They took the field for the 60th and final time in 2020, an act many doubted would be possible back when this unprecedented baseball season began 10 weeks ago. Could they really complete a season, with regional travel, during a pandemic?
There were some notable hiccups along the way, plenty of postponements, relocated road games and six doubleheaders. But today the Nationals did complete their 60-game slate, trouncing the Mets 15-5 to conclude a disappointing year on a small high note.
At...
No, the Nationals' season finale doesn't really mean anything in the big picture. They were eliminated from postseason contention earlier in the week. And the Mets were eliminated Saturday, so they don't have anything to play for, either. But there are still a few things of note at stake when the two teams take the field today for the final time in 2020.
The Nationals enter at 25-34, the Mets at 26-33. So if the Nats win, they'd end up tied for fourth place in the National League East. (And...
There is no month on the baseball calendar more misleading than September. It happens every year: Somebody puts up big numbers during the season's final month, convinces everyone he's going to pick up where he left off the following spring and then never duplicates the feat.
So take these stats with a healthy grain of salt, because it's probably foolish to assume they will carry over into 2021. Here goes: Andrew Stevenson is batting .351 with a .415 on-base percentage and 1.117 OPS that...
AnÃbal Sánchez will forever be linked with the Nationals' 2019 title, not simply for his pitching performance but for the role he played in bringing the joy out of his teammates during a championship season that was as much a product of clubhouse chemistry as it was pure talent.
Given the unprecedented circumstances of the 2020 season, it was tough for Sánchez and Co. to have the kind of fun they did a year ago. And as he and his team struggled through the first large chunk of the...
The Nationals are about to complete their sixth doubleheader of the season. That's a lot of twinbills in a normal year, let alone a 60-game season. And they've done just fine on these long days of baseball. They entered today with one sweep and four splits. And after taking the opener from the Mets 4-3, they have a shot at another sweep and at worst another split. All things considered, that's not bad.
AnÃbal Sánchez makes his final start of the season, and potentially his final start...
For a decade and a half, the Nationals tried in vain to establish continuity in their manager's office. But every two or three years, they found themselves searching for a new leader, vacillating between those with significant experience (Frank Robinson, Jim Riggleman, Davey Johnson, Dusty Baker) and those who were trying to make a name for themselves (Manny Acta, Matt Williams, Davey Martinez).
In Martinez, they finally found the man they believe deserves to be here for the long haul. And...
He hadn't revealed this publicly before, but Howie Kendrick admitted Friday he fully intended to retire after the 2020 season.
After a well-deserved victory lap on the heels of his World Series-winning home run, what more could the 37-year-old have needed to do on a baseball field? The time would've been right to say goodbye to the sport, head home to Arizona and enjoy life with his family.
That was the plan. Before the pandemic. Before the shortened season. And before a nagging hamstring...
The Nationals' scheduled game tonight against the Mets has been postponed due to rain that is forecast to fall throughout the evening and continue into Saturday morning.
The two teams are now scheduled to play a doubleheader, each game lasting seven innings, on Saturday beginning at 3:05 p.m. The Mets remain mathematically alive for the final wild card berth in the National League, and though they could be eliminated later tonight based on the results of other games, Major League Baseball will...
For the first time since they arrived in town a decade and a half ago, the Nationals know they have a manager for the long haul.
The organization and Davey Martinez agreed to a contract extension today, ensuring the manager who guided the franchise to its first World Series title in 2019 will remain in his position beyond 2021 and become the longest-tenured skipper in club history.
The deal has not been officially finalized yet, according to a source familiar with the discussions, but an...
This hasn't been the season Max Scherzer or the Nationals envisioned. All they can do now is try to finish strong and head into the winter with something of a positive taste left in their mouths. For Scherzer, the final opportunity to do that comes tonight against the Mets.
Though his overall numbers (4-4, 3.67 ERA, 1.386 WHIP) are not up to his usual standards, Scherzer has pitched pretty well over the second half of this season. In his last five starts, he has a 3.00 ERA and 41 strikeouts...
The Nationals have never had a batting champion since arriving in D.C. in 2005. They've had one player lead the National League in OPS.
With four days to go in the 2020 season, they might just wind up with their first player who did both.
Thanks to a strong couple of games to wrap up their just-completed series with the Phillies, Juan Soto heads into the season's final series against the Mets leading the NL in a host of offensive categories.
Soto is batting .352, tops in the NL. His.486...
Nobody has repeated as World Series champions in two decades. Suffice it to say, it's a huge challenge trying to go back-to-back under normal circumstances. And the 2020 season has been the most abnormal season of our lives.
We've accepted for some time the Nationals would not be repeating this year. Injuries, poor performances, a lack of depth and the understandable diminished motivation that was part of this season all came together to produce a disappointing, losing record.
Yet when they...
Despite hopes of a return before the season ends Sunday, Carter Kieboom's hand injury proved too severe to take the chance, so the Nationals placed their rookie third baseman on the 10-day injured list this afternoon.
Kieboom officially has a left wrist contusion after getting hit by a pitch from Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler during the sixth inning Monday night at Nationals Park. X-rays were negative, showing no fracture, but Kieboom's hand was swollen and he immediately departed the...
The Nationals opened this bizarre season 0-6 against the Phillies. Who'd have thought they'd have a chance to finish 4-6 against their division rivals? A win tonight would complete a four-game sweep, deal Philadelphia another blow to its postseason chances and keep the Nats' minuscule chances alive for another day.
A loss tonight doesn't automatically eliminate the Nationals. One of the Cardinals, Brewers or Giants would also need to win, raising their season win total to 28 (which the Nats...
Some more things to ponder after a long, wild, ultimately successful Tuesday afternoon and evening at the ballpark ...
* Yadiel Hernández's walk-off homer won it for the Nationals, but some unheralded bullpen work earlier made it possible in the first place.
Even though he got a complete game from Austin Voth in the doubleheader opener, manager Davey Martinez said he was working with a depleted relief corps in the nightcap. Will Harris was unavailable after pitching Sunday and Monday. Kyle...
When he was sent down Friday, hitless in seven at-bats, Yadiel Hernández couldn't help but wonder if he had just blown his first and only chance in the big leagues. His first call-up didn't come until he was nearly 33. Would he even get a second one?
"A lot of bad things ran through my head in that moment," the rookie outfielder said tonight, Octavio Martinez interpreting for him in a Zoom session with reporters. "Frustrated. And I felt like moreso I kept reflecting and telling myself:...
Well, the Nationals remain mathematically alive. They've won three in a row, including the first two in this series against the Phillies, and they'll try to pull off a doubleheader sweep here tonight and keep that dim flame from burning out.
After Austin Voth tossed the first complete game of his career this afternoon, the Nats bullpen is as fresh as it could be. Which means they may not need to rely on too much out of Paolo Espino, who makes his first major league start since 2017. The...
If you're one of those who likes to cling to faint hopes and won't concede anything until it's 100 percent guaranteed, you're in luck. Because the Nationals, despite their ridiculously long odds, are still mathematically alive in the National League pennant race.
And pretty much everything they needed to happen Monday night around the league actually happened.
The evening began with the Nats having no more margin for error. Their tragic number to be eliminated from contention was two, with...
The Nationals took the field tonight knowing it could be the last time they do so this season for an officially meaningful game. Though they've privately conceded they aren't going to the playoffs for some time now, there was a chance they could actually be eliminated tonight, if they lost to the Phillies and the Reds beat the Brewers.
Cincinnati did its part. But the Nationals did theirs, beating the Phillies 5-1 and surviving for at least one more day.
Behind five effective (if elongated)...
Aaron Barrett's latest return to the Nationals bullpen came to an abrupt halt due to another injury. And James Bourque's first opportunity to pitch regularly in the big leagues has also been cut short due to injury.
Barrett, who made national headlines last season when he pitched in the majors three years after breaking his arm while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, was placed on the 10-day injured list today with a right triceps strain, one of a flurry of transactions announced by the...