Left-hander Jonny Venters revealed he had surgery for a torn anterior inferior capsule in his left shoulder a couple of weeks ago and now begins rehabbing again. The 34-year-old Venters has gone through several Tommy John surgeries in his career and now faces another rehab, this time on his shoulder. He will wait until later in rehab to see if he will return to baseball or retire. "We will see how it defines itself," Venters said. "If it's good, I'll keep going. If it's not, then there's...

The Nationals made more changes to their ever-changing bullpen today, and there's still one more big change to come in a few days that could finally solidify that group for the season's final month. The Nats activated Roenis Elías off the injured list and Hunter Strickland off the paternity leave list this afternoon, bringing all three relievers acquired on July 31 together again after a long wait. Needing to clear roster spots, they designated struggling Matt Grace for assignment and...

PHILADELPHIA - After making 28 appearances in the first two months of the season, left-hander Matt Grace has been called upon only nine times since June 1. He struggled in May, posting a 9.82 ERA in 12 appearances. After allowing runs June 20 and 22, he wasn't called on for almost another two weeks. Grace has started 0-1 with a 5.94 ERA in those 37 games. He has not given up a run in his two July appearances, so he feels like that is something to slowly build on. "It goes in waves. It is what...

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals have decided to push Max Scherzer's start back a couple more days. The right-hander will not start Sunday, as was orginally planned, due to continued back tightness. "He was sore after his last start," said Nationals manager Davey Martinez. "He had an MRI during the break. Came back negative. But he is sore. So we talked and we decided just push him back a couple days and see how he feels. We are at a point now where he went through an unbelievable run and...

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals arrive in Pennsylvania tonight as the hottest team in baseball, 8-2 over their last 10 games and 28-11 since a unpleasant start to the season. The offense is clicking, the bullpen is holding its own, the defense is showing off and the starting pitching is what the Nats expected from the start of the campaign. But manager Davey Martinez is cautiously optimistic as they begin a critical series against the Phillies tonight at Citizens Bank Park. "I look at what we...

For nine days, the Nationals did just about everything right. They got clutch hits when they needed them. They made pitches when they needed them. They found a way to beat the Marlins and Tigers eight times in nine games and ascend to the top position in the National League wild card race. So as tonight's series opener against the Royals played out, it was only natural to assume the Nats would find a way to pull this one out as well. Someone would drive in the big run. Someone would make the...

Nationals starters have averaged more than 6 1/2 innings pitched over the last 11 games, with only one starter failing to at least get through the sixth. That's a good thing, and it's no surprise it has helped this team go 8-3 during the stretch. But it's also had a domino effect on the bullpen, which could be seen as positive or negative, depending on your point of view. Needing only a couple of innings every night from his bullpen, and almost always with his team up a handful of runs,...

The bullpen has had a lot more positive moments the last month which has helped a great deal in the team's 18-8 June. But the Nationals have still not found the complete answer for the eighth inning. Right-hander Wander Suero could not complete the eighth Tuesday night without allowing a run. The Nats' 2-1 lead went by the wayside when César Puello doubled and Miguel Rojas connected on a deep fly ball to left field. Game tied 2-2. Saturday night in the bottom of the seventh at Comerica...

DETROIT - Left-hander Jonny Venters made his Nationals debut Saturday with five big outs to keep his team in the game. Venters arrived at a critical moment. The 27,716 at Comerica Park were riled up after the Tigers had rallied to tie the game at 3-3 with one out in fifth. Miguel Cabrera was standing at first base after delivering a two-run single. The outing did not start out the way he had planned, however, when Venters hit Christin Stewart with his first pitch thrown. Cabrera went to second...

DETROIT - Nationals manager Davey Martinez said one reason they decided to give right-hander Austin Voth another shot to start today was how he went after hitters last Sunday in the six innings of work against the Braves. "For me it was his aggressiveness," Martinez said. "Pounding the strike zone. Utilizing all of his pitches and throwing them for strikes. He was really good, really efficient. We thought that warranted another start for him here." Voth was able to get his fastball to 95-96...

MIAMI - As July creeps ever closer and thoughts of the trade deadline begin creeping into his mind, Mike Rizzo made a series of bullpen changes this week that could go a long way toward determining just how the Nationals general manager chooses to approach July 31. In releasing Trevor Rosenthal and then summoning veterans Fernando Rodney and Jonny Venters from the minors, Rizzo ostensibly declared this new-look relief corps has one month to prove itself before he must decide whether to be...

MIAMI - Jonny Venters has been called up to join major league rosters under more noteworthy circumstances than this, from his major league debut with the Braves in 2010 to his return in 2018 following a six-year layoff. That doesn't mean the 34-year-old reliever didn't still get that familiar feeling of accomplishment when he got the call Monday to join the Nationals in Miami. "I couldn't have been more excited, especially with the way this team's been playing lately," he said. "And...

MIAMI - There isn't nearly the kind of buzz surrounding the Nationals' upcoming week as there was for the last one, but that doesn't mean this isn't an important road trip for the team. It also doesn't mean it's going to be an easy one. Though the Marlins own the National League's worst record, they're playing a whole lot better right now than they were to begin the season. After opening up a dreadful 10-31, they've gone 20-15 since May 17, and they'll ride a four-game winning streak...

MIAMI - The Nationals are going to give another veteran reliever with shaky numbers so far this season a chance to help their bullpen during this final stretch before the All-Star break. Jonny Venters, the longtime Braves left-hander who has overcome what he describes as "3 1/2" Tommy John surgeries, will be promoted from Double-A Harrisburg before tonight's series opener against the Marlins, a source familiar with the transaction confirmed. Venters, 34, joins right-hander Fernando Rodney,...

ATLANTA - In their ongoing search for more bullpen help, the Nationals are taking a flier on veteran Jonny Venters, hoping the former Braves lefty can rediscover the form that made him effective last season but eluded him this year. The Nats signed Venters to a minor league contract and assigned him to Double-A Harrisburg, where he'll attempt to get himself on track and perhaps merit a promotion at some point. "He's a prominent left-handed pitcher who pitched well in some high-leverage...