ATLANTA - If the streak was going to end, this probably felt like the night it would happen, with the backup to the backup starter on the mound. If a member of the Nationals rotation was going to take a loss for the first time in 28 games, Joe Ross was a good candidate.
And yet tonight's 7-1 loss to the Braves can't really be pinned on Ross, who did all the Nats could have asked of him under the circumstances. He gave them a chance to win.
"He looked good," manager Davey Martinez said. "He...
ATLANTA - Ryan Zimmerman's return from plantar fasciitis appears to have lasted only three weeks.
Zimmerman winced as he ran down the first base line for an infield single in the top of the second inning tonight at SunTrust Park and had to depart the Nationals' series finale against the Braves.
The Nationals didn't immediately announce a reason for Zimmerman's departure, but it appeared he aggravated the same right heel injury that sidelined him from late April through late June.
The...
ATLANTA - The Nationals are preparing for Max Scherzer to return to the rotation Thursday afternoon and start their series finale against the Rockies.
Scherzer, who hasn't pitched since July 6 due to an inflamed bursa sac underneath his right shoulder blade, continues to feel better from a cortisone shot he received earlier in the week. Manager Davey Martinez said the right-hander is scheduled to throw a full bullpen session Monday afternoon at Nationals Park.
"We'll see how that goes,"...
ATLANTA - The Nationals have a chance to take three of four from the Braves with a win in tonight's series finale. They would've loved to have Max Scherzer on the mound for this one, as originally hoped, but that won't happen. They planned to have Austin Voth on the mound, but that won't happen either. The right-hander has been placed on the 10-day injured list with right biceps tendinitis. So it's Plan C, and that's Joe Ross.
It's been a weird season for Ross, to say the least. He's...
ATLANTA - Sean Doolittle, still on something of an emotional high after notching a five-out save Saturday night, was asked about the significance of extending himself beyond his normal workload for this particular game.
"I think just where we're at right now in the season - the standings, against the Braves, especially after losing a tough one last night - I don't know if tonight was necessarily a must-win game, but it was definitely a big win for us," he said. "It was kind of all hands on...
ATLANTA - Davey Martinez wasn't willing to use Sean Doolittle in the ninth inning Friday night. He was willing to use his closer in the eighth inning tonight.
And the Nationals manager was rewarded for his aggressive pitching maneuver with a nip-and-tuck victory that ensures his team will at worst split this weekend's series against the division leaders.
Doolittle, making his first appearance in a week, recorded five outs to preserve the Nationals' 5-3 win over the Braves, a tense affair...
ATLANTA - Austin Voth may not be able to make his start in place of Max Scherzer on Sunday night, but Scherzer's chances of starting later in the week jumped up significantly after the Nationals ace was able to throw off a bullpen mound today for the first time since he went on the injured list.
Since it became clear Scherzer wouldn't be ready to return from his back injury in time to face the Braves this weekend, Voth has appeared to be the logical candidate to start Sunday night's series...
ATLANTA - The Nationals are attempting to pick themselves up off the mat after Friday night's crushing loss. But in order to do that, they'll need to take down the Braves' ace tonight.
Mike Soroka, the 21-year-old owner of a 10-1 record and 2.24 ERA, takes the mound at SunTrust Park. He hasn't take a loss since April 18 against the Diamondbacks. The Nats got a brief look at the right-hander last month in D.C., but you'll remember he had to depart after only two innings when he was hit by a...
ATLANTA - The bottom of the ninth at SunTrust Park last night left a sour taste in the Nationals' mouths. But it couldn't completely wash away the brief moment of exuberance they felt in the top of the ninth when Victor Robles provided his latest bit of late-game heroics.
Robles' game-tying, two-run homer with two outs against Braves closer Luke Jackson was a jaw-dropping moment for the Nationals rookie, who has provided several of them already this season.
"That was an unbelievable home...
ATLANTA - They had just watched Victor Robles provide the latest in a summer full of jaw-dropping, inspiring moments to bring the Nationals back from the dead. Down to their last out in what had been a sleepy night at SunTrust Park for 8 2/3 innings, the Nats had just tied the game on Robles' monster home run off Braves closer Luke Jackson.
And then, chaos. And confusion. And a dispiriting, 4-3 loss to Atlanta that opened up manager Davey Martinez to all sorts of questions and criticism for...
ATLANTA - An inflamed bursa sac in his back will prevent Max Scherzer from pitching Sunday night against the Braves, but the Nationals ace is optimistic he'll be good to go soon, once a cortisone shot he received earlier this week takes full effect.
Scherzer, who hasn't pitched since July 6 due to what initially was explained by the Nationals to be a mid-back strain, learned on Monday he's actually dealing with scapulothoracic bursitis: inflammation of the bursa sac between his scapula and...
ATLANTA - The Nationals couldn't have asked for a better start to this big weekend series. Now they'll look to keep it rolling tonight and perhaps move to within three games in the loss column of the Braves.
They'll do so with a historically notable battery. Patrick Corbin and Yan Gomes are each celebrating their birthdays today (Gomes is 32, Corbin is 30). And they're paired up, which makes this only the second time in major league history that a starting pitcher and catcher have shared...
ATLANTA - Stephen Strasburg stole the show Thursday night, but there was more to the Nationals' 13-4 win over the Braves than the right-hander's stunning offensive performance. ...
* Ryan Zimmerman hit the ball hard four times and wound up with two doubles. It began as a frustrating evening for Zimmerman, who was 0-for-3 through four innings and struck out with two on, one out and the Nats leading 2-1 in the top of the third. But two of his outs came on balls that left his bat at more than...
ATLANTA - The ball cracked off his bat at 105 mph and soared on a 420-foot journey over the left field bullpen at SunTrust Park. And as the big slugger rounded the bases, the visitors' dugout roared with approval and formed its customary dance line to greet the man who had just clubbed this no-doubt home run.
And then Stephen Strasburg danced.
It was awkward, to be sure. And it required some help from Gerardo Parra, the veteran outfielder who started this whole home run dance phenomenon...
ATLANTA - Stephen Strasburg has become the latest Nationals hitter to go through the dugout dance line following a home run.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Strasburg launched a 420-foot laser over the left field bullpen at SunTrust Park, capping an eight-run top of the third for the Nationals, who have opened up a commanding lead over the Braves in the opener of this critical, four-game weekend series.
The Nats had already plated five runs in the inning before Strasburg stepped to the plate. (He...
ATLANTA - If Max Scherzer is going to face the Braves this weekend, he's going to have to make some significant strides in the next 24 hours. And he's going to have to convince the Nationals powers that it's worth putting him on the mound even if he's potentially not 100 percent healthy.
Scherzer, who hasn't pitched since July 6 due to a mid-back strain, played catch on flat ground this afternoon for the third straight day. Manager Davey Martinez described that throwing session, from 90...
ATLANTA - No team in baseball has a better winning percentage since May 25 than the Nationals: .690. The next-best winning percentage after that: .659, by the Braves. And so the Nats, in spite of their torrid pace for nearly two months, have barely gained any ground on the National League East leaders, who enter play today 6 1/2 games up (only five in the loss column).
There are, however, 14 head-to-head games still on the schedule between these teams. A whopping 21 percent of the Nationals'...
BALTIMORE - Ask him before the game how he'd feel about six innings of one-run ball from Erick Fedde, and Davey Martinez would've scooped it up in a heartbeat and been content with it 'til the cows come home.
But when that very proposition came true tonight, Martinez was faced with a decision he never could have foreseen. Fedde had only thrown 66 pitches in those six innings. His bullpen was rested and ready to go, trying to protect a one-run lead over the Orioles. Would he let his young...
BALTIMORE - Max Scherzer again played catch in the outfield at Camden Yards today, but his status for this weekend's series in Atlanta won't be known for at least another 24 hours.
Scherzer, on the 10-day injured list with a mid-back strain, threw from up to 90 feet on flat ground this afternoon. The Nationals ace had a long conversation with director of athletic training Paul Lessard at the end of the workout, but manager Davey Martinez described the throwing session as "encouraging"...
BALTIMORE - The Nationals got a strong start from an inexperienced right-hander last night, helping set the stage for a win over the Orioles. They'll hope for another tonight, and a two-game sweep at scorching hot and humid Camden Yards, where the heat index as I type this is a mere 110.
Erick Fedde takes the mound for his first big league start since June 20, when he lasted only 3 2/3 innings against the Phillies, having thrown a whopping 84 pitches. Like Austin Voth last night, he's trying...