Last night, Reno defeated Fresno 7-5 ,but shortstop Carter Kieboom and third baseman Jake Noll each contributed on their first Triple-A base hits. Kieboom connected on a double and Noll an RBI single. Juan Soto said he has known Noll for quite some time because they came up to the big leagues together. Noll was optioned to Fresno when the Nationals reinstated Howie Kendrick from the injured list Thursday morning. "I feel very happy for him because we played together in the minor leagues,"...

Nationals manager Davey Martinez was happy his club mounted a late comeback to beat the Phillies 9-8 Wednesday, but is not pleased with how the team is playing baseball through its first five games. "Oh, we needed it," Martinez said. "And it's kind of a bittersweet win. I'm not thrilled about how we're playing, but I'm happy that the boys kept pushing. It's a testament to them. But we gotta start playing better. We worked all spring on doing the little things, and we gotta make it...

The day began with words of encouragement from the general manager to the embattled bullpen he assembled. "The bullpen's struggling. There's no other way to put it," Mike Rizzo said. "We need to be more aggressive in the strike zone. We need to follow the game plan. We need to perform like the back of their baseball card says. ... We feel good about the skill set of them. Now we have to put the skill set into the performance and get the guys that we signed to perform like they're supposed...

One of the more interesting additions to the 2019 Nationals' 25-man roster is infielder Jake Noll, who earned his first shot in the big leagues. The right-handed hitting third baseman hit .314 with four doubles, two homers and 10 RBIs in 27 spring training games to earn the spot. He can play first, second and third base, in the outfield and be the emergency catcher. Noll said he found out Monday night he had made the team when he was called into manager Davey Martinez's office after the...

The Nationals reported for spring training last month with a pretty good idea already who would fill out their 25-man roster. There were only a handful of jobs up for grabs, and even those seemed fairly set in stone, barring something unexpected developing over the course of six weeks in Florida. Well, something unexpected did happen. His name is Jake Noll, and thanks to one of the most unexpected spring training performances in recent club history the 25-year-old infielder is about to make his...

The Nationals optioned reliever Austen Williams and infielder Adrián Sanchez to Triple-A Fresno this morning, all but finalizing their opening day roster with only one final question left to answer: Has non-roster invitee Jake Noll made the club, or is there another outside acquisition pending to fill the last spot on the bench? The Williams and Sanchez moves leave the Nationals with 28 players officially on their spring training roster. Included on that roster, however, are three players...

Infielder Jake Noll is battling for a spot on the Nationals' 25-man roster. But even if he doesn't begin the season with the big club, he certainly has demonstrated in spring training that he can hit at this level and does a nice job of fielding any position they put him at on the field. He starts at first base today as spring training wraps up. Noll says he works at every infield spot in pregame drills and can also play in the outfield. "When I first got drafted, I didn't know where I was...

Nationals minor league games begins March 15 with four against Marlins affiliates. Potomac and Hagerstown each play a game versus Miami's High Single-A and Low Single-A teams on the back fields in West Palm Beach. The games are free to the public. Fresno and Harrisburg play separate games against the Marlins' Triple-A and Double-A squads at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., that same day. The Nats' Triple-A and Double-A teams play their first games at home in West Palm Beach March 16...

JUPITER, Fla. - Take away the first five Cardinals batters faced by Nationals pitching - all reaching base via hit, erasing a 2-0 deficit - and Davey Martinez would have spent his postgame press briefing talking about a day filled with dominant mound efforts. As it was, the Nationals were still pretty good - even starter Patrick Corbin, whose brief struggle with locating his fastball in the first inning allowed the Cardinals to take the lead for good in a game that breezed by in 2 hours, 19...

The Nationals have announced 18 non-roster invitees to spring training, including two of their top infield prospects and a pitcher trying to return to the majors for the first time 2015 after a myriad of injuries. The two infield prospects - Luis Garcia, 18, and Carter Kieboom, 21 - both figure to get a lot of playing time around the diamond at various positions. Garcia, who has played shortstop, second base and third base, slashed .298/.335/.406 with seven homers and 46 RBIs for low Single-A...

Salt River Rafters (9-7) AFL Week Three (4-2) First place, East Division Oct. 22: Salt River 8, Surprise 5 Luis Reyes (1-1) continues his hot streak of pitching in the AFL as he earned his first win, going 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with one walk and one strikeout. He surrendered two homers, but left the game with a 4-3 lead. The game was a showcase of Nationals pitching prospects. Ben Braymer followed Reyes and allowed one run on two hits, notching four outs. Taylor...

The Nationals announced their minor league awards today. Infielder Carter Kieboom was named the Nats organization's 2018 Minor League Player of the Year. Left-handed pitcher Ben Braymer and right-handed pitcher Wil Crowe are the 2018 co-Minor League Pitchers of the Year. Infielder Jake Noll is the winner of the sixth-annual Bob Boone Award. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. The Nationals said these players will be honored in a...

It has been a solid start to the season for manager Tripp Keister's high Single-A Potomac Nationals. They have demonstrated power in their offense and have done a nice job pitching. On Monday, they were rewarded with six players on the Carolina League Northern Division All-Star team. Right-handers Tyler Mapes, Sterling Sharp and Wil Crowe, catcher Tres Barrera, shortstop Carter Kieboom and third baseman Jake Noll were named to the Carolina League All-Star Game. The six players selected are the...