nationals

After disastrous 72 hours, Nats cope with reality of standings

August 15, 2018, 10:28pm

ST. LOUIS - At 10:03 p.m. CDT Sunday, as Ryan Madson prepared to deliver his 2-2 pitch to David Bote at Wrigley Field, the Nationals were one strike away from moving to within 4 1/2 games of first place in the National League East. By 10:21 p.m. CDT Wednesday, as Trea Turner's fly ball to center field at Busch Stadium settled into Harrison Bader's glove, the Nationals were nine games back in the division. Yes, in the span of 72 hours, 18 minutes, this team lost 4 1/2 games in the standings....

Comments

Tags:

jeremy hellickson mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman st. louis cardinals trea turner featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Nats lose Hellickson to wrist injury, fall nine games back (updated)

August 15, 2018, 7:22pm

Nationals

Nats lose Hellickson to wrist injury, fall nine games back (updated)

ST. LOUIS - This isn't the Nationals' longest road trip of the season. It only feels like it. And because of that, the 41 games that still remain on the schedule in 2018 are perilously close to losing all significance. With a lackluster 4-2 loss at Busch Stadium tonight, the Nationals dropped their third straight to the Cardinals and fell to 1-5 on this season-defining trip through Chicago and St. Louis. They are now, stunningly, the owners of a losing record at 60-61. And with the Braves...

Comments

Tags:

jeremy hellickson mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime st. louis cardinals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Strasburg could make return Tuesday vs. Phillies (Nats down 3-0)

August 15, 2018, 3:11pm

Nationals

Strasburg could make return Tuesday vs. Phillies (Nats down 3-0)

ST. LOUIS - If Stephen Strasburg recovers from today's simulated game against Nationals teammates with no lingering issues, the right-hander could make his return to the active roster as soon as Tuesday to face the Phillies in Washington, D.C. Though Davey Martinez had previously said the plan for Strasburg, out since July 20 with a pinched nerve in his neck, included a minor league rehab start, today's 70-pitch session may have convinced club officials to speed up the process and get the...

Comments

Tags:

erick fedde mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

The math for the Nationals isn't pretty

August 14, 2018, 10:25pm

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - It probably feels like grasping at straws, but it's about all the Nationals can do at this point without completely giving up on the season. And they are making it plain and clear they aren't doing that. "The energy's there," Davey Martinez said after Tuesday night's 6-4 loss to the Cardinals, the Nats' third straight and fourth in five games to begin this road trip. "These guys don't quit. And they're going to fight to the end. I love them. I really do. They're playing...

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves davey martinez mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime philadelphia phillies st. louis cardinals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

No drama, only another loss for .500 Nats (updated)

August 14, 2018, 7:28pm

Nationals

No drama, only another loss for .500 Nats (updated)

ST. LOUIS - There was no ninth-inning disaster tonight, no bullpen implosion, no nightmare for the manager or his players to have to try to explain. There was only a 6-4 loss to the Cardinals that felt relatively mundane for a Nationals club that hasn't experienced anything resembling a mundane loss in some time. There was the requisite last-gasp rally that brought the go-ahead run to the plate, because this is what they do before they ultimately walk off the field each night. But there also...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper daniel murphy davey martinez gio gonzalez mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime st. louis cardinals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 121 lineups: Nats at Cardinals

August 15, 2018, 12:43pm

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - This critical road trip in the Nationals season has not gone how they would have liked, but it's not over yet. There are two games left to be played against the Cardinals, two games that could either continue the slide into oblivion or perhaps perk everyone up a bit and recapture some semblance of positive momentum. It begins tonight with Jeremy Hellickson on the mound for the Nats. It's been quite an interesting season for the right-hander. He has allowed three or fewer earned...

Comments

Tags:

jeremy hellickson lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime st. louis cardinals frontstory_nationals1

Madson goes on DL, SolÃs sent to Triple-A (Nats down 6-4)

August 14, 2018, 3:05pm

Nationals

Madson goes on DL, SolÃs sent to Triple-A (Nats down 6-4)

ST. LOUIS - On the heels of back-to-back bullpen implosions caused both by injury and poor performance, the Nationals brought in two new relievers - Tim Collins and Trevor Gott - for tonight's game against the Cardinals and removed Ryan Madson and Sammy SolÃs from the active roster. Madson, who turned a 3-0 lead into a 4-3 loss via David Bote's walk-off grand slam Sunday night in Chicago, was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a back injury (the official diagnosis was lumbar nerve...

Comments

Tags:

justin miller kelvin herrera koda glover mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan madson sammy solis sean doolittle featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Liz Barr: Franchise leaderboards are Zimmerman's domain

August 15, 2018, 4:45am

Nationals

Liz Barr: Franchise leaderboards are Zimmerman's domain

Ryan Zimmerman has been the face of the Nationals since their inaugural year in 2005. You can't say the name without thinking about Zimmerman in some way, shape or form. Whether it be as a fresh-faced young third baseman, a Rookie of the Year runner-up, a Silver Slugger and Gold Glover, the humanitarian, the seasoned vet or the king of walk-offs, Zimmerman's fingerprints are all over this team. And his greatness on the field isn't just contained to Washington history, but it stretches over...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger liz barr nationals nationals buzz ryan zimmerman

There's no quick fix to Nationals' bullpen woes

August 13, 2018, 11:43pm

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - Every manager has to enter every game with a plan in mind for bullpen usage. He considers that night's starting pitcher. He takes into account who pitched the previous night, who warmed up and who's available tonight. He sets contingencies for an abrupt exit by the starter and/or extra innings in which someone is needed to provide length. He might even consider who's scheduled to start the next night, in case a reliever needs to be held back for that possibility. Davey Martinez...

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan madson sammy solis featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Nationals recall Trevor Gott, select Tim Collins' contract

August 14, 2018, 3:49pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Trevor Gott from Triple-A Syracuse and selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Tim Collins on Tuesday. Additionally, they placed right-handed pitcher Ryan Madson on the 10-day disabled list with lumbar nerve root irritation, optioned left-handed pitcher Sammy SolÃs to Triple-A Syracuse and transferred right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde to the 60-day disabled list. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike...

Comments

Tags:

Nationals News Release nationals

Nationals find new way to lose late, fall to Cards 7-6 (updated)

August 13, 2018, 7:35pm

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - The 2018 Nationals don't lose baseball games. They lose Greek tragedies. There's no such thing as a simple ballgame for this team right now. The wins, few and far between as they seem, are still excruciating affairs. The losses? Well, they fall into a category all their own, suitable only to be written about by men named Thespis or Euripides. And so even when there were glimmers of hope tonight at Busch Stadium, in the form of seventh- and ninth-inning rallies by the visiting...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper juan soto justin miller mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime sammy solis st. louis cardinals tommy milone featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 120 lineups: Nats at Cardinals (updated)

August 14, 2018, 12:46pm

Nationals

Game 120 lineups: Nats at Cardinals (updated)

ST. LOUIS - And we're back for another evening of exciting Nationals baseball at Busch Stadium. What does tonight have in store for the D.C. nine? It's tough to imagine anything more dramatic (or devastating) than what this team has experienced in the last 48 hours. But at this point, nothing should surprise you. We don't yet know the state of the Nats bullpen for tonight's game, but reinforcements have arrived. Ryan Madson and Sammy SolÃs are not listed on the lineup card for tonight's...

Comments

Tags:

gio gonzalez lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime st. louis cardinals ryan madson sammy solis tim collins trevor gott frontstory_nationals1

Madson didn't reveal back injury until after walk-off loss

August 13, 2018, 3:34pm

Nationals

Madson didn't reveal back injury until after walk-off loss

ST. LOUIS - As Ryan Madson was struggling on the mound in the bottom of the ninth Sunday night at Wrigley Field, Davey Martinez was unaware his fill-in closer was battling anything other than a loss of command. By the time Justin Miller had begun throwing off the bullpen mound behind the ivy in right field, the bases already were loaded and David Bote was stepping to the plate. Had Martinez known Madson was dealing with back pain that shot down his right leg and, according to the veteran...

Comments

Tags:

chicago cubs davey martinez mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan madson featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

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

August 13, 2018, 5:33pm

Nationals

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

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...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman st. louis cardinals tommy milone featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

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)...

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime nl player of the week ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

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...

Comments

Tags:

anthony rendon lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime st. louis cardinals tommy milone frontstory_nationals1

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...

Comments

Tags:

chicago cubs davey martinez mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime ryan madson ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

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...

Comments

Tags:

chicago cubs daniel murphy koda glover mark reynolds mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime ryan madson ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

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...

Comments

Tags:

Nationals News Release nationals

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...