Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 2

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 2
Confession time: My favorite game of the 2019 postseason wasn't the wild card game. It wasn't Game 5 of the National League Division Series. It wasn't the pennant clincher over the Cardinals. And it wasn't Game 6 or 7 of the World Series in Houston. It was Game 2 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium. Seriously. This was an absolutely fantastic ballgame, overstuffed with star power, clutch performances, bold managerial decisions, a surprise relief appearance from a three-time Cy Young Award winner...
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Group of 13 players still in West Palm Beach, none tested

Group of 13 players still in West Palm Beach, none tested
Thirteen Nationals players, plus general manager Mike Rizzo, manager Davey Martinez and a skeleton crew of coaches, doctors, trainers and conditioning staff continue to ride out the coronavirus pandemic in West Palm Beach, Fla., though all have been instructed to take steps to ensure social distancing in an effort to prevent spread of the virus. Rizzo, who said three players and other staffers are now in Washington while others have returned to their various hometowns, said no players to date...
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Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 1

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 1
The Nationals' run last October, when viewed in its entirety, was thrilling. That doesn't mean every single game along the way matched that description. There were a few clunkers mixed into those 17 postseason games. And maybe the biggest clunker of them all came only 48 hours after the euphoric National League wild card win over the Brewers. Flying high from that dramatic victory, the Nats headed west to open their best-of-five NL Division Series with the powerhouse Dodgers. And if you were...
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Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NL wild card game

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NL wild card game
There's no baseball to watch right now, at least no live baseball. And there's not going to be any for a while. So how do we get our fix during this most unusual time in our lives? We watch old baseball games. There's a whole treasure trove of classic games available out there. And at some point, we might just get to them all. But for now, where better to begin than with the most recent games the Nationals played? Yes, it's time to re-watch - and re-live - the 2019 postseason. The plan is...
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Nationals will donate $1 million to pay ballpark workers

Nationals will donate $1 million to pay ballpark workers
Among those who immediately realized they would be affected by last week's suspension of spring training and delayed start to the baseball season were the workers at ballparks across America, those who rely on game days for steady income and now face weeks or even months without that assurance. On Tuesday, Major League Baseball and its clubs took the first step toward ensuring those people will be taken care of. Each of the 30 franchises has agreed to donate $1 million to cover the incomes of...
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Coming to grips with this new reality

Coming to grips with this new reality
This was supposed to be the start of the final countdown to opening day. The last week of spring training, with decisions looming on the starting third baseman, the No. 5 starter, a spot or two in the bullpen and maybe a spot on the bench. The Nationals were going to head north after this Sunday's Grapefruit League finale, make a brief stop in D.C. for an exhibition game against top prospects one week from today, then continue to New York for opening day against the Mets. One week after that,...
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Nats may have to break up camp under new guidelines

Nats may have to break up camp under new guidelines
How many Nationals players are staying in West Palm Beach, Fla., during the coronavirus crisis, and what will their workouts look like? The answers to those questions have changed seemingly every day since Major League Baseball announced the halting of all spring training games Thursday. At first, the entire team intended to stay in place and continue to hold full-squad workouts - and maybe even scrimmages - during MLB's hiatus. Then the league notified players they were free to leave town,...
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Strickland's release opens door for others to make roster

Strickland's release opens door for others to make roster
It may feel trivial to discuss baseball right now, but even as the sport sits in hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Nationals made some baseball decisions Saturday. And so it's appropriate to discuss baseball matters. The club cut 13 players from major league camp. Twelve of those players (inlcuding pitchers Dakota Bacus, Bryan Bonnell, Wil Crowe, Aaron Barrett, Ben Braymer, Kyle McGowin and David Hernandez) weren't seriously expected to make the opening day roster. The other one,...
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An attempt to answer some pressing questions

An attempt to answer some pressing questions
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - These are strange times. Strange times with no real road maps to consult. Major League Baseball has dealt with work stoppages before, but those were strikes or lockouts or a one-week hiatus following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. This is quite different. It's tempting right now to try to project what's going to happen in two weeks or two months. But the truth is, we have no idea what's going to happen in two days. Let's try to take a rational look at the...
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Though free to leave, many Nats plan to stay and work out

Though free to leave, many Nats plan to stay and work out
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Though Major League Baseball officially announced the immediate suspension of all spring training operations this evening, many Nationals players intend to remain here and conduct informal workouts during baseball's coronavirus-induced hiatus. MLB and the MLB Players Association, after meeting earlier today, jointly informed clubs that players are being encouraged to travel to either the team's home city or their own hometowns, though anyone who wants to stay in their...
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Friday morning Nats Q&A

Friday morning Nats Q&A
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Well, we've officially entered uncharted waters here. Spring training has been suspended, the start of the regular season delayed at least two weeks (and quite possibly more) due to the coronavirus pandemic. Anyone who insists he or she knows how this is going to proceed does not know how this is going to proceed. Nobody does. For now, teams are staying in place at their camps around Florida and Arizona. Nationals players have today off but will return to the complex...
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After weekend off, Nats will remain in Florida and work out

After weekend off, Nats will remain in Florida and work out
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals took the field this afternoon knowing this almost certainly was going to be their last Grapefruit League game for a while. What they didn't know was how they were going to pass the time until their next game - whenever that takes place. Following their 6-3 loss to the Yankees before a sellout crowd of 8,043 at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, the Nationals front office and coaching staff gathered and met for more than an hour to devise a plan. Here's...
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Spring games called, season delayed at least two weeks (updated)

Spring games called, season delayed at least two weeks (updated)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals and Yankees are underway, with the first sellout crowd of the spring packed into FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches to watch this exhibition game. How long this game continues, though, is very much in question. As sporting events around the country are canceled due to the coronavirus, Major League Baseball reportedly is on the verge of suspending spring training. Commissioner Rob Manfred was on a conference call with club owners this afternoon, according...
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Lineups: Nats vs. Yankees in West Palm Beach

Lineups: Nats vs. Yankees in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - They are playing today at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. As of this moment. As we've seen, these things can change very quickly. For now, the Nationals are set to face the Yankees, with a sellout crowd expected. Friendly reminder: They may be wearing New York Yankees uniforms, but most of these guys are likely to open the season as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Nevertheless, Patrick Corbin is making the start, looking to build himself up to five innings if...
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As events unfold in rapid fire, MLB has decision to make

As events unfold in rapid fire, MLB has decision to make
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Seventy-two hours ago, the notion of closing clubhouses to reporters and non-essential team personnel was laughable. Then it happened. Forty-eight hours ago, the suggestion that Major League Baseball games in Seattle, San Francisco and Oakland would have to be relocated or played in empty ballparks sounded ludicrous. Then it happened. Twenty-four hours ago, the possibility of the MLB season not starting on time due to the coronavirus pandemic seemed implausible. It...
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Strasburg slows down, ends up dominating Astros

Strasburg slows down, ends up dominating Astros
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It might sound counterintuitive to someone who can throw a baseball as hard and as precise as he does, but Stephen Strasburg knows he's better when he throws with 90 percent effort, not 100 percent. That's especially true in spring training, when Strasburg's mind tempts him to give everything he's got. "You want to see it for yourself first," the right-hander said. "Because no matter how long the layoff, you want to make sure you've still got it. Then obviously...
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Harris confident he'll be ready for opener (Nats win 6-2)

Harris confident he'll be ready for opener (Nats win 6-2)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Will Harris hasn't pitched in a Grapefruit League game yet, but the veteran reliever is confident he has enough time left to build his body up after suffering an abdominal strain to be part of the Nationals bullpen on opening day. "As of right now, I'll be there," he said. "I'll have cleats on. I'll be ready." Harris, the club's key bullpen acquisition over the winter, threw another bullpen session this morning and said he's progressing as he wants from the...
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Lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

Lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - As opening day inches closer, lineups start to look more and more legit. Well, for some teams, anyway. The Nationals have a whole bunch of regulars playing this afternoon, including Adam Eaton, who will be the DH eight days after he had to leave a game with tightness in his hamstring. That's obviously a good sign. Eaton is batting in his customary No. 2 spot, behind Trea Turner and ahead of Eric Thames, who is the No. 3 hitter du jour. Juan Soto, Howie Kendrick,...
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Scherzer saga feels eerily familiar

Scherzer saga feels eerily familiar
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - If you paid any attention to the saga that was Max Scherzer's summer of 2019, the sequence of events that took place here over the last few days should not have surprised you. First there was manager Davey Martinez hinting that Scherzer might skip his scheduled Grapefruit League start, instead throwing an extra bullpen session, all in the name of saving up some of the bullets in his arm leading up to opening day. Then Martinez revealed Scherzer indeed wouldn't be...
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Braymer tries to make the most of fill-in start for Nats

Braymer tries to make the most of fill-in start for Nats
JUPITER, Fla. - Ben Braymer was told a few days ago to be prepared to start against the Marlins today, so the minor league lefty wasn't completely caught off guard this morning when he officially learned he'd be on the mound to start a Grapefruit League game for the first time. That didn't diminish his enthusiasm for this assignment. "Anytime you get a chance to start a game with the regulars behind you, that's exciting," he said. "I just got a little amped up." With Max Scherzer held...
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