After Hudson blows lead, Rendon saves the day (updated)

After Hudson blows lead, Rendon saves the day (updated)
They danced with the devil all night, failing to capitalize against the National League's worst team despite countless opportunities. They were sloppy in the field. They got only five innings out of their starter, then watched their bullpen blow a late lead. Even when they retook the lead late, they still couldn't hold onto it. Until their best player - perhaps even a legitimate NL MVP candidate - saved the day just in time to avoid total disaster. After watching Daniel Hudson blow a save in...

Bullpen gets two key arms back, drops Grace from roster

Bullpen gets two key arms back, drops Grace from roster
The Nationals made more changes to their ever-changing bullpen today, and there's still one more big change to come in a few days that could finally solidify that group for the season's final month. The Nats activated Roenis Elías off the injured list and Hunter Strickland off the paternity leave list this afternoon, bringing all three relievers acquired on July 31 together again after a long wait. Needing to clear roster spots, they designated struggling Matt Grace for assignment and...

Game 131 lineups: Nats vs. Orioles

Game 131 lineups: Nats vs. Orioles
This year's Battle of the Beltways doesn't have the same juice as some previous versions did. Some of that is due to the two participants' very different records. Some of that is due to the odd scheduling, with two weeknight games in each city, one month apart from each other. Whatever the case, the Nationals and Orioles renew acquaintances tonight. And from the Nats' perspective, these are must-win games. They split the two games at Camden Yards in July. That won't cut it this time, not...

Nats can't close out Cubs in nine, but still sweep in 11 (updated)

Nats can't close out Cubs in nine, but still sweep in 11 (updated)
CHICAGO - The first two games of a highly anticipated weekend series were lopsided affairs, the Nationals clearly outshining the Cubs on their home turf. Today's finale? This was the ballgame everyone anticipated all along: a taut, well-played, evenly matched showdown between two National League postseason contenders. And when it finally ended some 4 1/2 hours later and 40,518 filed out into the streets of Wrigleyville, it was the Nationals who were celebrating in the middle of the diamond,...

Nationals find new formula to beat Cubs again

Nationals find new formula to beat Cubs again
CHICAGO - The combination of an explosive lineup and consistently dominant starting pitching has allowed the Nationals to weather the first week of Sean Doolittle's stint on the injured list without having to put too much weight on the shoulders of their reconfigured bullpen. Because he's been getting seven (or more) innings out of his starters, and because his lineup has been averaging 10 runs a game, Davey Martinez hasn't really needed to worry about who's going to close out games in...

Friday morning news and notes

Friday morning news and notes
PITTSBURGH - Some news and notes for your reading pleasure while I race to Chicago in time for this afternoon's series opener at Wrigley Field ... * If there was nothing else to take away from Max Scherzer's start Thursday night, it was this simple-but-important message both the right-hander and his manager stressed: They are going to continue to be cautious. That applied to Thursday's game, when Davey Martinez pulled his ace after only four innings and 71 pitches. It also applies to the...

Scherzer returns, rest of Nationals finish off blowout win

Scherzer returns, rest of Nationals finish off blowout win
PITTSBURGH - Max Scherzer started for the first time in four weeks, the second time in seven weeks, and that's the most important thing that happened from the Nationals' perspective tonight at PNC Park. "It was awesome," manager Davey Martinez said. "Just seeing him run out there and take the ball was great." So was seeing Scherzer depart the game feeling physically well. "Right now, I feel good," the right-hander said. "Hopefully I wake up tomorrow, I feel good." And yet there still...

Strickland on broken nose: "It could've been a lot worse" (Nats up 6-0)

Strickland on broken nose: "It could've been a lot worse" (Nats up 6-0)
PITTSBURGH - Hunter Strickland can laugh about it now, but in those first few moments after the barbell fell from the rack and struck him on the face Tuesday afternoon, the Nationals reliever didn't know what to think. "I had no idea. I didn't know what happened," he said. "Obviously, it hit me pretty good, so it kind of dazed me for a second there. After that, I looked up in the mirror. My nose was crooked and bleeding everywhere. Just kind of put two and two together: Got knocked out by...

Breaking down the key decisions in Tuesday's loss

Breaking down the key decisions in Tuesday's loss
PITTSBURGH - It all happened so fast. The Nationals held a 1-0 lead when the seventh inning ended Tuesday night. Stephen Strasburg was in complete control. And then the Nationals were down 4-1 to the Pirates after Wander Suero and Daniel Hudson made a mess of the eighth inning. It's hardly the first time this has happened to the Nationals this season. But it was a particularly interesting recurrence of "The Eighth Inning Problem," for a variety of reasons. There were interesting decisions...

Strickland breaks nose weightlifting but OK to pitch (Nats up 1-0)

Strickland breaks nose weightlifting but OK to pitch (Nats up 1-0)
PITTSBURGH - Hunter Strickland said he broke his nose in a weightlifting accident this afternoon, but the Nationals reliever has been cleared to pitch tonight and he'll be available out of the bullpen if needed. Strickland was working out in the weight room at PNC Park when he was struck in the face by a barbell, according to manager Davey Martinez. Strickland walked through the visitors' clubhouse a short while after with a bandage over the bridge of his nose and with discoloration and...

Looking at Nationals' options in the ninth inning

Looking at Nationals' options in the ninth inning
It's hard to believe Nationals manager Davey Martinez isn't aware of the angst and frustration three simple words - "He's our closer" - cause for a fan base tired of watching ninth-inning leads frittered away. For the three weeks Sean Doolittle has been struggling to lock down games, Martinez has dug his heels in and drawn a line in the sand, holding firm that the southpaw will remain his closer because he's the best option to protect a lead with three outs to go. When Matt Williams...

Nats' new relievers better than Braves' additions since Aug. 1

Nats' new relievers better than Braves' additions since Aug. 1
The Nationals and Braves both attempted to improve their bullpens at the July 31 trade deadline. So far, the Nats have gotten the better end of the deals. Even without Roenis Elías for most of the last three weeks due to injury, the additions of Hunter Strickland and Daniel Hudson have outshone the Braves acquisitions of Chris Martin, Mark Melancon and Shane Greene. In Friday night's nail-biting 2-1 Nationals win over the Brewers, Hudson and Strickland bridged shutout seventh and eighth...

Dozier and others on team expecting baby Nats soon

Dozier and others on team expecting baby Nats soon
Nationals of the future are on the way with the wives of Brian Dozier, Daniel Hudson and Hunter Strickland expecting babies very soon. I asked Dozier before today's game when the due date is for his wife, Renee, for their first baby girl and he semi-joked "in about an hour". Dozier is not in the starting lineup today. But Nationals manager Davey Martinez said there is another reason for the day off. Dozier got stepped on sliding into third base in Tuesday's win over the Reds. "It's on its...

Sánchez and the bullpen played big parts in Nats' win Sunday

Sánchez and the bullpen played big parts in Nats' win Sunday
Nationals right-hander Aníbal Sánchez was once again able to do his job, holding the Mets to three runs in five innings of work. The only big inning for New York came in the second when they scored three runs on five hits. Joe Panik got the Mets on the board with an RBI single and Jeff McNeil tied the game at 3-3 on a two-run double. Asdrúbal Cabrera came through with a late two-run double of his own t make it 5-3 and Victor Robles sealed the win with a two-run shot in the ninth inning...

With deeper bullpen, Nats finally confident closing out games

With deeper bullpen, Nats finally confident closing out games
SAN FRANCISCO - As the bottom of the ninth played out Wednesday afternoon at Oracle Park, the Giants getting an RBI double from Brandon Crawford and suddenly threatening to make things interesting, Davey Martinez might have been tempted to send Sean Doolittle or Fernando Rodney down to the bullpen to start warming up. Only a week or two ago, that's probably what would've happened. If a game was close late, Martinez would have felt compelled to at least warm up his closer or primary backup,...

Nats use tried and true formula to beat Giants again

Nats use tried and true formula to beat Giants again
SAN FRANCISCO - The formula sounds simple enough. Get a quality start from the guy on the mound. Get some big hits to seize an early lead. Turn things over to the bullpen to close out a victory. For the better part of four months, the Nationals didn't have enough of the right ingredients to concoct that formula. Most notably, the bullpen pieces. Now that they do have a relief corps with more than one or two trusted arms, the Nats are perfectly capable of winning games like tonight's 5-3...

Trio of acquired relievers eager to help Nats win down stretch

Trio of acquired relievers eager to help Nats win down stretch
PHOENIX - They all had different initial reactions upon learning they had been traded - Daniel Hudson figured for weeks he'd be headed somewhere, Roenis Elías was excited to join a team in a pennant race, Hunter Strickland was completely blindsided by the news - but there was a common sentiment among all three of the Nationals' July 31 acquisitions: They just want to help their new team reach the postseason. "I mean, that's what it's all about," Strickland said. "That's why every...

Despite injury, new bullpen thrives in Nats' 3-0 win

Despite injury, new bullpen thrives in Nats' 3-0 win
PHOENIX - Davey Martinez was handed a brand-new bullpen tonight, and with that came a whole new strategy for managing the second half of ballgames. After getting 5 1/3 scoreless innings from Joe Ross, Martinez was able to go straight to his relief corps, confident that group was deep enough to cover the rest of the game. And it absolutely was deep enough. Two newcomers - Roenis Elías and Hunter Strickland - handled the sixth and seventh innings with ease. Holdovers Fernando Rodney and Sean...

Focus returns to field as Nationals open long road trip

Focus returns to field as Nationals open long road trip
PHOENIX - They've got three new arms in their bullpen. Their rotation is still missing its ace. Their lineup is close to full-strength again. Now the Nationals' focus returns to the field, where it will stay for the next two months. And perhaps beyond. After a furious final few hours before Wednesday's trade deadline, not to mention a frustrating 10-inning loss to the Braves as this was all playing out, the Nationals flew west and enjoyed a much-needed day off in the desert. They pick up...

Were the Nationals' deadline moves enough?

Were the Nationals' deadline moves enough?
When the dust had settled after a frantic finish to this year's July 31 madness, it was clear to anyone following along that the Nationals boasted a better roster after 4 p.m. Wednesday than they did before the trade deadline arrived. Less clear, though, was the answer to this question: Did they get better enough? The acquisitions of three late-inning relievers (Daniel Hudson, Hunter Strickland, Roenis Elias) provide a long-needed jolt to a Nationals bullpen that has been in various states of...