Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 2

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLDS Game 2
Confession time: My favorite game of the 2019 postseason wasn't the wild card game. It wasn't Game 5 of the National League Division Series. It wasn't the pennant clincher over the Cardinals. And it wasn't Game 6 or 7 of the World Series in Houston. It was Game 2 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium. Seriously. This was an absolutely fantastic ballgame, overstuffed with star power, clutch performances, bold managerial decisions, a surprise relief appearance from a three-time Cy Young Award winner...

Despite October success, Hudson is still a reluctant closer

Despite October success, Hudson is still a reluctant closer
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Daniel Hudson pitched the ninth inning of three postseason clinching Nationals wins last October. He recorded the final three outs of the National League wild card game, preserving a 3-2 victory over the Brewers. He notched the final four outs of the team's NL pennant-clinching win over the Cardinals. And when it came time for the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, Davey Martinez handed the ball to him and watched as he finished off the Astros and set off a...

Trio of big name pitchers struggles in blowout loss

Trio of big name pitchers struggles in blowout loss
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The games down here don't count, so the Nationals could afford to brush off tonight's 11-0 trouncing at the hands of a split-squad Cardinals team as insignificant in the grand scheme of things. And that's probably a fair reaction to a blowout loss on March 5. Really, what conclusions can reasonably be drawn from a game like this? Still, it had to be at least a little concerning for Davey Martinez to watch three of his most important pitchers get roughed up by a...

Wrapping up a 3-2 victory

Wrapping up a 3-2 victory
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Joe Ross knows he's immersed in a battle to be the Nationals' fifth starter. A few more outings like he had Monday in a 3-2 victory over the Marlins and the right-hander might just lock up the spot he covets. Emilio Bonifacio played the hero's role, though it got a little sticky in the bottom of the ninth with the teams knotted at 2-2. Cody Wilson broke for home on what was supposed to be a safety squeeze with Bonifacio batting and was easily tagged out. But Bonifacio...

Martinez on Kieboom, Harris, Robles and World Series (Nats win 3-2)

Martinez on Kieboom, Harris, Robles and World Series (Nats win 3-2)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - With observers focusing on every swing he takes and every grounder he fields at third base, Carter Kieboom is off today. He's getting a chance to reset and Nationals manager Davey Martinez continues to preach to the 22-year-old that he needs to relax. Given an extended opportunity to replace the departed Anthony Rendon at third base, Kieboom has struggled this spring. He's hitting .083 (1-for-12) without an extra-base hit and has committed two errors at the hot corner....

Updates on relievers, Robles and Braymer (Nats lose 6-3)

Updates on relievers, Robles and Braymer (Nats lose 6-3)
JUPITER, Fla. - The Nationals are about to start getting a better look at the three pitchers who will form the back end of their bullpen in 2020. Closer Sean Doolittle and setup man Daniel Hudson, neither of whom has pitched in a Grapefruit League game this spring while manager Davey Martinez slow-plays them into action, are both nearing their debuts. Doolittle, a left-hander, has progressed through a side session, will get today off and is scheduled to pitch Sunday when the Nationals travel to...

Turner gets first opportunity to bat third (Nats lose 8-2)

Turner gets first opportunity to bat third (Nats lose 8-2)
TAMPA, Fla. - Davey Martinez has been talking about it much of the winter and through the first two weeks of the spring. Today the Nationals manager will finally see his unconventional lineup idea in action: Trea Turner is batting third against the Yankees. It's not a perfect way to evaluate this lineup wrinkle, because only three players guaranteed to be in the opening day lineup (Turner, Victor Robles, Starlin Castro) made the 3 1/2-hour trip from West Palm Beach for today's exhibition...

Nats hope improved depth leads to improved bullpen

Nats hope improved depth leads to improved bullpen
As spring training fast approaches, it's time to break down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series continues today with the bullpen ... We know the Nationals bullpen was terrible last season. That's not news to anyone. How bad was it, though? And, more importantly, why was it so bad? The stat most often cited throughout the ordeal that was the 2019 regular season was the Nats' bullpen ERA: 5.66. That was worst in the majors, and worst by any major league bullpen...

Better, worse or the same in 2020: Pitchers

Better, worse or the same in 2020: Pitchers
Yesterday we looked at Nationals position players and tried to project whether the club will be better, worse or the same at each position. Today we'll attempt the same exercise for their pitching staff. Keep in mind, this is broken down into roles on the pitching staff (i.e. No. 1 starter, setup men). In some cases where there hasn't been a change, it's essentially a projection of how one pitcher is going to compare to last season. But in other cases where there have been changes, it's a...

Soto: "I don't think I am better than anybody, but nobody is better than me"

Soto: "I don't think I am better than anybody, but nobody is better than me"
It was quite the year for Juan Soto and the Nationals. The 21-year-old slugger completed his second full season with the Nats, smacking five homers and 14 RBIs in the postseason, guiding the franchise to their first World Series title. "To be champions feels really good," Soto said on 106.7 The Fan from Nationals Winterfest. "Everything we done with the team, everything, in the clubhouse, everywhere we go, everything we've done feels really (good) to be a champion right now." Soto got to...

Strickland now at full health, hopes for calm seas ahead

Strickland now at full health, hopes for calm seas ahead
Reliever Hunter Strickland allowed three homers in two games against the Dodgers in the 2019 National League Division Series. But the right-hander had his moments for the Nationals that helped calm down a beleaguered bullpen and he is back for the 2020 season. Strickland remembers his wife, Shelley, was a bit nervous when he got the call to join the Nats. He spent the first part of the season with the Mariners after five seasons with the Giants. And when he arrived in D.C., his new teammates...

Hudson motivated to recreate 2019 run in return to Nats

Hudson motivated to recreate 2019 run in return to Nats
The Nationals officially announced the re-signing of reliever Daniel Hudson this morning. The pitcher that recorded the final three outs in Game 7 of the 2019 World Series to send the Nats to their first title comes back to D.C. on a two-year contract worth a reported $11 million. Hudson was a major part of literally saving the Nats' regular season and then decisively ending the final game with a swinging strikeout of the Astros' Michael Brantley. He went 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA with six saves in...

Doolittle impressed with additions to Nats bullpen

Doolittle impressed with additions to Nats bullpen
Like most of the Nationals, there was far more rest than post-postseason shenanigans for reliever Sean Doolittle. And considering how much Doolittle pitched down the stretch and how much the Nationals relied on him in the postseason, the left-handed definitely needed the mental floss in the formative weeks of the offseason. But as the calendar turned to December and the bulk of baseball's roster machinations, Doolittle took careful note of what the Nationals were doing -specifically, how much...

Remade bullpen looks promising, but is it enough?

Remade bullpen looks promising, but is it enough?
The Nationals bullpen, way back on July 30, 2019, was a mess. Sean Doolittle was beginning to show signs of fatigue from his excessive (but necessary) workload through the season's first four months. Fernando Rodney was his setup man and occasional fill-in closer. Wander Suero was pitching nearly every night. The rest of the unit included Tanner Rainey, Javy Guerra, Tony Sipp, Matt Grace and Michael Blazek. So Mike Rizzo, as he has been forced to do more than once during his tenure as general...

Source: Hudson returning to Nats on two-year deal

Source: Hudson returning to Nats on two-year deal
Turns out last week's signing of Will Harris didn't prohibit the Nationals from bringing back Daniel Hudson. Hudson and the Nats are finalizing a new deal that would keep the veteran reliever in D.C. for two more seasons at the fairly reasonable price of $11 million (plus incentives), a source familiar with the terms confirmed this afternoon. Once completed, Hudson would rejoin a Nationals bullpen that on paper looks much stronger now than it did for most of the 2019 season, when it ranked...

Could the Nats re-sign any more of their remaining free agents?

Could the Nats re-sign any more of their remaining free agents?
The Nationals had an usually large number of players become free agents off their championship roster: 12 in total, including those who either opted out of the rest of their contracts or had options declined by the club after the season. To their credit, they've managed to re-signed five of those free agents so far (Stephen Strasburg, Howie Kendrick, Yan Gomes, Asdrúbal Cabrera, Javy Guerra) while losing only two (Anthony Rendon, Gerardo Parra). But that still leaves five more players from...

Three-year deal for Harris is worth the risk for Nationals

Three-year deal for Harris is worth the risk for Nationals
Try to forget for a moment the name of the reliever the Nationals just signed, who he previously pitched for and what happened the last time he took the mound. Instead, just look at his numbers over the last five seasons and how he ranks among the 119 big league relievers who have made at least 200 appearances during that time frame: * 2.36 ERA, third best (behind Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman) * 0.987 WHIP, fourth best (behind Kenley Jansen, Roberto Osuna and Andrew Miller) * 2.72 FIP,...

Source: Nats signing reliever Will Harris to three-year deal

Source: Nats signing reliever Will Harris to three-year deal
In their quest to fix the most notable hole in an otherwise talented and deep roster, the Nationals have signed the veteran reliever who gave up the home run that propelled them to their first World Series title only nine weeks ago. Will Harris, the former Astros right-hander who threw the pitch that Howie Kendrick clanked off the foul pole at Minute Maid Park in Game 7, has agreed to a three-year, $24 million contract with the Nationals, a source familiar with the terms confirmed tonight. The...

What the Nationals still need to address this offseason

What the Nationals still need to address this offseason
Baseball's offseason, believe it or not, is already halfway complete. The regular season ended 2 1/2 months ago. Pitchers and catchers report in two months. For the Nationals, of course, this offseason has been much shorter to date. One of the downsides of going to the World Series is the delayed start to the winter, leaving much to be done in a compressed window. The Nats have already done a lot to prepare for 2020. They re-signed Stephen Strasburg, Howie Kendrick, Yan Gomes and Javy Guerra....

Satisfied with No. 5 starter options, Nats focused on relievers

Satisfied with No. 5 starter options, Nats focused on relievers
SAN DIEGO - With Stephen Strasburg officially back for the long term, the Nationals know they'll enter the 2020 season with the same starting quartet that was instrumental in their World Series victory. Strasburg rejoins Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin and Aníbal Sánchez as a formidable foursome that will again serve as the backbone of this roster. What about the final spot in the rotation? That's very much up for grabs at the moment, and it appears it will remain that way heading into...