Game 35 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 35 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
This turned into a busier Saturday than initially expected, what with the surprise announcement that the Nationals and Bryce Harper have agreed to terms on a contract for 2018, buying out his final year of arbitration for $21.625 million. That agreement, general manager Mike Rizzo said, should give Harper some comfort and peace of mind as he takes the field every day for the rest of this season. That begins tonight when Harper and the Nationals host the Phillies in a series opener that was...
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Nats, Harper agree to $21.625 million salary for 2018 season

Nats, Harper agree to $21.625 million salary for 2018 season
The Nationals and Bryce Harper today agreed to terms on a contract for next year, a surprisingly early move that doesn't change the fact Harper can still become a free agent after the 2018 season, but does suggest the two sides are maintaining a productive relationship as they head toward that critical moment. In essence, the Nationals and Harper are avoiding the arbitration process they would have gone through next winter, agreeing on a 2018 salary now, even though standard procedure is to...
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Series finale postponed, makeup scheduled for June 8

Series finale postponed, makeup scheduled for June 8
The Nationals' series finale against the Orioles has been postponed after a day and evening filled with rain - and not enough reason to believe it would end early enough to get the game in at a reasonable hour. The game will be made up June 8 at 7:05 p.m., one of only two common off-days the clubs had the rest of the season. One of those off-days is Monday, though a makeup that day would have required the Orioles to fly back to Washington in the middle of a road trip to Kansas City and...
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Kelley and Glover on track to return from DL on Friday

Kelley and Glover on track to return from DL on Friday
They won't, by their mere presence alone, turn the Nationals bullpen from a major problem into a major asset. But the anticipated return this weekend of both Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover from the disabled list certainly won't hurt the Nats' attempt to stabilize the shakiest unit on their roster. The Nationals haven't made final decisions yet, but both Kelley and Glover are on track to be activated off the disabled list Friday and be available to pitch in their series opener against the...
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Game 35 lineups: Nats vs. Orioles

Game 35 lineups: Nats vs. Orioles
To answer the question you all want answered: I have no idea. It's been raining all day. It's supposed to continue raining through most of the night. The tarp is covering the infield. But no word yet about the status of tonight's series finale between the Nationals and Orioles. As always, stay tuned. As soon as we know anything, you'll know it. Promise. If they play, it'll be A.J. Cole on the mound for the Nationals, trying to keep this potent Orioles lineup in check and give his own...
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Breaking down Werth's latest epic home run at-bat

Breaking down Werth's latest epic home run at-bat
We've seen him do it so many times now during his Nationals career, we've come to expect that every time Jayson Werth engages in a long at-bat late in a ballgame, he's going to cap it off with a home run. Werth, of course, doesn't actually do that every single time. But he sure does it a lot. And it certainly did it Wednesday night to ignite the Nationals' ninth-inning rally that ended in a 7-6 walk-off victory over the Orioles. With an 11-pitch epic battle against right-hander Brad Brach,...
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Nats take advantage of last at-bat for "best win of the year"

Nats take advantage of last at-bat for "best win of the year"
The Nationals had become too familiar in recent days with the slow trudge off the field after losing a road game in walk-off fashion. It's the worst feeling in baseball, and they had experienced it Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia and again Tuesday night in Baltimore. So, if nothing else, the Nationals took the field tonight on South Capitol Street knowing they could not lose another walk-off. And if they played their cards just right, they might even put themselves in position to win one of...
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Nationals complete stunning rally to topple Orioles 7-6

Nationals complete stunning rally to topple Orioles 7-6
On a night that was looking absolutely dreadful for Washington sports fans, the local baseball club managed to bring a ray of sunshine with its most dramatic comeback of the young season, toppling a previously thorn-in-their-side rival in the process. Matt Wieters' bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth brought home the tying and winning runs and took down his former team while catapulting the Nationals to a stunning 7-6 victory over the Orioles. Wieters' smoked liner past first...
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Eaton has ACL reconstruction, faces long rehab

Eaton has ACL reconstruction, faces long rehab
Adam Eaton had surgery Tuesday to repair the torn ACL - as well as other injuries - in his left knee, immediately moving into the long rehab phase that now will consume the outfielder for some time. Eaton's surgery was performed in Washington by Nationals team orthopedist Robin West, who in addition to the full ACL reconstruction also did repair work on other ligaments and the meniscus that was torn in the area. "There was some other ligament ... the meniscus, and there was some other...
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Game 34 lineups: Nats vs. Orioles

Game 34 lineups: Nats vs. Orioles
After a couple of frustrating losses in Baltimore, the Nationals now come home for the second half of this year's Battle of the Beltways, hoping to at least salvage a four-game split of the season series with the Orioles (which would match the best they've done against their interleague rivals for the last decade). Stephen Strasburg gets the start tonight, hoping to do what Max Scherzer did last night during a dominant performance. And then Dusty Baker can only hope his lineup scores enough...
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Baker concerned about fundamental mistakes late in games

Baker concerned about fundamental mistakes late in games
BALTIMORE - The Nationals' 12-inning loss Tuesday night was attributable, first and foremost, to their makeshift bullpen, which could not hold a two-run lead in the ninth and eventually was charged with the loss. But there were other problems, especially late, when the Nationals started making careless mistakes at the plate, in the field and on the bases, and in one case let their emotions get the best of them. It was enough to make their manager openly worry about their state of mind in...
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Relief-induced losses taking emotional toll on Nationals

Relief-induced losses taking emotional toll on Nationals
BALTIMORE - The Nationals are exceptionally good at most of the things they need to do to win ballgames. Problem is, the one thing they are not even close to exceptionally good at doing is the one thing that almost always results in a loss. It's one thing to lose games late via poor relief pitching. It happens to every team a number of times during a season. But it's happening to the Nationals at a far-too-frequent rate, the kind that can have a lasting and negative effect on an otherwise...
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Another bullpen meltdown sends Nats to painful 5-4 loss

Another bullpen meltdown sends Nats to painful 5-4 loss
BALTIMORE - They got eight dominant innings from Max Scherzer. They got a huge pinch-hit homer from Adam Lind. All the Nationals needed were three outs from their bullpen before surrendering two runs. For this bullpen, that's no simple task. And so what should have been a nice, uplifting victory over the Orioles instead turned into a 5-4 12-inning loss and the latest nightmare for this talented team with one painfully glaring hole. Enny Romero was the culprit this time. Handed a two-run lead...
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Cole will start Thursday night, Turner remains in bullpen

Cole will start Thursday night, Turner remains in bullpen
BALTIMORE - A.J. Cole will start Thursday's series finale against the Orioles, with Jacob Turner remaining in the Nationals bullpen for the time being. The Nationals had their choice of right-handers for the assignment of the final of four straight games between them and the Orioles this season. Manager Dusty Baker said this afternoon the decision had not been made yet, but the club made the announcement shortly after, with both pitchers informed of their roles for the immediate future. Turner...
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Game 33 lineups: Nats at Orioles

Game 33 lineups: Nats at Orioles
BALTIMORE - Not that they're in any kind of serious trouble right now, but the Nationals have lost two in a row and certainly would prefer not to extend that streak to three (not to mention drop both games they'll be playing at Camden Yards this season). So there's just a hint of pressure on them tonight to beat the Orioles. The good news: Max Scherzer is on the mound, and he was electric last time out against a tough Diamondbacks lineup. The two-time Cy Young Award winner also has had...
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Reluctant Wieters appreciates warm reception from Orioles

Reluctant Wieters appreciates warm reception from Orioles
BALTIMORE - Matt Wieters isn't the type to seek attention, and so Monday at Camden Yards was in some ways a nightmare scenario for the veteran catcher. Not that Wieters wasn't excited to see his former Orioles teammates in his first appearance here with the Nationals, but he had to be uncomfortable with all the attention that was heaped upon him because of it. Wieters tried to keep his in-game chatter with Baltimore players to a minimum. "I think they know from playing with me that once the...
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Gonzalez, Nats confounded by trio of first-inning homers

Gonzalez, Nats confounded by trio of first-inning homers
BALTIMORE - Only once in his Nationals career had Gio Gonzalez surrendered three homers in a game. Never in his major league career had he surrendered three homers in an inning. So imagine the shock the left-hander and his teammates were experiencing around 7:15 p.m. Monday night when Joey Rickard, Mark Trumbo and Trey Mancini all went deep the span of six batters, turning the bottom of the first at Camden Yards into a stunning display of power. Then again, if anybody knows the potential of the...
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Nats fall behind early, drop series opener 6-4

Nats fall behind early, drop series opener 6-4
BALTIMORE - If the next four nights represent the Nationals' toughest test of the season to date, they didn't exactly pass Part One. Gio Gonzalez served up three home runs during a nightmare first inning, and the Nats never recovered during a 6-4 loss to the Orioles in the opener of this year's Battle of the Beltways. Gonzalez was rocked from the moment he took the mound at Camden Yards, digging his team into a deep hole. The league's most productive lineup, meanwhile, wasn't buoyed enough...
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Harper returns, Drew getting close, Kelley and Glover throw

Harper returns, Drew getting close, Kelley and Glover throw
BALTIMORE - Slowly but surely, the Nationals are getting closer to getting their injured players back on the field. Bryce Harper returns to the lineup tonight after missing three games with a sore groin. Stephen Drew is hoping to begin a rehab assignment this weekend, putting the shortstop on track to return from his hamstring injury next week. And Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover each threw off the bullpen mound at Camden Yards this afternoon as the relievers get close to a return from the...
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Game 32 lineups: Nats at Orioles

Game 32 lineups: Nats at Orioles
BALTIMORE - The Nationals and Orioles don't typically play each other this early in the season. It's usually quite warm and muggy when the Nats make their annual trek to Camden Yards, and it most definitely is not warm nor muggy today. But no matter the temperature, this always remains a great place to hit, and so the majors' most productive lineup should be licking its chops at the prospect of taking some hacks here for the next two nights. The Nationals have Bryce Harper back in the lineup...
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