The Nationals finally had to give up on hoping Anthony Rendon could quickly get back from a left elbow injury. The Nats placed Rendon on the 10-day injured list with a left elbow contusion on Tuesday prior to their second game against the Cardinals. The team has purchased the contract of left-hander Dan Jennings from Double-A Harrisburg to add depth to the bullpen. To make room for Jennings on the 40-man roster, the club designated right-hander Austin Adams for assignment. Rendon's status is...

DENVER - Though they don't believe Anthony Rendon will need to miss much time with a bruised left elbow, the Nationals decided they couldn't proceed any longer without any backup infielders, so they recalled Jake Noll from Triple-A today and sent reliever Austin Adams to Fresno to clear a roster spot. Rendon, who was struck in the elbow by a pitch Saturday night in Miami, has been out of the lineup since. But there were signs of improvement today: He's able to bend his arm, according to...

DENVER - Hello from Coors Field, where the air is not only thin but really cold. At least today, it is. The high temperature might crack 50 degrees this afternoon, and it'll be dropping down through the 40s during tonight's series opener. You'd think that would be a bad thing for hitters, but I'm not sure it's possible for any game in this ballpark to be bad for hitters. The Nationals certainly hope the altitude helps get their bats going after a sluggish weekend in Miami that at least...

MIAMI - Right-hander Joe Ross arrived in a high-leverage situation out of the bullpen Friday night. He threw 96 mph and he threw strikes to get outs. Where have you been this whole season? The Nationals didn't use Ross for 10 days because maybe manager Davey Martinez was waiting for a long-man role for the youngster to materialize, or he wanted to get Trevor Rosenthal on track? But in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Marlins, Davey found out what Ross can do: a lot. Ross ended the Marlins' chances...

Sammy Solís and the Law Firm have been able to sit back with their shades on while the rest of the Nationals bullpen has been in and out of a revolving door. The bullpen has been less than consistent this year, not just in its performance, but in its personnel. Due to injuries, call-ups, and players being designated for assignment, the supporting cast has been changing all year. The question is, after everyone is properly healthy, who should stay? Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson and Brandon...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Earlier this spring, Davey Martinez explained that he never lets himself obsess over a day's game for more than 30 minutes upon its completion, win or lose. In this sport, there's no value in stressing out over what just happened, not when there's another game to prepare for in 24 hours. So as he sat in his office this afternoon following an excruciating 12-3 exhibition loss to the Astros that featured just about every manner of sloppiness possible in one ballgame,...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Exit interviews are often a formality, but right-hander Austin L. Adams used an end-of-season chat with former Nationals pitching coach Mike Maddux as a springboard from an up-and-down debut season in the major leagues to an offseason chocked full of the kind of work necessary to show he's a good pitcher. "My last talk with Mike Maddux, he kind of sat me down and he really wanted me to understand that I have tremendous stuff," Adams said. "There's life on your...

MILWAUKEE - Ryan Madson is back on the Nationals active roster. Whether he's ready to pitch quite yet remains to be seen. Madson was one of five players added to the roster before tonight's game against the Brewers, joining fellow pitchers Enny Romero, Austin Adams and Erick Fedde, plus catcher Raudy Read as the club's first round of September call-ups. All technically are eligible to appear in games immediately, but Madson may need a bit more time. Out since Aug. 14 with a sprained index...

MILWAUKEE - Major league clubs typically use their allotment of September call-ups to get a first look at prospects who may figure into the long-term plan, ensure depth at positions where it's needed and reward a few guys for great minor league seasons. The Nationals find themselves in a different situation as the calendar flips from August to September. They'll be expanding their roster not so much to get a look at young guys but to restock their roster with players who have been hurt and to...

CINCINNATI - What should have been a cakewalk - a feel-good story punctuated by another 10-strikeout start by Max Scherzer and another offensive outburst by Anthony Rendon - turned into another reminder of why the Nationals so desperately need to find a couple of reliable bullpen arms - and fast. First the good news: The Nats won again Saturday night, prevailing in a 10-7 slugfest over the Reds that never should have gotten so close. Now the flip side: Handed a 10-0 lead, rookie Austin Adams...

CINCINNATI - Second baseman Daniel Murphy's absence from the Nationals lineup for tonight's opener of a four-game series against the Reds is nothing more than a day off, manager Dusty Baker's way of making sure a guy who was busy during the All-Star break gets some much-needed rest. "I've just learned over the years that whoever goes to the All-Star Game - I've had Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent, I've had some of the best come back and start slow because they don't' get that mental and...

We're roughly three weeks into the minor league seasons - still in small sample size territory, but large enough to use as a story peg take notice. Before you start champing at the bit for these guys to get promoted, remember two things: The entire league hasn't seen them yet, and there has to be a space for him at the next level. At Single-A Hagerstown, Daniel Johnson caught my eye last season by racking up nine assists and four errors last summer in 62 games for short-season Single-A...

JUPITER, Fla. - Managers always have concerns when one of their players leaves camp for several weeks to play in the World Baseball Classic. Those concerns only grow when one of their players leaves camp for several weeks and then barely plays in the WBC. Such is the case right now with Daniel Murphy, who in the 12 days since he left the Nationals to go play for Team USA has taken a total of 11 game at-bats, none in the last week. Murphy, who finished second in National League MVP voting last...