With wins in seven of their last nine games and three straight series victories under their belts, the Nationals seem determined to close out the 2018 season on a high note and set the tone for a winning 2019.
It brings to mind the 2011 Nats season, when they won 14 of their last 17 games and eight of their last 10 to finish with their best record since 2005 at 80-81. Keep in mind that this was a team that had never finished with a winning record since moving to Washington and was a year...
Manager: Brian Snitker (3rd season)
Record: 82-64
Last 10 games: 6-4
Who to watch: LF Ronald Acuña Jr. (25 HR, 14 SB), 1B Freddie Freeman (.307/.388/.500, 85 RBIs), RF Nick Markakis (.306/.371/.457, 88 RBIs), CF Ender Inciarte (25 SB), RHP Kevin Gausman (3.89 ERA), RHP Arodys VizcaÃno (15 saves)
Season series vs. Nationals: 9-7
Pitching probables:
Sept. 14: RHP Max Scherzer (17-6) vs. RHP Kevin Gausman (9-10), 7:35 p.m., MASN2Sept. 15: TBA vs. RHP Julio Teheran (9-7), 1:05 p.m., FOXSept....
Yesterday, the Nationals interrupted a road trip to play contest at Nationals Park against the Cubs rescheduled due to rain. At this point in the season, neither team likely wanted to make the trip, but it was one of the most entertaining and well-played games of the season. Unfortunately the Nationals were unable to come away with the victory, but a silver lining in this difficult loss was the play of rookie Victor Robles.
Robles served as Washington's leadoff hitter and starting center...
Manager: Joe Maddon (4th season)
Record: 84-61
Last 10 games: 5-5
Who to watch: 2B Javier Báez (.292 with 30 HR, 100 RBIs), 1B Anthony Rizzo (24 HR, 92 RBIs), 3B Kris Bryant (.277, 11 HR), RHP Pedro Strop (13 saves, 2.33 ERA)
Season series vs. Nationals: 3-3
Pitching probables:
Sept. 13: LHP Mike Montgomery (4-5) vs. RHP Joe Ross (0-0), 4:05 p.m., MASN2
Inside the Cubs:
Joe Maddon's club is not happy about losing a scheduled off-day to play a makeup game in D.C. this afternoon. This means...
In a season like the 2018 Nationals have been having, it's important to focus on individual accomplishments. Not a lot of the guys have been necessarily bad, per se, and many of them are actually having fantastic seasons. Nothing is clicking all on the same cylinders at the same time. While their record isn't what you want it to be, a number of guys can be proud of how their seasons turned out individually, and some of these players reside in the bullpen.
A lot of people can get up in arms...
Manager: Gabe Kapler (1st season)
Record: 74-68
Last 10 games: 3-7
Who to watch: 3B Maikel Franco (22 HR, 66 RBIs), CF Odúbel Herrera (21 HR, 65 RBIs), 2B César Hernández (.258), LF Rhys Hoskins (30 HR, 88 RBIs), RF Nick Williams (17 HR, 50 RBIs), RHP Aaron Nola (16-4, 2.29 ERA), RHP Seranthony DomÃnguez (14 saves)
Season series vs. Nationals: 8-8
Pitching probables:
Sept. 10: RHP Erick Fedde (1-3) vs. RHP Jake Arrieta (10-9). 7:05 p.m., MASNSept. 11: RHP Tanner Roark (8-15)...
The 2018 season is a huge disappointment to most Nationals fans, many of whom believed the team had the potential to win an unprecedented third straight National League East championship and finally win a postseason series.
But is this really the most disappointing season the Nationals have been through since moving to Washington in 2005? It's certainly not the first letdown Nats fans have been through. There have been other seasons that have been at least this disappointing, and seasons in...
The Nationals have 21 games left in a difficult season filled with injuries, poor play and the departure of several popular players. This has left many in NatsTown pondering on social media about why they should continue to watch games down the stretch.
The obvious answer is that baseball is awesome and once the final pitch is thrown, we must anxiously wait like a dog for its owner to return home for pitchers and catchers to report next February. And with all due respect to my Caps brethren...
Manager: Joe Maddon (4th season)
Record: 82-57
Last 10 games: 6-4
Who to watch: 2B Javier Báez (.297 with 30 HR, 100 RBIs), 1B Anthony Rizzo (24 HR, 90 RBIs), 3B Kris Bryant (.277, 11 HR), LF Kyle Schwarber (24 HR, 57 RBIs), LHP Jon Lester (15-5, 3.53 ERA), LHP Cole Hamels (4-0, 1.00), RHP Pedro Strop (11 saves, 2.45 ERA)
Season series vs. Nationals: 2-1
Pitching probables:
Sept. 6: RHP Kyle Hendricks (11-10) vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg (7-7), 7:05 p.m., MASN Sept. 7: LHP Jon Lester (15-5) vs....
At the beginning of the year, everyone anticipated Victor Robles to be a quick call-up; he was going to be the young face of the future that made his mark this season, digging out a role in the outfield and being an important piece for the Nationals off the bench or perhaps in some kind of starting role. That wasn't the case. Robles suffered a freak injury on his elbow at the beginning of April that forced him onto the disabled list until deep into the summer.
Instead, it was Juan Soto,...
Manager: Mike Shildt (1st season)
Record: 76-61
Last 10 games: 6-4
Who to watch: IF Matt Carpenter (.273 with 35 HR, 73 RBIs); 1B José MartÃnez (.310 with 77 RBIs, 139 hits); C Yadier Molina (.271 with 108 hits); LF Marcell Ozuna (.273 with 133 hits); RHP Miles Mikolas (13-4, 2.96 ERA); RHP Jack Flaherty (8-6, 2.87 ERA); RHP Bud Norris (2.85 ERA, 28 saves)
Season series vs. Nationals: 3-1
Pitching probables:
Sept. 3: RHP Jack Flaherty (8-6) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (16-6), 1:05 p.m.,...
Earlier this week, I was driving by a Bob Evans restaurant and noticed in the window a large sticker with the words "Down on the Farm." Not only did this display get me hungry and wishing I was wearing my fat pants, it got me thinking about the Nationals farm system and some under-the-radar prospects in the organization.
In this space, I have discussed young players like Juan Soto, Carter Kieboom and Luis Garcia this season, among others. But in the spirit of looking ahead toward next year,...
Manager: Craig Counsell (4th season)
Record: 75-60
Last 10 games: 7-3
Who to watch: 1B Jesús Aguilar (.277 with 30 HR, 92 RBIs); 3B Travis Shaw (26 HR, 74 RBIs); CF Lorenzo Cain (.309 with 136 hits, 24 SB); OF Christian Yelich (.319 with 151 hits, 75 RBIs); RHP Jhoulys ChacÃn (13-5, 3.61 ERA); RHP Chase Anderson (9-7, 4.04 ERA); LHP Josh Hader (2.05 ERA, 10 saves)
Season series vs. Nationals: 2-1
Pitching probables:
Aug. 31: RHP Jhoulys ChacÃn (13-5) vs. RHP Tanner Roark (8-13); 7:05...
To say that this season has been a roller coaster for the Nationals would be an understatement. They've struggled to find consistency. Sometimes they score double-digit runs and sometimes they get shut out multiple games in a row. Finding rhythm has been difficult. The pitching has been up and down, the offense has been up and down. But there's one thing the Nationals have been very consistent at all year, something they've done very well all year long: defense.
Sure, they're going to have...
The only thing consistent about the 2018 Nationals has been their inconsistency. It was on full display in last weekend's series against the Mets, which saw them end a 32-inning scoreless skid in Sunday's 15-0 rout.
The scoring drought was miserable, but it could have been worse. Juan Soto's sixth-inning grounder to score Trea Turner stemmed the streak before it could grow long enough for the record books or the longest runs of futility by Washington teams.
The major league record for...
Manager: Gabe Kapler (1st season)
Record: 70-60
Last 10 games: 4-6
Who to watch: 3B Maikel Franco (22 HR, 66 RBIs), CF Odúbel Herrera (20 HR, 64 RBIs), 2B César Hernández (.259), LF Rhys Hoskins (26 HR, 81 RBIs), RF Nick Williams (17 HR, 49 RBIs), RHP Aaron Nola (15-3, 2.13 ERA), RHP Seranthony DomÃnguez (14 saves)
Season series vs. Nationals: 7-6
Pitching probables:
Aug. 27: RHP Stephen Strasburg (6-7) vs. RHP Zach Eflin (9-4), 7:05 p.m., MASN2Aug. 28: RHP Max Scherzer (16-6)...
Manager: Mickey Callaway (1st season)
Record: 56-71
Last 10 games: 6-4
Who to watch: LF Michael Conforto (18 HR, 51 RBIs), 3B Todd Frazier (14 HR, 46 RBIs), 1B Wilmer Flores (.278/.332/.447 with 47 RBIs), SS Amed Rosario (6 3B, 14 SB), RHP Zack Wheeler (3.63 ERA), RHP Robert Gsellman (7 saves)
Season series vs. Nationals: 6-6
Pitching probables:
Aug. 24: LHP Gio Gonzalez (7-10) vs. LHP Jason Vargas (3-8), 7:10 p.m., MASN2Aug. 25: RHP Tanner Roark (8-12) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (8-6), 4:05 p.m.,...
Earlier this week, the Nationals traded Matt Adams to the Cardinals and Daniel Murphy to the Cubs, the first legitimate signs Washington had essentially conceded its playoff chances this season. These two deals netted an intriguing prospect in Andruw Monasterio, while hopefully trimming payroll below the luxury tax figure, both positives for the future. Also, it will give players like Wilmer Difo significant playing time in September to earn spots for next season.
But this left me speculating...
Let's think about awards, shall we? Individual awards are the main things going for Nationals for the rest of the season, and individual accomplishment cannot be overlooked, no matter what the team is doing.
Now the question that's been on everyone's mind for the past few months: Can Juan Soto win National League Rookie of the Year?
The automatic thought is yes, he can. For the longest time, Soto appeared to be a shoe-in for Rookie of the Year. He was tearing up the league like no one else,...
Manager: Gabe Kapler (1st season)
Record: 68-56
Last 10 games: 4-6
Who to watch: 3B Maikel Franco (.281 with 20 HR, 61 RBIs), CF Odúbel Herrera (10 HR, 62 RBIs), LF Rhys Hoskins (25 HR, 77 RBIs), 1B Carlos Santana (18 HR, 69 RBIs), RHP Zach Eflin (9-4, 3.70 ERA), RHP Aaron Nola (14-3, 3.24 ERA), RHP Seranthony DomÃnguez (14 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 6-4
Pitching probables:
Aug. 21: RHP Vince Velasquez (8-9) vs. RHP Tanner Roark (8-12), 7:05 p.m., MASN2 Aug. 22: RHP Zach Eflin...