Fedde cruises in Miami while Nats blast Luzardo (updated)

Fedde cruises in Miami while Nats blast Luzardo (updated)
There was a point, four or five years ago, when the Nationals could look into the future and imagine a rotation that included both Erick Fedde and Jesús Luzardo. And there probably was a point in more recent years when Luzardo (a third-round pick in 2016 who has since been traded to the Athletics and then the Marlins) looked to have a brighter future than Fedde (a first-round pick in 2014). These things don't always work out as everyone thinks they will, of course. Neither Fedde nor Luzardo...

Game 124 lineups: Nats at Marlins

Game 124 lineups: Nats at Marlins
After a run of games against contending clubs, the Nationals tonight open a three-game series against the club that currently occupies the basement of the National League East, right below them. The Marlins, like the Nats, are rebuilding, though in their case it feels more like a perpetual rebuild. But like the Nationals, the Marlins have some intriguing young players, especially on their pitching staff. And tonight we'll see one of them in Jesús Luzardo, the former Nats prospect who went...

Four things to watch over last 40 games

Four things to watch over last 40 games
The Nationals have 40 games remaining in the 2021 season, starting with this afternoon's series finale in Milwaukee. It's hard to believe that we're already this close to the end of the baseball season. Fall is right around the corner. On this week's episode of the "MASN All Access Podcast," Amy Jennings and I set goals for a handful of Nationals players to reach before season's end. I wanted to expand on a couple of those goals and bring up some new ones as things to look out for over...

Nolin will get Sunday's start as Ross' rotation replacement

Nolin will get Sunday's start as Ross' rotation replacement
The Nationals didn't need to utilize a fifth starter until next weekend, but they've decided to go ahead and plug Sean Nolin into their rotation now. Nolin, the 31-year-old left-hander who has been available out of the bullpen for the last week since making one spot start against the Mets, will start Sunday's series finale against the Brewers, manager Davey Martinez said. Nolin takes over the rotation spot that opened up with Joe Ross had to be shut down for the rest of the season with a...

Adams delivers against Jays, Nats snap losing streak (updated)

Adams delivers against Jays, Nats snap losing streak (updated)
The opportunity was too good for Davey Martinez to pass up. Though it was probably Tres Barrera's turn to catch tonight's series opener against the Blue Jays, the Nationals manager wanted to give Riley Adams a chance to face the team that traded him three weeks ago. Adams, Martinez would reveal in the dugout before the game, was notably excited when his manager told him he'd be starting tonight. And then the 25-year-old took his latest step in making his case to be part of this rebuilding...

Game 119 lineups: Nats vs. Blue Jays

Game 119 lineups: Nats vs. Blue Jays
After a string of games against the National League East's remaining contenders, the Nationals now take a break for a quick interleague series. They'll host the Blue Jays tonight and Wednesday afternoon (weather permitting), which means a little bit of a reunion. It was just a few weeks ago that Brad Hand was dealt to Toronto in exchange for Riley Adams. We don't know if we'll see Hand out of the Blue Jays bullpen tonight or not, but we will see Adams in the Nats lineup. The rookie catcher...

Temperature check two weeks after trade deadline

Temperature check two weeks after trade deadline
Two weeks ago today, the Nationals completed six franchise-altering trades, admitting this season was a lost cause. They were able to move eight players (seven on expiring contracts) to net 12 prospects in return. Ten of those 12 are already in MLBPipeline.com's ranking of the top 30 Nats prospects. Six of those 12 are in the top 16. And three of those six are in the top 10, including Nos. 1 and 2, Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray (both acquired in the Max Scherzer-Trea Turner deal with the...

Nats rally late, but suffer sweep against Mets (updated)

Nats rally late, but suffer sweep against Mets (updated)
Nationals manager Davey Martinez spent his morning Zoom session with reporters detailing his pitching plans for today's doubleheader against the Mets. After a suspended game on Tuesday and last night's postponement, the mound plans had been thrown into a state of flux. Of course, like much of this season, nothing really ever goes according to plan for the Nationals. But today, the pitching plan held up: Sean Nolin and three relievers got through the first game and Erick Fedde got through four...

Game 115 lineups: Nats at Mets

Game 115 lineups: Nats at Mets
And we're back. Seven innings down, seven more to go before the Nationals can finally get out of New York and return home after a long week. Erick Fedde brings a 4-8 record and 5.15 ERA to his late-afternoon start. The last time Fedde faced the Mets, on June 18, he pitched seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball with six strikeouts to bring his season ERA to 3.33. Over the eight starts since, the right-hander is 0-4 with a 7.75 ERA. In two starts against the Mets this season, Fedde has only...

Pitching plans laid out for Thursday's doubleheader

Pitching plans laid out for Thursday's doubleheader
The past few days have not been easy on Nationals manager Davey Martinez and pitching coach Jim Hickey. A suspended game Tuesday night then a postponement last night has led to today's doubleheader against the Mets at Citi Field, while also throwing the Nats' pitching plans into chaos. Good thing they're in the city that never sleeps. After a confusing 40 hours or so, Martinez was able to lay out his pitching plans for today's two games: Sean Nolin will start the opener and Erick Fedde will...

Thursday doubleheader planned after another rainout

Thursday doubleheader planned after another rainout
When a major storm cell barreled through New York on Tuesday night, the Nationals' series opener against the Mets had to be suspended in the second inning, then completed this afternoon. When another major storm cell was preparing to barrel through New York tonight, they didn't take any chances. The Mets delayed the start of the nightcap of the scheduled doubleheader, then an hour later postponed it altogether. And so despite spending many hours over the last two days at Citi Field, the...

Soto-less Nationals drop fifth straight (updated)

Soto-less Nationals drop fifth straight (updated)
Take a Nationals lineup already depleted by the trades of Trea Turner, Yan Gomes, Josh Harrison and Kyle Schwarber, then remove Juan Soto from the equation, and what do you get? Well, you get this: The Nats were held to five hits (two of them in the ninth inning with the game already out of reach) by the Braves during an 8-4 loss tonight at Truist Park. Already having a tough go of things one week after selling off just about every prominent veteran on their roster at the trade deadline, the...

Game 110 lineups: Nats at Braves

Game 110 lineups: Nats at Braves
The Nationals are in a tough spot right now, and if you didn't already know why, here's some evidence: In eight of their last 12 games, they've held the lead going into the ninth inning. And they've only emerged victorious in three of them. So on one hand, even the rebuilding, inexperienced Nats are still putting themselves in a position to win more than they lose. But they're not actually winning more than they're losing. Quite the contrary. They've lost 22 of their last 31. That's the...

Who starts opening day 2022 for the Nationals?

Who starts opening day 2022 for the Nationals?
Upon recording his 10th strikeout of the night late Wednesday, Max Scherzer stalked off the mound at Dodger Stadium and returned to the home dugout, where a bunch of new teammates doled out high-fives and ultimately pushed the three-time Cy Young Award winner back up the steps to acknowledge a sellout crowd seeking a curtain call. On the other side of the country, Nationals fans could be excused for feeling sickened by the sight of it all. Scherzer wearing Dodger blue, striking out Jose Altuve...

Fedde pushed early, Hernandez wins it late for Nats (updated)

Fedde pushed early, Hernandez wins it late for Nats (updated)
If you're wondering - for practical, in-game purposes - what will be different the next two months from everything that came before it, here was a good example in the top of the sixth this afternoon at Nationals Park. Erick Fedde, who had been cruising along against a depleted Cubs lineup, opened that frame allowing a single to Andrew Romine, then a two-run homer to Rafael Ortega at the end of a long, seven-pitch at-bat. The Nationals' lead was down to one, Fedde's pitch count was up to 91...

Game 105 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs

Game 105 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs
It's a gray Sunday at Nationals Park, and I actually mean that in the literal sense. Rain is forecast on and off throughout the afternoon. Hopefully, it doesn't impact the game, but the grounds crew has the tarp ready to go just in case. Metaphorically, it's been a gray several days for the Nats, who just wrapped up one of the worst months in club history, going 8-18. And that's just their record. As we know, a whole lot of other stuff happened that wasn't directly related to wins and...

Turner leaves after positive test, Hand closes out win (updated)

Turner leaves after positive test, Hand closes out win (updated)
As if this week's events - and the prospect of events still to come - hadn't already left the Nationals and all who observe them on edge, here now was the sight of Trea Turner departing tonight's game in Philadelphia after scoring on Josh Bell's top-of-the-first homer. Given the date on the calendar and the organization's July freefall, it wasn't inappropriate to immediately wonder if Turner had just been traded. Then, as replays of his trip around the bases began to be shown, it seemed...

Game 100 lineups: Nats at Phillies

Game 100 lineups: Nats at Phillies
In what is shaping up to be one of the most significant weeks in club history, the Nationals do still have games to play every night. It may be too late for their performance on the field to change the front office's mind about what comes next, but they will be taking the field nonetheless and attempting to win a game against the Phillies. Losers of five straight and 16 of their last 21, the Nats will try to get back on track tonight behind Erick Fedde, who was sharp last time out, allowing...

Nats can't get ahead in regulation, lose in 10th (updated)

Nats can't get ahead in regulation, lose in 10th (updated)
They waited all night for the hit that would break a deadlocked ballgame. Just one hit at the right moment to drive in the go-ahead run and put them on a path to sweep the Marlins. And when the Nationals couldn't get the job done during nine innings of traditional baseball, they were left to try to do it in extra innings of non-traditional baseball. Which didn't suit them very well. It was Miami that pushed across two runs in the top of the 10th off closer Brad Hand, while the Nats went down...

Game 95 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

Game 95 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins
The Nationals find themselves in a position to sweep the Marlins tonight, and that's exactly the position they hoped to be in at the start of this critical week. They've taken advantage of a softer schedule, and now they'll try to take complete advantage of it and win their third straight over Miami, fourth straight overall. Erick Fedde gets the start, and he'll look to do what Jon Lester and Paolo Espino did before him: Shut out the Marlins without issuing any walks. That latter part is...