Soto and Suzuki lift Fedde early (Nationals win 7-4)

Soto and Suzuki lift Fedde early (Nationals win 7-4)
Following a 30-minute rain delay, the Nationals did a nice job of making Phillies right-hander Nick Pivetta work in the first two frames. Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto doubled in the first to make it 1-0. Soto was tagged out at third base when the ball got away momentarily on the relay in from left fielder Jay Bruce. Pivetta threw to Maikel Franco at third to tag out Soto. Following a Howie Kendrick single to lead off the bottom of the second inning, Kurt Suzuki lined a two-run shot over the...

Game 73 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies

Game 73 lineups: Nats vs. Phillies
They got through the opener of today's doubleheader without incident, the skies remaining clear and the field dry throughout the Nationals' 6-2 win over the Phillies. Now they're hoping for similar good fortune in the nightcap of this day-night doubleheader. The forecast has steadily improved throughout the day, though there does remain a chance of rain later tonight. The Nats are confident enough in the forecast to send Max Scherzer to the mound, broken nose, black eye and all. Talk about...

Corbin hopes for bounce back from rough patch (Nats win 6-2)

Corbin hopes for bounce back from rough patch (Nats win 6-2)
Nationals starter Patrick Corbin has been desperately looking for a solution for a recent rough patch. The left-hander has not won a game since May 25, looking to snap a three-game losing streak. Corbin was able to get started well, inducing a pair of flyouts to Jean Segura and Bryce Harper. But Scott Kingery got a hold of a 1-2 83 mph Corbin slider over the left field wall for his ninth homer of the season to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. The Nats quickly tied the game up at 1-1 in the bottom...

Home run derby breaks out early (Nats fall 10-3)

Home run derby breaks out early (Nats fall 10-3)
It's been home run derby to begin Saturday's matchup between the Nationals and Diamondbacks. Arizona's Ketel Marte took the first pitch of the game from Stephen Strasburg over the left-center field wall for his 18th homer of the season. Later in the first inning, Adam Jones smacked his 13th of the season, a solo shot for a 2-0 lead. The Nationals quickly answered against D-backs starter and Broad Run (Va.) High School alum Taylor Clarke in the bottom of the first. Trea Turner legged out a...

White Sox hit Strasburg early for big inning (Nats win 9-5)

White Sox hit Strasburg early for big inning (Nats win 9-5)
Tuesday's series opener against the Chicago White Sox did not start off well in the first frame for Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg. The White Sox scored four runs by RBI singles from James McCann and Eloy Jiménez, and two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded by the No. 8 hitter Yolmer Sánchez. Strasburg finally got out of the inning, but the damage was done. As he walked off the mound, Strasburg let home plate umpire Mike Everitt know he did not appreciate some borderline...

Marlins see Scherzer well early on again (Nats fall 3-2)

Marlins see Scherzer well early on again (Nats fall 3-2)
The Marlins have been able to see Nationals right-handed starter Max Scherzer fairly well to begin, connecting on five hits in the first three frames, with at least one single in each inning. Miami did the same thing to Scherzer in the teams' first meeting April 20 at Marlins Park, scoring three runs on six hits in the first three frames. The Marlins won that game 9-3. On Memorial Day, Neil Walker was 2-for-2 with an RBI single to score Garrett Cooper in the top of the third. Scherzer has...

Dozier homer, big doubles support Strasburg (Nats win 5-2)

Dozier homer, big doubles support Strasburg (Nats win 5-2)
The Nationals collected a couple of hits early on against Cubs left-hander Jon Lester. Adam Eaton and Anthony Rendon had back-to-back singles in the first inning. But Lester settled in to get out of the inning unscathed, getting the dangerous Juan Soto to pop up behind the plate. But in the second inning, Brian Dozier led off with a solo shot over the left-center field wall. Dozier connected on Lester's 2-2 offering, for No. 6 on the season. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg struck out the side...

Scherzer struggles early, but Rendon helps out (Nats fall 14-6)

Scherzer struggles early, but Rendon helps out (Nats fall 14-6)
The Cubs took advantage of some uncharacteristic wildness from Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer to begin the opening game of their weekend series in D.C. Scherzer walked Kyle Schwarber on four pitches and Kris Bryant laced a single to left field. The Nats fought back when Scherzer induced a 3-6-1 double play from Anthony Rizzo. But Javier Báez doubled off the glove of Juan Soto, the baseball bouncing off the left field wall. Schwarber scored to give the Cubs the early lead. Cole Hamels...

Mistake in field sets up Ramos' grand slam (Nats down 5-2)

Mistake in field sets up Ramos' grand slam (Nats down 5-2)
The Nationals opened a key homestand this evening needing to play clean baseball and get things off on the right foot. Three batters into their series opener against the Mets, they couldn't turn a routine double play. And three batters after that, they gave up a grand slam to a former teammate and fan favorite. Yep, things are going swimmingly so far tonight on South Capitol Street. Wilson Ramos' grand slam off Jeremy Hellickson gave the Mets a 4-0 lead before many in the crowd had even...

Soto scratched, Cards get to Scherzer in first (Nats fall 5-1)

Soto scratched, Cards get to Scherzer in first (Nats fall 5-1)
The Nationals scratched left fielder Juan Soto from the lineup with back spasms about an hour prior to first pitch against the Cardinals. Michael A. Taylor took over center field, Adam Eaton played left field and Victor Robles was in right field. The Cardinals did not waste any time getting on the board against Nationals ace Max Scherzer. After recording the first out, Scherzer allowed singles to Paul Goldschmidt and Paul DeJong. Marcell Ozuna then dropped a double into right field after Robles...

Corbin helps his own cause to start rally (Nats fall 6-3)

Corbin helps his own cause to start rally (Nats fall 6-3)
The Nationals got after Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha with three runs in the second inning. The rally was sparked by Wacha's counterpart, left-hander Patrick Corbin, who put together was of the most impressive at-bats of the season. With one out, Matt Adams singled to right field. One batter later, Brian Dozier singled. Yan Gomes walked to load the bases. Corbin battled back from an 0-2 count to get to a full count versus Wacha. He had to foul off four pitches to stay alive for nine...

Scherzer surpasses 2,500 strikeouts in career (Nats fall 4-3)

Scherzer surpasses 2,500 strikeouts in career (Nats fall 4-3)
Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer and Padres left-hander Matt Strahm traded punches through the first three innings on a dark and gloomy Friday night in Washington, D.C. Scherzer appeared to have a better handle on his off-speed offerings this time around compared to Saturday night in Miami, striking out six and not allowing a hit through four innings. Scherzer was hovering around 97-98 mph with his fastball early on. Strahm gave up first-inning base hits to Adam Eaton and Yan Gomes, but...

Loud early homers set tone for Hellickson (Nats win 9-6)

Loud early homers set tone for Hellickson (Nats win 9-6)
The Nationals produced a couple of loud at-bats versus Giants starter Jeff Samardzija in the first inning to break out to a big early advantage. Following an Adam Eaton walk, Juan Soto slammed a two-run shot to right field. It was the third homer of the season for Soto and came on a first pitch. One batter later, Howie Kendrick launched a no-doubter over the left field wall for his third homer of the season. The Nationals led the Giants 3-0 after one inning. In the second inning, Wilmer Difo...

Strasburg delivers RBI double (Nats fall 7-3, Martinez ejected)

Strasburg delivers RBI double (Nats fall 7-3, Martinez ejected)
The Nationals were not scheduled to play Monday so Tuesday's series opener against the San Francisco Giants was their annual opportunity to honor the legacy of Jackie Robinson on the field by wearing No. 42 jerseys and socks on Jackie Robinson Day. Left-hander Tony Sipp said Jackie Robinson Day holds a special place in his heart and every time he goes out to play baseball. "Today is always special for me because obviously the things that Jackie Robinsons sacrificed back then while he was...

Bucs get to Scherzer early, Kendrick hits again (Nats fall 4-3)

Bucs get to Scherzer early, Kendrick hits again (Nats fall 4-3)
The Pirates pulled off a rare feat in the first inning, connecting on three hits for two early runs against right-hander Max Scherzer. In his first three starts, Scherzer had allowed two or fewer earned runs in two of those games. Josh Bell had an RBI double and Colin Moran dropped in a run-scoring single. The Nationals quickly got on the board in the bottom of the first against right-hander Jameson Taillon. Adam Eaton led off with a single and stole second base. Howie Kendrick continued his...

Turner leaves game after being hit by pitch (Nats fall 8-2)

Turner leaves game after being hit by pitch (Nats fall 8-2)
The Phillies came out of the gate quickly to begin the top of the first against the Nationals with back-to-back singles off of Max Scherzer. Then, in a matchup that felt like a playoff duel, Scherzer struck out former Nats right fielder Bryce Harper on a 2-2 changeup. The crowd at Nats Park went crazy. Scherzer got out of the inning unscathed. However, with one out in the bottom of the first against Phillies starter Zach Eflin, Trea Turner was hit on his right index finger while attempting to...

Turner ignites offense with longball (Nats win 6-5 on walk-off)

Turner ignites offense with longball (Nats win 6-5 on walk-off)
The Mets' Pete Alonso continued his red-hot start to the season with a RBI double off of left-hander Patrick Corbin in the top of the third. The base hit was his sixth in three games. He also has three RBIs. The Nationals connected off of right-hander Zack Wheeler in the bottom of third. Victor Robles doubled and Adam Eaton singled to begin the rally. Trea Turner then delivered a no-doubt line drive deep over the left field wall for a three-run shot. It was his first homer of the season and...

Canó connects off Scherzer (Nats fall 2-0)

Canó connects off Scherzer (Nats fall 2-0)
Right-hander Max Scherzer allowed a solo homer to Robinson Canó to begin the scoring in the first inning as the Nationals welcomed in the Mets. Scherzer has struck out six in the first three innings. Mets starter Jacob deGrom has struck out four in three frames, including the side in the second. The Nats had a good shot at scoring in the third. Victor Robles led off with a double and Adam Eaton singled to put runners on the corners. But with one out, Anthony Rendon's grounder to third base...

What to watch for on Hall of Fame election night

What to watch for on Hall of Fame election night
The hot stove league may be tepid right now, but at least baseball is providing us something us to get excited about later today: the Hall of Fame election announcement. Yes, it's time to find out who's in the class of 2019 in addition to Lee Smith and Harold Baines (who were elected last month by what used to be called the Veterans' Committee but now has a confusing and completely unnecessary longer name). The announcement is scheduled for 6 p.m. Eastern time on MLB Network, after which...

Press conference today at Nationals Park

Press conference today at Nationals Park
It's been a while since the Nationals held an offseason press conference on South Capitol Street. The last one came more than a year ago, when Davey Martinez was introduced as the club's seventh manager in 14 seasons. None of last year's player acquisitions warranted a full-scale press conference at the ballpark. So today represents a significant moment for the Nats, who have announced a 12:30 p.m. press conference at Nationals Park for what at this point the club is only saying is "a major...