nationals

Adams still out, Eaton off, Harper will DH (Nats lose 8-6)

June 17, 2018, 8:27am

TORONTO - Davey Martinez went into the weekend with a plan for his lineup, who would get days off and who would get opportunities to serve as designated hitter. But Matt Adams' injury Friday night and the lineup's continued struggles forced the Nationals manager to make some tweaks for today's series finale against the Blue Jays. With Adams still sidelined - "he's doing better today," Martinez said - Daniel Murphy is starting his second straight game at first base. The original plan had...

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Martinez's key for Harper to break out of slump: less work

June 16, 2018, 9:12pm

Nationals

Martinez's key for Harper to break out of slump: less work

TORONTO - Ask Bryce Harper how he feels at the plate right now, and he'll insist everything's fine. "I feel great," he said yesterday. "Just missing pitches." Harper is missing a lot of pitches, though. In 12 games so far this month, he's batting .163 with one homer, three RBIs, four walks, 20 strikeouts and a .498 OPS that ranks 169th out of 184 qualified big league hitters during this stretch. This prolonged slump, which really extends back into early May, leaves Harper with a .221...

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Adams' finger in splint, X-rays inconclusive (Nats lose 2-0)

June 16, 2018, 11:19am

Nationals

Adams' finger in splint, X-rays inconclusive (Nats lose 2-0)

TORONTO - Matt Adams, as surmised, is not in the Nationals lineup this afternoon. Now the club can only wait to find out how many more games (if any) the slugger is going to need to miss with an injured left index finger. Adams, who was struck by a pitch while squaring around to bunt Friday night, had an X-ray taken after the game, the results of which appear to have been inconclusive. Manager Davey Martinez said, "it didn't really show much." "You can't even tell," Martinez said when...

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Nats shut out for third time in five games, lose 2-0 (updated)

June 16, 2018, 2:41pm

Nationals

Nats shut out for third time in five games, lose 2-0 (updated)

TORONTO - The Nationals, as currently constructed, know they have to win on the broad shoulders of their pitching staff, especially ace Max Scherzer. They also know there isn't a pitching performance in the history of baseball that could overcome a string of nine zeros by their lineup. And so it didn't matter that Scherzer today recorded the 74th double-digit strikeout game of his career, a mark only seven pitchers have ever topped. It didn't matter that Scherzer retired the first eight...

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On Adams' swollen finger and Eaton's quick out in the ninth

June 15, 2018, 9:09pm

Nationals

On Adams' swollen finger and Eaton's quick out in the ninth

TORONTO - Matt Adams finished the at-bat, and he played another inning in the field, but deep down the Nationals first baseman knew his left index finger was in no real condition to continue playing after it was struck by a pitch in the top of the second Friday night. "I mean, I knew from the get-go it was bad, but I wanted to do everything I could to stay out there," he said. "I don't like coming out of the games and putting other guys in a tough position. So, tough situation." Yes, and...

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Game 67 lineups: Nats at Blue Jays

June 16, 2018, 8:36am

Nationals

TORONTO - The Nationals' unfamiliarity with Rogers Centre cost them during Friday night's 6-5 loss. Perhaps now that they've experienced this unique ballpark a little bit, they won't be victimized by it in the second game of their weekend series with the Blue Jays. It doesn't hurt, of course, to have Max Scherzer on the mound. The ace has made four prior starts here in his career, and all he's done is go 3-0 with a 1.98 ERA, 32 strikeouts and only five walks. And this was the Detroit...

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Against a late Canadian dusk, a lost ball costs the Nats

June 15, 2018, 7:05pm

Nationals

Against a late Canadian dusk, a lost ball costs the Nats

TORONTO - The ball came off Teoscar HernÃ¡ndez's bat, went high in the air toward right field and left just about everyone inside Rogers Centre assuming it would fall harmlessly into Adam Eaton's glove for the first out in the bottom of the seventh. Alas, both Eaton and Gio Gonzalez knew otherwise. Because each knew the same thing: They had no clue where the ball was, hidden somewhere in the post-9 p.m., mid-June Canadian dusk. "As soon as it goes up, it's a pretty helpless feeling,"...

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Topps releases all-time Nats legendary lineup card set (and more on Soto)

June 14, 2018, 10:30am

Nationals

Topps releases all-time Nats legendary lineup card set (and more on Soto)

A new set of baseball trading cards which feature the all-time legendary trading card lineups for all 30 Major League Baseball teams are being unveiled all season long. The Nationals' all-time legendary trading card lineup according to Topps and Beckett Media was recently revealed, and includes starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg, relief pitcher Chad Cordero, catcher Wilson Ramos, first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, second baseman Jose Vidro, third baseman Anthony Rendon, shortstop Trea Turner, left...

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Misplay in right, subsequent homer send Nats to 6-5 loss to Jays

June 15, 2018, 5:44pm

Nationals

Misplay in right, subsequent homer send Nats to 6-5 loss to Jays

TORONTO - The Nationals put themselves in a position to win tonight's series opener at Rogers Centre with a late rally, but it would have required spotless relief and airtight defense, and they received neither. A misplay in right field by Adam Eaton in the bottom of the seventh turned a routine fly ball into a costly double, and Justin Miller's first poor relief outing in the majors or minors this season turned the game into a 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays. Summoned to try to pitch out of a jam...

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Adams departs after taking pitch off left hand (Nats lose 6-5)

June 15, 2018, 4:04pm

Nationals

Adams departs after taking pitch off left hand (Nats lose 6-5)

TORONTO - Matt Adams had been one of the few members of the Nationals lineup to avoid injury so far this season. Add the big first baseman to the list now. Adams had to depart tonight's game before the bottom of the third, one inning after he took a pitch off his left hand while squaring around to bunt the previous inning. Leading off the top of the second and facing the exaggerated infield shift he has seen from most opponents this season, Adams decided to try to surprise the Blue Jays and...

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An ownership change in name, but not in intentions

June 14, 2018, 9:26am

Nationals

An ownership change in name, but not in intentions

TORONTO - From the day he purchased the Nationals from Major League Baseball in 2006, Ted Lerner made it clear this would - and always would - be a family-run operation. Though the patriarch of one of the wealthiest and most influential families in Washington would have final say over any organizational decisions, he insisted none would be made without consultation of the seven other top members of the club's ownership group: his wife, Annette; his son, Mark; his daughters, Debra and Marla;...

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Lineup, outfield decisions for Martinez this weekend

June 15, 2018, 2:24pm

Nationals

Lineup, outfield decisions for Martinez this weekend

TORONTO - A week's worth of games in American League ballparks is allowing Davey Martinez to ease Daniel Murphy into action as designated hitter, but it's also forcing the Nationals manager to sit one of his four healthy starting-caliber outfielders, creating daily lineup decisions. With right-hander Aaron Sanchez starting for the Blue Jays in tonight's series opener at Rogers Centre, Martinez is sticking with the same arrangement that produced five runs against the Yankees on Wednesday....

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Friday morning news and notes from Toronto

June 14, 2018, 2:57pm

Nationals

Friday morning news and notes from Toronto

TORONTO - Some Friday morning news and notes for you as the Nationals prepare to play their first series north of the border since a 19-year-old Bryce Harper was asked a "clown question" back in 2012 ... * Erick Fedde's second big league start of the season was less impressive than his first start, but this one was a far tougher assignment. After getting his feet wet against a Padres lineup that scores 3.87 runs per game (sixth-worst in the majors), the rookie right-hander had to go up...

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Game 66 lineups: Nats at Blue Jays

June 15, 2018, 11:31am

Nationals

TORONTO - A very pleasant good day to you from Rogers Centre, where the Nationals are making their first appearance since 2012, when their 19-year-old slugger was asked a clown question by a Canadian reporter. What does this weekend have in store for the lads in curly W caps? The Nats face a reeling Blue Jays club that opened the season 13-6 and has since gone 17-32, including a three-game sweep at Tampa Bay to begin this week. They'll hope to take advantage of that, and the generally friendly...

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Mark Lerner takes over as managing principal owner of Nationals

June 14, 2018, 5:05am

Nationals

The Nationals have announced that Mark D. Lerner will take over as the managing principal owner of the club from his father, Theodore N. Lerner. Mark Lerner has been one of the principal owners since the family purchased the Nationals in July 2006. Major League Baseball has formally approved him earlier today during the quarterly ownership meeting in New York City. "Owning a baseball team in my hometown had long been a dream of mine," said Ted Lerner in a team-issued press release. "Twelve...

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Former National, fan favorite Michael Morse to take on MASN broadcast booth in Toronto

June 15, 2018, 6:33am

Nationals

Former National, fan favorite Michael Morse to take on MASN broadcast booth in Toronto

The MASN broadcast booth will have a familiar face in an unfamiliar role this weekend as the team heads north of the border. Instead of the usual duo of Bob Carpenter and F.P. Santangelo calling the Nationals' three games against the Blue Jays, former Nats player and local fan favorite Michael Morse will take on the role of color analyst alongside play-by-play man Carpenter. Santangelo will be in California for his son's college graduation. Morse, 36, has begun transitioning his career from...

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Ryan Sullivan: Nationals need a boost behind the plate

June 15, 2018, 6:20am

Nationals

The Nationals have been scuffling thus far in June with a 5-5 record. In particular, the offense has been struggling, scoring only 39 runs in those 10 games. And if you eliminate their 11-run explosion last week against the Rays, the Nationals are averaging only 3.11 runs per game in June. While it takes many hitters collectively struggling at the same time to produce these results, the Nationals catchers have been particularly dreadful recently. Starting catcher Matt Wieters was having a solid...

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Nationals renew player development contract with short-season Single-A Auburn

June 14, 2018, 11:32am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals announced the signing of a two-year Player Development Contract extension with the Short-season Single-A Auburn Doubledays on Thursday. The extension, which begins in 2019, runs through the 2020 season. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Nationals Vice President and Senior Advisor to the General Manager Bob Boone, Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Personnel Doug Harris and Director of Player Development Mark...

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Mark D. Lerner named Managing Principal Owner of Nationals

June 14, 2018, 5:42am

Nationals

Today, the Washington Nationals announced that Theodore N. Lerner has stepped down as Managing Principal Owner of the team. His son, Mark D. Lerner, will now serve in this role. Mark has served as one of the principal owners of the Nationals since the Lerner family purchased the team in July 2006. Major League Baseball formally approved Mark as the team's "control person" earlier today during its quarterly ownership meeting in New York City. "Owning a baseball team in my hometown had long...

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Soto's star shines brighter than ever in Nats' win (updated)

June 13, 2018, 6:25pm

Nationals

Soto's star shines brighter than ever in Nats' win (updated)

NEW YORK - Under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium, a young left-handed slugger from Washington wowed a crowd of 45,030 (and the assembled New York media) with a prodigious display of power that surely left plenty around here dreaming he might someday wear the fabled pinstripes. And we're not talking about Bryce Harper, folks. No, the star slugger on this evening was Juan Soto, the 19-year-old who has taken the majors by storm since his arrival three weeks ago. And he took everything to new...