nationals

Nats jump on Kershaw, then ride Scherzer and bullpen to win

April 20, 2018, 10:26pm

LOS ANGELES - Ballplayers don't like to make a big deal out of any one individual game, especially the 20th game of a 162-game season. There are, however, exceptions, and Max Scherzer versus Clayton Kershaw certainly qualified. Only 12 times before in major league history had two pitchers with three Cy Young Awards apiece gone head to head, none in the last dozen years. So even the principal participants tonight were willing to concede they had some extra juice when they took the...

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More on Scherzer's start, Grace's hip and SolÃs' big escape

April 20, 2018, 10:57pm

Nationals

More on Scherzer's start, Grace's hip and SolÃs' big escape

LOS ANGELES - Though he was the clear winner of Friday night's vaunted showdown with Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer wasn't exactly in peak form for the Nationals. The reigning back-to-back National League Cy Young Award winner allowed only one run over six innings and emerged with the win in the Nats' 5-2 victory over Kershaw and the Dodgers, but he found himself pitching out of jams all night, with a heavy workload. Los Angeles put at least one runner in scoring position in five of...

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Game 21 lineups: Nats at Dodgers

April 21, 2018, 1:46pm

Nationals

LOS ANGELES - They beat Clayton Kershaw. Now the Nationals have a chance to take this weekend series with another win tonight at Dodger Stadium. And they'll have Stephen Strasburg on the mound leading the way. Strasburg has enjoyed some significant success against the Dodgers in his career. In seven starts versus Los Angeles, the right-hander has surrendered more than two earned runs only once. And he had two dominant outings last season against L.A. The Nationals go up against a lefty for the...

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Nationals recall Trevor Gott

April 21, 2018, 2:47pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Trevor Gott from Triple-A Syracuse and placed left-handed pitcher Matt Grace on the 10-day disabled list with a left groin strain on Saturday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Gott, 25, returns to the Nationals for his second stint with the club. He appeared in five games (5.0 IP) from March 31 to April 13 and allowed opposing batters to hit .176 against him (3-for-17) while...

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Nats expect Rendon back this weekend, Eaton during road trip

April 20, 2018, 5:07pm

Nationals

Nats expect Rendon back this weekend, Eaton during road trip

LOS ANGELES - Anthony Rendon fouled a ball off his left big toe one week ago, in the fifth inning last Friday night at Nationals Park. He hasn't played since, and despite initial hope he'd be back for tonight's series opener against the Dodgers, he's not in the lineup. Which begs the question: Why, given the fact he's now been out seven days, was Rendon not placed on the 10-day disabled list? "He constantly kept saying he was getting better and better," manager Davey Martinez said. "And...

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Aggressive approach pays off early vs. Kershaw (Nats win 5-2)

April 20, 2018, 6:50pm

Nationals

Aggressive approach pays off early vs. Kershaw (Nats win 5-2)

LOS ANGELES - How do you beat Clayton Kershaw, Davey Martinez was asked this afternoon. "You've got to be aggressive," the Nationals manager said. "He's going to be in the strike zone. So get a good pitch you can hit." How about three pitches to three batters? Is that aggressive enough? The Nats came out swinging tonight against the Dodgers' three-time Cy Young Award winner, and they were greatly rewarded for the no-holds-barred approach, scoring two runs in the top of the first to give...

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Cole designated for assignment, Torres added to bullpen

April 20, 2018, 2:04pm

Nationals

Cole designated for assignment, Torres added to bullpen

LOS ANGELES - Needing a fresh arm in their bullpen after a taxing series at Citi Field, the Nationals promoted veteran right-hander Carlos Torres from Triple-A Syracuse and made the decision to cut ties with A.J. Cole. Cole, who was out of options, was designated for assignment and now is available to any other club to claim off waivers over the next week. If he clears waivers, the Nationals could then either outright Cole to the minors or release him. General manager Mike Rizzo had been...

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Nats in much better standing as road trip shifts to West Coast

April 20, 2018, 8:23am

Nationals

Nats in much better standing as road trip shifts to West Coast

LOS ANGELES - The Nationals left Washington five days ago, reeling from a 3-7 homestand, heading to New York to face a red-hot Mets club that had opened up a six-game lead in the National League East division, all the while knowing they still had to head out west to face the Dodgers and Giants to conclude this long road trip. Well, the East Coast portion of the trip is now complete, the West Coast portion is set to begin, and the Nationals find themselves in much better shape than they were in...

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Game 20 lineups: Nats at Dodgers

April 20, 2018, 2:31pm

Nationals

LOS ANGELES - The sun is shining, the mountains in the distance aren't being obscured by smog and Max Scherzer is facing Clayton Kershaw tonight at Dodger Stadium. Yep, this is about as good as it gets. The Nationals and Dodgers open up a big weekend series at Chavez Ravine, and they're starting it off in style with as good a pitching showdown as you can get. Scherzer versus Kershaw represents only the 13th head-to-head matchup in major league history (postseason included) between pitchers...

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Reynolds on the anatomy of a comeback

April 20, 2018, 2:40am

Nationals

The Mets series was a bit of a homecoming for utility man Matt Reynolds. The 27-year-old third baseman/shortstop combo played a total of 115 games for the Mets from 2016 to 2017. "It was definitely weird walking into the stadium on the visitor's side, since I've been here for parts of three years," Reynolds said. "It's nice having (hitting coach) Kevin (Long) here because we talk about some of good times we had over there. Having someone who kind of went through what we went through over...

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Opposite dugout: Dodgers ride winning streak into series vs. Nats

April 18, 2018, 11:44am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Dodgers ride winning streak into series vs. Nats

Manager: Dave Roberts (3rd season) Record: 8-9 Who to watch: 1B Cody Bellinger (.304/.342/.464), SS Corey Seager (7 RBIs), C Yasmani Grandal (.352/.435/.611with 3 HR, 13 RBIs), LF Matt Kemp (.347/.389/.592, 10 RBI, 3 HR) , LHP Clayton Kershaw (1-2, 1.33 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: 1st meeting (3-3 in 2017) Pitching probables: April 20: RHP Max Scherzer (3-1) vs. LHP Clayton Kershaw (1-2), 10:10 p.m., MASN2April 21: RHP Stephen Strasburg (2-1) vs. LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-0), 9:10 p.m.,...

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Nationals select contract of right-hander Carlos Torres

April 20, 2018, 1:53pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Carlos Torres and designated right-handed pitcher A.J. Cole for assignment on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Torres, 35, joins the Nationals after making four scoreless appearances for Triple-A Syracuse. He did not allow a hit, walked one and struck out three batters along the way. A veteran of eight Major League seasons, Torres spent the previous...

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More on bullpen, Zimmerman's error and series win

April 18, 2018, 9:11pm

Nationals

More on bullpen, Zimmerman's error and series win

NEW YORK - The Nationals learned one important lesson from their late-inning collapse Wednesday night in an 11-5 loss to the Mets: The bullpen cannot deliver every time, especially when heavy use turns into taxed arms. Ryan Madson was appearing in his third game of the series and admitted that game two took a lot out of him. In game three, he did not have enough firepower left and the Mets hit him. Madson, who went to high school about 66 miles east of Dodgers Stadium in Moreno Valley, has...

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Bullpen succumbs to heavy workload, Mets come back to win 11-5

April 18, 2018, 7:09pm

Nationals

Bullpen succumbs to heavy workload, Mets come back to win 11-5

NEW YORK - In the end, a tired Nationals bullpen could not hold up for a third game in a row. Nursing a 4-2 lead, the bullpen imploded for one of the rare times this season, allowing nine runs on six hits in the eighth, and the Mets salvaged the final game of the series, 11-5. Ryan Madson, pitching in his third consecutive game of the series, surrendered three straight singles before recording an out. Todd Frazier connected on a two-run single and pinch-hitter Juan Lagares' line drive curled...

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Ryan Sullivan: Struggling Cole needs a change of scenery

April 20, 2018, 5:44am

Nationals

Ryan Sullivan: Struggling Cole needs a change of scenery

On Wednesday evening, the weary Nationals bullpen suffered a collapse and got smoked like a Willie Nelson cigarette, to the tune of nine runs in the eighth inning. The dagger came when A.J Cole, now pitching in relief after losing the fifth starter role to Jeremy Hellickson, served up a mammoth grand slam home run to Yoenis CÃ©spedes. This elevated Cole's ERA this season to 13.06 and left many Nationals fans, myself included, wondering what the next step is for Cole's career in...

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Zimmerman's bat comes alive (Mets score nine in eighth, win 11-5)

April 18, 2018, 3:46pm

Nationals

Zimmerman's bat comes alive (Mets score nine in eighth, win 11-5)

NEW YORK - Manager Davey Martinez started the series here at Citi Field by saying they would not "tinker" with Ryan Zimmerman's swing, despite a .111 start at the plate to begin the season. Good thing he didn't. Facing Mets left-hander Steven Matz in the top of the first, Zimmerman got a hold of a 3-2 offering and drilled it over the center field wall for a 3-0 Nats lead. It was Zimmerman's second homer of the season. Howie Kendrick had beat out an infield single and Bryce Harper walked...

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Martinez updates Murphy, Rendon and Severino

April 18, 2018, 2:00pm

Nationals

Martinez updates Murphy, Rendon and Severino

NEW YORK - More positive news as second baseman Daniel Murphy continues his rehab from microfracture surgery in his right knee. Manager Davey Martinez said pregame that Murphy has been very active in baseball related activities in West Palm Beach at the club's spring training facility. "He got five at-bats yesterday, did well," Martinez said. "He ran the bases. He took 35 ground balls. He did good. Progression every day. We will see what happens today or tomorrow." Martinez was not able to...

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More notes from Doolittle and Turner after 5-2 series winner

April 18, 2018, 3:46am

Nationals

More notes from Doolittle and Turner after 5-2 series winner

NEW YORK - The Nationals bullpen has allowed only two of 19 inherited runners to score, a 10.5 percent clip, which is tops in the National League and third in major league baseball. Left-hander Sammy SolÃs arrived in the sixth inning and got out of a two-on, one-out jam to preserve the Nationals' lead in a game they went on to win 5-2. He stuck out pinch-hitter JosÃ© Reyes and got Amed Rosario to pop out in full territory up the first base line. SolÃs had gotten up to warm three times...

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Game 19 lineups: Nats at Mets

April 18, 2018, 11:26am

Nationals

NEW YORK - The Nationals have taken advantage of their opportunities in the first two games of the series against the Mets, leading to 8-6 and 5-2 wins. With a win tonight, the Nats will have earned their second series sweep of the season (Reds, March 30-April 1) and will go back above the .500 mark for the first time since April 10. More importantly, a win means their deficit back of the Mets will be down to three games. The Nationals have made good on three RISP chances in each game, going...

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Fundamental baseball, stingy bullpen lead to 5-2 series win over Mets

April 17, 2018, 7:31pm

Nationals

Fundamental baseball, stingy bullpen lead to 5-2 series win over Mets

NEW YORK - The Nationals played solid, fundamental baseball, highlighted by aggressive base running and a shutdown bullpen, to drop the New York Mets 5-2 on a frigid night at Citi Field. Wilmer Difo, Pedro Severino and Ryan Zimmerman contributed key run-scoring singles while Sammy SolÃs, Ryan Madson, Brandon Kintzler and Sean Doolittle supported Gio Gonzalez to secure the Nats third series win of the season and second win in a row. Their record is back to .500 at 9-9. They go for the sweep...