nationals

Second inning gets Cubs going against Strasburg (Nats fall 6-4 in 10)

September 06, 2018, 4:05pm

After a pair of scoreless frames, the Cubs finally got to Stephen Strasburg in the third inning with three consecutive base hits. With two outs, Javier BÃ¡ez singled. Anthony Rizzo doubled with BÃ¡ez scoring all the way from first base. Ben Zobrist followed with a RBI single to score Rizzo. Kris Bryant was hit by pitch but Strasburg struck out Albert Almora, Jr., to end the inning. The Nats managed base hits from Juan Soto in the second and Spencer Kieboom in the third, but have been unable...

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Murphy ready for emotional return to Nationals Park

September 06, 2018, 2:25pm

Nationals

Daniel Murphy flew from Milwaukee to Washington late Wednesday night, rode home and slept in his own bed for the first time in 2 1/2 weeks. There was comfort in that routine, to be sure. Then Murphy rode today to Nationals Park and instead of entering the home clubhouse kept walking around the concourse to the visitors' side behind third base, where his No. 3 Cubs jersey was hanging in his locker and his name was listed in the No. 1 lineup slot for tonight's series opener. Yeah, these are...

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Martinez on Zimmerman, Doolittle, Strasburg and the Cubs

September 06, 2018, 1:47pm

Nationals

Martinez on Zimmerman, Doolittle, Strasburg and the Cubs

Nationals manager Davey Martinez said first baseman Ryan Zimmerman is getting a rest day and his absence from the lineup is not because of the slide in last night's game against the Cardinals, a 7-6 setback. "Zim's fine, just getting a day," Martinez said during pregame. "Like I said, we talk a lot and we felt he needed a day today. So, he will be available later." The slide occurred in the seventh frame Wednesday night when the Nats rallied for four runs to get back in the...

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Game 141 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs

September 06, 2018, 11:27am

Nationals

They just took the official 2018 team photo here at Nationals Park, with players, coaches and club executives all standing out in direct sunlight in the middle of the diamond on a brutally hot day to smile for a few seconds and capture a shot of the team in its entirety. That is, the team in its entirety as it currently exists on September 6. Several players who will have played a key role on this team this season aren't included, because they're no longer part of the team. That includes...

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Ross on Friday return from Tommy John: "I want to compete"

September 06, 2018, 2:46am

Nationals

Ross on Friday return from Tommy John: "I want to compete"

Friday will be a special game for right-hander Joe Ross, who returns from Tommy John surgery for his first start one day short of 14 months away from the game. Ross said it will be an incredible moment because there was always a slight fear in the back of his mind that he might never get back. "You have the ups and downs," Ross said of the long road of recovery and rehab. "The uncertainty of how it's going to end, if you'll be back. If I'll be back was the toughest part of it for me. But...

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Adams launches two homers against former team as Cards win

September 05, 2018, 7:54pm

Nationals

Adams launches two homers against former team as Cards win

Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams had been in a bit of a slump over his last two weeks of games with his new team. Coming into Wednesday night's series finale against his former team, the Nationals, Adams had gone hitless in nine at-bats. He started 0-for-27 with the Cardinals until hitting a single last Wednesday. That hit was his first with the Cardinals since May 9, 2017. He also had not hit a home run since Aug. 4 against the Reds while with the Nationals. But that all changed in a 7-6...

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Nationals rally again, but lose again to Cardinals (updated)

September 05, 2018, 6:41pm

Nationals

It is becoming something of a running joke, that no matter how bad they play, no matter the deficit they face, the Nationals always seem to find a way to bring the tying run to the plate late in ballgames. Even though that doesn't always result in victory, it has legitimately become a defining quality of a team that certainly has been a major disappointment this season but rarely has rolled over and conceded defeat. So it shouldn't have surprised anyone when it happened again tonight, when...

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Opposite dugout: Cubs continuing roll toward another NL Central crown

September 05, 2018, 1:01pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Cubs continuing roll toward another NL Central crown

Manager: Joe Maddon (4th season) Record: 82-57 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 2B Javier BÃ¡ez (.297 with 30 HR, 100 RBIs), 1B Anthony Rizzo (24 HR, 90 RBIs), 3B Kris Bryant (.277, 11 HR), LF Kyle Schwarber (24 HR, 57 RBIs), LHP Jon Lester (15-5, 3.53 ERA), LHP Cole Hamels (4-0, 1.00), RHP Pedro Strop (11 saves, 2.45 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: 2-1 Pitching probables: Sept. 6: RHP Kyle Hendricks (11-10) vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg (7-7), 7:05 p.m., MASN Sept. 7: LHP Jon Lester (15-5) vs....

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Rizzo expresses frustration with season, support for Martinez

September 05, 2018, 2:26pm

Nationals

Rizzo expresses frustration with season, support for Martinez

That the question was asked at all is evidence of the disappointment that has been the Nationals' 2018 season. But given the events of the last five months, not to mention the organization's history of changing managers, Mike Rizzo couldn't have been surprised today when he was asked during a wide-ranging scrum on the field at Nationals Park whether Davey Martinez will return in 2019. Rizzo's reply: "I haven't considered any other scenario." Skeptics will immediately dig up Rizzo's...

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Doolittle continues progression toward return; Suero is back; Romero, Robles updates

September 05, 2018, 2:07pm

Nationals

Doolittle continues progression toward return; Suero is back; Romero, Robles updates

Nationals manager Davey Martinez had another promising update on the progress of closer Sean Doolittle's possible return. Doolittle conducted another simulated game prior to the club's matchup with the Cardinals at Nationals Park tonight. Doolittle has missed 52 games with a toe injury, which works out to 37.4 percent of this season's games. "Good. He felt a lot better today than he did the previous game and we'll see how he feels tomorrow and hopefully ... It's his call," Martinez said....

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Cards go after Roark early (Nats fall 7-6)

September 05, 2018, 4:17pm

Nationals

Cards go after Roark early (Nats fall 7-6)

The Cardinals grabbed the lead quickly with three runs in the first inning against the Nationals starter Tanner Roark. Following singles by Matt Carpenter and JosÃ© MartÃnez, former Nats slugger Matt Adams hit a three-run homer, his 19th of the season. In the second, the Cardinals padded their lead. Carpenter connected on an RBI double and MartÃnez added a run-scoring single. The Cardinals' top three hitters in the lineup have five hits and all five RBIs to begin the game. The Nats got...

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Game 140 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals

September 05, 2018, 11:27am

Nationals

Can the Nationals play well enough tonight to take a three-game series from the Cardinals? Can Tanner Roark continue his second-half surge? Can the lineup continue to produce, right down to the bottom of the ninth? Shoot, can they simply play a nine-inning game in fewer than 3 1/2 hours? We'll find all of that out when the Nats wrap up their series with St. Louis with Roark on the mound. The right-hander took a bit of a step back in his last start, allowing three homers to the Brewers. But...

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Fedde says second inning "sped up a little bit on me"

September 05, 2018, 3:12am

Nationals

Fedde says second inning "sped up a little bit on me"

Right-hander Erick Fedde pitched four scoreless innings Tuesday night as the Nationals faced off against the Cardinals in game two of the series at Nats Park. But the second inning did not go well as he allowed four runs on four hits. The big blow was three runs that scored on Matt Carpenter's two-run single and a fielding error by Adam Eaton in right field. Marcell Ozuna opened the scoring with a solo shot. Look at innings one, three, four and five: The Cardinals managed a walk in the fourth....

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Lacking in trusted options, Nats 'pen taking a pounding

September 04, 2018, 8:50pm

Nationals

Lacking in trusted options, Nats 'pen taking a pounding

The Nationals had 12 pitchers sitting in their bullpen Tuesday night, but that doesn't mean Davey Martinez had an abundance of appealing options when he needed to call down there for an arm. Of those 12 relievers, only two were on the club's opening day roster: Matt Grace and Sammy SolÃs. Only four of them have pitched in 30 or more games for the Nats this season: Grace and Solis, Justin Miller and Wander Suero. Tim Collins has made 27 appearances over two stints in Washington. Greg...

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SolÃs got ahead of Molina, but was unable to finish him off

September 04, 2018, 8:09pm

Nationals

SolÃs got ahead of Molina, but was unable to finish him off

Left-hander Sammy SolÃs came into this season as healthy as he has felt in some time. But April was not that good a month, as he struggled to a 0-1 record and a 5.59 ERA. May was much better, as he worked well in 15 games to a 1-0 record and a 2.61 ERA. But June (6.14 ERA) was rough, and then July (8.10 ERA) and August (0-1, 9.00 ERA) got worse. Due to his erratic outings and an inability to get that clutch out, Solis went up and down to Triple-A Syracuse twice this season: June 30 to July...

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Liz Barr: Soto, Robles offer a glimpse of Nationals' future

September 05, 2018, 6:13am

Nationals

At the beginning of the year, everyone anticipated Victor Robles to be a quick call-up; he was going to be the young face of the future that made his mark this season, digging out a role in the outfield and being an important piece for the Nationals off the bench or perhaps in some kind of starting role. That wasn't the case. Robles suffered a freak injury on his elbow at the beginning of April that forced him onto the disabled list until deep into the summer. Instead, it was Juan Soto,...

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Mistakes aplenty in Nats' 11-8 loss to Cards (updated)

September 04, 2018, 7:16pm

Nationals

Mistakes aplenty in Nats' 11-8 loss to Cards (updated)

In this summer of extremes for the Nationals, tonight's 11-8 loss to the Cardinals somehow felt appropriate. The Nats pitching staff posted zeros in six different innings during this game, often in impressive fashion. The lineup posted a four-spot in the bottom of the fifth with an impressive rally, then scored three times in the bottom of the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate. Unfortunately, the top of the second, sixth and ninth also counted in this contest, so the 11 combined...

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Ross set to return from Tommy John on Friday night (Nats fall 11-8)

September 04, 2018, 3:23pm

Nationals

Ross set to return from Tommy John on Friday night (Nats fall 11-8)

Nationals manager Davey Martinez confirmed that right-hander Joe Ross will finally return from Tommy John rehab and make his first start of the season Friday night against the Cubs. His last major league start was July 9, 2017, at home against the Braves. Ross has made six minor league rehab starts since August 6. The first three starts maxed out at three innings apiece. The last three starts with Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse have gone at least five innings each. The move coincides...

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McGowin realizes dream of pitching in big leagues with call to Nats

September 04, 2018, 1:59pm

Nationals

McGowin realizes dream of pitching in big leagues with call to Nats

The Nationals announced the right-handed starter Kyle McGowin has had his contract selected as part of September roster expansion. McGowin was actually in the midst of his most recent start with Triple-A Syracuse when the wheels were set in motion for him to join the Nats in D.C. "Well, I was pitching yesterday, started for Syracuse," McGowin said. "It was the fifth inning - they took me out and I was pretty upset. A couple of guys came up to me and were like, 'You're going to the show!'...

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Robles returns to D.C. and finally gets to play with Soto

September 04, 2018, 2:19pm

Nationals

Robles returns to D.C. and finally gets to play with Soto

When Victor Robles arrived in Washington one year ago, he was touted as the Nationals' future star outfielder, the man who would perhaps make Bryce Harper's potential departure less difficult to swallow. When Robles arrived in Washington today, he found himself with a locker right next to Juan Soto, who over the last 3 1/2 months has taken over the title of Harper's potential replacement and already a star for the Nationals at 19. Not that Robles has suddenly turned into chump change. His...