With game of his life, Strasburg rewrites his story

With game of his life, Strasburg rewrites his story
CHICAGO - Stephen Strasburg rode the Nationals team bus back to their relocated downtown hotel following Tuesday's rainout at Wrigley Field, checked into his room, took some newly prescribed antibiotics and went to sleep. At that moment, what chance did the ailing right-hander think he had of taking the mound the next afternoon for a win-or-else ballgame against the Cubs? "It wasn't much, to be honest," he said. And then Strasburg woke up this morning, feeling like the antibiotics had made...

What changed to make Strasburg available for Game 4 start

What changed to make Strasburg available for Game 4 start
CHICAGO - When he walked out of Wrigley Field on Tuesday evening, Dusty Baker fully expected Tanner Roark to start a must-win Game 4 of the National League Division Series. Despite the Nationals' hopes, Stephen Strasburg simply was too ill at that moment for his manager to believe he could take the mound the following afternoon. Baker, though, has been in this sport long enough to have seen it all. He's seen guys play through injuries and illness, and he's seen guys' conditions dramatically...

NLDS Game 4 lineups: Nats at Cubs (Strasburg to start)

NLDS Game 4 lineups: Nats at Cubs (Strasburg to start)
CHICAGO - As if this National League Division Series wasn't already dramatic enough, how about this: Stephen Strasburg will start Game 4 for the Nationals after all. Some 18 hours after announcing Strasburg wouldn't be able to pitch this elimination game against the Cubs because he was ill, the Nationals reversed course and named the right-hander as their starter. Strasburg, according to a source familiar with the decision, informed the club this morning he was feeling better and wanted to...

Roark embraces challenge of must-win start for Nationals

Roark embraces challenge of must-win start for Nationals
CHICAGO - As attention and controversy swirled around Stephen Strasburg and the circumstances that led to the right-hander not taking the mound for today's must-win game against the Cubs, another member of the Nationals rotation was left ignored: Tanner Roark. Which was appropriate, given Roark's career and personality. Here's a guy who consistently has been overlooked and countless times has stepped up and made people notice him with his performance. And now the Nationals are hoping Roark...

With Strasburg ill, Roark still gets postponed Game 4 start

With Strasburg ill, Roark still gets postponed Game 4 start
CHICAGO - The postponement of Game 4 of the National League Division Series appeared to favor the Nationals, who suddenly had the option of sending Stephen Strasburg back to the mound for a must-win game on normal rest. But when manager Dusty Baker entered the makeshift press conference room at Wrigley Field this evening to provide what seemed like an obvious answer to a simple question, he wound up creating confusion and dissatisfaction among many with his eight-word reply: "We're going to...

Game 4 postponed until Wednesday (Roark will start)

Game 4 postponed until Wednesday (Roark will start)
CHICAGO - With rain approaching the area and expected to arrive sometime late this afternoon or early this evening, the start of Game 4 of the National League Division Series has been delayed. There's been no decision made yet on a full postponement of the game, but the general managers and managers from both the Nationals and Cubs met with Major League Baseball officials including chief baseball officer Joe Torre a short while ago to discuss the possibilities. They are scheduled to meet again...

Looking back at the key decisions in the seventh and eighth

Looking back at the key decisions in the seventh and eighth
CHICAGO - A lot happened in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. Seriously, for a 2-1 ballgame, there were enough significant moments, great plays, terrible plays and key decisions to warrant a week's worth of discussion. We don't have that much time, of course, to discuss it all. Game 4 is coming up later this afternoon. (If you missed it, Major League Baseball announced late last night that, no matter the outcome of the other NLDS, the game will be played at 5:38 p.m. EDT in an...

In critical October showdown, Nationals lose game of inches

In critical October showdown, Nationals lose game of inches
CHICAGO - Oliver Pérez liked the pitch coming out of his hand, and he liked it coming off Anthony Rizzo's bat. It was a first-pitch fastball, in, and he managed to jam Rizzo and force the Cubs slugger to hit a little blooper toward shallow left-center field. And then, as Pérez turned around and saw how much ground three of his teammates were trying to cover to get to the ball in time, well, that's when the Nationals reliever realized this might be trouble. "I saw he didn't hit it that...

Cubs rally late to win Game 3, leave Nats facing elimination

Cubs rally late to win Game 3, leave Nats facing elimination
CHICAGO - The margin between success and failure in the postseason is razor-thin. A batter can hit a frozen rope but hit it right at somebody. Another can barely bloop a ball into shallow left-center field and watch it fall between three defenders and drive home the winning run. The Nationals experienced it all today during an agonizing 2-1 loss to the Cubs in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. They had a couple of chances to score early, but watched as Chicago's outfielders...

Baker sticks with Werth in Game 3 matchup vs. Quintana

Baker sticks with Werth in Game 3 matchup vs. Quintana
CHICAGO - Whatever urge there may have been to alter his lineup for Game 3 of the National League Division Series, Dusty Baker ultimately decided continuity was more important than playing matchups against an opponent they've never faced. With left-hander José Quintana on the mound for the Cubs this afternoon, the Nationals are going up against an unknown entity. Only three members of their NLDS roster have ever faced him before: Howie Kendrick (5-for-10), Adam Lind (2-for-9) and Matt...

Nats will start Roark in Game 4, won't start Strasburg on short rest

Nats will start Roark in Game 4, won't start Strasburg on short rest
CHICAGO - Unless something really unexpected happens today, Tanner Roark will start Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday. No matter what happens between now and then, Stephen Strasburg will not be starting that game. The Nationals revealed their rotation plans for the remainder of their series against the Cubs, and it's exactly what was expected to be the case all along, with Roark serving as the club's fourth starter and Strasburg held back from returning to pitch again...

Scherzer says he's good to go for 100 pitches in Game 3

Scherzer says he's good to go for 100 pitches in Game 3
CHICAGO - Max Scherzer made his way out to the right field grass at Wrigley Field, set up shop 60 feet away from bullpen catcher Octavio Martinez and proceeded to throw a baseball off flat ground for the next 10-15 minutes, just like he would any other day before he starts a game. When he was done, Scherzer gave Martinez a high five, then started skipping around the outfield. OK, that was actually part of his regular exercise routine, but the image nonetheless conveyed what everyone here with...

Relive Nationals' five-run eighth inning in Game 2 comeback victory

Relive Nationals' five-run eighth inning in Game 2 comeback victory
So about last night ... That was an incredible game of baseball between the Nationals and Cubs. From the home runs to the relief pitching to the dramatic comeback, Game 2 of this National League Division Series provided the best of what postseason baseball has to offer. Anthony Rendon started the scoring with a solo home run in the first. Gio Gonzalez gave manager Dusty Baker a solid start. Matt Albers, Sammy Solís, Ryan Madson, Oliver Pérez and Sean Doolittle combined for four shutout...

A five-run rally that might change the course of the NLDS

A five-run rally that might change the course of the NLDS
He had watched this lineup score runs in bunches all season long, overcoming injuries and ever-changing configurations to produce as well as just about any lineup in the majors. But 16 innings into the National League Division Series, Dusty Baker's Nationals had done nothing at the plate against the Cubs. Nothing. Nada. Squat. Bupkis. Yes, Anthony Rendon had homered in the bottom of the first in Game 2, but that opposite-field shot looked like a lazy fly ball off the bat and somehow got caught...

Comfortable Harper thinks "it could get better"

Comfortable Harper thinks "it could get better"
Bryce Harper's left leg is healthy, at least as healthy as it's going to be before he has an entire winter of rest. Everything the star right fielder has done during his six games back from the disabled list suggests he's not physically limited and can play the way he normally plays. But is Harper actually performing the way he normally performs? That question has been tougher to answer. "I think it could get better," the 24-year-old said today as he prepared for Game 2 of the National...

Baker, Harper not in panic mode as they ready for Game 2

Baker, Harper not in panic mode as they ready for Game 2
Losing the first game of a five-game National League Division Series on their home field puts the Nationals in a very difficult position. But it is not insurmountable. In 2016, the Nats fell in their first game of the series at home to the Dodgers in the NLDS. They went on to win the next two games to go up two games to one. Obviously, the Dodgers came back to win the next two games. But the Nats have shown a resiliency in the past to come back. This season the Nats recorded 41 come-from-behind...

Little mistakes moot point on night when Nats get shut out

Little mistakes moot point on night when Nats get shut out
There was the play down the third base line Anthony Rendon couldn't make, resulting in his first error in 76 days. There was Bryce Harper's ill-advised, too-high throw that allowed a runner to take second base and ultimately score minutes later. There were pitches called strikes that didn't jibe well with batters. And there was the debatable decision not to bring in a left-hander to face Anthony Rizzo in a key, two-out spot with first base open. The Nationals had to confront all of that...

Strasburg "outstanding," but comes up short in 3-0 Game 1 loss

Strasburg "outstanding," but comes up short in 3-0 Game 1 loss
Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg came out early and set the tone for Game 1 of the National League Division Series. In the first five innings, the Cubs mustered zero runs on no hits. They had one baserunner - a walk to Addison Russell in the second - to show for 16 at-bats. Strasburg racked up eight strikeouts to set a new franchise postseason single-game record. He finished with 10 strikeouts. But Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks matched Strasburg, surrendering just two early base hits but...

Baker explains final NLDS roster decisions (Jones suspended)

Baker explains final NLDS roster decisions (Jones suspended)
In assembling the final spots for their National League Division Series roster, the Nationals had two priorities in mind: speed and defense on their bench, and a bunch of lefties in their bullpen. Manager Dusty Baker explained why, after several days of deliberations, the club's decision-makers settled on rookies Brian Goodwin and Victor Robles as backup outfielders, and Oliver Pérez, Sammy Solís and Enny Romero as left-handed members of their seven-man bullpen. The Nationals became...

Scherzer throws in bullpen, announced as Game 3 starter

Scherzer throws in bullpen, announced as Game 3 starter
What had previously been clear but not announced was made official by Dusty Baker this afternoon: Gio Gonzalez will start Game 2 of the National League Division Series for the Nats, with Max Scherzer starting Game 3. That decision was made by the Nationals earlier in the week, but was held back for public consumption until they were confident Scherzer would be ready to pitch Monday's Game 3 at Wrigley Field. They were finally ready to make the announcement today, with Scherzer completing a...