Nats won't detail Jeffress decision; Lester back in camp

Nats won't detail Jeffress decision; Lester back in camp
Though they will not reveal any reasons for Sunday's release of reliever Jeremy Jeffress, the Nationals are acknowledging the surprise move was not for baseball reasons. General manager Mike Rizzo, speaking to reporters via Zoom this morning from West Palm Beach, Fla., repeated the unusual phrase he provided Sunday in announcing the Jeffress release, saying only it was for "personnel reasons." Rizzo deflected several follow-up questions seeking a more detailed explanation but did concede...

Rainey building arm back up after "minor muscle strain"

Rainey building arm back up after "minor muscle strain"
None of the Nationals' projected late-inning relievers have made their spring debuts yet. Mostly, that's by design as the club slowly builds them up during the first two weeks of camp. One of them, however, has been held back not by design but by injury. Tanner Rainey, the most promising young arm in the Nats' relief corps, has been dealing with what manager Davey Martinez termed a "minor muscle strain" near his right collarbone. The right-hander was shut down for several days but has...

With deep bullpen, Nats think they're set to close games

With deep bullpen, Nats think they're set to close games
If you wanted to try to distill the story of the Nationals bullpen over the last several seasons into one simplified narrative, it would be this: Davey Martinez didn't trust enough guys to pitch in high-leverage situations, forcing the manager to overuse his one or two best relievers, which sometimes led to ineffectiveness or injury. It's a pattern that has often repeated itself around here, and it's one Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo appear determined to avoid in 2021. And how...

Better, worse or the same in 2021: Pitchers

Better, worse or the same in 2021: Pitchers
With spring training less than a week away and the roster mostly set, it's a good time to look at the 2021 Nationals in comparison to the 2020 Nationals. Have they gotten better? Have they gotten worse? Have they essentially stayed the same? We looked at position players yesterday, and in most cases the conclusion was that the Nats should be better at most positions. What about the pitching staff? Glad you asked. Let's break it down by role ... NO. 1 STARTER: Probably better Max Scherzer...

When will Tanner Rainey be ready to close?

When will Tanner Rainey be ready to close?
So little went right for the Nationals last season that it's easy to get excited about the players that made significant improvement. Tanner Rainey is one of them, a bulldog of a right-hander who used the shortened 2020 season to show that all that fantasy baseball chatter about players making a leap in their age-27 seasons isn't just idle babble. Rainey has something few pitchers possess: a triple-digit fastball with life. And though he is often mentioned as a closer of the future, the...

With four late-inning arms, Nats have plenty of relief options

With four late-inning arms, Nats have plenty of relief options
A few national baseball writers referred to Brad Hand as the Nationals' "new closer" upon reporting his contract agreement Sunday night. Don't be so sure about that. Though Hand certainly is going to end up closing some games for the Nats this season, that's not technically the role the club has in mind for him. It's safe to say Davey Martinez will use Hand whenever the matchup is in his favor, whether that comes in the seventh, eighth or ninth inning. Some managers and some teams think...

Nats' 2019 roster could be a distant memory come 2021

Nats' 2019 roster could be a distant memory come 2021
Nothing lasts forever in baseball. Change is inevitable. No roster, good or bad, stays intact from year to year. So this isn't unusual. But it's still somewhat striking when you pause to think about it: More than half of the Nationals' 2019 World Series roster isn't going to be part of their 2021 roster. At the moment, only 11 of the 25 players who were in uniform for Game 7 in Houston a mere 13 1/2 months ago remain employed by the Nationals. Only four of those 11 are position players:...

After breakthrough season, Rainey looks like future closer

After breakthrough season, Rainey looks like future closer
Our offseason player review series continues today with Tanner Rainey, who ascended to a prominent bullpen role before getting hurt. PLAYER REVIEW: TANNER RAINEY Age on opening day 2021: 28 How acquired: Traded from Reds for Tanner Roark, Dec. 2018 MLB service time: 1 year, 158 days 2020 salary: $572,200 (prorated $211,926) Contract status: Under team control, arbitration eligible in 2022, free agent in 2025 2020 stats: 1-1, 2.66 ERA, 20 G, 0 SV, 20 1/3 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 HR, 7 BB, 32 SO, 1...

Soto, Scherzer and Doolittle honored with end-of-season awards

Soto, Scherzer and Doolittle honored with end-of-season awards
The Nationals announced the winners of the fifth annual end-of-season awards voted on by members of the local media. Outfielder Juan Soto was voted the 2020 Nationals Player of the Year. Right-hander Max Scherzer was named Pitcher of the Year. Reliever Sean Doolittle won the "Good Guy" Award, given to the player for his professional dealings with members of the media and representing the Nats organization with class on and off the field. Soto, 21, has had a Most Valuable Player-caliber...

Barrett, Bourque placed on IL; Hernández, Espino join roster

Barrett, Bourque placed on IL; Hernández, Espino join roster
Aaron Barrett's latest return to the Nationals bullpen came to an abrupt halt due to another injury. And James Bourque's first opportunity to pitch regularly in the big leagues has also been cut short due to injury. Barrett, who made national headlines last season when he pitched in the majors three years after breaking his arm while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, was placed on the 10-day injured list today with a right triceps strain, one of a flurry of transactions announced by the...

With Rainey placed on the injured list, Barrett returns to the Nats

With Rainey placed on the injured list, Barrett returns to the Nats
The Nationals have placed right-hander Tanner Rainey on the 10-day injured list with a right flexor strain and recalled Aaron Barrett from the alternate training site. Manager Davey Martinez spoke with Rainey today at Tropicana Field before they made the decision. "He came in today and said he felt a little bit better," Martinez said. "We just want to be safe and make sure that he is 100 percent when he comes back. That was the decision right there. At this point we just want to make sure...

Rainey is latest Nats reliever to land on IL with flexor strain

Rainey is latest Nats reliever to land on IL with flexor strain
Tanner Rainey, one of the Nationals' brightest lights during a mostly dismal season, may not pitch again this season. Rainey, who already had been sidelined over the weekend with forearm soreness, was placed on the 10-day injured list today with a right flexor strain. Though manager Davey Martinez didn't completely rule out the possibility of the reliever returning, with only 13 days remaining in this short season there's hardly enough time (or motivation) to make it back. "Right now,...

Game 46 lineups: Nats at Rays (Rainey to IL)

Game 46 lineups: Nats at Rays (Rainey to IL)
The Nationals' final road trip of 2020 begins tonight in St. Petersburg, Fla., where they'll face the Rays in the first of a quick two-game series. It's a rematch of last week's two-gamer in D.C., both of those games won by the Nats. But the challenge may be greater this time. For one thing, the Nationals just lost their best reliever. Tanner Rainey has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right flexor strain, a move that is retroactive to Sept. 12. Rainey had pitched very well...

Roster attrition leaves Nats in tough spot with two weeks to go

Roster attrition leaves Nats in tough spot with two weeks to go
Though they don't want to admit it publicly, the Nationals have reached the point in their season in which the playoffs are no longer a realistic goal. Sunday's 8-4 loss to the Braves left them at 17-28, a whopping 10 games behind Atlanta in the National League East and five games behind the Giants for the NL's eighth and final postseason berth. To finish .500, the Nats would need to somehow go 13-2 down the stretch. A sub-.500 record might still be good enough to squeak in as the final wild...

Rainey out for "a few days," Hernández gets first MLB start

Rainey out for "a few days," Hernández gets first MLB start
Nationals right-hander Tanner Rainey was one of only two relief pitchers who did not appear in last night's 12-inning marathon against the Braves. The other was left-hander Ben Braymer, who had just been called up. Rainey had pitched in three of the last four games. But today we found out there was another reason why Rainey did not pitch. "He has a little tightness in his forearm, so we are going to give him a few days off," said manager Davey Martinez during today's pregame Zoom video...

Good friends Finnegan and Bourque keep Braves off board for win

Good friends Finnegan and Bourque keep Braves off board for win
Nationals relievers Kyle Finnegan and James Bourque managed to keep the prolific Braves offense off the board in extra innings in an 8-7, 12-inning win Friday night at Nats Park. Finnegan pitched two scoreless frames while Bourque earned his first major league win with a shutout 12th as the Nats prevented the Braves from coming back from a 5-0 deficit to win for the second night in a row. Finnegan walked the tightrope for two innings and managed to prevent the Braves from scoring a run even...

Nats again can't keep Braves in the yard in 7-6 loss (updated)

Nats again can't keep Braves in the yard in 7-6 loss (updated)
There appear to be two ways to beat the Braves, neither simple. You can try to outslug one of the most powerful lineups in baseball. Or you can try to keep Ronald Acuña Jr. and Freddie Freeman in the ballpark. Again, neither of these is a simple task, as the Nationals have painfully learned over the last week. And because they once again couldn't keep Acuña and Freeman in the yard, and couldn't turn a good night at the plate into a great night at the plate, they suffered another loss to...

Nats outplay Rays again for fourth win in five (updated)

Nats outplay Rays again for fourth win in five (updated)
These are not the 2019 Nationals. Not in name and not in style of play. Most likely, they won't finish the season like their 2019 version did, either. But for now, that's not worth stressing over. Instead, take a step back and just appreciate what this ever-changing 2020 Nationals club is now doing. They don't have the star power - or the offensive power - of their World Series champion predecessors. But over the last week, they're finally starting to play with some passion. They're...

Despite tough loss, bullpen again gives Nats a chance at victory

Despite tough loss, bullpen again gives Nats a chance at victory
Overshadowed a bit in the 6-5 10-inning loss for the Nationals at Philadelphia on Thursday was the overall effectiveness of the Nats bullpen. Starter Aníbal Sánchez lasted only 3 1/3 innings. From there, the Nats relievers compiled 6 1/3 innings, allowing the Phillies only two runs on just two hits. The bullpen struck out 10 batters. Both Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey struck out the side. It all started with Wander Suero, who worked 1 2/3 innings after Sánchez's struggles. He kept...

Corbin allows early runs, but "getting better and better"

Corbin allows early runs, but "getting better and better"
When the Marlins' Miguel Rojas smacked a three-run homer in the second inning Friday night, some had to worry that this might be a repeat of what happened to Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin in his previous start. On Aug. 15, Corbin allowed the Orioles to score two runs in each of the first two innings on their way to a 7-3 victory over the Nats in Baltimore. But Corbin returned to vintage form this time around, shaking off that early home run, and bewildering the Marlins into the seventh...