nationals buzz

Opposite dugout: Rockies offense trying to carry club to first .500 finish since 2010

August 25, 2016, 1:02pm

Manager: Walt Weiss (4th season) Record: 60-67 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: 3B Nolan Arenado (.286/.356/.567 with 34 HR, 108 RBIs), 2B DJ LeMahieu (.344 /.416/.501 with 10 HR, 50 RBIs), CF Charlie Blackmon (.318/.378/.531 with 21 HR, 60 RBIs), RF Carlos Gonzalez (.313/.361/.544 with 23 HR, 80 RBIs), LHP Jorge De La Rosa (8-7, 5.07 ERA), LHP Boone Logan (3.11 ERA with 22 holds) Season series vs. Nationals: 2-1 Pitching probables: Aug. 26: RHP Jeff Hoffman vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m.,...

Comments

Tags:

bobby blanco nationals nationals buzz opposite dugout rockies frontstory_nationals3

David Huzzard: Nats will be ready come October

August 25, 2016, 5:23am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Nats will be ready come October

The Nationals' current four-game losing streak feels like the longest losing streak of the season. It isn't. That happened back in June when they lost seven in a row. This probably feels like a longer losing streak because the Nationals played so poorly against the Braves in order to test just how bad they were. The Nats found out that the Braves are very bad. The Orioles aren't a bad team, and so playing poorly against them has had much more disastrous results. Each loss by the Nationals...

Comments

Tags:

david huzzard guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz

Charlie Fliegel: Nats bullpen is missing effective left-handed specialist

August 24, 2016, 5:45am

Nationals

Charlie Fliegel: Nats bullpen is missing effective left-handed specialist

The Nationals bullpen has been overused the last week, thanks to short stints from starting pitchers. However, since the addition of Mark Melancon, most of the title-worthy roles appear to have stabilized in the 'pen. Except one spot seems to be missing, and it's a need they must address. Melancon is, of course, the closer. Shawn Kelley seems to have nabbed the role of setup man. Since the beginning of July, he's only given up four earned runs in 20 appearances, held opponents to a .269...

Comments

Tags:

bryan harper charlie fliegel gio gonzalez guest blogger guestblogger matt grace nationals nationals buzz oliver perez sammy solis sean burnett

District 34 podcast: Crossover episode with Yard Work

August 23, 2016, 12:10pm

Nationals Orioles

District 34 podcast: Crossover episode with Yard Work

The Beltway Series is a special time of the baseball season for the DMV area. No other area in all of sports has as unique a situation as we do with the Nationals and Orioles in terms of the history (or lack thereof) and the fan bases. So with a special series comes a special podcast as Byron Kerr and I welcome Brian Eller, co-host of the Yard Work podcast with MASNsports.com's Orioles writer Steve Melewski, to a crossover episode of District 34. To begin, we look back at the O's 4-3 win over...

Comments

Tags:

aj cole bobby blanco brian eller byron kerr district 34 frontstory_nationals3 nationals nationals buzz orioles podcast stephen strasburg yard work

Steve Mears: Nats have struggled with situational hitting

August 23, 2016, 5:48am

Nationals

Steve Mears: Nats have struggled with situational hitting

Last night, situational hitting once again was a focus by the discerning eye as to why the Nationals offense sputtered. The lack of execution in productive outs, and hitting with runners in scoring position was beyond poor. In fact the RISP hitting finished at 1-for-9 and there were no productive outs made in the game by the Nationals, even though three times they had a leadoff man on second base and no outs to start an inning. We saw it right from the beginning of the game when Trea Turner...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz steve mears

Opposite dugout: Despite abundant power, Orioles aren't a one-dimensional team

August 20, 2016, 1:16pm

Nationals Orioles

Opposite dugout: Despite abundant power, Orioles aren't a one-dimensional team

Manager: Buck Showalter (7th season) Record: 67-56 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: 3B Manny Machado (.303/.358/.553 with 28 HR, 74 RBIs), CF Adam Jones (24 HR, 73 RBIs), RF Mark Trumbo (37 HR, 90 RBIs), 1B Chris Davis (29 HR, 67 RBIs), LF Hyun Soo Kim (.321/.399/.428), RHP Chris Tillman (15-5, 3.76 ERA), LHP Zach Britton (37 saves, 0.54 ERA, 0.81 WHIP) Season series vs. Nationals: 1st meeting (4-2 in 2015) Pitching probables: Aug. 22: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. RHP Dylan Bundy, 7:05 p.m.,...

Comments

Tags:

frontstory_nationals3 nationals nationals buzz orioles pete kerzel opposite dugout

Opposite dugout: Braves looking toward promise of 2017

August 18, 2016, 5:18am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Braves looking toward promise of 2017

Manager: Brian Snitker (1st season) Record: 44-76 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: 1B Freddie Freeman (.288 average, 24 HR, 128 hits); RF Nick Markakis (.269 average, 29 doubles, 64 RBIs); CF Ender Inciarte (95 hits, .270 average); RHP Robert Whalen (1-1, 7.31 ERA). Season series vs. Nationals: 1-8 Pitching probables: August 18: RHP Reynaldo Lopez vs. RHP Rob Whalen, 7:10 p.m., MASNAugust 19: RHP Tanner Roark vs. RHP Julio Teheran, 7:35 p.m., MASNAugust 20: RHP Max Scherzer vs. RHP Tyrell...

Comments

Tags:

braves brian eller nationals nationals buzz opposite dugout

David Huzzard: Pitching depth should be arranged for likely postseason trip

August 17, 2016, 4:53pm

Nationals

David Huzzard: Pitching depth should be arranged for likely postseason trip

It is still a little early to start talking about the playoffs, but let's face it - despite a minor bump in the road in Colorado, the Nationals have the National League East division all but wrapped up. One of the main questions for the playoffs is who will be on the pitching staff. It can be said with almost near certainty that Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Tanner Roark will be the top three. Joe Ross is still working his way back from injury and Gio Gonzalez has been wildly...

Comments

Tags:

david huzzard guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz

District 34 podcast: Mark Zuckerman discusses Jonathan Papelbon (updated)

August 16, 2016, 8:01pm

Nationals Orioles

District 34 podcast: Mark Zuckerman discusses Jonathan Papelbon (updated)

We've got a special treat for you on our 10th episode of the District 34 podcast: MASNsports.com's Nationals beat writer Mark Zuckerman calls in to the show! With Byron Kerr out in Denver covering the Nats' series with the Rockies (and maybe or maybe not taking in some Broncos training camp), Mark was able to join me before he left for Atlanta. Our main talking point: the release of Jonathan Papelbon. Due to previously scheduled time off last weekend, Mark was not able to give you, the fans,...

Comments

Tags:

bobby blanco byron kerr frontstory_nationals2 jonathan papelbon mark zuckerman nationals nationals buzz orioles stephen strasburg

Charlie Fliegel: Harper's exit velocity is trending up, and so are his numbers

August 17, 2016, 4:06am

Nationals

Charlie Fliegel: Harper's exit velocity is trending up, and so are his numbers

A game in the thin air of Colorado is all a hitter needs to get his swing back, right? Bryce Harper got to play the Rockies, and had two hard-hit doubles, so maybe it's true. Obviously, one good night hitting, especially one in Denver, is probably not the best way to judge how well someone is hitting. There are, however, some actual signs that he is emerging from a slump - signs that are less likely to be attributed to just luck. But they have little to do with the thin air of Coors...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper charlie fliegel guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz

Construction continues at West Palm Beach facility, but Astros and Nats making contingency plans

August 16, 2016, 12:30pm

Nationals

Construction continues at West Palm Beach facility, but Astros and Nats making contingency plans

Construction at The Ballpark at the Palm Beaches, the new spring training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., that the Nationals will share with the Astros, is progressing. According to photos shot earlier this summer, the outfield walls are taking shape and practice fields are clearly visible on the 160-acre parcel. But according to this article in the Palm Beach Post, both the Astros and Nationals are making contingency plans in case the ballpark is not ready to host workouts in mid-February...

Comments

Tags:

astros ballpark at the palm beaches nationals nationals buzz pete kerzel west palm beach frontstory_nationals2

Steve Mears: Some stats aren't fair to Trea Turner

August 16, 2016, 5:27am

Nationals

Steve Mears: Some stats aren't fair to Trea Turner

The standard statistics we have will never be fair to a player like Trea Turner. Trust me, he is not complaining, but you look at a player who puts extreme pressure on the defense to rush their throws on infield grounders and those throwing errors never get credited to the batter when they are forced. Those E-5s and E-6s count the same as outs against Turner's batting average. The other statistic that does not give the appropriate credit to a speedster is stolen bases. They say when Turner is...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz steve mears trea turner

Opposite dugout: Poor pitching has held back Rockies' powerful bats

August 14, 2016, 1:31pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Poor pitching has held back Rockies' powerful bats

Manager: Walt Weiss (4th season) Record: 56-62 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: 3B Nolan Arenado (.282/.354/.556 with 30 HR, 93 RBIs), 2B DJ LeMahieu (.331/.405/.477 with 43 RBIs), RF Carlos Gonzalez (.323/.371/.568 with 23 HR, 79 RBIs), RHP Chad Bettis (10-6, 5.27 ERA), LHP Boone Logan (2.86 ERA with 20 holds) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-3 in 2015) Pitching probables: Aug. 15: RHP Max Scherzer vs. LHP Jorge De La Rosa, 8:40 p.m., MASN Aug. 16: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP Chad...

Comments

Tags:

bobby blanco nationals nationals buzz opposite dugout rockies frontstory_nationals3

Opposite dugout: New-look Braves face Nats for first time in four months

August 11, 2016, 6:46am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: New-look Braves face Nats for first time in four months

Manager: Brian Snitker (interim manager) Record: 43-72 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 1B Freddie Freeman (.281/.371/.521 with 21HR, 49 RBIs), RF Nick Markakis (.274 /.348/.388 with 62 RBIs), 3B Adonis Garcia (9 HR, 39 RBIs), RHP Mike Foltynewicz (5-5, 4.837 ERA), RHP Jim Johnson (3.61 ERA with 9 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 0-6 Pitching probables: Aug. 12: RHP Mike Foltynewicz vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg, 7:05 p.m., MASN Aug. 13: RHP Rob Whalen vs. RHP Tanner Roark, 7:05 p.m., MASN Aug....

Comments

Tags:

bobby blanco braves nationals nationals buzz opposite dugout frontstory_nationals3

David Huzzard: The Nats offense doesn't get enough credit

August 11, 2016, 4:32am

Nationals

David Huzzard: The Nats offense doesn't get enough credit

It should come as no surprise that the same debates about the Nationals are being had in 2016 that were had in 2012 and 2014 as Mike Rizzo built very similar teams. Even the 2013 and 2015 Nationals that failed to make the playoffs were similar. The Nats offense always seems to be in the top half of the league and the success of the team depends on the performance of the pitching. The debate in all those years has always been about the offense. Yesterday morning, I woke up and saw multiple...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper daniel murphy david huzzard guest blogger guestblogger jayson werth nationals nationals buzz ryan zimmerman wilson ramos

Charlie Fliegel: Nationals may be most balanced team in National League

August 10, 2016, 5:06am

Nationals

With 50 games left in the season and the playoffs approaching, if you want to worry about the Nationals, you can certainly find something. They scored a total of three runs in their last three games, and they are getting no production out of first base, or, since May, Bryce Harper. Their bullpen looked shaky when their closer was injured and when he came back and couldn't produce, although it seems like they've remedied this. However, the Nats remain atop the division, with the second-best...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper charlie fliegel guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz

Opposite dugout: Indians now clinging to lead in AL Central

August 08, 2016, 3:58pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Indians now clinging to lead in AL Central

Manager: Terry Francona (4th season) Record: 62-47 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: SS Francisco Lindor (.306/.356/.450 with 13 HR, 55 RBIs), 3B Jose Ramirez (.302 /.360/.428 with 44 RBIs), 1B Mike Napoli (28 HR, 79 RBIs), RHP Josh Tomlin (11-4, 3.81 ERA), RHP Cody Allen (2.49 ERA with 20 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 1-1 Pitching probables: Aug. 9: RHP Trevor Bauer vs. RHP Max Scherzer, 7:05 p.m., MASN Aug. 10: RHP Josh Tomlin vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez, 4:05 p.m., MASN Inside the Indians: The...

Comments

Tags:

bobby blanco indians nationals nationals buzz opposite dugout

Steve Mears: Looking at candidates for a fifth starter in D.C.

August 09, 2016, 8:43am

Nationals

Steve Mears: Looking at candidates for a fifth starter in D.C.

One week from today, the Washington Nationals will need a fifth starter for their rotation, and we found out that Joe Ross will not be ready to return to the rotation any time soon due to soreness in his throwing shoulder. To complicate matters, the location for this August 16th game is none other than Coors Field in Colorado, where even aces have been humbled by the altitude. To complicate matters further, the Nats will probably need this fifth starter for a while as the schedule does not have...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger joe ross lucas giolito nationals nationals buzz reynaldo lopez steve mears

Marty Niland: In a postseason atmosphere, Nats come up bigâ€¨

August 08, 2016, 4:46am

Nationals

Marty Niland: In a postseason atmosphere, Nats come up bigâ€¨

Sunday's game against the San Francisco Giants was the kind of game the Nationals needed badly to win this season. Although they had the second-best record in all of baseball and the second-largest division lead in the National League, seven games over the Miami Marlins, the Nats needed to distinguish themselves from another top team. So in a game pitting two evenly matched division leaders, in which heroes of big games past had a chance to do it again, the Nats made the plays the Giants...

Comments

Tags:

ben revere guest blogger guestblogger marty niland nationals nationals buzz tanner roark wilson ramos

Opposite dugout: Giants make pitching changes for another title push

August 04, 2016, 11:40am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Giants make pitching changes for another title push

Manager: Bruce Bochy (10th season) Record: 62-46 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: C Buster Posey (.291/.364/.463 with 12 HR, 50 RBIs), 1B Brandon Belt (.283 /.395/.481 with 12 HR, 53 RBIs), SS Brandon Crawford (10 HR, 67 RBIs), LHP Madison Bumgarner (10-6, 2.25 ERA), RHP Santiago Casilla (2.98 ERA with 25 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 2-2 Pitching probables: Aug. 5: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP Jeff Samardija, 7:05 p.m., MASN Aug. 6: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. RHP Matt Cain, 7:05 p.m., MASN...