Scherzer blames fastball location problems early in 4-1 loss

Scherzer blames fastball location problems early in 4-1 loss
Max Scherzer wanted to get off to a good start on opening night, but it just didn't happen. Against a strong Yankees lineup, Scherzer did his best to avoid trouble, but when you have to face the likes of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton multiple times in a game, trouble can find you. Scherzer allowed a two-run homer and a run-scoring single to Stanton, and Judge delivered a single and an RBI double as the Yankees took down the Nationals 4-1 in rain-shortened five innings to finally jumpstart...

Yankees up early on Scherzer (Nats fall 4-1 in five innings)

Yankees up early on Scherzer (Nats fall 4-1 in five innings)
The Nationals celebrated their first world championship with a flag raising in the center field plaza and a hoisting of the 2019 World Series pennant above the video board in right field before tonight's Major League Baseball opener against the Yankees at Nationals Park. One can only imagine how loud Nats Park would have been in any other season opener with 43,000 fans on their feet to share in the accomplishment. But this is 2020, and with the world in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic,...

How Doolittle's routine was altered but still resulted in a save

How Doolittle's routine was altered but still resulted in a save
The pair of rainouts from mid-May against the Yankees set up an unusual day of baseball and challenged normal routines, especially for the Nats' closer, Sean Doolittle. The Nationals won the suspended game, 5-3. The Yankees took the second game of the night, 4-2. In the first game, the Nats and Yankees resumed play in the bottom of the sixth. The Nats benefitted from a two-run shot from rookie Juan Soto to break the 3-3 tie. The home run hit the last row of the second deck in right field, one...

Light on actual movement, Winter Meetings are heavy on speculation

Light on actual movement, Winter Meetings are heavy on speculation
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The second day of baseball's Winter Meetings were light on moves, but, as usual, heavy on speculation. The biggest move on Tuesday involved the Yankees, who traded third baseman Chase Headley to the Padres, leaving them without a proven third baseman, as well as an established second baseman. The Yankees traded second baseman Starlin Castro to the Marlins in the deal that brought Giancarlo Stanton to the Bronx. So what will the Yankees do? For now, the Yankees have...

Stanton eager for "new chapter" with Yankees; Hall of Fame finally calls Morris, Trammell

Stanton eager for "new chapter" with Yankees; Hall of Fame finally calls Morris, Trammell
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Yankees, who a year ago were thought of as a rebuilding club, officially introduced Giancarlo Stanton, the National League MVP in 2017, as a member of their team. "This is a great new chapter in my life,'' Stanton said at a press conference Monday as baseball's Winter Meetings opened in the Magic Kingdom. Stanton, who led the majors with 59 home runs for the Marlins, also led with 132 RBIs and a .631 slugging percentage. His 1.007 OPS ranked fourth by the...

In the AL East, the rich (in talent) often get richer

In the AL East, the rich (in talent) often get richer
Just when Orioles fans may have been breathing a sigh of relief that two-way player Shohei Ohtani was not going to become a Yankee, yesterday's news came. National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton is going to be a Yankee. He joins a lineup that already featured Aaron Judge and a lineup that helped the Yankees produce a major league-leading 241 homers last year. I guess it was fun while it lasted, but New York and Boston are back on top of the American League East and don't look ready to...

Free agent dominoes may finally start to fall

Free agent dominoes may finally start to fall
One of the two biggest dominoes of the hot stove league dropped Friday. The other is still standing, with the potential to topple at any moment, though not where originally expected. At which point, the rest of the baseball world should be able to proceed with the rest of the offseason. Shohei Ohtani's decision to sign with the Angels caught many by surprise, perhaps most of all the supposed frontrunners to acquire the Japanese two-way star: the Mariners, Padres, Cubs and Rangers. Those clubs...

Why the Nationals should be interested where Stanton ends up

Why the Nationals should be interested where Stanton ends up
The hot stove has barely produced a flicker so far, and that's in no small part due to the long, slow dance that eventually will result in transactions involving two big-name guys: Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Ohtani. Both are kind of holding up the market right now, but there are signs both are moving toward making decisions about where they want to play in 2018. Ohtani, who officially was posted by the Nippon-Ham Fighters on Friday, will sign with a major league organization by December 22....

Wins and losses more important to Stanton than home run record

Wins and losses more important to Stanton than home run record
September is here, and already the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton feels as if he's been asked a "zillion'' times about his surge in home runs. So if Stanton winds up with more than Roger Maris' 61 home runs and fewer than Barry Bonds' 73, does he own baseball's single-season home run record? Stanton paused and stared into his locker before answering the question at Nationals Park on Wednesday. He said earlier this month that he thinks Maris' 61 is the legitimate record, but he...

Stanton hits No. 51 (Nats win 8-3)

Stanton hits No. 51 (Nats win 8-3)
Manager Dusty Baker was concerned coming into the series about facing Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton. After all, Stanton had hit 50 homers already this season. Baker said he would not give away the strategy to pitching against Stanton prior to the opener on Monday, for fear there were "double agents" in the room. Edwin Jackson was unable to sneak a fastball by Stanton in the first. Stanton took the 1-1 offering over the left field wall to put the Marlins on the board. Jackson then walked...

Scherzer vs. Stanton takes center stage (Nats win 11-2)

Scherzer vs. Stanton takes center stage (Nats win 11-2)
The Nationals' Max Scherzer returns tonight just in time for an epic matchup against Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, who has become the first batter to reach 50 homers in a season since 2013. Manager Dusty Baker smiled when asked during pregame about his strategy in facing Stanton: "Can't tell you that. Cuz somebody in here may be a double agent." "You can't stop him hitting home runs," Baker said. "You just hope they're solos and it's not when it really hurts you. It's...

Stanton homer starts off game (Nats win 3-2)

Stanton homer starts off game (Nats win 3-2)
Tanner Roark got through the first two innings unscathed. But in the third, Dee Gordon singled. Giancarlo Stanton followed with a two-homer on a 1-1 pitch from Roark. His 39th homer of the year went over the left field wall. The Marlins lead 2-0. The Nationals earned a base hit off the bat of Matt Wieters in in the third but not much else yet against Dan Straily. After three innings, the Marlins lead the Nationals 2-0. Update: The Nats rally in the bottom of the sixth. Adrián Sanchez leads...

Zimmerman sets franchise RBI record (Nats win 10-1)

Zimmerman sets franchise RBI record (Nats win 10-1)
Ryan Zimmerman crushed a solo homer off of Marlins starter Adam Conley to lead off the second inning. His 25th homer of the season was also his 906th career RBI, which sets the all-time Nats/Expos franchise record. The previous record was held by former Expos third baseman Tim Wallach, who is currently the Marlins bench coach. Howie Kendrick and Wilmer Difo added back-to-back singles with two outs in the inning. But Nats starter Gio Gonzalez struck out. Gonzalez has allowed three hits and even...

Stanton gets to Cole early with solo homer (Marlins win 4-3)

Stanton gets to Cole early with solo homer (Marlins win 4-3)
MIAMI - Right-hander A.J. Cole did well to keep the Marlins off the board in the first inning in his first-ever appearance in his home state at the major league level. Cole grew up in Oviedo, Fla., which is 233 miles north of Miami. A strong contingent of friends and family cheered Cole's effort. But Cole could not avoid Giancarlo Stanton. In the second with one out, Stanton launched a 448-foot homer to left field that left that bat at 115 mph. The solo homer, his 26th of the season, provided...

Desmond, Escobar spark late rally, Nats beat Marlins 6-4

Desmond, Escobar spark late rally, Nats beat Marlins 6-4
The error-prone Nationals made it four straight games without a miscue until the first inning tonight. With one out and one on, Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton ripped a line drive right at left fielder Jayson Werth. Werth stepped up and crouched down, but the diving screamer caromed off his glove. The next batter, center fielder Marcell Ozuna, hit a soft flare up the middle to score third baseman Martin Prado. The run was unearned for Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann. The Nationals are the...

Stanton, Koehler too much as Nats are shut out 8-0

Stanton, Koehler too much as Nats are shut out 8-0
MIAMI - Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg ran into difficulty to start the fourth when Marlins third baseman Martin Prado ripped a double to the right-center gap to lead off the inning. Right fielder Giancarlo followed with another double down the left line to score Prado easily for the game's first run. Stanton is 2-for-2 today and now 12-for-30 with three homers and six doubles against Strasburg in his career. The Marlins added another run two batters later when first baseman Justin Bour...

Span gets day off, Harper moves to center field (with lineups)

Span gets day off, Harper moves to center field (with lineups)
MIAMI -Center fielder Denard Span gets his first day off since returning from the diabled list last Sunday when the Nationals face the Marlins this afternoon. Washington will be looking to end a three-game losing streak. The 31-year Span was tested in the outfield Friday night, especially on a couple of hard-hit balls that he tracked down in the fifth inning. After drawing a walk in the seventh, Span stole his first base of the season and eventually scored the Nationals' second run. Today...

Nats hope history repeats itself for Jordan Zimmermann (with lineups)

Nats hope history repeats itself for Jordan Zimmermann (with lineups)
MIAMI - The last time tonight's starter Jordan Zimmermann faced the Marlins when it counted, he tossed a hair-raising no-hitter in the 2014 regular season finale. That's all but irrelevant as he takes the mound tonight, looking to get back on track after a surprising 1-2 start with a 6.14 ERA. Marlins superstar Giancarlo Stanton wasn't in the lineup for Zimmermann's no-hitter. But when he last faced the right-hander in a Grapefruit League game on April 1, he tattooed Zimmerman for a...

Taylor, Harper and Fister part of home run parade (Nats outslug Marlins)

Taylor, Harper and Fister part of home run parade (Nats outslug Marlins)
NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Nationals 11, Marlins 7 Recap: The Nationals broke out of their offensive slump in a big way against the Marlins today. Center fielder Michael A. Taylor set the tone immediately with a lead off solo blast in the first. Right fielder Bryce Harper and catchers Wilson Ramos and Jose Lobaton also went deep for the Nats. Washington starter Doug Fister ran into his own problem with the longball. The Marlins hit three homers off Fister, including a two-run shot by right...

Michael A. Taylor leads Nats against Marlins (with lineups)

Michael A. Taylor leads Nats against Marlins (with lineups)
VIERA, Fla. - Center fielder Michael A. Taylor could be the Nationals' leadoff man against the Mets on opening day. He's occupied that spot in the order for much of the Grapefruit League season since both center fielder Denard Span and third baseman Anthony Rendon went out with injuries. Taylor has produced 14 hits in a team leading 47 at-bats this spring for a .298 average. Eight of those hits have gone for extra bases, including three homers and two triples. Mike Carp showed up to camp as a...