Mark Zuckerman

In critical October showdown, Nationals lose game of inches

In critical October showdown, Nationals lose game of inches
CHICAGO - Oliver Pérez liked the pitch coming out of his hand, and he liked it coming off Anthony Rizzo's bat. It was a first-pitch fastball, in, and he managed to jam Rizzo and force the Cubs slugger to hit a little blooper toward shallow left-center field. And then, as Pérez turned around and saw how much ground three of his teammates were trying to cover to get to the ball in time, well, that's when the Nationals reliever realized this might be trouble. "I saw he didn't hit it that...
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Mark Zuckerman

Cubs rally late to win Game 3, leave Nats facing elimination

Cubs rally late to win Game 3, leave Nats facing elimination
CHICAGO - The margin between success and failure in the postseason is razor-thin. A batter can hit a frozen rope but hit it right at somebody. Another can barely bloop a ball into shallow left-center field and watch it fall between three defenders and drive home the winning run. The Nationals experienced it all today during an agonizing 2-1 loss to the Cubs in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. They had a couple of chances to score early, but watched as Chicago's outfielders...
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Pete Kerzel

Scherzer strong early in Game 3 (Cubs win 2-1)

Scherzer strong early in Game 3 (Cubs win 2-1)
Four innings into Game 3 of the National League Division Series at Wrigley Field and the Nationals are still searching for their first run. They've had a couple of chances, but have been unable to get to Cubs lefty José Quintana when they've had runners in scoring position. In the second, Michael A. Taylor led off with a single and went to second when Quintana's pickoff attempt sailed wide of first base. But Max Scherzer couldn't get a bunt down, striking out out swinging. After Trea...
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MASNsports.com Staff

NLDS game blog: Scherzer on the mound in Game 3

NLDS game blog: Scherzer on the mound in Game 3
CHICAGO - It's not often that a team leaves its best starting pitcher for Game 3 of a postseason series, especially a best-of-five series. But the Nationals kept ace Max Scherzer off the mound for the first two games of the National League Division Series out of necessity. Scherzer tweaked his right hamstring in his final regular season start of the season, casting his playoff future in doubt. Nine games removed from that start against the Pirates, the 2016 National League Cy Young award...
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Mark Zuckerman

Baker sticks with Werth in Game 3 matchup vs. Quintana

Baker sticks with Werth in Game 3 matchup vs. Quintana
CHICAGO - Whatever urge there may have been to alter his lineup for Game 3 of the National League Division Series, Dusty Baker ultimately decided continuity was more important than playing matchups against an opponent they've never faced. With left-hander José Quintana on the mound for the Cubs this afternoon, the Nationals are going up against an unknown entity. Only three members of their NLDS roster have ever faced him before: Howie Kendrick (5-for-10), Adam Lind (2-for-9) and Matt...
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Mark Zuckerman

NLDS Game 3 lineups: Nats at Cubs

NLDS Game 3 lineups: Nats at Cubs
CHICAGO - It's October at Wrigley Field, but the sun is shining bright, temperatures are in the upper 70s and there's very little breeze to speak of. This is not what you expect from postseason baseball here. But this is what we'll have today for Game 3 of the National League Division Series between the Nationals and Cubs, a pivotal game that will move one of these two clubs one step away from the National League Championship Series. The Nationals at long last have Max Scherzer on the mound,...
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Mark Zuckerman

Nats will start Roark in Game 4, won't start Strasburg on short rest

Nats will start Roark in Game 4, won't start Strasburg on short rest
CHICAGO - Unless something really unexpected happens today, Tanner Roark will start Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday. No matter what happens between now and then, Stephen Strasburg will not be starting that game. The Nationals revealed their rotation plans for the remainder of their series against the Cubs, and it's exactly what was expected to be the case all along, with Roark serving as the club's fourth starter and Strasburg held back from returning to pitch again...
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Mark Zuckerman

Scherzer says he's good to go for 100 pitches in Game 3

Scherzer says he's good to go for 100 pitches in Game 3
CHICAGO - Max Scherzer made his way out to the right field grass at Wrigley Field, set up shop 60 feet away from bullpen catcher Octavio Martinez and proceeded to throw a baseball off flat ground for the next 10-15 minutes, just like he would any other day before he starts a game. When he was done, Scherzer gave Martinez a high five, then started skipping around the outfield. OK, that was actually part of his regular exercise routine, but the image nonetheless conveyed what everyone here with...
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Bobby Blanco

Relive Nationals' five-run eighth inning in Game 2 comeback victory

Relive Nationals' five-run eighth inning in Game 2 comeback victory
So about last night ... That was an incredible game of baseball between the Nationals and Cubs. From the home runs to the relief pitching to the dramatic comeback, Game 2 of this National League Division Series provided the best of what postseason baseball has to offer. Anthony Rendon started the scoring with a solo home run in the first. Gio Gonzalez gave manager Dusty Baker a solid start. Matt Albers, Sammy Solís, Ryan Madson, Oliver Pérez and Sean Doolittle combined for four shutout...
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Mark Zuckerman

A five-run rally that might change the course of the NLDS

A five-run rally that might change the course of the NLDS
He had watched this lineup score runs in bunches all season long, overcoming injuries and ever-changing configurations to produce as well as just about any lineup in the majors. But 16 innings into the National League Division Series, Dusty Baker's Nationals had done nothing at the plate against the Cubs. Nothing. Nada. Squat. Bupkis. Yes, Anthony Rendon had homered in the bottom of the first in Game 2, but that opposite-field shot looked like a lazy fly ball off the bat and somehow got caught...
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Mel Antonen

Maddon rolls the dice, pays the price for going against convention

Maddon rolls the dice, pays the price for going against convention
With one out and pinch-runner Victor Robles on first base in the eighth inning, the Nationals' Bryce Harper was at the plate against Cubs right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. Never mind that lefty Mike Montgomery was ready in the Cubs bullpen. Cubs manager Joe Maddon played the percentages. He left the lefty in the bullpen. Maddon wanted Edwards to face Harper, a left-handed batter, even though a lefty reliever would be a more traditional approach, but this is why Maddon liked the matchup: Edwards...
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Mark Zuckerman

Harper, Zimmerman carry Nats to Game 2 win, series tie

Harper, Zimmerman carry Nats to Game 2 win, series tie
For nine innings Friday night and for seven more innings tonight, they pleaded with every batter who stepped to the plate wearing a curly W helmet to deliver a big hit, just one big hit, to turn not only this National League Division Series around but at least give this franchise an opportunity to turn around nearly six seasons of failures on the big stage. And just when they were ready to give up on their forlorn ballclub, two of the most important players in Nationals history delivered those...
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Bobby Blanco

NLDS game blog: Gonzalez, Nats offense aim to even series in Game 2

NLDS game blog: Gonzalez, Nats offense aim to even series in Game 2
It's a new game on a new day. After the Nationals dropped Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Friday night, they will look to get even with the Cubs this afternoon on South Capitol Street. While technically not a must-win game, the Nats really can't afford to go to Chicago down 2-0. And so a lot of pressure falls on Gio Gonzalez, who takes the mound today for Game 2. Gonzalez had one of his best seasons with the Nationals this year, going 15-9 with a 2.96 ERA. Though there may be...
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Mark Zuckerman

Comfortable Harper thinks "it could get better"

Comfortable Harper thinks "it could get better"
Bryce Harper's left leg is healthy, at least as healthy as it's going to be before he has an entire winter of rest. Everything the star right fielder has done during his six games back from the disabled list suggests he's not physically limited and can play the way he normally plays. But is Harper actually performing the way he normally performs? That question has been tougher to answer. "I think it could get better," the 24-year-old said today as he prepared for Game 2 of the National...
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Pete Kerzel

NLDS Game 2 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs

NLDS Game 2 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs
The Nationals will go with the same lineup - save for starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez - as they employed Friday night this afternoon when they try to square the best-of-five National League Division Series against the Cubs at a game apiece. Today's key matchup: Nats speedster Trea Turner against Cubs left-hander Jon Lester. Lester is notorious for his inability to throw to first base, which gives teams with base-stealing threats an advantage. Turner stole two bases against Lester on June 29 at...
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Mark Zuckerman

Little mistakes moot point on night when Nats get shut out

Little mistakes moot point on night when Nats get shut out
There was the play down the third base line Anthony Rendon couldn't make, resulting in his first error in 76 days. There was Bryce Harper's ill-advised, too-high throw that allowed a runner to take second base and ultimately score minutes later. There were pitches called strikes that didn't jibe well with batters. And there was the debatable decision not to bring in a left-hander to face Anthony Rizzo in a key, two-out spot with first base open. The Nationals had to confront all of that...
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Byron Kerr

Strasburg "outstanding," but comes up short in 3-0 Game 1 loss

Strasburg "outstanding," but comes up short in 3-0 Game 1 loss
Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg came out early and set the tone for Game 1 of the National League Division Series. In the first five innings, the Cubs mustered zero runs on no hits. They had one baserunner - a walk to Addison Russell in the second - to show for 16 at-bats. Strasburg racked up eight strikeouts to set a new franchise postseason single-game record. He finished with 10 strikeouts. But Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks matched Strasburg, surrendering just two early base hits but...
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Mel Antonen

Cubs wait out Strasburg, emerge with 1-0 lead in NLDS

Cubs wait out Strasburg, emerge with 1-0 lead in NLDS
Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg looked unhittable for five innings Friday night. Then the Chicago Cubs came to bat in the sixth inning. That's when everything changed. The Cubs scored twice against the Nationals starter, who had a 0.86 ERA after the All-Star break as well as a streak of 35 consecutive scoreless innings, on their way to a 3-0 win against the Nationals in Game 1 of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park. The Cubs' Javier Báez reached on a high chopper that...
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Mark Zuckerman

Strasburg dominates, but Nats' bats go silent in Game 1 loss

Strasburg dominates, but Nats' bats go silent in Game 1 loss
For five innings, a crowd of 43,898 - more than 90 percent clad in red - became believers. Stephen Strasburg was on the mound, posting nothing but zeros, and those in attendance were on their feet every time he got to two strikes, fully buying into the notion that things would be different this time. And then came the top of the sixth, with a couple of hits and a couple of misplays, and suddenly all the energy inside Nationals Park had transformed from unbridled enthusiasm to the kind of...
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Mark Zuckerman

Baker explains final NLDS roster decisions (Jones suspended)

Baker explains final NLDS roster decisions (Jones suspended)
In assembling the final spots for their National League Division Series roster, the Nationals had two priorities in mind: speed and defense on their bench, and a bunch of lefties in their bullpen. Manager Dusty Baker explained why, after several days of deliberations, the club's decision-makers settled on rookies Brian Goodwin and Victor Robles as backup outfielders, and Oliver Pérez, Sammy Solís and Enny Romero as left-handed members of their seven-man bullpen. The Nationals became...
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