Game 65 lineups: Nats vs. Pirates

Game 65 lineups: Nats vs. Pirates
The Nationals are seeking a three-game sweep of the Pirates this afternoon, which is good news. This isn't a position they've been in often this season, so a chance at a series sweep and a four-game winning streak should not be taken lightly. There is, however, not-so-great news before we get to today's game: Starlin Castro has been placed on the restricted list. What does that mean? It can mean a lot of things, but essentially it signifies an excused absence for a player, with the team...

Scherzer's brief IL stint leaves Nats needing Wednesday starter

Scherzer's brief IL stint leaves Nats needing Wednesday starter
In the end, the Nationals didn't want to take a chance putting Max Scherzer on the mound this weekend without knowing for certain if his groin would hold up. So even though the three-time Cy Young Award winner is confident he'll be ready to pitch again in a matter of "days, not weeks," the club decided to go ahead and place him on the 10-day injured list this afternoon. "After going through the process, I just want to be more cautious than not," manager Davey Martinez said during his...

Scherzer progressing, but won't be ready to start Wednesday

Scherzer progressing, but won't be ready to start Wednesday
Though he says his injured groin has made significant progress in each of the last three days, Max Scherzer does not believe it would be smart for him to make his scheduled start Wednesday against the Pirates. The question now is whether the Nationals decide to place their ace on the 10-day injured list or try to get by for a few days and hope he can pitch later in the week. Scherzer went through some aggressive agility drills this afternoon before batting practice at Nationals Park, testing...

Notes on additional fans, Robles' spot in order and a Nats alum

Notes on additional fans, Robles' spot in order and a Nats alum
Pressed unexpectedly into service when Max Scherzer sustained a groin injury while pitching to his second batter in Friday night's game, Paolo Espino barely had time to process what had happened as he began his warmups on the mound at Nationals Park. Espino took over for Scherzer and - save for a slider that didn't really break that Buster Posey hammered over the fence for the only run in a 1-0 win - throttled the Giants over the course of a 3 1/3-inning stint that lowered his ERA to 2.78 and...

Scherzer's injury exit further taxes 'pen in 1-0 loss (updated)

Scherzer's injury exit further taxes 'pen in 1-0 loss (updated)
Max Scherzer knew what the Nationals needed him to do Friday night, and the right-hander was game. In true ace fashion, he took the ball, expected to give a team desperately in need of some length a deep start and get the delayed opener to a four-game series against the Giants off to a good start. Everything was fine - until it wasn't. And that didn't take very long. Scherzer lasted only 12 pitches, getting just one out and throwing six strikes, before an undisclosed injury forced him from...

Injury forces Scherzer from game after only 12 pitches

Injury forces Scherzer from game after only 12 pitches
Any hopes the Nationals had of using a deep start by Max Scherzer to rest their weary bullpen went quickly by the wayside in the first inning of Friday night's game against the Giants. Like 12 pitches. Scherzer departed after throwing a high-and-outside ball on a 2-2 pitch to Brandon Belt. The right-hander hopped awkwardly on the mound, squatted as if trying to flex a hamstring and then called for the trainers. Manager Davey Martinez and director of athletic training Paul Lessard joined...

Who's going to start for the Nationals today?

Who's going to start for the Nationals today?
Who's the Nationals' starting pitcher today? This wouldn't normally be a question without a definitive answer hours before first pitch, but it is the case for today's series finale in Philadelphia. That's because the Nats are choosing to go with a bullpen game this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. Not necessarily because they want to, but because they believe it's their best option at this point. This would've been Stephen Strasburg's turn to pitch, but the right-hander is back on the...

Scherzer's start may have made Nats' Sunday starter plan clearer

Scherzer's start may have made Nats' Sunday starter plan clearer
Every team is bound to run into this conundrum over the course of a 162-game season: The need for a replacement starting pitcher. With off-days, rainouts and injuries - all while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic this season and last - it happens more often than managers would like. But that comes with the job. Nationals manager Davey Martinez has been dealing with this issue for the better part of the last week, trying to figure out a starter for Sunday's series finale against the Phillies...

Strasburg's latest ailment has ripple effect on entire staff

Strasburg's latest ailment has ripple effect on entire staff
For all the positive things that happened Tuesday night during the Nationals' 11-6 win in Atlanta, the departure of Stephen Strasburg in the bottom of the second with yet another physical ailment was by far the most significant development of the evening. And it's not simply because of what this means for Strasburg, who reported tightness in his right trapezius muscle and will undergo an MRI this morning, according to manager Davey Martinez. This also has a domino effect on several other...

Game 38 lineups: Nats at Cubs (Corbin activated)

Game 38 lineups: Nats at Cubs (Corbin activated)
Now that the fanfare, hoopla and ovations for Jon Lester and Kyle Schwarber's returns to Wrigley Field were taken care of Monday night, it's time to get back to just focusing on baseball. Of course, I'm not saying that it wasn't an emotional game, as it was great to see the reception the former Cubs received from their previous club and fans. But that 7-3 loss definitely didn't feel warm and fuzzy as the Nationals left the friendly confines late last night. The Nats now find themselves in...

Strasburg to start Sunday for Rochester in Trenton

Strasburg to start Sunday for Rochester in Trenton
Stephen Strasburg will make a rehab start for Triple-A Rochester on Sunday, potentially the right-hander's final tune-up before he rejoins the Nationals rotation, this start coming on the road against Buffalo, even though the game will be played in Trenton, N.J. Confused enough yet? You're not alone. The most pertinent detail: Strasburg is going to face opposing hitters in an actual ballgame instead of teammates in a simulated game, the first time he will have done so since landing on the...

Suero activated, Espino optioned to Rochester

Suero activated, Espino optioned to Rochester
The Nationals have activated Wander Suero from the 10-day injured list and will have their workhorse reliever available for tonight's game against the Phillies. To clear space on their active roster for Suero, the Nats optioned veteran right-hander Paolo Espino to Triple-A Rochester. Suero, who had been out since April 18 with a left oblique strain, was cleared to return three days after a one-appearance rehab assignment for Rochester. Starting the game against Lehigh Valley, he gave up two...

Nats' four-man rotation creates crowded bullpen

Nats' four-man rotation creates crowded bullpen
The Nationals are proceeding for now with a four-man rotation, taking advantage of three scheduled off-days in the span of a week. But they're still keeping their current No. 5 starter, plus another starting prospect, on the pitching staff as relievers for this weekend's series against the Mets. With Erick Fedde, Joe Ross and Patrick Corbin scheduled to start the next three days at Citi Field, then an off-day Monday, there was no need to use a fifth starter. Max Scherzer will take the mound...

Soto stays positive, Strasburg is throwing, weekend rotation set

Soto stays positive, Strasburg is throwing, weekend rotation set
Juan Soto can't pinpoint any precise moment when he thinks he hurt his left shoulder. It just started bothering him in recent days, especially when throwing, so he let the Nationals training staff know and they had him undergo an MRI on Tuesday morning. Little could the 22-year-old slugger have imagined he'd wind up on the 10-day injured list several hours later with a diagnosed shoulder strain. Since that moment, Soto has tried not to stress over this development and instead think about the...

Lineup goes quiet as Nationals drop series finale (updated)

Lineup goes quiet as Nationals drop series finale (updated)
The day began with aggravating - though not terribly shocking, if you've been paying attention - news. Stephen Strasburg was going back on the injured list, this time with right shoulder inflammation, and the $245 million pitcher would not be making his scheduled start against the Diamondbacks. Rarely in the past have the Nationals not suffered as a result of a Strasburg IL stint, and it's certainly now fair to wonder how they will survive this one, with Patrick Corbin also struggling and Jon...

Nationals again left to solve rotation without Strasburg

Nationals again left to solve rotation without Strasburg
Anytime during his 11-year career Stephen Strasburg has looked as bad as he did Tuesday night in St. Louis, when he was rocked for eight runs in five innings with diminished velocity, erratic command and poor body language, the right-hander has proven either to be injured or tipping his pitches. Turns out he was injured after all. The Nationals placed Strasburg on the 10-day injured list this morning with right shoulder inflammation, a transaction loaded with ramifications, the most immediate...

Game 13 lineups: Nats vs. Diamondbacks (Strasburg to IL)

Game 13 lineups: Nats vs. Diamondbacks (Strasburg to IL)
The Nationals would like to win today's series finale against the Diamondbacks, no question. If they do, they'd have taken three of four over the weekend and five of seven over the last week, a nice bounceback since that ragged 1-5 start to the season. But truth be told, there's a bigger story going on right now that supersedes anything: Stephen Strasburg is injured. Despite his and the team's insistence nothing was physically wrong Tuesday night when he was shelled in St. Louis, the...

Kieboom, García headed to Triple-A after latest Nationals cuts

Kieboom, García headed to Triple-A after latest Nationals cuts
Infielders Carter Kieboom and Luis García were optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday afternoon, as the Nationals made a series of roster moves that pretty much solidify their 26-man roster for Thursday's nationally televised home and season opener against the Mets. Also optioned to Triple-A were left-hander Sam Clay, right-hander Kyle McGowin and outfielder Yadiel Hernández. Utility men Jordy Mercer and Hernán Pérez, both of whom were in camp on minor league deals, had their...

Lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

Lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach
As they attempt to get every member of their projected rotation the work they need on the day they need it to stay on schedule, the Nationals left themselves with a hole for tonight's exhibition game against the Astros. It's Stephen Strasburg's day to pitch, but the veteran right-hander instead is throwing a simulated game this afternoon so club officials can keep him in a more controlled environment as he tests out his strained left calf. And with Jon Lester having started against the Mets...

Winter ball updates on Robles and Barrera, plus other notes

Winter ball updates on Robles and Barrera, plus other notes
Center fielder Victor Robles is hitting well in the first week of Dominican Winter League play, slashing .316 with a .908 OPS. He has one homer, two RBIs and only three strikeouts in 19 at-bats over five games for Aguilas Cibaenas. Emilio Bonifacio is hitting .300 in three games and Wilmer Difo is hitting .250 over five games. Right-hander Paolo Espino did not allow a run for Toros del Este in his first appearance, with one hit, one walk and one strikeout. Espino made his major league debut for...