nationals

Nats remind Phillies who's still boss with sixth straight win

May 04, 2018, 6:33pm

For six years, the Phillies - once the titans of the National League East - have been forced to watch the Nationals seize control of this division and undergo their own long and painful rebuild. That dynamic could change at some point, though, and the folks from Southeast Pennsylvania are hoping this is the year it happens, with a young and talented roster beginning to take shape and getting off to a strong start. There are still nearly five months for this all to play out, but in their first...

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Rendon could return Saturday, Kelley and Grace getting closer

May 04, 2018, 1:54pm

Nationals

Rendon could return Saturday, Kelley and Grace getting closer

Anthony Rendon is playing third base for the Potomac Nationals tonight. If all goes well, he'll be playing third base for the Washington Nationals tomorrow. After taking five plate appearances as the designated hitter Thursday night in Woodbridge, Rendon is again in the P-Nats' lineup tonight, batting third and this time playing third base. Manager Davey Martinez said he will get three or four at-bats, and assuming there are no problems with his bruised left big toe, Rendon will "probably"...

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Harper and Adams still launching homers (Nats win 7-3)

May 04, 2018, 4:13pm

Nationals

Harper and Adams still launching homers (Nats win 7-3)

Bryce Harper is never going to want to give up the leadoff spot in the Nationals' lineup. And Matt Adams is never going to want to give up the No. 3 spot. The two left-handed sluggers are doing it again tonight, combining for three home runs through the first two innings of what is already shaping up to be another Nats rout. Harper led off the bottom of the first with an opposite-field homer, part of a three-run splurge by the Nationals against Phillies starter Nick Pivetta. Then he took...

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Game 33 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

May 04, 2018, 11:19am

Nationals

The Nationals already have had a chance to take on two of their potential challengers in the National League East division this season in the Mets and Braves. Tonight they'll get their first look at the Phillies, who after a long and at times painful rebuild appear to have turned the corner and look ready to contend. Gabe Kapler's first week on the job was a disaster, but since a 1-4 debut his team has gone 16-9 (though they do come to D.C. having lost 6-of-9). This team has some intriguing...

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How Doolittle made sure he could handle a five-out save

May 03, 2018, 8:42pm

Nationals

How Doolittle made sure he could handle a five-out save

As he entered from the bullpen and took the mound with one out in the top of the eighth Thursday afternoon, Sean Doolittle knew two things to be true: 1. He was going to need to record five outs to earn the save and seal a Nationals victory over the Pirates. 2. Before he could even think about the final three outs, he was going to need to pitch his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth. Which made for an interesting mind game for Doolittle in his first multiple-inning save opportunity in...

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Ryan Sullivan: Soto's blasts are burned in memory

May 04, 2018, 6:41am

Nationals

Ryan Sullivan: Soto's blasts are burned in memory

On Thursday evening, I drove to Woodbridge, Va., to see the Single-A Potomac Nationals, primarily to watch Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon's first game on his minor league rehab assignment for the purposes of this guest blog. Rendon injured his big toe by fouling a ball off his foot and has not played since April 13, leaving a mammoth hole in Washington's lineup in recent weeks. Rendon batted third and served as the designated hitter for the P-Nats, unfortunately keeping me from seeing...

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Turner and Zimmerman finally reap results of hard hit balls

May 03, 2018, 1:04pm

Nationals

Turner and Zimmerman finally reap results of hard hit balls

The Nationals brought the power again in the series finale against the Pirates, winning 3-1 thanks to home runs from Trea Turner and Ryan Zimmerman. For Turner, it was only his second homer of the season. It was a big hit for the shortstop, who has had his first 30 games of the season highlighted by his walk rate and stolen bases. Turner's two-run shot got the Nats on the board against Pirates starter Trevor Williams, 2-0 in the sixth.t Turner went 1-for-4 on the afternoon, but his batting...

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With quick hooks, Nationals are getting Hellickson's best

May 03, 2018, 1:20pm

Nationals

Time was when 61 pitches through 5 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball wouldn't prompt anyone seated in a bullpen to so much as stretch his legs. These, however, are different times. Teams across the sport are pulling their starters - especially fourth and fifth starters - before they have a chance to face an opposing lineup the third time through, no matter how effective and how efficient they've been to that point. And the Nationals are now one of those teams. Especially when Jeremy...

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Nats ride late homers, bullpen escape act to sweep of Pirates

May 03, 2018, 11:47am

Nationals

Nats ride late homers, bullpen escape act to sweep of Pirates

The exact situation practically was proposed to Davey Martinez 90 minutes before Jeremy Hellickson threw his first pitch of the day. Given the right-hander's propensity to fade quickly when he faces an opposing lineup for the third time in a game, Martinez was asked before today's series finale what he would do if Hellickson was performing well with a low pitch count when the Pirates lineup came up to bat a third time. "We will have to really think about it," the first-year Nationals...

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Game 32 lineups: Pirates at Nats

May 03, 2018, 5:58am

Nationals

The Nationals have a chance today for their first four-game sweep of the season as they battle the Pittsburgh Pirates in the series finale. With a win, the Nats get back to the .500 mark for the first time since April 20. Manager Davey Martinez believes they have found something with their new lineup. Bryce Harper will stay in the leadoff spot, with Matt Adams in the No. 3 hole. Ryan Zimmerman and Matt Wieters return to the lineup after a day off. Wilmer Difo has done a very nice job in the No....

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Martinez hopes to find days off soon for Harper, Turner

May 03, 2018, 8:37am

Nationals

Martinez hopes to find days off soon for Harper, Turner

The 162-games-a-year player is nearly extinct. Five big leaguers actually did it last season (Joey Votto, Rougned Odor, Eric Hosmer, Alcides Escobar, Freddy Galvis) but that was the league's highest total in a decade. Only one player in Nationals history has done it: Ryan Zimmerman in 2007. And only two others have even reached the 160-game mark in club history: Austin Kearns in 2007, Danny Espinosa in 2012. So the odds of anybody making it all the way through this season without getting a day...

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Martinez pulls Hellickson third time through order (Nats win 3-1)

May 03, 2018, 8:25am

Nationals

Martinez pulls Hellickson third time through order (Nats win 3-1)

Nationals manager Davey Martinez has made it mandatory to watch right-hander Jeremy Hellickson as he makes his way through his starts, especially the third time through the order. In his last start, Hellickson had allowed only one run through five innings on a David Peralta solo homer against the Diamondbacks April 28. Peralta came up for the third time in the sixth and hit another homer. After Hellickson retired Jarrod Dyson, he was pulled. He had registered 56 pitches. Martinez said...

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One, two, three: Nats new lineup connects again in 9-3 runaway

May 02, 2018, 7:15pm

Nationals

One, two, three: Nats new lineup connects again in 9-3 runaway

One, two, three. The Nationals' top of the order, in it's present form, is clicking. Bryce Harper leading off has been a find. Trea Turner can still do Trea Turner things from the two-hole. Matt Adams has been scorching the ball and the Nats have taken full advantage of his hot bat in the No. 3 spot. All this adds up to another runaway win against the Bucs as the Nats win, 9-3. The trio at the top of the order has combined for 11 hits, five homers, 10 runs and 14 RBIs in these last two...

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"Neighborhood Play" reviews irk Strasburg, Nats

May 02, 2018, 7:37pm

Nationals

"Neighborhood Play" reviews irk Strasburg, Nats

For more than a century, the "Neighborhood Play" existed in baseball as sort of an accepted form of breaking the official rules of the game. By the letter of the law, an infielder turning a double play must have his foot on the bag with the ball in his possession before making the throw to first. But throughout the vast majority of the history of this sport, umpires looked the other way when a guy cleared his feet away from the base a microsecond before making his throw, in the process...

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Tweaked lineup stays red-hot in Nats' 9-3 win (updated)

May 02, 2018, 6:01pm

Nationals

Tweaked lineup stays red-hot in Nats' 9-3 win (updated)

The unorthodox lineup the Nationals unveiled Tuesday night was supposed to be a temporary one, but perhaps Davey Martinez is going to have to reconsider its long-term potential now. Because although the Nationals' out-of-nowhere offensive explosion of the last 48 hours might be temporary, there just might be some staying power here as well. With Bryce Harper again leading off, Matt Adams batting third and Wilmer Difo batting ninth, the Nationals ransacked the Pirates pitching staff again...

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Harper hits first career leadoff homer (Nats win 9-3)

May 02, 2018, 3:48pm

Nationals

Harper hits first career leadoff homer (Nats win 9-3)

I think Bryce Harper likes batting leadoff. In his first game of the season batting from the leadoff spot in the order on Tuesday night, Harper hit a three run shot in his third at-bat. Wednesday night, he hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first against Pirates starter Ivan Nova. Matt Adams, who hit two homers Tuesday, dropped in an opposite field homer over the left field wall. The Pirates got on the board in the first thanks to a pair of one-out singles by Gregory Polanco and Starling...

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Rendon headed to rehab games, notes on Adams and Difo

May 02, 2018, 2:09pm

Nationals

Rendon headed to rehab games, notes on Adams and Difo

It looks like third baseman Anthony Rendon is very close to returning to the active roster. Rendon has gone through full batting practice each of the last two pregames for the Nationals. He has been on the 10-day disabled list with a left toe contusion since April 19. Rendon will start a rehab assignment for high Single-A Potomac as they take on Wilmington Thursday and Salem Friday in Woodbridge, Va. "He's going out tomorrow," said manager Davey Martinez. "He'll play one or two games. He...

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Murphy admits he can't run well enough to play yet

May 02, 2018, 2:12pm

Nationals

Murphy admits he can't run well enough to play yet

Daniel Murphy today confirmed what was pretty obvious to anyone who watched him work out at Nationals Park yesterday afternoon: His surgically repaired right knee is still in pain when he tries to run, which has left his potential return from the disabled list up in the air. "I'm not in a position where I can run right now to play," the veteran second baseman said in his first session with reporters since he returned from extended spring training earlier this week. Murphy, who had...

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Scherzer wins another NL Pitcher of the Month Award

May 02, 2018, 11:28am

Nationals

Scherzer wins another NL Pitcher of the Month Award

We might be becoming numb to it at this point, but it's good to be reminded every once in a while: Max Scherzer is great. And he's showing no signs of letting up. The 2016 and 2017 National League Cy Young Award winner is already starting to make his case for consideration this season, with a dominant April that today earned him NL Pitcher of the Month honors. Scherzer, who carried a shutout into the seventh inning last night before surrendering a two-run homer during what ended up being a...

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Scherzer's quality start almost unnoticed after Nats offense ignites

May 02, 2018, 2:32am

Nationals

Scherzer's quality start almost unnoticed after Nats offense ignites

You know the Nationals are trending towards their 2017 version when a quality start by their top starting pitcher doesn't make headlines thanks to their powerful offense awakening for the first time in six days. The Nats pummeled the Pirates 12-4 behind four homers, two from Matt Adams, one from Wilmer Difo and powerful three-run shot from Bryce Harper. By the way, Max Scherzer pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on three hits. He registered eight strikeouts and two walks in 106...