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Nationals spring training minor league games begin March 15

March 11, 2019, 12:58pm

Nationals minor league games begins March 15 with four against Marlins affiliates. Potomac and Hagerstown each play a game versus Miami's High Single-A and Low Single-A teams on the back fields in West Palm Beach. The games are free to the public. Fresno and Harrisburg play separate games against the Marlins' Triple-A and Double-A squads at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., that same day. The Nats' Triple-A and Double-A teams play their first games at home in West Palm Beach March 16...

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Garcia dazzles, Miller returns, Rosenthal survives

March 10, 2019, 6:23pm

Nationals

Garcia dazzles, Miller returns, Rosenthal survives

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - More thoughts and observations from Sunday's 6-4 exhibition victory over the Astros ... * Teenage prospect Luis Garcia finally had the breakout game many had been waiting to see all spring, and it indeed was something to see. Garcia, the 18-year-old shortstop who is the youngest player in any big league camp this spring, hadn't made a lot of noise in his first few weeks, with three hits in his first 15 at-bats. But he dazzled on Sunday, going 3-for-3 with his first two...

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Quick-pitching Hellickson finding early spring success

March 10, 2019, 12:52pm

Nationals

Quick-pitching Hellickson finding early spring success

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Pitching is about disrupting a hitter's timing, which traditionally is done via the changing of pitch speeds. But it can't hurt to try changing the speed of the actual delivery to the plate, which is exactly what Jeremy Hellickson is up to this spring. Owner of a fastball that tops out at 90 mph, the Nationals right-hander knows he needs to find some other methods for keeping a hitter off-balance. So he's been tinkering around with a quick-pitch the last few weeks,...

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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter

March 11, 2019, 6:00am

Nationals

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter

JUPITER, Fla. - There's nothing at stake this afternoon at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, but fans will be treated to a very nice spring training matchup featuring a whole lot of big names. Max Scherzer makes his fourth start of the spring, and he'll be going up against a Cardinals lineup loaded with regulars. That means Matt Carpenter, Paul Goldschmidt, Marcell Ozuna, JosÃ© MartÃnez, Yadier Molina and more. Not a bad test for Scherzer, who struggled a bit in his last outing against the...

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Sanchez getting first chance in outfield today (Nats win 6-4)

March 10, 2019, 9:09am

Nationals

Sanchez getting first chance in outfield today (Nats win 6-4)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - AdriÃ¡n Sanchez has already proven himself a valuable fill-in when the Nationals need help in the infield. Now he's trying to prove himself capable of filling in when the Nats need outfield assistance. Sanchez is starting in left field this afternoon, his first foray into the outfield this spring but possibly not his last. With veteran second baseman/left fielder Howie Kendrick in danger of opening the season on the injured list due to a hamstring strain, there could...

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Martinez may give Scherzer, Strasburg extra rest in April

March 09, 2019, 4:25pm

Nationals

Martinez may give Scherzer, Strasburg extra rest in April

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Don't just assume you're going to get that blockbuster Max Scherzer vs. Bryce Harper matchup in the latter's return to Washington as a visiting player. Tempting as it may be to send Scherzer (and then Stephen Strasburg) to the mound for the Nationals' April 2-3 games against Harper and the Phillies, manager Davey Martinez might decide to take advantage of the plethora of early April off-days on the schedule and give his top two starters some extra rest. When...

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SÃ¡nchez impresses with parade of ground balls (Nats lose 2-1)

March 09, 2019, 2:46pm

Nationals

SÃ¡nchez impresses with parade of ground balls (Nats lose 2-1)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - This is exactly what the Nationals had in mind when they signed AnÃbal SÃ¡nchez this winter. A bunch of zeroes on the scoreboard. A bunch of different types of pitches thrown at different speeds. And a bunch of groundball outs. Whether SÃ¡nchez can carry the success he enjoyed tonight in a Grapefruit League outing against the Marlins into a regular season start a few weeks from remains to be seen. But the veteran right-hander certainly put forth a template tonight...

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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

March 10, 2019, 6:38am

Nationals

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's a quick turnaround for the Nationals, who following last night's 2-1 loss to the Marlins lost an hour due to daylight saving time and now are right back to work today against the Astros. At least they don't have to travel anywhere for this "road" game against their ballpark mates. Jeremy Hellickson gets the start, and he has been very effective so far in two previous outings this spring, allowing one run on three hits over five total innings, striking out...

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SolÃs caught "completely off-guard" by abrupt release

March 09, 2019, 11:21am

Nationals

SolÃs caught "completely off-guard" by abrupt release

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Sammy SolÃs' long and often erratic tenure with the Nationals came to an abrupt conclusion this afternoon when the organization that drafted the left-hander nine years ago gave him his unconditional release. Manager Davey Martinez explained the timing of the move as a reflection of the depth of other bullpen arms currently in camp, but there also was financial incentive behind the transaction. By releasing SolÃs today, the Nationals are responsible only for...

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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in West Palm Beach (SolÃs released)

March 09, 2019, 8:58am

Nationals

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in West Palm Beach (SolÃs released)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Hello again from FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. I'm back here for the remainder of the spring. Many thanks to Pete Kerzel for filling in during my mid-camp break. Just arrived at the ballpark and there's already significant news to report: Sammy SolÃs has been unconditionally released. While this may seem to come out of the blue for many, this really wasn't a complete shock. From the moment the Nationals chose to tender the left-hander a contract over the...

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Back in D.C., Adams relishes role as a clubhouse leader

March 08, 2019, 7:21am

Nationals

Back in D.C., Adams relishes role as a clubhouse leader

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Matt Adams isn't sure how many offers his agent fielded this offseason. When all was said and done, there was really only one place Adams wanted to go. "I wanted to come back here," said Adams, who re-signed with the Nationals on Dec. 18. "How quickly they reached out to my agent and presented the offer, there was mutual interest on both sides." Most players who signed with a team the previous offseason only to be caught in a trade-deadline roster purge would cross...

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Read, Bourque are among Nats' first spring cuts (Cards win 3-2)

March 08, 2019, 5:59am

Nationals

Read, Bourque are among Nats' first spring cuts (Cards win 3-2)

JUPITER, Fla. - The Nationals made their first cuts of camp this morning, and there were no real surprises among the seven players trimmed from the spring roster. Catcher Raudy Read was optioned to Triple-A Fresno, while right-hander James Bourque was optioned to Double-A Harrisburg. Five other players were reassigned to minor league camp: right-handers Ronald PeÃ±a and Wil Crowe, first baseman-outfielder JosÃ© Marmolejos, catcher Tres Barrera and outfielder Chuck Taylor. "Just go down and...

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Corbin changes things up, rebounds after rocky start to set tone

March 08, 2019, 11:25am

Nationals

Corbin changes things up, rebounds after rocky start to set tone

JUPITER, Fla. - Take away the first five Cardinals batters faced by Nationals pitching - all reaching base via hit, erasing a 2-0 deficit - and Davey Martinez would have spent his postgame press briefing talking about a day filled with dominant mound efforts. As it was, the Nationals were still pretty good - even starter Patrick Corbin, whose brief struggle with locating his fastball in the first inning allowed the Cardinals to take the lead for good in a game that breezed by in 2 hours, 19...

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Strasburg labors early, then goes longer than expected in 6-4 win

March 07, 2019, 12:28pm

Nationals

Strasburg labors early, then goes longer than expected in 6-4 win

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg expected to pitch three innings today. That was the plan. Three times up and down. And when he extended himself with a 27-pitch first inning against the Mets, he had little room for error if he was going to reach his goal. So imagine the right-hander's surprise when he got to the dugout after working three innings and throwing 48 pitches when he was told he was going back out for the fourth inning. "They just told me I had eight to 10 more pitches, so...

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Hard-throwing Rainey trying to slow things down

March 07, 2019, 8:54am

Nationals

Hard-throwing Rainey trying to slow things down

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Velocity has been Tanner Rainey's calling card. Pitchers capable of throwing 100 mph tend to get noticed, and it was the right-hander's radar gun readings that made him attractive to the Nationals, who swapped righty Tanner Roark to the Reds at the Winter Meetings to acquire him. So why is Rainey spending spring training trying to slow things down? Like most hard throwers, Rainey has trouble repeating his mechanics. And when that happens, he tends to get a little out...

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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter

March 08, 2019, 4:06am

Nationals

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Patrick Corbin, who signed a six-year, $140 million deal with the Nationals in the offseason, has come as advertised. The southpaw makes his third Grapefruit League start this afternoon against the Cardinals in Jupiter, and he's yet to allow an earned run over five innings. In two outings, Corbin has surrendered three hits, hasn't walked a batter and has struck out three. Victor Robles is leading off and playing center field for the Nationals today, with Matt Adams at...

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MRI shows Kendrick has hamstring strain (Nats win 6-4)

March 07, 2019, 6:04am

Nationals

MRI shows Kendrick has hamstring strain (Nats win 6-4)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - An MRI on Howie Kendrick's left hamstring confirmed the original diagnosis of a strain, and Nationals manager Davey Martinez is hopeful the versatile veteran can rehabilitate the injury and be ready for opening day. "MRI came back and it's what they expected, a mild strain," Martinez said. "He's going to be day to day. It'll probably take him a little bit to get going again." Kendrick sustained the injury running out an RBI infield single in the first inning of...

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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Mets in West Palm Beach

March 07, 2019, 5:14am

Nationals

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Mets in West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - For a spring training game, we've got a pretty nice pitching matchup in today's Grapefruit League battle between the Nationals and Mets at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg makes his second spring start for the Nats and will be opposed by Mets righty Jacob deGrom. Manager Davey Martinez hopes to get Strasburg up and down three times, which should leave him at a pitch count around 50 for today's assignment. In his first spring start...

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Work ethic getting Kieboom noticed in first major league camp

March 06, 2019, 4:40am

Nationals

Work ethic getting Kieboom noticed in first major league camp

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's 8:20 a.m. on a sweltering March morning, not a hint of breeze to cool the baking sun and the temperatures on their way into the upper 80s. Carter Kieboom grabs a bat out of his locker stall, checks the morning hitting assignments and pops out of the back clubhouse door at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. While some of his Nationals teammates are still getting dressed or chowing down in the cafeteria, Kieboom immerses himself in a round of batting practice. A...

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Where the center field battle between Robles and Taylor stands

March 05, 2019, 1:32pm

Nationals

Where the center field battle between Robles and Taylor stands

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - As spring training competitions go, the center field battle between veteran Michael A. Taylor and top prospect Victor Robles in Nationals camp is a doozy. And with a little more than two weeks left in camp, there's no clear-cut leader. If all things were equal, the Nationals would seem to prefer that Robles, 21, seize the opportunity. If not for a gruesome elbow injury sustained making a diving play for Triple-A Syracuse in April, he might have been the one who got the...