nationals buzz

MASN introduces daily social media show, "MASN All Access"

May 18, 2017, 1:04pm

You've seen our promos on MASN's broadcast of Nationals games. "Maximum Access Sports Network," another form of our acronym promoting MASN's dedication to giving fans the most access to their favorite teams. Well, we're staying true to our word. MASN is proud to introduce an all-new daily Facebook Live show "MASN All Access" with host Sara Perlman. The pregame show will feature sound from Nationals games, lineups, pitching matchups, interviews with your favorite players and coaches,...

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Opposite dugout: Loss of Freeman leaves a big hole for Braves to fill

May 17, 2017, 1:43pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Loss of Freeman leaves a big hole for Braves to fill

Manager: Brian Snitker (2nd season) Record: 16-21 Last 10 games: 5-4 Who to watch: LF Matt Kemp (.336/.373.588 with 6 HR, 23 RBIs), CF Ender Inciarte (.261, 5 HR, 16 RBIs), RF Nick Markakis (.315, 21 RBIs), RHP R.A. Dickey (3-3, 4.22 ERA), RHP Jim Johnson (3.38 ERA, 6 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 0-3 Pitching probables: May 19: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP R.A. Dickey, 7:35 p.m., MASN2 May 20: RHP Max Scherzer vs. RHP Bartolo ColÃ³n, 4:10 p.m., MASN May 21: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. LHP...

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David Huzzard: In NL East, are Nationals battling themselves?

May 19, 2017, 5:51am

Nationals

It is still early in the baseball season and yet it feels like it is over. The Nationals are 10 games over .500, while the second-place Braves are six games under. The National League East is a weak division and the Nationals are a team built to contend while the Mets are hampered by extraordinary bad luck, the Marlins have zero identity and an uncertain future, and the Braves and Phillies are both rebuilding teams on the right track but a year or two away from contention. The Nationals are...

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District 34 podcast: Bryce Harper's 2018 salary and Nats bullpen solutions

May 17, 2017, 9:43am

Nationals

District 34 podcast: Bryce Harper's 2018 salary and Nats bullpen solutions

It's baseball from here on out in Washington, D.C., after the local hockey and basketball teams' respective playoff runs came to bitter ends. That being said, it's always baseball on the District 34 podcast with myself and Byron Kerr, presented by MASNsports.com. And the Nationals, a first-place team with a nine-game lead in the National League East, are always an exciting team to talk about. For this week's episode, let's first discuss the big news from over the weekend of Bryce Harper...

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Luke Erickson: Do Nats have bullpen arms ready on the farm?

May 16, 2017, 2:13pm

Nationals

Luke Erickson: Do Nats have bullpen arms ready on the farm?

It's never been lost on me that some folks are only interested in the Washington farm insofar as who can replace (fill in name of player struggling). These days, it's the Nationals bullpen where the firemen are bringing the gas and not the water, if you know what I mean. Before I go any further, let me be very plain: I believe the Tony La Russa-style bullpen with so-called roles is both overblown and overrated. I'm with Dick Radatz, who famously sneered, "Your job is to throw strikes when...

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Opposite dugout: Pirates have gone from contender to sinking ship

May 15, 2017, 1:47pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Pirates have gone from contender to sinking ship

Manager: Clint Hurdle (7th season) Record: 16-22 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: 3B Josh Harrison (.288/.354/.455 with 5 HR, 12 RBIs), 1B Josh Bell (7 HR, 13 RBIs), CF Andrew McCutchen (6 HR, 17 RBIs), RHP Gerrit Cole (1-4, 3.06 ERA, 47 Ks), LHP Felipe Rivero (0.87 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 9 holds, 22 Ks), LHP Tony Watson (1.62 ERA, 8 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (2-4 in 2016) Pitching probables: May 16: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. RHP Chad Kuhl, 7:05 p.m., MASN May 17: RHP Jacob...

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#LetsGoRendon: CareFirst Fan Challenge returns featuring Anthony Rendon

May 13, 2017, 4:17pm

Nationals

#LetsGoRendon: CareFirst Fan Challenge returns featuring Anthony Rendon

The CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Fan Challenge is back! And look who's stepping to the plate this year ... Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon! We're leaving the actual challenge up to you, so take him on in anything! Think you can beat Tony Two Bags at tic-tac-toe? Can you take down the third baseman at cornhole, checkers or a cook-off? Maybe a board game or bocce? Whatever it is, tweet us @masnNatonals with pictures, videos, descriptions, etc. of your challenge using #LetsGoRendon. The...

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Marty Niland: Ideal closer for Nats might already be on the roster

May 15, 2017, 5:02am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Ideal closer for Nats might already be on the roster

Sunday was another torturous day for Nationals fans as they watched the team's erratic late-inning relief corps blow leads in both ends of a split doubleheader, wasting fine performances from starters Gio Gonzalez and Max Scherzer. Only Michael A. Taylor's eighth-inning homer--a shot that glanced off the left-field foul pole--and Matt Albers' second appearance of the day saved the Nats from a sweep at the hands of a Phillies team that entered the day trailing the Nats by nine games in the...

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Opposite dugout: Phillies simultaneously rebuilding and imploding

May 11, 2017, 8:25am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Phillies simultaneously rebuilding and imploding

Manager: Pete Mackanin (3rd season) Record: 13-19 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: LF Aaron Altherr (.351 with 7 HR), 2B CÃ©sar HernÃ¡ndez (.324 with 5 SB), 3B Maikel Franco (5 HR, 25 RBIs), RHP Jeremy Hellickson (4-1, 3.49 ERA), RHP HÃ©ctor Neris (3 saves)Season series vs. Nationals: 4-5 Pitching probables: May 12: RHP Nick Pivetta vs. RHP Tanner Roark, 7:05 p.m., MASNMay 13: RHP Vince Velasquez vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m., MASNMay 14: RHP Jeremy Hellickson vs. RHP Max Scherzer, 1:35...

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David Huzzard: Mike Rizzo's mistake with the bullpen

May 12, 2017, 6:28am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Mike Rizzo's mistake with the bullpen

The Nationals bullpen for the next couple months will be the main focus of the club because it is the glaring weakness of an otherwise near flawless team. The rest of the Nationals roster is a close-to-perfect construction of what a baseball team should be. I now sympathize with Mike Rizzo because I understand the mistake he made in the construction of the Nats bullpen. It wasn't that the Nats were unwilling to spend. They tried very hard to give away their money this offseason, but relievers...

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Luke Erickson: Sharing some minor league travel tips

May 09, 2017, 1:51pm

Nationals

Luke Erickson: Sharing some minor league travel tips

One of the joys of following minor league baseball is going to see your favorite team on the road. Since 2006, I've been to the stadiums of eight of the nine opposing teams in the Single-A Carolina League, and every Nationals affiliate north of Florida (including short-season Single-A Vermont in 2010). This week, I'm aiming to take care of the ninth Carolina League stadium (Buies Creek) while I'm on vacation here in North Carolina, though it'll be against the Salem Red Sox (the vacation was...

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Opposite dugout: Orioles using new tricks to produce similar results

May 07, 2017, 7:03pm

Nationals Orioles

Opposite dugout: Orioles using new tricks to produce similar results

Manager: Buck Showalter (8th season) Record: 20-10 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 3B Manny Machado (.237 average with 8 HR, 21 RBIs); 2B Jonathan Schoop (.296 average with 5 HR, 17 RBIs); CF Adam Jones (.268 average with 33 hits); RHP Dylan Bundy (5-1, 2.17 ERA); LHP Wade Miley (1-1, 2.27 ERA). Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-1 in 2016) Pitching probables: May 8: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP Kevin Gausman, 7:05 p.m., MASN2May 9: RHP Max Scherzer vs. RHP Ubaldo JimÃ©nez, 7:05 p.m.,...

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District 34 podcast: Crossover episode for Battle of the Beltways

May 09, 2017, 12:39pm

Nationals Orioles

District 34 podcast: Crossover episode for Battle of the Beltways

Come one, come all, baseball fans of the DMV: It's time for our annual District 34-Yard Work crossover episode for the Battle of the Beltways between the Nationals and Orioles! Bobby Blanco and Byron Kerr are joined by Brian Eller of MASNsports.com's Yard Work podcast to discuss this earlier-than-usual Beltway Series and talk all things Nats and O's. The Birds were able to take Game 1 at Camden Yards on Monday Night, thanks to three first-inning home runs off Gio Gonzalez and a baserunning...

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Marty Niland: A Nats fan's response to a youngster in search of a team

May 08, 2017, 5:16am

Nationals

Marty Niland: A Nats fan's response to a youngster in search of a team

Baseball fans may have heard the story of Pete Van Vleet of Ashland, Va., who wrote to every major league team, asking each to make a case for his newborn son, Jack, to be their fan. The 42-year-old Richmond native, a former colleague at The Associated Press, did not have a home team to root for growing up, and chose the Houston Astros because they were a National League contender in the early 1980s. He wants his kids to choose a team as he did. His 5-year-old daughter, Madeline, roots for the...

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Opposite dugout: Phillies coming along, but have plenty to work on

May 04, 2017, 7:45pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Phillies coming along, but have plenty to work on

Manager: Pete Mackanin (3rd season) Record: 12-15 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: 2B CÃ©sar HernÃ¡ndez (.336 average with 39 hits), 3B Maikel Franco (.231 average with 5 HR, 25 RBIs), RHP Jeremy Hellickson (4-1, 3.18 ERA), RHP HÃ©ctor Neris (0-1, 3 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 3-3 Pitching probables: May 5: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. RHP Nick Pivetta, 7:05 p.m., MASNMay 6: TBA vs. RHP Vince Velasquez, 7:05 p.m., MASNMay 7: RHP Tanner Roark vs. RHP Jeremy Hellickson, 2:35 p.m.,...

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David Huzzard: Nats dispelling some back luck by racking up wins

May 05, 2017, 5:34am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Nats dispelling some back luck by racking up wins

Adam Eaton is out for the season, Bryce Harper left yesterday's game with a groin strain, the back end of the rotation is a mess with a career minor leaguer just being inserted as the fifth starter and then there's the bullpen, and I think we all know the problems there. Yet the Nationals are 19-9, the best record in the major leagues. The Nationals are having the same bad luck with starters staying healthy they've always had and now have issues with pitching depth. And yet they just keep...

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Luke Erickson: What it means to be the next man up on the farm

May 02, 2017, 6:30pm

Nationals

Luke Erickson: What it means to be the next man up on the farm

For those of you interested in gambl ... er, fantasy baseball, you're probably well aware of the depth charts that are created for the minors for dynasty leagues. But even if you're not, the Nationals have made you aware of who's the supposed next man up with their inability to dodge injuries. Adam Eaton is the latest starter to be lost for the season, and for now, the plan is to give backup Michael A. Taylor the chance to win the center field job for the third season in a row. This hasn't...

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Opposite dugout: Diamondbacks have surprised early with productive offense

April 29, 2017, 7:09am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Diamondbacks have surprised early with productive offense

Manager: Torey Lovullo (1st season) Record: 16-11 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: RF David Peralta (.326 with 3 HR, 7 RBIs), SS Chris Owings (.311 with 4 HR, 19 RBIs), 1B Paul Goldschmidt (.315 with 4 HR, 19 RBIs), LF Yasmany TomÃ¡s (5 HR, 20 RBIs), 3B Jake Lamb (5 HR, 21 RBIs), RHP Zack Greinke (2-2, 3.19 ERA), LHP Robbie Ray (2-1, 39 Ks) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (2-5 in 2016) Pitching probables: May 2: RHP Taijuan Walker vs. RHP Tanner Roark, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 May 3: LHP...

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Opposite dugout: Mets scuffling as injury bug bites hard

April 27, 2017, 5:20pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Mets scuffling as injury bug bites hard

Manager: Terry Collins (7th season) Record: 8-13 Last 10 games: 1-9 Who to watch: RF Jay Bruce (.289 average with 6 HR, 14 RBIs); OF Michael Conforto (.302 average with 4 HR, 8 RBIs); 2B Neil Walker (17 hits, 27 total bases); SP Jacob deGrom (0-1, 2.55 ERA); RP Addison Reed (3.38 ERA, 4 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 0-3 Pitching probables: April 28: RHP Jacob deGrom vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg, 7:05 p.m., MASN2April 29: RHP Zack Wheeler vs. RHP Max Scherzer, 1:05 p.m., MASN2April 30: TBA...

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Luke Erickson: Checking out some early-season surprises on the farm

April 25, 2017, 6:56pm

Nationals

Luke Erickson: Checking out some early-season surprises on the farm

We're roughly three weeks into the minor league seasons - still in small sample size territory, but large enough to use as a story peg take notice. Before you start champing at the bit for these guys to get promoted, remember two things: The entire league hasn't seen them yet, and there has to be a space for him at the next level. At Single-A Hagerstown, Daniel Johnson caught my eye last season by racking up nine assists and four errors last summer in 62 games for short-season Single-A...