Rendon, Nats lament quick ejection during latest loss

Rendon, Nats lament quick ejection during latest loss
Anthony Rendon didn't say a word - "I don't think my mouth even opened to chew gum," the mild-mannered Nationals third baseman said - but it was his actions and not his words in the third inning of today's 3-2 loss to the Mets that caught plate umpire Marty Foster's ire. When Foster saw Rendon step out of the batter's box after Steven Matz's 2-1 curveball up in the zone was called a strike, he told Rendon "we gotta play, you gotta get back in there," according to crew chief Joe West,...
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Frustrated Nats drop fourth straight, fall 3-2 to Mets

Frustrated Nats drop fourth straight, fall 3-2 to Mets
They kept their composure during three straight losses. By the fourth, the Nationals couldn't hold back their frustration any longer. Particularly with an umpire with a healthy strike zone on a cold afternoon in the District. Today's 3-2 loss to the Mets, in which the tying and go-ahead runs were scored off reliever Brandon Kintzler in the top of the seventh, leaves the Nationals with an even .500 record through eight games. More concerning, it leaves them 2 1/2 games behind New York in the...
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Rendon, Martinez ejected arguing strike three call (Nats lose 3-2)

Rendon, Martinez ejected arguing strike three call (Nats lose 3-2)
For all his mild-mannered appearances in interviews, Davey Martinez has insisted all along he can get riled up with the best of them when he gets upset. And he just proved it in the bottom of the third inning at Nationals Park. Moments after Anthony Rendon was ejected following a borderline strike three call by plate umpire Marty Foster, Martinez came storming out of the dugout and earned the first ejection of his managerial career, tossing his cap and kicking dirt on the plate in a show that...
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Cole pushed back, Hellickson still in Florida

Cole pushed back, Hellickson still in Florida
A.J. Cole will remain in the Nationals rotation for now. But he'll be pushed back a couple of days. With Jeremy Hellickson continuing to breathe down his neck. Friday's off-day afforded the Nats the opportunity to adjust their rotation, and they've decided to have Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg remain on a five-day schedule and start Monday and Tuesday against the Braves. Cole now will slot in behind Strasburg and start Wednesday's series finale against Atlanta, hoping for much better...
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Romero designated, Montero goes on paternity list

Romero designated, Montero goes on paternity list
The combination of a short bench, better-than-expected weather and the pending birth of a player's child led the Nationals to make a flurry of roster moves before today's game against the Mets. Already playing with a four-man bench to begin the season, the club was facing the possibility of even fewer options after Adam Eaton tweaked his ankle during Thursday's home opener. Though the dynamic leadoff man says he feels "great" and is expected back in the lineup Sunday, the Nationals decided...
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Game 8 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

Game 8 lineups: Nats vs. Mets
It's cold. It's gray. It's windy. But it's dry at Nationals Park, and it appears it's going to stay that way the rest of the day. So there will indeed be baseball this afternoon, the second game of this weekend series against the Mets, who are off to a 5-1 start and the (extremely early) top spot in the National League East division. Given the conditions, this should be a good day to be a pitcher, especially a left-handed pitcher since the wind is blowing in from left field. And wouldn't...
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Kintzler regrets using off-speed pitches in four-run inning

Kintzler regrets using off-speed pitches in four-run inning
The vast majority of Brandon Kintzler's appearances this season should come with the Nationals leading, or perhaps tied, late in games. But the right-hander hadn't pitched in a week, and with the club off Friday, manager Davey Martinez wanted to make sure he and fellow bullpen stalwarts Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle got some work in Thursday regardless of the score. So it was that Kintzler found himself on the mound for the top of the seventh, the Nationals trailing the Mets 4-2, the...
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Friday morning Nats Q&A

Friday morning Nats Q&A
So I sense a little bit of angst out there among the Nationals faithful. Is that a fair reading of public opinion following three straight losses, including Thursday's 8-2 dud against the Mets in the home opener? The Nationals looked great for four games; they've looked far-from-great in three games since. The top of the order is hitting, the rest of the lineup, not so much. The two aces got battered around a bit the last two days. And the bullpen remains a work in progress. And now we've...
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Eaton tweaks ankle, but expects to return in a day or two

Eaton tweaks ankle, but expects to return in a day or two
It was both a wonderful sight to behold while simultaneously leaving 42,477 people inside Nationals Park holding their collective breaths. Adam Eaton being waved around third base on a double into the left field corner? How long has everyone been waiting for that moment since that fateful night nearly one year ago when the Nationals outfielder tore his left ACL tripping over first base against this same Mets ballclub? The good news: Eaton was safe, thanks to José Reyes' wide relay throw to...
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Nats drop third straight 8-2 in dud of a home opener

Nats drop third straight 8-2 in dud of a home opener
There's a long way to go, a really long way, and nobody should give more than a cursory look at the standings on April 5, when the temperatures are in the low 40s and there's snow in the weekend forecast. But if you do happen to glance at the National League East tally right now, you might notice the team sitting atop the division doesn't wear red and isn't seeking its third consecutive title. No, it's the Mets currently residing in first place, now leading the Nationals by 1 1/2 games...
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Rizzo glad to get extension finalized, avoid distraction

Rizzo glad to get extension finalized, avoid distraction
Though he might not have been worried about his contract status, Mike Rizzo sensed it was starting to become a topic of conversation within the Nationals clubhouse. So when the opportunity arose this week to get a two-year extension finalized, the longtime general manager felt the time was right. "I thought it was important for the team not to have this as a distraction," Rizzo said this morning as his team took batting practice before its home opener. "And I thought going forward it was...
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Game 7 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

Game 7 lineups: Nats vs. Mets
Hello from South Capitol Street, at long last. Yes, after a six-game road trip to begin the season - and then quite a disastrous commute into the city this morning - the Nationals are here and ready for their 2018 home opener. They come home having won four straight in Cincinnati and Atlanta before then dropping the final two games of the series against the Braves. And they now face the Mets, who perhaps will be their toughest challenge in the division this season, owners of a 4-1 record to...
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Nationals sign GM Mike Rizzo to two-year extension

Nationals sign GM Mike Rizzo to two-year extension
On the heels of a quick start to the season and just hours before they host their home opener on South Capitol Street, the Nationals have locked up the architect of their franchise and resolved one of their most pressing questions that loomed over the club all winter and spring. The Nats announced this morning they have signed Mike Rizzo to a two-year contract extension, one that ensures their longtime general manager will remain in that role through at least the 2020 season. Rizzo, who has...
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Heavily used Madson delivers in an emergency for Nats

Heavily used Madson delivers in an emergency for Nats
CINCINNATI - The plan was to give both Brandon Kintzler and Ryan Madson the day off. Both had pitched in Friday's season opener. Both had warmed up in the bullpen during Saturday's nailbiter, even though neither was needed in the game. But when Sammy Solís failed to retire the first four Reds batters he faced in the bottom of the eighth Sunday evening, and with the bases loaded and nobody out in what had become a three-run game, Nationals manager Davey Martinez thought back to the...
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With quick strikes from the top, Nats lineup feasts all weekend

With quick strikes from the top, Nats lineup feasts all weekend
CINCINNATI - There were home runs, four of them during today's 6-5 victory over the Reds, and four more during Saturday's blowout win. The Nationals are going to hit a lot of home runs this season, given the thunder they have up and down their lineup. But everything they did offensively this weekend during a season-opening sweep at Great American Ball Park began with one simple act from the first batter they sent to the plate. Adam Eaton led off Friday's game with a single to right, then...
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Nats again score early, never look back to complete sweep

Nats again score early, never look back to complete sweep
CINCINNATI - At some point this season, a Nationals pitcher will take the mound with his team trailing. Or even tied. That point, though, did not come during the club's three-game weekend series against the Reds. No, thanks to top-of-the-first runs in all three games at Great American Ball Park, Nationals starters never once stood on the mound with anything but a lead. And thanks to some sustained offense and effective pitching throughout the weekend, no Nats hurler ever threw a pitch with...
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Pitcher batting eighth for first time since 2011 (Nats win 6-5)

Pitcher batting eighth for first time since 2011 (Nats win 6-5)
CINCINNATI - In their first 13 seasons of existence, the Nationals submitted a starting lineup with their pitcher batting eighth only 11 times, all of them coming in succession in mid-June 2011. Unable to find a consistently effective leadoff man, former manager Jim Riggleman decided to shake things up, move Jayson Werth to the No. 1 spot, slide everybody else up a slot and bat guys like Roger Bernadina or Ian Desmond ninth behind the pitcher. Whether because of the change or not, the Nationals...
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Solís delivers big outs in first relief opportunity

Solís delivers big outs in first relief opportunity
CINCINNATI - Davey Martinez knows he can't rely exclusively on his three best relievers this season, especially early on when workloads have to more diligently be monitored. Someone else from the eight-man 'pen is going to have to step up and deliver in key situations. So consider Saturday's performance by Sammy Solís a significant one, not only for the role it played in the Nationals' 13-7 over the Reds but perhaps for the trust it may earn the left-hander in his new manager's eyes...
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Game 3 lineups: Nats at Reds

Game 3 lineups: Nats at Reds
CINCINNATI - To the best of my knowledge, the Nationals have batted the pitcher eighth only 11 times in club history. All of those came in succession during a stretch in June 2011, when then-manager Jim Riggleman didn't have a real viable leadoff hitter and decided to just bump everyone else up a slot and have Jayson Werth at the top. The Nats proceeded to win 10 of those 11 games, at which point Riggleman decided to resign over a contract dispute. The Nationals haven't batted the pitcher...
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Goodwin makes most of his start with first career grand slam

Goodwin makes most of his start with first career grand slam
CINCINNATI - Brian Goodwin got to be a part of some significant moments last year, the first time the young outfielder was on a big league roster for an extended stretch. He led off two games for the Nationals with home runs. He gave his team late leads with clutch hits. He made the postseason roster. When asked Saturday where his ninth-inning grand slam during the Nats' 13-7 win over the Reds would rank among career highlights, though, Goodwin couldn't come up with anything better. "It's...
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