nationals

Taylor goes yard to help Cole (Nats win 3-1)

September 25, 2017, 3:54pm

PHILADELPHIA - Right-hander A.J. Cole did a nice job of getting out of what could have turned into difficult situations in his first two innings tonight against the Phillies. In the first, Nick Williams singled with two outs. But Cole was able to get Rhys Hoskins to ground into a fielder's choice to third to end the inning. In the second, Aaron Altherr singled and moved to second on a sacrifice. Down 3-1 to Maikel Franco, Cole again got a groundout to third base. He walked Andrew Knapp with...

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Baker says Harper has flu-like symptoms, Rendon's foot sore

September 25, 2017, 2:12pm

Nationals

Baker says Harper has flu-like symptoms, Rendon's foot sore

PHILADELPHIA - With all the positive steps forward Bryce Harper had made these last few weeks as he recovered from knee and calf injuries, it appeared that the 2015 National League MVP would return to the lineup Monday night as the Nats took on the Phillies in their first game of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park. But Harper was not in the lineup and was also not listed on the active roster when the club posted lineups three hours before the game. Nationals manager Dusty Baker confirmed...

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Game 156 lineups: Nats at Phillies

September 25, 2017, 10:05am

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - Welcome to Bryce Harper Day! The Nationals are hoping this will be the night they get their star right fielder back into a game after missing close to a month and a half with a hyperextended knee and strained calf. To date, he hasn't been activated, and he's not in the starting lineup for tonight's game at Citizens Bank Park. The Nats are in town for their final regular season road series of the year with three against the last-place Phillies, coming off a series victory in...

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Marty Niland : Three reasons the Nats will prosper in the playoffs

September 25, 2017, 5:25am

Nationals

Marty Niland : Three reasons the Nats will prosper in the playoffs

It's fun to be a Nationals fan right now. The team is winning on its final road trip of a record-setting offensive season. It has locked up home-field advantage in the National League Division Series and Bryce Harper is most likely headed back into action for the final week of the regular season. That's all great news for fans that feel like their luck runs out in late September and early October, even in the best of years. In the final weeks of the 2016 season, pitcher Stephen Strasburg and...

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Opposite dugout: Braves hoping to finish season on a high note

September 18, 2017, 3:49pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Braves hoping to finish season on a high note

Manager: Brian Snitker (2nd season) Record: 67-81 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 1B Freddie Freeman (.318 with 27 HR, 69 RBIs), CF Ender Inciarte (.305 with 190 hits, 23 2B), RF Nick Markakis (.276 with 150 hits, 36 2B), LHP Sean Newcomb (3-8, 2.73 ERA), RHP Arodys VizcaÃno (5-3, 11 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 8-8 Pitching probables: Sep. 19: RHP Max Scherzer vs. LHP Luiz Gohara, 7:35 p.m., MASN2Sep. 20: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP Lucas Sims, 7:35 p.m., MASN2Sep. 21: RHP Tanner Roark...

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Opposite dugout: Mets to go through changes in offseason

September 21, 2017, 1:51pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Mets to go through changes in offseason

Manager: Terry Collins (7th year) Record: 65-97 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: SS AsdrÃºbal Cabrera (.276 with 52 RBIs, 31 doubles), 3B Wilmer Flores (.271 with 18 HR, 52 RBIs), OF Brandon Nimmo (.268), RHP Jacob deGrom (15-9 with 3.55 ERA), LHP Jerry Blevins (3.04 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: 5-11 Pitching probables: Sept. 22: RHP Edwin Jackson vs. RHP Robert Gsellman, 7:10 p.m., MASN Sept. 23: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. RHP Matt Harvey, 7:10 p.m., MASN Sept. 24: RHP Max Scherzer vs....

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When will NLDS rotation order be set? (Nats win 3-2)

September 24, 2017, 9:17am

Nationals

When will NLDS rotation order be set? (Nats win 3-2)

NEW YORK - We've reached the point in the season when it's time for playoff-bound clubs to begin lining up their rotations for October. The Nationals already know which four starters will take the mound for the National League Division Series. The order in which they'll do so, however, has not yet been made public. It is perhaps notable, though, how the Nats currently have their starters lined up during the final week of the regular season. Stephen Strasburg pitched Saturday night against...

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Nationals close out Mets, now ready for Harper's return

September 24, 2017, 12:11pm

Nationals

NEW YORK - The Nationals lineup is on the verge of being whole again, with Bryce Harper having done everything required to recover from the scary leg injury he suffered six weeks ago and now poised to come off the disabled list. The club isn't making it official yet - "We're still trying to make up our minds," manager Dusty Baker said. "We'll let you know tomorrow." - but sources familiar with the plan confirmed that (barring something unforeseen) Harper will be active for Monday...

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Robles shows off lightning speed as Nats drop Braves

September 14, 2017, 7:35pm

Nationals

Robles shows off lightning speed as Nats drop Braves

September call-ups can give baseball fans a glimpse into the future of their club, teasing them for what might be in the next season - or for years to come. But when your top prospect comes up and is only 20, it might be too much pressure to put on his shoulders to deliver in his first few games at the sport's top level. That is certainly not the case for Victor Robles. On Thursday, Robles went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI and an electrifying triple that had Nats Park in a frenzy as...

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Nats keep it close, but fall again to Dodgers 3-2

September 16, 2017, 12:58pm

Nationals

Nats keep it close, but fall again to Dodgers 3-2

The Dodgers beat the Nationals for the second game in a row in this series, but this one was much more competitive than Friday's 7-0 setback. Rich Hill fired five innings of one-hit, one-run ball and five relievers combined to allow one more run as the Dodgers held on to beat the Nats 3-2. Kenley Jansen came on in the ninth to record his 38th save. Nationals manager Dusty Baker called Hill "effectively wild." It came down to Hill mixing his pitches and being able to command his...

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Lind reaches 200-homer plateau, thanks to key blast in win

September 24, 2017, 4:16am

Nationals

Lind reaches 200-homer plateau, thanks to key blast in win

NEW YORK - On the surface, it may not seem like that big of a deal, given the rate the home runs fly out of ballparks these days. But let's pause for a moment to give Adam Lind some credit, because even in these inflated times, 200 career homers is nothing to gloss over. Lind's opposite-field, two-run shot during the Nationals' 4-3, 10-inning win over the Mets on Saturday night allowed him to reach that milestone. And the 34-year-old slugger, while not one to show off, did admit this was an...

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Game 155 lineups: Nats at Mets

September 24, 2017, 6:41am

Nationals

NEW YORK - Though their chances of securing home field advantage throughout the postseason are slim - they still trail the Dodgers by 4 1/2 games - the Nationals are on the verge of securing home field advantage at least for the National League Division Series. They enter play today with a seven-game lead over the Cubs, with eight to go. Thus, their magic number to clinch home field advantage for the first round is two, and if things go right, that could be locked up this afternoon. In order to...

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Murphy takes down Mets again, this time in extras (updated)

September 23, 2017, 6:48pm

Nationals

Murphy takes down Mets again, this time in extras (updated)

NEW YORK - They waited much of the night for somebody - anybody - to deliver the big hit that would break a game that had been deadlocked far too long. In the end, who better to deliver that hit for the Nationals against the Mets than Daniel Murphy? Murphy's leadoff homer in the top of the 10th lifted the Nats to a 4-3 victory and added yet another chapter to his lengthy book of damage inflicted against his former team. Murphy's blast to center field off right-hander Jacob Rhame was his ninth...

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Harper just waiting for green light to return (Nats win 4-3 in 10)

September 23, 2017, 3:33pm

Nationals

Harper just waiting for green light to return (Nats win 4-3 in 10)

NEW YORK - Bryce Harper has taken batting practice multiple times. He has run the bases. He has shagged fly balls. He has worked on throws from the outfield. He has hit in two simulated games against Nationals minor league pitchers. At this point, there's only one thing left for Harper to do: play in an actual game. And at this point, there's only one thing left for the Nationals to decide: when to let their star slugger do that. That decision hadn't been made as of late this afternoon, or...

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Kelley waiting for more tests but confident elbow is sound

September 23, 2017, 2:26pm

Nationals

Kelley waiting for more tests but confident elbow is sound

NEW YORK - Shawn Kelley is confident his twice-repaired elbow ligament is sound. Beyond that, the veteran reliever doesn't yet know the extent to which his arm is injured, or how long it will take to return to the mound. Kelley had an MRI this morning and received an initial diagnosis of inflammation and nerve problems in his right forearm, explaining in part why his arm went numb while pitching the bottom of the eighth Friday night for the Nationals against the Mets. The 33-year-old will...

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Looking at NLDS roster cases for Jackson, Robles, De Aza

September 22, 2017, 8:06pm

Nationals

Looking at NLDS roster cases for Jackson, Robles, De Aza

NEW YORK - It's no secret the Nationals are using the final two weeks of the regular season to make some final evaluations of players who are in the mix for the handful of postseason roster spots up for grabs. Which makes games like Friday night's at Citi Field - a 7-6 loss to the Mets - meaningful, but in a different way than most have been all season long. "We have the luxury," manager Dusty Baker said. "We don't like to lose, but we have the luxury of trying to find out what they can...

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Game 154 lineups: Nats at Mets

September 23, 2017, 11:35am

Nationals

NEW YORK - First, the most important news of the day: Bryce Harper (along with Brian Goodwin and Stephen Drew) batted in another simulated game today, facing Nationals minor leaguers Steven Fuentes and Alex Troop. By all indications (i.e., from what I could tell from my vantage point up in the press box) things went well, which means it should be decision time for the Nats with Harper, who doesn't seem to have any more hurdles to cross before playing in an actual game. Stay tuned for any...

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Robles' efforts can't make up for pitching woes in 7-6 loss

September 22, 2017, 6:13pm

Nationals

Robles' efforts can't make up for pitching woes in 7-6 loss

NEW YORK - They played the kids, and some of them provided some uplifting moments. But the Nationals lost tonight's series opener to the Mets, 7-6, not because of anything their rookies did but because of what two struggling veteran pitchers did. Starter Edwin Jackson continued his September tailspin, giving up six runs in 4 2/3 innings - five of those runs coming in the bottom of the fifth alone - to turn a big lead into a tie game. Joe Blanton then surrendered the go-ahead run in the bottom...

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Rookies get chance to play, make NLDS roster case (Nats lose 7-6)

September 22, 2017, 2:35pm

Nationals

Rookies get chance to play, make NLDS roster case (Nats lose 7-6)

NEW YORK - Dusty Baker had a logical reason for fielding a lineup entirely of backups and rookies tonight against the Mets. Given the fact the Nationals didn't arrive in New York til 3:30 a.m. following their series finale in Atlanta, the veteran manager thought it would be a good time to let his regulars rest. Which isn't to say Baker is sacrificing this game. He made that perfectly clear. "Number one, I'm not putting them in to paint," he said. "I'm putting them in to win." Baker has...

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Game 153 lineups: Nats at Mets

September 22, 2017, 11:41am

Nationals

NEW YORK - You want to see the kids? Well, tonight you get to see the kids. After playing his regulars three straight nights in Atlanta, Dusty Baker is giving them the series opener against the Mets off, instead going with a lineup full of youth, energy ... and inexperience. We'll see how that pays off against New York right-hander Robert Gsellman, who has been touched up for 13 runs and 20 hits in nine innings against the Nationals this season. Edwin Jackson, meanwhile, gets the start against...