Nats get veteran Kendrick from Phillies for minor league pitcher

Nats get veteran Kendrick from Phillies for minor league pitcher
The Nationals added another veteran to their bench tonight, acquiring utilityman Howie Kendrick from the Phillies for minor league left-hander McKenzie Mills in a deal that will help alleviate recent injury concerns while providing manager Dusty Baker with more options later this season after his roster is closer to 100 percent healthy. Kendrick is hitting .340 with two homers, 16 RBIs, a .397 on-base percentage and .851 OPS this season, but the 34-year-old has played in only 39 games due to...
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Even with trip to DL, Desmond savoring return to Nationals Park

Even with trip to DL, Desmond savoring return to Nationals Park
Ian Desmond has never been one to try to hide from his emotions, so he wasn't afraid to circle this weekend on his calendar and psyche himself up over the idea of returning to Nationals Park for the first time as a visiting player. And when the 31-year-old former-National-now-Rockie arrived at the park this afternoon and walked through the hallways he called home for seven seasons, he couldn't help but feel the emotions stir up inside of him. The only thing missing: an opportunity to actually...
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Game 101 lineups: Nats vs. Rockies (game rained out)

Game 101 lineups: Nats vs. Rockies (game rained out)
You've probably seen the forecast here, not only for tonight but for most of the day tomorrow. If you haven't, it's not good. That creates a problem for the Nationals and Rockies, who don't face each other again after this weekend and need to do everything humanly possible to play three games before either club leaves town. As always, you'll know when we know. Tonight's series opener between a division leader and a wild card leader features Tanner Roark on the mound for the Nationals,...
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Stevenson's first career hit comes in unconventional fashion

Stevenson's first career hit comes in unconventional fashion
Any child who has ever picked up a bat has dreamed of recording his or her first big league hit. And anybody fortunate enough to become a professional ballplayer starts dreaming of that moment in more realistic terms, wondering when, how and against whom it will occur. Andrew Stevenson is no different than any other young ballplayer. He had envisioned what his first major league hit would look like. And this ... was not it. "No," he said. "It was off a position player. But it still goes down...
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A home run barrage the likes of which D.C. has never seen

A home run barrage the likes of which D.C. has never seen
Ryan Zimmerman isn't one to get caught up in a moment, so it's understandable he would say he felt no pressure when he stepped into the batter's box in the bottom of the third inning today, in spite of what Brian Goodwin, Wilmer Difo and Bryce Harper had just done before him. But for Zimmerman to claim he still didn't realize what happened after he rounded the bases and returned to the home dugout ... that can't be. He really didn't know? "I honestly didn't," Zimmerman insisted. "I...
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Nats launch eight home runs in 15-2 drubbing of Brewers

Nats launch eight home runs in 15-2 drubbing of Brewers
When it was over, when this two-inning explosion of offensive might was complete and the crowd of 32,118 had a moment to catch its breath and consider what exactly it had just witnessed, all that was left to do was tally up the numbers and marvel at how ludicrous it all was. In the third and fourth innings this afternoon, the Nationals sent 21 batters to the plate. They wound up with 13 runs, 13 hits, seven homers, three doubles, three singles, three walks, one stolen base. And a pigeon in the...
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Strasburg will keep throwing during DL stint

Strasburg will keep throwing during DL stint
The Nationals placed Stephen Strasburg on the 10-day disabled list this morning, a move they continue to say is one of precaution and one they hope will only sideline the right-hander for one start. Nothing changed in Strasburg's diagnosis over the last 48 hours, according to Dusty Baker. The organization wanted to be cautious all along and made adjustments to Erick Fedde's pitching schedule so their top prospect would be available to replace Strasburg in the big league rotation...
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Some shaky moments, but Gonzalez delivered when needed

Some shaky moments, but Gonzalez delivered when needed
Five batters into Wednesday night's game, Gio Gonzalez had served up the longest home run in Nationals Park history, allowed a double and then that same player to steal third without any attempt to throw him out, and allowed a run to score on a strikeout. Sounds like the recipe for a disastrous outing, right? Not exactly. Despite a shaky top of the first, Gonzalez quickly rebounded and wound up going seven strong innings. He didn't earn the win, but he kept the Nationals in position to come...
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Wildly eventful bottom of the eighth leads Nationals to victory

Wildly eventful bottom of the eighth leads Nationals to victory
They had, as Ryan Zimmerman put it, "played 15 innings of terrible baseball over the last day and a half," leaving themselves in the precarious position of losing two straight to the Brewers without so much as scoring a run. But then Daniel Murphy lofted a seventh-inning pitch from Jimmy Nelson over the right field fence, and now at least the Nationals were on the board, trailing Milwaukee by only one run. And then - well, let's just say the bottom of the eighth tonight on South Capitol...
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Source: Fedde to be promoted to Nationals this weekend

Source: Fedde to be promoted to Nationals this weekend
The Nationals are planning to promote right-hander Erick Fedde this weekend, putting their top pitching prospect on track to make his major league debut and perhaps give Stephen Strasburg more time to rest his arm. Fedde's promotion from Triple-A Syracuse, confirmed by a source familiar with the club's decision, comes as the Nationals take a cautious approach with Strasburg's forearm. Though Strasburg has been able to throw on flat ground the last two days, the nerve impingement that caused...
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2018 All-Star Game logo, date and details revealed

2018 All-Star Game logo, date and details revealed
Washington officially was on the clock as host of the 2018 All-Star Game the moment this year's Midsummer Classic in Miami ended two weeks ago. But what's a big event without a logo or a press conference with important people sitting at the dais? So consider today the unofficial start of an 11 1/2-month countdown to an event many people in this town have anticipated for decades. "It's been 49 years since we had an All-Star Game here in Washington," Major League Baseball commissioner Rob...
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Game 99 lineups: Nats vs. Brewers

Game 99 lineups: Nats vs. Brewers
The Nationals will try to even their series with the Brewers tonight, and right fielder Bryce Harper will try to extend his 17-game hitting streak, which is already a career high. He's 28-for-64 (.426) with six doubles, one triple, seven homers, 17 RBIs, 12 walks and 23 runs scored during the streak. Harper is also in the midst of a 25-game on-base streak, the second-longest of his career. During that span, he is slashing .398/.496/.724. The Nats send left-hander Gio Gonzalez to the mound...
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Nats keep producing, but they miss their injured regulars

Nats keep producing, but they miss their injured regulars
It has at times been easy to overlook, because the group collectively continues to produce, but the Nationals do miss their injured position players. How could any lineup not miss Jayson Werth, Trea Turner and Michael A. Taylor, who progressively have gone on the disabled list over the last six weeks? "Do you want all your guys healthy? I think, of course," first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said after Tuesday night's 8-0 drubbing at the hands of the Brewers. "You look at the teams at the end of...
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After Jackson's ragged start, Nationals face rotation dilemma

After Jackson's ragged start, Nationals face rotation dilemma
When the Nationals suddenly found themselves in need of a No. 5 starter during the All-Star break, they turned to an old friend. Edwin Jackson, who had recently returned to the organization for which he pitched five years earlier, was performing well at Triple-A Syracuse and was a logical replacement for the injured Joe Ross. And when Jackson proceeded to dominate the Angels over seven sparkling innings last week in Anaheim, the Nationals might have tempted to believe their back-of-the-rotation...
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Nationals shut out by Brewers in homestand opener

Nationals shut out by Brewers in homestand opener
Dusty Baker mentioned this afternoon he wanted to see the Nationals start playing better at home, noting in particular his team's struggles when it returns from the West Coast. Tonight's performance in an 8-0 loss to the Brewers didn't do anything to allay Baker's fears. It only underscored his point. Some sloppy defense, some poor hitting with runners in scoring position and a ragged start from Edwin Jackson all contributed to a lopsided loss to open this six-game homestand against teams...
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Strasburg had nerve impingement, hopes to make start

Strasburg had nerve impingement, hopes to make start
The forearm discomfort that caused Stephen Strasburg to depart Sunday's start after only two innings was the result of nerve impingement, which has since been alleviated according to the Nationals, allowing the club to remain optimistic the right-hander will make his next scheduled start. Strasburg played long-toss catch in the outfield at Nationals Park this afternoon, his typical routine four days before a start, further evidence neither he nor the team believes his ailment is serious. "He...
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Game 98 lineups: Nats vs. Brewers

Game 98 lineups: Nats vs. Brewers
There's only one National League team the Nationals have yet to see in person this season. That will change tonight when they take the field to face the Brewers in the opener of a three-game series. It's been a surprising year for Milwaukee, which took advantage of the Cubs and Cardinals' struggles to lead the Central Division for most of the last 3 1/2 months. Things have begun to slide, though, and now the lead over the Cubs is down to a half-game, with the Pirates lurking three games back...
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Nats face good test in extended stretch vs. playoff contenders

Nats face good test in extended stretch vs. playoff contenders
There's a ballgame tonight at Nationals Park, the first such ballgame there in 16 days. Such is life when you have a three-city road trip coming out of the All-Star break. The Nationals team that takes the field tonight will be markedly different than the one that was last seen here July 9, when Joe Ross departed with an injury that turned out to be a torn elbow ligament and Matt Albers closed out a 10-5 victory over the Braves. Edwin Jackson is now the No. 5 starter. Ryan Madson and Sean...
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Monday morning Q&A from 37,000 feet above America

Monday morning Q&A from 37,000 feet above America
It's a beautiful morning for a cross-country flight. (At least, I assume it is. I actually typed this last night.) After an eventful week out west, the Nationals are headed home and so is your trusty beat writer. No charter flight for me, though. No, it's Seat 27A on United Flight 236, departing Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport at (gulp!) 6:25 a.m. MST and scheduled to arrive at Washington-Dulles International Airport at 1:43 p.m. EDT. And what better way to pass the time than to...
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Strasburg playing it cautious with forearm "achiness"

Strasburg playing it cautious with forearm "achiness"
PHOENIX - Stephen Strasburg has been through enough in eight seasons in the big leagues to have felt just about every possible ache and pain in just about every possible part of his body when he pitches. Perhaps he has dealt with more ailments than most, but if nothing else, that has helped him recognize which ailments he needs to worry about and which ones he does not. So if you want to interpret Strasburg's explanation for his early departure today during the Nationals' 6-2 victory over the...
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