nationals

Nationals announce Dusty Baker will not return as manager in 2018

October 20, 2017, 8:17am

Today, the Washington Nationals announced that Dusty Baker will not return as manager of the club in 2018. The Lerner family, on behalf of the entire organization, would like to thank Baker for his two years in the dugout. He led the team to the first back-to-back division titles in our history and represented our club with class on and off the field. We wish him the best going forward. The contracts for the Major League coaching staff have also expired. The Nationals' search for a new manager...

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Turner again showed off elite skills, but still has room to grow

October 17, 2017, 11:11am

Nationals

Turner again showed off elite skills, but still has room to grow

As we transition into offseason mode here, we're reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Trea Turner, whose first full big league season was interrupted by injuries. PLAYER REVIEW: TREA TURNER Age on opening day 2018: 24 How acquired: Acquired from Padres with Joe Ross, with Nats trading Steven Souza Jr. and Travis Ott to Rays in three-team deal, December 2014 MLB service time: 1 year, 135 days 2017 salary: $554,900 Contract status: Under team control...

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Nats AFL prospect: CF Daniel Johnson

October 19, 2017, 3:52am

Nationals

The Nationals have another excellent crop of players playing for their Arizona Fall League affiliate for the 2017 season. I will be checking in with their progress and give you some background on a few of them throughout the offseason. CF Daniel JohnsonAge: 22 5-10, 185 lbs. Bats: Left Throws: Left New Mexico State Round 5 (2016) 2017 season: HAG, POT Johnson slashed .298/.356/.505 for low Single-A Hagerstown and high Single-A Potomac in 2017. He had 29 doubles, four triples, 22 homers and 72...

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With another big year at plate, Murphy proved he's the real deal

October 16, 2017, 7:32am

Nationals

With another big year at plate, Murphy proved he's the real deal

As we transition into offseason mode here, we're reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Daniel Murphy, who picked up right where he left off in 2016 and kept producing at the plate in 2017. PLAYER REVIEW: DANIEL MURPHY Age on opening day 2018: 33 How acquired: Signed as free agent, December 2016 MLB service time: 8 years, 109 days 2017 salary: $12 million Contract status: Signed for $17.5 million in 2018 ($5.5 million deferred until 2019-2020). Free...

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After big-time comeback, Zimmerman will try to sustain form

October 15, 2017, 8:08pm

Nationals

After big-time comeback, Zimmerman will try to sustain form

As we transition into offseason mode, we'll be reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We begin today with Ryan Zimmerman, who in the wake of the worst season of his career enjoyed perhaps the best season of his career. PLAYER REVIEW: RYAN ZIMMERMAN Age on opening day 2018: 33 How acquired: First-round pick, 2005 draft MLB service time: 12 years, 32 days 2017 salary: $14 million Contract status: Signed for $14 million in 2018, $18 million in 2019. Club holds $18 million...

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Reflecting on Werth with the Nats and where he might be next season

October 16, 2017, 6:21pm

Nationals

Reflecting on Werth with the Nats and where he might be next season

A few days have passed since the difficult Game 5 National League Division Series loss and reflection continues on the impact of left fielder Jayson Werth and whether or not 2017 was his final year in a Nationals uniform. Werth played seven seasons with the Nats from 2011-2017, the longest tenure for him with one team in his career. The Nats won 95 or more games in four of those seasons. In his first season with the Nats, the win total jumped from 69 to 80. That was the only season the Nats...

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Taylor solidifies place in outfield with powerful NLDS performance

October 14, 2017, 5:55pm

Nationals

Taylor solidifies place in outfield with powerful NLDS performance

Every Nationals player would be the first to admit personal accolades can never replace the accomplishment of moving on to the National League Championship Series, a prize the Nats have been unable to reach in four trips to the postseason since 2012. But one thing is for sure following Thursday's Game 5 loss to the Cubs: Michael A. Taylor is a budding star. Taylor's grand slam to beat the Cubs in a rainy Game 4 has got to rank as the biggest, or at least in the top two or three, hit in a road...

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The Nationals' biggest offseason questions

October 14, 2017, 9:13pm

Nationals

The Nationals have been in this position before, entering the offseason following an abrupt and disappointing exit from the postseason, facing a handful of significant questions that need to be addressed in the weeks and months to come. There's the managerial situation to sort out. There are some veterans about to become free agents. There are some really important players about to enter their contract years. And there are a few holes that need to be filled. So as we transition into offseason...

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Zimmerman takes some solace in club's recent winning ways

October 13, 2017, 8:44am

Nationals

Zimmerman takes some solace in club's recent winning ways

The Nats players were pretty emotional after the loss to the Cubs knocked them out of the playoffs, as one could imagine. First baseman Ryan Zimmerman, the longest-tenured National, reflected on what felt like an abrupt end to a winning campaign. The Cubs came back from a 4-1 deficit to beat the Nats 9-8 in Game 5 of the National League Division Series Thursday night, winning the series 3-2. Chicago faces the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday night in Game 1 of the League Championship Series. The...

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Looking at the NLDS by the numbers

October 14, 2017, 4:59am

Nationals

It's never easy to look back and wonder, "What if?" Especially when the sting of defeat is still fresh in your mind. It's always easier to look ahead and wonder, "What's next?" than dredge up bad memories. And we will start looking ahead. Tomorrow. Today, we're going to take one final look back at a National League Division Series that defied most logic. The Nationals lost the series, three games to two, to the Cubs. But as you'll see, the numbers pretty much entirely tilted in...

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What does the future now hold for Baker and Werth?

October 13, 2017, 8:49am

Nationals

What does the future now hold for Baker and Werth?

In those immediate moments after elimination, once the reality sets in and everyone understands the season has just ended, it's impossible not to start wondering about the future. And for two of the most prominent members of the Nationals, the future is awfully cloudy in the wake of Thursday night's Game 5 loss to the Cubs. Did Dusty Baker just manage his last game for the Nats (or for anyone)? Did Jayson Werth just play his last game for the Nats (or for anyone)? It'll be a little while...

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Nationals once again left to make sense of an NLDS loss

October 12, 2017, 11:00pm

Nationals

Most of them had been through this at least once before, some twice, a select few three times. The Nationals have grown accustomed to - and, quite frankly, tired of - standing inside a dead-silent clubhouse late at night following an agonizing loss in the National League Division Series and trying to make sense of it all. They did it after the ninth-inning fiasco against the Cardinals in 2012. They did it after a poorly played series against the Giants in 2014. They did it after a dramatic...

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Scherzer on a bewildering fifth inning that changed the game

October 12, 2017, 10:27pm

Nationals

Scherzer on a bewildering fifth inning that changed the game

With the Nationals leading 4-3 in Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Cubs, the fifth inning started off well for Max Scherzer in his first relief appearance of the postseason. Scherzer recorded a pair of outs. But then the trouble started. The Cubs' Willson Contreras singled. Then Albert Almora Jr. singled. The hit that changed the game came next from Addison Russell, who laced a double that hugged just inside the bag at third and down the line. Contreras and Almora...

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Mistakes abound in another Game 5 loss for Nationals

October 12, 2017, 8:45pm

Nationals

If the Nationals were going to finally do it, if they were going to cast aside their reputation for coming up short when it matters most and at long last win a postseason series, they were going to have to blast their way through some major obstacles. The defending World Series champs were tough enough to beat. But in Game 5 of the National League Division Series, the Nationals were left to try to beat themselves, committing one costly gaffe after another during a 4 1/2-hour marathon that...

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NLDS game blog: Nats can make D.C. sports history with Game 5 win

October 12, 2017, 3:38pm

Nationals

NLDS game blog: Nats can make D.C. sports history with Game 5 win

It's Game 5. There are no ifs, ands or buts. It's all hands on deck. Throw all your stat sheets and conventional wisdom out the window. It's your best versus mine. It's win or go home. Do or die. The Nationals and their loyal fan base are no strangers to this dire situation. We all know what's at stake, having now been here in three of Nationals' four playoff appearances. Win and advance to the first National League Championship Series in club history and the first league/conference final...

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Baker on Gonzalez as starter and where that leaves Scherzer, Roark

October 12, 2017, 1:35pm

Nationals

Baker on Gonzalez as starter and where that leaves Scherzer, Roark

Left-hander Gio Gonzalez gets the nod for the Nationals' most important game in 2017 and, really, in their franchise history to date. Gonzalez will be on the hill tonight for Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Cubs. Manager Dusty Baker could have easily given the start to right-hander Tanner Roark, who until late Wednesday morning appeared to be the planned Game 4 starter in Chicago. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg felt good enough to go after battling sickness for a few...

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Cubs will themselves to win, prevail in "crazy" Game 5 over Nationals

October 12, 2017, 10:01pm

Nationals

Bryce Harper swung and missed for strike three and Cubs catcher Willson Contreras tossed his glove and mask and joined a hug-fest of gray uniforms around closer Wade Davis on the pitcher's mound at a shocked Nationals Park. The Cubs beat the Nationals 9-8 to win their National League Division Series in five games. After the game, the Cubs headed to Los Angeles to get ready for a rematch with the Dodgers for the National League pennant. The Cubs are going to their third consecutive National...

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Murphy, Taylor go deep in second (Cubs win 9-8)

October 12, 2017, 4:41pm

Nationals

Murphy, Taylor go deep in second (Cubs win 9-8)

That wasn't the first inning Gio Gonzalez would have wanted to begin Game 5 of the National League Division Series. Jon Jay led off with a double and went to third on wild pitch. After Kris Bryant struck out, Jay came home on an Anthony Rizzo grounder to Daniel Murphy. It marked Rizzo's sixth RBI of the series. Albert Almora Jr. singled and Addison Russell was walked to load the bases. Jason Heyward grounded out to first baseman Ryan Zimmerman to end the threat. The Cubs managed one run...

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Baker sticking with Werth, rest of lineup for Game 5

October 12, 2017, 2:25pm

Nationals

Baker sticking with Werth, rest of lineup for Game 5

Through four games of this National League Division Series, the Nationals have scored a grand total of 12 runs on 16 hits. For the arithmetically challenged, that's an average of three runs on four hits per game. That's not good. Throughout it all, though, Dusty Baker has stuck with the same eight batters in his starting lineup. The order changed for Game 4, but the names remained the same. And they'll remain the same for tonight's do-or-die Game 5. Which means Jayson Werth is again...

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NLDS Game 5 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs

October 12, 2017, 11:27am

Nationals

The Nationals will hand the ball to left-hander Gio Gonzalez for tonight's deciding Game 5 against the Cubs in the National League Division Series at Nationals Park. Gonzalez got a no-decision in Game 2, going five innings, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts. The Nats used a five-run eighth inning to come back and beat the Cubs 6-3. "Bottom line, we won," Gonzalez said. "The team won. We won together. I was just trying to keep us as close as possible in this...