As you watched Josiah Gray alternate between misfiring pitches well outside of the strike zone to his arm side and leaving them right over the heart of the plate to be hammered by Mets hitters Sunday afternoon, you couldn't help but be alarmed.
This was a bad start, and there was no way to try to frame it as anything other than that. It included six runs and seven hits allowed in three innings, two more homers surrendered and 82 pitches thrown. There was nothing for Gray to hang his hat on at...
On a day in which they watched their brightest young starting pitcher get beat around for the second time in a week, the Nationals yet again found a way to overcome an early deficit and make the Mets sweat.
And they yet again found a way to turn a potentially inspiring comeback into a calamitous, late-inning meltdown that made it all moot.
At some point, this young team needs to show it has the ability to finish what it starts. Comebacks are nice, but curly W's are better.
So it was that in...
Josh Rogers is going to get another chance to pitch for the Nationals. Gerardo Parra may not get another chance to play for them.
The club decided to keep Rogers on the active roster following his impressive debut Saturday night as a fill-in starter for a doubleheader split with the Mets, and manager Davey Martinez said the left-hander is likely to going to make at least one more start.
In order to keep Rogers on the roster, though, the Nationals placed Parra on the 10-day injured list with...
The Nationals and Mets have already played three games in this holiday weekend series, and they're not even close to wrapping it up just yet. They face off this afternoon, then will return Monday afternoon for the Labor Day finale of a rare, five-game set.
After the craziness of Saturday's doubleheader, everyone would appreciate a simpler affair today. And the Nats would love to get another quality start from Josiah Gray, who failed to turn in a quality performance last time out for the first...
Juan Soto has known for some time now opponents aren't going to pitch to him. At least not with any regularity.
He's drawn 48 walks in 42 games since the All-Star break, far and away most in the majors. And that has produced a whopping .516 on-base percentage during that time, also far and away the highest in the majors.
If you've been paying even scant attention, you already know this. We're not treading into new territory with this subject.
But here's what has changed in more recent...
The Nationals understand there are going to be growing pains as they play out the string of a season that has now long since morphed from one with legitimate visions of success into one that is solely about starting a difficult organizational rebuild.
But it's one thing when those growing pains come in the form of rallies made possible by a superior opponent's performance. It's quite another when they come in the form they did this afternoon during a nightmare of a 7-6 loss to the...
Davey Martinez underwent a planned, minor foot procedure earlier this morning, and though he's expected to be at Nationals Park in time for today's series finale against the Phillies, bench coach Tim Bogar may take over his duties for the game.
Martinez had previously scheduled the procedure, expecting today to be an off-day for the Nationals as originally planned. Wednesday's rainout, though, pushed the game to this afternoon at 1:05 p.m.
Martinez went ahead and had the procedure this...
As bad as the rain was Wednesday, and as awful as the weather has been for weeks now, boy is today a nice pay-off. Fall has arrived in full force, and it's going to be a glorious afternoon for baseball as the Nationals and Phillies wrap up their delayed series finale.
The postponement was probably good for the Nats bullpen, which was beginning to run on fumes given a heavy workload of late. Everyone should be available to pitch today in relief of Paolo Espino, who should be good for his...
The Nationals' recent decision to require all full-time, non-playing employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19 will result in the departures of some staff members, including one of general manager Mike Rizzo's top lieutenants: Bob Boone.
Boone, who has worked in the front office since the club arrived in Washington in 2005, has informed the organization he will step down instead of getting the vaccine, sources familiar with the decision confirmed.
A handful of other employees are expected to...
With an opportunity to expand their rosters by two players now that the calendar has shifted to September, the Nationals chose to add a veteran catcher who had been injured for two months and a journeyman left-hander who will be making his major league debut.
The Nats activated Alex Avila off the injured list and selected the contract of reliever Alberto Baldonado from Triple-A Rochester, a couple of non-traditional September call-ups but ones who will supplement what already has become a...
With heavy rain and wind expected all day and evening as the remnants of Hurricane Ida sweep through the mid-Atlantic, the Nationals wasted no time and announced the postponement of tonight's series finale against the Phillies more than eight hours before scheduled first pitch.
The game will now be made up Thursday at 1:05 p.m., the full nine innings scheduled.
Tickets and parking passes for tonight's postponed game will be honored Thursday.
The chances of playing the game as originally...
Davey Martinez was adamant. This was not the end of the road for Victor Robles with the Nationals.
"I've said this before, and I mean this with all my heart: We want Victor to be successful up here," an emotional manager said Tuesday night on Zoom when asked about Robles' demotion to Triple-A. "He's still young, he's (24) years old, he's got a bright future here with us. ... I mean, I know this is not the last we're going to see of Victor."
That's of course what any manager, but...
On a day in which the Nationals all but admitted their once highly touted center fielder has become a bust, they proceeded to watch their $140 million No. 3 starter take another step toward locking up the worst pitching season in club history.
The Nats were able to option Victor Robles to Triple-A. They have no such luxury with Patrick Corbin.
With yet another dreadful performance during a 12-6 loss to the Phillies, Corbin added another disappointing chapter to his regrettable season and made...
Victor Robles, not long ago a more highly touted prospect than Juan Soto and only two years ago the starting center fielder on a World Series champion, is now a minor leaguer.
The Nationals optioned the slumping Robles to Triple-A Rochester prior to tonight's game against the Phillies, a transaction that had shock value in the moment but in truth was weeks in the making.
Andrew Stevenson was recalled from Rochester to take Robles' roster spot. The Nats also placed de facto closer Kyle...
There isn't nearly as much anticipation for tonight's game as there was Monday night, when Keibert Ruiz made his Nationals debut with Josiah Gray on the mound. But that doesn't mean tonight's game isn't significant. Ruiz, remember, is an everyday player. At a premium position, where he'll have an impact on the outcome of every game.
So in some ways it may be more interesting to see how the 23-year-old catcher handles tonight's contest, both at the plate against Phillies left-hander Matt...
The sight of Alcides Escobar writhing in pain on the ground Monday night after fouling a ball of his left knee, then needing major assistance from manager Davey Martinez and director of athletic training Paul Lessard just to walk off the field, was plenty disheartening for the Nationals.
But the realization of what an injury to Escobar would mean for the Nats infield moving forward was downright frightening.
Fortunately, it doesn't appear the club will have to confront that issue head-on....
The Nationals wanted so much for this to be a memorable night, the first of many featuring Josiah Gray on the mound and Keibert Ruiz behind the plate. And there will be many more nights featuring the young battery and centerpieces of last month's blockbuster trade that sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers.
No matter how their story turns out, whether in glory or failure, Gray and Ruiz won't have reason to look back on tonight's proceedings with much fondness. Gray slogged his way...
Keibert Ruiz's arrival in Washington has a domino effect on the Nationals catching corps, which has suddenly grown in size and promise in the last month. The 23-year-old top prospect is going to start most days the rest of the season, manager Davey Martinez revealed today, which means far less playing time for anyone else behind the plate.
The plan, then, for now: Tres Barrera is headed back to Triple-A Rochester, where he will continue to catch on a daily basis, while Riley Adams becomes the...
If you were going to rank the games of most significance for the Nationals over the remainder of this season, tonight's series opener against the Phillies might rank at the top. That's what you get when you pair Keibert Ruiz's club debut with a Josiah Gray start.
It's a nice coincidence - or is it? - that Ruiz's debut coincides with Gray's start. The two biggest names acquired at the trade deadline, both from the Dodgers in the Max Scherzer-Trea Turner blockbuster, have worked together...
The Nationals promoted Cade Cavalli to Triple-A this week because they wanted to see how their top pitching prospect would handle more experienced hitters with a better sense of the strike zone. And in his debut Saturday night for Rochester, the young right-hander got a taste of what's still in store for him before he's ready to pitch in the big leagues.
Cavalli was pulled after giving up five runs, all with two outs, in the bottom of the third during what ended up a 5-3 loss to the Syracuse...