Mark Zuckerman

Game 150 lineups: Nats at Cardinals

September 17, 2019, 12:14pm

ST. LOUIS - There's going to be a lot of scoreboard watching tonight - and pretty much every night over the next 12 days - as four teams (the Nationals, Cardinals, Cubs and Brewers) go down to the wire to secure the three remaining postseason berths available in the National League. There's one thing the Nationals can do, however, to make life easier on everyone: Win tonight's game. Every day the Nats win a game from here on out is a day they get closer to locking up a wild card berth....

325 Hits

Comments

Tags:

How the Nationals turned a comfortable lead into a tight race

September 16, 2019, 10:52pm

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - For more than two months now, the Nationals have not only been in wild card position but (aside from a couple of days) have been in the driver's seat to host the Oct. 1 winner-take-all game. As recently as two weeks ago, they held a four-game lead over the Cubs for home field advantage and a seven-game lead for a spot in the wild card game. And by the end of play tonight, they could have given all of it back. The combination of a sluggish September (6-9) for the Nationals with a...

292 Hits

Comments

Tags:

chicago cubs mark zuckerman milwaukee brewers nationals nationals pastime st. louis cardinals wild card game featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Nats' lead in wild card shrinks again after 4-2 loss (updated)

September 16, 2019, 6:49pm

Nationals

Nats' lead in wild card shrinks again after 4-2 loss (updated)

ST. LOUIS - Chip Hale insisted he would manage this game just like Davey Martinez, believing that he wanted to keep things as similar as possible tonight, even as the Nationals skipper watched from back home in Washington while recovering from a minor procedure after experiencing chest pain. Beyond that, Hale just believes he and Martinez are on the same wavelength when it comes to managing this team through a tight ballgame. The key decisions Hale made tonight - pulling Stephen Strasburg after...

285 Hits

Comments

Tags:

chip hale hunter strickland mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime sean doolittle st. louis cardinals stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Strasburg laboring against patient Cards lineup (game tied 2-2)

September 16, 2019, 5:12pm

Nationals

Strasburg laboring against patient Cards lineup (game tied 2-2)

ST. LOUIS - On a muggy Monday night at Busch Stadium, the last thing the Nationals needed was a short outing from Stephen Strasburg. Alas, that's exactly what they appear to be getting. Though he has allowed only two runs so far, Strasburg has thrown a whopping 76 pitches through three innings against a Cardinals lineup that is making the Nats right-hander work as hard as he has all season. Strasburg needed 38 pitches just to complete the bottom of the first, with four of St. Louis' first six...

272 Hits

Comments

Tags:

mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime st. louis cardinals stephen strasburg victor robles featured_sidebar frontfeatured_nationals

Martinez has procedure after chest pain, stays in D.C.

September 16, 2019, 2:39pm

Nationals

Martinez has procedure after chest pain, stays in D.C.

ST. LOUIS - Davey Martinez experienced chest pain during Sunday's game and underwent a minor procedure this morning in Washington that will prevent him from managing tonight's game and perhaps more until doctors clear him to return to work, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo revealed late this afternoon. Bench coach Chip Hale, who finished out Sunday's 7-0 win over the Braves after Martinez fell ill during the sixth inning, will manage in his stead. First base coach Tim Bogar will shift to...

352 Hits

Comments

Tags:

chip hale davey martinez mark zuckerman mike rizzo nationals nationals pastime st. louis cardinals trea turner featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 149 lineups: Nats at Cardinals (Martinez stays in D.C.)

September 16, 2019, 12:09pm

Nationals

Game 149 lineups: Nats at Cardinals (Martinez stays in D.C.)

ST. LOUIS - The Nationals have just announced that Davey Martinez remains in Washington for precautionary medical testing. Bench coach Chip Hale revealed after Sunday's game that the manager had gone to the hospital because he wasn't feeling well, but that he was expected to be with the team in St. Louis for tonight's series opener. Instead, Hale will manage the club in Martinez's absence tonight. The Nationals face another stiff challenge in the Central-leading Cardinals, who suffered a...

285 Hits

Comments

Tags:

chip hale davey martinez lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime st. louis cardinals stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Unable to play every day, Kendrick making most of chances

September 15, 2019, 7:36pm

Nationals

Unable to play every day, Kendrick making most of chances

Howie Kendrick is the best hitter on the Nationals roster not named Anthony Rendon. And he's not too far removed from the National League MVP candidate. After a three-hit, three-RBI performance during Sunday's 7-0 win over the Braves, Kendrick owns a .336 batting average and .945 OPS. He has 15 homers and 60 RBIs. All this while receiving only 337 plate appearances, only slightly more than half as many as Rendon has logged. So why isn't Kendrick playing more? It's been a common refrain from...

240 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves howie kendrick mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime victor robles featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Nats shut out Braves, Martinez hospitalized (updated)

September 15, 2019, 12:42pm

Nationals

Nats shut out Braves, Martinez hospitalized (updated)

The Nationals needed to win today, plain and simple. It did not matter who they were playing. It did not matter who was on the mound for either team. It did not matter how they felt physically or emotionally as they navigate their way through a particularly grueling final portion of their schedule. It didn't even matter who was managing from the dugout. After dropping the first two games of this series and after dropping 8-of-12 overall to see their once-comfortable lead in the wild card race...

276 Hits

Comments

Tags:

anibal sanchez atlanta braves davey martinez howie kendrick mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime yan gomes featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Culberson cleared to fly home, Martinez explains request

September 15, 2019, 9:12am

Nationals

Culberson cleared to fly home, Martinez explains request

Charlie Culberson suffered multiple facial fractures when he was hit in the right cheek trying to bunt a fastball from Nationals reliever Fernando Rodney during Saturday's game, but the Braves utilityman was released from the hospital later in the evening, spent the night at the team's hotel and has been cleared to fly home to Atlanta today. All things considered, that was positive news from everyone's perspective today at Nationals Park, where the two clubs are preparing to play their...

302 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves charlie culberson davey martinez fernando rodney mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime tim timmons featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Voth shines again vs. Braves, could earn bullpen role in October

September 14, 2019, 9:19pm

Nationals

Voth shines again vs. Braves, could earn bullpen role in October

Before the bullpen implosion, before the scary sight of Charlie Culberson getting hit in the face by a fastball, before the Nationals saw their lead in the wild card race shrink again, there was far and away the most encouraging element of Saturday's loss: Austin Voth. The game can cleanly been broken into two parts: Voth's start, and everything that came after it. When the young right-hander departed, the Nats led the Braves 1-0. From that point on, Atlanta scored 10 unanswered runs. "He's...

252 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves austin voth mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Meltdown vs. Braves shrinks Nats' wild card lead (updated)

September 14, 2019, 3:34pm

Nationals

Meltdown vs. Braves shrinks Nats' wild card lead (updated)

Forget about a division title. That's been out of reach for more than a week now. Forget even for a moment about home field advantage in the wild card game, which is still in their possession but feels less important right now than the Nationals' first and foremost goal over the regular season's final two weeks. No, at this point in time the Nationals need to be worried most about reaching the wild card game at all, because while they remain in an advantageous position to achieve that...

273 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves austin voth davey martinez erick fedde fernando rodney mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime wander suero featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Suzuki starts swinging, but still slow to progress

September 14, 2019, 11:13am

Nationals

Suzuki starts swinging, but still slow to progress

Kurt Suzuki took a small step forward in his return from a right elbow injury, but the veteran catcher still has a significant way to go before he's back in the Nationals lineup. Suzuki took some swings in the batting cage Friday, his first baseball activities since he had to depart a game Sept. 7 in Atlanta with what the club so far has only referred to as elbow inflammation. The 35-year-old catcher has not been cleared to hit live pitching or throw a baseball yet, and it could still be a...

317 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves joe ross kurt suzuki mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 147 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

September 14, 2019, 8:25am

Nationals

Though their hopes of a fifth division title in eight years have all but been quashed, the Nationals still need to win as many games as they can as they attempt to lock up at least a wild card berth and preferably home field advantage for that winner-take-all game. Which means they need to win some games against the Braves. That's not something they've done much during the second half of this season. They're 4-8 versus Atlanta since the All-Star break, 7-10 overall for the season, with two...

322 Hits

Comments

Tags:

atlanta braves austin voth lineups mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime raudy read frontstory_nationals2

Cabrera keeps hitting, keeps getting starts

September 12, 2019, 9:37pm

Nationals

Cabrera keeps hitting, keeps getting starts

MINNEAPOLIS - The Nationals signed AsdrÃºbal Cabrera to a league minimum deal on Aug. 6 because they needed some short-term help on the right side of the infield. Ryan Zimmerman and Howie Kendrick were both hurt, so the presence of a veteran switch-hitter who could come off the bench and make a start or two at second base and first base was needed. One month later, Cabrera has turned into a vital part of the Nationals' daily lineup, one of the hottest hitters in the league and suddenly their...

303 Hits

Comments

Tags:

asdrubal cabrera brian dozier davey martinez mark zuckerman minnesota twins nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Bats come up big as Nats maintain wild card lead (updated)

September 12, 2019, 8:15pm

Nationals

Bats come up big as Nats maintain wild card lead (updated)

MINNEAPOLIS - A night getaway game combined with a rain delay might have left the Nationals tired and dreading an overnight flight home in advance of tomorrow's series opener with the Braves. But if nothing else, it gave the Nats a rare opportunity to know exactly what was needed of them on this night, because every other contender for a berth in the National League wild card game had already finished playing. And because the Cubs, Brewers, Mets and Phillies all won, the Nationals knew they...

278 Hits

Comments

Tags:

anthony rendon asdrubal cabrera fernando rodney juan soto mark zuckerman matt adams minnesota twins nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Rendon is nominee for Clemente Award (Nats lead 10-3)

September 12, 2019, 3:44pm

Nationals

Rendon is nominee for Clemente Award (Nats lead 10-3)

MINNEAPOLIS - Anthony Rendon is in the running for some major end-of-season awards for his on-field performance. Now he's also in the running for a major award for his off-the-field performance. Rendon was named today as the Nationals' nominee for the 2019 Roberto Clemente Award, which annually honors one major leaguer who "best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field." It's...

271 Hits

Comments

Tags:

anthony rendon mark zuckerman minnesota twins nationals nationals pastime roberto clemente award featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Gomes starts six in a row, but Read likely to catch Saturday

September 12, 2019, 2:33pm

Nationals

Gomes starts six in a row, but Read likely to catch Saturday

MINNEAPOLIS - Yan Gomes starts his sixth consecutive game behind the plate tonight. That's not something the Nationals ever planned to do this season, not with Kurt Suzuki sharing time as part of a potent one-two catching punch. But with Suzuki now nursing a right elbow injury, the Nats have had little choice but to keep putting Gomes out there and hope for the best. It's been a hit-or-miss proposition. Literally. Gomes clubbed two homers during Sunday's win in Atlanta, but has otherwise...

287 Hits

Comments

Tags:

adam eaton juan soto kurt suzuki mark zuckerman minnesota twins nationals nationals pastime yan gomes featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Game 145 lineups: Nats at Twins

September 12, 2019, 12:08pm

Nationals

MINNEAPOLIS - It's another gloomy, gray day here in the Twin Cities, and the rain is supposed to continue into the evening hours. It is, however, supposed to stop at some point. Which means the Nationals and Twins may have no choice but to sit around and wait so they can get tonight's series finale in as scheduled. Each team only has one remaining off-day, and they're not the same. So if they somehow can't play tonight, the only option for a makeup game would be Sept. 30, the day in between...

275 Hits

Comments

Tags:

asdrubal cabrera lineups mark zuckerman matt adams minnesota twins nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin frontstory_nationals2

Zimmerman producing - and playing - more than expected

September 11, 2019, 8:59pm

Nationals

Zimmerman producing - and playing - more than expected

MINNEAPOLIS - The Nationals had modest expectations for Ryan Zimmerman when he returned from the injured list 11 days ago. The veteran first baseman had played in only 33 games through the season's first five months, unable to keep himself active for any length of time due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Davey Martinez didn't sugarcoat his intentions for Zimmerman at that point. He'd start a few games, especially against left-handers, and be available off the bench to pinch-hit or...

0 Hits

Comments

Tags:

davey martinez mark zuckerman minnesota twins nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Nationals score early, avoid drama late in victory (updated)

September 11, 2019, 6:57pm

Nationals

MINNEAPOLIS - They got the early offense they've been seeking for most of the last week-plus. They got another quality, if a bit briefer than hoped, start from Stephen Strasburg. Now the Nationals needed three clean innings from their bullpen in order to beat a very good Twins club. That should be a nice, simple formula for success. But as anyone who has followed this team all season, it's never that nice or simple. Though they certainly came close to making it simple tonight. Getting nine...