nationals

Harper's surge continues with 29th homer (Nats lead 4-2)

August 13, 2018, 5:33pm

ST. LOUIS - For a guy who not long ago was laboring through the worst season of his career, Bryce Harper can still launch a baseball with the best of them. And he sure is starting to look like his peak self again. Harper hit his 29th homer of the season tonight, a solo blast that came on the 10th pitch of a fourth-inning at-bat against Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas. This being game No. 119 for the Nationals, Harper is on pace for a 40-homer season despite all his struggles earlier this...

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Zimmerman wins NL Player of the Week

August 13, 2018, 12:29pm

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - It will come as very small consolation after a crushing weekend at Wrigley Field for the Nationals, but Ryan Zimmerman's individual performance was nonetheless recognized. Zimmerman was named National League Player of the Week this afternoon after going on a tear that culminated with some big-time games against the Cubs. Zimmerman hit .476 (10-for-21) with three doubles, three homers, 12 RBIs and four walks in seven games. He led the NL in slugging percentage (1.048), OPS (1.586)...

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Game 119 lineups: Nats at Cardinals

August 13, 2018, 12:46pm

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - It's a new day, in a new town and there's a new ballgame for the Nationals to play tonight. Whether last night's events have any carryover effect in their series opener at Busch Stadium remains to be seen. Your guess is as good as anyone's when it comes to this. The Nats will need Tommy Milone to give them a chance, though. The lefty very much did that in his first two starts in place of Stephen Strasburg, against the Marlins and Mets. He very much did not do it in his last...

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How do the Nationals bounce back from another crushing loss?

August 12, 2018, 9:28pm

Nationals

CHICAGO - The Nationals have gone 12-10 since the All-Star break, but consider how five of those 10 losses went down ... * July 24 at Milwaukee: Up 4-3 in the seventh, the Nationals blew the lead, then lost 5-4 in 10 innings. * July 28 at Miami: Down 1-0 in the ninth, the Nationals rallied to tie the game, then lost 2-1 in 10. * Aug. 7 vs. Atlanta: Tied 1-1 in the ninth, the Nationals lost 3-1. * Aug. 10 at Chicago: Up 2-0 in the sixth, the Nationals let the Cubs tie it, then took the lead in...

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One strike away, Nats lose another heartbreaker (updated)

August 12, 2018, 7:10pm

Nationals

One strike away, Nats lose another heartbreaker (updated)

CHICAGO - The Nationals have been in this position too many times this summer. And too many times they've trudged off the field agonizing over a game that somehow got away from them late. If somehow they're going to survive this roller coaster season to keep playing in October, they simply are going to have to flip the script on these games. Where better, then, to start but on a Sunday night at Wrigley Field, with a national television audience watching a classic pitchers' duel and a stellar...

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Ryan Zimmerman named National League Player of the Week

August 13, 2018, 11:51am

Nationals

Ryan Zimmerman named National League Player of the Week

Following a week in which he hit .476 (10-for-21) with three doubles, three homers, 12 RBI, four walks and four runs scored in seven games, Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman was named the National League Player of the Week on Monday. Major League Baseball made the announcement on MLB Network. Zimmerman led the National League in slugging percentage (1.048), OPS (1.586), RBI (12) and tied for the lead with six extra-base hits last week. He hit safely in five of the seven games and reached...

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Marty Niland: Nats' historic run of winning seasons is at risk

August 13, 2018, 5:38am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Nats' historic run of winning seasons is at risk

Sunday night's walk-off loss to the Cubs might have been a crushing moment for the Nationals and their fans, a potential gut punch to the season and possibly a way of baseball life that fans may have taken for granted. By surrendering a two-out, two-strike grand slam in the bottom of the ninth, a team that's already on the fringe of the postseason race found another way to lose and is now just two games over .500 at 60-58. At risk over the rest of the season are not only back-to-back division...

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Opposite dugout: Surging Cardinals have sights set on postseason spot

August 12, 2018, 1:42pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Surging Cardinals have sights set on postseason spot

Manager: Mike Shildt (1st season) Record: 63-55 Last 10 games: 8-2 Who to watch: 3B Matt Carpenter (.277 \ with 32 HR, 65 RBIs); C Yadier Molina (.290 \ with 53 RBIs, 95 hits); 1B JosÃ© MartÃnez (.299 with 114 hits); LF Marcell Ozuna (.272 with 122 hits, 62 RBIs); RHP Miles Mikolas (12-3, 2.74 ERA); RHP Jack Flaherty (6-6, 3.22 ERA); RHP Bud Norris (2.85 ERA, 22 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-3 in 2017) Pitching probables: Aug. 13: LHP Tommy Milone (1-1) vs. RHP...

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Murphy finding stroke, still terrorizing Cubs (Nats lead 1-0)

August 12, 2018, 5:23pm

Nationals

Murphy finding stroke, still terrorizing Cubs (Nats lead 1-0)

CHICAGO - Daniel Murphy has been terrorizing the Cubs since the 2015 National League Championship Series, and he's been up to his old tricks this weekend at Wrigley Field. Murphy, finally feeling healthy and confident in his swing after a long recovery from knee surgery, had seven hits in his first 10 at-bats of the Nationals' series against the Cubs. That included a single down the left field line in the top of the second tonight, one that advanced Ryan Zimmerman from first to third and put...

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Rendon sits again, Doolittle ready to throw off mound

August 12, 2018, 3:25pm

Nationals

Rendon sits again, Doolittle ready to throw off mound

CHICAGO - Anthony Rendon is out of the Nationals lineup for the second straight day, but manager Davey Martinez expressed some level of confidence his starting third baseman won't need to miss a third straight game. Rendon, who was hit by a pitch on his left hand in the first inning Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field, is available to come off the bench for tonight's series finale against the Cubs. That would most likely be if the Nats needed him in the field, though, not as likely if he was...

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Roark extends himself, wins fourth straight

August 11, 2018, 8:25pm

Nationals

Roark extends himself, wins fourth straight

CHICAGO - When Tanner Roark walked off the mound following a scoreless bottom of the seventh Saturday afternoon, he was greeted at the top of the dugout steps by Davey Martinez, who proceeded to have a conversation with the pitcher. When that conversation ended, Roark got a fist-bump from his manager and went back into the dugout. He didn't get a handshake or any hugs from teammates. In the current etiquette of baseball, this could only be deciphered to mean one thing: Roark was coming back to...

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Game 118 lineups: Nats at Cubs

August 12, 2018, 12:19pm

Nationals

CHICAGO - We've seen no shortage of wacky and wild stuff this summer from a Nationals team that seems to vacillate from contender to pretender on a daily basis. So who knows which version we'll see tonight on Sunday Night Baseball. But we do know we're going to see a marquee matchup: Max Scherzer vs. Cole Hamels. Yes, it's Cy Young Award vs. World Series MVP winner, with the fate of this weekend series at stake. Scherzer is trying to make a case for his third straight (and fourth overall)...

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Zimmerman vanquishes Wrigley demons in Nats' 9-4 win (updated)

August 11, 2018, 3:02pm

Nationals

Zimmerman vanquishes Wrigley demons in Nats' 9-4 win (updated)

CHICAGO - There are few hitters havens in baseball like Wrigley Field, provided the wind isn't blowing in and the temperature isn't 43 degrees. But there's no park in the majors that has haunted Ryan Zimmerman like the Friendly Confines on the corner of Clark and Addison, at least in recent years. Ever since he became manager of the Cubs in 2015, there is no member of the Nationals lineup Joe Maddon has been more willing to pitch to than Zimmerman. So much so that he once walked Bryce Harper...

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Zimmerman finally delivering behind Harper (Nats up 9-1)

August 11, 2018, 1:10pm

Nationals

Zimmerman finally delivering behind Harper (Nats up 9-1)

CHICAGO - The Bryce Harper-Ryan Zimmerman 1-2 punch doesn't exactly have a storied history at Wrigley Field. This, of course, is the venue where two years ago the Cubs did everything they could to avoid pitching to Harper and instead go after Zimmerman, who simply could not make them pay for the strategy. So when Anthony Rendon was scratched from today's game with a bruised left wrist, it may have surprised some that Davey Martinez decided to tweak his lineup by moving Harper into the No. 3...

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Rendon has wrist contusion, plus more injury updates

August 11, 2018, 11:03am

Nationals

Rendon has wrist contusion, plus more injury updates

CHICAGO - When Anthony Rendon was hit by a pitch on his left hand in the top of the first Friday afternoon, the Nationals third baseman waved off a trainer and remained in the game. Rendon played all nine innings of the Nats' 3-2 loss to the Cubs. He batted three more times, driving a ball to the warning track in left field that was caught. He made three plays in the field. All appeared to be fine. But after the game ended, Rendon could be seen leaving the visitors' clubhouse at Wrigley...

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Glover, Suero could ascend into late-inning roles

August 10, 2018, 7:21pm

Nationals

Glover, Suero could ascend into late-inning roles

CHICAGO - For all the difficulty Sammy SolÃs and Greg Holland had in the sixth and seventh innings, ultimately costing the Nats the game, Koda Glover and Wander Suero pitched exceptionally well after that. And in doing so may have earned their manager's trust to start pitching in big situations like the ones SolÃs and Holland failed in at Wrigley Field. After Holland walked in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh, manager Davey Martinez summoned Glover to enter from the bullpen...

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Game 117 lineups: Nats at Cubs (Rendon scratched)

August 11, 2018, 8:32am

Nationals

Game 117 lineups: Nats at Cubs (Rendon scratched)

CHICAGO - Another day, another opportunity for the Nationals to change the script of a season that has pretty much followed one path. And not the path this team wanted to follow. After their latest agonizing loss, the Nats will try to reverse the trend this afternoon at Wrigley Field and take the second game of this weekend series. They'll be hoping Tanner Roark can continue his recent reversal of trends - 3-0, 0.82 ERA his last three starts - and do his part to help beat the Cubs. It's...

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Rehab program likely leaves Strasburg return two weeks away

August 10, 2018, 9:48am

Nationals

Rehab program likely leaves Strasburg return two weeks away

CHICAGO - Stephen Strasburg is ramping up his throwing program, but the right-hander still appears to be at least two weeks away from rejoining the Nationals rotation. Strasburg, who has made only one start since June 8 due to shoulder and neck ailments, is slated to throw a "heavy" bullpen session Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. If that goes well, manager Davey Martinez said he'll throw a simulated game on Wednesday in St. Louis. And then if that goes well, he'll make a minor league...

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Wrigley wind helping Hellickson keep ball in park (Nats down 3-2)

August 10, 2018, 11:36am

Nationals

Wrigley wind helping Hellickson keep ball in park (Nats down 3-2)

CHICAGO - The Nationals are hitting singles and doubles against Kyle Hendricks so far today, and reaping the benefits of it. The Cubs are trying to hit homers off Jeremy Hellickson, and paying the price on a windy day at Wrigley Field. Four innings into the opener of a key weekend series, the Nationals hold a 2-0 lead thanks to six hits off Hendricks (five singles and a double) and zeroes off Hellickson (despite two deep drives that probably would've been homers under different weather...

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Nats let another close one slip away, fall 3-2 to Cubs (updated)

August 10, 2018, 1:31pm

Nationals

Nats let another close one slip away, fall 3-2 to Cubs (updated)

CHICAGO - The stakes perhaps felt a little higher, given the opposition, the location and all the familiar faces that have worn both clubs' uniforms in the last two seasons. But today's series opener at Wrigley Field felt remarkably familiar for a Nationals team that has found itself in situations just like this all summer long and consistently has shown itself unable to emerge victorious. Early offense, but a bunch of squandered opportunities to tack on needed runs later? Check. Dominance...