nationals

Despite setbacks, Martinez sees positives ahead for Nats in 2019

September 22, 2018, 10:12am

Nationals manager Davey Martinez certainly thought the season was going to go much differently than it turned out. He never expected the Nats to be standing nine games out in the National League East at the start of play on Sept. 22. When Martinez sat down in spring training and looked at the possibilities for his potent lineup, he was hoping for a much better result than 77-77 with nine days remaining. Still, the first-year skipper sees a lot of positives with this group for 2019 and...

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Game 155 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

September 22, 2018, 7:19am

Nationals

With nine days left in the regular season, the Nationals now have a chance to play with lineups and work toward planning for what they need to do to get better in 2019. The outfield next season will most likely be comprised of young stars Juan Soto and Victor Robles, as well as veteran Adam Eaton. There is also hope that free agent Bryce Harper will re-sign with the Nats on a long-term contract. Robles is getting more playing time recently because of Eaton's stiff knee. Robles has started four...

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Voth will get today's start after Roark is pushed back

September 21, 2018, 7:22pm

Nationals

Voth will get today's start after Roark is pushed back

The Nationals are going to send Austin Voth, not Tanner Roark, to the mound Saturday afternoon. Though Roark had previously been named their starter for the third game of a four-game weekend series with the Mets, the Nationals decided to push the veteran right-hander back and give him more time to recuperate following the birth of his third child. Roark's wife, Amanda, gave birth earlier this week in Atlanta, where the pitcher spent four days while the Nationals played in Miami. He was back in...

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Nationals eliminated from NL East race (updated)

September 21, 2018, 6:02pm

Nationals

Even the most pessimistic of observers out there, those who insisted all along the Nationals would not win the National League East this season, could not have reasonably believed this team would be facing elimination on Sept. 21, with more than a week left on the regular-season schedule. If the Nats were going to fall short in their quest to win a third straight division title, it wouldn't happen until the final weekend, after a soul-crushing loss that allowed a surprise rival to celebrate...

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With Eaton's knee stiff, Robles getting extended look (Nats down 4-1)

September 21, 2018, 2:30pm

Nationals

With Eaton's knee stiff, Robles getting extended look (Nats down 4-1)

As much as he's wanted to get a look at Victor Robles down the stretch of the season, Davey Martinez also wanted to give Adam Eaton opportunities to keep playing until the finish line, making sure his surgically repaired left knee and ankle could hold up through the late September grind. Eaton, though, is now dealing with stiffness in that knee, so that has opened the door for Robles to get his first extended look of the season. Eaton isn't in the Nationals' lineup tonight, the fourth time...

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Martinez sees good things from Kieboom

September 21, 2018, 11:22am

Nationals

Nationals manager Davey Martinez has been impressed with the progress he has seen from backup catcher Spencer Kieboom this season. Kieboom got his opportunity early in the season when Pedro Severino struggled at the plate and Matt Wieters battled injury. This season, Kieboom, 27, has demonstrated the biggest key element for young catchers working with Nats pitchers: being able to call the game to give that pitcher the best chance to succeed. He played one game for the Nats in 2016. This season,...

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Game 154 lineups: Nats vs. Mets (updated)

September 21, 2018, 11:26am

Nationals

Game 154 lineups: Nats vs. Mets (updated)

The Nationals could be eliminated from the National League East race tonight. That's not a scenario anyone anticipated back in February (or April or June or maybe even July or August, for that matter) but it's the reality of the situation. The Nats are eight games back of the Braves in the division with nine to play. That means the elimination number is two, which means a Washington loss and an Atlanta win make it official. (The elimination number for the NL wild card race, for what it's...

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Soft outfield turf surprises players from both clubs

September 20, 2018, 8:33pm

Nationals

Soft outfield turf surprises players from both clubs

The outfield grass at Nationals Park hasn't always looked pristine this summer, most notably after a couple of concerts that left much of center field a splotchy brown. But the field itself had held up well through it all, never once appearing to negatively impact play despite heat, rain, All-Star festivities and more. But on Thursday night, two players in the Nationals-Mets game got their feet caught in the outfield turf, wound up creating massive divots and nearly injured themselves in the...

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Martinez wants young starters Fedde and Rodriguez to seek out strike zone

September 20, 2018, 2:17pm

Nationals

Martinez wants young starters Fedde and Rodriguez to seek out strike zone

One goal for the Nationals as the season winds down is getting starts for younger pitchers and seeing how they can do in pressure situations. This will allow manager Davey Martinez and his staff to get the hurlers that spent a lot of time at Triple-A the valuable experience in big league games and see if they can get through those high-leverage situations for future opportunities. Right-hander Jefry Rodriguez, 25, has started eight games and made 11 total appearances. He has 3-2 record but also...

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Opposite dugout: Disappointing season draws to a close for the Mets

September 19, 2018, 7:08pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Disappointing season draws to a close for the Mets

Manager: Mickey Callaway (1st season) Record: 70-82 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: LF Michael Conforto (26 HR, 121 hits); SS Amed Rosario (.260 with 133 hits, 21 SB); 1B Wilmer Flores (.267 with 11 HR, 51 RBIs); 3B Todd Frazier (84 hits, 58 RBIs); RHP Jacob deGrom (8-9, 1.78 ERA); LHP Steven Matz (5-11, 4.03 ERA); RHP Robert Gsellman (3.97 ERA, 11 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 8-7 Pitching probables: Sept. 20: LHP Jason Vargas (6-9) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (17-7); 7:05 p.m., MASNSept. 21:...

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No days off have been no problem for Turner

September 20, 2018, 2:16pm

Nationals

No days off have been no problem for Turner

The Nationals tonight play their 153rd game of the season. Trea Turner tonight plays in his 153rd game of the season. "I appreciate the fact he goes out there and plays every day," manager Davey Martinez said. "It's hard to do these days. I talk to him and ask if he needs a day off, and he's good to go. He loves to play." Turner hasn't started all 153 of those games. Four times this season he has been out of the lineup but still appeared off the bench. Even so, the Nationals shortstop is...

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Nats rally to get Scherzer off hook, but lose in 12th (updated)

September 20, 2018, 7:22pm

Nationals

Nats rally to get Scherzer off hook, but lose in 12th (updated)

Max Scherzer won't win 20 games this season. He very well could strike out 300 batters. Whether that's enough to get him a fourth Cy Young Award over first-time hopeful Jacob deGrom won't be known until mid-November. Scherzer was mostly dominant tonight against the Mets, striking out 13 batters in seven innings to raise his season total to 290. But back-to-back homers surrendered in the third left the Nationals ace ineligible to earn his 18th win, with at most only two starts remaining on...

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Ryan Sullivan: End of 2018 season looms large for Joe Ross, Nationals

September 21, 2018, 4:41am

Nationals

One of several reasons the 2018 Nationals have underachieved this season has been their lack of starting pitching depth. Washington suffered lengthy injuries to starters Stephen Strasburg and Jeremy Hellickson this season, and replacements Erick Fedde, Tommy Milone and Jefry Rodriguez could not adequately replace their performance. However, one could argue the Nationals' pitching depth began to feel strained in July 2017, when Joe Ross tore his ulnar collateral ligament and was forced to...

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Scherzer surrenders pair of early homers (Nats fall 5-4)

September 20, 2018, 4:07pm

Nationals

Scherzer surrenders pair of early homers (Nats fall 5-4)

The Mets hit a pair of home runs against Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer in the third inning. Michael Conforto hit a two-run shot and Jay Bruce followed with a solo homer. Even with the home runs allowed, Scherzer has struck out seven in four innings. He has 284 strikeouts for the season, matching his team record and career high. Bryce Harper walked in the first inning. He has walked in six consecutive plate appearances dating to his five-walk outing at Miami on Tuesday night. He has 124...

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Game 153 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

September 20, 2018, 11:21am

Nationals

And so we have come to the final homestand of the 2018 season. The Nationals host the Mets for four games, then the Marlins for three before hitting the road for an admittedly odd final series at Colorado next weekend. There will be time for some sentimentality once we reach the later stages of the homestand, but for now it's all business. Especially for the man on the mound tonight. Max Scherzer makes what lines up to be the first of three more starts this season. That number is significant,...

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Harper satisfied with current numbers as season wraps

September 19, 2018, 1:19am

Nationals

Harper satisfied with current numbers as season wraps

MIAMI - There may not be that much time left with Bryce Harper in a Nationals uniform. The next seven games might be the last opportunities to see Harper playing for the home team at Nats Park. The Mets and then the Marlins play in D.C. Sept. 20-26. The club finishes the regular season in Denver against the Rockies next weekend. Offensively, Harper has done much better after the All-Star break. He is batting .304 since the Home Run Derby, after stumbling to a .214 average in the season's early...

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Sorting through the Nationals' new Triple-A affiliation

September 19, 2018, 8:18pm

Nationals

By now, you've probably heard about the Nationals' new Triple-A affiliate: the Fresno Grizzlies. And yes, that's Fresno, Calif., not Fresno, Ohio. Fresno was not the Nats' first choice for a new Triple-A affiliate, mostly because of its inconvenient location. It's not only the 2,800 miles that separate it from Washington, but the fact the closest nonstop flight you can get from Fresno to Washington is Chicago. Which, as you know, isn't particularly close to Washington. How did this...

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NL Cy Young favorites will pitch amid debate over credentials

September 19, 2018, 11:14am

Nationals

NL Cy Young favorites will pitch amid debate over credentials

The Nationals' series with the Mets, which begins Thursday in D.C., doesn't have any meaning for the division race, but the two National League Cy Young candidates are pitching and there's an interesting question in that debate: Does New York's Jacob deGrom need at least 10 wins to take the award from the favorite, Washington's Max Scherzer? Scherzer, eyeing his third consecutive Cy Young, pitches Thursday night with deGrom going Friday night. The Phillies' Aaron Nola is also a candidate,...

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Strasburg strikes out 11, Harper walks 5 times in 4-2 win over Marlins

September 18, 2018, 7:25pm

Nationals

Strasburg strikes out 11, Harper walks 5 times in 4-2 win over Marlins

MIAMI - Right-hander Stephen Strasburg was masterful at times, but also had to dig down deep to get key outs in the Nationals 4-2 win over Miami at Marlins Park. Strasburg (9-7) went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and a season-high matching 11 strikeouts. He struck out at least one batter in every inning, striking out nine in his first four innings. "I'm just trying to execute pitches," Strasburg said. "When I get to two strikes, you want to try to put them away....

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Nationals announce deal with Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies

September 18, 2018, 2:12pm

Nationals

MIAMI - The Nationals announced they have signed a player development contract with Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo said the club had preferred to go to Nashville, Tenn., after the New York Mets purchased the Syracuse Chiefs. But the Nashville Sounds agreed to a four-year deal with the Texas Rangers. That left the Nats with Fresno. The Houston Astros had left Fresno to...