Weather throws wrench into Robles and Fedde's rehab plans

Weather throws wrench into Robles and Fedde's rehab plans
Victor Robles is eligible to come off the injured list Sunday, but with little opportunity to test his sprained right ankle on a wet field all weekend, the Nationals may need to wait a bit longer to activate their starting center fielder. Robles was supposed to run the bases Friday, but the postponement of the series opener versus the Brewers shelved those plans. And with more on-and-off rain today as the two teams attempt to play a doubleheader, the Nationals won't take a chance with the...
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Game 47 lineups: Nats vs. Brewers

Game 47 lineups: Nats vs. Brewers
Do you remember the last time the Nationals faced the Brewers? Yep, it was the 2019 National League wild card game. Quite a bit has happened since that memorable night, huh? Today, the Brewers make their first trip back to D.C. in 20 months. It's not completely a must-win situation like it was for the Nats that night, but they'd certainly like to get back on track after dropping two of three to the Reds earlier in the week. After Friday night's game was rained out, they'll attempt to play...
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Nats stuck playing another day of seven-inning games

Nats stuck playing another day of seven-inning games
In their attempt to minimize the amount of time players and staffers spent around each other at the ballpark during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Major League Baseball for the first time reduced all doubleheader games to seven innings. It was unconventional, and many fans weren't big fans of it, but most agreed it was acceptable under the circumstances of that unprecedented season. When MLB decided to retain the seven-inning doubleheader games again this season, though, there was more...
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Series opener postponed, Nats reach vaccination threshold

Series opener postponed, Nats reach vaccination threshold
The Nationals are getting the night off. And then another shortened doubleheader Saturday. If the weather permits. Tonight's series opener against the Brewers was officially postponed, with sustained rain forecast for the entire evening and into Saturday. The two clubs, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, made the call about 3 1/2 hours before scheduled first pitch, opting not to wait it out and risk another lengthy delay like the Nats and Reds experienced Wednesday night before the...
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García shows off two-strike approach with first MLB triple

García shows off two-strike approach with first MLB triple
The Nationals produced a grand total of two extra-base hits during their just-completed three-game series with the Reds. One was Josh Bell's ninth-inning homer on Tuesday night, one that helped them avoid a shutout but still resulted in a 2-1 loss. The other was Luis García's triple Thursday afternoon, and though it had no significant bearing on account of the Nats' 5-3 win, it did offer a glimpse into the 21-year-old's ability and growth at the plate. "A big at-bat in that moment right...
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Offensive woes on display again in shutout loss (updated)

Offensive woes on display again in shutout loss (updated)
There's no mystery surrounding the Nationals right now. Nobody has to dig deep into the analytics trying to figure out why they're not winning enough games. The answer is right there for everyone to see, young and old, expert and novice, old school and new school. They aren't hitting. At all. Tonight's 3-0, seven-inning loss to the Reds in the nightcap of a pseudo-doubleheader necessitated by the suspension of Wednesday night's game due to rain would have been alarming if not for the fact...
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Game 46 lineups: Nats vs. Reds

Game 46 lineups: Nats vs. Reds
After winning the completion of Wednesday night's suspended game, the Nationals now attempt to sweep this not-really-a-doubleheader against the Reds, hoping to get a big-time start from Stephen Strasburg and avoid using the relievers they needed to close out the earlier 5-3 win. Strasburg was pretty good in his first start off the injured list, tossing 5 1/3 scoreless innings against the Orioles, though he pretty clearly was running out of gas by the fifth. The Nats will hope the right-hander...
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Back of bullpen secures victory of suspended game (updated)

Back of bullpen secures victory of suspended game (updated)
With five innings on tap this afternoon to complete the game that only lasted four innings Wednesday night before a storm barreled through town, then a seven-inning game still to come later tonight as part of this pseudo-doubleheader, Nationals manager Davey Martinez had to concoct a pitching plan that would give his club the best chance to win both games. And when the Nats added to the three-run lead they already held when Wednesday's game was suspended, the path should've been simple for...
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Rainey activated off COVID-19 IL, Fedde to be cleared Friday

Rainey activated off COVID-19 IL, Fedde to be cleared Friday
It's not often a team has the ability to change its roster mid-game, but the Nationals and Reds both were afforded the opportunity today for the completion of Wednesday night's suspended game. The Nats have activated Tanner Rainey off the COVID-19 injured list and will have the reliever available to them for the final five innings of the resumed game, plus tonight's seven-inning series finale. They'll also have Kyle McGowin available for the nightcap even though the right-hander was...
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Bell's recent surge continues with right-handed homer

Bell's recent surge continues with right-handed homer
The only real offensive highlight of Tuesday night's 2-1 loss at Nationals Park was Josh Bell's bottom-of-the-ninth homer. A homer that was a long time coming for the switch-hitting slugger, because it came from the right side of the plate. Though he has been breaking out of his season-long funk as a left-handed batter over the last two weeks, Bell hadn't shown much as a right-handed batter yet. The switch-hitter entered Tuesday's game just 2-for-25 on the season when batting righty against...
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Nats' bats go silent again in 2-1 loss to Reds (updated)

Nats' bats go silent again in 2-1 loss to Reds (updated)
These Nationals have teased us before. They've had moments over the last two months when they appear to have figured things out, especially at the plate, only to fail to sustain any sense of positive momentum. So even though they looked much better over the weekend while sweeping the Orioles, the Nats were in no way guaranteed of showing up at the park tonight and picking up where they left off. And they most certainly did not. Barely making a peep at the plate against a Reds pitching staff...
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García called up from Triple-A, Fedde and Rainey back in D.C.

García called up from Triple-A, Fedde and Rainey back in D.C.
In deciding who would take Victor Robles' spot on their roster, the Nationals elected not to promote another outfielder from Triple-A Rochester, nor did they call up their top prospect who only two months ago was supposed to be their starting third baseman. The Nats' decision to recall infielder Luis García before tonight's series opener against the Reds instead of Carter Kieboom or an outfielder revealed a few things about the current state of things in the organization. With no other...
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Game 44 lineups: Nats vs. Reds

Game 44 lineups: Nats vs. Reds
The last time the Nationals swept a series, they proceeded to lose seven of their next eight games and dig themselves into a hole they're still trying to climb all the way out of. So this weekend's sweep of the Orioles, while encouraging, certainly doesn't guarantee this team has turned a corner. We won't know about that until we see how the Nats perform this week against the Reds and Brewers. Tonight's series opener versus Cincinnati will see Max Scherzer on the mound, so that's always...
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"Grateful" Doolittle ready for emotional return to Nationals Park

"Grateful" Doolittle ready for emotional return to Nationals Park
Upon signing with the Reds days before pitchers and catchers were due to report for spring training, Sean Doolittle took a look at Cincinnati's 2021 schedule. He scanned the entire 162-game slate, but he specifically noted when one particular road series would be taking place. May 25-27: at Washington. Doolittle has tried not to think about it too much since, because there were far more important matters to address. On the heels of an injury-plagued and ineffective 2020 season with the...
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Productive as ever, Zimmerman embraces part-time role

Productive as ever, Zimmerman embraces part-time role
Ryan Zimmerman knows what you're thinking. He knows you want him to play more than he is. He knows you believe he should be in the Nationals lineup more than a couple of times a week. And he gets it. But he also knows it would be a mistake in the long run. "You hear everyone saying, and rightfully so: 'This guy's raking. How are you not finding him more playing time?' " the 36-year-old first baseman said Friday afternoon during an in-person interview near the backstop at Nationals Park....
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Bullpen vets hang on, secure series sweep for Nats (updated)

Bullpen vets hang on, secure series sweep for Nats (updated)
During the course of one ballgame, a manager's toughest decision often boils down to the following question: Do everything in your power to win today's game or hold back in order to protect overused players for the long haul? There's never one right answer to the dilemma, and a skipper can twist himself into knots trying to justify either approach. So when this very quandary arose this afternoon on South Capitol Street and Davey Martinez had to decide whether it was worth playing all of his...
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Harris, Robles both land on IL before series finale (updated)

Harris, Robles both land on IL before series finale (updated)
The Nationals have placed both Will Harris and Victor Robles on the 10-day injured list, the struggling reliever still unable to get over the mysterious right hand ailment that has plagued him since spring training and the young outfielder still not ready to return from a right ankle sprain he suffered four days ago. Kyle McGowin was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take Harris' spot and provide manager Davey Martinez with a fresh arm out of the bullpen for today's series finale against...
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Game 43 lineups: Nats vs. Orioles

Game 43 lineups: Nats vs. Orioles
The Nationals still have their issues in the big picture, but they still have a chance to sweep a series today. And that's nothing to scoff at. At this point, they've got to seize any opportunity they get, so a win today over the Orioles would be a welcome development. (It also would give them a 20-23 record, making another 19-31 start mathematically impossible this season. Oh, and if you didn't know, today is the two-year anniversary of the Nats falling to 19-31 after getting swept by the...
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Nationals remain committed to Hand as closer

Nationals remain committed to Hand as closer
On a day when pitchers across the board were getting hit hard, often over the fence, the sight of Brad Hand trotting in from the bullpen for the top of the ninth couldn't have been especially comforting for Nationals fans. Less than 24 hours removed from the latest in a concerning string of shaky outings, here was Hand again entrusted by manager Davey Martinez to close out a wild 12-9 victory over the Orioles. And it wasn't unfair to question if he was the right man for the job at this moment...
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Nats finally deliver big blasts, win slugfest over Orioles (updated)

Nats finally deliver big blasts, win slugfest over Orioles (updated)
The Nationals, believe it or not, actually are capable of hitting with runners in scoring position. And scoring in bunches. Even hitting a grand slam. And, most significantly, coming back from a sizeable deficit to win a ballgame. Yes, they do have the ability to do all of those things. Perhaps not as frequently as everyone would like, but that skill set is buried away deep inside the 26 men who wear curly W helmets when they step to the plate, ready to come out every once in a while. And when...
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