BALTIMORE - A couple of ex-Orioles helped the Nationals take a 3-2 lead tonight at Camden Yards. A bunch of relievers then made sure that razor-thin lead held up the rest of the way.
Behind five strong innings from Jeremy Hellickson, Mark Reynolds' latest homer and then four scoreless innings from their ever-changing bullpen, the Nationals eked out a one-run victory to earn their second straight win in this Battle of the Beltways series and fifth straight win overall.
Hellickson and Reynolds,...
BALTIMORE - The Nationals expect to get two key relievers back on their active roster this weekend.
Ryan Madson and Matt Grace each have taken significant steps in recent days in their rehab from injuries, and each is on track to come off the disabled list for this weekend's series in Atlanta.
Madson, out since May 17 with a right pectoral strain, threw off a mound earlier this week and reported no problems, convincing club officials he was on the verge of returning to the roster.
"One more...
BALTIMORE - Jeremy Hellickson's two months as an Oriole late last summer were, to put it bluntly, not good. You can't sugarcoat a 6.97 ERA in 10 starts. Hellickson's first two months as a National, however, have been nothing short of brilliant. You can't describe a 2.13 ERA in seven starts any other way.
Tonight, Hellickson gets a chance to show Baltimore how far he's come. Which isn't to say another dominant start is a given. This is a hitter's ballpark, and especially so with the...
BALTIMORE - Anthony Rendon knows a thing or two about trying to thrive in the major leagues after getting rushed through the minor leagues. The Nationals third baseman accrued only 326 plate appearances over 79 minor league games in 2012 and early 2013 before getting his first promotion to Washington.
It was a fast track, to be sure, but Rendon also had three seasons at Rice (an elite Division I program) on his resume and was nearly 23 when he made his debut for the Nationals.
Which is why...
BALTIMORE - For all his big-picture success in seven seasons with the Nationals, Gio Gonzalez is never going to earn praise for his consistency. The left-hander's erratic performance from start to start - sometimes even from inning to inning - can drive anyone mad.
Here's a dirty little secret for anyone who still feels that way about Gonzalez, though: He has become one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball over the last two seasons. Consistently good.
Today's outing during the...
BALTIMORE - The Nationals lineup, which has been hit-or-miss throughout an injury-plagued season, showed up in full force today at Camden Yards. Gio Gonzalez, who has been outstanding from the get-go, also showed up.
Together, they overwhelmed the Orioles during a 6-0 victory to kick off this year's version of the Battle of the Beltways.
Gonzalez was brilliant in yet another impressive performance, tossing 7 2/3 scoreless innings and pitching his way out of the few jams he encountered along...
BALTIMORE - The Nationals had never faced Alex Cobb before today, and the first time through the lineup it looked that way.
But once they had a chance to see the veteran right-hander up close and personal, the Nats turned things around in a hurry.
Shut down by Cobb through the first two innings of today's game at Camden Yards, the Nationals came to life in the top of the third, with Anthony Rendon's three-run homer capping a big rally and giving the visitors a 3-0 lead in the opener of this...
BALTIMORE - After two months of waiting and waiting for positive injury news, the Nationals may be on the verge of getting one of their most important injured players back at long last.
Daniel Murphy spent the last two days rehabbing for Double-A Harrisburg and emerged from it with his surgically repaired right knee in good shape.
The Nationals aren't offering up any firm timetable for Murphy to make his long-awaited season debut, but manager Davey Martinez did suggest it won't be much longer...
BALTIMORE - No, it's not the most important sporting event today involving a team from Washington, but it's still the first game of this year's Battle of the Beltways, and that's not bad. The Nationals and Orioles renew their annual interleague rivalry this afternoon under gray (and surprisingly chilly) skies, and these two franchises are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum right now.
The Nats are feeling good about themselves after a weekend sweep in Miami that leaves them one game...
The Nationals are set to do something tonight for the first time this season. No, they won't be fielding an entirely healthy lineup. That milestone will have to wait for another day down the road.
The Nats will, however, be facing the Marlins for the first time in 2018. Even though the 2018 season is nearly one-third complete.
In one of several odd quirks to the schedule, the Nationals and Marlins have made it to Memorial Day weekend before squaring off for the first of 19 head-to-head games....
Davey Martinez, as he has done every time for the last month he's met with reporters on the same day the Capitals have been in a Stanley Cup Playoffs game, walked into the press conference room at Nationals Park on Wednesday afternoon wearing his custom-made No. 4 Caps jersey and cap.
Asked for a prediction for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Nationals manager offered a confident reply.
"Caps are going to have a big game, 4-1," Martinez said. "How about that? I'm throwing that...
The result - a 3-1 loss to the Padres - was frustrating, no question. If the Nationals can take a step back and view today's game with a wider lens, though, they'll come away with a much more positive vibe.
No, they didn't do nearly enough at the plate against Tyson Ross, Craig Stammen and Brad Hand, who combined to allow one run on seven hits. Yes, they could've played a crisper game in the field and prevented San Diego from scoring those runs.
But Erick Fedde looked like a quality big...
The Nationals continue to get excellent starting pitching. But as has too often been the case, great starting pitching doesn't count for much without competent offense and defense.
So even though Erick Fedde continued the rotation's strong run this afternoon over 5 2/3 impressive innings, the Nationals were left to stew over a 3-1 loss to the Padres because they managed only seven hits against Tyson Ross and San Diego's bullpen and also saw the decisive two runs score on a drive to deep...
He homered and singled in his first major league start. He singled and walked three times in his second major league start. So when it came time to figure out where to bat Juan Soto in his third major league start, Davey Martinez decided to throw a new challenge at the 19-year old: The No. 2 spot in the lineup.
Soto will hit in that prime position today against the Padres, sandwiched in between Trea Turner and Bryce Harper in the latest display of confidence from the Nationals in a kid who was...
It's been a while since we've seen Erick Fedde in a big league game. The Nationals' top pitching prospect made three starts here last summer with mixed results, and then was shut down with a forearm strain. Fedde has returned this season with increased velocity, though, and even though his 4.57 ERA at Triple-A Syracuse isn't going to turn any heads, club officials have been pleased with his progress.
Fedde today will get his first opportunity to show how far he's come when he makes his...
Did the Padres give Juan Soto the Barry Bonds/Bryce Harper treatment in his second big league start?
San Diego manager Andy Green insisted it wasn't by design, but of the 14 pitches his staff threw to the 19-year-old Nationals phenom Tuesday night, 12 were out of the strike zone. And all 12 came during three plate appearances, each resulting in a four-pitch walk.
"We definitely didn't go in there and say: 'We're going to pitch around him,' " Green told reporters. "We didn't execute to...
As 25,700 fans roared in the stands, as Juan Soto scampered across the plate and as a stream of Nationals came bursting out of the dugout and made a beeline for him, Michael A. Taylor simply stood on second base.
He gazed out toward center field, where his double off the wall had just given the Nationals a 2-1, walk-off win over the Padres and rather than jump for joy took a breath and seemed to be contemplating the whole situation more than celebrating it.
The moment lasted only a second or...
There's a reason Michael A. Taylor remains in the Nationals lineup, even when his batting average drops into the .180s and his strikeout totals pile up. He's in there because of his defense. And if he happens to deliver a big hit in a key moment ... well, they'll take that, too.
So on a night in which offense was at an extreme premium, the Nationals needed Taylor to come up big in both departments. And because of his pure athletic skill, he nearly single-handedly beat the Padres.
Three...
When Ryan Madson made three appearances in four days against the Diamondbacks earlier this month, his velocity up from previous outings, the veteran reliever was as encouraged as he had been all season about the way he was pitching and the way his arm felt.
Then on the flight home from Arizona, Madson felt a cramp in his right pectoral muscle. And a week later, having not pitched in a game since, he was placed on the 10-day disabled list.
"I didn't feel it pitching, or during the game,"...
Don't shoot the messenger here, but I feel obligated to inform you that there's a line of thunderstorms approaching from the west as we speak, and so there's a chance tonight's game is going to be impacted. Doesn't appear like this is going to be a complete washout, but the start could be delayed, depending on the timing of this whole thing.
Assuming they do play, though, Jeremy Hellickson will be on the mound seeking to duplicate his dominant performance against the Padres from two weeks...