Ross and Fernandez in pitchers' duel (Marlins win 3-2)

Ross and Fernandez in pitchers' duel (Marlins win 3-2)
MIAMI - Manager Dusty Baker said during his pregame media session that the best way to have a shot at beating a really good pitcher is to pitch well yourself. Right-hander Joe Ross has certainly done that. Although Ichiro Suzuki worked him for nine pitches and a single to lead off the game, it didn't faze Ross. He went on to finish that inning and then had a 1-2-3 second. As expected, that "really good pitcher," right-hander Jose Fernandez, who has surrendered only two runs in 13 innings...

Game 43 lineups: Nats at Marlins (Yelich scratched)

Game 43 lineups: Nats at Marlins (Yelich scratched)
MIAMI - It seems to be a birthday weekend so far in South Florida. Friday was Jayson Werth's 37th birthday. He collected two hits en route to a 4-1 Nationals win over the Marlins. Today is right-hander Joe Ross' 23rd birthday. He starts for the first time in majors on his birthday as the Nationals look for their first series win against the Marlins this season. Incidentally, the next Nationals player with a birthday in season is third baseman Anthony Rendon on June 6. Ross is 3-3 with a 2.63...

Baker on Roark vs. Fish: "Too early to start running from people"

Baker on Roark vs. Fish: "Too early to start running from people"
MIAMI - Manager Dusty Baker explained why he decided to give Ben Revere the day off and start Fort Lauderdale native Michael A. Taylor in the leadoff spot. "No Ben Revere because I like to play guy's at home, Michael A. Taylor's from here," Baker said. "And also we got a left-hander and also Ben's been playing every day since he got back." Baker said the Nationals' charter also arrived very early in the morning from New York after Wednesday night's 9-1 win. Baker said that the Revere...

More on last night's blowout victory in New York

More on last night's blowout victory in New York
NEW YORK - While the focus of last night's game was squarely on the Stephen Strasburg-Matt Harvey pitching matchup, there was plenty else notable about the Nationals' 9-1 victory over the Mets. Before they get to Miami and open this weekend's series with the Marlins (and before my colleague Byron Kerr takes the reins of the blog for the second leg of the road trip), here are some more things worth mentioning from last night... * Daniel Murphy completed his Citi Field homecoming in style....

For slumping Nats, offensive salvation must come from within

For slumping Nats, offensive salvation must come from within
NEW YORK - As the at-bats continue to be squandered and runners continue to be left on base, it becomes more and more appropriate to question what the Nationals can do to try to inject some life into a lineup that too often early this season has been anemic. Dusty Baker has tried to tweak his batting order. He swapped Daniel Murphy and Ryan Zimmerman. He swapped Jayson Werth and Anthony Rendon. That hasn't made much difference so far. Ben Revere came back from an oblique strain, replacing the...

Lack of execution, at plate and on mound, produces tough loss

Lack of execution, at plate and on mound, produces tough loss
NEW YORK - There are three conventional ways to score runs in baseball. You can string together several hits in an inning. You can try to manufacture with small ball. Or you can hit the ball out of the park. The Nationals proved adept at none of the three tonight. The Mets proved adept only at the latter. And that was this game in a nutshell: a 2-0 New York victory made possible by two solo homers off an otherwise dominant Max Scherzer, combined with no real offensive attack by Washington...

Are Rendon's 2015 injuries slowing progress this season?

Are Rendon's 2015 injuries slowing progress this season?
The Nationals offense has not had a moment yet where more than a handful of players were hitting at the same time. Bryce Harper started off well. Wilson Ramos is surging now. Daniel Murphy has been consistent throughout. But other key pieces like Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman haven't gotten into a groove yet at the plate. They have certainly had their moments, just not the day-to-day consistency up and down the lineup the team will need to really get rolling in the National League East. And...

Revere, now hitting .093, tells fans: "Don't give up on me yet"

Revere, now hitting .093, tells fans: "Don't give up on me yet"
It's not at all uncommon for a player to miss a sizeable chunk of time early in the season due to injury, then struggle at the plate for a prolonged stretch even when healthy at last. Ben Revere, though, is testing the boundaries of that phenomenon right now, and the end result is one awfully frustrating leadoff man. In nine games since returning from a strained right oblique muscle, Revere is a scant 4-for-41 at the plate. When he looked up at the scoreboard following his final at-bat...

Baker on twinbill lineups, Harper, Revere, Belisle and bullpen

Baker on twinbill lineups, Harper, Revere, Belisle and bullpen
Manager Dusty Baker said right-hander Matt Belisle, who has been on the 15-day disabled list since April 27 with a right calf strain, will go through a bullpen session today and is closer to getting to rehab games. "He has to go get some innings in and get some back-to-backs," Baker said. "He's doing fine. He's been working hard, which doesn't surprise anybody. He's in great shape. We actually had to slow him down a little bit because he's such a go-getter. "He will go out (on a rehab...

Game 32 lineups: Tigers at Nationals

Game 32 lineups: Tigers at Nationals
The Nationals return home after a grueling 10-game road trip to play host to the Detroit Tigers. A 5-5 road trip is certainly good for that much time away, but stings a bit after the team arrived in Chicago after a 5-1 trek through St. Louis and Kansas City. The Cubs swept the series thanks to a 4-3 13-inning win over the Nationals Sunday. And for the first time this season, the Nationals are looking up to the Mets in the National League East standings, trailing New York by a half-game. The...

Pregame news and notes from Wrigley Field

Pregame news and notes from Wrigley Field
CHICAGO - It's tough to conjure up a tougher challenge for the Nationals than the one they face today, needing to beat Jake Arrieta to avoid a four-game sweep at Wrigley Field. But they seem to be embracing this matchup against the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, with the reigning NL MVP leading the charge. "Love that challenge," Bryce Harper said. "Being able to go against one of the best in baseball, what better on Mother's Day? It's going to be a lot of fun to go out there and face...

Game 31 lineups: Nats at Cubs

Game 31 lineups: Nats at Cubs
CHICAGO - Though they've lost three straight and are in danger of getting swept out of Wrigley Field, in a strange way the Nationals are actually encouraged by the way they've played here against the Cubs. No, they haven't played perfect baseball, but they've played good baseball against a team that pretty much has been perfect through the season's first five weeks. "It's good that we're sticking right there with them," center fielder Ben Revere said after yesterday's 8-5 loss. "To...

Nationals lament close plays they didn't make in latest loss

Nationals lament close plays they didn't make in latest loss
CHICAGO - There was the slicing soft liner by Ryan Kalish that just barely got past a lunging Danny Espinosa and brought home two runs to give the Cubs a temporary lead over the Nationals in the bottom of the sixth. Then there was the double down the left field line by Anthony Rizzo that narrowly landed in fair territory and then bounced into the stands, putting the Cubs into prime position to break a tie game in the bottom of the seventh. And of course there was the ball Addison Russell popped...

Revere ready to go "all-out" in return, while Taylor returns to bench

Revere ready to go "all-out" in return, while Taylor returns to bench
CHICAGO - Ben Revere awoke this morning to a text from his agent, Barry Meister, that contained a simple-yet-significant message: "Second opening day of the season!" Suffice it to say, Revere is just a bit fired up to be back in the Nationals lineup after straining his right oblique muscle on his very first swing of the season. "I'm real happy," he said. "It was kind of a bummer missing the first month of the season, with the team doing so well without you. The chemistry in that locker...

Game 29 lineups: Nats at Cubs

Game 29 lineups: Nats at Cubs
CHICAGO - After a chilly night with the wind blowing in at Wrigley Field, it's suddenly a beautiful, warm day with the wind blowing out today. Chicago weather, folks, gotta love it. Or hate it. The Nationals and Cubs play the second of their four-game series this afternoon, the Nats looking to bounce back from a fairly nondescript 5-2 loss in last night's opener. The good news: They've got their leadoff hitter and center fielder back at last. Yes, Ben Revere has been activated off the...

Taylor's struggles get magnified during key strikeout

Taylor's struggles get magnified during key strikeout
CHICAGO - The Nationals didn't want to make Michael A. Taylor bat leadoff on a daily basis, and with Ben Revere about to return from the disabled list, they probably won't need to ask Taylor to do it much more. But no matter where he bats in the Nats lineup, no matter how many or how few opportunities he gets moving forward, Taylor has to prove he can transform himself into the kind of hitter his team can trust in big spots. Taylor found himself in one of those spots tonight during a 5-2 loss...

Revere looks ready, but Nats will wait til Friday to activate him

Revere looks ready, but Nats will wait til Friday to activate him
CHICAGO - Ben Revere joined the Nationals at Wrigley Field today, put on his uniform and participated fully in all pregame drills before the opener of a big, four-game series against the Cubs. But he didn't suit up for the game itself and remains on the disabled list for another day, a decision the club made to remain cautious with their returning leadoff man and center fielder. Given the fact Revere hasn't played in a big league game since straining his right oblique muscle 31 days ago, and...

Game 28 lineups: Nats at Cubs

Game 28 lineups: Nats at Cubs
CHICAGO - Good afternoon from the one and only Friendly Confines here at the corner of Clark and Addison on the North Side. There truly is no place in baseball (or really all of sports) like Wrigley Field, and this weekend there's no better place to be, with the top two teams in the sport going head-to-head for a four-game series that is being built up big time by the Chicago media. The Cubs have been utterly dominant so far this season, with a .769 winning percentage and a run differential of...

Revere activated off DL, den Dekker optioned to Syracuse

Revere activated off DL, den Dekker optioned to Syracuse
CHICAGO - The Nationals have activated Ben Revere off the disabled list and will have their leadoff man and center fielder available to them this afternoon for the first time since opening day. Needing to clear a spot for Revere on the active roster, the Nats optioned Matt den Dekker to Triple-A Syracuse, a decision manager Dusty Baker admitted earlier this week would be particularly tough. A key offseason acquisition from the Blue Jays in the Drew Storen trade, Revere barely got a chance to...

Ben Revere finishes rehab, will join Nationals in Chicago

Ben Revere finishes rehab, will join Nationals in Chicago
KANSAS CITY - The Nationals are getting their leadoff man back at last. Now they hope he helps complete a lineup that has sorely missed him for the last month. Ben Revere has completed his rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse and will meet the Nationals in Chicago tonight, manager Dusty Baker said. The club won't decide for sure when to activate the center fielder off the disabled until he is checked out in person, but there's a good chance he'll be in the lineup for Thursday night's...