Harper gives Nationals a scare after taking errant throw off ankle

Harper gives Nationals a scare after taking errant throw off ankle
ST. LOUIS - It was just about the last thing anybody associated with the Nationals wanted to see at that moment: Bryce Harper falling to the ground in a heap in obvious pain after running down the first base line. Given the fact Adam Eaton tore up his knee on a very similar looking play two months ago, and given the fact Trea Turner fractured his wrist only 24 hours earlier, the sight of Harper on the ground in the top of the first inning Friday night elicited some of the worst feelings...

Roark's latest ragged start leaves Nationals in a lurch

Roark's latest ragged start leaves Nationals in a lurch
ST. LOUIS - The Nationals have spent the better part of the last three months trying to figure out what's wrong with Tanner Roark. How has one of the majors' most consistent starters since he debuted nearly four years ago has fallen apart in the first half of this season? And after yet another ragged outing in which the right-hander lasted only three innings and set the course for the Nationals' 8-1 loss to the Cardinals, they found themselves right back where they started. What's the...

Lobaton and Romero heroes in Nats' 7-4 win over Mets

Lobaton and Romero heroes in Nats' 7-4 win over Mets
NEW YORK - Jose Lobaton broke out a recent slump and the bullpen helped out Stephen Strasburg this time around in a 7-4 series-clinching victory before 38,059 at Citi Field on Saturday. Strasburg was only able to finish 5 1/3 innings, but he kept the Mets at bay, allowing only two runs. Then, the bullpen was able to take over. The much maligned bullpen surrendered only two runs over 4 2/3 innings to keep the Nationals in front. Manager Dusty Baker was proud of his releivers, who have struggled...

Nats ride home runs again for early lead (Nats win 7-4)

Nats ride home runs again for early lead (Nats win 7-4)
NEW YORK - The Nationals' big bats do it again with an early strike. Trea Turner led off the game with a solo homer over the left field wall to stake the Nats to a 1-0 lead. It was his seventh longball and third leadoff homer of the season. The blast came on a 1-0 offering from Mets starter Seth Lugo, and was Turner's fifth leadoff homer of his career. In the second, Lugo struck out Adam Lind and Michael A. Taylor. But Jose Lobaton slammed a solo homer in the second level in right field,...

Scoreless after three innings (Rangers win 6-3)

Scoreless after three innings (Rangers win 6-3)
We're through three scoreless innings at Nationals Park, and if the early going is any indication, the hitters aren't adjusting too well to the 12:05 p.m. start time after a Friday night game. Both the Nationals' Gio Gonzalez and the Rangers' Martín Pérez have faced the minimum nine batters, with each team getting a hit and having that player erased on a caught stealing. Gonzalez has thrown 50 pitches and Pérez 49. Elvis Andrus singled with two down in the first for the game's...

Nationals lament mistakes that prevented a sweep in L.A.

Nationals lament mistakes that prevented a sweep in L.A.
LOS ANGELES - If you're going to beat Clayton Kershaw, you're going to need somebody to come up with a big hit off the planet's best pitcher. The Nationals got that today in the form of Ryan Zimmerman's leadoff homer in the top of the second. And you're going to need your own pitcher step up with an elite performance to match, or even best, Kershaw. The Nationals got that today in the form of Stephen Strasburg's dominant start. And you're going to need to do all the little things right,...

Nationals drop finale of anticipated series vs. Dodgers 2-1

Nationals drop finale of anticipated series vs. Dodgers 2-1
LOS ANGELES - Stephen Strasburg vs. Clayton Kershaw lived up to the hype. But as Nationals fans surely know by now, these games against the Dodgers almost always come down to some key moments late against the respective teams' bullpens. And in the finale of a fantastic, tightly contested series at Chavez Ravine, it was the Dodgers bullpen that stepped up to get the outs necessary to deal the Nationals a 2-1 loss. After Kershaw was surprisingly pulled following seven dominant innings, the...

Game 46 lineups: Nats vs. Mariners

Game 46 lineups: Nats vs. Mariners
A very pleasant good morning to you all. And it most definitely is the morning, with the Nationals and Mariners today wrapping up their series with a 12:05 p.m. first pitch. The start time was bumped up four hours in hopes of getting this one in before the heavy rain arrives later. It's not an ideal scenario, but as Dusty Baker put it: "It beats the alternative." Baker has all of his regulars in the lineup despite the quick turnaround ... aside from Matt Wieters, who understandably won't be...

Game 28 lineups: Diamondbacks at Nats

Game 28 lineups: Diamondbacks at Nats
The Nationals are seeking their fourth home series victory today on Weather Day at Nats Park. National League Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer faces his former club, looking for his fourth win of the season. He arrives 3-2 with a 2.94 ERA. Scherzer pitched in Arizona in 2008-09. Right-hander Braden Shipley makes his first start of 2017 for the Diamondbacks, called up from the minors. He is 4-5 with a 5.27 ERA in 11 career starts (13 games). Shipley is a 2013 first-round selection out of...

Uninspired Nationals slog through "kind of a downer day"

Uninspired Nationals slog through "kind of a downer day"
The game lasted 3 hours, 48 minutes. It felt like it took even longer for the Nationals to slog their way through an uninspired 6-3 loss to the Diamondbacks that bore virtually no resemblance to the high-energy, high-drama games they had played nearly every night in April. "It was kind of a downer day," manager Dusty Baker conceded. "I don't know why, but it seems like we don't bounce back with a lot of life after an off-day. 'Cause an off-day kind of just sits on you after that long...

Roark still felt strong despite career-high 125 pitches

Roark still felt strong despite career-high 125 pitches
Right-hander Tanner Roark found a way to go six innings for the Nationals, something his manager Dusty Baker was hoping for his workhorse to do. But it was difficult for Roark, even though he wouldn't admit it. Roark finished with a career-high 125 pitches. Baker needed his starter to go six innings because there were arms in his bullpen that needed rest. Roark left with his club down 4-3 in a game they eventually would lose to the Diamondbacks 6-3. "We had Ollie Pérez. He got up twice,"...

Nats breathe sigh of relief after Scherzer passes key test

Nats breathe sigh of relief after Scherzer passes key test
JUPITER, Fla. - Dusty Baker, speaking for everyone employed by the Nationals or fervently rooting for them from the outside, offered up a simple yet telling take after watching Max Scherzer make it through his first Grapefruit League start of the spring with no problems. "Boy," the manager said with a sigh of relief. "That makes me feel a whole lot better." Consider all of NatsTown worry-free about Scherzer after the ace right-hander passed his first real test of the spring with a 4...

Taylor will be gone several days for family issue (Nats win 10-4)

Taylor will be gone several days for family issue (Nats win 10-4)
NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Nationals 10, Marlins 4 Recap: The Nationals broke out their bats early and often at Roger Dean Stadium, with Ryan Zimmerman leading the charge. Zimmerman went 3-for-3 with a homer, a double and a walk, leaving the veteran first baseman in a 7-for-10 hot streak after an 0-for-17 slump to open the spring. Clint Robinson also provided a big blast, clearing the bases with a three-run double in the top of the first, his first extra-base hit of the spring. Stephen...

Starting lineups: Marlins vs. Nats in West Palm Beach (updated)

Starting lineups: Marlins vs. Nats in West Palm Beach (updated)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - With the uncertainty surrounding ace Max Scherzer's availabiity to start the season because of an injury, each start right-hander A.J. Cole makes carries with it greater importance. If Scherzer has to start the season on the disabled list, Cole seems to be the most likely candidate to assume a place in the rotation. Cole gets the ball today against the Marlins, hoping to improve on the 13.50 ERA he's posted in two Grapefruit League starts. In 4 2/3 innings, he's...

Relive "Nationals Classics": Clinchmas 2014 and wild walk-offs

Relive "Nationals Classics": Clinchmas 2014 and wild walk-offs
Isn't it great to have live baseball on your television again? Yeah, agreed, it's the best. Just a reminder that you have two more Nationals spring training games airing live on MASN this week: Tuesday, March 7, against the Red Sox at 1 p.m., and Sunday, March 12, against the neighbor Astros also at 1 p.m. Sprinkled around these live games are a few more "Nationals Classics" airing on MASN to keep feeding your baseball needs. On this week's slate, a memorable clinching of the National...

More on Wieters and the Nationals' catching corps

More on Wieters and the Nationals' catching corps
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Spring training signings aren't rare. They happen every year. But spring training signings of players as notable as Matt Wieters don't happen that often, at least not for the Nationals, who at this time of year typically have brought in guys only on minor league contracts with no guarantee of an opening day roster spot. Wieters, of course, is going to be the Nats' starting catcher come opening day (barring injury). And so the news of his deal Tuesday - it's still...

Source: Nationals progressing toward deal with Matt Wieters

Source: Nationals progressing toward deal with Matt Wieters
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals and Matt Wieters had been linked to each other all winter, seemingly a good match for both the club and the free agent catcher. This morning, the two sides appear finally to have found common ground. Though nothing is done yet, a source familiar with the talks said the Nationals are progressing toward a deal with Wieters, one that could be finalized soon. Terms of this potential deal haven't been confirmed, but Wieters reportedly will get a two-year...

Nationals catchers face tall task in replacing Ramos

Nationals catchers face tall task in replacing Ramos
As the start of spring training fast approaches, we're breaking down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series continues today with the catching corps ... How do you replace an All-Star catcher who hit .307 with 22 homers, 80 RBIs, an .850 OPS and threw out 37 percent of opposing base stealers? The answer is: You don't. The Nationals will feel the loss of Wilson Ramos this season, and there's not much they can do about that. After five years battling injuries and...

What lies ahead for Pedro Severino?

What lies ahead for Pedro Severino?
If you're Nationals catcher Pedro Severino, it's been quite a whirlwind few months. Summoned from Triple-A Syracuse on Sept. 2 for the stretch run, Severino's presence took on added significance on Sept. 26, when Wilson Ramos sustained a season-ending knee injury. Suddenly, Severino found himself starting two games in the National League Division Series. But since the Nats were eliminated from the playoffs, Severino has been on the proverbial roller coaster. When Ramos elected to test free...

Battle already brewing for Nats' final reserve outfield spot

Battle already brewing for Nats' final reserve outfield spot
One of the more interesting positional battles to watch when spring training convenes in six weeks at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla., will be the second reserve outfielder's spot on the 25-man roster. Barring an injury, it's a pretty good bet that Chris Heisey will be on the roster as a pinch-hitter and a backup to left fielder Jayson Werth, center fielder Adam Eaton and right fielder Bryce Harper. The Nationals will also have shortstop Trea Turner available to play...