nationals

Fedde labors but gets long-awaited first career win

June 29, 2018, 8:14pm

PHILADELPHIA - Erick Fedde was well aware of the situation. He had started seven previous big league games and had yet to emerge with a win in any of them. "I mean, it was a thought," the rookie right-hander admitted. "Not something ever when I was out on the field. Maybe when I get back home. But it's really nice to get that first one out of the way." Pitcher wins are a strange stat, and often they aren't at all a reflection of a pitcher's actual performance. But they do still mean...

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Game 81 lineups: Nats at Phillies (SolÃs optioned)

June 30, 2018, 10:43am

Nationals

Game 81 lineups: Nats at Phillies (SolÃs optioned)

PHILADELPHIA - What do you do after hitting seven homers and exploding for 17 runs? Trot out the same lineup the next night, right? That's what Davey Martinez is doing tonight, going with the same batting order from Friday night's win over the Phillies. There is one change, of course, and that's the return of Jeremy Hellickson from a strained hamstring. The veteran right-hander, who hurt himself covering first base four weeks ago in Atlanta, returns not only to the Nationals rotation but...

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Will Nats convince Zimmerman to go on rehab assignment?

June 29, 2018, 2:14pm

Nationals

Will Nats convince Zimmerman to go on rehab assignment?

PHILADELPHIA - Ryan Zimmerman took the unusual step this afternoon of walking into the visitors' bullpen at Citizens Bank Park with a bat in hand. The purpose: To stand in the batter's box as both Max Scherzer and Gio Gonzalez threw pitches during their standard between-starts bullpen session. "Just trying to see pitches as much as I can," said Zimmerman, who has been on the disabled list with a strained oblique muscle since May 12. "So when it is time to come back, I've already seen as...

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Nats flip the script with seven homers in 17-7 win (updated)

June 29, 2018, 6:50pm

Nationals

Nats flip the script with seven homers in 17-7 win (updated)

PHILADELPHIA - Answering a question this afternoon after his team's dramatic drop in home runs during this long and frustrating month, Davey Martinez offered up a different cure for the Nationals' offensive woes. "If you've noticed the days we've actually had good at-bats, we've hit a lot of balls up the middle," the manager said. "And the approach was like that. There's a lot of hits up the middle and in the gaps. So just stay there. They're going to hit home runs, I know they are....

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Power stroke returns in rapid fire in Philly (Nats win 17-7)

June 29, 2018, 4:09pm

Nationals

Power stroke returns in rapid fire in Philly (Nats win 17-7)

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals entered play tonight dead-last in the majors with only 12 home runs hit this month. Two innings later, they've taken over sole possession of 29th place, and they're only one away from moving into a tie for 28th. Three big blasts by Trea Turner, Juan Soto and Anthony Rendon have brought this previously moribund lineup to life and allowed the Nats to open up a commanding 7-0 lead on the Phillies after only two innings. The Nationals roughed up Nick Pivetta, with...

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Game 80 lineups: Nats at Phillies

June 29, 2018, 11:39am

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals have gotten into a habit of doing virtually nothing at the plate for much of a ballgame and then trying to mount a furious rally late. That strategy worked once (Sunday night at home against the Phillies) but has failed several other times (most recently Thursday night here at Citizens Bank Park). So perhaps they'll see if they can generate something a little earlier tonight. Some changes to the lineup tonight: Adam Eaton is back in there as promised, leading off...

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New-look Roark gets better, if not perfect, results

June 28, 2018, 8:01pm

Nationals

New-look Roark gets better, if not perfect, results

PHILADELPHIA - First things first, and the first thing everyone noticed about Tanner Roark when he took the mound Thursday night was the major alteration he made to his facial hair. Having sported a thick beard for several years now, the right-hander suddenly showed up with a mustache and sharp-angled sideburns, a look best described as a parody of a style popular in the 1970s. What, exactly, was Roark's inspiration? "I don't know," he said, before going on to explain. "I told (pitching...

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Nats drop opener of key series in Philly 4-3 (updated)

June 28, 2018, 6:18pm

Nationals

Nats drop opener of key series in Philly 4-3 (updated)

PHILADELPHIA - Davey Martinez wasn't afraid to admit it. "We've got some pretty big games coming up, some teams that are doing really well," the Nationals manager said this afternoon. "What I'd really like for them to see is to kind of play with a sense of urgency. This is a time right now where we can make up some ground and do some good things for ourselves." It's the final weekend of June, and there's still half a season of baseball to be played. But the Nats, surprise residents of...

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Ryan Sullivan: Saying farewell to Jayson Werth

June 29, 2018, 6:09am

Nationals

Ryan Sullivan: Saying farewell to Jayson Werth

Earlier this week, Jayson Werth publicly acknowledged his baseball career is over, failing to specifically use the word retirement, but effectively ending his playing days. After the Nationals decided not to offer him a contract, Werth signed a minor league pact with Seattle in March to attempt to earn his way back to the majors. Unfortunately, nagging injuries and mediocre statistical performance was baseball's way of telling him his playing days were finished. Werth had a fascinating career,...

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Roark laboring again in opener vs. Phillies (Nats lose 4-3)

June 28, 2018, 4:38pm

Nationals

Roark laboring again in opener vs. Phillies (Nats lose 4-3)

PHILADELPHIA - Tanner Roark has a new look adorning his face, but his performance on the mound so far tonight unfortunately has looked too familiar to the Nationals. Roark, who shaved off his large beard but retained a thick mustache and sharp-angled sideburns for tonight's start against the Phillies, has been laboring on the mound from the get-go and appears headed for another quick exit. On the heels of back-to-back troublesome outings in Toronto and Washington, Roark has needed 71 pitches...

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Strasburg close to bullpen session, plus Zimmerman news

June 28, 2018, 2:28pm

Nationals

Strasburg close to bullpen session, plus Zimmerman news

PHILADELPHIA - Stephen Strasburg continues progress in his return from a shoulder injury and appears to be a few days away from throwing off a mound for the first time since landing on the disabled list. Strasburg, three weeks removed from his last outing for the Nationals, threw pitches off flat ground in the outfield at Citizens Bank Park this afternoon, ramping up from the simple game of catch he played last weekend. Next up for Strasburg would be a bullpen session, which Davey Martinez...

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Miller on the mental side of baseball

June 28, 2018, 2:45am

Nationals

Right-hander Justin Miller knew it wouldn't be smooth sailing all season. And the last two weeks have certainly been a rougher road for the reliever after his strong beginning for the Nats. Miller did not allow a run in his first eight appearances from May 26 to June 13. In that run, he struck out 17 batters and allowed only two hits. Since then, he has allowed at least one run in five straight appearances, allowing 11 hits and striking out eight batters. He has walked five batters in his last...

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Game 79 lineups: Nats at Phillies

June 28, 2018, 11:36am

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - A big series? During the final weekend of June? For the Nationals, well, yeah I think it's safe to say this qualifies. Having lost nine of their last 12 games, including back-to-back shutouts at Tampa Bay earlier this week, the Nats come to Citizens Bank Park desperate to get back on track. To do that, they'll have to play well in a four-game series against a Phillies club that took two of three from them last weekend in D.C. (the lone win coming via a dramatic, eighth-inning...

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After calling it a career, Werth's legacy in D.C. is complete

June 27, 2018, 2:07pm

Nationals

After calling it a career, Werth's legacy in D.C. is complete

Jayson Werth always insisted he could play well into his 40s, that as a late bloomer who didn't become a big league regular until his late 20s and someone who was big into nutrition and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, he was uniquely positioned to continue his playing career beyond the norm. And no doubt Werth still believed that deep in his heart when he went out to Tacoma two months ago to play for the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate. There were three factors, however, Werth couldn't...

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Opposite dugout: Phillies hope to build momentum against struggling Nationals

June 27, 2018, 2:09pm

Nationals

Manager: Gabe Kapler (1st season) Record: 42-36 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: LF Rhys Hoskins (43 RBIs), CF OdÃºbel Herrera (.298, 13 HR, 45 RBIs), 1B Carlos Santana (46 RBIs), 2B CÃ©sar HernÃ¡ndez (.264, 12 SB), 3B Maikel Franco (38 RBIs), RHP Aaron Nola (9-2, 2.58 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: 3-3 Pitching probables: June 28: RHP Tanner Roark (3-8) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (9-2), 7:05 p.m., MASN2June 29 RHP Erick Fedde (0-3) vs. RHP Nick Pivetta (4-6), 7:05 p.m., MASN2June 30: RHP...

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Nats offense continues to struggle in 1-0 loss at Tampa Bay

June 26, 2018, 12:36pm

Nationals

Nats offense continues to struggle in 1-0 loss at Tampa Bay

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Even facing two pitchers that were on target, it would be hard to ignore the Nationals struggles on offense against the Rays. The Nats fell 1-0 Tuesday afternoon, just 17 hours after an 11-0 shutout. The offense mustered five hits in the two-game series. Sure Blake Snell was good, and so was Nathan Eovaldi, but the Nats went just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and struck out a whopping 23 times in the series. They went three-up and three-down 11 times in 18...

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Nats contemplate how to get out of second big offensive funk of season

June 26, 2018, 1:33pm

Nationals

Nats contemplate how to get out of second big offensive funk of season

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Nationals scoreless streak reached 18 innings after 11-0 and 1-0 shutouts against the Rays at Tropicana Field. The offense has struggled in June, having been shut out seven times in 22 games. It was the second time this month the Nats had been whitewashed in back-to-back games. It happened on June 10 against the Giants (2-0) and June 12 against the Yankees (3-0). The Nats found themselves in a similar rut earlier in the season, and now must find a way to get out of it...

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Liz Barr: Soto working his way into Rookie of the Year conversation

June 27, 2018, 6:37am

Nationals

Liz Barr: Soto working his way into Rookie of the Year conversation

Juan Soto has taken the Nationals by storm. We all know this. The Childish Bambino has provided the Nationals with a spark, and at times he's the only thing keeping this streaky train running. But he hasn't just taken the Nationals by storm, he's taken the entire league by storm, in a way no teenager has in a long time. There isn't an elite crop of rookies in the National League this season. There isn't a unanimous favorite like Cody Bellinger. So I say that it's within reason that Juan...

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Rays scratch out early run against Scherzer (Nats lose 1-0)

June 26, 2018, 9:04am

Nationals

Rays scratch out early run against Scherzer (Nats lose 1-0)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Surprisingly, the Rays connected with base hits in their first two at-bats against the Nationals ace right-hander Max Scherzer. Kevin Keiermaier, who already has a grand slam in the series, went after Scherzer's first pitch and singled over Wilmer Difo's head into right field. Matt Duffy put together a 10-pitch at-bat and singled to put runners on the corners. Jake Bauers grounded out to second base, but his fielder's choice scored Keiermaier. Right-hander Nathan...

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Martinez will speak to Zimmerman about rehab games

June 26, 2018, 7:24am

Nationals

Martinez will speak to Zimmerman about rehab games

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman is not on this trip but he is closer to a return from his right oblique strain that has kept him sidelined since May 10. He has now missed 39 games. Manager Davey Martinez said he will speak to Zimmerman about rehab games possibly for next week, even though the veteran may not be too excited about warming up in the minor leagues. "As soon as he's ready to play, I'll have to sit down and talk to him," Martinez said. "I'd like...