Most players Nats traded didn't perform as hoped for new teams

Most players Nats traded didn't perform as hoped for new teams
The eight players the Nationals traded away during the final days of July all had value to their acquiring clubs, each of them believing those players would help lift them into the postseason and in some cases deep into October. The Nats didn't just deal away anybody. They purposely traded veterans in the final year of their contracts (aside from one notable example who had two years to go until free agency) who would be appealing to contenders and could potentially make a real difference over...

Eight veterans in total dealt before deadline (updated)

Eight veterans in total dealt before deadline (updated)
When the clock reached 4 p.m. and it was all said and done, the Nationals had traded away eight veterans off their 2021 roster, four of them key contributors to the club's World Series title only 21 months ago. In their place will come 12 prospects of varying pedigrees from six other organizations, all of them now trying to win this season while the Nats begin a rebuild they hope is neither too long nor too painful. In the final moments before this afternoon's deadline, general manager Mike...

With chance for sweep, Nats collapse in loss to Phillies (updated)

With chance for sweep, Nats collapse in loss to Phillies (updated)
Would you believe me if I told you this morning that the Nationals would have a very good chance to sweep the Phillies in today's doubleheader after a COVID-19 outbreak in the visitors' clubhouse, trade rumors heating up about Washington's first starting pitching, an ominous forecast all day in Philadelphia and blowing a 7-0 lead in the second game? Well, they did have a chance, but that's not what happened after the Nats followed up a strong win in the first game with a complete collapse...

How far are Nats willing to go in selling at the deadline?

How far are Nats willing to go in selling at the deadline?
The Nationals are going to be sellers this week, of that there can be no doubt at this point. If it wasn't already clear after Sunday's walk-off loss in Baltimore, it surely was after Monday's walk-off loss in Philadelphia. But there are different approaches to selling at the trade deadline, and that's where the real intrigue comes in as general manager Mike Rizzo starts fielding phone calls from his counterparts across baseball and decides how to proceed. Are the Nats just selling veterans...

Hand blows another save, Nats collapse in Philly (updated)

Hand blows another save, Nats collapse in Philly (updated)
Whatever the rest of this week has in store, of one thing you can be sure: Davey Martinez is going to keep encouraging his Nationals to block out whatever trade deadline chatter they're hearing and just concentrate on that night's task. "That message stands firm. I want them to focus on today," the fourth-year manager said on Zoom prior to tonight's series opener in Philadelphia. "Nobody knows what's going to happen an hour from now, nevertheless tomorrow or the next day. We've got a...

Game 97 lineups: Nats at Orioles (Scherzer scratched)

Game 97 lineups: Nats at Orioles (Scherzer scratched)
The Nationals need a stopper, someone to prevent a single loss from turning into a losing streak and give them some momentum against a weaker opponent. Facing the Orioles in the middle of three interleague games at Camden Yards, it seemed right-hander Max Scherzer (7-4, 2.83 ERA) would be just the tonic for what ails the Nats. In his career, Scherzer is 7-2 with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.024 WHIP in 14 starts against the Orioles. In Baltimore, he's made seven starts and gone 4-0 with a 3.48 ERA and...

Nats helpless against Gausman, swept by Giants (updated)

Nats helpless against Gausman, swept by Giants (updated)
Manager Davey Martinez had hoped the Nationals could use the final game of a West Coast road trip to end a three-game skid, prevent a sweep by the Giants and head into the All-Star break with a little bit of positive momentum. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell Giants right-hander Kevin Gausman, who throttled the Nats in a 3-1 victory that gave his team a sweep of the three-game weekend series. Gausman allowed only four hits through six-plus innings - three of them of the infield variety -...

Fedde rusty in return from IL, Nats fall to Padres (updated)

Fedde rusty in return from IL, Nats fall to Padres (updated)
The Nationals' resurgent June was built upon multiple developments, but high on the list was the resurgence of their rotation into an elite unit for the first time all season. Now as the calendar has shifted to July, they're finding out just how important that development was. It's hard to win games when your starter doesn't provide both quality and length. And the Nats haven't been getting either over the last week. They got away with Jon Lester's poor start Monday night in San Diego,...

Turner and Gomes return to lineup, Tuesday's starter is TBA

Turner and Gomes return to lineup, Tuesday's starter is TBA
A Nationals club desperate for more healthy bodies is getting two of them back for tonight's series opener in San Diego, with more potentially coming in the next few days. Trea Turner and Yan Gomes are both in tonight's lineup, Turner returning after missing four games with a jammed left middle finger, Gomes back after taking a pitch off his right arm Saturday night. The impact on Davey Martinez's batting order is significant, with Turner able to bat second in front of Juan Soto and Gomes...

Slam off Corbin in fifth seals storm-shortened loss (updated)

Slam off Corbin in fifth seals storm-shortened loss (updated)
Anyone with a smartphone and a weather app knew what was coming. It was approaching from the west and it was going to reach Nationals Park at some point this evening. It was just a question of when. And what the status of the Nationals' series opener against the Dodgers was going to be when it did arrive. The answer: It arrived moments after the Nats went down in order in the bottom of the fifth, which came moments after Patrick Corbin gave up five runs in the top of the inning. That meant...

Schwarber, Turner, Harrison all banged up, but playing

Schwarber, Turner, Harrison all banged up, but playing
As the baseball world was still up in arms over the theatrics of Joe Girardi asking umpires to check Max Scherzer for foreign substances for a third time Tuesday night, the Nationals were dealing with several injury scares late during their 3-2 victory over the Phillies. Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Josh Harrison all were less than 100 percent healthy by the time Brad Hand escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth. And though all three are back in the lineup for this afternoon's...

Could Parra be in Nationals' plans again soon?

Could Parra be in Nationals' plans again soon?
Two years ago today, a slumping Gerardo Parra stepped to the plate for his first at-bat of a doubleheader against the Phillies, and for the first time did so with "Baby Shark" blaring over the Nationals Park sound system. Most in the crowd laughed at the odd choice for a walk-up song, but little did they realize what kind of impact it would have on Parra individually and on the Nats as a whole. Just as they did on June 19, 2019, the Nationals are playing a doubleheader today, this time...

Schwarber is atypical - but productive - as leadoff hitter

Schwarber is atypical - but productive - as leadoff hitter
Kyle Schwarber doesn't exactly have fond memories of his initial attempt batting leadoff for the Cubs. "I stunk the first time I led off," he said Sunday during a Zoom session with Nationals reporters. "I was terrible. I'll be really honest: I stunk." Schwarber's memory is pretty accurate. He may have forgotten the two times he led off in 2015 and went 3-for-8 with a double and a stolen base. He probably remembers the 36 times he did it in 2017, during which he batted a scant .190 and...

Ross completes eight innings as Nats shut out Giants (updated)

Ross completes eight innings as Nats shut out Giants (updated)
As their two aces departed early with injuries the extent of which aren't entirely known just yet, the Nationals were left with no choice but to call upon their longtime No. 5/6 starters to pick up the slack this weekend. Whether Erick Fedde and Joe Ross can continue to thrive under this new pressure for the long haul or not remains to be seen. Certainly, they need to prove they can do it every fifth day, not just once in a blue moon. But for these 24 hours on South Capitol Street, there is no...

Game 59 lineups: Giants at Nats

Game 59 lineups: Giants at Nats
Well, the Nationals will try again tonight to send Max Scherzer to the mound to open a four-game series against the Giants. The Nationals have a ragged bullpen, even with an unscheduled off-day from Thursday night's rainout, and need length from Scherzer, and that has a good chance of happening. For his career, the right-hander is 4-5 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.131 WHIP in 10 career starts against San Francisco. In nine of his 12 starts this season, Scherzer has thrown at least six innings, and...

On the critical play at the plate that cost the Nats

On the critical play at the plate that cost the Nats
For a team that knows run-scoring opportunities are few and far between, this was a moment to perk up. With one out in the top of the seventh Tuesday night at Tropicana Field, the Nationals had Josh Bell on second base, Josh Harrison at the plate and a 3-1 deficit to the Rays on the scoreboard. And when Harrison promptly lined a base hit to left field, all eyes immediately shifted toward third base, to see if Bell would attempt to score or be held up by Bob Henley. Henley, as he does more often...

With a key single, then two blasts, Soto found his swing

With a key single, then two blasts, Soto found his swing
Juan Soto became Juan Soto again - not on the two-run homer he hit for the Nationals in the eighth inning Tuesday night in Atlanta, not on the two-run homer he hit in the fifth inning Wednesday night in Atlanta. Juan Soto became Juan Soto again when he took an outside fastball from Braves left-hander Max Fried and hit a line drive single to left in the top of the fourth Tuesday, driving in a pair of teammates. The ball left his bat at a modest 93.7 mph and traveled a mere 245 feet in the...

Nats go silent at the plate, can't win series in Atlanta (updated)

Nats go silent at the plate, can't win series in Atlanta (updated)
If they were going to produce a three-game winning streak and win a key road series against a division rival, the Nationals were going to need quality and length today from Patrick Corbin, plus a continuation of the power display their lineup showed the previous 48 hours. They almost got the first. They didn't come close to getting the latter. Corbin was outstanding for five innings, but wilted during a four-run bottom of the sixth that spoiled his start, and the Nationals lineup was rendered...

Schwarber sits to rest sore knee, Sunday's starter is TBD

Schwarber sits to rest sore knee, Sunday's starter is TBD
When Kyle Schwarber walked into Davey Martinez's office this morning in Atlanta, the Nationals left fielder told his manager his right knee was still sore after a hard landing while attempting to make a diving catch Wednesday night. Martinez told Schwarber he wouldn't be starting this afternoon's series finale against the Braves, but to get treatment on his knee, and then if he thinks he can pinch-hit later in the game, to let him know. "I couldn't even get the words out," Martinez...

Game 52 lineups: Nats at Braves

Game 52 lineups: Nats at Braves
We've seen the Nationals put together isolated offensive explosions this season. Seven times they've scored seven or more runs. How have they done in their next game? They've averaged three runs. So there's been an issue with sustaining offensive success. Tonight the Nats will try to finally do that and put together back-to-back big performances at the plate in the wake of their 11-6 victory Tuesday night. As was the case then, they're facing a left-hander, this time Drew Smyly. He's got...