BALTIMORE - The Nationals' power bats were on display again in an 8-1 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards, thanks to Matt Adams and Juan Soto.
Adams' blast got the scoring going for the Nats in the second inning off Orioles starter Asher Wojciechowski. The solo shot gave the Nats the 1-0 lead and landed on Eutaw Street. It was the 102nd all-time homer to reach Eutaw Street, the 57th by an Orioles opponent.
"Yeah, it was a good one," Adams said. "I knew I got it. But I didn't know the...
BALTIMORE - Nationals manager Davey Martinez announced Erick Fedde will pitch Wednesday's second game here at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Austin Voth starts tonight.
Does Martinez view these two games as an audition for the Nats' fifth starter role going forward? Not quite.
"Today I'm just worried about Austin Voth going out there and competing and keeping us in the ballgame," Martinez said. "We will worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. Both of those guys are part of our future right now. We...
When general manager Mike Rizzo first presented the idea to Davey Martinez that Fernando Rodney was available, the skipper knew they should take a look at the veteran closer.
"I was excited. The minute he got let go it was a conversation that Rizzo and I had," Martinez said. "They said they'd look into it and said, 'Hey, we are going to sign him.'"
Rodney had just been let go after a rough start to the 2019 campaign with the Oakland Athletics. In 17 games, Rodney had allowed 15 runs on...
Even with the tough loss Sunday afternoon, the Nationals won the series in Philadelphia. And it took a walk-off homer and six consecutive strikeouts to keep them from their 50th win of the season.
Shortstop Trea Turner, who netted the game-tying RBI single in the seventh, said the club is still playing great baseball in the midst of a 30-12 run.
"Our pitching has been unbelievable lately, especially starting pitching," Turner said. "The bullpen stepped up big time, kept us in those games and...
PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals came back again Sunday afternoon, rallying from a deficit late, but this time it was the Phillies that had the final answer.
Maikel Franco got a hold of the first pitch from reliever Matt Grace in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Phillies to a 4-3 win before a sellout 43,075 at Citizens Bank Park, preventing the Nats from their sixth sweep of the season.
Franco grooved a 93.2 mph sinker from Grace well into the left field stands for his second career walk-off...
PHILADELPHIA - Nationals manager Davey Martinez announced that right-hander Austin Voth will be called up for Tuesday's first game of the series against the Orioles.
"I like what Austin's done when he was up here and then his last outing down there he pitched really, really well," Martinez said. "I like the fact that he goes out there and he has presence. he has poise. He's throwing the ball well. We're going to give him another opportunity to start."
The 27-year-old has no record and a...
PHILADELPHIA - Everyone knows how good right-hander Wander Suero's cutter can be. It is his signature pitch. But Suero's confidence in his changeup, which can also be a plus pitch, could be the key to taking his game to the next level.
Helping the 27-year-old understand the importance of this pitch and how to use his cutter in different ways is 42-year-old Fernando Rodney. The 17-year veteran of 11 teams has guided Suero through the finer points of pitch usage and location, getting him to...
PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals have won six of their last seven series thanks to their 4-3 comeback win here Saturday night. They are 9-4 against the Phillies this season and have a 2 1/2 game lead over them in the National League wild card race. The Nats lead Milwaukee by two games for the top overall wild card.
The Nationals have won a franchise-best 30 of their last 41 games to vault back into the postseason picture. Left-hander Patrick Corbin, who put together a quality start Saturday night...
PHILADELPHIA - More notes from the Nationals' stunning 4-3 late inning comeback win over the Phillies.
Juan Soto has pulled off three career go-ahead homers in the ninth inning or later to win games for the Nationals. All came at Citizens Bank Park:
September 11, 2018: Soto hits solo homer lifts Nats to 7-6 lead (Nats trailed 6-3). April 9, 2019: Soto hits three-run shot in 10-6 win in 10 innings (Nats trailed 6-1). July 13, 2019: Soto hits two-run homer in ninth of 4-3 win (Nats trailed...
PHILADELPHIA - Juan Soto knew what pitch was coming. And he hit it out of Citizens Bank Park.
With the game on the line, the 20-year-old connected on a splitter from Phillies closer Héctor Neris and slammed a line drive well over the left-center field wall. The two-out, two-run shot came on the first pitch from Neris in the top of the ninth inning and was Soto's 16th of the season.
Down 3-0, the Nationals rallied for stunning 4-3 comeback victory over the Phillies, thanks to Soto's...
PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals have placed right-hander Max Scherzer on the injured list with a mid-back strain, retroactive to July 10. That means Scherzer, who previously was scratched from a scheduled Sunday start, would be eligible to return July 20 at Atlanta.
Catcher Spencer Kieboom has been recalled from Double-A Harrisburg to take Scherzer's spot on the roster. Kieboom is hitting .213 with seven doubles, one homer and 11 RBIs in 38 games for the Senators.
Scherzer looked like was good to...
PHILADELPHIA - Following the All-Star break, the Nationals could not have asked for a better start to the second part of their season.
Stephen Strasburg was solid and Victor Robles contributed a big hit early as the Nats shut out the Phillies 4-0 in the opener of a key National League East series.
It was the second time this season the Nats have shut out Philadelphia and is their seventh shutout of the season. The Nats lead the season series 8-4 and have won four straight games against their...
PHILADELPHIA - Juan Soto continues to do Juan Soto things.
This time it was on defense.
In the bottom of the fourth Friday night at Citizens Bank Park, the Nationals led 2-0 as the dangerous Rhys Hoskins stepped in against Stephen Strasburg.
Hoskins got a hold of a 1-2 88-mph changeup and drove it to deep left field. Soto tracked the ball toward the left field foul pole. He timed his jump perfectly, leaping back, crashing into the wall and making the catch as he fell to the ground. Hoskins was...
PHILADELPHIA - Max Scherzer's back is still sore, and despite being scratched from Sunday's start here at Citizens Bank Park, he believes he will be back for Tuesday's series opener in Baltimore against the Orioles.
"Tuesday's realistic," Scherzer confirmed Friday night after his club shut out the Phillies 4-0. "That's what we're hoping for. That's where we're just in a matter of days here. This is not a major thing. We know exactly what this is. We know it's muscular.
"The pause...
PHILADELPHIA - Stephen Strasburg wanted to pick up where he left off. Even with nine days between starts, the big right-hander returned from the All-Star break and continued to shut down opponents.
The Nationals provided quick run support and Strasburg got out of an early jam, then fought through six innings in a 4-0 win at Philadelphia before a sold-out 42,318 at Citizens Bank Park.
Strasburg has not allowed a run in his last two starts, spanning 13 1/3 innings, both victories over division...
PHILADELPHIA - After making 28 appearances in the first two months of the season, left-hander Matt Grace has been called upon only nine times since June 1. He struggled in May, posting a 9.82 ERA in 12 appearances. After allowing runs June 20 and 22, he wasn't called on for almost another two weeks.
Grace has started 0-1 with a 5.94 ERA in those 37 games. He has not given up a run in his two July appearances, so he feels like that is something to slowly build on.
"It goes in waves. It is what...
PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals have decided to push Max Scherzer's start back a couple more days. The right-hander will not start Sunday, as was orginally planned, due to continued back tightness.
"He was sore after his last start," said Nationals manager Davey Martinez. "He had an MRI during the break. Came back negative. But he is sore. So we talked and we decided just push him back a couple days and see how he feels. We are at a point now where he went through an unbelievable run and...
PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals arrive in Pennsylvania tonight as the hottest team in baseball, 8-2 over their last 10 games and 28-11 since a unpleasant start to the season.
The offense is clicking, the bullpen is holding its own, the defense is showing off and the starting pitching is what the Nats expected from the start of the campaign. But manager Davey Martinez is cautiously optimistic as they begin a critical series against the Phillies tonight at Citizens Bank Park.
"I look at what we...
A lot has been made of Juan Soto's big bat and his impact on the offense. But within the last two months heading into the All-Star break, Soto has improved on his tracking in the outfield, and his overall defense has excelled. He is making stellar catches and reading balls hit to his area well. Soto is throwing to the correct cutoff area after retrieving base hits.
Nationals third base coach Bobby Henley said Soto has an understanding about his position and is learning to take control of a...
The Nationals announced that right-hander Kyle Barraclough has been reinstated from the injured list and optioned to Double-A Harrisburg.
Barraclough had been on the injured list with a right radial nerve irritation since June 16. He made three rehab appearances at high Single-A Potomac, going 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA. In three innings, he allowed two earned runs on four hits, with no walks and six strikeouts. He surrendered two solo homers.
Barraclough was placed at Harrisburg so he can be more...