Gomes' slam, Corbin's gem lead Nats to easy win (updated)

Gomes' slam, Corbin's gem lead Nats to easy win (updated)
If the Nationals thought Josh Harrison's bloop RBI single to right with the bases loaded tonight was a welcome sight, imagine what they were thinking moments later when Yan Gomes connected with a fastball from Tyler Anderson. With one mighty swing, Gomes sent that pitch soaring into the left field stands and did what so few of his teammates have been able to do this season with the bases loaded: Drive in a bunch of runs. "I feel like that's just the last little bit we need to start clicking...

Game 61 lineups: Nats vs. Giants

Game 61 lineups: Nats vs. Giants
The Nationals pitching staff is by no means in great shape right now, but it's in better shape than it might've been had Erick Fedde not delivered five scoreless innings in the opener of today's doubleheader against the Giants. That performance has given Davey Martinez the luxury of starting Jefry Rodriguez in the nightcap but not needing the right-hander to go too deep if he's not up for it. You may remember Rodriguez from 2018, when he pitched in 14 games (eight starts) and posted a 5.71...

Nats battle back, then battle back again to win in 11 (updated)

Nats battle back, then battle back again to win in 11 (updated)
All the Nationals needed to do to win tonight's game at Tropicana Field was overcome a disastrous first inning from their starter, take an early lead thanks to three home runs, watch their bullpen blow that lead in regulation to force extra innings, score two runs in the top of the 10th with a rare display of situational hitting, watch their closer blow that lead in the bottom of the 10th while his pitch count soared to levels not seen in five years, retake the lead in the top of the 11th with...

Game 57 lineups: Nats at Rays

Game 57 lineups: Nats at Rays
A three-city road trip that began in promising fashion, with two wins in three days in Atlanta, now reaches its final leg with the Nationals now needing a strong finish against a tough opponent. Having lost three of their last four (including two straight in Philadelphia over the weekend), the Nats tonight open a quick two-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla., against a Rays club that owns the best record in the American League at 38-23. As has been the case for several years now, Tampa Bay is...

Fedde appears ready to rejoin rotation, Gomes out again

Fedde appears ready to rejoin rotation, Gomes out again
Though circumstances dictated they go with a bullpen game this afternoon in Philadelphia - Austin Voth will start, for those who haven't heard yet - the Nationals shouldn't need to take this unconventional route again unless someone else gets hurt. That's because Erick Fedde appears ready to return from the COVID-19 injured list after making a five-inning rehab start Saturday for Single-A Wilmington. Fedde, whose last appearance for the Nationals was a seven-scoreless-inning gem in Arizona...

Gomes sits for third straight day, Sunday starter still TBD

Gomes sits for third straight day, Sunday starter still TBD
Yan Gomes is out of the Nationals lineup for the third straight day with a tight right hamstring, and until the veteran catcher can comfortably squat behind the plate for an entire game without being hindered, he'll remain out of the Nationals lineup. "This is going to be a day-to-day thing with him," manager Davey Martinez said in his Zoom session with reporters before today's game in Philadelphia. "The position he plays, with him squatting and stuff, I just want to make sure that he can...

Schwarber back in left field, Gomes sits again with hamstring issue

Schwarber back in left field, Gomes sits again with hamstring issue
It's easy for baseball players and fans alike to be superstitious. So when manager Davey Martinez said the other day that the Nationals were finally "healthy," it wasn't hard to imagine all of the shaking of heads and palming of foreheads around the region, expecting another injury to happen after some good health news. Well, that's what the Nationals got Friday afternoon before their series opener against the Phillies. And I'm not even referring to Stephen Strasburg's latest trip to the...

Gomes' return to top throwing form making a big difference

Gomes' return to top throwing form making a big difference
There's no secret to Yan Gomes' success throwing out baserunners this season. Just a lot of hard work and some attention to getting the ball out of his hand as quickly as possible. Whether it's complicated or not, the mere fact Gomes is throwing out so many opponents is music to the Nationals' ears. After struggling mightily in this department in recent years, they're finally reaping the benefits of a catcher who can stop the running game cold in its tracks. With another pinpoint throw...

Nationals win the late innings to beat Braves (updated)

Nationals win the late innings to beat Braves (updated)
The Nationals hadn't been in very many games like this in 2021. Back-and-forth affairs with late-night swings of leads and emotions were the norm during their championship run in 2019 and also were a regular occurrence during their disappointing 2020 season. This year? Most games saw one team take an early lead and hold it late, with very little late drama. That made tonight's contest down in Atlanta feel like some kind of blast from the past. An old-fashioned, tension-filled showdown with a...

Gomes producing at the plate despite heavy workload

Gomes producing at the plate despite heavy workload
Yan Gomes had come up to bat with a chance to hit for the cycle before. Four times, in fact, as a big leaguer. But never like this. On those four previous occasions (once with the Nationals, three times with the Indians), Gomes needed a triple to complete the cycle. And in each case, he had only one at-bat at the end of the game to try to do it. So imagine how surreal it felt for the 33-year-old catcher when he stepped up to bat in the top of the sixth Friday night in Arizona, having already...

Nats explode for 17 runs in desert rout of D-backs (updated)

Nats explode for 17 runs in desert rout of D-backs (updated)
After an unseasonably cool spring on the East Coast that more often than not left their bats ice-cold, the Nationals might well have stepped onto the tarmac at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix late Thursday night, breathed in the scorching hot, dry desert air and wondered if they could just head straight to Chase Field to begin their series against the Diamondbacks early. Nothing fixes an unproductive lineup like temperatures in the upper 90s and a relative humidity of 10 percent....

Game 31 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 31 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
The Nationals are in the midst of a rough stretch, no doubt about it. They've lost five of their last six and are back in last place in the division. And yet, when you consider they lost three of those games by one run (two via walk-off) and another by two runs, the situation very easily could be reversed. Is that reason for optimism or pessimism? Guess it depends on how you prefer to view life (or, at least, baseball). The next three nights, then, present an opportunity to flip the script and...

Late explosion propels Nats to rout at Yankee Stadium (updated)

Late explosion propels Nats to rout at Yankee Stadium (updated)
The situation - runner on second, nobody out, late in a close game - felt eerily familiar. What happened next felt completely foreign for a Nationals club that has spent weeks trying everything in its power to manufacture some late runs and tonight broke through with an eighth-inning rally that provided as cathartic a moment as these guys have experienced in some time. Knotted in a low-scoring tie game with the Yankees entering the eighth, the Nationals didn't just plate the go-ahead run. They...

Nats can't convert late chances at plate, lose to Braves (updated)

Nats can't convert late chances at plate, lose to Braves (updated)
With a roster that is less than ideally constructed and a matchup against a left-handed starter this evening, Nationals manager Davey Martinez wound up fielding a lineup loaded with right-handed hitters and a bench loaded with big names who he could choose to insert somewhere along the way when the right situation arose. Trouble is, Martinez never got around to using Juan Soto or Josh Bell when either would've had a chance to bat with a chance to make a big difference. Instead, it was Yadiel...

Corbin's arm, Bell's bat lift Nats to third straight win (updated)

Corbin's arm, Bell's bat lift Nats to third straight win (updated)
The Nationals don't need Patrick Corbin to be elite right now. They would happily settle for solid. Which is precisely what he was today during a 7-2 victory over the Marlins. With seven innings of two-run ball, Corbin turned in the exact kind of performance the Nationals have been seeking from their erratic left-hander since the season began one month ago. He wasn't in peak form, but he displayed improved command of his fastball and slider and provided length to help take pressure off the...

Game 19 lineups: Nats at Mets

Game 19 lineups: Nats at Mets
Despite what they might try to insist, managers are a superstitious lot. When something works one day, they tend to not want to change it up the next day. So when the Nationals scored a season-high seven runs Saturday with a new-look lineup, you shouldn't be surprised to see Davey Martinez go right back to the same lineup for today's series finale in New York. Yes, that means Josh Harrison and Yadiel Hernandez are at the top of the batting order again. And it means Josh Bell, despite his...

Nats emerge victorious at end of eventful evening (updated)

Nats emerge victorious at end of eventful evening (updated)
Davey Martinez and his players have been insisting for several days now that the mood inside the Nationals clubhouse remains upbeat, that nobody is feeling a sense of dread two weeks into a season that has seen all manner of calamity befall this team. From a roster-ravaging COVID-19 outbreak to an ineffective string of pitching performances to a lineup that has been hit-or-miss to yet another injury for one of the staff's most-important stalwarts, there has been plenty of valid reasons for...

Game 15 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals (updated)

Game 15 lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals (updated)
Well, this is what it has come to: The Nationals tonight desperately need a quality start from Patrick Corbin, who has yet to come close to producing such a performance in 2021 (and often didn't do it in 2020, for that matter). In 13 starts since the 2019 postseason, Corbin has made it through six or more innings allowing three or fewer earned runs only six times. And four of those came in his first six starts last season. Recent history aside, the Nats simply can't afford another blowup from...

Ross blasted for 10 runs, adding to rotation woes (updated)

Ross blasted for 10 runs, adding to rotation woes (updated)
If the Nationals are going to survive with Stephen Strasburg on the injured list, Patrick Corbin a mess and Jon Lester still building his arm up at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg, they're going to have to rely on the remaining members of their rotation not only to pitch effectively but to at times exceed expectations. For two starts, that's exactly what they got from Joe Ross, who didn't so much as allow a single Dodgers or Cardinals runner to cross the plate while he was on...

Fedde fans nine over five frames, Nats win second in row (updated)

Fedde fans nine over five frames, Nats win second in row (updated)
Erick Fedde has struggled through outings where he couldn't seem to harness any confidence. He'd get behind hitters, have to throw a hittable fastball and pay the price. But in the early going of Saturday's start against the Diamondbacks, he got the feel for his changeup and used it masterfully. He also mixed his pitches to keep Arizona hitters off-balance and got on a roll. Fedde matched a career high with nine strikeouts in a five-inning stint and the Nationals beat the Diamondbacks 6-2 on...