Grace in "rhythm," feels "good right now" as postseason approaches

Grace in "rhythm," feels "good right now" as postseason approaches
With the postseason now just two weeks away, the conversation continues as to how many left-handed relievers the Nationals will carry on the playoff roster. Sean Dollittle is a lock as the closer. But will the Nats also carry Enny Romero, Sammy Soliís, Oliver Pérez and Matt Grace? I spoke to Solís this week about the competition for the left-handed spots on the postseason roster. He said he is taking these last few weeks "very, very seriously." Same goes for Grace. He said...

Home field advantage, 100 wins still on the table for Nats

Home field advantage, 100 wins still on the table for Nats
ATLANTA - Just when you thought discussion of the Nationals ending up with the best record in the National League was finished, those wacky Dodgers have gone and brought up the possibility once again. In losing three in a row to the lowly Phillies, Los Angeles has fallen back into its late season slide. This supposed super-team, which only a month ago was on pace to challenge the all-time record of 116 wins, has now lost 15 of its last 20. And thanks to the Nationals' three-game winning...

Team weighs options for timing of Harper's return (Nats win 7-3)

Team weighs options for timing of Harper's return (Nats win 7-3)
ATLANTA - The way Bryce Harper has progressed and looked in his on-field workouts the last few days, it's only natural to wonder if the Nationals slugger may be on the verge of returning from his scary-looking left leg injury. That may prove to be the case, but manager Dusty Baker also has some words of caution for those who are ready to throw Harper right back into his starting lineup. "You don't want to jump the gun too much just because of what we've seen," Baker said. "The tendency is...

Harper bats in simulated game, could be active next week

Harper bats in simulated game, could be active next week
ATLANTA - Bryce Harper faced a couple of live pitchers this afternoon for the first time since he injured his left leg 5 1/2 weeks ago, yet another encouraging development that could allow the Nationals slugger to return in time to play part of the final week of the regular season as a tune-up for the postseason. Harper participated in a simulated game at SunTrust Park, with a pair of Nationals prospects (Sterling Sharp and Brigham Hill) brought up from the instructional league in Florida to...

Lind proves his worth with big at-bats in key late-game moments

Lind proves his worth with big at-bats in key late-game moments
The Nationals have searched for a few seasons for a pinch-hit bat that could come through in the clutch on a consistent basis. Several players have done a nice job of filling that role but none better than the work of veteran Adam Lind in 2017. Lind was signed in the offseason and has been the best pinch-hit answer for the Nats in the short history. So far in 2017, Lind has hit .306 in 107 games with 12 homers and 50 RBIs. As a pinch-hitter, he is hitting .364 with four homers, 13 RBIs in 47...

Marty Niland: Let's keep Baker, the best Washington manager ever

Marty Niland: Let's keep Baker, the best Washington manager ever
As the Nationals close out the regular season and prepare for the National League Division Series, the focus of fans' attention turns away from the players on the field and into the dugout and manager Dusty Baker. The 68-year-old skipper has already taken an injury-riddled squad through the gauntlet of a major league regular season to an unprecedented second straight division title, and now must keep his players sharp, yet healthy, as he guides them through the next two weeks. But he accepts...

Scoreless streak ends, but Strasburg still in top form

Scoreless streak ends, but Strasburg still in top form
It was a particularly cruel way for the streak to end, with a teammate doing everything he could to make a highlight-reel play only to have the ball bounce off his glove and fall to the ground as a runner crossed the plate. Stephen Strasburg hadn't given up a run in 35 innings. And that's how an opponent finally did it to him? "Nah, it was going to happen eventually," the right-hander shrugged. "I was just trying to minimize the damage." Strasburg did minimize the damage Sunday night....

Zimmerman's homers meaningful in more ways than one for Nats

Zimmerman's homers meaningful in more ways than one for Nats
Ryan Zimmerman wanted to remind everyone that the Nationals offense is just fine. And he did it with back-to-back swings late Sunday night at Nationals Park. In the Nats' 7-1 victory over the Dodgers, Zimmerman crushed a game-changing three-run shot in the sixth and then a solo homer in his next at-bat to lead off the eighth. Those homers, numbers 32 and 33 on the season, helped to erase a 1-0 Dodgers lead. Prior to his three-run shot, the Nats had managed just two runs in 23 innings versus...

Nats keep it close, but fall again to Dodgers 3-2

Nats keep it close, but fall again to Dodgers 3-2
The Dodgers beat the Nationals for the second game in a row in this series, but this one was much more competitive than Friday's 7-0 setback. Rich Hill fired five innings of one-hit, one-run ball and five relievers combined to allow one more run as the Dodgers held on to beat the Nats 3-2. Kenley Jansen came on in the ninth to record his 38th save. Nationals manager Dusty Baker called Hill "effectively wild." It came down to Hill mixing his pitches and being able to command his...

Lobaton shakes off ankle injury, but Severino making a case

Lobaton shakes off ankle injury, but Severino making a case
When he was trying to shake off the pitch that caught him square on the left ankle in the bottom of the second inning Thursday night, Jose Lobaton was asked by Nationals director of athletic training Paul Lessard if he could walk. In that moment, Lobaton honestly couldn't, so he told Lessard he needed to come out of the game. That justifiably had the Nationals concerned about the long-term health of their No. 2 catcher, but those fears were alleviated when X-rays on Lobaton's ankle came back...

Werth another step forward with solid at-bats in series finale

Werth another step forward with solid at-bats in series finale
Big positive for left fielder Jayson Werth who has now played two games in a row after returning from a sore shoulder. On Thursday, Werth went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the Nationals' 5-2 win over the Braves. "He had four great at-bats tonight," manager Dusty Baker said. "Flirted with the wall a couple times and he's feeling better and you see Trea (Turner) is back, he has his stuff together so our next step is to get Jayson back to himself. And then the last step is to get (Bryce Harper)...

Not a lot at stake, but Nats' series vs. Dodgers will draw attention

Not a lot at stake, but Nats' series vs. Dodgers will draw attention
It's been looming on the schedule for months, a late-season clash between the teams that have held the National League's top two records nearly the entire year. But when the Nationals and Dodgers open their weekend series tonight, there won't be as much on the line as there might have been not long ago. The combination of the Nationals' recent surge and the Dodgers' recent slide came together to take some juice away from this series. The Nats, of course, already clinched the NL East title...

Robles shows off lightning speed as Nats drop Braves

Robles shows off lightning speed as Nats drop Braves
September call-ups can give baseball fans a glimpse into the future of their club, teasing them for what might be in the next season - or for years to come. But when your top prospect comes up and is only 20, it might be too much pressure to put on his shoulders to deliver in his first few games at the sport's top level. That is certainly not the case for Victor Robles. On Thursday, Robles went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI and an electrifying triple that had Nats Park in a frenzy as...

Harper ramps up rehab, runs around warning track

Harper ramps up rehab, runs around warning track
Bryce Harper sightings on the field at Nationals Park these days generate the kind of attention usually reserved in this town for a baby panda at the National Zoo. You never know for sure when they're going to happen, and when they do everybody scrambles for their phones to take photos and video of this rare event. So it was this afternoon when Harper emerged in the right field corner during Nationals batting practice, alongside Harvey Sharman, the club's director of medical services. The...

Extra meaningful games can pay dividends for Nats prospects in future

Extra meaningful games can pay dividends for Nats prospects in future
Every season, college basketball teams dream of earning a bid in the NCAA tournament. For teams that make it to the big dance every year, it becomes an advantage the next season because the team has extra practices and extra games that 250 other teams don't get to benefit from. A lot of young players get to play in those extra games - incredibly meaningful games - and they gain experience they would have no other way of receiving if their team did not make it to the postseason. Perennial...

Why the Nats let Scherzer throw 116 pitches in a September loss

Why the Nats let Scherzer throw 116 pitches in a September loss
It's easy to look at the final three weeks of the regular season, with a division title already wrapped up and a heavy emphasis on ensuring everyone's healthy for the postseason, as a meaningless string of games for the Nationals. Max Scherzer vehemently disagrees with that notion. And tonight's game, which ended as an ugly 8-2 loss to the Braves, provided evidence of his point of view. Not in spite of the fact he threw 116 pitches, the last 19 of them after he easily could have been pulled...

Turner with 40th stolen base and three hits in loss, focuses on health

Turner with 40th stolen base and three hits in loss, focuses on health
Nationals shortstop Trea Turner stole his 40th base of the season Wednesday night in an 8-2 loss to the Braves. That would be impressive for an everyday player who had logged 130 or so games by this time of the season. But Turner missed a combined 61 games due to a broken wrist and a hamstring strain. He has stolen 40 bases in just 379 plate appearances this season. 130 games? Umm, no. Turner has played in 83 total games. Oh, the possibilities! "Oh, yeah, he was on pace to lead this league in...

Disastrous seventh inning sends Nats to 8-2 loss to Braves

Disastrous seventh inning sends Nats to 8-2 loss to Braves
Dusty Baker has left Max Scherzer on the mound deep into games more than once this season, justifying his decisions based on the fact the league's reigning Cy Young Award winner is better than anyone he could summon from his bullpen. Earlier this year, given the state of the Nationals' relief corps, it was a defensible decision. And during a pennant race, there's logic to the move. But with the Nats having already wrapped up a division title and now just trying to keep everyone healthy...

Baker on how many left-handed relievers they will carry in playoffs

Baker on how many left-handed relievers they will carry in playoffs
The Nationals make their way towards the National League Division Series with some decisions to make in the bullpen and specifically how many left-handers they will carry in the post season. Left-handed closer Sean Doolittle leads the list as the lock. He is 1-0 with 20 saves, a 2.78 ERA and nine holds in 47 games. He is 17-for-17 in save opportunities with the Nats. Left-handed batters are hitting .158 (6-for-58) against his pitches. The other southpaws under consideration for the post season...

Gonzalez allowed too many big hits in loss to Braves

Gonzalez allowed too many big hits in loss to Braves
Left-hander Gio Gonzalez got knocked around Tuesday night in an 8-0 loss to the Braves. The big hit arrived in the third inning when Freddie Freeman launched a three-run homer over the center field wall halfway up the grassy hill. That gave Atlanta a 4-0 lead. Despite a day off Monday, the Nationals couldn't get back to their good vibes from Sunday, when they clinched their fourth division title in six seasons after beating the Phillies 3-2 and got help from these very same Braves, who came...