Game 37 lineups: Nats at Cubs

Game 37 lineups: Nats at Cubs
The Nationals have been involved in their share of dramatic games at Wrigley Field in recent years. The last time they played on the North Side of Chicago in August 2019, they swept the Cubs in a wild series that many saw as the first real evidence this team was capable of winning the World Series. One year earlier, their playoff chances essentially were crushed on David Bote's walk-off grand slam off Ryan Madson. And, of course, in October 2017, Stephen Strasburg pitched one of the best games...

Game 35 lineups: Nats at D-backs

Game 35 lineups: Nats at D-backs
The Nationals lineup had its best night of the season Friday in Arizona. Why not stick with it again tonight, right? That's Davey Martinez's thinking, and it's hard to fault the manager for that philosophy, especially after he spent the better part of the last month tinkering every single day with a new-look batting order. So tonight the Nats will again go with Trea Turner and Josh Harrison at the top, Josh Bell in the No. 6 spot and Victor Robles at the bottom, behind the pitcher. It's a...

Game 34 lineups: Nats at D-backs (Corbin on paternity leave)

Game 34 lineups: Nats at D-backs (Corbin on paternity leave)
Max Scherzer appears to be on one of those dominant rolls we've seen from him before, the kind that turns every one of his starts into must-see TV. Over his last six outings, the three-time Cy Young Award winner owns a 1.79 ERA, 0.769 WHIP and 52 strikeouts against only seven walks. (And remember, that stretch includes a seven-run blowup start against the Blue Jays, so he's been unbelievably great in the five other appearances.) So even though it may require some extra caffeine, it might be...

Nats get big blasts early, big start from Corbin to win (updated)

Nats get big blasts early, big start from Corbin to win (updated)
The Nationals aren't going to amount to much this season if Josh Bell, Kyle Schwarber and Patrick Corbin aren't consistently contributing to the process. They all know that, and it's why manager Davey Martinez isn't going to give up on any of them anytime soon. The roster general manager Mike Rizzo built this winter included Bell, Schwarber and Corbin in prominent positions, the first two in the heart of his lineup and the latter in the heart of his rotation. So the early-season struggles...

Game 33 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 33 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
To say the Nationals need to find a way to win today's series finale against the Phillies is a gross understatement. No, the season isn't over if they lose again, but if they get swept by Philadelphia after losing two of three to the Yankees after getting swept by the Braves ... well, that's not a position you want to be in. So the pressure's on this afternoon on South Capitol Street, which is probably the last thing Davey Martinez wants. He held a team meeting after Wednesday night's loss...

Game 32 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 32 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
The Nationals need to score runs tonight. This does not qualify as some sort of huge revelation. It's simply the truth. Over their last eight games, the Nats have scored an average of 3.4 runs on 7.5 hits. Which isn't great, but it's even worse when you consider they exploded for 11 runs on 10 hits during Friday night's win at Yankee Stadium. Throw that outlier from the mix, and you get an average of 2.3 runs on 7.1 hits during this stretch. So the mission tonight is clear: Score, and score...

Nats squander chances at plate again, fall to Phillies (updated)

Nats squander chances at plate again, fall to Phillies (updated)
You can point to a number of reasons the Nationals find themselves in the basement of a tight National League East division in mid-May, but inevitably you come back to the same irrefutable conclusion: They just aren't scoring enough runs on a consistent basis to win games. Even when they get a less-than-stellar showing from their starter, or meltdown from their bullpen, the Nats still find themselves facing a key moment late in a game in which one big hit with runners on base could be the...

Game 31 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 31 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
The Nationals are in the midst of a rough stretch, no doubt about it. They've lost five of their last six and are back in last place in the division. And yet, when you consider they lost three of those games by one run (two via walk-off) and another by two runs, the situation very easily could be reversed. Is that reason for optimism or pessimism? Guess it depends on how you prefer to view life (or, at least, baseball). The next three nights, then, present an opportunity to flip the script and...

Hand is unsteady again, Nats lose late to Yanks again (updated)

Hand is unsteady again, Nats lose late to Yanks again (updated)
Davey Martinez's day began with a follow-up question about his decision Saturday to use Brad Hand in the bottom of the ninth against the Yankees' big right-handed bats. The Nationals manager explained why he believed his left-handed closer was his best option there, and would again be his best option with a game on the line, given his success against hitters from both sides of the plate. "Brad has no issues against right-handers or left-handers," Martinez said during his pregame Zoom...

Game 30 lineups: Nats at Yankees

Game 30 lineups: Nats at Yankees
In many ways, the Nationals have looked great this weekend at Yankee Stadium. They exploded for 11 runs in Friday night's opener. They've got a decent start from Patrick Corbin in that game, then a brilliant game from Max Scherzer on Saturday. Juan Soto is back in the lineup and back in the field. Victor Robles went 3-for-4 on Saturday. The Nats scored the first run of the season off Aroldis Chapman! Yet because of an uncharacteristic meltdown from Brad Hand in both the ninth and 10th innings...

Soto's return to right field lengthens Nationals lineup

Soto's return to right field lengthens Nationals lineup
Somewhere between Yankee Stadium's unique configuration and Juan Soto's eagerness to return to the outfield, Nationals manager Davey Martinez thinks he's seen enough progress from Soto's strained left shoulder to put the slugger back in right field for today's matinee against the Yankees. Soto, who served as the designated hitter Friday night and contributed a two-run homer in the ninth inning of the Nats' 6-2 victory, passed the final hurdle before Friday's game by showing he could...

Game 28 lineups: Nats at Yankees

Game 28 lineups: Nats at Yankees
There's really only one question everyone wants answered today: Is Juan Soto in the Nationals lineup? The answer you've been waiting for: Yes. For the first time in 18 days, Soto is starting, albeit as designated hitter. Still unable to make throws in the outfield without fear of further injury to his left shoulder, he's being held back to hit only for the Nats' series opener against the Yankees. But that's still a major development for a team that desperately needs to generate some...

Game 27 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

Game 27 lineups: Nats vs. Braves
The Nationals need to score runs. Early in games. Too often they've found themselves trailing early and it's cost them. Their record this season when they score first: 10-2. When they don't: 2-12. There are all kinds of factors we can discuss when trying to decide why they're 12-14 overall, but that stat right there pretty tells the entire story. So it's incumbent upon today's lineup to do something early on against Drew Smyly. The good news: They did score early off Smyly back on opening...

April by the numbers

April by the numbers
April has come and gone for the Nationals, and nobody can say they saw the season's first month playing out the way it did. A COVID-19 outbreak sidelining nine players? Injuries to Juan Soto and Stephen Strasburg? An implosion by Patrick Corbin? A complete lack of production from Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber? There were, of course, surprisingly positive developments as well. Who expected Joe Ross and Erick Fedde to become consistently dominant pitchers? Josh Harrison and Yadiel Hernandez to...

Corbin's arm, Bell's bat lift Nats to third straight win (updated)

Corbin's arm, Bell's bat lift Nats to third straight win (updated)
The Nationals don't need Patrick Corbin to be elite right now. They would happily settle for solid. Which is precisely what he was today during a 7-2 victory over the Marlins. With seven innings of two-run ball, Corbin turned in the exact kind of performance the Nationals have been seeking from their erratic left-hander since the season began one month ago. He wasn't in peak form, but he displayed improved command of his fastball and slider and provided length to help take pressure off the...

Game 22 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins (Lester to start)

Game 22 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins (Lester to start)
The Nationals signed Jon Lester over the winter to be a big part of their rotation, counting on the veteran left-hander to make 30 starts and win big games for them. Tonight, he finally makes his D.C. debut. Lester, the last of nine Nats players still on the COVID-19 injured list, has been activated and will start tonight's series opener against the Marlins. It took longer than expected, but after three rehab outings at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg, the 37-year-old is ready to...

Nats bounce back with comfortable win over Jays (updated)

Nats bounce back with comfortable win over Jays (updated)
If there has been a consistent theme to a mostly disappointing April for the Nationals, it has been the all-or-nothing nature of most ballgames. There have been very few run-of-the-mill, back-and-forth contests. Most have either been comfortable wins or blowout losses. The lineup either explodes for a big night or is completely shut down. The starting pitcher either looks fantastic or gets blasted. In the long run, that formula isn't going to take the Nats to the place they desire. But in the...

Bell recalls struggles in minors to help battle current slump

Bell recalls struggles in minors to help battle current slump
It's no secret that the Nationals need Josh Bell to have a good year in order to reach the levels of success they aspire for this season. That's what general manager Mike Rizzo was banking on when he acquired the slugging first baseman from the Pirates for two pitching prospects on Christmas Eve, the first big move of the offseason. And after he tore through Grapefruit League action by hitting .383 with a 1.328 OPS, six home runs and 15 RBIs, that's what the Nationals thought they were going...

Martinez on Turner's forearm, constructing lineup with DH

Martinez on Turner's forearm, constructing lineup with DH
The Nationals breathed a heavy sigh of relief earlier today when manager Davey Martinez spoke to Trea Turner and the shortstop told him that he was feeling well enough to play tonight. Turner was struck by a pitch in his left forearm during Sunday's series finale against the Mets at Citi Field and departed the contest early, adding yet another name to the long list of injury concerns. But after X-rays returned negative, Turner was diagnosed with a contusion and had Monday's scheduled off-day...

Game 20 lineups: Nats at Blue Jays

Game 20 lineups: Nats at Blue Jays
Earlier this month, former Nationals catcher Jonathan Lucroy compared his time in D.C. to the storyline of the movie "The Replacements," in which Keanu Reeves leads a group of replacement players on the fictional Washington Sentinels to the playoffs in their fictional football league. (Of course, that movie was loosely based on the 1987 Washington Football Team replacements who won three games and helped the team go on to win the Super Bowl.) Well, I'm no Shane Falco, but I'll do my best as...