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...

Nats again can't convert with bases loaded, lose 3-1 (updated)

Nats again can't convert with bases loaded, lose 3-1 (updated)
You wanted to believe it would be different this time. Really, aren't teams supposed to be excited to bat with the bases loaded? The pressure's on the pitcher, not the hitter. It's the best situation for anyone with a bat in his hands. Anyone except the 2021 Nationals, who have turned a bases-loaded plate appearance into the most agonizing two minutes in sports. So when the situation presented itself yet again in the top of the eighth tonight at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. -...

Game 57 lineups: Nats at Rays

Game 57 lineups: Nats at Rays
A three-city road trip that began in promising fashion, with two wins in three days in Atlanta, now reaches its final leg with the Nationals now needing a strong finish against a tough opponent. Having lost three of their last four (including two straight in Philadelphia over the weekend), the Nats tonight open a quick two-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla., against a Rays club that owns the best record in the American League at 38-23. As has been the case for several years now, Tampa Bay is...

Voth hit in face during disastrous series finale (updated)

Voth hit in face during disastrous series finale (updated)
There were events out of their control, from their starter for this bullpen game, Austin Voth, taking a fastball to his face in the top of the third to a string of poorly struck balls by the Phillies that somehow didn't become outs to a 20-minute delay in the top of the eighth after the backstop netting at Citizens Bank Park collapsed. (Yes, that last event actually happened.) But there were so many things the Nationals could've done better today to make this game far more competitive than it...

Ross not perfect enough to overcome weak lineup (updated)

Ross not perfect enough to overcome weak lineup (updated)
The Nationals pitching staff has been far from perfect through the season's first two-plus months, but too often that group has seemingly done enough to emerge victorious only to take a loss because its cohorts in the lineup weren't able to provide ample support. This afternoon in Philadelphia, Joe Ross and Kyle McGowin collectively gave up three hits and six total baserunners through seven innings. You'd think that would be enough to put the Nats in position to win. Or at least to have a...

Nationals can't complete rally, drop fifth straight (updated)

Nationals can't complete rally, drop fifth straight (updated)
The first inning was all too familiar, the Nationals digging themselves into an early hole yet again. The middle innings featured an unexpected (and encouraging) twist, as the lineup came to life and a laboring starter found his groove. But by the time the bottom of the ninth arrived at Truist Park in Atlanta this evening, the result was a re-run for a Nats team that cannot figure out how to change the losing formula that is playing out nearly every night. This 5-3 loss to the Braves did...

Game 50 lineups: Nats at Braves (Robles activated)

Game 50 lineups: Nats at Braves (Robles activated)
The Nationals need something to inject some life in their moribund offense. For now, that something will have to be Victor Robles, who has rejoined the active roster 12 days after spraining his right ankle. Robles was officially activated off the 10-day injured list today, in time for the nine-game road trip that begins late this afternoon in unincorporated Atlanta. The 24-year-old center fielder appeared in one rehab game for Double-A Harrisburg on Sunday, going 1-for-2 with a double, two...

Same old script for Nats in shutout loss (updated)

Same old script for Nats in shutout loss (updated)
With a five-star pitching matchup between two of the National League's best, it wasn't unfair to walk into Nationals Park today and wonder if the first team to score was assured victory in the series finale. Who knew it would actually play out just like that, with the winning run scoring in the top of the first? Maybe it all was too predictable in the end, this 3-0 victory by the Brewers. The Nationals aren't losing games in unusual fashion right now. They're losing them in practically the...

Bell's recent surge continues with right-handed homer

Bell's recent surge continues with right-handed homer
The only real offensive highlight of Tuesday night's 2-1 loss at Nationals Park was Josh Bell's bottom-of-the-ninth homer. A homer that was a long time coming for the switch-hitting slugger, because it came from the right side of the plate. Though he has been breaking out of his season-long funk as a left-handed batter over the last two weeks, Bell hadn't shown much as a right-handed batter yet. The switch-hitter entered Tuesday's game just 2-for-25 on the season when batting righty against...

Nats' bats go silent again in 2-1 loss to Reds (updated)

Nats' bats go silent again in 2-1 loss to Reds (updated)
These Nationals have teased us before. They've had moments over the last two months when they appear to have figured things out, especially at the plate, only to fail to sustain any sense of positive momentum. So even though they looked much better over the weekend while sweeping the Orioles, the Nats were in no way guaranteed of showing up at the park tonight and picking up where they left off. And they most certainly did not. Barely making a peep at the plate against a Reds pitching staff...

Game 44 lineups: Nats vs. Reds

Game 44 lineups: Nats vs. Reds
The last time the Nationals swept a series, they proceeded to lose seven of their next eight games and dig themselves into a hole they're still trying to climb all the way out of. So this weekend's sweep of the Orioles, while encouraging, certainly doesn't guarantee this team has turned a corner. We won't know about that until we see how the Nats perform this week against the Reds and Brewers. Tonight's series opener versus Cincinnati will see Max Scherzer on the mound, so that's always...

Game 43 lineups: Nats vs. Orioles

Game 43 lineups: Nats vs. Orioles
The Nationals still have their issues in the big picture, but they still have a chance to sweep a series today. And that's nothing to scoff at. At this point, they've got to seize any opportunity they get, so a win today over the Orioles would be a welcome development. (It also would give them a 20-23 record, making another 19-31 start mathematically impossible this season. Oh, and if you didn't know, today is the two-year anniversary of the Nats falling to 19-31 after getting swept by the...

Bell uses crowd to help complete rare assist to the plate

Bell uses crowd to help complete rare assist to the plate
Josh Bell's first responsibility when Trey Mancini ripped a ball into the right field corner in the top of the sixth Friday night was to make sure the Orioles slugger actually touched first base as he attempted to stretch his hit into a double. It's a small thing, and rarely does it come into play. But in just doing what he was supposed to do and staying back to keep an eye on Mancini rounding first, Bell actually was in perfect position to watch Juan Soto's throw from the right field corner...

Strasburg, crowd return to form in win over O's (updated)

Strasburg, crowd return to form in win over O's (updated)
You want a return to normalcy? How about Stephen Strasburg on the mound posting a string of zeros, an opportunistic lineup finally delivering a string of clutch hits and (most importantly) a loud and enthusiastic crowd cheering the home team on a beautiful Friday night on South Capitol Street. The Nationals' 4-2 win over the Orioles tonight felt as normal as things have been around here for some time. With Strasburg returning from 5 1/2 weeks on the injured list with right shoulder...

How do Nats make next 40 games better than first 40?

How do Nats make next 40 games better than first 40?
It began, shockingly enough, with the biggest offensive explosion of the season. The Nationals opened their just-completed, seven-game road trip with a 17-2 dismantling of the Diamondbacks, a blowout win that saw everyone in the starting lineup score at least once. At last, here was evidence the Nats' sluggish offense was ready to bust out for good. Instead, the road trip turned into a bust for this team, and specifically its still struggling lineup. Over their next six games in Arizona and...

Another rough start could leave Ross' job in jeopardy (updated)

Another rough start could leave Ross' job in jeopardy (updated)
For weeks, these two questions have loomed over the Nationals: When will Stephen Strasburg return from a shoulder injury, and who will lose his spot in the rotation once he does? As this seven-game road trip to Arizona and Chicago progressed, the answer to the first question became clear: Strasburg would be ready to come off the 10-day injured list Friday to start the Nats' homestand opener against the Orioles. The answer to the second question has become a bit more complicated, not because of...

Game 39 lineups: Nats at Cubs

Game 39 lineups: Nats at Cubs
Remember how we all wondered if Max Scherzer would ever be able to pitch at a Cy Young Award-caliber level again? Well, guess what? He's doing it right now. The Nationals ace has been nothing short of magnificent so far season, entering tonight's game against the Cubs seventh in the National League in ERA (2.10), third in WHIP (0.760), fourth in walk rate (1.4 per nine innings) and fourth in strikeouts (68). And when he's been good, he's been really, really good: In six of his eight starts,...

Notes on Strasburg's bullpen, tonight's game and more

Notes on Strasburg's bullpen, tonight's game and more
If you've been anxiously waiting for news on when Stephen Strasburg will make his next start, you're unfortunately going to have to wait at least another day. Having been peppered with questions about the right-hander's status over the last couple of days, Nationals manager Davey Martinez isn't ready to say whether or not his recovering starter will be ready to be activated and make a start this weekend against the Orioles, even after Strasburg threw an "extended" bullpen session today...

Why has the Nationals offense been grounded?

Why has the Nationals offense been grounded?
One by one, they swung at hittable pitches. And one by one, they pounded the ball into the ground. Whether leading off an inning, trying to get something going with two outs or trying to drive in a runner from scoring position, the Nationals kept meeting the same fate during Monday night's 7-3 loss to the Cubs: Groundball outs. How bad was it? Through the seventh inning, the Nats had put 18 balls into play. Only four of them were hit in the air, and all of those resulted in hits (two singles,...