Rogers fades late, Nats can't rally to beat Red Sox (updated)

Rogers fades late, Nats can't rally to beat Red Sox (updated)
It had been a while since Nationals Park experienced this kind of energy, provided by a crowd of 32,521 filled with fans with varied reasons to get amped up for the opener of the season's final series. Some were excited to see Juan Soto's last charge for a batting title and possible MVP honor. They perhaps took solace in the four walks he drew - the last of them his 144th of the season, something only Barry Bonds had previously done this century - but that's not really what they came to...
    

Soto headlines Nationals' annual team award winners

Soto headlines Nationals' annual team award winners
Juan Soto has three more days to make his case to win National League MVP honors. He already locked up a slightly less significant honor today. Soto was named the Nationals' 2021 Player of the Year, the second straight season the young star won the award given out annually in a vote of media members who regularly cover the team. Soto is joined by Kyle Finnegan (Pitcher of the Year) and Josh Bell (Good Guy Award) in receiving this year's honors, which are being presented prior to the start of...
    

Nats fall to Rockies in rain-delayed marathon road finale (updated)

Nats fall to Rockies in rain-delayed marathon road finale (updated)
They played two-plus innings in a little more than an hour before the heavy rain arrived in Colorado, then waited through a two-hour delay before taking the field again. They then played 6 1/2 more innings across nearly three more hours, each team using up most of its expanded bullpen, all in a vain attempt simply to complete this 159th game of a season that long ago was lost by both participants. And when it finally ended, when the Nationals lost 10-5 some 5 hours and 57 minutes after Rockies...
    

Game 159 lineups: Nats at Rockies

Game 159 lineups: Nats at Rockies
It's the final road game of the season for the Nationals, who haven't exactly thrived away from home in 2021. They enter today's matinee at Coors Field with a 30-50 record on the road, though if they win it'll only be the fifth-worst away record in club history, the 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010 teams having been worse. It's also the final start of the season for Paolo Espino. Who could've imagined the way this played out for the journeyman right-hander? Summoned way back in mid-April for an...
    

Another encouraging start for Corbin, but Nats lose (updated)

Another encouraging start for Corbin, but Nats lose (updated)
We don't know at this point if Patrick Corbin will pitch again this season. Davey Martinez is still contemplating whether to send him back to the mound for Sunday's finale against the Red Sox, or whether to let tonight's outing in Colorado serve as his closing act on a dismal 2021. If, however, this was it for Corbin this season, he can head home for the winter with at least some reason to feel better about things. His final numbers were unsalvageable, but the left-hander did put together...
    

Soto's streak ends at 12, Nats lose in extras again (updated)

Soto's streak ends at 12, Nats lose in extras again (updated)
As captivating as it is to watch Juan Soto step to the plate and continually find ways to reach base, the truth is he can't carry the Nationals on his own. He needs some support around him. And you may be surprised to know he has had a healthy amount of support for a couple of months now, even after the Nats' late July sell-off. They entered tonight's game in Cincinnati having scored 181 runs since Aug. 15, most in the National League. And then they added seven more to the total, getting a...
    

Soto's remarkable run continues in win over Reds (updated)

Soto's remarkable run continues in win over Reds (updated)
We've reached the point of absurdity with Juan Soto. It has become impossible to note anything the young Nationals star does without comparing him to the greatest hitters who have ever played this game. And it's not hyperbole. Soto legitimately deserves the comparison. Because you can't really compare him to anyone else currently hitting in 2021, not right now. Yes, Bryce Harper is having a phenomenal season for the Phillies and might still hang on to win the National League MVP. But Soto is...
    

Another big night from Soto ensures Gray's first win (updated)

Another big night from Soto ensures Gray's first win (updated)
Juan Soto, unquestionably, is having a remarkable season. The Nationals, unquestionably, are not. And those two facts might just be on a collision course in a week and a half, when members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America have to decide if the latter disqualifies the former from earning their National League MVP vote. Yes, Soto has very much thrust himself into that age-old debate with his late-season surge at the plate for a team that tonight won its 63rd game, 7-5 over the...
    

Dramatic NL batting race has all kinds of D.C. connections

Dramatic NL batting race has all kinds of D.C. connections
As much as he wishes he could, Juan Soto can't help but notice his batting average when he steps to the plate. And even if he manages to avoid it, he can't help but hear about it from others. "You try to keep your mind away from it," the Nationals right fielder said in a Zoom session with reporters Sunday. "You decide to come out and play, have fun. But there's always comments. The comments are always going to come to you. Everybody, all my teammates, are just pushing me and wishing me...
    

Espino shines again, bullpen closes out 3-0 win (updated)

Espino shines again, bullpen closes out 3-0 win (updated)
If their collective motivations at this point have dwindled to trying to avoid a 100-loss season, several Nationals nonetheless have ample motivation over the season's final two weeks on a personal level. For Juan Soto, there's a potential second straight batting title to chase, not to mention a 1.000 OPS that would've sounded unthinkable three months ago. For Tanner Rainey, there's a chance to re-establish some credibility as a big league reliever at the end of a lost season. And for Paolo...
    

Could Martinez shake up the lineup over the last two weeks?

Could Martinez shake up the lineup over the last two weeks?
It ain't broke, don't fix it. A common phrase that Nationals manager Davey Martinez is taking to heart over the last month or so of the season as it pertains to his lineup. Ever since Lane Thomas solidified his role in the leadoff spot on Aug. 28, Martinez's lineups have mostly looked like this: CF Lane ThomasSS Alcides EscobarRF Juan Soto1B Josh BellLF Yadiel Hernandez3B Carter KieboomC Keibert Ruiz2B Luis GarcíaPitcher's spot Those top four spots haven't changed, essentially, and for...
    

Finnegan blows late rally, Nats eliminated with loss (updated)

Finnegan blows late rally, Nats eliminated with loss (updated)
There are only so many ways to say this, and given the frequency with which it's happening, we're running dangerously low on options. So I'll be blunt: The Nationals bullpen blew two more leads in Friday's 9-8 loss to the Rockies on South Capitol Street. Handed a one-run lead after a late rally in the eighth, Kyle Finnegan needed only three outs in the ninth to seal a win and record his 10th save of the season. Instead, he gave up a leadoff game-tying home run to blow his fourth save...
    

Bell holding his own in outfield, Soto chasing another batting title

Bell holding his own in outfield, Soto chasing another batting title
Ryan Zimmerman produced the most memorable hit of Tuesday night's 8-2 win over the Marlins when he launched a fastball from Jesús Luzardo 442 feet to right-center field, into the second deck at Nationals Park. But Zimmerman's presence in the lineup was made possible in part by Josh Bell's ability to remain in the lineup himself while moving out to left field for the night. It was the fourth game Bell has started in the outfield this season, and he may be back there today when the...
    

Soto's stats, Thomas' power and a chat about walks

Soto's stats, Thomas' power and a chat about walks
Juan Soto had little impact on the Nationals' 6-2 victory Sunday in Pittsburgh. He didn't drive in any runs. He scored only once. He took only one at-bat with a runner on base. He made no notable plays in right field. And yet the young star still had one of the best individual performances of the day, which it turns out was just like so many other performances he's delivered this season. With two walks, a triple and a double over five plate appearances, Soto reached base four times. It's...
    

Pitching staff finally takes advantage of run support (updated)

Pitching staff finally takes advantage of run support (updated)
The Nationals got their customary production today from a lineup that has quietly turned into a legitimate strength but too often has been wasted by ineffective pitching performances, especially from those charged with taking the mound late in games. Eight times since Aug. 25, this team had scored five or more runs. And proceeded to lose all eight games, the longest such streak in major league history. So when they looked up at the scoreboard in Pittsburgh this afternoon and saw five runs on...
    

MLB suspends Nolin five games, Martinez one game (updated)

MLB suspends Nolin five games, Martinez one game (updated)
Major League Baseball has suspended Nationals pitcher Sean Nolin five games and manager Davey Martinez one game after determining Nolin intentionally hit Braves slugger Freddie Freeman with a pitch Wednesday night in Atlanta. Nolin, who was also fined an undisclosed amount, initially appealed his suspension and was to remain on the active roster until his case was heard, but the Nationals later announced the lefty dropped his appeal and began serving the suspension tonight. Martinez is serving...
    

Game 140 lineups: Nats at Braves

Game 140 lineups: Nats at Braves
The Nationals gutted out a 4-2 victory Wednesday night in Atlanta, thanks to 8 2/3 innings from six relievers who were thrust into overtime duties after Sean Nolin was ejected eight pitches in for throwing at Freddie Freeman. Where does that leave them for tonight's series finale at Truist Park? Well, first and foremost, they need innings from Erick Fedde. That's a big ask for a guy who needed 80 pitches just to get through three innings against the Mets last weekend. Not to mention a big ask...
    

Nats send message, then topple Braves (updated)

Nats send message, then topple Braves (updated)
For Sean Nolin and the Nationals, the message (standing up for a star teammate against an opponent that appeared to hit him on purpose the previous night) superseded all else. If it meant the rest of the pitching staff would face an extreme uphill battle from that point on, so be it. The message, even if nobody would publicly admit it after the fact, was more important. And when Nolin intentionally threw at Freddie Freeman on successive pitches in the bottom of the first tonight in Atlanta,...
    

Game 139 lineups: Nats at Braves

Game 139 lineups: Nats at Braves
What's the best thing the Nationals could do to give themselves a better chance of winning tonight against the Braves? How about a quality performance from their starter, allowing them to avoid falling into an early hole yet again and asking their lineup to battle back just to make it interesting late? As impressive as the offense has been with all these rallies of late - they've come back to at least tie the game six straight times - the task would be so much simpler if they weren't giving...
    

Gray battered early, bullpen blasted late in 13-6 loss (updated)

Gray battered early, bullpen blasted late in 13-6 loss (updated)
On a day in which they watched their brightest young starting pitcher get beat around for the second time in a week, the Nationals yet again found a way to overcome an early deficit and make the Mets sweat. And they yet again found a way to turn a potentially inspiring comeback into a calamitous, late-inning meltdown that made it all moot. At some point, this young team needs to show it has the ability to finish what it starts. Comebacks are nice, but curly W's are better. So it was that in...