Game 57 lineups: Nats at Braves

Game 57 lineups: Nats at Braves
ATLANTA - The Nationals have scored two runs in this series and have been shut out on four total hits over the last 15 innings. That's not good. This is a lineup that, given the injuries and young players filling in on a regular basis, has been very hit-or-miss over the last month. It'll need to swing back into the hit category today if these guys want to avoid a third straight loss to the first-place Braves. On paper, the matchup against Brandon McCarthy looks like a better one for the...

Saturday morning odds and ends

Saturday morning odds and ends
ATLANTA - Some odds and ends to get you going on this Saturday morning before the Nationals and Braves return for a 4:10 p.m. game at SunTrust Park ... * The bottom of the seventh last night, in which the Braves scored all four of their runs, obviously was the decisive inning of the game. How rare, though, was that outburst against Stephen Strasburg? Extremely. Though many longtime fans will recall how Strasburg used to struggle in Atlanta, the right-hander had completely reversed that...

Strasburg's one mistake costs Nats on night Braves made none

Strasburg's one mistake costs Nats on night Braves made none
ATLANTA - Stephen Strasburg felt like he made only one mistake, a curveball down in the zone but over the plate to Dansby Swanson with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Then again, one mistake was all it took for the Nationals to drop tonight's game to the Braves, who rode a two-hit shutout from Mike Foltynewicz to a 4-0 victory and a second straight win to begin this weekend's National League East showdown. "We couldn't get nothing going," manager Davey Martinez said. "Our guy was...

Four-run seventh dooms Nationals in 4-0 loss to Braves

Four-run seventh dooms Nationals in 4-0 loss to Braves
ATLANTA - For six innings they dueled, Stephen Strasburg and Mike Foltynewicz posting up zero after zero, neither willing to give in on a muggy Friday night at SunTrust Park. Somebody, though, had to give in at some point. That somebody was Strasburg. And that point was the bottom of the seventh, the decisive frame that turned a brilliant pitchers' duel into a 4-0 Nationals loss to a young Braves team that can only feel emboldened after taking the first two games of this big weekend...

Game 56 lineups: Nats at Braves (Goodwin activated)

Game 56 lineups: Nats at Braves (Goodwin activated)
ATLANTA - The threat of rain halted Nationals batting practice Thursday night but didn't impact the game. We may not be as fortunate tonight, with storms all around the area threatening to cause problems not only before tonight's scheduled 7:35 p.m. game but also the early portion of the game itself. As always, stay tuned. When they do play, the Nationals will send Stephen Strasburg to the mound. Strasburg was brilliant in his previous start against the Braves this season, tossing eight...

Nationals recognize surprising Braves are for real

Nationals recognize surprising Braves are for real
ATLANTA - The outcome of Thursday night's game wasn't going to make or break the Nationals' season. They were either going to increase their lead over the Braves to 1 1/2 games or cede first place in the division back to Atlanta and fall 1/2-game behind. Either way, it was only game No. 55 out of 162. And by the end of the weekend, they'll have played only 58 out of 162. There's a tremendous amount of baseball left to be played. So the Nationals weren't going to put too much emphasis on...

Nationals drop opener to Braves 4-2, fall out of first place (updated)

Nationals drop opener to Braves 4-2, fall out of first place (updated)
ATLANTA - The mild-mannered crowd of 22,380 at this second-year ballpark in the suburbs didn't much convey it, but tonight's game between the Nationals and Braves was the biggest matchup of these division rivals in at least four years, with first place at stake. Then again, the visiting club that has ruled the National League East for the better part of six seasons now didn't exactly put on its best show in the opener of this four-game series. Despite two early runs that seemed to set the...

Runs aplenty early on in big series opener (Nats lose 4-2)

Runs aplenty early on in big series opener (Nats lose 4-2)
ATLANTA - In the opener of their big weekend series with the Braves, the Nationals have played some small ball to get on the board. Atlanta, on the other hand, has piled up hits to take the lead. The Nats scored two runs in the first three innings with the benefit of only three hits, all singles. Rather, it was two walks, two stolen bases (one of them a double-steal) and two productive outs that helped make those two early runs possible. Back-to-back walks by Trea Turner and Bryce Harper put...

Game 55 lineups: Nats at Braves (Madson activated)

Game 55 lineups: Nats at Braves (Madson activated)
ATLANTA - And a very pleasant good afternoon to you from SunTrust Park, here in beautiful unincorporated Atlanta. The hometown Braves have been among the biggest surprises in baseball so far, with the youngest roster in the sport playing an exciting brand of ball and (until last night) holding first place in the National League East division. That changed last night when the Nationals finished off their sweep of the Orioles and the Braves lost to the Mets, but that doesn't make this weekend's...

Nats thwart Inciarte's bold attempt to steal home in extras

Nats thwart Inciarte's bold attempt to steal home in extras
On the list of baseball's most daring plays, the straight steal of home with two outs in the 10th inning ranks awfully high. It's a rare, do-or-die play at any moment in a game, let alone in extra innings with no margin for error. Ender Inciarte isn't afraid to take chances, though, and he took the ultimate one during Wednesday's game at Nationals Park. Leading off from third base with two outs in the top of the 10th and a 3-1 count on Kurt Suzuki, the Braves center fielder bolted for the...

Pressed into extra duty again, Nats bullpen can't finish the job

Pressed into extra duty again, Nats bullpen can't finish the job
Life in a major league bullpen is strange. Forty-eight hours ago, the Nationals relief corps was exhausted, desperately in need of a night off, forever grateful to Max Scherzer for giving them exactly that with a complete game and then grateful to Stephen Strasburg for nearly duplicating the feat the next night. So the unit was well-rested and ready to go today when the Nationals hosted the Braves in their series finale. And then 3 hours, 43 minutes and 12 innings of baseball later, everybody...

Nats rally twice to tie but can't finish the job, lose 5-3 in 12

Nats rally twice to tie but can't finish the job, lose 5-3 in 12
They got the start they needed from A.J. Cole. They got the big blast they needed from Matt Adams to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth. And they got the clutch hit they needed from Howie Kendrick to keep the game going in the bottom of the 11th. But the Nationals bullpen could not post a zero when the club most needed one in extra innings, and so a wild Wednesday matinee on South Capitol Street ended in frustrating fashion for the home club, which suffered a 5-3 loss in 12 innings and...

Game 12 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

Game 12 lineups: Nats vs. Braves
What a different 48 hours makes. When this series began, the Nationals were reeling from a five-game losing streak, with questions about the big picture starting to percolate. Now, thanks to back-to-back dominant performances from Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, they're seeking a series sweep of the Braves and a whole new outlook on life. In order to pull that off, though, they'll need a far better performance from A.J. Cole this afternoon than they got last week in Atlanta, when he was...

When chips were down, Nationals turned to their pair of aces

When chips were down, Nationals turned to their pair of aces
Sure, there were reasons for at least mild concern when the Nationals lost five straight games and found themselves sporting more losses then wins for the first time in 2 1/2 years. There also were a couple of guys named Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg scheduled to make back-to-back starts. Need to stop a losing streak? Handing the ball to those two aces is a pretty good place to start. "Sometimes they make it look so easy," reliever Ryan Madson said. "And it's not." No, it most...

Strasburg keeps it rolling, tosses eight scoreless in 4-1 win

Strasburg keeps it rolling, tosses eight scoreless in 4-1 win
Stephen Strasburg will never say it publicly, but it's tough to imagine the right-hander doesn't see Max Scherzer dominate one night and not want to try to at least duplicate it 24 hours later. Whether he says it or not, Strasburg let his performance speak for itself tonight. On the heels of Scherzer's two-hit shutout Monday, the Nationals' second staff ace tossed eight scoreless innings of three-hit ball tonight, leading his team to a 4-1 victory over the Braves that was every bit as...

Game 11 lineups: Nats vs. Braves (Eaton scratched)

Game 11 lineups: Nats vs. Braves (Eaton scratched)
It's a beautiful spring afternoon here in the nation's capital, the kind of day you'd much rather be sitting inside a ballpark watching a game than, oh I don't know, sitting in the Senate Judiciary hearing room, to name just one alternative. ... The real news in town is taking place 1 1/2 miles down South Capitol Street, where the Nationals are looking to make it two in a row against the Braves. And they'll do so with a new lineup wrinkle. Seeking to create some more protection for Bryce...

With dominance and efficiency, Scherzer authors latest gem

With dominance and efficiency, Scherzer authors latest gem
Max Scherzer tries not to think about it until he gets deep into a game. No sense worrying about going the distance until it's within realistic reach. Scherzer's goal when he took the mound tonight at Nationals Park was to get through at least seven innings on 105 pitches. That would be enough to help cover for a relief corps that tossed a combined seven frames during Sunday night's marathon loss to the Mets. Anything beyond that would be gravy. But as the zeros kept piling up and his pitch...

Scherzer goes the distance to stop Nats' skid, win 2-0

Scherzer goes the distance to stop Nats' skid, win 2-0
With a five-game losing streak on their minds and an exhausted set of relievers in their bullpen, the Nationals tonight turned to the kind of guy who is hardwired to solve all of his team's woes in one brilliant pitching performance. Max Scherzer is the ace of this club, and the National League's back-to-back Cy Young Award winner for a reason. And that reason was on full display tonight before 19,528 brave souls who sat through another frigid evening at the park but were rewarded with a 2-0...

Game 10 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

Game 10 lineups: Nats vs. Braves
It's one thing to lose five in a row. It's another thing to lose five in a row to the two division rivals that currently sit above you in the standings. That has added a bit of significance to the Nationals' current slide, which leaves them at 4-5 overall and 3 1/2 games behind the Mets, two games behind the Braves (the two teams they've faced the last five games, it just so happens). Well, after losing two of three at SunTrust Field last week, the Nats get another crack at Atlanta the next...

Cole pushed back, Hellickson still in Florida

Cole pushed back, Hellickson still in Florida
A.J. Cole will remain in the Nationals rotation for now. But he'll be pushed back a couple of days. With Jeremy Hellickson continuing to breathe down his neck. Friday's off-day afforded the Nats the opportunity to adjust their rotation, and they've decided to have Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg remain on a five-day schedule and start Monday and Tuesday against the Braves. Cole now will slot in behind Strasburg and start Wednesday's series finale against Atlanta, hoping for much better...