Bullpen can't finish the job this time, Nats lose 5-3 (updated)

Bullpen can't finish the job this time, Nats lose 5-3 (updated)
Having already used up four young relievers to win Friday's game by the slimmest of margins, Nationals manager Davey Martinez had little choice but to turn to another group tonight after getting a solid start from Sean Nolin, hoping these bullpen arms could likewise protect a one-run lead against the Mets. That proved too tall a task for Ryne Harper and Mason Thompson, who combined to allow three runs during the decisive bottom of the seventh that sealed the Nats' fate in a 5-3 loss at Citi...
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Avila finally begins rehab assignment in Florida

Avila finally begins rehab assignment in Florida
It had been nearly two months since Alex Avila last appeared in a ballgame, nearly two months since the 34-year-old catcher was thrust into emergency second base duties and wound up straining both of his calves in the process. Add a mandatory quarantine period after testing positive for COVID-19, and Avila had been stuck on the sidelines far longer than anyone could've imagined at the time. Today, though, Avila finally was back in uniform in an organized game. Beginning a minor league rehab...
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Game 128 lineups: Nats at Mets

Game 128 lineups: Nats at Mets
Friday night proved to be a fun, and arguably important, win for the Nationals, who got to see four inexperienced relievers thrive in a pressure situation and hang on to beat the Mets, 2-1. Tonight? Well, it might require a bit more offense to emerge victorious again. That's because Sean Nolin takes the mound for his third start for the Nats, his second against the Mets. The journeyman left-hander hasn't exactly dazzled since his promotion from Triple-A. He gave up four runs on eight hits in...
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Could surprisingly productive Escobar figure into '22 plans?

Could surprisingly productive Escobar figure into '22 plans?
Alcides Escobar enters the day with a .277 batting average, .335 on-base percentage and .699 OPS. That may not knock anyone's socks off, but it's still the most productive the veteran infielder has been at the plate in a long time. Escobar, who didn't play in the big leagues in 2019 or 2020 and only joined the Nationals in July after the club suffered a sudden rash of injuries to its infielders, hasn't owned a batting average this high since 2014, when he was a mainstay in a Royals lineup...
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Nats bullpen comes through in 2-1 win over Mets (updated)

Nats bullpen comes through in 2-1 win over Mets (updated)
Earlier this summer, as the Mets were holding onto their lead in the National League East and the Nationals were starting to make their move up the standings, these late-season matchups between the two rivals loomed large. Perhaps they'd be played in front of packed houses in D.C. and New York, everyone hanging on every pitch with a division title potentially at stake. When the Nats walked into Citi Field this evening, though, the stakes bore no resemblance to what anybody on either side...
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Nationals requiring full-time staffers to be vaccinated

Nationals requiring full-time staffers to be vaccinated
The Nationals have become one of baseball's first teams to require COVID-19 vaccinations for employees, a club official confirmed this afternoon. The Nats informed all full-time staff members earlier this month they would be required to provide proof of vaccination or valid reason to be exempted. The deadline for employees to do so was Thursday. "Like many organizations, the Washington Nationals decided to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for all full-time staff," the club said in a...
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Game 127 lineups: Nats at Mets

Game 127 lineups: Nats at Mets
If you go back about six weeks, back when the Nationals were still wondering if they'd be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, one of the arguments supporting them to go for it was the Mets' schedule. New York, despite leading the National League East most of the season, was going to face an absolute gauntlet in mid-August, with 13 consecutive games against the Dodgers and Giants. If the Nats could just stay close until then, the thought went, they would have a chance to surpass them...
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Injured again, Rainey running out of time to return in 2021

Injured again, Rainey running out of time to return in 2021
Tanner Rainey should be a part of the Nationals bullpen during these final two months of a season that began with October hopes but is ending in full-scale evaluation mode. As Mike Rizzo and Davey Martinez gauge what they now have in a relief corps filled with inexperienced arms, Rainey's absence is all too noticeable. Though Kyle Finnegan has done a nice job serving as the team's de facto closer since Daniel Hudson and Brad Hand were traded, Rainey was the guy all along who most profiled as...
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Gray impresses again, but Nats fall in extras (updated)

Gray impresses again, but Nats fall in extras (updated)
When they remember this game years from now, they might remember that the Nationals lost to the Marlins 4-3 in 10 innings. They will for sure remember what happened prior to that, when two 23-year-old right-handers dueled for the first time and showed why their respective clubs have such high hopes for both of them. Josiah Gray and Edward Cabrera went head-to-head and perhaps appropriately emerged with a draw. Gray struck out seven but departed after six innings of two-run ball with the...
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As Thomas gets another start, Martinez supports Robles

As Thomas gets another start, Martinez supports Robles
Lane Thomas hasn't supplanted Victor Robles as the Nationals' starting center fielder and leadoff hitter. But he has performed at such a high level since his acquisition from the Cardinals that manager Davey Martinez feels compelled to keep playing him for now, even as Robles returns to full health after falling ill last weekend. "Victor's feeling better," Martinez said during his Zoom session with reporters before tonight's game in Miami. "Lane's playing well and I want to continue to...
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Game 125 lineups: Nats at Marlins

Game 125 lineups: Nats at Marlins
Every Josiah Gray start has been an event since the young right-hander arrived in Washington earlier this month. Tonight's game in Miami, though, becomes an even bigger event because of the fellow young right-hander who will be facing Gray: Edward Cabrera. Cabrera, the Marlins' top pitching prospect, makes his major league debut. Which makes this a rare matchup between two pitchers who rank among the top 100 prospects in baseball. Cabrera has an electric arm, with a power sinker that reaches...
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Nats take the good and the bad from inexperienced relievers

Nats take the good and the bad from inexperienced relievers
The Nationals' 5-1 victory Tuesday night in Miami was never seriously in doubt, but there was perhaps one moment late when it appeared things might tighten up. With two outs and two on in the seventh, rookie reliever Andres Machado had to face Marlins leadoff hitter Miguel Rojas. As any Nats fan who has paid scant attention over the years knows, Rojas is as tough an out as this team ever seems to face. He works long at-bats, gets the bat on the ball, and usually finds empty space to deposit...
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Fedde cruises in Miami while Nats blast Luzardo (updated)

Fedde cruises in Miami while Nats blast Luzardo (updated)
There was a point, four or five years ago, when the Nationals could look into the future and imagine a rotation that included both Erick Fedde and Jesús Luzardo. And there probably was a point in more recent years when Luzardo (a third-round pick in 2016 who has since been traded to the Athletics and then the Marlins) looked to have a brighter future than Fedde (a first-round pick in 2014). These things don't always work out as everyone thinks they will, of course. Neither Fedde nor Luzardo...
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Clay, Murphy added to bullpen; Klobosits, Rodriguez dropped

Clay, Murphy added to bullpen; Klobosits, Rodriguez dropped
Two days after adding two fresh arms to their bullpen, the Nationals added two more, continuing an ongoing attempt to find the right combination of youthful relievers to get them through the remainder of the season. Today's additions: Sam Clay and Patrick Murphy, each promoted from Triple-A Rochester. They replace Gabe Klobosits, who was optioned to Rochester, and Jefry Rodriguez, who was designated for assignment. Clay is no stranger to the Nationals bullpen, having spent the first four...
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Game 124 lineups: Nats at Marlins

Game 124 lineups: Nats at Marlins
After a run of games against contending clubs, the Nationals tonight open a three-game series against the club that currently occupies the basement of the National League East, right below them. The Marlins, like the Nats, are rebuilding, though in their case it feels more like a perpetual rebuild. But like the Nationals, the Marlins have some intriguing young players, especially on their pitching staff. And tonight we'll see one of them in Jesús Luzardo, the former Nats prospect who went...
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Top pitching prospect Cavalli getting promoted to Triple-A

Top pitching prospect Cavalli getting promoted to Triple-A
The Nationals are promoting Cade Cavalli to Triple-A Rochester, bringing their top pitching prospect one step closer to the big leagues, a source familiar with the decision confirmed. Cavalli, the organization's 2020 first-round pick, made 11 starts at Double-A Harrisburg, producing a 2.79 ERA, 1.276 WHIP and 80 strikeouts in only 58 innings. At times, the right-hander dominated the competition, though he continues to have some command issues, which led to 35 walks and five wild pitches in his...
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Nats claim Ford from Rays, prepare to face young Marlins

Nats claim Ford from Rays, prepare to face young Marlins
In their continued quest to improve organizational depth, the Nationals claimed Mike Ford off waivers from the Rays on Monday, hoping the former Yankees first baseman can produce at Triple-A and perhaps help out at the big league level at some point. Ford, 29, has spent parts of the last three seasons in the majors with the Yankees, first making a name for himself as a rookie in 2019 when he hit .259 with 12 homers, a .350 on-base percentage and .909 OPS in 50 games. He failed to reproduce...
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Monday morning Nats Q&A

Monday morning Nats Q&A
Well, it was kind of an ugly weekend in Milwaukee for the Nationals, but these last two losses shouldn't completely overshadow the three wins that preceded them last week. Nor the continued positive developments involving several young players who are starting to make a name for themselves as long-term parts of the plan around here. We're nearly four weeks removed from the trade deadline now, and as painful as it's been at times, there does seem to be some legitimate optimism surrounding the...
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With flurry of walks, Nats hand series finale to Brewers (updated)

With flurry of walks, Nats hand series finale to Brewers (updated)
An inexperienced pitching staff is going to make mistakes. Davey Martinez understands and accepts that. What the Nationals manager has a harder time accepting is a pitching staff that is killing itself not by getting hit by more accomplished hitters, but by handing them free bases over and over and over. It happened during Saturday's loss in Milwaukee, and it happened in even more mind-numbing fashion during today's 7-3 loss to the Brewers. Five Nationals pitchers combined to issue 11 walks...
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Voth, McGowin rejoin bullpen; Guerra, Stevenson off roster

Voth, McGowin rejoin bullpen; Guerra, Stevenson off roster
An ever-changing Nationals bullpen saw the return of two familiar right-handers today, with both Austin Voth and Kyle McGowin activated off the injured list. And an ever-changing Nats roster saw the departures of two familiar faces as a result, with Javy Guerra designated for assignment while Andrew Stevenson was optioned to Triple-A Rochester. The transactions, announced about 90 minutes before today's series finale in Milwaukee, give the Nationals a couple of moderately experienced arms, in...
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