It's easy for baseball players and fans alike to be superstitious. So when manager Davey Martinez said the other day that the Nationals were finally "healthy," it wasn't hard to imagine all of the shaking of heads and palming of foreheads around the region, expecting another injury to happen after some good health news.
Well, that's what the Nationals got Friday afternoon before their series opener against the Phillies.
And I'm not even referring to Stephen Strasburg's latest trip to the...
Tonight will be the Nationals' 54th game of the season, which means we are at the one-third mark of the 2021 campaign.
At 23-30, the Nationals are tied with the Marlins, six games back of the division-leading Mets, but only two games back of this weekend's opponent, the Phillies.
Yet another opportunity for the Nats to gain some ground in the National League East. And they have the right guy on the mound to get them started.
Max Scherzer looks to carry over his fantastic May into June...
The storylines surrounding this Nationals lineup haven't really changed since spring training. They still need consistent production from big offseason acquisitions Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber. Trea Turner is showing his sneaky pop is no longer sneaky. Juan Soto is still waiting to break out of his funk to reach the incredibly high standards he's set for himself. And Ryan Zimmerman's return is proving that a year off may have done the veteran first baseman some good as he provides a lethal...
There was still some love in the air between the Cubs and their former teammates who now wear the curly W on their caps Tuesday night. After Kyle Schwarber enjoyed a tribute video before Monday night's game, it was Jon Lester's turn to have his moment after starting last night's game on the mound. He was treated with a tribute video on the big scoreboard at Wrigley Field and was given the famed W flag that flies after Cubs victories covered with signatures and notes from his former...
If you've been anxiously waiting for news on when Stephen Strasburg will make his next start, you're unfortunately going to have to wait at least another day.
Having been peppered with questions about the right-hander's status over the last couple of days, Nationals manager Davey Martinez isn't ready to say whether or not his recovering starter will be ready to be activated and make a start this weekend against the Orioles, even after Strasburg threw an "extended" bullpen session today...
Now that the fanfare, hoopla and ovations for Jon Lester and Kyle Schwarber's returns to Wrigley Field were taken care of Monday night, it's time to get back to just focusing on baseball.
Of course, I'm not saying that it wasn't an emotional game, as it was great to see the reception the former Cubs received from their previous club and fans. But that 7-3 loss definitely didn't feel warm and fuzzy as the Nationals left the friendly confines late last night.
The Nats now find themselves in...
It's no secret that the Nationals need Josh Bell to have a good year in order to reach the levels of success they aspire for this season. That's what general manager Mike Rizzo was banking on when he acquired the slugging first baseman from the Pirates for two pitching prospects on Christmas Eve, the first big move of the offseason.
And after he tore through Grapefruit League action by hitting .383 with a 1.328 OPS, six home runs and 15 RBIs, that's what the Nationals thought they were going...
If not for the date on the calendar, you would have thought Tuesday night's game was a late Grapefruit League matchup between the Nationals and Blue Jays. A spring training stadium only filled with 1,471 fans under a clear Florida night sky. Plenty of hard-hit balls and loud outs. Balls lost in the Florida breeze and the lack of major league lighting. And a handful of pitching changes, at least by one team.
Alas, Tuesday night's game counted, and the Nationals found themselves on the wrong...
The Nationals breathed a heavy sigh of relief earlier today when manager Davey Martinez spoke to Trea Turner and the shortstop told him that he was feeling well enough to play tonight.
Turner was struck by a pitch in his left forearm during Sunday's series finale against the Mets at Citi Field and departed the contest early, adding yet another name to the long list of injury concerns.
But after X-rays returned negative, Turner was diagnosed with a contusion and had Monday's scheduled off-day...
Earlier this month, former Nationals catcher Jonathan Lucroy compared his time in D.C. to the storyline of the movie "The Replacements," in which Keanu Reeves leads a group of replacement players on the fictional Washington Sentinels to the playoffs in their fictional football league. (Of course, that movie was loosely based on the 1987 Washington Football Team replacements who won three games and helped the team go on to win the Super Bowl.)
Well, I'm no Shane Falco, but I'll do my best as...
In a time when there is still so much uncertainty in the world, there are some things we do know for a fact as it relates to the 2021 baseball season.
Spring training started on time and was completed without any serious hiccups. The Nationals will start their 2021 campaign eventually, even after a player returned a positive COVID-19 test yesterday and opening day against the Mets was postponed. There is no universal designated hitter and the regular 10-team postseason is back, while the...
Opening day brings the hope of a new baseball season. Not even a positive COVID-19 test can change that.
"We're gonna play tomorrow night," confirmed general manager Mike Rizzo on a Zoom call with reporters Wednesday afternoon after announcing the unfortunate, but not devastating, news.
What opening day does not bring, however, is any clarity on Max Scherzer's future contract situation with the Nationals.
After the conversation switched to more baseball-related topics, Rizzo was asked if he...
Ben Braymer has been with the Nationals longer than you might think. An 18th-round draft pick out of Auburn University in 2016, the 26-year-old left-hander is entering his sixth season in the organization.
Considering his age, the year he was drafted (the same as Carter Kieboom and former Nats prospects Dane Dunning and Jesús Luzardo) and his progression through the minor league system, you might be surprised even still that Braymer finished 2020 as just the Nationals' No. 22 ranked...
The Nationals have been very clear about how they will utilize their top pitching prospects. Guys like Jackson Rutledge and Cade Cavalli project to be front-line starters, and general manager Mike Rizzo has confirmed that's the path the organization has set them on.
But the futures of some mid-level prospects aren't as certain. Guys like Seth Romero and Ben Braymer have pitched both as starters and relievers throughout their careers, dating back to their time in college and continuing through...
Reporting to the first day of spring training as rookies must feel a lot like a freshman arriving on campus for the first day of high school. But instead of being surrounded by jocks, cliques and faculty, you're stepping into a clubhouse full of world champions, a World Series MVP, a Cy Young Award winner and All-Stars.
OK, so in a sense, still jocks.
But for the sake of the analogy, if spring training is like high school, then rookies are freshman, veterans are upperclassmen, coaches are...
Spring has sprung and a new baseball season is upon us, as Nationals pitchers and catchers officially report to West Palm Beach today for the start of camp.
The start of spring training for returning players and coaches means the start of a new pursuit for a championship. For fans, it means the start of another season of cheering on their favorite club. For new players, it means the opportunity to get familiar with new teammates and a new clubhouse.
With the additions of Josh Bell, Kyle...
Some - maybe not much, but some - was made a little over a week ago when the Nationals did not have a single prospect land in Baseball America's top 100 prospects list. They were the only major league team to not have at least one prospect ranked by the publication.
But on Thursday night, another highly regarded source for baseball prospect news came out with its own top 100 rankings, and this time, the Nationals were not shut out.
Right-hander Cade Cavalli found himself as the 99th overall...
The holidays have passed and the calendar has turned to 2021, but that doesn't mean one has to lose his or her spirit of giving. Especially during these uncertain times.
Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin and his wife, Jen, certainly took that to heart as they recently surprised six families from the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy with a Macy's shopping experience via Zoom.
In case you may have missed it or forgotten, the Youth Baseball Academy safely returned to play by opening a modified...
General manager Mike Rizzo and assistant GM & vice president of scouting operations Kris Kline spoke with reporters via Zoom conference call on Wednesday after selecting right-hander Cade Cavalli with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.
Oklahoma right-hander Cade Cavalli spoke with reporters via Zoom conference call on Wednesday after being selected by the Nationals with the No. 22 overall pick of the 2020 MLB Draft.