Dusty Baker explains final NLDS roster decisions

Dusty Baker explains final NLDS roster decisions
The Nationals' decision to carry only seven relievers with a six-man bench for the National League Division Series boiled down their opponent for this first round of the playoffs and the fact that several of their position players are still dealing with nagging ailments. Manager Dusty Baker said the Dodgers' left-handed-laden lineup necessitated the carrying of three lefties in his NLDS bullpen. And with Daniel Murphy (buttocks), Bryce Harper (thumb), Jayson Werth (back), Ryan Zimmerman...

Nats go with seven relievers for NLDS (Roark starting Game 2)

Nats go with seven relievers for NLDS (Roark starting Game 2)
The Nationals' finalized roster for the National League Division Series includes only seven relievers but six bench players, not to mention several notable names left out altogether. For their best-of-five series with the Dodgers, the Nationals opted to carry only 11 total pitchers. That leaves a seven-man bullpen of closer Mark Melancon; right-handers Shawn Kelley, Blake Treinen and Reynaldo Lopez; and left-handers Marc Rzepczynski, Sammy Solis and Oliver Perez. Among those left out of the...

Only replay can catch Turner trying to steal (Nats lose 8-1)

Only replay can catch Turner trying to steal (Nats lose 8-1)
BALTIMORE - Apparently, the only way Trea Turner can be called out trying to steal a base is via slow motion replay. Turner twice tonight has had stolen bases wiped out by replay challenges, a pair of disappointing outs that have contributed to snuffing out potential Nationals rallies and helped leave them in an early deficit against the Orioles. Turner led off the game with an infield single against Kevin Gausman and then stole second, setting the table nicely for the Nationals out of the...

Bullpen running on fumes, with no break in sight

Bullpen running on fumes, with no break in sight
ATLANTA - Stretches of 20 consecutive games, particularly at this juncture of the season, are taxing on everybody on a ballclub, but the effect probably is most noticeable on a bullpen. And it's quite noticeable on the Nationals' bullpen right now. Nine days into their 20-days-without-a-break stretch, Nats relievers look, at times, like they're just trying to hang on and survive. They have pitched a combined 31 1/3 innings (an average of 3.48 per game) and have allowed 22 runs (18 earned) on...

Into thin air: Belisle and Robinson on what Coors Field does to a baseball

Into thin air: Belisle and Robinson on what Coors Field does to a baseball
Right-hander Matt Belisle spent a good portion of his career pitching in the thin air of Denver. From 2009 through 2014, Belisle won 32 games with the Rockies and pitched in total of 220 1/3 innings over 207 games with 167 strikeouts at Coors Field. Belisle's best season in Colorado was in 2010, when he put together a 2.93 ERA in 76 games and a 1.087 WHIP. So more than any other Nationals hurler, Belisle knows what to expect and how baseball is different a mile above sea level as his club...

Nationals' bats finally come alive in 7-4 victory over Indians

Nationals' bats finally come alive in 7-4 victory over Indians
On a blistering hot afternoon when they needed production from their erratic and injury-depleted lineup, the Nationals got just what they ordered. Jayson Werth's three-run homer highlighted the Nats' best offensive performance of this homestand, propelling them to a 7-4 victory over the Indians and a split of their brief, two-game interleague series. Werth homered, doubled and walked, extending his league-best streak of consecutive games reaching base to 40. Daniel Murphy, Wilson Ramos and...

Nationals drop finale to Giants 3-1 to split weekend series

Nationals drop finale to Giants 3-1 to split weekend series
SAN FRANCISCO - A pair of throwing errors and some sloppy baserunning cost the Nationals this afternoon, and a lack of offense kept them from mounting a rally that would have been necessary to avoid a 3-1 loss to the Giants. Two of San Francisco's runs came via errors by Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon, mistakes that prevented Gio Gonzalez from pitching his way out of jams. Rendon's subsequent baserunning blunder also put a halt to what might have been a game-tying rally by a Nationals lineup...

Harper's disastrous July nearly over (Nationals lose 3-1)

Harper's disastrous July nearly over (Nationals lose 3-1)
SAN FRANCISCO - Nobody on the Nationals will be happier when the calendar flips to August on Monday than Bryce Harper, who is wrapping up a disastrous July that ranks among the worst months of his career. After striking out in the top of the third inning this afternoon, Harper is hitting just .169 this month, a prolonged slump that has dropped his season batting average to a paltry .233. Harper has connected for four home runs, including his third-deck shot at Nationals Park two weeks ago, but...

Baker hasn't decided who will close with Papelbon out

Baker hasn't decided who will close with Papelbon out
The Nationals placed right-hander Jonathan Papelbon on the 15-day disabled list and recalled right-hander Matt Belisle from his rehab assignment. Papelbon has a intercostal strain. Belisle was out with a right calf strain. Manager Dusty Baker must now decide who will be the closer until Papelbon returns. "I don't know yet," Baker said. "That's the same question you guys asked me: How are we going to get our bullpen leaving spring training and what roles our guys are going to have? This is...

Baker on lack of bullpen changes, Rivero's struggles vs. lefties

Baker on lack of bullpen changes, Rivero's struggles vs. lefties
CHICAGO - After the Nationals needed to ask for 11 total innings out of their bullpen over the last two games, it was fair to wonder if they would need to bring in a fresh arm before tonight's game against the White Sox. The short answer: No. "We didn't even talk about it," manager Dusty Baker said. The thinking behind such a move: Blake Treinen just threw 66 pitches over three innings, leaving him out of commission for several days, and Sammy Solis threw three innings Sunday in Cincinnati,...

Baker met with Revere to try to get outfielder going at the plate

Baker met with Revere to try to get outfielder going at the plate
CINCINNATI - Nationals center fielder Ben Revere continues to struggle at the plate, going just 2-for-28 (.072) in the last seven games. Manager Dusty Baker decided to have a one-on-one meeting with the scuffling leadoff man to try to get him back on track. "He's struggling. I called Ben in today and I had a meeting with Ben," Baker said. "I explained to him it didn't take you two weeks to get in this hole and usually it takes you twice as much time to get out of hole as you got in a...

Updates on Fedde, Belisle, Bostick and a trip to Cincinnati

Updates on Fedde, Belisle, Bostick and a trip to Cincinnati
One of the top pitching prospects in the Nationals system is on the seven-day disabled list. Right-hander Erick Fedde was diagnosed earlier in the week with mild oblique soreness. Fedde is 3-3 with a 5.00 ERA in nine starts for Single-A Potomac. He has not allowed a run in his last two starts, May 23 and 28, combining for 11 scoreless frames. * What a doubleheader for David Masters yesterday with Potomac. He finished with six RBIs in the two-game sweep. He had the game-winning hit in the first...

Pregame notes on Harper, Zimmerman and Belisle

Pregame notes on Harper, Zimmerman and Belisle
PHILADELPHIA - Bryce Harper is out of the Nationals lineup for the second consecutive day, his right knee still sore after getting hit by a pitch two nights ago, though the club is hopeful he'll be ready to return for Friday night's series opener in Cincinnati. Harper did take some swings in the batting cage this afternoon for the first time since getting hurt, but the team figured it wasn't worth taking any chances, especially with Thursday off before this weekend's series against the...

Belisle ready but expects to continue rehab at Harrisburg

Belisle ready but expects to continue rehab at Harrisburg
Matt Belisle believes he's ready to come off the disabled list and rejoin the Nationals bullpen. The club, however, wants the veteran right-hander to continue his rehab assignment. So after three appearances at high Single-A Potomac, Belisle is now expected to head to Double-A Harrisburg. Belisle, out since April 26 with a strained right calf, pitched two innings last night for Potomac, allowing two runs on four hits (one of them a homer). He also struck out three. That came after two...

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...

Matt Belisle "doing really, really well" as he rehabs calf strain

Matt Belisle "doing really, really well" as he rehabs calf strain
Right-hander Matt Belisle is making solid progress as he recovers from a right calf strain. He has been on the disabled list since April 27. "I'm doing really, really well," Belisle said. "I've been doing a ton of work. It was only about the first 24-hour period where we gave it completely off. We had (platelet-rich plasma therapy) after that, so like 36 hours let that settle in. Since then, it has responded extremely well and I've been hitting rehab really diligently and hard." The...

Why Solis made most sense for Nats bullpen right now

Why Solis made most sense for Nats bullpen right now
When Matt Belisle strained his right calf in the eighth inning last night, the Nationals knew they needed to summon a reinforcement for their bullpen, and they immediately placed a call to Triple-A Syracuse to give that new pitcher as much opportunity as possible to get on a plane to Washington in time for tonight's game against the Phillies. The name of that reinforcement, though, may have surprised some. Rather than call up another right-hander to fill Belisle's role, the Nationals instead...

Belisle lands on DL with strained calf, Solis recalled

Belisle lands on DL with strained calf, Solis recalled
Unable to wait and see how severe Matt Belisle's calf injury is, with more fresh arms needed for their bullpen tonight, the Nationals have placed the veteran right-hander on the 15-day disabled list and recalled lefty Sammy Solis from Triple-A Syracuse. Solis will be in uniform and available out of the Nationals bullpen for tonight's game against the Phillies, giving manager Dusty Baker a much-needed arm that can throw multiple innings in case something happens to starter Gio Gonzalez early...

Game 20 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 20 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the early season has been Gio Gonzalez, who has been absolutely dominant through his first three starts. There's the obvious (1.42 ERA) but more impressive is his 20-to-4 strikeout-to-walk rate. Is this a sign of what we can expect all year, or has the left-hander simply taken advantage of some weak lineups? It's still too early to say for sure, but you can't not be impressed with the results so far. At the plate, the Nationals are still trying to get...

Belisle believes he reaggravated offseason calf injury in Tuesday's loss

Belisle believes he reaggravated offseason calf injury in Tuesday's loss
Right-hander Matt Belisle believes he has reaggravated a right calf strain he had originally suffered in the offseason in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Phillies. Belisle was summoned to begin the top of the eighth Tuesday against the Phillies. David Lough hit a grounder that Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman easily grabbed and stepped on first for the out. Belisle tried to make a move towards first on the play and quickly realized he had hurt his calf again. "The reaction to break to the...