Nationals come up big to beat Braves in series opener (updated)

Nationals come up big to beat Braves in series opener (updated)
It's only June 21, so there's still the promise of far more important baseball games yet to be played. But in order for those future games to carry real importance, the Nationals know they needed to treat this June 21 game as though it was taking place on Aug. 21. And so here was Davey Martinez pulling out all the stops in tonight's series opener against the Braves, trying out a different lineup combination, then turning to whatever available arms he had at his disposal in an attempt to...
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Zimmerman begins rehab assignment at Harrisburg

Zimmerman begins rehab assignment at Harrisburg
Ryan Zimmerman is in a starting lineup and playing in a baseball game tonight - in Harrisburg, Pa. Which suggests the veteran first baseman could be back playing in a baseball game in Washington soon. Zimmerman is beginning a long-awaited rehab assignment tonight, starting at first base and batting third for Double-A Harrisburg in his first game action in nearly two months. On the injured list since April 28 with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, Zimmerman is scheduled to play five innings...
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Game 75 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

Game 75 lineups: Nats vs. Braves
This week's series against the Phillies was big. This weekend's series against the Braves might be even bigger. The Nationals are feeling good about themselves after sweeping Philadelphia and winning 17 of 24. But now they face the hottest team in the majors, the one now comfortably in first place in the National League East. The good news: The Nats are 2-0 against the Braves this season, having swept a quick series at SunTrust Park three weeks ago. But they're facing a bit of a different...
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Nationals finally winning games via standout defense

Nationals finally winning games via standout defense
It would not be accurate to refer to the Nationals as a "good defensive team." They still rank close to the bottom of the majors in every defensive metric, both traditional and new-age. But it would be accurate to say the Nationals are playing much better defense right now than they did through the season's first two months. Back then, it felt like they failed to make one or two plays every night that directly contributed to a loss. Right now, it feels like they're making one or two plays...
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Nationals blast Phillies en route to series sweep (updated)

Nationals blast Phillies en route to series sweep (updated)
They knew at the outset this was a big week, and they didn't shy away from admitting that. And though they had to wait through two rainouts and watch as one of the games was rescheduled for late September, once the Nationals finally took the field against the Phillies, they got down to business and played like their season depended on it. Which, it's not unfair to say, it probably does. In that regard, there's nothing bad you can say about what transpired at Nationals Park over the last 36...
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Nationals clubhouse supports plan to extend netting

Nationals clubhouse supports plan to extend netting
The Nationals were at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago last week when a foul ball went screaming into the stands down the third base line and struck a woman, who then needed to be hospitalized. Players had long expressed concerns about dangerous moments like that and supported the idea of extending protective nets at ballparks farther down the lines, and that incident only bolstered their opinion. So today's announcement by managing principal owner Mark Lerner that the club will extend the...
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Game 74 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 74 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
The Nationals have swept a couple of two-game series this season, but they've yet to sweep a three-game series. This wouldn't be a bad time to break through that barrier, would it? After taking both ends of Wednesday's doubleheader, the Nats now have a chance with a win tonight over the Phillies to sweep the three-game set (condensed from the original four-game plan). They're sending Erick Fedde to the mound instead of Stephen Strasburg, who initially was scheduled to start tonight but was...
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Scherzer delivers twinbill shiner to Phillies

Scherzer delivers twinbill shiner to Phillies
When his pitching days are over and the countdown to Cooperstown begins, Max Scherzer will look back at a handful of starts that defined his career. He'll remember the two no-hitters. He'll remember the 20-strikeout game. He'll remember the time he became the first major leaguer in three decades to begin a season 13-0. And he'll remember "The Black Eye Game," the game in which the right-hander took the mound with a huge shiner surrounding his right eye after he broke his nose during a...
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Rainey steps up in highest-leverage spot to date

Rainey steps up in highest-leverage spot to date
Slowly but surely, Davey Martinez has begun to entrust high-leverage situations to Tanner Rainey. But this was the highest-leverage situation to date, considering the score, the opponent and the overall stakes. With the Nationals up 3-1 in the top of the eighth Wednesday afternoon, and the top of the Phillies lineup set to bat, Martinez handed the ball to Rainey and watched to see how the rookie reliever would handle the pressure. The answer: He handled it quite well, pitching out of a...
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Game 73 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 73 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
They got through the opener of today's doubleheader without incident, the skies remaining clear and the field dry throughout the Nationals' 6-2 win over the Phillies. Now they're hoping for similar good fortune in the nightcap of this day-night doubleheader. The forecast has steadily improved throughout the day, though there does remain a chance of rain later tonight. The Nats are confident enough in the forecast to send Max Scherzer to the mound, broken nose, black eye and all. Talk about...
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After long wait, Corbin and Nats get back on track (updated)

After long wait, Corbin and Nats get back on track (updated)
The Nationals waited 48 hours to take the field again, but Patrick Corbin had to wait a full eight days to take the mound again after a rocky start in Chicago that left the left-hander searching for an answer to his wayward command. With an extra day of rest between starts, then back-to-back rainouts to sit through, Corbin had far too much time to contemplate his woes and try to formulate a plan to get himself back on track against a tough Phillies lineup. "I thought I was going to have to...
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Scherzer plans to pitch tonight with broken nose

Scherzer plans to pitch tonight with broken nose
If the Nationals play tonight, they expect Max Scherzer to take the mound, broken nose, black eye and all. "I am convinced right now that Scherzer is going to pitch the second game," manager Davey Martinez said this morning before the opener of the Nationals' scheduled day-night doubleheader with the Phillies. "And then we'll go from there." Scherzer broke his nose when he fouled off a bunt attempt Tuesday during batting practice. He was checked out by doctors, got a clean bill of health...
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Game 72 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies (take three)

Game 72 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies (take three)
Hey, let's give this another try, shall we? After waiting out Monday night's rain only to postpone the game, then after waiting out Tuesday night's rain only to postpone the game, the Nationals and Phillies are theoretically going to play a day-night doubleheader today. I say theoretically, because today's forecast is even worse, and it's going to be this way all day and all night. But they have to at least give it a shot, so first pitch of Game 1 is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Patrick Corbin...
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Scherzer breaks nose, status for next start TBD (game postponed)

Scherzer breaks nose, status for next start TBD (game postponed)
Max Scherzer suffered a broken nose earlier today on an errant bunt attempt during batting practice, and his status for Wednesday's scheduled start against the Phillies is to be determined, the Nationals announced this evening. Scherzer was taking BP on the field this afternoon when he bunted a ball that caromed up and struck him in the face. The right-hander returned to the clubhouse alongside director of athletic training Paul Lessard, with blood visible around his nose, and retreated to the...
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Scherzer incident, return of rain leave pitching plan up in air

Scherzer incident, return of rain leave pitching plan up in air
The Nationals aren't announcing their pitching plan for Wednesday's doubleheader just yet, for multiple reasons. Including the suddenly unknown status of their ace after he bunted a ball off his face today. Max Scherzer, presumed to be starting one of the games of the day-night doubleheader against the Phillies, was taking batting practice on the field this afternoon when he bunted a ball that then struck his face. The right-hander returned to the clubhouse alongside director of athletic...
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Game 72 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies (take two)

Game 72 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies (take two)
There is at least a 40 percent chance of rain in Washington every hour between 7 p.m. tonight and 11 p.m. Wednesday. The Nationals and Phillies, of course, are attempting to play three ballgames during that window. We'll see how that all works out. For now, we'll just focus on trying to get one game played tonight. The long-awaited series opener between these teams features the same lineups and pitching matchup that were intended to be used last night. That means Patrick Corbin again will...
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After rainout, Nationals have pitching decisions to make

After rainout, Nationals have pitching decisions to make
The Nationals didn't want to postpone Monday night's series opener against the Phillies. They'd have much rather played as scheduled and not waited out a nearly 3-hour rain delay before calling it and rescheduling a day-night doubleheader for Wednesday. But after waiting through that interminable delay, one that included several rounds of rain but also several rounds of clear skies, the Nats were left with little choice but to postpone. And that means they've now got some tricky pitching...
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Nats' series opener vs. Phillies postponed after long wait

Nats' series opener vs. Phillies postponed after long wait
They waited through a couple early, quick downpours. Then they waited through an hour of dry skies with patches of blue above South Capitol Street. But once another downpour struck the area nearly two hours after scheduled first pitch and rain continued to fall for another hour, the Nationals postponed tonight's series opener against the Phillies. The two teams will play a split doubleheader Wednesday, with the makeup game starting at 1:05 p.m. and the regularly scheduled game starting at 7:05...
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Suzuki fine, Robles batting ninth, Rendon still fifth in voting

Suzuki fine, Robles batting ninth, Rendon still fifth in voting
Though he didn't feel great, Kurt Suzuki wasn't particularly worried Sunday afternoon after a bounced pitch struck him in the neck. You don't spend two decades as a catcher without getting banged up in every conceivable manner, and sure enough Suzuki had experienced this particular situation before and knew it wasn't as serious as everyone else inside Nationals Park assumed it was. "I just knew what was possibly coming, that's all," he said. What was possibly coming was what did come...
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Game 72 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 72 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
The last time the Phillies were in D.C., the story was all Bryce Harper all the time. Harper's first series at Nationals Park as a visiting player was a major event, and the negative reception he got from Nats fans made for quite a scene. Now as Harper returns for the second of three trips to Washington this season, the focus seemingly has shifted away from the slugger and toward these two teams as a whole. This is a big series, no matter Harper's presence. Fans may continue to boo him, but...
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