Kendrick's dramatic homer ranks near top of change-of-fortune hits in baseball history

Kendrick's dramatic homer ranks near top of change-of-fortune hits in baseball history
All Nationals fans would admit that Howie Kendrick's two-run homer in the World Series Game 7 was a big moment in franchise history. But fans probably do not realize the homer ranks as the 10th best change-of-fortune hit in Major League Baseball postseason history, dating to 1903, according to a metric developed by The Baseball Gauge. The Baseball Gauge tracks a metric known as Change in World Series Win Probability (cWPA), based off every World Series (and postseason) game played the past 115...

Simplified approach yields positive results, gets Astros back in Fall Classic

Simplified approach yields positive results, gets Astros back in Fall Classic
After losing the first two games at home, the Astros have made this World Series competitive, thanks to a pitching staff that snuffed out a steady stream of potential Nationals rallies. The Astros avoided an almost insurmountable situation by beating the Nationals 4-1 on Friday night in Game 3 of the World Series, the first World Series game in D.C. since 1933, the year the American League Senators lost the title to the New York Giants. The Nationals lead the best-of-seven series two games to...

Scherzer gets ball for Game 1 of World Series (updated)

Scherzer gets ball for Game 1 of World Series (updated)
HOUSTON - The Nationals could've gotten cute with their World Series rotation, sticking with the order that led them to a National League Championship Series sweep of the Cardinals and saved up their two best horses for potential Games 6 and 7. In the end, manager Davey Martinez decided to keep thing simple and just go with his best guys right out of the chute against the Astros' comparable aces. Max Scherzer will start Game 1 of the Fall Classic on Tuesday night, with Stephen Strasburg on...

Greinke very good, Fedde roughed up early as Nats fall 5-0

Greinke very good, Fedde roughed up early as Nats fall 5-0
The Nationals offense had extreme difficulty solving veteran right-hander Zack Greinke, who carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning Thursday night as the Diamondbacks opened the series with a rain-delayed 5-0 shutout. Jarrod Dyson smacked a two-run shot and Alex Avila added a solo homer as the D-backs went after right-hander Erick Fedde, building a 5-0 lead over four innings. Greinke (8-2) retired the first 10 batters he faced, mixing his fastball and slider. He hit Adam Eaton with a pitch...

Nats facing plenty of competition for frontline starters

Nats facing plenty of competition for frontline starters
The Nationals have been aggressive in addressing some of their needs early this offseason, more aggressive than most teams. They acquired two relievers (Kyle Barraclough and Trevor Rosenthal) before the calendar even reached November. They signed a catcher (Kurt Suzuki) before any of the other top free agents at the position found a new home. Those were important moves, and all should help the Nationals in areas where they clearly needed help. But let's not kid ourselves here, because the...

What does Zack Greinke signing with Arizona mean for the NL West?

What does Zack Greinke signing with Arizona mean for the NL West?
Does Zack Greinke's signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks mean that we've seen the biggest shocker move of the offseason? Does it mean that the Winter Meetings next week in Nashville are going to be without drama? Hardly. The Diamondbacks have been hinting all offseason that they were going to make a push for pitching and subsequently a push to challenge the Dodgers and Giants in the National League West. And while the general consensus is that Greinke was choosing to sign with the Dodgers or...

Should Jake Arrieta have won the NL Cy Young Award over Zack Greinke?

Should Jake Arrieta have won the NL Cy Young Award over Zack Greinke?
Jake Arrieta, the former Orioles pitcher with the Chicago Cubs, is this year's National League Cy Young Award winner, but this is another award I don't get. Arrieta was the best second-half pitcher in baseball and he's a reason the Cubs won the wild card game. But should he win the NL Cy Young Award? I don't think so. I was one of the 30 voters from the Baseball Writers' Association of America who cast a ballot for this award. People asked if this was the most difficult vote among the...

Max Scherzer finishes fifth in NL Cy Young Award race

Max Scherzer finishes fifth in NL Cy Young Award race
In his first year in Washington, ace Max Scherzer finished fifth in the National League Cy Young Award race as Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta won the trophy for the first time. Dodgers stud pitchers Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw followed Arrieta in the voting, with Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole finishing just ahead of Scherzer. Arrieta steadily improved as a starter since the Cubs acquired him from the Orioles two seasons ago. In 2015, he transformed into one of the game's dominant...

Patrick Reddington: Could Zack Greinke be free agent target for Nationals?

Patrick Reddington: Could Zack Greinke be free agent target for Nationals?
In discussing the Washington Nationals' approach to negotiations of contract extensions with pending free agents like Jordan Zimmermann (a free agent this winter unless he re-signs) and 2009 No. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg (under team control through 2016), both of whom are on their "second elbows" after having Tommy John surgery, Washington Post writer Thomas Boswell suggested last winter that in Zimmermann's case, previous talks likely centered around a deal similar to what Ian...

Max Scherzer takes another hard-luck loss

Max Scherzer takes another hard-luck loss
As dominant as Max Scherzer has been this year, the Nationals hold a less than impressive 11-8 record when he starts. That disappointing tally is due mostly to the lack of offensive support Scherzer has received. Sunday's shutout loss to Zack Greinke and the Dodgers totals three times this year that the Nationals have failed to score a run when Scherzer takes the mound. Overall, the Nats have plated just seven runs combined in Scherzer's eight losses. "Max, he's going to do his job every...

Bryce Harper not impressed by Zack Greinke, strike zone

Bryce Harper not impressed by Zack Greinke, strike zone
Don't count Bryce Harper as one of the many impressed by Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke, who blanked the Nationals for eight frames this afternoon to extend his scoreless streak to 43 2/3 innings. "For me, I don't think he was very tough," Harper said. "He's a great pitcher, he does what he does, but when you're getting six inches off the plate, it's pretty tough to face him." Harper clearly wasn't happy with the inconsistently wide strike zone home plate umpire Bill Miller was...

Zack Greinke dominates Nationals in Dodgers' 5-0 win

Zack Greinke dominates Nationals in Dodgers' 5-0 win
Nationals ace Max Scherzer found himself in an early jam in the first inning. After blowing three straight fastballs by Joc Pederson to start the game, Scherzer was tagged for back-to-back singles to right by Howie Kendrick and Adrian Gonzalez. Two batters later, Scherzer walked Yasmani Grandal on four pitches to load the bases with two outs. But, the right-hander battled back to strike out Yasiel Puig swinging on a heater to end the threat. Scherzer's free pass to Grandal ended a 39 2/3...

Max Scherzer and Zack Greinke featured in rubber match showdown

Max Scherzer and Zack Greinke featured in rubber match showdown
Yesterday's improbable late-inning homer by Matt den Dekker, followed by a more expected yet scintillating performance from Clayton Kershaw, sets up a rubber match showdown this afternoon between Nationals ace Max Scherzer and Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke, the National League's All-Star starter. "We've got one of our best going (today) against one of their best and we got a chance to take the series," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. Kershaw, the three-time NL Cy Young winner,...

Weekend pitching matchups are set, then re-set

Weekend pitching matchups are set, then re-set
Nationals manager Matt Williams has announced how the first three starting pitchers will line up coming out of the All-Star break. The result sets up some of the game's premier pitching matchups of the season as the National League West-leading Dodgers visit Nationals Park this weekend. Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann will square off with Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw on Friday night. Kershaw, a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and last year's NL MVP, took the loss in Tuesday's All-Star Game...

Davey Johnson on Padres/Dodgers brawl; Storen knew Quentin from Stanford days

Davey Johnson on Padres/Dodgers brawl; Storen knew Quentin from Stanford days
There's been a lot of buzz around the clubhouse about the bench-clearing brawl in Thursday's Padres vs. Dodgers game at San Diego's Petco Park. Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin charged the mound and tackled Dodgers starter Zack Greinke after getting hit by a pitch. Greinke was injured during the melee, suffering a fractured left collarbone. Greinke is out until June. No suspensions have been announced. Manager Davey Johnson said hitting a batter was never a part of his direction, but he...

Despite rumors, a Greinke deal doesn't seem feasible

Despite rumors, a Greinke deal doesn't seem feasible
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - I'm interested in seeing what this morning's cab ride over to the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center has in store for me. My cab driver yesterday morning asked me whether I was a part of the Southwest Poultry Farmers convention that apparently is in town. I wish. If I get bored talking about pitching in the next three days here in Nashville, maybe I can find that gathering and talk some poultry. When it comes to pitching, the biggest name on the free agent...