nationals

Turner ignites offense with longball (Nats win 6-5 on walk-off)

March 31, 2019, 10:31am

The Mets' Pete Alonso continued his red-hot start to the season with a RBI double off of left-hander Patrick Corbin in the top of the third. The base hit was his sixth in three games. He also has three RBIs. The Nationals connected off of right-hander Zack Wheeler in the bottom of third. Victor Robles doubled and Adam Eaton singled to begin the rally. Trea Turner then delivered a no-doubt line drive deep over the left field wall for a three-run shot. It was his first homer of the season and...

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Sipp's faith in readiness pays off in Nationals debut

March 31, 2019, 8:56am

Nationals

Tony Sipp can admit it now, after the fact, because everything worked out well Saturday. But as he jogged in from the Nationals bullpen to make his season debut in the seventh inning of what at that point was a 4-4 game against the heart of the Mets lineup, the veteran reliever had no idea what to expect. "It was definitely a lot of questions that I had," he said today. "I believe I was ready, but then you run out there and you're thinking: 'Am I ready?' It's a tie ballgame. It's a...

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Strasburg settled in, but what happened in first?

March 31, 2019, 2:10am

Nationals

Strasburg settled in, but what happened in first?

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg was able to finish six innings for the Nationals on Saturday, keeping his club in its matchup with the New York Mets. After the first inning, he surrendered just one run in the next five frames, allowing only three hits. But in the first inning, the Mets connected against him, scoring three runs off four hits. Three of those hits were consecutive: a single, double and a triple that lifted the Mets to a 3-0 lead. The Mets eventually won the game 11-8. In that first...

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Game 3 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

March 31, 2019, 6:23am

Nationals

It's a cold, gray morning here on South Capitol Street, and the infamous Skittles tarp has been covering the infield. But don't despair: The forecast calls for the rain to end soon and the sun to come out. It's going to be cold and windy, but the Nationals and Mets will be finishing their season-opening series as scheduled. You hate to say this after only two games, but let's go ahead and say it: The Nats really need to win today. It's not just about avoiding a season-opening sweep at the...

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Searching for some positives in an 0-2 start

March 30, 2019, 8:19pm

Nationals

Searching for some positives in an 0-2 start

It's been an admittedly negative first couple of games to the Nationals season, what with back-to-back losses to the Mets that included defensive gaffes, baserunning gaffes and bullpen gaffes. But today's a new day, so let's try to think positively if only for a few minutes. Here are some encouraging developments through the first 18 innings of the 2019 season in D.C. ... * Juan Soto is doing Juan Soto things, The 20-year-old left fielder has picked up right where he left off as a...

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Some good and some bad for Robles in Nats' 11-8 setback

March 30, 2019, 2:10pm

Nationals

Some good and some bad for Robles in Nats' 11-8 setback

Some good, some bad for center fielder Victor Robles in his second game with the Nationals in 2019. The Mets dropped the Nats 11-8 Saturday afternoon. Robles went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. But defensively he was charged with a throwing error and was picked off first base following his base hit. Defensively, Robles had a tough time making some plays in center field early in the game. He did not get a good read on Jeff McNeil's triple in the first inning that gave the Mets a 3-0...

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Rosenthal tries to put happy face on ragged return to mound

March 30, 2019, 2:36pm

Nationals

Rosenthal tries to put happy face on ragged return to mound

It had been 19 months since Trevor Rosenthal last took the mound in a major league game, and so the veteran reliever understandably was happy about that important fact. "It was an exciting day, obviously," he said. "Getting out there for the first time, the situation, it was a good experience and something I really enjoyed and look forward to happening again." Rosenthal said all this with a smile on his face, but behind the smile was the recognition that he's only allowed to look on the...

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Mets connect versus Strasburg early (Nats fall 11-8)

March 30, 2019, 9:47am

Nationals

Mets connect versus Strasburg early (Nats fall 11-8)

Both of today's starters, Stephen Strasburg and Noah Syndergaard, struck out the side in the first inning. But during those frames, the teams combined for four runs and six hits. The Mets enjoyed a two-run double from Wilson Ramos and an RBI triple courtesy of Jeff McNeil to lead 3-0 off of Strasburg in the first. The Nats countered with a two-out Anthony Rendon double off the bottom of the right field wall. Juan Soto delivered a seeing-eye single to right field to plate Rendon. In the second,...

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Nats shake off ragged start, only to watch bullpen blow up late

March 30, 2019, 12:55pm

Nationals

Nats shake off ragged start, only to watch bullpen blow up late

They were sloppy in the field and sloppy on the bases again, digging themselves into an early hole that had South Capitol Street grumbling again only 48 hours after a fundamentally flawed opening day loss. But when the Nationals clawed their way back to tie up the game thanks to the exploits of young outfielders Juan Soto and Victor Robles, the ballpark came back to life, now believing things were pointed in a positive direction after a ragged first 11 innings to the season. And then the...

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Nats payroll up slightly, Scherzer has top MLB salary in 2019

March 29, 2019, 12:48pm

Nationals

Nats payroll up slightly, Scherzer has top MLB salary in 2019

Even with Bryce Harper coming off the books, the Nationals entered the season with one of Major League Baseball's largest payrolls and the sport's highest-paid player for 2019. The Nationals' opening day payroll of $185 million ranks fifth in the majors, behind the Red Sox, Cubs, Yankees and Dodgers, according to the Associated Press' annual calculations. The payroll total is up slightly from last year's $180 million figure, which ranked fourth in the league at that time. Max Scherzer,...

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Game 2 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

March 30, 2019, 5:43am

Nationals

The Nationals look to get their offense going in game two of the 2019 season, but it will not be easy. That is because the opponent today is the Mets and their starter, Noah Syndergaard. The Nats are excited about seeing right-hander Stephen Strasburg make his season debut after a strong spring training. Strasburg made it through spring training with no health issues and appeared to get stronger with each start. He also had a positive demeanor and no setbacks, which would seem to project for a...

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Nats will look to run today vs. Syndergaard

March 30, 2019, 8:17am

Nationals

Nats will look to run today vs. Syndergaard

If Thursday's season opener was an indication of things to come, Trea Turner is going to run a lot this season. If the Nationals did their scouting, Turner shouldn't be the only one running a lot today against Noah Syndergaard. A perfect convergence of natural speed, organizational philosophy and matchups comes together this afternoon when the Nats face the Mets and their No. 2 starter. Syndergaard, for all his talents as a pitcher, is one of the majors' worst at stopping the running game....

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Dissecting Martinez's opening day bullpen decisions

March 28, 2019, 8:23pm

Nationals

Dissecting Martinez's opening day bullpen decisions

The nature of the baseball schedule, especially in northern cities that require a day off following the season opener to account for weather postponements, lends itself to gross overanalyzing of Game 1 of 162. No other game all season, aside from perhaps postseason contests, gets dissected like this. But with nothing else to write or talk about for 48 hours until they take the field again, we really have no choice but to make a big deal out of every little thing that happens on opening day. So...

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The botched rally that defined an opening day loss

March 28, 2019, 1:36pm

Nationals

The botched rally that defined an opening day loss

Pick out any number of reasons the Nationals lost their season opener today, 2-0 to the Mets. Look at Ryan Zimmerman's first-inning line drive, the one snagged by a diving Jeff McNeil at third base to prevent a run from scoring. Point out Davey Martinez's late-game pitching decisions to let Max Scherzer return to the mound for the eighth, then turn to Justin Miller and Matt Grace to face a couple of key hitters instead of Trevor Rosenthal and Tony Sipp. But if you really want to encapsulate...

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Familiar vibe for Nats in opening day loss to Mets

March 28, 2019, 11:51am

Nationals

Familiar vibe for Nats in opening day loss to Mets

It's opening day, and that inevitably leads to two things from fans and media alike: excessive optimism and overblown pessimism, based solely on the results of the first game of a 162-game marathon. A team's record on opening day bears no connection to its record on Oct. 1, and anyone who thinks otherwise need only look back one year ago when the Nationals beat the Reds by a 2-0 count in their opener and stormed out to four straight wins to give everyone reason for excessive optimism en route...

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Noll leaned on veteran Gomes on way to big league opportunity

March 28, 2019, 8:57am

Nationals

Noll leaned on veteran Gomes on way to big league opportunity

One of the more interesting additions to the 2019 Nationals' 25-man roster is infielder Jake Noll, who earned his first shot in the big leagues. The right-handed hitting third baseman hit .314 with four doubles, two homers and 10 RBIs in 27 spring training games to earn the spot. He can play first, second and third base, in the outfield and be the emergency catcher. Noll said he found out Monday night he had made the team when he was called into manager Davey Martinez's office after the...

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Scherzer did all he could on the mound, but Nats come up short

March 28, 2019, 1:19pm

Nationals

Scherzer did all he could on the mound, but Nats come up short

Right-hander Max Scherzer did everything in his power to give the Nationals every opportunity to win their season opener Thursday against the New York Mets before a sellout crowd at Nats Park. But fellow Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom was just a bit better. Scherzer allowed a solo homer to Robinson CanÃ³ in the first and later an insurance run in the eighth in the Mets' 2-0 win over the Nats on Thursday. CanÃ³'s blast over the left-center field wall on a 1-1 changeup came with two outs in...

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CanÃ³ connects off Scherzer (Nats fall 2-0)

March 28, 2019, 10:02am

Nationals

CanÃ³ connects off Scherzer (Nats fall 2-0)

Right-hander Max Scherzer allowed a solo homer to Robinson CanÃ³ to begin the scoring in the first inning as the Nationals welcomed in the Mets. Scherzer has struck out six in the first three innings. Mets starter Jacob deGrom has struck out four in three frames, including the side in the second. The Nats had a good shot at scoring in the third. Victor Robles led off with a double and Adam Eaton singled to put runners on the corners. But with one out, Anthony Rendon's grounder to third base...

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Sipp "ready to go" while Kendrick, Taylor remain in Florida

March 28, 2019, 8:22am

Nationals

Sipp "ready to go" while Kendrick, Taylor remain in Florida

Tony Sipp, as promised, is here on opening day and ready to pitch in a big spot late against one of the Mets' big left-handed hitters. Howie Kendrick and Michael A. Taylor, as expected, aren't on the active roster yet. And they're not in Washington, either. While Kendrick and Taylor continue to rehab from their spring training injuries in West Palm Beach, Sipp made the trip north after pitching in a minor league game Tuesday, the lefty's final tune-up before making his Nationals...

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Game 1 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

March 27, 2019, 6:52pm

Nationals

The wait is over. And for the first time in a long time, we aren't talking about the wait for Bryce Harper to sign with somebody. No, we're talking about the Nationals' long, six-month wait to get back on the field after a disappointing 2018 season. It finally happens today in the opener of what might just be the most compelling division race we've ever seen around here. And it starts right off with a showdown between two of the four teams that come into opening day believing they can win...