Game 59 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

Game 59 lineups: Nats vs. Mets
The Nationals are about to complete their sixth doubleheader of the season. That's a lot of twinbills in a normal year, let alone a 60-game season. And they've done just fine on these long days of baseball. They entered today with one sweep and four splits. And after taking the opener from the Mets 4-3, they have a shot at another sweep and at worst another split. All things considered, that's not bad. Aníbal Sánchez makes his final start of the season, and potentially his final start...
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At long last, Nats choose continuity in manager's office

At long last, Nats choose continuity in manager's office
For a decade and a half, the Nationals tried in vain to establish continuity in their manager's office. But every two or three years, they found themselves searching for a new leader, vacillating between those with significant experience (Frank Robinson, Jim Riggleman, Davey Johnson, Dusty Baker) and those who were trying to make a name for themselves (Manny Acta, Matt Williams, Davey Martinez). In Martinez, they finally found the man they believe deserves to be here for the long haul. And...
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Kendrick weighing decision whether to return or retire

Kendrick weighing decision whether to return or retire
He hadn't revealed this publicly before, but Howie Kendrick admitted Friday he fully intended to retire after the 2020 season. After a well-deserved victory lap on the heels of his World Series-winning home run, what more could the 37-year-old have needed to do on a baseball field? The time would've been right to say goodbye to the sport, head home to Arizona and enjoy life with his family. That was the plan. Before the pandemic. Before the shortened season. And before a nagging hamstring...
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Mets-Nats postponed, will play doubleheader Saturday

Mets-Nats postponed, will play doubleheader Saturday
The Nationals' scheduled game tonight against the Mets has been postponed due to rain that is forecast to fall throughout the evening and continue into Saturday morning. The two teams are now scheduled to play a doubleheader, each game lasting seven innings, on Saturday beginning at 3:05 p.m. The Mets remain mathematically alive for the final wild card berth in the National League, and though they could be eliminated later tonight based on the results of other games, Major League Baseball will...
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Nats in agreement with Martinez on contract extension

Nats in agreement with Martinez on contract extension
For the first time since they arrived in town a decade and a half ago, the Nationals know they have a manager for the long haul. The organization and Davey Martinez agreed to a contract extension today, ensuring the manager who guided the franchise to its first World Series title in 2019 will remain in his position beyond 2021 and become the longest-tenured skipper in club history. The deal has not been officially finalized yet, according to a source familiar with the discussions, but an...
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Game 58 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

Game 58 lineups: Nats vs. Mets
This hasn't been the season Max Scherzer or the Nationals envisioned. All they can do now is try to finish strong and head into the winter with something of a positive taste left in their mouths. For Scherzer, the final opportunity to do that comes tonight against the Mets. Though his overall numbers (4-4, 3.67 ERA, 1.386 WHIP) are not up to his usual standards, Scherzer has pitched pretty well over the second half of this season. In his last five starts, he has a 3.00 ERA and 41 strikeouts...
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Will time missed cost Soto shot at NL MVP?

Will time missed cost Soto shot at NL MVP?
The Nationals have never had a batting champion since arriving in D.C. in 2005. They've had one player lead the National League in OPS. With four days to go in the 2020 season, they might just wind up with their first player who did both. Thanks to a strong couple of games to wrap up their just-completed series with the Phillies, Juan Soto heads into the season's final series against the Mets leading the NL in a host of offensive categories. Soto is batting .352, tops in the NL. His.486...
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Blowout loss to Phillies, Giants win eliminate Nats (updated)

Blowout loss to Phillies, Giants win eliminate Nats (updated)
Nobody has repeated as World Series champions in two decades. Suffice it to say, it's a huge challenge trying to go back-to-back under normal circumstances. And the 2020 season has been the most abnormal season of our lives. We've accepted for some time the Nationals would not be repeating this year. Injuries, poor performances, a lack of depth and the understandable diminished motivation that was part of this season all came together to produce a disappointing, losing record. Yet when they...
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Kieboom's disappointing season ends with stint on IL

Kieboom's disappointing season ends with stint on IL
Despite hopes of a return before the season ends Sunday, Carter Kieboom's hand injury proved too severe to take the chance, so the Nationals placed their rookie third baseman on the 10-day injured list this afternoon. Kieboom officially has a left wrist contusion after getting hit by a pitch from Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler during the sixth inning Monday night at Nationals Park. X-rays were negative, showing no fracture, but Kieboom's hand was swollen and he immediately departed the...
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Game 56 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies (updated)

Game 56 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies (updated)
The Nationals opened this bizarre season 0-6 against the Phillies. Who'd have thought they'd have a chance to finish 4-6 against their division rivals? A win tonight would complete a four-game sweep, deal Philadelphia another blow to its postseason chances and keep the Nats' minuscule chances alive for another day. A loss tonight doesn't automatically eliminate the Nationals. One of the Cardinals, Brewers or Giants would also need to win, raising their season win total to 28 (which the Nats...
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More to ponder after a wild doubleheader sweep

More to ponder after a wild doubleheader sweep
Some more things to ponder after a long, wild, ultimately successful Tuesday afternoon and evening at the ballpark ... * Yadiel Hernández's walk-off homer won it for the Nationals, but some unheralded bullpen work earlier made it possible in the first place. Even though he got a complete game from Austin Voth in the doubleheader opener, manager Davey Martinez said he was working with a depleted relief corps in the nightcap. Will Harris was unavailable after pitching Sunday and Monday. Kyle...
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Hernández's first career homer keeps the Nats alive (updated)

Hernández's first career homer keeps the Nats alive (updated)
When he was sent down Friday, hitless in seven at-bats, Yadiel Hernández couldn't help but wonder if he had just blown his first and only chance in the big leagues. His first call-up didn't come until he was nearly 33. Would he even get a second one? "A lot of bad things ran through my head in that moment," the rookie outfielder said tonight, Octavio Martinez interpreting for him in a Zoom session with reporters. "Frustrated. And I felt like moreso I kept reflecting and telling myself:...
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Game 55 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 55 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
Well, the Nationals remain mathematically alive. They've won three in a row, including the first two in this series against the Phillies, and they'll try to pull off a doubleheader sweep here tonight and keep that dim flame from burning out. After Austin Voth tossed the first complete game of his career this afternoon, the Nats bullpen is as fresh as it could be. Which means they may not need to rely on too much out of Paolo Espino, who makes his first major league start since 2017. The...
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What would it take for the Nationals to pull off a miracle?

What would it take for the Nationals to pull off a miracle?
If you're one of those who likes to cling to faint hopes and won't concede anything until it's 100 percent guaranteed, you're in luck. Because the Nationals, despite their ridiculously long odds, are still mathematically alive in the National League pennant race. And pretty much everything they needed to happen Monday night around the league actually happened. The evening began with the Nats having no more margin for error. Their tragic number to be eliminated from contention was two, with...
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Nationals top Phillies, avoid elimination (updated)

Nationals top Phillies, avoid elimination (updated)
The Nationals took the field tonight knowing it could be the last time they do so this season for an officially meaningful game. Though they've privately conceded they aren't going to the playoffs for some time now, there was a chance they could actually be eliminated tonight, if they lost to the Phillies and the Reds beat the Brewers. Cincinnati did its part. But the Nationals did theirs, beating the Phillies 5-1 and surviving for at least one more day. Behind five effective (if elongated)...
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Barrett, Bourque placed on IL; Hernández, Espino join roster

Barrett, Bourque placed on IL; Hernández, Espino join roster
Aaron Barrett's latest return to the Nationals bullpen came to an abrupt halt due to another injury. And James Bourque's first opportunity to pitch regularly in the big leagues has also been cut short due to injury. Barrett, who made national headlines last season when he pitched in the majors three years after breaking his arm while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, was placed on the 10-day injured list today with a right triceps strain, one of a flurry of transactions announced by the...
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Game 53 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 53 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
We have reached the final week of a most unusual regular season. Around these parts, that usually means a pennant race, a potential clincher for the Nationals and maybe a few days to rest guys up for the postseason. Not in 2020. Though the Nats are technically still alive, practically speaking they're done. Their elimination number, if you're wondering, is currently three, so the earliest they could be officially knocked out is Tuesday. (Update: It turns out they actually could be eliminated...
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Nationals survive trying, joyless road portion of season

Nationals survive trying, joyless road portion of season
Eric Thames, only minutes removed from dropping the throw that sent the Nationals to an agonizing, 2-1 loss to the Marlins in the opener of Sunday's doubleheader, was asked during his Zoom session with reporters how high the frustration level has become on the majors' most disappointing team of 2020. His answer, which grew more and more exasperated with each sentence, revealed a lot more than that. "It's very frustrating living life as it is now," Thames said. "It's not just on-the-field...
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Defense does in Scherzer in latest agonizing loss (updated)

Defense does in Scherzer in latest agonizing loss (updated)
If this wasn't the epitome of the Nationals' 2020 season, it's tough to imagine a sequence that could define this agonizing campaign any better. Max Scherzer on the mound, his pitch count well into triple digits. The Marlins threatening to take a late lead. Manager Davey Martinez trusting his ace to get out of the jam over anyone out of his bullpen. And then a defensive miscue costing Scherzer and his team the game. Despite thinking for a split-second he had escaped a bases-loaded jam with a...
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Gomes catching Scherzer, Kendrick trying to make it back

Gomes catching Scherzer, Kendrick trying to make it back
Some quick-hit news and notes before the Nationals take the field in Miami for the start of today's doubleheader against the Marlins ... * Yan Gomes is behind the plate for the opener, a bit of a surprise because Max Scherzer is on the mound. Scherzer typically pairs up with Kurt Suzuki; in fact, Suzuki caught all 10 of his previous starts this season. "Just wanted to change it up," manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "I talked to Max and Yan before...
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