nationals

Martinez on switching Zimmerman and Kendrick in lineup

April 28, 2018, 10:39am

Nationals manager Davey Martinez decided to tweak the lineup a bit for Saturday's second game of the series against the Diamondbacks and their 4-0 left-hander Patrick Corbin. Center fielder Michael A. Taylor is back after just pinch-hitting in game one. But the bigger eyebrow raiser was seeing Ryan Zimmerman moved up to the No. 2 spot and Howie Kendrick placed in the cleanup spot at No. 4. "I kind of like it," Martinez said. "I've done it before with Joe (Maddon), moving guys around. Just...

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Game 27 lineups: D-backs at Nats

April 27, 2018, 7:50pm

Nationals

The Nationals left 10 men on base in Friday's series opening loss to the Diamondbacks, 5-4. They had 11 hits in the game and scored only four runs. Arizona had only six hits, left only two men on base, and were just 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position, but managed to push one more run across for the win. The Nats were just 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The team is 11-15 overall and 3-8 at home. Is it time for Nationals manager Davey Martinez to get frustrated? "I don't get...

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Strasburg keeps Nats in game, laments Pollock at-bat in 5-4 loss

April 27, 2018, 7:26pm

Nationals

Strasburg keeps Nats in game, laments Pollock at-bat in 5-4 loss

The Diamondbacks took advantage of opportunities they were afforded and connected on a couple of big hits off Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg to win the series opener 5-4. A.J. Pollock had the big night against Strasburg, going 3-for-3 with a single, a triple and a homer, with two RBIs. His solo shot in the second got the D-backs on the board with a 1-0 lead. Pollock's RBI triple in the sixth tied the game at 4-4. The D-backs center fielder finished 3-for-4. Daniel Descalso also...

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What to make of the Nats' awful record in one-run games

April 27, 2018, 8:07pm

Nationals

What to make of the Nats' awful record in one-run games

Does a team's record in one-run games reveal anything about it? Is a good record in those tight games evidence of a team that just finds ways to win or a sign of good fortune? Is a bad record evidence of an unlucky team or one that has a fundamental flaw? We don't know yet which explanation applies to the 2018 Nationals. But we do know this: They've been terrible in one-run games so far. Friday night's 5-4 setback to the Diamondbacks left the Nats with a 1-7 record in one-run games, worst...

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Nats lament another night of missed chances

April 27, 2018, 7:33pm

Nationals

Nats lament another night of missed chances

Four runs, with Stephen Strasburg on the mound, probably should have been enough for the Nationals tonight. It would've been enough in any of his final 10 starts last season. This season, it's been a slightly different story. Three times in six starts, Strasburg has allowed four or more runs, including the five he surrendered to the Diamondbacks in 6 1/3 innings tonight. So you could pin the Nationals' 5-4 loss on the right-hander, who twice was handed a lead by his teammates and twice gave...

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Nationals drop another one-run game, lose 5-4 to D-backs

April 27, 2018, 6:07pm

Nationals

The depleted Nationals know they have little margin for error right now if they want to eke out victories in close ballgames. Once again tonight, they did just enough to put themselves in position to win, and then just enough to end up on the wrong side of the final tally. Despite several opportunities to bust the game open at the plate, and despite multiple opportunities for one of their aces to protect a slim lead, the Nationals found a way to lose 5-4 to a very good Diamondbacks club and...

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Injury updates on Murphy, Rendon, Eaton and Kelley

April 27, 2018, 2:34pm

Nationals

Injury updates on Murphy, Rendon, Eaton and Kelley

Here is a rundown on the latest injuries the Nationals are dealing with after 25 games. Nationals manager Davey Martinez put Andrew Stevenson in the starting lineup because Michael A. Taylor is dealing with a sore groin. "He's fine. Little scare with his groin," Martinez said of Taylor. "Did it on a check swing. But he's available today. I just want to make sure that he's OK, so we gave him another day. "It was a cramp. ... I just want him to be cautious and make sure that's all it was....

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Kendrick helps Strasburg after slow start (D-backs win 5-4)

April 27, 2018, 4:11pm

Nationals

Kendrick helps Strasburg after slow start (D-backs win 5-4)

Arizona jumped on the scoreboard first. After right-hander Stephen Strasburg dealt a 1-2-3 first, A.J. Pollock led off the second with a solo homer, his sixth HR of the season. After a walk to Daniel Descalso, Ketel Marte moved him to second on a groundout to first base. Nick Ahmed's single scored Descalso. The Diamondbacks led 2-0. In the third, center fielder Andrew Stevenson took away extra bases with a diving catch of a David Peralta line drive in front of him and to the right. The...

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Rizzo on ever-changing roster: "Nobody said it would be easy"

April 27, 2018, 2:18pm

Nationals

Rizzo on ever-changing roster: "Nobody said it would be easy"

Mike Rizzo goes into every season knowing there will be unexpected ailments and performances that require roster changes. And the Nationals general manager goes into every season prepared to tap into as much depth as is necessary from his club's farm system. The first month of this season, though, is testing that depth like never before. "It's a grind, man," Rizzo said this afternoon before his fourth-place, 11-14 Nationals opened a 10-game homestand. "Nobody said it would be easy." Well,...

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Friday morning Nats Q&A

April 26, 2018, 6:46pm

Nationals

What a long, strange road trip it was. The Nationals went to New York desperate for some success and used a dramatic, eighth-inning rally in the opener to propel them to back-to-back wins before losing the finale. Then Max Scherzer outdueled Clayton Kershaw in the opener in Los Angeles, and everything appeared to be on track. Except the Nats then lost four straight to the Dodgers and Giants, scoring a grand total of eight runs. But just when things looked especially dire, a makeshift lineup...

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Game 26 lineups: Nats vs. Diamondbacks

April 27, 2018, 11:31am

Nationals

Walking into Nationals Park this afternoon, it felt like it had been a month since the Nationals last played here. It hasn't been quite that long, but it has been 12 days since their last home game, and that is a while. They also have undergone quite a few roster changes since then, adding to their air of mystique when they finally take the field here tonight for the opener of a 10-game homestand. It begins with a tough challenge: the Diamondbacks, who on the heels of a 96-win season in 2017...

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"MASN All Access" podcast: Jamal Collier on road trip and homestand

April 27, 2018, 2:24pm

Nationals

"MASN All Access" podcast: Jamal Collier on road trip and homestand

The Nationals are back after their nine-game road trip and we're back at Nats Park! Paul and I are joined by Jamal Collier of MLB.com on a new episode of the "MASN All Access" podcast to recap the road trip and preview the 10-game homestand, which starts tonight against the Diamondbacks. Ending on a high note with a 15-run barrage in San Francisco, did the Nationals show signs of things to come out west? And what went wrong to lead the team to a 4-5 record this time out? Will this homestand...

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Ryan Sullivan: Promising prospects aplenty for Potomac

April 27, 2018, 5:43am

Nationals

Ryan Sullivan: Promising prospects aplenty for Potomac

On Wednesday evening, I made the drive to Wilmington, Del., in order to get my first look at the 2018 Potomac Nationals. In spite of the drizzle and cold temperatures, I came away quite impressed with the collection of talent the Nationals have assembled at their high Single-A affiliate, not to mention the beginnings of a head cold. Right-hander Wil Crowe, Washington's second-round pick last summer and a top 10 prospect, started Wednesday's contest and pitched well despite the conditions,...

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Opposite dugout: Arms have positioned Diamondbacks atop NL West

April 25, 2018, 9:08am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Arms have positioned Diamondbacks atop NL West

Manager: Torey Lovullo (2nd season) Record: 17-7 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: LF David Peralta (.317 with 3 HR, 14 RBIs), CF A.J. Pollock (5 HR, 17 RBIs), 1B Paul Goldschmidt (4 HR, 11 RBIs), LHP Patrick Corbin (4-0, 1,89 ERA), RHP Zack Godley (3-1, 3.09 ERA), RHP Brad Boxberger (3.00 ERA, 6 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (2-4 in 2017) Pitching probables: April 27: RHP Zack Godley (3-1) vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg (2-2), 7:05 p.m., MASN2 April 28: LHP Patrick Corbin (4-0)...

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SolÃs and relievers understand grind of season comes with the territory

April 26, 2018, 3:55am

Nationals

SolÃs and relievers understand grind of season comes with the territory

One of the strengths of Nationals left-handed reliever Sammy SolÃs' work on the mound is his ability to speed up the game. His tempo, when contrasted with a starter that might have had a more methodical pace, makes it very difficult for the opposing hitter to get into a rhythm, see which pitches he is throwing and decipher SolÃs' game plan. Before the hitter knows what's going on, he has struck out or grounded weakly to an infielder. That is what SolÃs is always trying to do: make...

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With barrage of two-out hits, Nationals celebrate a rare blowout

April 25, 2018, 4:26pm

Nationals

SAN FRANCISCO - The hits would come, Davey Martinez insisted, as long as the Nationals kept giving themselves opportunities and had the right approach in key situations. The first-year manager is a relentless optimist, but he surely had developed more than a few doubters over the season's first month, especially over the last week while his club flailed away at what few scoring opportunities they had on the West Coast. And then, in a sustained display unlike anything else they had offered up...

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After long trip, Nats know there's plenty of work ahead of them

April 25, 2018, 5:17pm

Nationals

After long trip, Nats know there's plenty of work ahead of them

SAN FRANCISCO - The flight home at the end of a three-city, nine-game, cross-country road trip is pleasant for no one. The Nationals were scheduled to land at Dulles International Airport at 2:20 a.m. this morning, but by the time they bused back into the city to retrieve their cars and then head home, they were looking at something like a 3:30 a.m. walk through the front door. If nothing else, at least they boarded that flight Wednesday night in San Francisco with the positive vibes that came...

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Join Gio Gonzalez, Nats teammates for Uncork for a Cause on May 3

April 25, 2018, 10:02am

Nationals

Join Gio Gonzalez, Nats teammates for Uncork for a Cause on May 3

If you've ever dreamed of sipping wine while discussing the intricacies of the curveball with Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez, mark Thursday, May 3 on your calendar and get out your checkbooks. That's the night Gonzalez will host his third annual Uncork for a Cause, when the pitcher, his teammates and special guests will gather from 6-9 p.m. at The Rooftop at F1RST Residences, a new rooftop entertainment space across from Nationals Park. The event will raise funds and awareness for The...

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Pivotal sixth inning has become Nationals' toughest frame

April 24, 2018, 10:21pm

Nationals

SAN FRANCISCO - What's the most important inning in a ballgame? For the Nationals right now, it might be the sixth. The Nats pitching staff has had all kinds of trouble navigating through that bridge inning without getting into serious trouble, and it has cost them several games along the way. The Nationals have been scored upon in the sixth inning in 11 of 24 games this season, including five of eight during this road trip and each of the last three nights. And those have been key runs...

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Dream Foundation to dedicate Bryce Harper Field (Nats win 15-2)

April 25, 2018, 11:12am

Nationals

Dream Foundation to dedicate Bryce Harper Field (Nats win 15-2)

SAN FRANCISCO - Bryce Harper is about to become the third Nationals player to have a youth baseball field named for him. The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation announced today it will be dedicating Bryce Harper Field at the Takoma Community Center in Northwest Washington in early May. The project was made possible through financial contributions from Harper and the Dream Foundation, in partnership with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. "I am excited and honored to participate in...