Cabrera excited to "come back home" to D.C. with D-backs

Cabrera excited to "come back home" to D.C. with D-backs
When Asdrúbal Cabrera was picked up by the Nationals in early August 2019, he figured he'd finish out the season in D.C. and then probably call it a career. "I told my family: Probably this is going to be my last three months," the veteran infielder said today during a Zoom session with reporters. "I'm just going to try to have fun here and see what happens. And we made it to the World Series, and we won the World Series. "I'm never going to forget that year." Neither will Nationals...

Game 10 lineups: Nats vs. Diamondbacks

Game 10 lineups: Nats vs. Diamondbacks
After an eventful road trip, the Nationals are back home tonight and will be here each of the next seven days. First up, it's a four-game weekend series with the Diamondbacks. Then it's three more with the Cardinals. And with capacity restrictions eased up for this homestand, there should be roughly 10,000 fans in the park now, which will be much appreciated by everyone. Tonight's opener against the Diamondbacks represents an important start for Patrick Corbin, who labored in his delayed...

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Hitting the home stretch of the offseason

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Hitting the home stretch of the offseason
Who's ready to turn the page to the 2021 season? Well, in just a few weeks (pandemic willing, mind you), spring training will be upon us. There are few words more glorious to a baseball-starved fan than "pitchers and catchers report." Well, "full-squad workout" and "Play ball!" are pretty close. While we wait for things to get underway in West Palm Beach, Fla., MASN will continue to feed your baseball jones with "Nationals Classics" from days past. This week's offerings include a...

Could the Nats bring back any of their own free agents?

Could the Nats bring back any of their own free agents?
We spend a lot of time talking about free agents the Nationals might be interested in acquiring, newcomers who could help bolster their 2021 roster. But what about the possibility of re-signing free agents who played here in 2020? The Nationals already brought back one guy who could've departed: Josh Harrison, who signed a one-year deal very early in the offseason. Otherwise, they've stayed away from their own free agents so far. That, of course, could change as spring training inches closer....

Nats' 2019 roster could be a distant memory come 2021

Nats' 2019 roster could be a distant memory come 2021
Nothing lasts forever in baseball. Change is inevitable. No roster, good or bad, stays intact from year to year. So this isn't unusual. But it's still somewhat striking when you pause to think about it: More than half of the Nationals' 2019 World Series roster isn't going to be part of their 2021 roster. At the moment, only 11 of the 25 players who were in uniform for Game 7 in Houston a mere 13 1/2 months ago remain employed by the Nationals. Only four of those 11 are position players:...

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Offseason begins with curly W memories

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Offseason begins with curly W memories
The World Series is over and free agency has commenced. We've gotten back the hour of sleep we lost in March at about the time baseball and the world went a little crazy. Now it's dark at 5:30 p.m. Is it supposed to be this cold in November? I could swear I saw flurries this morning. While we don't know for sure what the 2021 baseball season will hold, we do know a few simple truths. Among them is that MASN will feed your need for diamond memories all offseason long with "Nationals...

Is there any place for Cabrera on Nats' roster next year?

Is there any place for Cabrera on Nats' roster next year?
Our offseason player review series continues today with Asdrúbal Cabrera, who struggled to consistently produce this season. PLAYER REVIEW: ASDRÚBAL CABRERA Age on opening day 2021: 35 How acquired: Signed as free agent, August 2019 MLB service time: 13 years, 27 days 2020 salary: $2,685,000 (prorated $1,110,926) Contract status: Free agent 2020 stats: 52 G, 213 PA, 190 AB, 23 R, 46 H, 9 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 31 RBI, 0 SB, 0 CS, 19 BB, 40 SO, .242 AVG, .305 OBP, .447 SLG, .753 OPS, 98 OPS+, 1...

Martinez working on offseason plan to improve defense

Martinez working on offseason plan to improve defense
One factor manager Davey Martinez pointed toward that the Nationals must get better at in 2021 is their defense. The Nats scuffled to a 26-34 record and fourth place in the National League East in 2020. Martinez believes one reason for their struggles was a lack consistent quality defense the club demonstrated during their championship season. As an example, the outfield defensive analytical numbers were down from 2019. Last season, center fielder Victor Robles led the league in Outs Above...

Will Nats try to acquire lineup protection for Soto?

Will Nats try to acquire lineup protection for Soto?
Despite appearing in only 47 of the Nationals' 60 games this season, Juan Soto reached base an astounding 96 times, fifth-most in the majors. Soto only scored 39 runs, however, which ranked 19th in baseball. That's still good. But not as good as it could've been. Soto was historically good at the plate in 2020, but the Nats didn't take full advantage of that fact. Why? Because they couldn't consistently put a top-notch hitter behind Soto in their lineup. Only 17 times this year did Howie...

Change is coming for Nationals, but how much?

Change is coming for Nationals, but how much?
The Nationals are going to undergo change this winter, of that there's no doubt. Nine prominent players (Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Eaton, Howie Kendrick, Asdrúbal Cabrera, Aníbal Sánchez, Sean Doolittle, Kurt Suzuki, Eric Thames and Josh Harrison) will either become free agents or could become free agents if their options aren't picked up. Several others (most notably Michael A. Taylor and Roenis Elías) could be in danger of being non-tendered. They aren't all coming back, that much...

Voth throws complete game for first win of season (updated)

Voth throws complete game for first win of season (updated)
Austin Voth again kept the ball down and mixed his pitches well for a second consecutive start, finally earning his first win of the season with a complete-game gem in Game 1 of a doubleheader as the Nationals dropped the Phillies 5-1 at Nats Park. Voth struck out a season-high seven batters and pitched a season-best seven innings, working his fastball with a dipping curveball and a slowdown changeup to keep the Phillies off guard. After losing five games to begin the season, Voth has bounced...

García's homer in 10th lifts Nats to 4-2 win over Rays (updated)

García's homer in 10th lifts Nats to 4-2 win over Rays (updated)
Luis García went after the first pitch from Rays reliever Nick Anderson in the 10th inning and homered over the right-center field wall for his second big league homer as the Nationals survived Daniel Hudson's blown save for a 4-2 win over the Rays on Wednesday afternoon at Tropicana Field. García drilled Anderson's 94 mph fastball a few minutes after the Rays' Brandon Lowe had tied the game with a homer off Hudson in the bottom of the ninth. For Anderson, it was only the fifth hit he...

Game 46 lineups: Nats at Rays (Rainey to IL)

Game 46 lineups: Nats at Rays (Rainey to IL)
The Nationals' final road trip of 2020 begins tonight in St. Petersburg, Fla., where they'll face the Rays in the first of a quick two-game series. It's a rematch of last week's two-gamer in D.C., both of those games won by the Nats. But the challenge may be greater this time. For one thing, the Nationals just lost their best reliever. Tanner Rainey has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right flexor strain, a move that is retroactive to Sept. 12. Rainey had pitched very well...

Martinez leaves Scherzer in, pays the price in 8-4 loss (updated)

Martinez leaves Scherzer in, pays the price in 8-4 loss (updated)
Max Scherzer expended a lot to get through five innings today against the toughest lineup he's faced in 2020. Though the Nationals ace had some of the best pure stuff he's had all season, the Braves wore him down (like they've done to so many opposing pitchers) and left him with a pitch count of 104 as he walked off the mound at the end of the fifth. And once his team scored two runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead, Davey Martinez could've made the decision to pull Scherzer and...

Eaton and offense rolled early, but then slowed down

Eaton and offense rolled early, but then slowed down
The Nationals offense rolled out of the gates with five early runs against the first-place Braves on Thursday night at Nats Park, scoring three in the first inning and two in the second frame for a 5-0 lead. Trea Turner tripled, Juan Soto doubled and Asdrúbal Cabrera tripled in the first against Braves starter Robbie Erlin. In the second, Michael A. Taylor doubled and Adam Eaton launched a two-run shot. It seemed like the Nats were going to score more after Erlin left when reliever Huascar...

Holt and Harrison add spark to offense after rough week

Holt and Harrison add spark to offense after rough week
In the Nationals' two-game sweep of the first-place Tampa Bay Rays to begin this week, a pair of recently acquired veterans played big parts in the club's success in generating offense. Brock Holt went 4-for-8 with two doubles and two runs scored. Josh Harrison added two hits, going 2-for-7 with a walk, a run scored and two RBIs as the Nats beat the Rays 6-1 and 5-3. On Monday, as Juan Soto, Luis García and Howie Kendrick sat out with injuries, manager Davey Martinez opted to put Holt in...

Game 40 lineups: Nats vs. Rays (García scratched)

Game 40 lineups: Nats vs. Rays (García scratched)
After what felt like the longest road trip ever - but in reality was only 10 days and 11 games - the Nationals return home tonight to open a five-game homestand. And they're facing stiff competition right out of the gate in the exceptional Rays. Owners of the American League's best record at 28-13, Tampa Bay has quietly put together an outstanding team, even if many of the names don't jump right out at you. The Rays don't hit for a ton of power, but they get on base and they score runs. So...

Martinez on Soto, García, Cabrera, Scherzer, Difo and more (updated)

Martinez on Soto, García, Cabrera, Scherzer, Difo and more (updated)
Manager Davey Martinez did not have a definitive answer during his pregame media access today as to when left fielder Juan Soto will return to the Nationals lineup. Soto has been dealing with a sore elbow and has missed a couple of games. "He's going to come in, he's going to do some activation stuff," Martinez said during his Zoom video session with reporters. "We will see how he feels." Second baseman Luis García was pulled in the middle of Sunday's game at Atlanta because of heel...

Rehashing a painful top of the 10th in Nats' latest loss

Rehashing a painful top of the 10th in Nats' latest loss
There's a lot to unpack from the Thursday's 6-5 loss in Philadelphia, and hopefully I touched on a lot of it in the game story. Byron Kerr also has much more on a mostly lights-out performance by the Nationals bullpen that somehow still included a blown save and a loss. But this morning I wanted to go back and re-examine the top of the 10th, because what happened during that half-inning said a whole lot about the current state of the team and raised some more questions about what exactly...

Nationals shut out again, lose fifth straight (updated)

Nationals shut out again, lose fifth straight (updated)
The Nationals knew their 2020 lineup wasn't going to resemble their 2019 championship bunch. Not with Anthony Rendon moving to Anaheim and Ryan Zimmerman watching this season at home with his growing family. But Davey Martinez and Mike Rizzo firmly believed this lineup was capable of producing in different ways. They would be able to manufacture runs. Make contact. Run a bit. Drive in teammates with two outs. Thirty-four games into this abridged 60-game season, that's just not proving true....