nationals

Nats pull out 11-inning win after Wieters suffers injury

May 10, 2018, 10:32pm

PHOENIX - The day began with news that Adam Eaton had arthroscopic surgery to remove a flap of cartilage causing pain in his left ankle, a procedure that will keep the injured left fielder out for an indeterminate amount of time longer than the month he already has missed. Then came the top of the second, and the latest malady for a Nationals club that has experienced too many of them through the first quarter of the season: Matt Wieters' left leg buckling as he rounded first base on a single,...

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Ryan Sullivan: The trickle-down effect of Eaton's latest setback

May 11, 2018, 6:54am

Nationals

Ryan Sullivan: The trickle-down effect of Eaton's latest setback

On Thursday evening, news unfortunately broke that Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton underwent surgery on his ankle and will miss much of the rest of the season. Eaton injured himself in the Nationals' home opener on a slide into home, and regrettably it took doctors over a month to properly diagnose the ailment. Now, for the second consecutive year, he will spend the majority of the season on the disabled list. Speaking for all Nationals fans, we wish him a speedy recovery. Eaton's lengthy...

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Wieters departs with apparent knee injury (Nats win 2-1 in 11)

May 10, 2018, 6:30pm

Nationals

Wieters departs with apparent knee injury (Nats win 2-1 in 11)

PHOENIX - A Nationals club that already has dealt with long-term injuries to multiple key regulars this season just saw another one go down to a potentially serious injury. Matt Wieters appeared to injure his left knee after taking a wide turn around first base on his second-inning single tonight at Chase Field, leaving a Nats organization woefully thin on catching depth in a possible jam. With one out in the top of the second, Wieters singled through a hole on the left side of the infield made...

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Eaton has surgery to remove cartilage flap from ankle

May 10, 2018, 4:41pm

Nationals

Eaton has surgery to remove cartilage flap from ankle

PHOENIX - A month after losing him to what they hoped was a minor ankle injury, the Nationals finally figured out what exactly was wrong with Adam Eaton. That's the good news. The bad news: It required surgery to figure it out. Eaton had arthroscopic surgery today in Green Bay, Wis., to remove a flap of cartilage that didn't show up in any of the three imaging tests the Nationals gave the outfielder over the last month but was the source of his pain any time he tried to run. General manager...

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Game 39 lineups: Nats at Diamondbacks

May 10, 2018, 2:18pm

Nationals

PHOENIX - To say it's slightly warmer here than it was in San Diego when last we spoke is a mild understatement. It's 104 degrees at the moment - it was 67 degrees at first pitch last night at Petco Park - but the good news is they just closed the massive roof here at Chase Field (which it appears won't be the home of the Diamondbacks for much longer, by the way, but that's a different story). The Nationals come here having taken two of three from the Padres, but they'll face a much...

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On middle relief woes and Harper's chance that never was

May 09, 2018, 9:28pm

Nationals

On middle relief woes and Harper's chance that never was

SAN DIEGO - Some more thoughts, observations and reactions from Wednesday night's 2-1 loss to the Padres before heading to Arizona for a four-game weekend series ... * The Achilles' heel of the Nationals' roster is no secret. It's been on display throughout the season's first month-plus, and it's a carryover from the 2017 season: the middle portion of their bullpen. And it reared its ugly head again during Wednesday's loss. In a 1-1 game, and with Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler having...

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Juan Soto promoted to Double-A Harrisburg

May 10, 2018, 9:15am

Nationals

Juan Soto promoted to Double-A Harrisburg

Well, that didn't take too long. Outfielder Juan Soto has been promoted to Double-A Harrisburg, according to a top Nationals source, just 17 days after moving up to high Single-A Potomac. Soto was with Potomac from April 23 to May 9. He began the season at low Single-A Hagerstown. Just 40 days into the season, he has moved to Harrisburg. In those 40 days, he is at the top of the home run list in both the South Atlantic League and the Carolina League. He got some playing time in center field,...

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Opposite dugout: First-place Diamondbacks have yet to lose a series

May 10, 2018, 6:45am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: First-place Diamondbacks have yet to lose a series

Manager: Torey Lovullo (2nd season) Record: 24-12 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: CF A.J. Pollock (.308 with 11 HR, 32 RBIs), RF David Peralta (6 HR, 19 RBIs), SS Nick Ahmed (6 HR, 18 RBIs), RHP Matt Koch (2-0, 2.13 ERA), RHP Zack Greinke (3-2, 4.10 ERA), RHP Brad Boxberger (2.25 ERA, 11 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 2-1 Pitching probables: May 10: RHP Tanner Roark (2-2) vs. RHP Zack Greinke (3-2), 9:40 p.m., MASN2 May 11: RHP Max Scherzer (6-1) vs. Matt Koch (2-0), 9:40 p.m., MASN2 May...

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With chance to sweep Padres, Nationals lose another close one

May 09, 2018, 8:53pm

Nationals

SAN DIEGO - On a night when Bryce Harper was held out of the lineup for the first time this season, when Gio Gonzalez needed 59 pitches just to get through his first two innings and the Nationals managed only one run off a rookie starter, the mere fact they were in prime position to beat the Padres late was telling. The fact they couldn't take advantage of that position and wound up losing 2-1 also was telling. Unable to get a clutch hit from those who did start and unable to get clean innings...

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Gonzalez up to his old tricks escaping jams (Nats lose 2-1)

May 09, 2018, 6:52pm

Nationals

Gonzalez up to his old tricks escaping jams (Nats lose 2-1)

SAN DIEGO - At this point, there's no sense agonizing when Gio Gonzalez gets himself into early jams and racks up a high pitch count. It may frustrate everyone wearing a Nationals uniform, or rooting for them, but Gonzalez has shown time and again he'll find a way to get out of the trouble with minimal, if any, damage. Gonzalez is up to his old tricks again tonight against the Padres. Despite allowing five batters to reach base in his first two innings, the left-hander posted zeros on the...

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Why Martinez chose tonight to sit Harper for the first time

May 09, 2018, 4:31pm

Nationals

Why Martinez chose tonight to sit Harper for the first time

SAN DIEGO - Bryce Harper joked a few times recently about wanting to be an "Iron Man" and play in all 162 of the Nationals' games this season. Deep down, the star slugger knew that wasn't going to happen. It was only a matter of time before he got a day off. And that day is today. With a left-hander on the mound for the Padres and Harper mired in an 0-for-19 slump, manager Davey Martinez decided to sit him down for tonight's series finale at Petco Park. That decision came only after a pair...

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On Harper's slump, Hellickson's stuff and Madson's early usage

May 08, 2018, 10:17pm

Nationals

On Harper's slump, Hellickson's stuff and Madson's early usage

SAN DIEGO - Some more thoughts, observations and reactions after Tuesday night's 4-0 win over the Padres ... * On a night in which all of the Nationals' runs were driven in by guys batting sixth (Matt Adams), seventh (Pedro Severino) or eighth (Jeremy Hellickson, Andrew Stevenson), Bryce Harper again took an oh-fer out of the leadoff spot. With an 0-for-4, two-strikeout game, Harper extended his recent slump to 0-for-19, a stretch during which he has drawn only one walk. He did legitimately...

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Game 38 lineups: Nats at Padres

May 09, 2018, 1:44pm

Nationals

SAN DIEGO - It was going to happen eventually. And given the circumstances, tonight made a lot of sense for Bryce Harper to get his first day of the season off. Manager Davey Martinez made the decision to rest Harper, who is on an 0-for-19 slump and now batting only .230 (albeit with a .410 on-base percentage and .951 OPS). With left-hander Joey Lucchesi on the mound for the Padres, this series already captured and a four-game series on tap this weekend against the very good Diamondbacks, this...

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Behind gem from Hellickson, Nats win for ninth time in 10 games

May 08, 2018, 9:49pm

Nationals

Behind gem from Hellickson, Nats win for ninth time in 10 games

SAN DIEGO - It's easy to gloss over Jeremy Hellickson in a star-studded Nationals rotation. He doesn't have the stuff to match Max Scherzer or Stephen Strasburg. He doesn't have the wipeout curveball of Gio Gonzalez. He doesn't have the bulldog reputation of Tanner Roark. Here's what Hellickson does have: motivation. After sitting around all winter and the majority of the spring looking for work on the heels of a frustrating 2017 campaign in Philadelphia and Baltimore, the 31-year-old...

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How Matt Wieters has become an elite throwing catcher again

May 08, 2018, 5:28pm

Nationals

How Matt Wieters has become an elite throwing catcher again

SAN DIEGO - Managers will always say a pitcher is more responsible for the opposition's success stealing bases than the catcher who actually makes the throws. If a pitcher can't vary his timing and can't deliver the ball to the plate in short order with a runner on base, the catcher can't do much to make up for lost time, no matter how strong his arm. So a good amount of the credit for the Nationals' success at stopping the running so far this season - they've thrown out 48 percent of all...

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Liz Barr: Comparing Matt Adams to Adam Lind

May 09, 2018, 6:29am

Nationals

Liz Barr: Comparing Matt Adams to Adam Lind

When the Nationals didn't re-sign Adam Lind over the offseason, Nats faithful were heartbroken. Lind had become a fan favorite, and the left-handed slugger was incredibly important to the club all last season, providing a huge lift off the bench and filling in in the starting lineup when the Nats needed him most. But when they let him go, the question remained: Who was going to fill that giant hole left by Lind's absence? Enter Matt Adams. Adams and Lind essentially have the same role:...

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"MASN All Access" podcast: Nats are who we thought they were

May 07, 2018, 12:54pm

Nationals

"MASN All Access" podcast: Nats are who we thought they were

Runs galore? Check. Dominant pitching? Check. Winning homestand? Check. Above .500? Check. The Nationals checked off a lot of boxes while going 7-3 over this past homestand, and Paul Mancano and I are back on the "MASN All Access" podcast to wrap it all up. Now back over the .500 mark and just two games back in a tight National League East, the Nats are playing some good baseball lately and are hot heading back out west. Wilmer Difo capped off the happy homestand with a walk-off base hit in...

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Hellickson dominating Padres at Petco Park (Nats win 4-0)

May 08, 2018, 7:33pm

Nationals

Hellickson dominating Padres at Petco Park (Nats win 4-0)

SAN DIEGO - If Jeremy Hellickson wanted to make sure he gets to face a lineup for the third time, he's sure doing everything he can tonight to keep Davey Martinez in the dugout and the Nationals bullpen quiet. Hellickson has retired the first 15 Padres batters he's faced, cruising through five perfect innings on only 69 pitches. The veteran right-hander, who has pre-emptively been pulled from his last two starts before being allowed to face the opposing lineup a third time through, is making...

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Turner finally makes debut in San Diego ... and homers

May 07, 2018, 10:45pm

Nationals

Turner finally makes debut in San Diego ... and homers

SAN DIEGO - Trea Turner had hit at Petco Park once before, in September 2014, when the Padres brought their first-round draft pick to town at the end of his abbreviated first minor league season to get a look at him and give him a chance to take batting practice in the ballpark everyone assumed he'd be calling home in short order. Nearly four years later, Turner finally returned to this gem of a ballpark outside San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. And in his first official at-bat here, he homered....

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Game 37 lineups: Nats at Padres

May 08, 2018, 2:31pm

Nationals

SAN DIEGO - The Nationals have a chance tonight to win their third consecutive series, and Jeremy Hellickson has a chance tonight to actually receive his first decision of the season and maybe even face an opposing lineup a third time. Hellickson has pitched quite well for the Nats, posting a 3.00 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in four starts. But he has yet to complete six innings, mostly because Davey Martinez has deployed a really quick hook on the right-hander, not wanting to let him face a lineup the...