Three Nationals head into arbitration deadline day

Three Nationals head into arbitration deadline day
This is going to be a busy day across baseball. A lot of news is going to come trickling out over the course of many hours as players from every club either agree to terms on 2020 salaries or file for arbitration. Hey, I only said it's going to be busy. I never said it was going to be exciting. Truthfully, this is one of the most annoying days of the baseball year. All the players involved are staying with their current clubs. These aren't free agents, they're merely players with at least...

Will new reliever rule keep Nats from adding another lefty?

Will new reliever rule keep Nats from adding another lefty?
It feels like the Nationals have perpetually been searching for a left-handed reliever who can consistently get left-handed hitters out. Because they have. Sure, there have been a few guys over the years who have been successful: Mike Gonzalez in 2012, Matt Thornton in 2014, Sean Burnett and Sean Doolittle over multiple years. But there have been far more failures than successes in this department: Enny Romero, Sammy Solís, Tim Collins, Tony Sipp, Matt Grace, Dan Jennings, Tom Gorzelanny,...

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...

Guerra non-tendered, Nationals will bring back others

Guerra non-tendered, Nationals will bring back others
The Nationals did not tender contracts to relievers Javy Guerra and Koda Glover before tonight's league-mandated deadline, essentially releasing both right-handers, though the oft-injured Glover had already announced his retirement earlier this afternoon. The club did tender contracts to four other arbitration-eligible players: Trea Turner, Michael A. Taylor, Joe Ross and Roenis Elías. None of those players have agreed to terms on 2020 contracts yet, as Wilmer Difo and Hunter Strickland did...

Nationals face several decisions at deadline (Strickland signed)

Nationals face several decisions at deadline (Strickland signed)
It's non-tender day across Major League Baseball, a day when a handful of players from each club worry they might get dumped but in most cases survive to live another day. How's this all work? Well, players who are eligible for salary arbitration - those with more than three years but fewer than six years of big league service time - must be tendered a contract by 8 p.m. today. All that means is that teams must declare their intention to sign those players to 2020 contracts. They don't have...

Nats make two bullpen changes for World Series

Nats make two bullpen changes for World Series
HOUSTON - The Nationals made some tweaks to the fringes of their roster for the World Series, but as we've seen throughout this extended postseason run to date, the National League champs fully intend to stick with the core group of big-name pitchers and lineup regulars in search of their first title. The Nats added two new relievers for the Fall Classic in Joe Ross and Wander Suero, dropping Austin Voth and Roenis Elías from their NL Championship Series bullpen. The addition of Ross is a...

When it mattered most, reworked bullpen delivered the biggest outs

When it mattered most, reworked bullpen delivered the biggest outs
The Nationals advanced to the World Series on Tuesday night with a 7-4 victory and a sweep of the National League Championship Series over the Cardinals. They punched their ticket to the Fall Classic with a big first inning, solid pitching from Patrick Corbin and four impressive shutout innings from their bullpen. Tanner Rainey relieved Corbin in the sixth and delivered a clean inning with a strikeout. Sean Doolittle came in for the seventh and even notched two more outs in the eighth. And...

Martinez cautious with Robles, defines Elías' role next two games

Martinez cautious with Robles, defines Elías' role next two games
Nationals manager Davey Martinez had an update on center fielder Victor Robles as he continues recovery from a tweaked right hamstring suffered in Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Dodgers. "We are going to run him a little bit today, get some treatment," Martinez said during a conference call. "Tomorrow he will participate in BP and do a little running. And we will see where we are at tomorrow. I'm not going to anticipate anything until he comes in tomorrow. But...

Nats have to alter bullpen plan for Game 1, entire NLCS

Nats have to alter bullpen plan for Game 1, entire NLCS
ST. LOUIS - When Daniel Hudson left the Nationals in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, he hoped to spend only 24 hours in Phoenix for the birth of his daughter, then fly to St. Louis this morning and be ready to pitch tonight in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. But as anyone who's ever had a baby can attest, Mother Nature doesn't care about best-laid plans. When the baby's ready, the baby's ready. And in this case, the newest member of the Hudson family wasn't ready to...

Updates on Suzuki, Gomes, Elías and Adams (Nats fall 5-0)

Updates on Suzuki, Gomes, Elías and Adams (Nats fall 5-0)
Nationals manager Davey Martinez had a spring in his step as he met reporters in the home dugout following the annual team picture before tonight's first game against the Braves with: "How's everybody doing!?" He had an upbeat attitude, as he usually does, for good reason. His club won two of three in Minnesota, their first series victory against a team with a winning record since sweeping the Cubs on Aug. 25. "It made it a lot better the fact that we won the game and we played the game,"...

Gomes prepped for heavy workload til Suzuki returns (Nats down 2-0)

Gomes prepped for heavy workload til Suzuki returns (Nats down 2-0)
MINNEAPOLIS - Though Kurt Suzuki doesn't appear to have suffered a serious elbow injury, the Nationals do appear to believe the veteran catcher is going to need some time to make it back into the lineup and have told Yan Gomes to be prepared to start the majority of games for the foreseeable future. Suzuki, who had to depart Saturday night's game with what he described as "some tinglings, zings" in his right elbow, had an MRI which showed no structural damage. He was given anti-inflammatory...

Martinez on Eaton's return; Elías has Grade 1 strain (Nats lose 5-4)

Martinez on Eaton's return; Elías has Grade 1 strain (Nats lose 5-4)
ATLANTA - Nationals manager Davey Martinez elected to get Adam Eaton back in the lineup tonight for the third game of four at SunTrust Park against the Braves. This will be Eaton's first start since Sept. 2. Eaton is batting second and in right field. "It'll be nice to get him up there, get him at the top of the order," Martinez said. "Between him and Trea (Turner), get on base, get something going." Martinez said getting feedback from Eaton last night on how he felt running during the...

Elías' MRI set for Saturday, Voth in for Ross to start Game 3 (Nats fall 4-3)

Elías' MRI set for Saturday, Voth in for Ross to start Game 3 (Nats fall 4-3)
ATLANTA - Nationals reliever Roenis Elías is dealing with a right hamstring injury suffered late in Friday night's opening 4-2 loss against the Braves. Manager Davey Martinez said they will wait on the MRI until Saturday to check on Eliías' hamstring. "He feels OK. He's really sore," Martinez said. "We haven't gotten an MRI yet because until the swelling goes down it's really going to reveal really nothing. Hopefully by the end of the day tomorrow we'll get an MRI." "I felt a...

Fried too good and late rally falls short in 4-2 loss to Braves

Fried too good and late rally falls short in 4-2 loss to Braves
ATLANTA - The Braves scored early on versus Stephen Strasburg. And with Max Fried putting together one of the best starts of his career, Atlanta held off the Nationals for a 4-2 win Thursday night. Fried was next to brilliant, firing seven shutout innings, striking out nine and allowing one infield single for his 16th win. "He was really good, he threw all his pitches for strikes, kept us off balance most of the night," said Nationals manager Davey Martinez. "When you see Juan (Soto) have...

Martinez on big series, Eaton, Elías, Doolittle and more

Martinez on big series, Eaton, Elías, Doolittle and more
ATLANTA - The Nationals have looked forward to this series for a while now, even if they would not admit it out loud. The four-game series against the first-place Braves is upon them. But Nationals manager Davey Martinez said his team is repeating the mantra that it cannot get ahead of itself even with only 23 games remaining. "Trea (Turner) talked about it yesterday - just control today, win today," Martinez said. "Go 1-0 today and go from there." But with the National League East deficit...

Nationals rewrite record books with 11-10 comeback winner

Nationals rewrite record books with 11-10 comeback winner
A lot of records were set when the Nationals scored seven runs in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday night. The 11-10 win over the Mets was the largest come from behind win in the bottom of the ninth in Nationals history (2005-present). Kurt Suzuki hit a three-run shot to win it, his third walk-off winner of his career, and first since Aug. 15, 2018, against the White Sox. Ryan Zimmerman was a major part of the rally. He hit a bases loaded double to right-center field to score two runs to cut the...

Suzuki's walk-off homer caps stunning comeback (updated)

Suzuki's walk-off homer caps stunning comeback (updated)
Davey Martinez has been imploring his Nationals to "stay in the fight" all summer long, no matter how many games back they've been in the standings, no matter how many runs they've trailed by in any particular game, no matter how big a hole their bullpen puts them in late. "Think positive, that's all I can tell you," the second-year manager said. "If you let this game go like this (motioning up and down) it's not going to be good. Just stay right here (motioning a straight line) and...

Hudson highlights up-and-down night for Nats bullpen

Hudson highlights up-and-down night for Nats bullpen
Reliever Daniel Hudson allowed a two-run home run in the ninth inning Friday night that erased a late Nationals lead. But the veteran held steady and focused on finding a way to bounce back, getting out of the inning and limiting the damage. Hudson was able to record three consecutive outs to allow his club the opportunity to overcome a deficit. Anthony Rendon's two-run single did just that in the bottom of the ninth, and the Nationals came back to drop the Marlins 7-6. Leading 5-4 heading...

After Hudson blows lead, Rendon saves the day (updated)

After Hudson blows lead, Rendon saves the day (updated)
They danced with the devil all night, failing to capitalize against the National League's worst team despite countless opportunities. They were sloppy in the field. They got only five innings out of their starter, then watched their bullpen blow a late lead. Even when they retook the lead late, they still couldn't hold onto it. Until their best player - perhaps even a legitimate NL MVP candidate - saved the day just in time to avoid total disaster. After watching Daniel Hudson blow a save in...

Bullpen gets two key arms back, drops Grace from roster

Bullpen gets two key arms back, drops Grace from roster
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...