nationals

Scherzer pushes himself again as Nats beat Braves (updated)

September 19, 2017, 6:38pm

ATLANTA - Max Scherzer pushed himself into the seventh inning against the Braves with his pitch count up over 110 once again. And this time, the Nationals ace walked away with a win for his extra effort. Six days after he fell apart while trying to build up his pitch count against Atlanta, Scherzer retired the side in the seventh, walking off the mound having thrown 112 pitches and having helped lead his team to a 4-2 victory at SunTrust Park. "This is the type of start you do hang your hat...

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District 34 podcast: Figuring out Nats' playoff roster after clinching division

September 20, 2017, 9:26am

Nationals

District 34 podcast: Figuring out Nats' playoff roster after clinching division

On the last episode of the District 34 podcast, Byron and I were counting down to the Nationals clinching their second straight division title. Well, on Sept. 10, they did (with some help from the Braves) to secure the team's fourth National League East crown in six seasons and a spot in this year's playoffs. To start this episode, we recap the celebration that took place at Nationals Park that day and what this division championship means for the Nats, Dusty Baker and Washington, D.C. as a...

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Harper bats in simulated game, could be active next week

September 19, 2017, 3:07pm

Nationals

Harper bats in simulated game, could be active next week

ATLANTA - Bryce Harper faced a couple of live pitchers this afternoon for the first time since he injured his left leg 5 1/2 weeks ago, yet another encouraging development that could allow the Nationals slugger to return in time to play part of the final week of the regular season as a tune-up for the postseason. Harper participated in a simulated game at SunTrust Park, with a pair of Nationals prospects (Sterling Sharp and Brigham Hill) brought up from the instructional league in Florida to...

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Zimmerman joins 30-100 club again (Nats win 4-2)

September 19, 2017, 4:59pm

Nationals

Zimmerman joins 30-100 club again (Nats win 4-2)

ATLANTA - Ryan Zimmerman is heating up at the plate again. Perhaps just in time to make it really count. On the heels of a two-homer performance Sunday night against the Dodgers, Zimmerman opened tonight's game against the Braves with two hits, including a double off the wall in right-center and an RBI single that has helped the Nationals take a 2-1 lead into the fifth inning. Zimmerman's double to lead off the top of the second struck the brick wall in right-center at SunTrust Park, nearly...

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Game 150 lineups: Nats at Braves (Murphy scratched)

September 19, 2017, 11:53am

Nationals

Game 150 lineups: Nats at Braves (Murphy scratched)

ATLANTA - Hello from SunTrust Park, here right smack dab in the middle of Unincorporated Atlanta. Some more development has sprung up around the ballpark since the last time the Nationals played here in May, but the Braves' new suburban home still feels far from complete. The Nats open their final road trip of the regular season tonight with the first of three games against Atlanta. And the opener features a pitching rematch from last week's series in D.C.: Max Scherzer vs. Luiz Gohara. That...

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SolÃs taking every outing "very seriously" as he vies for postseason spot

September 18, 2017, 8:51pm

Nationals

SolÃs taking every outing "very seriously" as he vies for postseason spot

Left-hander Sammy SolÃs has been pitching well the last few games. He hopes this run to the finish line will be enough to prove he deserves a spot on the postseason roster. SolÃs has a 1.35 ERA in his last seven games. But he did not pitch in May or June, making only 11 appearances before Aug. 1. SolÃs was on the disabled list with left elbow inflammation from April 19 to July 1. He appreciates the medical staff taking it slow with him before he returned to pitching, making no...

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Lind proves his worth with big at-bats in key late-game moments

September 18, 2017, 8:39am

Nationals

Lind proves his worth with big at-bats in key late-game moments

The Nationals have searched for a few seasons for a pinch-hit bat that could come through in the clutch on a consistent basis. Several players have done a nice job of filling that role but none better than the work of veteran Adam Lind in 2017. Lind was signed in the offseason and has been the best pinch-hit answer for the Nats in the short history. So far in 2017, Lind has hit .306 in 107 games with 12 homers and 50 RBIs. As a pinch-hitter, he is hitting .364 with four homers, 13 RBIs in 47...

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Scoreless streak ends, but Strasburg still in top form

September 17, 2017, 9:17pm

Nationals

Scoreless streak ends, but Strasburg still in top form

It was a particularly cruel way for the streak to end, with a teammate doing everything he could to make a highlight-reel play only to have the ball bounce off his glove and fall to the ground as a runner crossed the plate. Stephen Strasburg hadn't given up a run in 35 innings. And that's how an opponent finally did it to him? "Nah, it was going to happen eventually," the right-hander shrugged. "I was just trying to minimize the damage." Strasburg did minimize the damage Sunday night....

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Zimmerman powers Nats to victory over Dodgers

September 17, 2017, 7:31pm

Nationals

Zimmerman powers Nats to victory over Dodgers

When the Nationals needed big-time performances against a premier opponent to avoid what would have been a discomforting series sweep, they turned to a pair of tried-and-true veterans who desperately want to deliver for this team when it really matters. Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg delivered tonight to beat the Dodgers. And both would like nothing more than to deliver a couple weeks from now when the calendar shifts to October. Zimmerman's three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth...

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Marty Niland: Let's keep Baker, the best Washington manager ever

September 18, 2017, 4:43am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Let's keep Baker, the best Washington manager ever

As the Nationals close out the regular season and prepare for the National League Division Series, the focus of fans' attention turns away from the players on the field and into the dugout and manager Dusty Baker. The 68-year-old skipper has already taken an injury-riddled squad through the gauntlet of a major league regular season to an unprecedented second straight division title, and now must keep his players sharp, yet healthy, as he guides them through the next two weeks. But he accepts...

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Zimmerman's homers meaningful in more ways than one for Nats

September 17, 2017, 8:51pm

Nationals

Zimmerman's homers meaningful in more ways than one for Nats

Ryan Zimmerman wanted to remind everyone that the Nationals offense is just fine. And he did it with back-to-back swings late Sunday night at Nationals Park. In the Nats' 7-1 victory over the Dodgers, Zimmerman crushed a game-changing three-run shot in the sixth and then a solo homer in his next at-bat to lead off the eighth. Those homers, numbers 32 and 33 on the season, helped to erase a 1-0 Dodgers lead. Prior to his three-run shot, the Nats had managed just two runs in 23 innings versus...

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Strasburg scoreless inning string ends at 35 (Nats win 7-1)

September 17, 2017, 4:55pm

Nationals

Strasburg scoreless inning string ends at 35 (Nats win 7-1)

The Dodgers found a way to score a run off of Stephen Strasburg in the second inning. Yasiel Puig singled and stole second base. With two outs, Logan Forsythe's drive went off the glove of Michael A. Taylor in deep center field for a double. Puig scored. The Dodgers lead 1-0. Strasburg's franchise-record 34 scoreless innings ends at 35. The Nationals managed two base hits off of left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu in the second inning to try to plate the equalizer. But Taylor struck out and Matt Wieters...

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Harper takes full BP session on field, says timing now is key

September 17, 2017, 2:46pm

Nationals

Harper takes full BP session on field, says timing now is key

The crack of the bat said it all. This wasn't a sound anyone had heard around the Nationals batting cage in five weeks. This was the sound only Bryce Harper makes when he connects with a ball during batting practice. And this being Harper's first on-field BP session since his scary-looking left leg injury on Aug. 12, it drew plenty of attention. From general manager Mike Rizzo, hitting coach Rick Schu and other team personnel standing behind the cage. From reporters and photographers watching...

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Game 149 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers

September 17, 2017, 12:06pm

Nationals

There may not be all that much riding on this weekend's series, but the Nationals certainly don't want to be swept by the Dodgers. That wouldn't be very good for morale, no matter the significance of these games on what will occur next month. The good news: Stephen Strasburg is on the mound tonight, and nobody in baseball has pitched better than he has over the last month-plus. Strasburg carries a 34-inning scoreless streak into tonight's game, and all those zeroes haven't been fluky. The...

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Baker on facing Dodgers without Scherzer, Harper and others

September 17, 2017, 2:00am

Nationals

Baker on facing Dodgers without Scherzer, Harper and others

Seeing the Nationals fall to the Dodgers 7-0 and 3-2, with Edwin Jackson and A.J. Cole starting, some wonder whether the Nats are holding back a bit, perhaps waiting to step on the gas until they can turn Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer, Tanner Roark or Gio Gonzalez loose on the Dodgers in October. Manager Dusty Baker offered that one might analyze the Dodgers in the same way. After all, the Nats are missing Clayton Kershaw and Yu Darvish in this series. "Well, I don't know what their rotation was...

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Hill in groove, Dodgers homer early (Nats fall 3-2)

September 16, 2017, 10:05am

Nationals

Hill in groove, Dodgers homer early (Nats fall 3-2)

The Dodgers jumped ahead of the Nationals early for the second game in a row. Facing A.J. Cole, Cody Bellinger launched a solo homer to lead off the second inning. Coming on an 0-1 pitch, it was his 38th homer of the season. In the third, Bellinger added an RBI single that scored Chase Utley, who had doubled. Rich Hill has not allowed the Nats a base hit through three innings. Anthony Rendon walked in the second inning. Hill struck out Jayson Werth and Michael A. Taylor looking to end the...

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Koda Glover rehabbing pain in shoulder, shut down until November

September 16, 2017, 8:44am

Nationals

Koda Glover rehabbing pain in shoulder, shut down until November

Nationals right-hander Koda Glover returned to the clubhouse Friday after rehabbing in Florida since mid-June. Glover had been placed on the disabled list June 11 with lower back stiffness. It was his second trip to the DL. Back in late April, he worked through a left hip impingement. Despite all that time on the disabled list, there was optimism about a month ago that Glover might be able to return to pitch for the team before the end of the season. But on Saturday, Glover confirmed he has...

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Game 148 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers

September 16, 2017, 6:25am

Nationals

The Nationals are looking to bounce back from an uncomfortable 7-0 loss to the Dodgers to open the three-game series between National League heavyweights. Three early home runs were too much to overcome and the Nats offense struggled to get a rally going all night. The Nats do have some players on upward trends. Shortstop Trea Turner is holding steady at 40 steals on the season, one away from the all-time Nats franchise record of 41 by Alfonso Soriano in 2006. Turner has slashed .371/.421/.686...

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After another ragged start, Jackson goes back to drawing board

September 15, 2017, 7:50pm

Nationals

After another ragged start, Jackson goes back to drawing board

Edwin Jackson has authored one of the best feel-good stories of the summer for the Nationals, an unlikely source of competent pitching when the club desperately needed someone to step in and replace the injured Joe Ross. Those who have watched the right-hander throughout his long and winding career, though, have known he's always in danger of regressing back into the form that has forced his career to be long and winding. And over the last few weeks, those fears have come to fruition. It came...

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Nationals, Jackson thumped by Dodgers in series opener (updated)

September 15, 2017, 6:08pm

Nationals

There was an undeniable buzz at Nationals Park tonight, with the National League's two best clubs opening a weekend series and drawing extra media attention and a boisterous crowd of 37,508 to South Capitol Street. Three innings later, with the Dodgers up seven runs and Edwin Jackson taking an early trip to the showers, that buzz had devolved into a soft hum. That was the sound of a lopsided 7-0 result in a game that, truth be told, probably didn't mean nearly as much as everyone wanted it to...