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ST. LOUIS - The Nationals' chances of reaching the postseason are built on the broad shoulders of their elite starting rotation. Max Scherzer. Stephen Strasburg. Patrick Corbin. AnÃbal Sánchez. That's how this team was built to win, and it's only going to win if those big arms come up big.
If only that was 100 percent true.
The Nationals rotation is very good, especially now that Scherzer appears to be back to his top form, or at least something very closely resembling it.
But that...
The Nationals instructional league began with the first workout Saturday in West Palm Beach, Fla. The roster includes first-round selections in right-handers Mason Denaburg, Jackson Rutledge and left-hander Seth Romero.
The who's who of the Nationals coaching staff includes coordinators James Goodwin (minor league video), Jeff Garber (co-field/infield), Tommy Shields (co-field), Troy Gingrich (hitting), Michael Barrett (catching), Gary Thurman (outfield/baserunning), Mark Grater...
Mason Williams is unable to put much weight on his left leg today after slamming into the fence last night at full speed while chasing Cavan Biggio's triple in front of the bullpen area.
Williams said today that he didn't sustain a concussion, but the knee is wrapped and he has a deep bruise that brings uncertainty to his availability over the last 11 games.
"My head's fine," he said. "No concussion or anything like that, so that's fine. I just feel like I ran into a wall."
Maybe it's...
The stat sheet says Orioles right-handed reliever Mychal Givens has not had as good a year in 2019 as the year before, or the year before that, in numbers like ERA and WHIP.
But Givens was a pitcher on a pretty good roll that got derailed Saturday night at Detroit and that continued last night in Baltimore.
At Comerica Park, he gave up a game-tying homer with two outs in the last of the ninth inning and the Orioles lost 8-4 in 12 innings to the Tigers. Last night he gave up a leadoff homer in...
ST. LOUIS - They broke out the Greatest Hits this afternoon at Busch Stadium, with all of your least favorite moments in the history of Nationals-Cardinals matchups rolled into 2 hours and 55 minutes of agony for anyone who has ever worn a curly W cap and ecstasy for anyone who has ever donned the birds-on-the-bat jersey.
It's not that the Nationals lost 5-1, dropping the rubber game of a key September series that was right there for the taking. It's how they lost, in much the same manner...
Stevie Wilkerson is starting at second base tonight against the Blue Jays.
The Orioles have Trey Mancini at first base and Anthony Santander in right field. Austin Hays is in center field.
DJ Stewart is the designated hitter. Dwight Smith Jr. is in left.
Dylan Bundy has allowed three runs in 12 innings this season in his two starts against the Blue Jays. He owns a career 3.24 ERA and 1.063 WHIP in 13 career games against them.
Bundy has a 5.52 ERA and 1.466 WHIP in 11 starts since the All-Star...
The Orioles took a 4-3 lead to the eighth inning last night. But the game got away from a bullpen that posted an American League-best 2.91 ERA since Aug. 20. Toronto tied the game in the eighth and scored four in the ninth for an 8-5 win.
Toronto (60-91) took the opener of a three-game series. It was the opener of the Orioles' six-game homestand, their final homestand of 2019. Baltimore (49-102) is 3-4 over the last seven games but just 4-12 in September. The Birds are 23-53 at home and 7-7...
ST. LOUIS - Day games following night games - especially day games with a 12:15 p.m. local time first pitch - are prime opportunities for veterans to get some rest and reserves to get some playing time. The Nationals, though, have reached crunch time of a season that appears likely to go right down to the wire. And so when it came time to fill out the lineup card for today's matinee with the Cardinals, Davey Martinez and Chip Hale decided it was appropriate to keep things exactly as they were...
ST. LOUIS - Funny how much a team's outlook can change in 12 hours. The Nationals had reason to be nervous when they carried a slim, 3-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh Tuesday night at Busch Stadium, the possibility of falling out of the No. 1 wild card slot very much real. But then they finished off the Cardinals 6-2 and saw the Cubs lose to the Reds.
Now they report to the ballpark for today's matinee with Max Scherzer on the mound and a chance to take two of three from St. Louis. I...
The Arizona Fall League opens play tonight as the Surprise Saguaros take on the Glendale Desert Dogs. The schedule runs from Sept. 18 to the Oct. 26 championship game. The Saguaros include players from the Nationals, Orioles, Rangers, Royals and Yankees organizations.
The AFL schedule was moved up from its usual October start to this mid-September opening so that prospects can maintain their development moving forward from the end of the minor league postseason. Mexican League teams will...