Bobby Blanco

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

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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Mark Zuckerman

Looking back at what went right during the NLDS

Looking back at what went right during the NLDS
There's been plenty of teeth-nashing, head-banging and face-palming in the last 36 hours over everything that went wrong for the Nationals in Games 4 and 5 of the National League Division Series. That's fine. Losses like this need to be analyzed and rehashed, with an eye on what could have been different. Let's take a moment this morning, though, to do the opposite exercise. Instead of looking at what went wrong in the NLDS, let's take a brief look at what went right. You may be surprised...
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Mark Zuckerman

Revisiting all the key decisions in the Nationals' Game 5 loss

Revisiting all the key decisions in the Nationals' Game 5 loss
The sting hasn't worn off yet, and it probably won't for quite some time. The Nationals are dispersing around the country today, going home for the winter instead of going to Chicago for a shot at the pennant. Game 5 of the 2016 National League Division Series was an all-timer, one they'll be talking about for years. Whether the Nationals themselves or their fans will ever be able to appreciate that remains to be seen. Certainly it's not something anyone wants to contemplate today. So much...
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Byron Kerr

Zimmerman, Rendon and Baker react to late game double-switches

Zimmerman, Rendon and Baker react to late game double-switches
Two of the biggest moves Nationals manager Dusty Baker had to make last night in Game 5 of the National League Division Series to get his lineup order were double-switches that took two of his best hitters out of the lineup. First baseman Ryan Zimmerman was replaced by Clint Robinson in the seventh. Then third baseman Anthony Rendon was replaced by Stephen Drew in the eighth. Rendon struggled in the series with runners in scoring position, leaving four on base in this game. But he did have a...
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Mark Zuckerman

Nationals come up short again, lose 4-3 in epic Game 5

Nationals come up short again, lose 4-3 in epic Game 5
This one will require some time to fully process. The crowd of 43,936 that sat, stood, roared and groaned through every moment of Game 5 of the National League Division Series knows only that it just witnessed one of the wildest winner-take-all showdowns in baseball history. Someone will write a novel about this one, maybe on the 66-minute seventh inning alone, the critical frame of the game that featured more highs and lows than you could reasonably imagine. The only thing the fans that filed...
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Mark Zuckerman

Baker wants fans positive, says Strasburg won't pitch in NLCS

Baker wants fans positive, says Strasburg won't pitch in NLCS
Not that you'd expect anything less from him, but Nationals manager Dusty Baker is particularly relaxed and confident heading into Game 5 of the National League Division Series. And he's been that way all day. "To tell you the truth, I got up, said my prayers like I always do," Baker said when asked what his emotions were like today. "Got a cup of coffee. And then packed for Chicago." The Nationals, of course, will have no need to pack for Chicago if they lose tonight's do-or-die game...
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Mark Zuckerman

Win or lose Game 5, Nationals have proven something this year

Win or lose Game 5, Nationals have proven something this year
When they take the field shortly after 8 p.m. tonight, Max Scherzer leading the way, the Nationals will be facing far more than the Dodgers in a do-or-die baseball game. They'll be facing their own demons, the demons of two previous postseason failures, the demons of two other regular season failures during this five-year run of excellence, the demons of Washington's entire sports existence that have prevented any of the city's major pro clubs from so much as reaching the final four of its...
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Bobby Blanco

District 34 podcast: NLDS Game 5 preview

District 34 podcast: NLDS Game 5 preview
It all comes down to this: Game 5 of the National League Division Series between the Nationals and Dodgers. The winner-take-all game doesn't start until 8 p.m. at Nats Park, so Byron Kerr and I have a preview episode of the District 34 podcast to get you ready for tonight's showdown. With a chance to advance to face the Cubs in the NLCS, the Nationals need just one more over the Dodgers after splitting the first four games of this series. So how did we get here? What have the Nationals done...
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Mark Zuckerman

Scherzer looks forward to the "biggest start of my life"

Scherzer looks forward to the "biggest start of my life"
LOS ANGELES - Max Scherzer didn't even pause to think about it when asked Tuesday night about the significance of what takes place Thursday night in D.C. "Yep, this is probably the biggest start of my career," he said. "Biggest start of my life. I've said that a handful of times throughout my career. How you handle that, going out there and using the emotion of that scenario, that everything's on the line ... I'm not gonna shy away from it. This is the biggest start of my...
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Mark Zuckerman

"It's win or go home - it's time to win"

"It's win or go home - it's time to win"
LOS ANGELES - It was the kind of sequence that championship clubs so often put together in October. Trailing late in a critical postseason game, facing one of the best in the sport, somehow finding a way to string together several quality at-bats and produce an inspiring rally. The Nationals did all that in the top of the seventh today at Dodger Stadium, and after Daniel Murphy's two-out, two-run single brought home the tying run, it was perfectly appropriate to wonder whether this would be...
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Mark Zuckerman

Late rally not quite enough for Nationals in tense Game 4 loss

Late rally not quite enough for Nationals in tense Game 4 loss
LOS ANGELES - The seventh-inning rally, featuring so many quality at-bats and a little bit of good fortune, had brought the Nationals back from the brink, improbably giving them five runs off Clayton Kershaw and leaving the fate of Game 4 of the National League Division Series hanging in the balance. But the Dodgers weren't totally deflated, despite their best efforts to melt down in front of 49,617 of their fans. They clawed their way back, plating the decisive run in the bottom of the eighth...
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Mark Zuckerman

Strasburg has "a little discomfort" during bullpen session

Strasburg has "a little discomfort" during bullpen session
LOS ANGELES - As the Nationals attempt to finish off the National League Division Series this afternoon, Stephen Strasburg continues to attempt to return from an elbow injury and pitch for his team at some point later in the postseason. But Strasburg's road back to game action remains littered with speed bumps and potholes, and he hit one of them Monday while throwing in the bullpen at Dodger Stadium. Strasburg was scheduled to throw 35 pitches, building off the 25-pitch session he had three...
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Mark Zuckerman

NLDS Game 4 lineups: Nats at Dodgers

NLDS Game 4 lineups: Nats at Dodgers
LOS ANGELES - The Nationals today have the opportunity to do something they've never done before, not to mention something no major pro sports franchise in D.C. has done in a long time. With a victory in Game 4 of the National League Division Series, they would advance to their first National League Championship Series. In doing so, they would become the first D.C. team to reach the semifinals of its sport since the 1998 Capitals went to the Stanley Cup Final. So no pressure today, guys....
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Bobby Blanco

It's Ross vs. Kershaw in Game 4

It's Ross vs. Kershaw in Game 4
We now know who will take the mound for Game 4 of the National League Division Series between the Nationals and Dodgers, set to begin at 5:05 p.m. EDT. Dusty Baker will send out right-hander Joe Ross for his first career postseason start, while Dave Roberts will call upon left-hander Clayton Kershaw on short rest and facing elimination. The Nationals' 8-3 win in Game 3 on Monday not only gave them a 2-1 edge in the best-of-five series, but also gave them flexibility in setting their rotation...
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Byron Kerr

Zimmerman on his offensive resurgence: "It's no fun not helping"

Zimmerman on his offensive resurgence: "It's no fun not helping"
LOS ANGELES - Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman had another stellar performance in the National League Division Series Monday as his club dropped the Dodgers 8-3 in Game 3. Zimmerman went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. He is hitting 5-for-11 (.455) in the series after hitting just .218 during the season. Zimmerman actually fell below .200 in June, July and August before slightly rebounding in September and early October to .222. But this series, he looks more like...
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Mark Zuckerman

Starters still unnamed as countdown to Game 4 looms

Starters still unnamed as countdown to Game 4 looms
LOS ANGELES - The Nationals and Dodgers knew all along they'd be playing Game 4 of the National League Division Series this afternoon. They just didn't know who the starting pitcher for either team would be. Or what time the game would begin. As they woke up this morning, they still hadn't revealed the identities of the starting pitchers. But at least they knew the game time. Thanks to the Giants' dramatic 13-inning victory that ended at 2:45 a.m. EDT, Game 4 at Dodger Stadium will begin at...
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Mark Zuckerman

Once a liability, Nationals bullpen has led the way in NLDS

Once a liability, Nationals bullpen has led the way in NLDS
LOS ANGELES - Shawn Kelley likes to walk around the clubhouse at Nationals Park wearing a T-shirt bearing a simple message: "Relievers are people, too." Too often the guys who occupy big league bullpens are anonymous to the masses, a revolving door of arms brought into games only when the higher-profile starter can't do his job. The game, though, is changing. Bullpens matter more than ever, and doubly so in the postseason, when it's not uncommon to see managers rely on relief corps to...
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Mark Zuckerman

Nats ride early offense, then bullpen to 8-3 victory in Game 3

Nats ride early offense, then bullpen to 8-3 victory in Game 3
LOS ANGELES - They played a four-hour game Sunday afternoon in cold, windy D.C., then flew across the country, then woke up and played another four-hour game Monday afternoon in warm, sun-baked L.A. But this is the postseason, and you do whatever is required of you this time of the year, physical and mental toll and sleep patterns cast aside for the moment. And right now, the Nationals are doing whatever is asked of them in an attempt to win the first playoff series in club history. Score four...
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Mark Zuckerman

Game 4 starters still undecided by both clubs

Game 4 starters still undecided by both clubs
LOS ANGELES - They of course still need to play Game 3 this afternoon, but the Nationals know that no matter the outcome they will be playing Game 4 of the National League Division Series here at Dodger Stadium sometime Tuesday (either 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. EDT, depending on the status of the Cubs-Giants series). So the Nationals will need a starting pitcher for Game 4. They just haven't revealed the identity of that person yet. Conventional wisdom says Joe Ross would get the nod, as originally...
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Byron Kerr

Baker not giving up on Espinosa just yet

Baker not giving up on Espinosa just yet
LOS ANGELES - Shortstop Danny Espinosa has struggled to get on track in the National League Division Series. He is 0-for-5 with a run scored in the first two games of the series. In Game 1, he struck out his first three times up and then popped up to third base. In Game 2, Espinosa was hit by a pitch in each of his first two plate appearances, but then struck out in the sixth and eighth innings. So with five strikeouts in the first two games of the NLDS, manager Dusty Baker was asked if he...
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