Roark further establishes his pedigree with another gem

Roark further establishes his pedigree with another gem
When the Nationals tweaked their rotation prior to this weekend's series, casual observers noted today's series finale against the Giants would no longer feature a showdown between Stephen Strasburg and Madison Bumgarner. This news was, to many, a downer. Those who have watched the Nationals closely all season, though, know the man who wound up starting today's game has been every bit as reliable and nearly as successful as his All-Star rotation mate. Tanner Roark, folks, is no slouch. He is...

Zimmerman out for fourth straight game (Nats win 5-1)

Zimmerman out for fourth straight game (Nats win 5-1)
Ryan Zimmerman is out of the Nationals lineup for the fourth straight game, his left wrist still too bruised from the fastball that struck it Sunday afternoon in San Francisco. Zimmerman initially was hopeful he wouldn't need to miss more than a day or two after getting hit by Santiago Casilla's pitch in the ninth inning at AT&T Park. He has participated in some drills during batting practice, but he's still experiencing pain when swinging a bat. Multiple X-rays taken the day of the...

Game 103 lineups: Nats at Giants

Game 103 lineups: Nats at Giants
SAN FRANCISCO - It's a new day in the Bay Area, which means the Nationals will start anew after last night's near-disaster in the bottom of the ninth. We don't know yet who will be closing for them if the situation arises, but we do know they've got a very different lineup tonight against Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija. Ben Revere is back atop the lineup and in center field. Danny Espinosa gets his first day off in a long time, but his replacement at shortstop isn't who you might have...

Baker on Turner, Revere and Harper (Nationals win 4-2)

Baker on Turner, Revere and Harper (Nationals win 4-2)
SAN FRANCISCO - Trea Turner is starting in center field again tonight for the Nationals, the rookie's third straight game at the position he had never played professionally until a six-game tryout at Triple-A Syracuse a month ago. That shouldn't come as a huge surprise, given Turner's offensive performance the last two days in Cleveland - 4-for-8 with two doubles, three RBIs, a walk and a stolen base - and his adequate play in the outfield. But manager Dusty Baker isn't committing to the...

Grateful for opportunity with Giants, Span ready to face Nats

Grateful for opportunity with Giants, Span ready to face Nats
SAN FRANCISCO - Denard Span isn't having a great season, not by his standards. But the 32-year-old outfielder is healthy again after an agonizing 2015 with the Nationals that included three different surgeries, never-ending rehab and then the uncertainty that accompanied that once he hit free agency last fall. So as he prepares to face his former club this weekend, Span has come to appreciate the opportunity he was given by the Giants, who despite his health questions over the winter were...

Turner gets nod in center, but for how long? (Nats lose 7-6)

Turner gets nod in center, but for how long? (Nats lose 7-6)
CLEVELAND - When the Nationals chose to demote Michael A. Taylor to Triple-A Syracuse as the corresponding move for Ryan Zimmerman's activation off the disabled list, they dropped something of a hint in the process: Trea Turner was going to find his way into the lineup, perhaps in center field. Sure enough, when he filled out his lineup card for tonight's interleague series opener against the Indians, Dusty Baker went with the rookie in the leadoff spot and (for the first time in his brief...

"Pale white" after six days with flu, Drew returns in style

"Pale white" after six days with flu, Drew returns in style
For the first time in six days, Stephen Drew found himself in an oddly familiar place: The Nationals dugout. The veteran infielder, mind you, has been on the club's active roster all week, but not until the latter innings of tonight's game against the Padres was he able to actually put on a full uniform and join his teammates on the bench. Beset with a severe case of the flu, (or some other undiagnosed ailment that sure felt like the flu) Drew was of absolutely no use to the Nationals the...

Drew comes off bench to deliver walk-off 3-2 win for Nats

Drew comes off bench to deliver walk-off 3-2 win for Nats
Runs are not coming easily to the Nationals right now, which only compounds the pressure when they do actually give themselves an opportunity to push a run across the plate. That made tonight's game against the Padres something of an exercise in frustration for the Nats, who just didn't give themselves that many opportunities and didn't take much advantage of them either. Until the bottom of the ninth, that is. Stephen Drew, in his first appearance in six days after battling flu-like...

Baker on Revere: "We need him badly" (Nats win 3-2)

Baker on Revere: "We need him badly" (Nats win 3-2)
We're now nearly four months into the six-month baseball season, and Ben Revere's batting average remains a paltry .214, his on-base percentage an equally paltry .258. It's the time of year when struggling players often start worrying about job security, and Revere may well need to be thinking in those terms. Dusty Baker, though, did his part today to offer his struggling leadoff man some words of encouragement and reason to believe his job isn't in jeopardy at this point. "I'm hoping,...

Game 98 lineups: Nats vs. Padres

Game 98 lineups: Nats vs. Padres
It is an extraordinarily hot day here in the nation's capital, where according to my trusty weather app, it is currently 95 degrees with a heat index of 105. It will cool down moderately before Max Scherzer takes the mound at 7:05 p.m., but not a whole lot. If you're coming to the game, please make sure you prepare accordingly and do what you need to do to stay relatively cool. As for the game itself, the Nationals are attempting to snap a two-game losing streak, trying to beat a Padres club...

Revere needs to get back on track for Nats offense to ignite

Revere needs to get back on track for Nats offense to ignite
Nationals center fielder Ben Revere struggled to get on base Friday night in a 5-3 setback to San Diego. Revere went 0-for-5 with three groundouts to second base and a pair of center field flyouts. The rough patch is beginning to pile up for Revere. He has two hits in his last seven games and is hitting only .176 (9-for-51) in his previous 15 contests. Manager Dusty Baker said the Padres were able to get Revere to go under in his swings. Baker said Revere trying to hit the ball up is not going...

Late scratch of Murphy foils Baker's plan for altered lineup

Late scratch of Murphy foils Baker's plan for altered lineup
Dusty Baker thought he had figured out his preferred lineup when the Nationals are facing a left-handed starter, one that included Trea Turner leading off, Michael A. Taylor in center field and Daniel Murphy shifting to first base. But then Murphy had to be scratched from the lineup for tonight's second-half opener against the Pirates, and Baker's master plan had to be thrown out the window. Murphy was scratched due to "general leg soreness," according to the Nationals. Club officials...

Top storylines for the Nationals in the second half

Top storylines for the Nationals in the second half
The first half of the 2016 season was full of compelling storylines for the Nationals, most of them positive but not all. The end result: a 54-36 record and a six-game lead in the National League East at the All-Star break. Now the real work begins. The Nats have put themselves in position to win another division title, but in order to do that they've got several issues to address over the remainder of the regular season. Here, then, are five top storylines for the second half ... 1. Can Ryan...

Rizzo, Baker on today's roster moves (Nationals win 3-1)

Rizzo, Baker on today's roster moves (Nationals win 3-1)
NEW YORK - Trea Turner's second stint on the Nationals roster this season will last longer than his first. There's no guarantee he'll get considerably more playing time, though. Promoted from Triple-A Syracuse along with Michael A. Taylor to replace the injured Ryan Zimmerman and just-demoted Lucas Giolito, Turner will give manager Dusty Baker plenty of options, particularly now that he has begun working in center field. But Baker suggested today he'll still pick his spots for using Turner,...

Gio wiggles out of early jam; Rendon delivers (Brewers win 5-2)

Gio wiggles out of early jam; Rendon delivers (Brewers win 5-2)
Now that's how you walk the tightrope. Left-hander Gio Gonzalez allowed a double, a walk and a passed ball in the first inning, but his quick glove ended a big Brewers threat and kept the game scoreless. Aaron Hill doubled and two batters later, with men on second and third, Chris Carter's hot shot line drive back to the mound was stabbed out of the air by Gonzalez to end the inning. In the bottom of the second inning, Daniel Murphy blooped a single to left-center field. Two batters later,...

Baker and Revere on Taylor being optioned to Triple-A Syracuse

Baker and Revere on Taylor being optioned to Triple-A Syracuse
Following Monday's 1-0 loss to the Brewers, Nationals manager Dusty Baker discussed the decision to option outfielder Michael A. Taylor to Triple-A Syracuse. Right-hander Jonathan Papelbon was activated prior to Monday's game, so the team decided to send the outfielder to the Chiefs. Taylor was batting .225 in the first 60 games of the season and has struck out 64 times. In the last seven games, he has gone 2-for-22 (.091) with 10 strikeouts. Baker said it is never an easy decision to send a...

After trying first half, Revere soaks in first career walk-off hit

After trying first half, Revere soaks in first career walk-off hit
Six full seasons in the major leagues has left Ben Revere with some important perspective on the sport he plays for a living. "Baseball sucks," the veteran outfielder said. "It absolutely sucks. You ask Jayson Werth - he's been in the game 100 years - and he says it sucks. But it really does. It's frustrating. "I've had games where I hit four missiles, or four hard-hit balls right at people, and your average goes down. Then there will be games where I hit four bloopers, break my bat...

Revere's 14th-inning double gives Nats sixth straight win

Revere's 14th-inning double gives Nats sixth straight win
They played until it was too late for fireworks and too late for many fans to catch the Metro home. But those who stuck it out at Nationals Park at least got to see the home team win in dramatic fashion. Ben Revere launched a double off the wall in right-center with two outs in the bottom of the 14th inning, scoring Danny Espinosa from second base and giving the Nationals a 3-2 victory over the Reds in a game that took 4 hours, 30 minutes to complete. And that was after a 35-minute rain delay...

Game 81 lineups: Nats vs. Reds

Game 81 lineups: Nats vs. Reds
It's hard to believe, but we've reached the halfway point of the season. Yes, tonight is Game 81 for the Nationals. So how have they done to date? Well, if they can beat the Reds again tonight, they'll sit at 49-32. Do the math, that's a 98-win pace. Hard to complain much about that, right? Bryce Harper and Ben Revere are back in the lineup after getting last night off, but Wilson Ramos gets to sit this one out, with Jose Lobaton behind the plate catching Tanner Roark. Keep in mind the...

Charlie Fliegel: Where would Ben Revere be most productive?

Charlie Fliegel: Where would Ben Revere be most productive?
Ben Revere had a really good day on Monday, going 4-for-5. Maybe it's a sign that he's returning to form. Then again, he didn't get a hit last night. But even if he is getting back to his old self, he still can be a divisive player. That's because he's the kind of hitter that is ideal for a sabermetric vs. traditionalist head-butting. As a speedster who (usually) hits for a high batting average, he is an old school dream at leadoff. On the other hand, he has an unimpressive OBP and sees...