Pair of back injuries complicate things for Baker, Nats

Pair of back injuries complicate things for Baker, Nats
The sight of Joe Ross standing in the batter's box as the Nationals' last hope in the 11th inning signified that something was wrong with Ryan Zimmerman. But it turns out that the balky back that prevented Zimmerman from playing in Saturday's 6-3 11-inning loss to the Rangers wasn't the only back problems the Nats are dealing with. Closer Koda Glover, who was unable to hold a 3-1 lead in the ninth inning, tweaked his back while showering before Saturday's game, tried to gut through the...

Baker wants Glover to learn from emotional showdown with Puig

Baker wants Glover to learn from emotional showdown with Puig
LOS ANGELES - Dusty Baker admittedly didn't see what happened at the end of Tuesday night's game because he had turned to shake hands with his coaches after the Nationals finished off a 2-1 victory over the Dodgers. Once he had a chance to watch the video and hear from others about the post-strike three encounter between Koda Glover and Yasiel Puig, the Nats manager had some more perspective. "My take is: There's a lot of testosterone out there," Baker said. "It happens sometimes. Puig,...

With eventful save in L.A., Glover keeps growing into closer role

With eventful save in L.A., Glover keeps growing into closer role
LOS ANGELES - Dusty Baker keeps saying the only way for a closer to get experience is to, well, get experience. You don't know how any young reliever is going to handle the pressure of the ninth inning until he starts pitching it. And you don't know how he's going to handle the extra pressure of a ninth inning on the road against an elite opponent until he gives it a try. So consider Tuesday night a significant experience for Koda Glover, and a positive one at that. Handed a 2-1 lead in the...

Nats ride Scherzer's 14 strikeouts to 2-1 victory over Dodgers (updated)

Nats ride Scherzer's 14 strikeouts to 2-1 victory over Dodgers (updated)
LOS ANGELES - The running joke around the Nationals is that anytime Max Scherzer takes the mound, you better watch because something special is probably going to happen. Thing is, it's not a joke. It's real. And these days, Scherzer is spectacular. Or as teammate Koda Glover described it: "He's a stud." The Nationals ace added another memorable performance to his ever-growing resume tonight, striking out 14 Dodgers in only seven innings, 11 of them in the game's first 3 2/3 innings. And...

Glover ready to pitch tonight, Ross to start Thursday

Glover ready to pitch tonight, Ross to start Thursday
LOS ANGELES - When Koda Glover was unavailable to pitch Monday night against the Dodgers due to the fact he was - in manager Dusty Baker's words - "a little sore," it might have raised a few eyebrows among Nationals fans. It doesn't appear you have anything to be worried about, though. Glover's arm was indeed sore, and he informed the coaching staff shortly before gametime he needed the night off. But the rookie reliever said it was simply a case of his arm not being ready to come back and...

After a crazy ninth in Oakland, Nats are "just glad that we won"

After a crazy ninth in Oakland, Nats are "just glad that we won"
OAKLAND, Calif. - This was going to be Tanner Roark's day, the latest in a string of dominant starts by the right-hander, who has turned his season around in the process. Then this was going to be Ryan Zimmerman's day, the latest in a string of clutch hits by the slugger, whose three-run homer off Ryan Madson in the top of the eighth inning got Roark off the hook and gave the Nationals a late lead over the Athletics. But these are the Nationals, after all, and games almost always seem to come...

Unlikely Albers-Glover combo has stabilized Nationals bullpen

Unlikely Albers-Glover combo has stabilized Nationals bullpen
SAN FRANCISCO - Maybe everyone should have listened to Koda Glover a couple of weeks ago when the rookie reliever insisted the beleaguered Nationals bullpen would be just fine. Glover reiterated that sentiment Tuesday night after closing out the Nationals' 6-3 victory over the Giants that included the latest in a string of dominant performances by this relief corps. "What'd I tell you earlier? We're starting to roll. We're fine," Glover said. "Like I said when everybody was kind of...

No drama, only a convincing victory for Nats in San Francisco

No drama, only a convincing victory for Nats in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO - The best revenge is living well, and Dusty Baker knew that well in advance of tonight's game against the Giants. Would there be retaliation for Hunter Strickland's intentional plunking of Bryce Harper 24 hours earlier? No, not if the Nationals manager had anything to say about it. "The best thing for us to do is beat up on them and win tonight," Baker said. The Nationals didn't entirely beat up on the Giants, but they made an early statement with some quick offense against...

With 95 mph slider, Glover seizing opportunity to close

With 95 mph slider, Glover seizing opportunity to close
Max Scherzer was the story of last night's 5-1 victory, but let's not overlook Koda Glover, who made quite an impression himself despite only throwing four pitches. Summoned to relieve Scherzer with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Glover was thrown into a major fire but immediately doused it by striking out Hunter Renfroe to earn his fourth save. It was the kind of situation - one bad pitch could have tied the game and ruined everything Scherzer did for 8 2/3 innings...

With 8 2/3-inning gem, Scherzer authors another magic moment

With 8 2/3-inning gem, Scherzer authors another magic moment
Chris Speier has watched comfortably from afar as Max Scherzer has sent Dusty Baker back to the dugout on several occasions over the last two seasons, the Nationals ace refusing to let his manager remove him from a ballgame before he's ready to be removed. But with Baker back home in California this weekend for son Darren's high school graduation, Speier is filling in as manager. And so the potential scenario was raised to the longtime bench coach this afternoon: What would he do if he needed...

After a 1-2-3 ninth, Baker finally deems Glover his new closer

After a 1-2-3 ninth, Baker finally deems Glover his new closer
This won't come as a surprise to anyone who has been paying close attention over the last week, but Koda Glover is now the Nationals closer. The rookie reliever had essentially taken over the role last week after Shawn Kelley blew a save opportunity against the Phillies, but Dusty Baker was unwilling to go so far as to formally pronounce it. But after Wednesday night's 5-1 win over the Mariners, in which Glover pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, the Nats manager relented (or slipped) and made it...

Nats score early, get another quality start in 5-1 win over M's

Nats score early, get another quality start in 5-1 win over M's
What's the best way to overcome a suspect bullpen? How about a string of starts that reduce the relievers' workload by a significant amount? The Nationals have figured out that formula in recent days and tonight won their third straight game thanks to seven strong innings from Tanner Roark. Roark's best outing in weeks, combined with another early offensive explosion against the Mariners, produced a 5-1 victory before a crowd of 29,223 that didn't have to sweat much for the second night in...

After three days of rest, can Nats bullpen hit the reset button?

After three days of rest, can Nats bullpen hit the reset button?
What's the most important thing to happen to the Nationals over the last three days? Is it their offensive explosion last night against the Mariners? Big-time starts from Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross? Some encouraging results at the plate for Trea Turner? Those are all nice developments, but perhaps the most important one has involved the part of the roster that basically has not been used during this mini stretch: the bullpen. With Strasburg going 7 2/3 innings on Sunday in Atlanta, then a...

Glover feeds off Strasburg, looks comfortable as closer

Glover feeds off Strasburg, looks comfortable as closer
ATLANTA - All the issues the Nationals had faced during their four-game skid, which included laboring starters and a bullpen that couldn't close the door, almost completely vanished Sunday afternoon as the Nationals found a way to stop the Braves 3-2. Stephen Strasburg pitched 7 2/3 innings, striking out a season-high 11 batters and allowing only two runs. Koda Glover, who was going to close Friday night if the Nationals had a late lead, came in and notched a four-out save. Strasburg came...

Strasburg strikes out 11 as Nats end losing streak 3-2

Strasburg strikes out 11 as Nats end losing streak 3-2
ATLANTA - When things get a little rough around the edges, the Nationals turn to their streak-buster. Stephen Strasburg came within one out of pitching eight innings and surrendered only two runs. He struck out a season-high 11 against one walk, scattering five hits as the Nationals edged the Braves 3-2. The win snapped a season-high four-game losing streak. "You can't really let what happened the day prior affect what you do out there," Strasburg said. "I just wanted to go out there and...

District 34 podcast: Bryce Harper's 2018 salary and Nats bullpen solutions

District 34 podcast: Bryce Harper's 2018 salary and Nats bullpen solutions
It's baseball from here on out in Washington, D.C., after the local hockey and basketball teams' respective playoff runs came to bitter ends. That being said, it's always baseball on the District 34 podcast with myself and Byron Kerr, presented by MASNsports.com. And the Nationals, a first-place team with a nine-game lead in the National League East, are always an exciting team to talk about. For this week's episode, let's first discuss the big news from over the weekend of Bryce Harper...

Treinen, Romero, Glover combination works for Nats this time

Treinen, Romero, Glover combination works for Nats this time
PITTSBURGH - It's only one game, and lord knows we've been teased a few times already this season by one strong performance from the Nationals bullpen into thinking it's a sign of better things to come. So don't put too much stock in what took place over the final three innings of tonight's 8-4 victory over the Pirates. But don't ignore it altogether, either, because it did include some notable developments that could possibly portend more good things to come. Start with Blake Treinen,...

After brief hiccup, Nationals seize 8-4 victory from Pirates

After brief hiccup, Nationals seize 8-4 victory from Pirates
PITTSBURGH - Just when it looked like the Nationals would be asking yet another unproven reliever to notch a save in a tight situation, a Bryce Harper blast provided some much-appreciated cushion. Harper's two-run homer that nearly left PNC Park in the top of the ninth turned a two-run lead into a four-run lead and allowed Koda Glover to pitch the bottom of the inning in a non-save situation. The rookie reliever removed any more drama from the proceedings, finishing off an 8-4 victory for the...

Harper hurts the Phillies again (Nats fall 4-3, allow three in ninth)

Harper hurts the Phillies again (Nats fall 4-3, allow three in ninth)
The Nationals' Bryce Harper continues to make baseball life difficult for the Phillies. In the bottom of the first, Harper hit a scorching line drive over the right-center field wall to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead. The homer was his 12th of the season and came on a 2-1 pitch. He has now hit 20 homers off the Phillies, second most to the 21 he has hit off the Marlins. Anthony Rendon hit his first triple of the season in the next at-bat, but the Nats were unable to bring him home. Left-hander...

Bolstered by Glover and Kelley, bullpen puts up zeros in victory

Bolstered by Glover and Kelley, bullpen puts up zeros in victory
Lost among the excitement of Bryce Harper's walk-off homer last night was the fact it would not have been possible if not for some stellar work by the Nationals bullpen, which turned in its best collective effort in weeks. After Tanner Roark was pulled with two outs in the fifth and his pitch count at 110, a quintet of Nationals relievers combined to toss 4 1/3 scoreless innings, keeping the game tied 4-4 to set the stage for Harper's game-winning blast in the bottom of the ninth. It's...