N.J. native wants ‘do-over’ with Nationals after season-ending elbow surgery

The Nationals closed last decade with a World Series championship, a culmination of five playoff trips in an eight-year span. Things have completely fallen off the proverbial rails since with four last-place finishes. Last season's Nats were a big improvement, though, winning 71 games, which was 16 more than their 2022 output. They actually crept…

Though the Red Sox offseason has so far dramatically failed to live up to the promise of going " full throttle," there's at least one optimistic projection for Boston heading into the 2024 season. Amid questions about the team's pitching, uncertainties around multiple lineup spots, and a payroll that's expected to be smaller this year than last…

Never let it be said we don't hold ourselves accountable around here. For more than a decade, all of us who cover the Nationals have made Opening Day predictions for the coming season. And each year, we revisit those predictions and reveal just how we all did. Some years, we have a pretty good take on things large and small. Other years, we don't…

The Philadelphia Phillies (67-56) and Washington Nationals (56-68) will wrap up their three-game weekend series in a special location tonight. These two NL East rivals will meet at historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the sixth annual MLB Little League Classic. Zack Wheeler (9-5, 3.63 ERA) for the Phillies will go head-to-head…

The Washington Nationals take on the St. Louis Cardinals. Our MLB odds series has our Nationals Cardinals prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Nationals Cardinals. The St. Louis Cardinals could not make a significant move in the first half of the MLB season. They got hot for a few weeks, but then slid back to the position they occupied for…

New York Yankees vs Washington Nationals 3/28/2023 Picks Predictions Previews The New York Yankees will go against the Washington Nationals in MLB action in Nationals Park, DC, on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at 12:05 PM ET. Starters continue to sit on the injured list, or worse, the list lengthens, prompting Cashman to search the pricey trade market…

Washington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals 3/21/2023 Picks Predictions Previews The Washington Nationals will go against the St. Louis Cardinals in MLB action in Roger Dean Stadium Jupiter, FL, on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at 1:05 PM ET. After surrendering players to free agency, the Nationals added some players to their squad during the…

As far as I am concerned, the Nationals rebuild officially started last night. They tore down their home, their World Series winning home, and leveled what once was. Now they did not do so blindly, as the materials to rebuild were there soon after, but last night was the Nats' way of officially breaking ground on the site. Mike Rizzo and company…

Camden Pulkinen's life has gotten rather more difficult since last August. "About tenfold more difficult," he said. For the previous six years, when he lived and trained in Colorado Springs, Pulkinen had a five-minute drive to a rink where the elite figure skaters had almost unlimited ice time. He had finished high school online and then had taken…

Earlier today we ran a piece on MLB.com's prediction of Cristian Javier as the 2023 AL Cy Young winner. We alluded to the Astros finally being given the respect they deserve from the national media. Love'em or hate'em, you have to respect Houston. Well, you can't win them all. Bradford Doolittle of ESPN is the latest to display a laughable level of…

The Red Sox have the money to sign Aaron Judge, and the superstar slugger could address a few needs in Boston. But the question is: Should Judge leave New York and latch on with the Yankees' fiercest rival? ESPN's Bradford Doolittle on Monday power ranked all 30 Major League Baseball teams in terms of best fits for Judge, the reigning American…

The Offseason and Free Agency is the best time of the year for 29 teams (winning the World Series being the exception) because it means your team has as good of a shot as any to improve. Even if your team and owner aren't known for making big splashes or running with high payrolls, you at least get the momentary glimmer of hope, thinking to…

We always knew the Nationals weren't going to be good this season. We just had no idea how bad it would get, not only in terms of their 55-107 record, but the fact they traded Juan Soto in early August in an attempt to completely revamp their farm system. Sometimes, it's tougher to predict how a bad season will play out than a good one. That…

Bradford Doolittle ESPN Staff Writer Sports reporter, Kansas City Star, 2002-09 Writer, Baseball, Baseball Prospectus Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus Member, Baseball Writers Association of America Member, Professional Basketball Writers Association David Schoenfield ESPN Senior Writer Covers MLB for ESPN.com Former deputy editor of Page…

On so many levels, the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline was a damning day for the Washington Nationals. They kicked off the day by trading a franchise icon, and a 23-year-old on a Hall of Fame track in Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres, along with Josh Bell, having not come to an agreement on a long-term extension in the months building up to the trade…

Baseball's All-Star break provides teams a chance to rest and reflect after playing basically every day for the last three months. And while there have been twists and turns in 2022 (from Joe Girardi's early exit in Philly to a Mets rotation mired with injuries), the National League East is playing out exactly how those in Vegas saw things in…

With General Manager Mike Rizzo and field manager Davey Martinez secure in their jobs for another year, the Washington Nationals' leadership duo clearly has the green light to continue with the reboot Rizzo began almost a year ago. Current regulars like Josiah Gray, Keibert Ruiz, and Lane Thomas are among the players who came to Washington last…

We're into the final stretch. Opening Day for the Washington Nationals is less than a week away, and while it may not be a season where they are overly competitive, this offseason more than most reminded a lot of people that this is much better than nothing at all. Anyway, now the team is narrowing its roster down for the final cut ahead of…

The Washington Nationals (17-26) and Atlanta Braves (26-19) continue a four-game series at Nationals Park Saturday with the third installment. First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Braves-Nationals MLB betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets. Series: The Braves took the opener 7-6 Thursday but the Nats responded…

The Philadelphia Phillies (11-14) play the Washington Nationals (11-16) in the second game of a three-game set Wednesday. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET at Nationals Park. We analyze the Phillies-Nationals betting odds and lines, with MLB picks and best bets. Philadelphia won Game 1 of the series 8-3 Tuesday. RHP Aaron Nola vs.…

The Miami Marlins (9-9) open up a five-game series against the rival Washington Nationals (9-12), Friday, at Nationals Park. The first pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. ET. We analyze the Marlins-Nationals betting odds and lines, with MLB picks and best bets. RHP Elieser Hernandez vs. RHP Patrick Corbin Hernandez: 0-0, 1.84 ERA, 0.750 WHIP, 19 K, 2 BB, 14…

The Washington Nationals (8-12) and Atlanta Braves (14-10) continue their three-game series Tuesday at Truist Park in Atlanta with a 7:10 p.m. ET first pitch. We analyze the Nationals-Braves MLB betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets. RHP Austin Voth vs. RHP Josh Tomlin Voth is 0-2 despite a sparkling 3.21 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with nine…

The Nationals' march to the 2019 World Series title seemed to come out of nowhere, thanks to their disappointing 2018, their awful start to 2019 and their Wild Card status. But from June 1 on, they tied the Astros as the winningest team in baseball, carrying that momentum over into October, when they overcame one deficit after another on their way…

The crucial moment of the Washington Nationals' Game 7 World Series victory last night came by way of Howie Kendrick. This year, Kendrick enjoyed the best season of his career, but he's hardly a superstar, having made just one All-Star team over his 14-year career. The 36-year-old is what baseball fans call a "professional hitter," a player who can…

The Colorado Rockies (47-55) stumble into the finale of a four-game set against the Washington Nationals (55-46) having lost the first three games of the series, and nine of their last 10 overall. First pitch of Game 4 comes at 4:05 p.m. Eastern Thursday at Nationals Park. The Nationals swept Wednesday's doubleheader, winning 3-2 and 2-0 behind…