Tag: Anthony Rendon

Five questions the Nationals need to answer this season

Many Nationals fans are still feeling the sting of disappointment from 2015, when preseason World Series predictions dissolved in a cloud of injuries, disappointing performances and clubhouse dissension. The Nats finished out of the postseason and watched as the NL East rival New York Mets stole their division, playoff and pennant dreams. For all but …

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Encouraging signs spark memories of Nats’ 2014 run

Funny how quickly your outlook can change. A week ago, many Nationals fans were calling for manager Matt Williams’ head, for the team to cut bait on Jayson Werth and the $42 million the team still owes him through 2017, and for the benching of Anthony Rendon, who had gone more than two weeks without …

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Nats’ bench stepped up during hot streak

Many Nationals fans might have predicted at the start of the season that by the end of June, the team would have settled into first place in the National League East and reeled off a season-high eight straight wins. Even their most ardent supporters, however, might not have predicted that they’d have done it largely …

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Injuries, big and small, aren’t helping Nats at all

A day off on Monday has to be a welcome relief for a Nationals team that has dropped three straight series and eight of its last 10 games. After a torrid 18-9 May, the Nats could not help but come back down to Earth. In the major leagues, .667 baseball just isn’t sustainable. The Nationals …

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One blogger’s votes for the Nats’ 2014 awards

Each year, the D.C. chapter of the Internet Baseball Writers Association polls members of the Nats blogosphere to determine its Player Achievement Awards. The voting is organized by District Sports Page Editor and fellow MASN guest blogger Dave Nichols. This year’s winners will be announced on Monday, Sept. 29 on the DC-IBWAA website. This blogger …

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Hang on, help is on the way

What a frustrating weekend for the Nationals and their fans. After beating up on the hapless Houston Astros and another of their characteristic come-from-behind victories in the series opener in Philadelphia, the road trip went south in a hurry. The Nats’ bats fell silent at the hands of AJ Burnett and Roberto Hernandez in a …

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Out of nowhere guys like Roark are what’s great about baseball

The #Nats sector of the Twitterverse was abuzz Saturday as Tanner Roark stroked the canvas that was the mound at Nationals Park. When he had finished his masterpiece, a complete-game, three-hit shutout of the San Diego Padres, the accolades came quickly and lasted longer than the two hours and 19 minutes it took the 27-year-old …

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“Can’t anybody here play this game?”

As the Nationals struggled again to bring runners home in their 2-0 loss in Cleveland on Sunday, their fans must have been fuming. With apologies to Casey Stengel, or whoever initiated the quote that became the title of Jimmy Breslin’s book chronicling the 1962 Mets, the question “Can’t anybody here play this game?” comes to …

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Keep expectations realistic for Anthony Rendon

Welcome to the big leagues, Anthony Rendon. Making his major league debut Sunday against the New York Mets, the Nationals’ 2011 first-round draft pick went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts, including one to end a 2-0 loss. He made a nice catch at third base in the first inning, but like the rest of …

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