Early offense, late escape acts give Nats another win (updated)

Early offense, late escape acts give Nats another win (updated)
The Nationals burst out of the gates tonight to take a quick five-run lead on the Mets. Then they decided to find out if they could make those five runs hold up behind Patrick Corbin and four relievers, with a rain delay thrown into the middle of it all for good measure. The answer: They could. By the skin of their teeth. Tonight's 5-3 victory over New York didn't quite go according to script. Not that Davey Martinez could've predicted this particular script, which included an out-of-nowhere...

As Doolittle and Harris get right, Nats trust Rainey and Hudson

As Doolittle and Harris get right, Nats trust Rainey and Hudson
As the bottom of the eighth arrived Thursday evening, the Nationals leading the Blue Jays by three runs, Davey Martinez needed to decide which two relievers he would put on the mound to try to close out this victory. Based on both track record and recent usage, the answer appeared to be obvious: Will Harris for the eighth, Sean Doolittle for the ninth. Neither would pitch in the game. Instead, it was Tanner Rainey (pitching for the third straight day and for the fifth time in six days) in the...

Hudson and Rainey step up with power pitches to finally drop Blue Jays

Hudson and Rainey step up with power pitches to finally drop Blue Jays
In pitchers' duel that continued into the late innings of a scoreless tie, the Nats bullpen took center stage. After the Nats finally got on the board, a pair of power relievers completed the shutout. Daniel Hudson and Tanner Rainey combined to strike out six batters over the course of the final eight outs as the Nats notched a much-needed win in a 4-0 shutout of the Blue Jays in 10 innings. Max Scherzer pitched into the eighth, but gave up a single and later a walk in that inning. With one...

Nats win 10-inning pitchers' duel to snap skid (updated)

Nats win 10-inning pitchers' duel to snap skid (updated)
Whether played in Washington, Toronto, Buffalo or Sheboygan, tonight's game between the Nationals and Blue Jays deserved to be played in front of a packed house. It was that good. Alas, you can't play a ballgame in front of anyone right now, so the select few who were allowed inside Nationals Park to witness this taut pitchers' duel that ended as a 4-0, 10-inning victory for the Nats could only appreciate it for everyone else watching at home. Playing under Major League Baseball's funky new...

No update on Soto, Martinez cautious with Strasburg recovery

No update on Soto, Martinez cautious with Strasburg recovery
Nationals manager Davey Martinez said there is no update available yet on outfielder Juan Soto and his testing for COVID-19. "Nothing," Martinez said during his pregame video conference call Sunday. "Like I said, we'll get him as soon as he's able to come back. We'll get him going again. That's all I have." Soto received a positive test on Thursday morning and has been staying home in D.C. since. He needs two negative test results separated by 24 hours to be eligible to be...

Status report on bullpen as opening day draws closer

Status report on bullpen as opening day draws closer
The Nationals bullpen got off to an incredibly rough start in 2019. The Nats struggled in losing 31 of their first 50 games before key additions helped them to recover as the season progressed. But the Nats bullpen's overall ERA for the regular season was still an uncomfortable 5.66. In a season with just 60 games on the schedule, that early season weakness from a year ago cannot repeat itself or the Nats will be in big trouble. Daniel Hudson, a critical acquisition during the season, became...

Summer training news and notes

Summer training news and notes
Some news and notes for you on this Friday morning, the eve of the Nationals' first exhibition game against another club in four months ... * Though most of the attention - rightfully and deservedly - during Thursday night's intrasquad game was on Juan Soto and Howie Kendrick, there were other notable moments not involving the two big-name lineup regulars who made their summer training debuts after two weeks in mandatory quarantine. Patrick Corbin started for the home team and pitched four...

With family's blessing, Hudson sets out to duplicate 2019

With family's blessing, Hudson sets out to duplicate 2019
Daniel Hudson need not prove to anyone his commitment to family over baseball. This is the guy, of course, who missed Game 1 of last fall's National League Championship Series so he could fly home to Phoenix and be with his wife, Sara, as she gave birth to the couple's third daughter. So it should come as no surprise to learn that Daniel and Sara thought long and hard about their plan for the abbreviated 2020 season and whether it was worth the risk for the veteran reliever to leave the rest...

Corbin pitches well in simulated game; protocols annoy Thames

Corbin pitches well in simulated game; protocols annoy Thames
The Nationals extended Saturday's sim game into the fifth inning, one inning more than they played on Friday. Left-hander Patrick Corbin was the featured starter, allowing one run over three innings. Innings were stopped when he reached 13-14 pitches. "Pat threw the ball well. We wanted to keep him under 40 pitches, he threw 43, but he said he felt good," said Nationals manager Davey Martinez during a Zoom video call. "So, we will go from there. The biggest thing was get them three ups...

Some pressing on-field questions as Nats prepare to return

Some pressing on-field questions as Nats prepare to return
There hasn't been much reason to have actual baseball discussions around here in a while. But lo and behold, baseball players are going to begin doing baseball things inside baseball stadiums Friday for the first time in nearly four months, so it's finally appropriate to discuss some actual baseball topics. There are countless issues facing the Nationals over the next three weeks and beyond, and so many of those have to do with the unprecedented protocols everyone must follow in an attempt to...

Nats need to stick with big four to repeat 2019 ending

Nats need to stick with big four to repeat 2019 ending
With the announcement that Major League Baseball will schedule 60 games in a shortened 2020 campaign, the Nationals now must decide how they can best implement one big advantage they have had over other teams: their top four starting pitchers. Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and Aníbal Sánchez were so good last season that they ranked in the top 25 in ERA in the major leagues, top 24 in WAR, top 48 in K/9 and top 35 in WHIP. The Nats' top four starters combined for 65...

Nationals again look to build depth through draft

Nationals again look to build depth through draft
Sean Doolittle, Adam Eaton and Yan Gomes. All three players are prime examples of where the Nationals needed top-flight major league talent to compete for a title, but did not necessarily have that guy in their system at the time. All three made significant contributions on their road to winning the 2019 World Series. In the middle of 2019, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo brought in relievers Roenis Elías and Hunter Strickland through trade. Rizzo sent minor league left-handers Taylor...

State of the Nats roster: Bullpen

State of the Nats roster: Bullpen
We continue today a periodic look at the state of the Nationals roster at the point spring training was suspended and project how things may look whenever baseball is played again. Up next is the bullpen... Team officials are always going to speak optimistically about their roster during spring training. If you can't be positive in February and March, what hope do you have? But the optimism the Nationals displayed in West Palm Beach over their bolstered bullpen was genuine. They legitimately...

In transition to television, Porter had great appreciation for Nats' title run

In transition to television, Porter had great appreciation for Nats' title run
MASN broadcaster Bo Porter really enjoyed his first season as a co-host on the "Nats Xtra" pregame and postgame shows. And he could not have asked for a better ending, as the Nationals went all the way to win the 2019 World Series. Porter knew it was a big step to go from being a player to a coach to a manager and now to broadcaster in a matter of a couple of seasons. But he said feeling comfortable and respected by the people he worked with made all the difference. "It was great," Porter...

Notes on Will Harris and proposed new division alignment

Notes on Will Harris and proposed new division alignment
In a possible three-division realignment for an abbreviated and rescheduled 2020 campaign due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Nationals would be placed in the East alongside the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Orioles, Phillies, Pirates, Blue Jays, Rays and Marlins. Breaking down the teams in this potential division for 2020, the Yankees and Rays made the postseason last year. The Nats, Yankees, Rays, Red Sox and Mets all had winning records. The East division would include every member of the...

Carpenter safe and sound, optimistic baseball will return in 2020

Carpenter safe and sound, optimistic baseball will return in 2020
MASN broadcaster Bob Carpenter is back in Oklahoma with his family and is safe and healthy as the coronavirus pandemic unfolds across the globe. Like everyone else, Carpenter is waiting for the baseball season to get started. This will be his 15th season behind the mic for MASN as the television play-by-play announcer for the Nationals. Carpenter returned to Oklahoma on March 12 and has been able to enjoy time with his wife, Debbie, and their kids. I caught him running errands as they worked on...

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 World Series Game 7

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 World Series Game 7
(Note: You can watch Game 7 of the World Series tonight on MASN at 7 p.m.) There's a strange anticipation to Game 7 of the World Series that doesn't exist any other day of the year. It's the ultimate game, and so there's excitement for the prospect of that. But it's also guaranteed to be the final game of the year, so there's a tinge of sadness that comes with that realization. No matter what happens, no matter who wins, there will not be another ballgame to come after this. The Nationals...

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 World Series Game 1

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 World Series Game 1
The Nationals and their fans waited a long time to reach the World Series for the first time. So, really, who was going to complain about the extra six days they had to wait after sweeping the National League Championship Series before finally taking the field in Houston for their first appearance in the Fall Classic? The long layoff may have been a dominant storyline entering the World Series, but it sure didn't hold up for long. By the end of their tense Game 1 victory - 5-4 over the...

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLCS Game 4

Home confinement re-watch: 2019 NLCS Game 4
They packed themselves into Nationals Park, nearly 44,000 strong, for a party 86 years in the making. They came to watch a major league team from Washington win a pennant for the first time since 1933. And when the home ballclub stormed out to a 7-0 lead after one inning, all that was left for everyone to do was count down the outs until it was official. Game 4 of the National League Championship Series was not a simple, by-the-book, three-hour party, though. It wound up including a couple of...

Nats prospect watch: Denaburg building strength back in shoulder

Nats prospect watch: Denaburg building strength back in shoulder
A promising future awaits right-hander Mason Denaburg, who is looking to get back to full health and get back to baseball once the season (hopefully) gets back on track. The 20-year-old Denaburg was a first-round 2018 selection for the Nationals, but has been recovering from shoulder issues this offseason and had most recently started throwing again in spring training. MLB Pipeline has Denaburg at No. 7 in their Nats Top 10 list. No. 7 Mason Denaburg "I see him a lot, but I have not seen him...