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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 SolÃs and Enny Romero as left-handed members of their seven-man bullpen.
The Nationals became...
It's finally here. Postseason baseball is back in our nation's capital as the Nationals welcome the defending World Series champion Cubs for the National League Division Series.
There's no way to understate the importance of Game 1 in a playoff series, especially in a five-game set. The winner of the series' first game advances 72 percent of the time. And just look at the Nationals' postseason history: Obviously, they have lost all three of their previous playoff series, but they have only...
After a stellar rookie season, how much better can Trey Mancini play for the Orioles? What is his ceiling?
MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis recently drew the ire of Birdland when he ranked his current top 30 major league rookies based on their future potential. Again, he was ranking not on current stats or performance, but future potential.
In an interview for this article on that topic, Callis said he had some concerns about Mancini moving forward.
"I worry he doesn't walk much," Callis said....
What had previously been clear but not announced was made official by Dusty Baker this afternoon: Gio Gonzalez will start Game 2 of the National League Division Series for the Nats, with Max Scherzer starting Game 3.
That decision was made by the Nationals earlier in the week, but was held back for public consumption until they were confident Scherzer would be ready to pitch Monday's Game 3 at Wrigley Field.
They were finally ready to make the announcement today, with Scherzer completing a...
The Nationals lineup is set for Game 1 of the National League Division Series and right-fielder Bryce Harper remains in the two-hole. For most of the season, Harper hit third.
Harper returned last week after missing 42 games due to a hyperextended knee and strained calf. Baker decided to ease Harper back in the lineup by placing him in the No. 2 spot because he wasn't going to play nine innings. He was looking to get the right fielder as many at-bats in the shortest amount of time. Those...
Left-hander Gio Gonzalez gets the nod as the Game 2 starter for the National League Division Series between the Nationals and the Cubs.
The Cubs will counter with southpaw Jon Lester, who went 13-8 with a 4.33 ERA in 32 starts this season.
Gonzalez went 15-9 with a 2.96 ERA in 32 starts. He struck out 188 in 201 innings. The 15 wins were the most in a regular season for Gonzalez since his career-high 21 victories in 2012.
Gonzalez appeared to be positively influenced by the arrival of veteran...
Registration is now underway for the Oct. 28 KidsPeace Trick-of-Treat 5K and one-mile walk at Camden Yards.
The Halloween-themed event, held in partnership with the Baltimore Orioles and hosted by Angela and Buck Showalter, benefits KidsPeace Foster Care and Community Programs of Maryland, including its KidsPeace Empowering Youth to Succeed life skills program for young people preparing for independence. The run and walk events take place around Camden Yards, with the races ending on the field...
It feels like we've been waiting around for this postseason for an extraordinarily long time. The Nationals clinched their division title way back on Sept. 10, but truth be told, they knew a lot earlier than that they were going to win the National League East and make the postseason. And they've known for most of that time they almost certainly were going to face the Cubs in the National League Division Series.
Well, at long last the day has come. It's Oct. 6, and a highly anticipated...
The Nationals are carrying four left-handed relievers and an extra bench player for the National League Division Series, ultimately choosing to take a chance on young players like Brian Goodwin, Victor Robles and Enny Romero over veterans or a long reliever.
The Nationals will have a seven-man bullpen for their best-of-five series against the Cubs. Closer Sean Doolittle is joined by right-handed setup men Ryan Madson, Brandon Kintzler and Matt Albers, plus a trio of lefties who can be used to...
The Washington Nationals announced their 2017 National League Division Series roster on Friday, in advance of the series' opening game against the Chicago Cubs. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
The Nationals' NLDS roster is comprised of 11 pitchers (six right-handed pitchers, five left-handed pitchers), two catchers, six infielders and six outfielders. The Nationals' veteran-laden squad will get a dash of youthful exuberance, but...