nationals

Scoreless streak ends, but Strasburg still in top form

September 17, 2017, 9:17pm

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...

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Lobaton shakes off ankle injury, but Severino making a case

September 15, 2017, 1:39pm

Nationals

Lobaton shakes off ankle injury, but Severino making a case

When he was trying to shake off the pitch that caught him square on the left ankle in the bottom of the second inning Thursday night, Jose Lobaton was asked by Nationals director of athletic training Paul Lessard if he could walk. In that moment, Lobaton honestly couldn't, so he told Lessard he needed to come out of the game. That justifiably had the Nationals concerned about the long-term health of their No. 2 catcher, but those fears were alleviated when X-rays on Lobaton's ankle came back...

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Werth another step forward with solid at-bats in series finale

September 15, 2017, 5:05am

Nationals

Werth another step forward with solid at-bats in series finale

Big positive for left fielder Jayson Werth who has now played two games in a row after returning from a sore shoulder. On Thursday, Werth went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the Nationals' 5-2 win over the Braves. "He had four great at-bats tonight," manager Dusty Baker said. "Flirted with the wall a couple times and he's feeling better and you see Trea (Turner) is back, he has his stuff together so our next step is to get Jayson back to himself. And then the last step is to get (Bryce Harper)...

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Game 147 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers

September 15, 2017, 10:37am

Nationals

The Nationals haven't played any truly meaningful pennant-race games in mid-to-late September in any of the last six seasons. They've always either clinched the division or been too far back to have a realistic chance, leaving these last two weeks of the regular season to relatively meaningless ball. This weekend, then, provides the closest thing we may experience to exciting pennant-race baseball. The Dodgers are in town, and so this is a showdown between the National League's top two...

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Opposite dugout: After long skid, Dodgers no longer a lock for best NL record

September 13, 2017, 6:27pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: After long skid, Dodgers no longer a lock for best NL record

Manager: Dave Roberts (2nd season) Record: 94-52 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: 3B Justin Turner (.326/.419/.536 with 19 HR, 67 RBIs), SS Corey Seager (.305/.385/.489 with 19 HR, 68 RBIs), 2B Chris Taylor (.296 with 19 HR, 67 RBIs), LF Cody Bellinger (37 HR, 86 RBIs), LHP Alex Wood (14-3, 2.81 ERA), LHP Rich Hill (9-8, 3.67 ERA), RHP Kenley Jansen (5-0, 1.29 ERA, 37 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 1-2 Pitching probables: Sept. 15: LHP Alex Wood vs. RHP Edwin Jackson, 7:05 p.m., MASN Sept....

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Not a lot at stake, but Nats' series vs. Dodgers will draw attention

September 14, 2017, 7:40pm

Nationals

Not a lot at stake, but Nats' series vs. Dodgers will draw attention

It's been looming on the schedule for months, a late-season clash between the teams that have held the National League's top two records nearly the entire year. But when the Nationals and Dodgers open their weekend series tonight, there won't be as much on the line as there might have been not long ago. The combination of the Nationals' recent surge and the Dodgers' recent slide came together to take some juice away from this series. The Nats, of course, already clinched the NL East title...

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Nationals ride rookies, Roark to 5-2 win over Braves (updated)

September 14, 2017, 6:15pm

Nationals

In an effort to give many of his regulars a well-deserved breather, Dusty Baker has fielded several lineups recently featuring more rookies and backups than veterans and starters. Not that it has hurt his team's chances of winning. Quite the contrary. Tonight's "B" lineup was plenty effective at the plate against the Braves, and with Tanner Roark tossing another quality start before handing the game over to his bullpen, the Nationals earned a comfortable 5-2 victory to avoid a series sweep...

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David Huzzard: Nats need not concern themselves with playoff matchups

September 15, 2017, 5:48am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Nats need not concern themselves with playoff matchups

There is going to be a side story to the Dodgers-Nationals series this weekend, and like many side stories, it is flat and pointless, a time-filler to help get to the end of the season. Kind of like my run on sentences. This story is not a tale as old as time but it is one that is asked all the time of fans, players, media and front office staff: Who would you rather play in the first round? The Cubs have suffered a World Series hangover and limped through the season, but still have Anthony...