nationals buzz

Marty Niland: Is this fun enough for you?

April 25, 2016, 5:19am

The Nationals have a new slogan this season and it's probably not the one the marketing team envisioned. Instead of the "one pursuit" tagline the team rolled out for the 2016 season, what seems to have caught on with the fans is Bryce Harper's seemingly impromptu "make baseball fun again." Spawned in the the wake of a national magazine interview in which he lamented the unwritten rules that make the game "tired" and yearned for the spontaneity and celebration that make the game "fun,"...

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Opposite dugout: Struggling Twins return to D.C. for real

April 21, 2016, 8:23am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Struggling Twins return to D.C. for real

Manager: Paul Molitor (2nd season) Record: 5-11 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 1B Joe Mauer (.339/.472/.482 with 5 RBIs), 3B Tevor Plouffe (.302/.333/.535 with 6 RBIs), DH/1B Byung Ho Park (4 HR, 5 RBIs), RHP Ervin Santana (0-1, 3.15 ERA, 18 K) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (1-2 in 2013) Pitching probables: April 22: RHP Kyle Gibson vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m., MASN April 23: RHP Phil Hughes vs. RHP Tanner Roark, 1:05 p.m., MASN April 24: RHP Ervin Santana vs. RHP Stephen...

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David Huzzard: No surprise Harper is becoming the best player in baseball

April 21, 2016, 4:48am

Nationals

David Huzzard: No surprise Harper is becoming the best player in baseball

We're going to talk about Bryce Harper. I know by this point you've read hundreds upon hundreds of articles about Harper, but I'm going to write yet another one and like most of them this will contain no new information or provide you with any insight. It is very likely that you already know that Harper is great, and there is a reason he is the most talked about Nationals player and becoming the most talked about baseball player. There is a chance that by the end of the year Bryce Harper...

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Charlie Fliegel: Which "window" has closed for the Nats?

April 19, 2016, 9:16pm

Nationals

Charlie Fliegel: Which "window" has closed for the Nats?

Last year, there was quite a bit of talk about how the Nationals' "window" was closing because Jordan Zimmermann and Ian Desmond were leaving, along with a few others. But I never bought into that, and while it's early, the Nats certainly look like a team that can succeed with its current roster. Sure, they aren't consensus World Series favorites anymore, but where did that ever get them? Some sort of window didn't close on them after last season just because they lost a few key...

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Steve Mears: Harper's 100th homer ball among baseball history

April 18, 2016, 5:19pm

Nationals

Steve Mears: Harper's 100th homer ball among baseball history

Bryce Harper just hit his 100th home run, and like any milestone home run, you have to wonder if Zack Hample (Google search "Zack Hample ARod 3000 hit") ended up with the baseball or someone else who might want to keep it. Well, we contacted the Boras Corporation and confirmed Harper now has that home run No. 100 baseball. But you might not know that the young girl who caught the ball in Section 140 got the ball and returned it to Harper. Mystery easily solved. Where is Babe Ruth's 600th...

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Marty Niland: Nats playing loose, getting the job done

April 18, 2016, 5:46am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Nats playing loose, getting the job done

Even with Sunday's extra-inning loss to Philadelphia, courtesy of a blown save by Jonathan Papelbon, the Nationals are still doing quite well. At 9-2 and four games ahead of Philadelphia in the National League East, they have the best record and biggest division lead in all of baseball. That seems light years ahead of last season, when they struggled out of the gate, going 5-6 through the first 11 games. To the untrained observer watching on TV, the biggest difference seems to be attitude -...

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Opposite dugout: Fish reeling after weekend sweep by Braves

April 17, 2016, 7:20am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Fish reeling after weekend sweep by Braves

Manager: Don Mattingly (1st season) Record: 3-7 Last 10 games: 3-7 Who to watch: LF Christian Yelich (.353/.511/.529), RF Giancarlo Stanton (2 HR, 8 RBIs), 3B Martin Prado (.342), 2B Dee Gordon (.300), LHP Adam Conley (0-0. 3.38 ERA), RHP Jose Fernandez (5.06 ERA), RHP A.J. Ramos (2 saves, 0.00 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: 1-1 Pitching probables: April 18: RHP Tanner Roark vs. RHP Jose Fernandez, 7:10 p.m., MASN April 19: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. LHP Adam Conley, 7:10 p.m., MASN2 April...

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Opposite dugout: Young talent showing signs of Phillies' improvement

April 13, 2016, 8:49pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Young talent showing signs of Phillies' improvement

Manager: Pete Mackanin (2nd season) Record: 5-5 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 1B Ryan Howard (3 HR, 6 RBIs), 3B Maikel Franco (.333/.405/.576 with 2 HR, 5 RBIs), 2B Cesar Hernandez (.294/.314/.382), RHP Jeremy Hellickson (1-0, 11 K, 1.54 ERA), RHP Jeanmar Gomez (4 saves, 1.80 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (7-12 in 2015) Pitching probables: April 15: RHP Joe Ross vs. RHP Jeremy Hellickson, 7:05 p.m., MASN April 16: RHP Max Scherzer vs. RHP Aaron Nola, 7:05 p.m., MASN April...

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David Huzzard: The importance of banking wins

April 14, 2016, 5:39am

Nationals

David Huzzard: The importance of banking wins

The Nationals are 6-1. Five of those wins have come against a stripped down and possibly tanking version of the Braves. It can be pointed out that the Braves are projected to lose 100 games and that their lineup is Freddie Freeman surrounded by a bunch of minor league hopefuls and aging or injured castoffs, not too unlike Ryan Zimmerman and the 2007-2010 Nationals. The Braves are bad and they're bad on purpose, but the Nationals have still won those games and as long as every win counts the...

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Charlie Fliegel: Nats don't have a set-up man, let's hope it stays that way

April 12, 2016, 6:37pm

Nationals

Charlie Fliegel: Nats don't have a set-up man, let's hope it stays that way

It's a week into the 2016 season, and Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon has looked good. But that most important of baseball engineering marvels, the bridge to the closer, is far from concrete. The issue is that they have several decent set-up man candidates, but no shoe-in. This shouldn't be something to worry about, though. Instead, Dusty Baker and Mike Maddux could turn it into a real positive. With no set-up man, they have the freedom to shape the end of each game as they see fit. Shawn...

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Steve Mears: Figuring out where Taylor and Werth fit in Nats lineup

April 11, 2016, 6:13pm

Nationals

Steve Mears: Figuring out where Taylor and Werth fit in Nats lineup

Before Monday's game, the trio of Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman and Daniel Murphy had combined for a .540 on-base-percentage, which means the three of them on base 54% of the time. The Nationals have had runners in scoring position (RISP) aplenty in the first four games, but are only batting .229 in their 35 RISP situations. That should certainly improve in RISP efficiency, but in the meantime, the batters in the back of the order are getting many RBI opportunities. The strategy for Dusty Baker...

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Opposite dugout: Little has gone right for winless Braves in 2016

April 10, 2016, 1:36pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Little has gone right for winless Braves in 2016

Manager: Fredi Gonzalez (6th season) Record: 0-5 Last 10 games: 0-5 Who to watch: 1B Freddie Freeman (.124, 1 HR, 2 RBIs), RF Nick Markakis (.300/.364/.500 with 4 RBIs), 3B Adonis Garcia (.267, 1 HR, 2 RBIs), RHP Julio Teheran (0-1, 5.40 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: 0-2 Pitching probables: April 11: RHP Bud Norris vs. RHP Max Scherzer, 7:05 p.m., MASN2April 12: RHP Jhoulys Chacin vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m. MASN2April 13: RHP Matt Wisler vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg, 7:05 p.m.,...

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David Huzzard: Dusty Baker is already in charge

April 07, 2016, 5:25am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Dusty Baker is already in charge

It is good to have baseball back. Of the conclusions that can be drawn from this young season, there are none aside from the fact that A.J. Pierzynski cannot catch baseballs. There was one little mentioned and almost unnoticed event. While everyone was distracted by Bryce Harper's hat, Jayson Werth batted in the bottom half of the Nationals lineup and didn't tear up the lineup card or complain to the media after the game. Dusty Baker has passed his most important test as manager. He has shown...

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Opposite dugout: With Mattingly at the helm, Marlins look to contend in NL East

April 06, 2016, 7:19pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: With Mattingly at the helm, Marlins look to contend in NL East

Manager: Don Mattingly (1st season) Record: 0-2 Last 10 games: 0-2 Who to watch: RF Giancarlo Stanton (27 HR, 67 RBIs), 2B Dee Gordon (.333/.359/.418), 1B Justin Bour (23 HR, 73 RBIs), RHP Tom Koeler (11-14, 4.08 ERA), RHP A.J. Ramos (32 saves, 2.30 ERA) Note: Statistics from 2015 Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (9-10 in 2015) Pitching probables: April 7: LHP Adam Conley vs. RHP Tanner Roark, 4:05 p.m., MASN April 9: RHP Tom Koeler vs. RHP Joe Ross, 4:05 p.m., MASN April 10: RHP...

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Charlie Fliegel: Staying healthy and on field is key to Nats' season

April 06, 2016, 5:09am

Nationals

Charlie Fliegel: Staying healthy and on field is key to Nats' season

There are plenty of things that really help swing a season one way or the other. For the 2016 Nationals, the answer is painfully obvious. Let's look at a few possibilities: The bullpen - it stunk last year, except maybe not as much as you remember. The Nats ranked 10th in the majors in bullpen ERA. Mismanaged and maybe too much in its own head (a.k.a. mismanaged), but not necessarily what made 2015 bad. I have more faith in their free agent acquisitions, young talent and a dnew pitching coach...

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Steve Mears: Understanding Ben Revere's importance to the Nats lineup

April 05, 2016, 8:33am

Nationals

Steve Mears: Understanding Ben Revere's importance to the Nats lineup

On January 8, Ben Revere's life took one of those turns that you cannot control. He got that phone call informing him he was traded to the Washington Nationals. Revere made one of his first phone calls to Denard Span, who only gave him positive comments about the Nats. Span and Revere were teammates with the Minnesota Twins, and Span was always a person Revere knew he could go to for advice. The Nats would be Revere's third team within a year, as the Philadelphia Phillies traded him to the...

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Nationals announce winner of Fan Choice Bobblehead on MASN

April 01, 2016, 9:59am

Nationals

Drum roll, please. And the winner is ... MICHAEL A. TAYLOR! On Thursday, March 10, the Nationals gave you, the fans, 24 hours to vote for which player you wanted to see as a bobblehead to be given away at Nats Park on Sept. 9. All players on the Nationals roster who never had a Nats bobblehead or figurine before were eligible, and Natstown has spoken. Taylor beat out other fan favorites such as Tanner Roark, Jose Lobaton and Trea Turner, and was announced as the winner on MASN's "Nats Xtra"...

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Opposite dugout: Rebuilding Braves pose Nats' first test of new season

March 30, 2016, 3:41pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Rebuilding Braves pose Nats' first test of new season

Manager: Fredi Gonzalez (6th season) Record: 67-95 (fourth in NL East in 2015) Last 10 games: Season opener Who to watch: 1B Freddie Freeman (18 HR, 66 RBIs), CF Ender Inciarte (.303, 21 SB), RF Nick Markakis (.296/.370/.376) RHP Julio Teheran (11-8, 4.04 ERA), RHP Jason Grilli (2.94 ERA, 24 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (5-14 in 2015) Pitching probables: April 4: RHP Max Scherzer (14-12, 2.79 ERA) vs. RHP Julio Teheran (11-8, 4.04 ERA), 4:10 p.m., MASN2April 6: RHP Stephen...

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Marty Niland: Five important questions facing the Nationals in 2016

April 04, 2016, 6:44am

Nationals

Many Nationals fans are still feeling the sting of disappointment from 2015, when preseason World Series predictions dissolved in a cloud of injuries, disappointing performances and clubhouse dissension. The Nats finished out of the postseason and watched as the National League East rival New York Mets stole their division, playoff and pennant dreams. For all but the most optimistic fans, there are no such lofty dreams this season. With a new manager in Dusty Baker, a revamped bullpen and new...

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#TBT: Max Scherzer's two no-hitters

March 30, 2016, 6:22pm

Nationals

Four days until opening day in Atlanta and one week until the home opener at Nationals Park! But who's counting? Opening day in four days means we're right around the corner from seeing ace Max Scherzer take the mound for the first time. And, as we know, when Scherzer is on, he is absolutely dominant. How could we go an entire offseason of #TBT posts without looking at the Nationals' two biggest standout moments from 2016? Check out Scherzer's two historic no-hitters below to get you pumped...