HOUSTON - And we're back. If Game 1 of the World Series wasn't thrilling and/or nerve-racking enough for you, you're in luck because the Nationals and Astros are right back at it tonight for Game 2, with no shortage of storylines to consume.
The most significant, of course, is the overall state of the series following the Nats' 5-4 win last night. All of a sudden, they're sending Stephen Strasburg to the mound with a chance to head home up two games to none in the best-of-seven series. How...
HOUSTON - When he arrived at Minute Maid Park Monday evening for the first time in his life, Juan Soto couldn't help but be tantalized by the tall, out-of-town scoreboard wall that sits a mere 315 feet away down the left field line.
The young outfielder, who turns 21 on Friday, started attacking the wall during batting practice, hitting balls off and over the scoreboard, recognizing this ballpark might just be a perfect fit for his offensive approach.
"Last couple of days, we've been working...
HOUSTON - It's been his mantra all season long, certainly since May 24 and most definitely throughout October. Davey Martinez gets mocked at times for insisting his Nationals simply try to "go 1-0 today," but there's a method to his madness. And you can't dispute the results.
And just because they were in the World Series for the first time in franchise history tonight, the Nationals and their manager weren't about to start changing philosophies now.
When the opportunity presented itself...
HOUSTON - For the first time in a while, Davey Martinez had a lineup decision to make today. With Howie Kendrick serving as designated hitter for Games 1 and 2 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park, the Nationals manager needed to choose between Asdrúbal Cabrera or Brian Dozier to start at second base.
He chose Cabrera, opting for a more consistently productive bat over a more consistently effective defensive player.
"I like the left-handed bat, obviously today," Martinez said. "And...
HOUSTON - The Nationals are playing in the World Series tonight. Yes, that's a true statement. What seemed elusive for so long is reality. At 8:08 p.m. Eastern time, Trea Turner will step into the batter's box and face Gerrit Cole, at which point the 115th Fall Classic will be underway and Washington baseball history will forever be changed.
We've had nearly a week to rehash what happened in the National League Championship Series and preview what could happen in this World Series. None of...
HOUSTON - The Nationals made some tweaks to the fringes of their roster for the World Series, but as we've seen throughout this extended postseason run to date, the National League champs fully intend to stick with the core group of big-name pitchers and lineup regulars in search of their first title.
The Nats added two new relievers for the Fall Classic in Joe Ross and Wander Suero, dropping Austin Voth and Roenis ElÃas from their NL Championship Series bullpen.
The addition of Ross is a...
HOUSTON - When they take the field tonight for the first time as World Series participants, once the players have been introduced, once the anthem has been sung, once the ceremonial first pitch has been thrown, the Nationals will embark on their 11th game of this postseason.
They'll do with Max Scherzer on the mound for the fifth time, fourth as a starter. There's a decent chance they'll be summoning Patrick Corbin out of the bullpen for the fourth time, to go along with two starts.
They'll...
HOUSTON - The decision to start Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in Games 1 and 2 of the World Series was easy for Davey Martinez and the Nationals. The tougher decision is how to line up Patrick Corbin and AnÃbal Sánchez after that, not to mention how to assemble a lineup for these games in an American League ballpark.
Martinez didn't reveal the rotation plan beyond Game 2, and it sounds like the Nationals genuinely don't know yet who they'll give the ball to for Game 3 in D.C. on...
HOUSTON - The Nationals could've gotten cute with their World Series rotation, sticking with the order that led them to a National League Championship Series sweep of the Cardinals and saved up their two best horses for potential Games 6 and 7.
In the end, manager Davey Martinez decided to keep thing simple and just go with his best guys right out of the chute against the Astros' comparable aces.
Max Scherzer will start Game 1 of the Fall Classic on Tuesday night, with Stephen Strasburg on...
The matchup is now set. After a thrilling Game 6 victory over the Yankees late Saturday night, the Astros captured their second American League pennant in three years and thus advanced to the 2019 World Series to face the very well rested Nationals, who today will work out and meet with a throng of media members at Minute Maid Park, with Game 1 of the Fall Classic set for 8:08 p.m. Tuesday.
This World Series may not appeal as much to casual observers and television executives as, say,...
Mike Rizzo has worked in professional baseball for 36 seasons, and until this current campaign he had worked for a team that reached the World Series only once. That was in 2001 with the Diamondbacks, for whom Rizzo served as scouting director.
It's Rizzo's favorite team, from a professional standpoint, and for good reason. It provided him his lone World Series ring, which he wears in public only one day a year: Draft day, to remind him what the whole point of this crazy endeavor is.
That...
This extended break between the National League Championship Series and the World Series offers the Nationals a chance to rest their overworked pitchers and a chance to figure out how to make sure their hitters stay in a rhythm without facing live pitching in actual games for six days.
It also offers ample opportunity for the Nats to consider all their roster, lineup, bullpen and bench options for either potential opponent. Maybe too much opportunity.
"Do our homework," general manager Mike...
On Tuesday night, they celebrated like they'd never celebrated before. Which was appropriate, considering they'd never won the National League pennant before.
So what did the Nationals do on Wednesday?
"Nothing," reliever Sean Doolittle said. "Nothing. I woke up at like 11, I took the dogs for a walk and grabbed some bagels from Bethesda Bagels, and then realized that I didn't have anything to do. So I went back to bed and slept until 5:30."
Suffice it to say, the Nats happily took a day...
So, traditionally we've run this feature right after the Nationals' season ends. But until now, that's always happened by this point of the year. Obviously, the season isn't over yet. But since all but one of the prediction categories from opening day has already been settled, and since we're still trying to fill this long gap between National League Championship Series and World Series, this feels like a good time to revisit our annual media predictions.
In case you don't remember, a...
We're in uncharted waters here, folks. Everything from here on out is brand new, and there's no road map to show us the way. The Nationals are going to the World Series for the first time ... but they're now in Day 2 of a six-day layoff before they take the field again at either Minute Maid Park or Yankee Stadium.
What do we do to fill all this free time? We answer your questions, that's what we do! I know you've got plenty of them stored up, whether looking back on the regular season or...
On March 30, 2008, a wide-eyed young third baseman named Ryan Zimmerman christened the brand-new Nationals Park with a walk-off homer against Braves reliever Peter Moylan. In that moment, as the 23-year-old "Face of the Franchise" circled the bases to a thunderous roar, it was impossible not to wonder if this was merely first of many more thrilling moments to come in that ballpark. Surely there would be pennant races and October clinchers and maybe even a World Series contested on these...
For a team that had to scratch and claw its way back from a 19-31 start to the season, that had to excel in late September to clinch a spot in the National League wild card game, that had to come from behind to win that do-or-die game against the Brewers and that had to come from behind again to win a do-or-die game against the Dodgers to capture its first ever postseason series, this felt too easy.
Up seven runs in the first inning in search of a four-game sweep of the NL Championship Series?...
During those dark days of late May, when the Nationals owned the second-worst record in the National League and calls for change were growing from outside the organization, Mark Lerner did exactly what the clubhouse did. He stuck with his guys, especially manager Davey Martinez.
"It never crossed my mind to dismiss Davey, no matter all the pressure that was put on us," Lerner, the Nationals' managing principal owner, said this evening before Game 4 of the National League Championship Series....
The Nationals have played 2,456 games during their 15 years of existence. Many of those games carried little to no meaning. A decent number of them were significant but not historic. Twenty-eight of them have come in the postseason. None have featured the stakes that are on the table tonight.
For the first time in their history, the Nats are playing for a pennant. One more win over the Cardinals and they'll win the National League Championship Series and reach the World Series. And if they do...
Yes, Patrick Corbin signed with the Nationals last winter because they offered him more years and more dollars than any of the other contenders for the free agent's services. But he also came to Washington because of what he knew he could be a part of: A rotation that would rival any other in baseball, and a team that expected to play in October.
All of that stood out to Corbin, who after coming through the Angels' farm system and then pitching six years in the majors for a Diamondbacks team...