Nats rally late, but suffer sweep against Mets (updated)

Nats rally late, but suffer sweep against Mets (updated)
Nationals manager Davey Martinez spent his morning Zoom session with reporters detailing his pitching plans for today's doubleheader against the Mets. After a suspended game on Tuesday and last night's postponement, the mound plans had been thrown into a state of flux. Of course, like much of this season, nothing really ever goes according to plan for the Nationals. But today, the pitching plan held up: Sean Nolin and three relievers got through the first game and Erick Fedde got through four...

Pitching plans laid out for Thursday's doubleheader

Pitching plans laid out for Thursday's doubleheader
The past few days have not been easy on Nationals manager Davey Martinez and pitching coach Jim Hickey. A suspended game Tuesday night then a postponement last night has led to today's doubleheader against the Mets at Citi Field, while also throwing the Nats' pitching plans into chaos. Good thing they're in the city that never sleeps. After a confusing 40 hours or so, Martinez was able to lay out his pitching plans for today's two games: Sean Nolin will start the opener and Erick Fedde will...

Game 114 lineups: Nats at Mets (Nolin starting)

Game 114 lineups: Nats at Mets (Nolin starting)
It's been a weird week for the Nationals in New York leading up to this afternoon's series finale against the Mets. The coaching staff rejoined the team on Monday's off-day. Tuesday's game was suspended in the second inning. In Wednesday's resumption, the Nats blew a 4-1 lead, then went up 7-4 and blew that lead before finally losing 8-7. And then yesterday's regularly scheduled game had to be rescheduled as a part of an early doubleheader today. Let's hope everything goes smoothly for...

Game 114 lineups: Nats at Mets

Game 114 lineups: Nats at Mets
Well, the opener of this evening's pseudo-doubleheader did not go as the Nationals would've hoped. Despite twice holding a three-run lead, they wound up losing to the Mets 8-7, done in by an inexperienced bullpen that is suddenly being asked to pitch high-leverage innings against a team still in the pennant race. They'll have to hope for a better result in the nightcap, a scheduled seven-inning game that is supposed to begin at 8 p.m. but is now being delayed because of another big storm...

Gray will debut Monday, Ruiz goes to Triple-A for now

Gray will debut Monday, Ruiz goes to Triple-A for now
Josiah Gray, the top pitching prospect the Nationals acquired in this week's blockbuster trade with the Dodgers, will make his debut for the club Monday night, starting the series opener against the Phillies. The Nats officially added Gray to their active roster this morning, giving him a day to get acclimated before he takes the mound for the first of what they hope is many starts in the coming years after making him one of their centerpiece acquisitions in exchange for stars Max Scherzer and...

Game 101 lineups: Nats at Phillies (plus roster moves)

Game 101 lineups: Nats at Phillies (plus roster moves)
All eyes will be fixated on the transaction wire over the next 30 hours or so, not only as we get closer to tomorrow's 4 p.m. trade deadline, but also because the Nationals had to make a number of roster moves this morning after 13 members (four players, nine staffers) tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. Not to mention the potential of needing to fill other roster spots if some players depart later today via trade. As if that weren't enough of a wrench thrown into today's plan, the...

Rehab for Strasburg, Ross slowed by discomfort

Rehab for Strasburg, Ross slowed by discomfort
Stephen Strasburg's return from a neck injury has been slowed after the right-hander felt discomfort after facing live hitters last week prior to the Nationals' game in San Francisco. Strasburg made it through his July 9 simulated game against teammates at Oracle Park without any significant issues, manager Davey Martinez said, but the problem in his neck cropped up after the fact. "After talking to him, the conversation was it just didn't feel right," Martinez said today during his...

Bullpen thin today, but help could be coming soon

Bullpen thin today, but help could be coming soon
Asked during his pregame Zoom session with reporters around 2:15 p.m. who he planned to have pitching the late innings today if the Nationals hold a lead, Davey Martinez laughed like a manager who knew there was no simple answer to that question. "Actually, I've got a meeting at 3 o'clock with (pitching coach Jim) Hickey, so we're going to start figuring this stuff out," Martinez said. Suffice it to say, the situation is more complicated than it normally would be. Four key late-inning...

Bullpen takes another hit with Rainey landing on IL

Bullpen takes another hit with Rainey landing on IL
A Nationals bullpen that already was being stretched thin with the losses of several key late-inning relievers to injury has lost another key late-inning reliever: Tanner Rainey, who today was placed on the 10-day injured list with a stress reaction in his lower right leg. It's a serious blow to a relief corps that has been trying to proceed without the services of Daniel Hudson, Kyle Finnegan and Will Harris and now enters a daunting closing stretch to the first half of the season against...

Why the Nats' surge might be legit and why it might not

Why the Nats' surge might be legit and why it might not
Kyle Schwarber first said it one week earlier, unprompted, at the end of a Zoom session with reporters in which he was trying to temper recent suggestions the 2021 Nationals were going nowhere fast. "Remember, this is a good team," the outfielder said as he stood up from his chair. "You guys stay with us now, all right? Stay with us." One week later, at the end of the most productive week of his playing career, Schwarber didn't feel the need to try to convince doubters of the Nationals'...

What's the state of the Nats pitching staff entering Sunday?

What's the state of the Nats pitching staff entering Sunday?
So, after all that, what's the state of the Nationals pitching staff heading into today's series finale against the Giants? Not as bad as it could have been, all things considered. But there are still bullpen concerns. The Nats made it through Saturday's 15-inning doubleheader in one piece, thanks to Erick Fedde's five scoreless innings in the opener and Jefry Rodriguez's four scoreless innings in the nightcap. Now they'll turn to Joe Ross for today's nine-inning game. Originally...

Rainey rewards Nats' faith with first career save

Rainey rewards Nats' faith with first career save
Not once in his previous 101 major league relief appearances had Tanner Rainey been handed the ball with his team leading by three or fewer runs and needing only three more outs to secure a win. Certainly there were times in 2020 when the Nationals right-hander seemed deserving of such an assignment. But it hadn't happened. That it did finally happen Wednesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla., with the Nats leading the Rays 9-7 in the bottom of the 11th, was rather shocking. Because Rainey...

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...

Is the bullpen starting to show cracks?

Is the bullpen starting to show cracks?
The Nationals believed they were going to enter the season with as deep a bullpen as they've had in some time. With new closer Brad Hand joining experienced late-inning right-handers Daniel Hudson and Will Harris, plus up-and-comers Tanner Rainey, Wander Suero and Kyle Finnegan, the Nats were reasonably confident they had an ample supply of arms to win games late. Fifty-six games into a 162-game season, they were somewhat right about that. The bullpen has been perhaps the least of the...

Voth hit in face during disastrous series finale (updated)

Voth hit in face during disastrous series finale (updated)
There were events out of their control, from their starter for this bullpen game, Austin Voth, taking a fastball to his face in the top of the third to a string of poorly struck balls by the Phillies that somehow didn't become outs to a 20-minute delay in the top of the eighth after the backstop netting at Citizens Bank Park collapsed. (Yes, that last event actually happened.) But there were so many things the Nationals could've done better today to make this game far more competitive than it...

Rainey activated off COVID-19 IL, Fedde to be cleared Friday

Rainey activated off COVID-19 IL, Fedde to be cleared Friday
It's not often a team has the ability to change its roster mid-game, but the Nationals and Reds both were afforded the opportunity today for the completion of Wednesday night's suspended game. The Nats have activated Tanner Rainey off the COVID-19 injured list and will have the reliever available to them for the final five innings of the resumed game, plus tonight's seven-inning series finale. They'll also have Kyle McGowin available for the nightcap even though the right-hander was...

Martinez on Rainey, Fedde and García

Martinez on Rainey, Fedde and García
Right-hander Tanner Rainey, on the COVID-19 injured list since May 19, could be on the verge of rejoining the Nationals after throwing an extended bullpen session Tuesday, manager Davey Martinez said this afternoon. "He threw 32 pitches yesterday," Martinez said during his pregame Zoom session with the media. "I want to talk to him today and see how he feels after a long bullpen. If he feels good, he hasn't missed that much time. There's been times where guys in the bullpen, especially the...

García called up from Triple-A, Fedde and Rainey back in D.C.

García called up from Triple-A, Fedde and Rainey back in D.C.
In deciding who would take Victor Robles' spot on their roster, the Nationals elected not to promote another outfielder from Triple-A Rochester, nor did they call up their top prospect who only two months ago was supposed to be their starting third baseman. The Nats' decision to recall infielder Luis García before tonight's series opener against the Reds instead of Carter Kieboom or an outfielder revealed a few things about the current state of things in the organization. With no other...

Robles out of lineup again, getting MRI on ankle

Robles out of lineup again, getting MRI on ankle
The Nationals are without Victor Robles again tonight and now are awaiting results of an MRI taken on the center fielder's right ankle, which remains sore two days after it buckled while he rounded first base in Chicago. Manager Davey Martinez said during his Zoom session before tonight's game against the Orioles that Robles remains day-to-day for now. "He went to get an MRI today, we're waiting on the results," Martinez said. "As the day progressed yesterday, he got sore. So we wanted to...

Nats cap eventful night with tight win at Wrigley (updated)

Nats cap eventful night with tight win at Wrigley (updated)
Maybe it's Wrigley Field. The Friendly Confines just seem to bring out the highest of drama when the Nationals are in town, and have so for many years now. From epic playoff games to devastating walk-off grand slams to intentional walk records to wild back-and-forth contests, the Nationals and Cubs have experienced it all at the corner of Clark and Addison streets on Chicago's North Side. Add tonight's 4-3 victory to the list. Maybe the stakes weren't as high as some of the previous...