Nationals in home run derby (updated)

April 08, 2019, 5:38pm

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - There was no bullpen meltdown tonight, no wild back-and-forth ballgame featuring all kinds of twists and turns. No, the Nationals' first game of the season at Citizens Bank Park featured quality pitching done in solely by five fly balls that reached the bleachers in this hitter-friendly facility. The Phillies' 4-3 victory was rather ho-hum, at least in comparison to just about every other game the Nationals have played so far in 2019, all of them against two division rivals. It...

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Martinez will use Rosenthal again in low-pressure spot (Nats lose 4-2)

April 08, 2019, 3:46pm

Nationals

Martinez will use Rosenthal again in low-pressure spot (Nats lose 4-2)

PHILADELPHIA - Davey Martinez gave Trevor Rosenthal an opportunity to get himself right pitching in a low-leverage spot Sunday afternoon, and it didn't work. If the situation arises again tonight, Martinez will give his woefully ineffective reliever another opportunity to get himself right. Rosenthal, who hasn't retired any of the nine batters he's faced so far this season, remains an active member of the Nationals bullpen and will continue to pitch. Just not in high-leverage spots. "Right...

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Taylor "excited" to return only 3 1/2 weeks after spraining knee

April 08, 2019, 2:14pm

Nationals

Taylor "excited" to return only 3 1/2 weeks after spraining knee

PHILADELPHIA - When he saw Michael A. Taylor hit the ground hard making a diving catch March 14 in Fort Myers, Fla., Davey Martinez assumed it would be a long time before the Nationals outfielder was back in action again. Little could Martinez have imagined he'd be at Citizens Bank Park this afternoon, welcoming Taylor back to the active roster only 3 1/2 weeks after spraining his left knee and hip. "I wouldn't have thought that," Martinez said. "When I saw him fall and try to get up and...

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Game 9 lineups: Nats at Phillies (Taylor activated)

April 08, 2019, 11:30am

Nationals

Game 9 lineups: Nats at Phillies (Taylor activated)

PHILADELPHIA - We knew all along this opening stretch of the season was going to be a bear for the Nationals, who had to face the Mets and Phillies at home and then the same two teams on the road. And it indeed has been a bear, but the Nats have survived so far, going 3-3 against New York and entering tonight's series opener against Philadelphia with a 1-1 head-to-head record. That makes this three-game set a big one, of course, because the end result will pretty much end up defining how these...

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Two years later, Nats face same bullpen mess, but in tougher division

April 07, 2019, 7:39pm

Nationals

Two years later, Nats face same bullpen mess, but in tougher division

NEW YORK - Max Scherzer had dominated, Anthony Rendon had homered and the Nationals had busted their way out to a double-digit lead on the road heading into the final innings. And then the majors' worst bullpen somehow turned that blowout win into a tension-filled bottom of the ninth that ended in an unlikely save situation. Sound familiar? It should, because it just happened Sunday at Citi Field. It also happened July 15, 2017, at Great American Ball Park. Yeah, the 2019 Nationals bullpen...

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Up 11 runs in seventh, Nationals hang on to win (updated)

April 07, 2019, 12:52pm

Nationals

NEW YORK - If Davey Martinez was asked this morning to draw up a best-case scenario for the Nationals' series finale against the Mets, this had to be awfully close to what the second-year manager imagined. With his bullpen in shambles but his ace on the mound, Martinez was hoping not only for a dominant Max Scherzer start but also a big day at the plate against Zack Wheeler and the New York pitching staff, creating a comfortable lead that would take all the pressure off that beleaguered...

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Nationals reinstate Michael A. Taylor

April 08, 2019, 11:31am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals recalled from rehab assignment and reinstated outfielder Michael A. Taylor (left knee/hip sprain) from the 10-day injured list and optioned outfielder Andrew Stevenson to Triple-A Fresno on Monday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Taylor, 28, returns to the active roster after having missed the first eight games of the 2019 season with a right knee/hip sprain. He appeared in four rehab games with Double-A...

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Matt Reynolds on fire in first week with Triple-A Fresno

April 08, 2019, 3:26am

Nationals

Matt Reynolds on fire in first week with Triple-A Fresno

Here are some highlights from Sunday's games played by Nationals affiliates: Low Single-A Hagerstown fell to Greensboro 2-1 in 10 innings Sunday. Starter Francys Peguero allowed two hits and no runs in five innings. Angel Guillen kept the Grasshoppers off the board for two more frames. Israel Pineda singled and Jacob Rhinesmith doubled to begin a rally in the fourth for the Suns. Gilbert Lara provided an RBI groundout to stake Hagerstown to a 1-0 lead. He leads the team with seven RBIs to...

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Ross joins bullpen after red eye from Fresno (Nats up 12-6)

April 07, 2019, 8:37am

Nationals

Ross joins bullpen after red eye from Fresno (Nats up 12-6)

NEW YORK - Desperate for bullpen help only a week and a half into the season, the Nationals have promoted one of their standby starters from the minors to take over a relief role. Joe Ross, who was supposed to open the season in the rotation at Triple-A Fresno, was recalled today, with infielder AdriÃ¡n Sanchez optioned to Double-A Harrisburg to clear a roster spot. Ross, who had been scheduled to make his first start of the season Monday, instead took a red-eye flight from Fresno to New York...

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Joe Ross notes after news he is returning from Triple-A

April 07, 2019, 5:06am

Nationals

Joe Ross notes after news he is returning from Triple-A

With the news that Joe Ross will arrive today from Fresno to help the Nationals pitching staff, here's a look back at my talk post game with him after a spring start against the N.Y. Mets in Port St. Lucie, Fla. He had two spring starts against the Mets. He was scheduled to start Monday for the Triple-A Grizzlies but will now help the big club. Ross went 1-0 with a 4.02 ERA in seven games in spring training. Fresno beat Reno 8-4 Saturday, thanks to a grand slam by center fielder Matt Reynolds,...

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Corbin laments three mistakes in otherwise dominant start

April 06, 2019, 5:40pm

Nationals

Corbin laments three mistakes in otherwise dominant start

NEW YORK - Patrick Corbin pitched well enough in his season debut to earn the win. He did not get the win. Patrick Corbin again pitched well enough in his second start of the season to earn the win. Again he did not get the win. One of these days, Corbin will be rewarded for his efforts. Until then, all the Nationals left-hander can do is keep putting his team in position to win and hope the rest of the squad fulfills its duty. "We have confidence in our team," Corbin said Saturday after...

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Game 8 lineups: Nats at Mets

April 07, 2019, 6:36am

Nationals

NEW YORK - For all the trouble they've been through already this young season, the Nationals still have an opportunity to win a weekend series against the Mets today and get back to the .500 mark heading into a three-game series at Philadelphia. And they have Max Scherzer on the mound in an attempt to do it. Scherzer is already making his third start of the season in only the team's eighth game, a byproduct of all the off-days the Nats have had. He's on normal rest, but he'll get an extra...

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Nationals recall Joe Ross

April 07, 2019, 7:45am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Joe Ross from Triple-A Fresno and optioned infielder AdriÃ¡n Sanchez to Double-A Harrisburg on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Ross, 25, is called upon for his first Major League assignment of 2019. He was optioned to Triple-A Fresno on March 23, but did not appear in a game prior to his recall. Ross went 1-0 with a 4.02 ERA in seven Spring Training outings, two of...

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New names, same result from bullpen in disastrous eighth

April 06, 2019, 1:50pm

Nationals

New names, same result from bullpen in disastrous eighth

NEW YORK - The sight of Wilmer Difo rounding the bases, slapping his hands together in excitement, the crowd of 35,156 at Citi Field booing after the Nationals' backup shortstop gave his team a two-run lead with an upper-deck home run in the top of the eighth, should have brought joy to anyone rooting for the visitors in this afternoon's contest with the Mets. And yet nobody would fault anybody for reacting to Difo's surprise blast with feelings of nausea. Why? Because it merely meant the...