MIAMI - The Nationals have proven they can win in blowout fashion, having done it each of the previous three days. It's the close games they're still having trouble with, and tonight was merely the latest example ... with a twist.
With an opportunity to extend their winning streak to four games and potentially pick up ground again on both the Phillies and Braves, the Nationals pulled off a top-of-the-ninth rally to tie the Marlins and send the game into extra innings, only to then lose in the...
MIAMI - Stephen Strasburg rejoined the Nationals today and is extremely optimistic he'll be pitching for them again in the near future after receiving a nerve-block injection in his neck two days ago.
"It's very encouraging," the right-hander said. "I think they've kind of crossed all the boxes now, and it seems like it's something that should be good to go, and I'm excited to get back out there with the guys."
Strasburg thought he was on track to do just that when he returned from a...
MIAMI - Three wins in a row is nice. Four in a row would be nicer for a Nationals club that flat-out owns the Marlins right now. The Nats are 8-1 against them this season, 16-1 over the last calendar year. And they've still got 10 more games to play vs. Miami in 2018.
Gio Gonzalez has been a part of that ownage. The Miami native went 4-0 with a 1.59 ERA against the Marlins last season and allowed two runs in five innings in his lone appearance against them so far this year. It's been said...
MIAMI - Anyone who watched Daniel Murphy in his first week back from major knee surgery could tell the veteran second baseman wasn't himself at the plate. One of baseball's best pure hitters the last two-plus seasons, Murphy opened his 2018 campaign 3-for-29 with five strikeouts for the Nationals.
Anyone who watched Murphy in his second and third weeks back from major knee surgery could tell he was better, but still not himself at the plate. Though he was starting to make better contact and...
MIAMI - If the intention of Nationals players this weekend is to convince the front office to keep believing in their chances and not sell before Tuesday's trade deadline, they've done everything they can the last 48 hours to move the needle in their preferred direction.
It helps, of course, to be facing the Marlins. And to have Max Scherzer starting one of these games.
Not that the Nationals are about to apologize for their performance in the first two games of what could be a critical...
MIAMI - They may not have room for him in their crowded outfield right now, but Victor Robles is healthy again and available should the Nationals require his services before season's end.
Robles, who entered the year as the organization's top prospect only to hyperextend his left elbow making a diving catch at Triple-A Syracuse in early April, has completed his rehab and is back on the Chiefs' active roster.
The 21-year-old outfielder probably would have been playing in Washington after...
MIAMI - The Nationals have received what they believe to be good news about Stephen Strasburg, though it's still an open question when the right-hander will be ready to pitch again.
Strasburg, in Los Angeles on Thursday to have his ailing neck examined by a neurologist, was given a shot and is set to rejoin the Nationals in Miami on Saturday. He'll need to wait 72 hours for the shot to take full effect, but provided he feels well at that point he'll be cleared to resume throwing.
"That's...
MIAMI - The last time the Nationals won three in a row, the opponent was the Marlins. This was three weeks ago in D.C., a streak that began with a record-breaking comeback from nine runs down. Miami's starting pitcher that evening: Pablo López, who is starting tonight's game as well.
The Nats actually didn't get off to a good start that evening against López, who faced the minimum through his first three innings. Then they finally got to the young right-hander in the fourth and fifth,...
MIAMI - More from Thursday night's 10-3 victory over the Marlins ...
* This wasn't the first time the Nationals needed to summon a starter from Triple-A Syracuse to fill in for a regular member of the big league rotation. They previously had called upon Erick Fedde, Jefry Rodriguez and Austin Voth for situations such as the one they faced Thursday, when Stephen Strasburg landed back on the disabled list.
It took until now, though, for the Nats to call upon Tommy Milone, and that was the...
MIAMI - Their No. 2 starter back on the disabled list with a mysterious neck injury, two of their top hitters out of the lineup and their emergency starter in a three-run hole early, the Nationals had given even their most ardent supporters no legitimate reason to be optimistic after one inning of baseball tonight at Marlins Park.
If this weekend series really is going to determine the front office's approach to Tuesday's trade deadline, and by extension determine whether a late-season run is...
MIAMI - When Daniel Murphy, originally listed in the Nationals lineup for tonight's series opener against the Marlins, was scratched about 3 1/2 hours before first pitch, it was only natural for conspiracy theorists out there to wonder if the veteran second baseman had just become the first victim of an unexpected late-July fire sale.
Rest assured, the Nationals didn't trade Murphy, nor have they made any decisions to become surprise sellers in advance of Tuesday's trade deadline. Not yet,...
MIAMI - Stephen Strasburg, despite a poor pitching line, didn't report any physical issues following his start Friday night against the Braves, his first outing following a six-week stint on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. Strasburg also didn't report any problems after he threw off the bullpen mound in Milwaukee on Monday.
But when the right-hander returned to the clubhouse Wednesday morning after playing catch at Miller Park, he informed manager Davey Martinez something was wrong...
MIAMI - So the tone of this weekend's series at Marlins Park has changed just a bit, even in the last 24 hours, huh? The immediate issue: Stephen Strasburg isn't pitching tonight as planned. He's back on the disabled list with a neck injury, only one start after he returned from his shoulder injury. So in his place is Tommy Milone, promoted from Triple-A Syracuse to make an emergency start tonight.
Milone, you'll remember made his major league debut for the Nationals way back in 2011 (and...
Trea Turner was named the Nationals' 2018 recipient of the Heart and Hustle Award, a deserving honor for the talented and giving shortstop, though the timing of the announcement was less than ideal on the day his manager suggested he'll likely be benched for failing to run out a bunt during Monday night's loss in Milwaukee.
The Heart and Hustle Award is handed out annually by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, which seeks to recognize one player from each club who...
More from Sunday's twice-delayed, 6-2 victory over the Braves ...
* Davey Martinez managed this game like it was being played in September or October. Which, to be honest, is probably how he needs to manage just about every game the rest of the way, certainly those against the Braves and Phillies.
The difference was most noticeable following the second rain delay, at which point the rookie manager had to try to piece together three innings from a bullpen that was without Sean Doolittle (on the...
Whether it came via a Max Scherzer gem, an offensive explosion, a grind-it-out nailbiter or even a rain-shortened affair, the Nationals knew only one thing when they took the field today: They needed to win this game against the Braves, one way or another.
They got their wish, but it didn't come easily to a team that sure could've used a relaxing day at the park. Instead, a combination of clutch hits, a gutsy performance from a less-than-perfect Scherzer, some outstanding defense, two rain...
The Nationals knew they couldn't stick with a six-man bullpen for long. They just needed to figure out how to clear a roster spot to address that need.
They found a way today, trading outfielder Brian Goodwin to the Royals for minor league pitcher Jacob Condra-Bogan, then recalling left-hander Sammy SolÃs from Triple-A Syracuse to give themselves a full relief corps again.
Goodwin, a member of the Nationals since they used a first-round pick on him in 2011 and a key member of last season's...
The Nationals are going to be without their All-Star closer a while longer than they initially expected.
Sean Doolittle, who hoped the injury to his left foot that sidelined him for the first week before the All-Star break and then prevented him from pitching in the Midsummer Classic at Nationals Park, learned this weekend he'll be out several more weeks after a follow-up MRI revealed a "stress reaction" in the bridge of the foot.
The injury, which is not as severe as a stress fracture, is...
The sun is out on South Capitol Street. At least, it is at the moment I'm typing this. It's probably not going to stay that way through the afternoon, with more rain forecast to sweep through the region on the heels of Saturday's deluge. The Nationals aren't calling the series finale against the Braves off just yet, and my hunch is they'll be more willing to wait around a bit today to try to get this one in, given the fact they already have to squeeze one makeup game into Atlanta's next...
The Nationals are going to have to wait a while longer to try to get over Friday night's loss to the Braves and everything else that accompanied it.
Tonight's game at Nationals Park was postponed a full five hours before scheduled first pitch, with heavy rain dousing the area all morning and expected to continue straight through the evening.
No makeup plans were immediately announced, but a Sunday doubleheader doesn't appear to be a viable option because the forecast remains lousy and the...