Knorr returns to staff as Nats finalize coaching changes

Knorr returns to staff as Nats finalize coaching changes
The Nationals finalized their 2021 coaching staff today, filling the one vacancy that hadn't yet been publicly announced with one of the longest-tenured members of their organization. Randy Knorr, who has been a player, coach or minor league manager with the Nats franchise since 2001 in Montreal, will join the big league staff for the fourth time in the last decade-plus, serving as first base coach for the first time. Bob Henley, after a one-year stint at first base, will move back to the...

Source: Hale, Long won't return to fast-changing coaching staff

Source: Hale, Long won't return to fast-changing coaching staff
The Nationals' first offseason task appears to be a significant makeover of manager Davey Martinez's coaching staff. One week after cutting ties with pitching coach Paul Menhart, the club has now also informed third base coach Chip Hale and hitting coach Kevin Long they will not be returning in 2021, a source familiar with the decisions confirmed. There could be more moves coming, as well. Assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler, brought in last winter, has been Long's right-hand man with three...

Kieboom on adjustments at the plate and at third base

Kieboom on adjustments at the plate and at third base
Third baseman Carter Kieboom was disappointed that a left wrist injury ended his season prematurely. The 23-year-old felt like he made several strides forward in the field and in the batter's box, especially over the last couple of weeks. Kieboom knows his numbers at the plate did not jump out, but that doesn't mean those at-bats weren't extremely valuable. Kieboom ended up hitting .202 in 33 games, with one double, nine RBIs and 17 walks. He struck out 33 times. But his defense at third...

Kieboom suffers bone contusion in left hand, listed as day-to-day

Kieboom suffers bone contusion in left hand, listed as day-to-day
In the bottom of the sixth in tonight's 5-1 Nationals win, third baseman Carter Kieboom was hit by a pitch on his left hand from a 95-mph sinker by Phillies starter Zack Wheeler. Kieboom went down holding his hand. He then walked over to the top steps of the Nats dugout with assistance from Nats director of athletic training Paul Lessard. Kieboom appeared to be attempting to flex his hand and Lessard checked the bones on the back of his hand. Manager Davey Martinez told his third baseman to...

Martinez urging Kieboom to "have fun" in field

Martinez urging Kieboom to "have fun" in field
Third baseman Carter Kieboom has played in four games for the Nationals this season, showing great patience at the plate and an eye for the strike zone. Kieboom is batting .417 (5-for-12) with four walks and one RBI. His on-base percentage is .563 and his OPS is .979. If he played a minimum amount of games, that OPS would rank 13th in the National League. On July 30 against the Blue Jays in a 6-4 victory, Kieboom went 2-for-2 with two walks and enjoyed a span of reaching base six consecutive...

Thames working hard on his defense at first base

Thames working hard on his defense at first base
Eric Thames has been playing first base almost exclusively in every Nationals simulated game this week. Before and after the simulated games, Thames is taking ground balls at first base, focusing on getting better on defense. Many believe Thames will be employed by Nationals manager Davey Martinez as the team's designated hitter, but the ultimate Nats lineup for 2020 would be having Thames and Howie Kendrick in the starting nine at the same time, with one at first base and one as the...

Zimmerman's take on the Zoom video call to celebrate Game 7

Zimmerman's take on the Zoom video call to celebrate Game 7
During a conference call Monday on the launch of the Pros for Heroes charity campaign, Ryan Zimmerman provided more insight into last week's Zoom video call with his teammates and coaching staff as they watching MASN's rebroadcast of Game 7 of the 2019 World Series. Zimmerman had a really good time that night, reminiscing with his buddies on the historic franchise win in Houston. So much so he joked at a reporter's query: "How did I feel right afterwards or the morning when I woke up after...

Returning coaches embrace change of roles

Returning coaches embrace change of roles
The Nationals return all but one of the members of their World Series-winning coaching staff this season, with only assistant hitting coach Joe Dillon (who got the lead hitting coach's position in Philadelphia) departing. But there are some significant changes to the roles some of the returning coaches will hold in 2020. Manager Davey Martinez decided to rotate three key members of his staff - Chip Hale, Tim Bogar and Bob Henley - around the diamond and dugout, in an attempt to keep everyone...

Nats shift three coaches into new roles, add one new staffer

Nats shift three coaches into new roles, add one new staffer
SAN DIEGO - The Nationals are shuffling three of their coaches to new positions for the 2020 season, with Tim Bogar taking over as bench coach, Chip Hale moving to third base coach and Bob Henley switching to first base coach. Every member of Davey Martinez's World Series winning staff returns next season, with one exception: Pat Roessler has been hired as assistant hitting coach, replacing Joe Dillon, who accepted the lead hitting coach's job with the Phillies last month. That means three...

Suzuki on target to return Tuesday night to catch Scherzer

Suzuki on target to return Tuesday night to catch Scherzer
Catcher Kurt Suzuki is on target to catch right-hander Max Scherzer in the nightcap of the Nationals' doubleheader against the Phillies Tuesday night, bench coach Chip Hale announced. "He looked good," Hale said. "He was out at least 120 (feet) throwing hard. Feels good. We will see how it feels tomorrow. It's a big key, the doubleheader. Max (Scherzer) will pitch the night game, so that will probably be the one that Kurt will catch." Suzuki said he felt good after pregame workouts...

Ross will start Tuesday's doubleheader opener

Ross will start Tuesday's doubleheader opener
Tuesday's doubleheader against the Phillies has loomed on the Nationals' schedule for three months now, and so too has the question of who would make a cameo appearance to start that game. The answer came today from bench coach Chip Hale, who revealed Joe Ross will get the ball for the 1:05 p.m. twinbill opener, with Max Scherzer making his regularly scheduled start in the 7:05 p.m. nightcap. Hale, subbing for Davey Martinez in meeting with reporters pregame while the manager had some...

Thrilled to return, Martinez vows he's "going to be myself"

Thrilled to return, Martinez vows he's "going to be myself"
MIAMI - Davey Martinez strolled through the clubhouse this afternoon, a wide grin on his face, his arm open to receiving hugs from anyone and everyone who welcomed the Nationals manager back to work five days after he had to go to the hospital mid-game due to chest pains. Nothing about the 53-year-old skipper looked or sounded different. He was full of energy. He was eager to talk about tonight's series opener against the Marlins, provide injury updates on Kurt Suzuki and Matt Adams and the...

Martinez rejoining Nats in Miami, will manage tonight

Martinez rejoining Nats in Miami, will manage tonight
MIAMI - Davey Martinez will be back in the Nationals dugout tonight. Martinez, who has not been able to manage the team since suffering from chest pain during the sixth inning of Sunday's win over the Braves, was cleared by doctors to travel to Miami and will rejoin the club in time for tonight's series opener at Marlins Park. Club officials were hopeful the 53-year-old skipper would be ready to return this weekend but were at the mercy of doctors, who had to clear Martinez for travel after...

No rest for veterans, plus a rotation tweak (Nats down 5-1)

No rest for veterans, plus a rotation tweak (Nats down 5-1)
ST. LOUIS - Day games following night games - especially day games with a 12:15 p.m. local time first pitch - are prime opportunities for veterans to get some rest and reserves to get some playing time. The Nationals, though, have reached crunch time of a season that appears likely to go right down to the wire. And so when it came time to fill out the lineup card for today's matinee with the Cardinals, Davey Martinez and Chip Hale decided it was appropriate to keep things exactly as they were...

Nats take early lead, ride 'pen to much-needed win (updated)

Nats take early lead, ride 'pen to much-needed win (updated)
ST. LOUIS - "Late and close" has not been the Nationals' forte in recent weeks. When they've won, they've won by a sizeable margin. When they've been in a tight battle late, they've tended to lose. Evidence of that? They entered tonight's game against the Cardinals having used a reliever in a ninth-inning save situation only once in a calendar month. The situation simply hadn't come up. Chip Hale has been prepared for it to happen. And given how little current closer Daniel Hudson has...

Martinez out of hospital, not cleared to travel yet

Martinez out of hospital, not cleared to travel yet
ST. LOUIS - Davey Martinez has been released from the hospital and has returned to his home in Washington, but doctors have not yet cleared him to travel, so the Nationals manager will miss at least his team's three-game series against the Cardinals. Martinez, who felt chest pain during the sixth inning of Sunday's win over the Braves, was taken to a D.C. hospital, where he underwent a cardiac catheterization Monday. He won't need any more procedures, according to general manager Mike Rizzo,...

Game 150 lineups: Nats at Cardinals

Game 150 lineups: Nats at Cardinals
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....

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

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...

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

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...

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

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...