2020 Washington Nationals. Can the Nats build a dynasty?

[lucho2107]

*Check Out our NLDS win and our NLCS defeat (and the rest of the playoffs) on page 4 of the thread.
*We won the 2021 NL East!
*Check out the 2021 season on the third page!
*Check out the 2021 offseason coverage for all the FA signings and trades on the second page !!
*Check out the 2020 postseason coverage on the second page!!

Context:

The simulation will start on March 24, 2020. As you know the Nationals won the 2019 world series and kept most of the players who led them to their victory. Nevertheless, the loss of Anthony Rendon and the age of their group are some aspects that will make lots of people question their ability to retain the WS title. The NL East is one of the most competitive divisions in baseball as the four teams made serious roster improvements during the offseason. The Braves have won the division the last two years and the Mets and Phillies have enough depth in their rosters to fight for the division and the NL pennant. My objective as the new GM is to capture the division title again and try to build an impressive dynasty.

Manager and Game Settings:
I will be the General Manager and keep Dave Martinez as my first team manager. Martinez and the Minor league managers will handle the in-game strategy and I will handle the lineups, pitching staff and the depth charts (The minor league staff will handle this for the minor league teams)
The injury level will be high to resemble modern-day baseball.
Aging speed is set at: 0.80
Development speed is set at: 1.05
The trading difficulty will be hard and favor prospects.
Player evaluation settings are: 50/30/15/5

Big League Roster evaluation:
*The active roster was automatically set when starting the game and the 40 man roster has currently 28 players.

SP: We have one of the top rotations of the league. Scherzer, Strasburg, and Corbin all have a rating of 70 or higher. Strasburg and Corbin have monstrous contracts and the owner would like to sign Scherzer to an extension (he has two years of contract remaining). Hopefully, Anibal Sanchez and Joe Ross can deliver what is expected from the number 4 and 5 starters. If the season is going well for us, acquiring a starter before the tradeline might be a smart move

RP: The relievers have been the weak spot for the Nationals in the last 4 years. Doolittle and Harris are the two stars of the bullpen. I also have high expectations for Rainey, Suero, and Hudson. In spite of their low ratings, Bourque, Elias, and Abad (the last two are experienced lefties) will be part of the opening day roster.
C: Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki will platoon. Gomes is a better defender but Suzuki is better with the bat. Both of them are veterans and acquiring a decent catcher might be in place thinking in the 2021 season.
IF: We are going to have a 7 player infield. Most of the players can play in various positions. Nevertheless, Trea Turner will play at shortstop, Howie Kendrick mostly at second base not first and Asdrubal Cabrera mostly at third. Carter Kieboom, the team's top prospect, will be on the opening day roster but I have not decided if he will be in the starting lineup. Turner, Thames, and Kieboom are still young but is a little naive to expect a great performance by the rest of the infielders.
OF: The outfield is practically set. Soto in left Field (he is the star and the most dangerous player of the lineup), Robles at center field and Eaton playing right. The 4th outfielder will be Taylor who has a great defense and can play anywhere in the outfield.

Farm System:
There is very little to be said about our farm system. We don´t have many talented minor leaguers and we will have to work with what we have at the major level. Our top prospect is Luis Garcia, a shortstop, the only position we have very well covered with Trea Turner. Hopefully, we can sign some amateur internationals FA´s and improve the roster.

Owner goals:
2020. Reach playoffs (I think that is very possible)
2020. Upgrade right field (We don´t have a lot of prospects that are valuable to have a big trade)
2022. Sign Scherzer to an extension
2022. Find a team leader

Front Office status

We have 22M for free agents and 31M for extensions
I will take advantage of the fan loyalty and the market size to rise the ticket prices to $45. (They were at $42)
I´ve increased the development budget from 9M in 2019 to 11.190 M in 2020
I´ve increased the scouting budget from 8.4M in 2019 to 10.170 M in 2020
The current budget is the 6th biggest in the league and the current payroll is the 8th

*played in OOTP21
All comments and thanks are highly welcomed! I hope you all enjoy the thread and I hope I can interact with a lot of baseball fans. (I miss baseball a lot)

[lucho2107]

W,(3-2) @Citi Field
The first game of the new season was a complete nailbiter. We beat the Mets at Citi Field by 3-2. The top two pitchers in the National League of the last few years (Scherzer and deGrom) faced in a great matchup. Max went 6.1 innings, allowed 2 earned runs, both came off a homer in the 4th by Wilson Ramos, and punched out 7. Jacob deGrom went the distance as he threw 111 pitches in 8 innings and allowed 3 earned runs. Our bullpen had a good game as Suero, Rainey, Doolittle, and Harris (who earned his first save in a Nationals uniform) contained the Mets to just two runners in the final 2.2 innings. Our offense was commanded by Juan Soto and Eric Thames (the #3 and #4 hole hitters). Soto went 2 for 3 with the go-ahead RBI and a walk and Thames went deep off deGrom in the 4th with a runner on base. The leadoff hitter was Eaton and Turner batted second as I want to give the lineup a little more balanced in the left and righty department. As a fan of defensive substitutions, I am glad to see that our manager made several at the bottom of the 9th.

L, (5-6) @ Citi Field
The team came up swinging as we scored 4 runs in the first inning vs Noah Syndergaard thanks to four doubles from Tuner, Soto, Kendrick, and Cabrera. Nevertheless, Patrick Corbin, who took the ball for the second game of the series struggled as he gave up 5 runs in 5.1 innings. We were tied coming to the 8th but a run-scoring single from Guillorme vs Will Harris helped the Mets clinch their first W of the season. Jake Marinisk, the new center fielder of the Mets, was named player of the game. He had a 4 for 4 game with 3 RBI´s.

W, (5-0) @Citi Field
Behind the 2019 World Series MVP, Stephen Strasburg, we had our first shutout win of the season. Strasburg threw a complete game, the first pitcher of the 2020 season to do so, and allowed only one hit ( a bunt to Marinisck in the third) while punching out 7. On the offensive side, Adam Eaton had a leadoff homer against Marcus Stroman, his first of the year. Starlin Castro made his debut for us and went 2 for 5. The team batted Stroman around and he only lasted 3.2 innings and gave up the only 5 runs scored in the game.

[lucho2107]

W, (7-1) @Marlins Park
The second road series of the year started with a win thanks to an amazing performance by Anibal Sanchez. His final slash line was 8.2 IP/1ER/7K. James Bourque finished the game as he recorded his first appearance of the year. The offense depended on the long ball as Eaton, Soto, and Kendrick went deep. Eric Thames has been struggling since his homer in the first game of the season (0 for 17) and Kurt Suzuki started the season slow as well (0 for 12). Carter Kieboom had his first appearance of the year and went 2 for 3 with a couple of RBI´s and a walk. His performance earned him a spot in the starting lineup for the second game of the series.

L, (2-4) @ Marlins Park
The Marlins earned their third win of the season thanks to a strong performance from their pitching staff. Pablo Lopez, their starter just went 3 innings, but four relievers managed to keep our team scoreless for the next six frames. Joe Ross, first start of the season was mediocre as he gave up4 runs in 6.1 innings. The offense went quietly. Kieboom had a 1 for 4 game and is still fighting for the starting job at third base. He lost some points as he had an error, his first of the year.

League News
DJ LeMahieu was diagnosed with a torn labrum and will miss 4 months.

W, (2-0) @Marlins Park
Our second consecutive series finale win via the shutout. This time our other ace, Max Scherzer, threw an absolute gem and had a complete game. He gave up 3 hits and punched out 12 rivals. In spite, of the inspiring pitching performances, the offense struggled a bit again and scored just 2 runs behind a couple of sac hits by Carter Kieboom. Kieboom is proving himself offensively but he seems like a liability on the field with another error.

W, (3-2) @Nationals Park
The first home series of the season was against the Mets. The crowd went home happy after a one-run win. Juan Soto and Eric Thames had both solos shots. Kurt Suzuki RBI-double was the difference in the final score. Corbin had a good game allowing 2 earned runs in 7.1 innings. Both of those runs came after Corbin was replaced as Rainey couldn't hold the runners. Doolittle threw a clean ninth and earned his first save of the season.

W, (5-3) @Nationals Park
Strasburg´s first home appearance of the season mixed highs and lows as he recorded 11 strikeouts but allowed 3 runs in 6 innings of works. Nevertheless, the bullpen recorded a good performance as they kept the Mets hitless for the next three frames. The offense figured out again Stroman stuff and had 11 hits and 5 runs in the first 4.2 innings. Victor Robles had his first homer of the year. Kieboom and Suzuki both had a 2 hit game.

W, (13-1) @Nationals Park
The Sunday game was the first blowout win for us this 2020 season. We are off to a hot start and got our first sweep of the year. Again it was an incredible 8 inning effort for Anibal Sanchez who allowed just one run in 3 hits. He also had a good effort on the plate as he went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Our offense came up big early as we scored 11 runs in the first three innings Trea Turner had a great game and recorded his first two homers of the year. It was a great day as all of the Nationals who came to the plate recorded at least one hit. Porcello, Brach, and Wilson suffered a lot on the mound for the Mets who recorded their sixth loss of the season.

[lucho2107]

W, (18-12) @Nationals Park
The new week started with a weird game. We scored 10 runs in the first inning thanks to a leadoff homer by Trea Turner, a 2 run-homer by Juan Soto, a solo shot by Kurt Suzuki, and a Grand Slam by Michael A Taylor. We scored again in the next few innings as Juan Soto delivered another homer and Carter Kieboom went deep for the first time in 2020. The team was holding a comfortable 18-2 lead in the 6th inning but the Marlins scored 4 runs off Abad and another 3 off Suero to shorten the lead. Abad, a bet for this season, had a terrible first outing and might not have a lot more of opportunities in the major league roster.

W, (10-5) @Nationals Park
Our winning streak continues as we won the second game of the home series against the Marlins. Scherzer had an okay start as he went 7.2 innings allowing 3 runs and striking out 10. The 3 runs came thanks to a 3-run homer in the 4th inning by Lewis Brinson. Suero and Abad finished the game but struggled again and allowed a couple of runs. Juan Soto went deep again for his fifth homer of the year. Howie Kendrick had 3 hits and 3 RBI´s in 5 plate appearances.

Roster moves
Some bad news as Starlin Castro was diagnosed with a fractured elbow and will be out of action for at least 4 months. He was placed on the 60 day IL. Andrew Stevenson was called up from AAA.

W, (4-0) @Nationals Park
Our third shutout win of the year came thanks to a good performance by Patrick Corbin, Tanner Rainey, and Daniel Hudson. Kieboom is still swinging a hot bat and he was the key man offensively as he went 2 for 4 with a double and a couple of RBI´s. Andrew Stevenson made his season debut and went 1 for 3 with a single and walk.

Roster moves
Adam Eaton was diagnosed with a fractured thumb and will go the 10-day IL. Wilmer Difo was called up from AAA. Michael Taylor will start in right field.

W, (6-2) @Dodger Stadium
We traveled west to face the Dodgers and we won the first game of the series behind Stephen Strasburg. He went seven innings, allowed just 2 runs and punched out 10. Rainey, Elias, and Doolittle combined to finish the game without allowing a single run. The defense was pretty sloppy as we had 3 errors one by Thames, Kieboom, and Kendrick. With Eaton out of the lineup, I´ve made some moves. Turner is back to the leadoff spot, Soto is batting second, Thames third and Kendrick is on the cleanup spot.

W, (4-1) @Dodger Stadium
Thanks to another excellent effort from our pitching staff we managed to keep our winning streak alive (9 straight W) and are still undefeated in the month of April. Aníbal Sanchez had another great start as he went 6 innings and allowed a single run. Bourque and Doolittle had each a scoreless inning each and Rainey came out for the ninth and got his first save of the year. The offense came up big in clutch moments and recorded 4 runs in just 6 hits. Zimmerman had a key RBI double in the 7th. Eric Thames has been struggling on the plate and has a season average of just .185

L, (5-7) @Dodger Stadium
Our streak ended in a very cruel fashion as Daniel Hudson blew a one-run lead by giving up a three-run walk-off homer to Justin Turner. Joe Ross had a good outing facing a tough lineup and only gave up 3 runs in 7 innings. The team managed to batt around the young star Walker Buehler as he gave up 5 runs in 4 innings. Juan Soto had a homer, his sixth of the year. We had a season-high of 5 double plays in the game. Juan Soto was named the National League player of the week.

[lucho2107]

L, (2-6) @T-Mobile Park
We traveled to Seattle to play our first interleague series of the year. We lost thanks to a disastrous sixth inning as a throwing error by Turner with two outs came back to haunt us when the Mariners score four 2-out runs. Scherzer finished the day with a slash line of 6.1IP/2H/3ER/7K. Michael A Taylor has been doing a good job filling up for Adam Eaton on right field and he went deep for the second time this season.

W, (6-4) @T-Mobile Park
After a couple of consecutive losses, a late-inning rally powered by the long ball helped us secure our thirteen win of the year. The defense has been a weak spot and this time another two-out error by Eric Thames cost the starting pitcher 4 unearned runs. Corbin went just 5 innings. The bullpen did a good job keeping the Mariners scoreless and Doolittle earned his third save of the year by throwing a clean ninth inning. Turner went deep on the seventh, while Soto and Suzuki had back to back homers in the 8th to give us the lead. Asdrubal Cabrera also went deep and he recorded his first homer of the year.

League News
Ozzie Albies was diagnosed with a broken hand and is expected to miss the next 4 months.

L, (7-8) @Nationals Park
The first game of the home series against the Chicago Cubs was a loss in spite of a couple of late-inning heroics by our offense. Strasburg had a quality start as he went 6 innings allowing 2 runs and punching out 11. He left the team leading the ballgame by one run. Nevertheless, at the top of the 8th Happ hit a 2-run homer of Rainey. On the bottom of the ninth with 2 outs, Howie Kendrick brought Stevenson home with a single and tied the game. The Cubs scored 3 more on the tenth against Hudson, who was been struggling, but Zimmerman tied it again with a 3-run homer, his first of the year. In the 12th inning, a single by Kipnis of Suero brought Bryant home to secure the one-run victory by the Cubs.

L, (3-5) @Nationals Park
Its been a tough week for the bullpen as we recorded our second straight loss against the Cubs. Sanchez was okay by giving up 3 runs in seven innings but Harris gave up one on the eight and Doolittle another on the ninth and that cost us the game. Trea Turner is having a strong year offensively and he recorded his fifth homer of the year. Eric Thames is really struggling to keep a decent batting average and the starting job at 1B will go to Zimmerman for a while.

L, (3-11) @Nationals Park
Another home loss, this time it was a blowout. Joe Ross was roughed up by the Cubs lineup and he gave up 6 runs in three innings. Hudson, Suero, and Abad did an awful job at relief and there will be some changes in the bullpen after this series ends. Yu Darvish dominated our lineup and only allowed one run in 7 innings (A Soto Homer in the 4th). Zimmerman had a good day by going 2 for 4 and he will be the regular first baseman. Kris Bryant was named player of the game thanks to his 2 homers and 5 RBI´s.

The Sunday game was rained out and postponed.

League News:
Wei-Yen Chen of the Seattle Mariners threw a no-hitter vs the Oakland A´s
Reynaldo Lopez of the CWS has suffered a damaged elbow ligament and will undergo TJ surgery.

Roster Moves
Fernando Abad was DFA´d and Wander Suero was optioned to AAA. Erick Fedde and Javy Guerra were called up. I´ve offered a major league contract to free-agent reliever Sam Tuivailala.

[lucho2107]

W, (10-5) @Nationals Park
We snapped out of the losing streak by hitting around Clayton Kershaw during the first two innings. A couple of doubles by Soto and Kendrick and a homer by Zimmerman on the second inning allowed us to score six runs and be in control of the game. Scherzer gave up 4 runs in 7.1 innings of work but struck out 15, a season-high for him. Fedde made his first appearance of the year and gave up a run.

W, (16-5) @Nationals Park
It was Michael A Taylor day as he went deep three times, had a double, a walk and 7 RBI´s. It might have been his best day as a baseball player. The offense rallied behind him and Kendrick, Zimmerman, and Suzuki also went deep. Corbin had a decent outing by allowing just one run in six innings and Javy Guerra made his first season appearance by throwing a clean eighth inning. Doolittle and Fedde struggled and each gave up 2 earned runs.

W, (9-5) @Nationals Park
We´ve swept the Dodger thanks to a comfortable win on the series finale. We scored 8 runs in the first inning, thanks to a base-clearing double from Juan Soto and a towering homer by Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman went deep in the second inning again and he has been raking the past few games, he has 5 homers in just 20 at-bats. Strasburg had a pretty mediocre outing and gave up 4 runs in 6 innings but managed to get the win, to improve his season record to 4-0.

L, (2-5) @Oracle Park
We traveled west for the second series of the week and we dropped the opener. Jhonny Cueto had an amazing performance for the Giants as he went 8 innings allowing just 2 runs. Our starter, Anibal Sanchez, struggled as he managed to go 5.1 innings in 110 pitches and allowed three runs. He was tagged with the loss and his season record is 3-1. The good news is that Javy Guerra and Daniel Hudson both threw scoreless innings.

L, (0-2) @Oracle Park
The red hot Giants have shut us down for the first time this season. A great performance by their pitching staff was enough as they only allowed 5 hits and 2 bases on balls. Joe Ross did what he could, as he threw 7 innings of 2-run baseball but the offense didn't back him up.

L, (2-3) @Oracle Park
We´ve been officially swept for the first time this season. In spite of outhitting the Giants, and leading until the 8th inning an error from Taylor in a routine flyball allowed the home team to score two runs and take the win. Scherzer had a quality outing, yet another one and Javy Guerra is turning out to be a very reliable reliever. The good news is that Carter Kieboom is still improving at the plate and he has a great season average of .342

Roster moves
Pedro Baez was claimed from waivers from LA. Erick Fedde will be optioned to AAA to make room for him in the active roster. Fernando Abad finished his waiver period and was assigned to AAA.

[lucho2107]

L, (1-4) @Miller Park
The defense keeps being a headache as 3 of the 4 runs the Brewers scored were unearned. Patrick Corbin went 5.2 innings and gave up one earned run via the long ball to the young second baseman, Luis Urias. Pedro Baez made his debut in a Nationals uniform as he recorded the final out of the sixth innings. We had seven hits and 3 bases on balls but we failed to have the clutch hit. Daniel Hudson had another scoreless inning.

L, (0-5) @Miller Park
Our second shoutout loss of the season came on the second game of the series against the Brewers. The pitching staff of the home team was amazing as they only allowed 6 hits and 3 bases on balls. Strasburg suffered an injury after the second inning and had to be taken out of the game. It´s not probable that he will make his next scheduled start. Daniel Hudson was credited with the loss as he had a bad outing and gave un 2 earned runs.

W, (18-2) @Miller Park
We won the series finale thanks to an incredible performance by our offense. Zimmerman and Soto both had multi-homer days and recorded 5 RBI´s. Suzuki had a great game at the plate as he went 5 for 5 with a homer a double and 3 RBI´s. Sanchez went 6 innings and allowed 2 runs, but had to leave the game due to a minor injury. Hopefully, that won't be a problem for his next start.

Roster moves
Some terrible news as Roenis Elias, who was having a good season, was diagnosed with radial nerve compression and will miss the rest of the season. Fedde was called up from AAA. We will look to trade for a lefty reliever.

W, (8-3) @Nationals Park
We flew back home to face the Reds for the first time this season. We took the series opener thanks to another amazing performance by Soto and Turner. Turner, who is batting leadoff, went deep on the first pitch thrown to our team and repeated in the 4th inning. Soto also had a 2 homer day (back to back multi-homer games) and his stats for the day were 3 AB/2H/2HR/2BB. Joe Ross had a quality start as he allowed 2 runs in 6 innings of work. Both of those runs came thanks to a 2-run homer by Mike Moustakas in the top of the third. Pedro Baez threw another clean inning and Tanner Rainey had a perfect final inning as he struck out the side.

League News
The Yankees have sent LF Mike Tauchman along with minor leaguer CF Antonio Cabello in exchange for rookie reliever Kodi Whitley and minor leaguer RHP Junior Fernandez.
George Springer signed a 7-year extension worth 185.6M with the Astros

L, (6-12) @Nationals Park
It was an unlikely game as our ace Max Scherzer had a terrible outing. He gave up 6 runs in 2 innings. Nick Castellanos homered twice of him. The relievers who are supposed to be the best (Harris and Doolittle) struggled and are having a terrible month of April. Suzuki had a good game at the plate and he is the hottest batter on the team.

W, (5-4) @Nationals Park
We came from behind to take the Sunday game and the home series against the Reds. Patrick Corbin delivered seven innings of decent work, he gave up 2 earned runs, and Bourque and Doolittle shut the door on the Reds. After being 4 runs down in the seventh a 2 run bomb from Zimmerman placed us within distance. An 8th inning rally in which Carter Kieboom had a 2-out 2-RBI double helped us tie the game. A single from Turner in the ninth brought Taylor to the plate giving us our first walk-off win of the year. For the second time, this season Juan Soto was named NL player of the week.

League News
Brandon Morrow, the Cubs closer, was diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow and will miss at least the next 4 months.

[lucho2107]

Roster News
Adam Eaton has recovered from his injury and is back in the active roster. Andrew Stevenson was demoted to AAA to make room.

W, (5-4) @Nationals Park
The first game of the series against the Diamondbacks looked like a comfortable win but a shaky performance by Erick Fedde in the 8th inning made the victory harder than it should. Rainey did well by achieving the final 5 outs and he earned his second save of the year. Eaton made his first appearance since coming back from the IL and went 1 for 4 with a base on balls and a strikeout. Ryan Zimmerman commanded the victory as he brought 3 runs in 2 hits.

L, (7-8) @Nationals Park
It was not a good decision to start Sanchez in the game. He was battling some back stiffness and it showed by allowing 6 runs in the first inning thanks to a grand slam by Eduardo Escobar and a 2 run shot by Nick Ahmed. The team rallied and managed to tie the game by the 8th inning thanks to good performances by Zimmerman, Kieboom, and Robles. Nevertheless, the bullpen was shaky again on key moments and Doolittle gave up the decisive run on the top of the 9th.

Roster News
We´ve made a trade looking to improve our bullpen. Minor league reliever Jacob Howell was sent to the Giants in exchange for LHP Tony Watson (10% retain) and minor leaguer RHP Frank Rubio. Erick Fedde was demoted to AAA to make room in the active roster.

W, (8-7) @Nationals Park
We took the series thanks to the second walk-off win of the season. Joe Ross struggled as he only survived through 4.2 innings and allowed 6 runs. Sean Doolittle was in charge of the save but he blew it allowing the DiamondBacks to tie the game. Lucky for us the offenses rallied in the 9th and a run-scoring single by Carter Kieboom decided the game.

W, (5-0) @Nationals Park
We played the Cubs on a morning game that replaced the one that was rained out a couple of weeks back. Max Scherzer bounced back from a bad outing and had an amazing performance by going 8 shutout innings, allowing just 4 hits and punching out 12. He recorded his 4th win of the season. The team scored all 5 runs against the Cubs opener Jose Quintana. Zimmerman had a two-run shot and has 10 homers on the season.

L, (2-5) @Wrigley Field
The first game of this road series was a tough loss. Corbin suffered an injury before the game and the bullpen had to compete throughout the whole game. It was a decent performance but Tony Watson's first appearance as a Nat was a bust as he gave up 2 earned runs in one inning. Our two runs came thanks to an RBI single from Adam Eaton and a sac fly from Ryan Zimmerman.

L, (1-5) @Wrigley Field
Strasburg´s bad first inning and a good performance by the Cubs pitching staff were enough to help the Cubs win and sweep us.

[lucho2107]

W, (8-6) @Angel Stadium of Anaheim
The first game of this interleague series went our way thanks to a great performance by our star outfielder, Juan Soto. Soto went 4 for 4 with 3 RBI´s, a double, a homer and a base on balls. Trea Turner, who is batting second with the return of Eaton to the starting lineups, also went deep and he is now up to 9 HR´s on the season. Aníbal Sanchez had a quality start as he went 6.0 innings allowing just one run. Pedro Baez struggled in relief, he allowed three earned runs and could not record a single out. Tanner Rainey had a bad performance as well and his season ERA is up 5.14. Tony Watson had his first save as a Nat.

L, (5-6) @Angel Stadium of Anaheim
It was a tough one-run walk-off defeat on the second game of the series. Joe Ross gave up 5 runs in the first 2 innings but the team rallied and managed to tie the game and extended it to extra innings. Zimmerman had a 3 run blast on the eighth innings. Nevertheless, on the bottom of the eleventh inning, Pedro Baez allowed 2 base runners and Tanner Rainey gave up a run-scoring single to Anderlton Simmons.

Roster Moves
Tony Watson was diagnosed with a hamstring strain and will be out for 6 weeks. Sterling Sharp was called up from AAA.

L, (6-9) @Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Another rough outing for our pitching staff as we drop yet another close game. Scherzer struggled and gave up five runs and Doolittle gave up 2 more. The situation with Doolittle is so bad that I am just praying for an injury so he can figure his stuff out without being a liability for the team. David Fletcher a good game for the Angels as he went deep twice. Trea Turner went deep twice as well for us and he is second on the team with 12 homers behind Juan Soto.

L, (4-6) @Chase Field
We are not playing good baseball right now. Another loss, this time against the Diamondbacks on the road. We were up by 4 on the third inning but the pitching staff gave up 6 runs in the next 5 innings and we lost the game. Turner, Soto, and Kendrick are still raking but it does not seem enough to win games.

W, (4-6) @Chase Field
We ended the three-game losing streak thanks to a good performance by Strasburg and Soto. Stephen gave up two runs on the first inning but settle down and did not allow a single hit until the sixth inning. Harris and Bourque did a good job holding and Baez closed the game earing his first save of the season. Soto had a good game at the plate, he went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI´s. Adam Eaton also had a good game as he went 2 for 5 and had one key outfield assist.

L, (1-2) @Chase Field
The third game of the series was a pitching duel. Robbie Ray had a great game for the Diamondbacks as he went 8 innings allowing just one run. Anibal Sanchez was also good for us going 7.1 and allowing 2 runs. Michael A Taylor gave us our only run of the game via the Home Run.

L, (0-6) @Chase Field
The end of a terrible week. We have been shutout for the third time this season. Arizona lead by Madison Bumgarner silenced our bats and we only had 6 base runners in all the game. Will Harris allowed 3 runs without recording an out and Sterling Sharp had a very shaky major league debut as he gave one run in one inning.

[lucho2107]

League News
Madison Bumgarner was diagnosed with a damaged elbow ligament and will undergo TJ surgery. He will be out for a year.

W, (4-3) @Nationals Park
We are back at home after a week on the road and we managed to beat the Mariners by a slim margin. Scherzer had a decent outing and went 6.2 innings allowing 2 runs. Hudson and Rainey took care of the seventh and the eighth and Doolittle was in charge of the ninth. In spite of earning the save, Doolittle could not come up with a clean inning and gave up a run. Kieboom, Suzuki, and Kendrick went deep.

W, (9-8) @Nationals Park
The second game of the series was another one-run win for us. The pitching staff struggled, Corbin gave up 4 runs, Sharp one, Baez 2 and Harris 1 more. James Bourque, the best reliever for us this season, handled the ninth and earned his first save of the year. The offense relied on the small ball as all of the starting lineup recorded at least a single. Eric Thames went deep on the fourth inning vs Justus Sheffield for his fifth homer of the year.

L, (5-6) @Nationals Park
We blew another lead on the final innings. Strasburg left the game in the seventh after allowing just 2 runs and with a 3-run lead. Tanner Rainey gave up 3 runs in the eight and Javy Guerra gave up the decisive in the ninth. Our bullpen has the worst ERA in the National League. Howie Kendrick has been swinging a hot bat lately and recorded his 4th homer of the year.

Roster Moves
Tanner Rainey and Sterling Sharp were sent down to AAA. Jhonatan German was called up from AA and will make his Major League debut. Wander Suero was called up from AAA.

W, (5-4) @Nationals Park
It was our first extra-innings win of the year. Anibal Sanchez battled hard through 5 innings and gave up 2 runs. Javy Guerra and Will Harris had good performances in relief and Wander Suero appeared after his time in AAA to finish the game and was the pitcher on record for the win. Juan Soto had a solo shot in the 5th. Kurt Suzuki was the walk-off hero as he brought home Michael A Taylor with a double on the bottom of the 10th.

L, (7-8) @Nationals Park
The Sunday showdown against the Marlins was a very tough loss for us. We outhit our rivals by 8 hits but that was not sufficient to secure the win. A disastrous sixth inning in which we gave up 5 runs and blew a 4 run lead. Pedro Baez has been really struggling lately and he gave up 2 runs in just one inning. His Nats ERA is 6.17. Jhonatan German made his major league debut and pitched 1.1 innings giving up no hits and just one base on balls. Howie Kendrick was named the NL player of the week.

[lucho2107]

Roster Moves
We made a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. I´ve sent Pedro Baez (20% retain) and minor leaguer RHP Luis Reyes in exchange for Blake Treinen (25% retain) and 3B minor leaguer Cristian Santana

W, (6-5) @Nationals Park
We took the last game of the series in spite of the early struggles from Scherzer. He went 5 innings allowed 5 runs and punched out 10 Marlins. The bullpen kept the Miami team scoreless in the final 4 innings. Blake Treinen made his debut (this season, he played with the Nats from 2014- 2017) with the team and recorded two key outs on the eight. Juan Soto went deep again in the 5th and Kendrick is still hot as he went 2 for 5 with a couple of RBI´s.

W, (5-1) @Global Life Field
The National's first game ever Global Life Field was a comfortable win thanks to a great performance by Patrick Corbin. He totally dominated the Texas players as he only allowed 3 hits and no runs in 8 innings. He also recorded 14 punch out, a season-high for him. Jhonatan German was in charge of the ninth inning and gave up a run. Robles and Suzuki went deep for us.

W, (7-4) @Global Life Field
A mediocre performance by Strasburg was overcome thanks to a good effort from our offense. Stephen went seven innings and allowed 4 runs. Will Harris threw a great eight-inning by striking out the side and Blake Treinen recorded his first save as a Nat this season. Howie Kendrick is carrying a 7 game RBI streak. Ryan Zimmerman had a great game and went 3 for 4 with a double, a homer, and 3 RBI´s.

League News
Sam Tuivailala signed a one-year deal for 4.04M with the St Louis Cardinals
Clayton Kershaw was diagnosed with a radial nerve decompression in its elbow and will miss the rest of the season.

L, (3-9) @Global Life Field
We dropped the final game of the series thanks to a great offensive performance by Joey Gallo. Gallo had a multi-homer game and drove in 5 runs. Our offense struggled a bit and only managed to score 3 runs in 7 hits. Daniel Hudson had another tough outing giving up 3 runs in 1.1 innings pitched.

L, (7-8) @Citizens Bank Park
The Friday game was rained out so we had a doubleheader on Saturday, May the 30th. The first game was one of the most unbelievable losses of the year. We were up 5 runs up in the ninth and we blew the lead away. 2 errors and poor pitching from German and Treinen cost us the game. Joe Ross had a good game as he went seven innings allowing just 2 runs and punching out 6 rivals.

L, (6-7) @Citizens Bank Park
The second game of the doubleheader was another tough loss for us. Scherzer has been struggling lately and he allowed 5 runs in 3 innings. His season ERA is 4.69, some terrible numbers for an ace. Kendrick and Zimmerman went deep to keep us close but we couldn't tie the game and we suffered the second loss of the game.

W, (4-3) @Citizens Bank Park
We avoided getting swept by the Phillies by beating them in extra innings. Patrick Corbin was roughed up in the first few innings and only pitch through five innings allowing 3 runs. The bullpen took over and had a good game. Blake Treinen who pitched the ninth was the pitcher of record for the win and Javy Guerra earned his first save of the season. Kurt Suzuki went deep and Carter Kieboom run-scoring single on the 10th was enough to secure the win.

[lucho2107]

W, (17-9) @Nationals Park
The first series of the week was a home one facing the Milwaukee Brewers. Suzuki was the player of the game as he went deep twice and had 4 RBI´s. Juan Soto also went deep for his 16th of the year. Ryan Zimmerman had a good game offensively as he went 3 for 5 with a couple of doubles and runs batted in. The Brewers starter, Josh Lindblom, suffered in the first two innings by allowing 6 runs. Our pitching staff also suffered, as Strasburg gave up 5 runs in just 3 innings. The bet of Jhonatan German has not paid out and he is holding a WHIP of 3.00. Wander Suero has pitched better since being recalled from AAA.

League News
Garret Richards from the San Diego Padres suffered an injury and will be out for the rest of the season.

W, (4-3) @Nationals Park
A very expensive win for us as Juan Soto was injured in the first inning of the game and will go to the IL. We attacked early and scored 3 runs in the second innings thanks to Victor Robles's three-run shot. That was his 6th of the year. The offense was quiet for the rest of the game and that allowed Milwaukee to tied it. They score 3 runs off Anibal Sanchez who went 7.1 innings. On the bottom of the 12th, we started a rally thanks to a couple of hits and the winning run came thanks to a walk that Hatcher allowed to Howie Kendricks

Roster Moves
Juan Soto, our star, has been diagnosed with a strained rib cage muscle and will be out for 4 weeks. Andrew Stevenson was called up from AA to replace him.

W, (6-2) @Nationals Park
We´ve swept the Brewers after a win on the series finale. Scherzer took the ball looking to rebound from a couple of bad outings. He went 5 innings and allowed 2 runs whilst striking out 7. Suero, German, and Doolittle were in charge of the last 4 innings and did a good job by keeping the rival scoreless. Zimmerman had a good game as he went 3 for 4 with a double, a homer and 3 RBI´s. Andrew Stevenson started in right field and went 1 for 3 with a base on balls.

First-Year Player Draft
The first pick of the 2020 draft was for Detroit and thy drafted SS Austin Martin out of college.
Our main picks were:
1st round: 3B Tanner Witt out of HS. (17 years)
2nd round: C Nate Stevens out of HS. (19 years)
3rd round: SP Victor Mederos out of HS (18 years)
4th round: RP Jurgen Zwitzer out of College (19 years)
5th round: 1B TT Bowens out of College (22 years)
6th round: 3B Wade Elliot out of HS (19 years)

W, (9-2) @Nationals Park
We continued our winning streak by beating the Mets on the first game of the series. Joe Ross had a great game as he managed to punch out 10 rivals in 7 innings whilst allowing only 2 runs. Both those runs came via a 2-run homer by Ahmed Rosario in the 5th inning. Daniel Hudson had a clean eighth inning and James Bourque a clean ninth. Howie Kendrick is still magic with the bat and he went 4 for 5 with 4 RBI´s. He has a season average of .359, the highest in the majors.

L, (2-4) @Nationals Park
A couple of late-inning runs helped the Mets take game 2 of the series. Patrick Corbin 5.1 innings and allowed 2 runs. Sean Doolittle and Blake Treinen gave up each a run on the top of the ninth to give the Mets a 2 run lead. Stroman had a good game for New York as he went 8 innings allowing just 2 runs and punching out 5 of our guys.

League News
Miami Marlins send: 2B Jhonatan Villar--Chicago White Sox´s send: (Minor leaguers) 1B Jake Burgers, SS Anthony Espinoza, LF Ian Dawkins
Baltimore Orioles send: SS Jose Iglesias and minor leaguer 2B Rylan Bannon--Seattle Mariners send: (Minor leaguers) SS Noelvi Marte, 2B Mike Salvatore, C Ortwin Pietrenella

W, (11-4) @Nationals Park
After a good offensive performance, we won the third game of the series. Strasburg was our starter and he had a quality outing by going 7.1 innings, allowing 2 runs and punching out 11. Jhonatan German struggled the rest of the 8th inning, gave up 3 runs and did not record any outs. The offense carried behind a couple of 3 run homers by Turner and Zimmerman.

W, (15-4) @Nationals Park
A grand slam by Asdrubal Cabrera in the first inning vs Jacob deGrom helped us achieve our sixth win of the week. Cabrera was named player of the game after going 4 for 5 with 5 runs batted in. Turner had a good game as well by going 3 for 5 with a double, a homer and 5 RBI´s. Anibal Sanchez suffered through 5 innings by allowing 4 runs but he was awarded with his sixth win of the year. Trea Turner was named NL player of the week.

[lucho2107]

Roster Moves
Jhonatan German was sent down to AA. Aaron Barret was called up from AAA to fill his spot.

L, (3-4) @Sun Trust Park
We faced the Braves for the first time this season and suffered a tough walk-off extra-innings loss. Joe Ross had a good game as he went 7.2 innings allowing just 3 runs. The bullpen was okay but in the 12th inning, Ronald Acuña Jr connected a run-scoring single off Aaron Barret to bring home the winning run. We made lots of mistakes on the basepaths as Robles and Turner x2 were caught stealing.

League News
Kansas City Royals send: RP Greg Holland-- Los Angeles Dodgers send: (Minor leaguers) RHP Mark Washington and LHP Austin Drury

W, (3-2) @Sun Trust Park
It feels good to win in the late innings. We scored 2 runs on the top of the ninth off Braves closer, Will Smith, thanks to a double by Trea Turner. Max Scherzer had a quality outing as he gave up 2 runs in 6 innings. Will Harris and Sean Dollitle were in charge of the 7th and the 8th and Blake Treinen got his second save as Nat thanks to a clean ninth inning.

W, (4-3) @Sun Trust Park
We had another key victory thanks to another ninth-inning run. Patrick Corbin had a pretty good game for us as he went 8 innings allowing 3 runs (just one earned) and punching out 7. Michael A Taylor went deep on the seventh inning off Curt Hammels to tie the game and on the ninth Asdrubal Cabrera gave us the lead by blasting a pitch over the right-field corner. James Bourque handled the ninth and he got his second save of the year.

W, (10-0) @Citi Field
A great performance by Strasburg helped us get another shutout win on the road. Stephen threw eight frames in which he allowed only 4 hits and punched out 8. Wander Suero handled the ninth and finished the shutout victory. Victor Robles had a big offensive day as he went deep on the first pitch of the game and repeated on the eighth inning with a man on base. Howie Kendrick had a grand slam on the fifth inning off Rick Porcello that helped seal the victory

L, (0-3) @Citi Field
After a game one shutout win we suffered a shutout loss on game 2. Jacob deGrom had a complete game for the Mets and allowed just 6 hits whilst striking out 7. All three of the Mets run came in a 2 out rally in the fourth inning after a Carter Kieboom throwing mistake.

W, (5-4) @Citi Field
It´s been a week of late-inning rallies for us. Joe Ross had a good effort by going 6.1 innings and allowing 3 runs. The big names of the bullpen (Harris, Doolittle, Hudson, and Treinen) took over and kept the Mets hitless in the last few frames. After being dominated by Michael Wacha for 7 innings, we finally got through in the 8th after a pinch-hit 3-run homer by Eric Thames that gave us the lead.

[lucho2107]

W, (11-2) @Nationals Park
We were back home after a week on the road and won big against the Giants. Max Scherzer had a good game by going 7.1 innings in 114 pitches and allowing 2 earned runs in 4 hits. He struck out 14, the second time he has done that his season. The offense was carried out by Carter Kieboom who had a great game by going 2 for 3 with 2 homers and 2 bases on balls. He also had 3 RBI´s. Howie Kendrick went deep as well for his 8th home run of the season.

L, (4-5) @Nationals Park
We dropped the second game of the series thanks to a good performance by the Giant's third baseman Evan Longoria. Another one of the bullpen experiments was a bust as Aaron Barret gave up 2 runs and could not record an out in the seventh inning. He was credited with the loss. Adam Eaton and Michael A Taylor had solo shot but that was not enough and we dropped another close one.

W, (3-2) @Nationals Park
In spite of being outhit by San Francisco, we managed to get the win thanks to a good outing by our pitching staff. Strasburg recorded another quality outing and went seven frames and allowed just one run. Sean Doolittle gave up one more run in the 8th but Blake Treinen had a clean ninth inning and recorded his fourth save of the season.

League News
Kenta Maeda was diagnosed with torn flexor tendon and will be out for the rest of the season.

L, (4-7) @Nationals Park
We dropped the first game of the home series against the Braves. The biggest failure of the season, Daniel Hudson, gave up 4 runs in the 7th inning to blow a 2 run lead. The right fielder of the Braves, Marcell Ozuna, was named player of the game after hitting two homers. Zimmerman had two homers as well and he is up to 18 on the season.

W, (4-3) @Nationals Park
It was a key walk-off win for us. Joe Ross went 6 innings and allowed 3 runs. Another enormous pinch-hit homer by Eric Thames helped us tie the game on the sixth and Eaton had a run-scoring double on the ninth to bring home Asdrubal Cabrera and secure the victory. Ross was injured during the game and he might not be ready for his next scheduled start.

W, (6-4) @Nationals Park
The Sunday game against the Braves was total nail-bitter. Scherzer could not perform as expect and went 5 innings allowing 2 runs. Barrett and Doolittle gave up a couple of runs on the top of the 8th that let the Braves tie the game. Nevertheless, on the bottom of the eighth a 2-run home run by Victor Robles helped us regain the lead. Blake Treinen recorded a 5 pitch ninth inning and earned his fifth save of the year.

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W, (7-0) @Nationals Park
We won the opener game of the series against the Pirates. It was a marvelous effort by Patrick Corbin who went 8.1 shutout innings allowing just 3 hits and punching out 10. Wander Suero, handled the last 2 outs of the game. The offense depended on the long ball as all of our 7 runs came via a homer. Yan Gomes had a 3-run shot on the 4th, Howie Kendrick went deep with a man on base in the fifth, and Carter Kieboom had a solo shot in the 8th.

W, (8-1) @Nationals Park
We had a great team performance to get the second win of the series and the fourth in a row. Strasburg's final slash line was 5I.P/9H/1ER. The bullpen took care of the remaining four innings and did not allow a single hit. It was a doubles fest as we recorded six of them. Victor Robles was named player of the game, he went 4 for 4 with a double, a triple, a base on balls and 3 runs batted in.

League News
Cincinnati Reds send: SS Fredy Galvis--Milwaukee Brewers send: (Minor Leaguers) LHP Ethan Small and 2B Didimo Bracho
Seth Lugo will undergo TJ surgery and will be out for the rest of the season.

L, (6-10) @Nationals Park
A terrible seventh inning in which the Pirates scored 7 runs cost us the third game of this home series. Anibal Sanchez gave up 7 runs in 11 hits in six innings and Daniel Hudson, who was commanded to stop the bleeding on the seventh, gave up 3 more by allowing a grand slam to Bryan Reynolds. Hudson is a complicate situation, he has a high contract and cant be demoted to the minors so I will have to stick out with him.

Roster Moves
Aaron Barret was demoted to AAA. Austin Voth was called up and will start instead of Joe Ross who is still battling a sprained ankle.

W, (5-1) @Nationals Park
Austin Voth´s first appearance and start of the season was absolutely phenomenal. He had a 114- pitch effort, in which he allowed one run on 3 hits over 7.2 innings. The incredible performance from the starter got some backup in Turner who had a 3 for 3 game with a couple of RBI´s and with Zimmerman who went deep in the seventh with 2 on.

W, (7-4) @Great American Ball Park
Victor Robles's week has been amazing. In the first game at Cinncinati, he went 4 for 4 with a 3 run home run and a couple of stolen bases. Scherzer, who was credited with the W, was a victim of the long ball and gave up 4 runs in 2 homers. Blake Treinen has improved a lot and he earned another save. His season ERA with us is 0.82

League News
Seattle Mariners send: SS J.P Crawford and ML C Cal Reigh--Cinncinati Reds send: RHP Tyler Mahle

L, (5-10) @Great American Ball Park
After a couple of good starts, Patrick Corbin struggled and had to leave the game after just three innings of work. He gave up 4 runs. The bad performance by our starter was followed up by a more bad performance from relievers Harris and Guerra who gave up 6 more runs. Joe Ross, who might be a solution for the bullpen if Austin Voth delivers as the fifth starter, had his first appearance as a reliever in the season and threw a clean ninth. Eric Thames went deep for his 8th homer of the year.

Roster Moves
Juan Soto is finally back! Andrew Stevenson was optioned to AAA to make room for him in the active roster.

League News
Blockbuster trade: Kyle Schwarber and minor leaguer C Rominer Quintero were traded to the Mets in exchange for Marcus Stroman and 4.67M

W, (8-7) @Great American Ball Park
Juan Soto is back and everything is good with the world. Soto went 2 for 5 after 4 weeks out of action and had the decisive homer on the top of the ninth inning. Strasburg had a bad outing as he gave up 5 runs in 5 innings. Suero also struggled but the rest of the pen was okay and Blake Treinen recorded another save. This was our 50th win of the year and we are 1 game behind the Braves in the race for the NL East.

[lucho2107]

L, (1-3) @Busch Stadium
We suffered a tough walk-off loss in the first game of the series against the Cardinals. Aníbal Sanchez had a great performance as he went 8 innings allowing just one run. The run came in the 4th inning thanks to a solo shot by Tyler O´Neil, his first of the year. Our run came thanks to a sac fly by Kurt Suzuki after a Victor Robles triple. At the bottom of the eleventh Daniel Hudson gave a hit and Joe Ross allowed a towering home-run to Tyler O´Neil.

L, (0-1) @Busch Stadium
We were shutout after a great performance by Kwang Kim that went seven innings without allowing a hit. His no-hitter game ended in the 8th thanks to a double by Trea Turner. The rest of the pitching staff of the Cardinals finished the game allowing two more hits in the ninth. Austin Voth had a good second outing by just allowing one run in six innings. He is going to keep his job as the #5 starter for more time.

League News
Felix Peña of the Los Angeles Angels threw a no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Hunter Strickland was traded from the Mariners to the Diamondbacks in exchange for minor leaguer RHP Jeff Bain

L, (6-10) @Busch Stadium
Another disappointing performance by Max Scherzer made us drop the third game of the series against the Cardinals. Scherzer gave up 6 runs in 4.2 innings. The experiment of Joe Ross in the bullpen is turning out to be a disaster as he gave up 4 runs in the seventh inning and only recorded one out. Victor Robles and Adam Eaton had solo shots. Juan Soto had his second homer since coming back from the IL.

L, (5-6) @Busch Stadium
It has been a rather unlucky series against the Cards. We dropped another extra-innings game and we were swept in this 4 game away series. Our starting rotation has been suffering lately and Corbin was not the exception as he gave up 5 runs in 5 innings.

W, (4-3) @Nationals Park
In spite of the early injury that Strasburg suffered we managed to get past the Astros and end our losing streak. Our bullpen had a good game and they managed to keep the Astros from scoring during the middle and last innings. Zimmerman was named player of the game as a 3-run home-run (his 20th of the year) on the fifth helped us get ahead on the score.

L, (3-10) @Nationals Park
Not much to say about another awful loss. Anibal Sanchez was roughed up in the first few innings. Joe Ross also suffered in relief as well as Daniel Hudson. Greinke had a good game for the Astros as he went seven innings and allowed just 2 earned runs.

Roster Moves
I´ve traded minor leaguer, C Mason Doolittle, to the Orioles in exchange for RHP Michael Givens. I´ve traded Daniel Hudson (50% retain) to the San Diego Padres in exchange for minor leaguer RHP Javy Guerra and minor leaguer RHP Jordan Guerrero.

W, (7-5) @Nationals Park
In spite of the early struggles by Austin Voth, who gave up 3 runs on the first inning, we came back and won the final game of the series against the Astros. Austin Voth recovered from that bad first inning and went 6 innings allowing 4 runs in 5 hits. Michael Givens made his first appearance as a National´s player and threw a shoutout eight-inning allowing one hit. Blake Treinen recorded the save and his season total is up to 9. Trea Turner and Kurt Suzuki had solo homers. Victor Robles was named NL player of the week.

[lucho2107]

L, (3-7) @Nationals Park
We´ve suffered a lot facing the Cardinals this season so far. Max Scherzer is having one of his worst seasons ever and he allowed 4 runs in 6.1 innings. The bullpen gave some insurance runs on the final innings so the Cardinals cruise easily into victory. Carter Kieboom has entered a slump the last few weeks as did Howie Kendrick. Trea Turner had another home run.

L, (3-7) @Nationals Park
We were leading the ball game till the top of the ninth inning by a run and Blake Treinen could not close it. He gave up 3 runs and could not record a single out. Patrick Corbin had a decent outing as he gave up 2 runs in 6.1 innings pitched. Victor Robles and Asdrubal Cabrera are our hottest players and both had a multi-hit effort.

L, (7-8) @Nationals Park
We´ve been swept at home by our black beast. Our pitching staff suffered throughout the game. We managed to score 4 runs in the bottom of the eight but Treinen gave up a homer on the top of the 9th that ended up being the decisive run. Juan Soto homer again and he is up to 20 on the season.

Roster Moves
We´ve signed with a 3M bonus RF Miroel Palermo from the international amateur pool. He is 16

League News
The Mets have traded Dominic Smith to the Boston Red Sox´s. They have received reliever Ryan Brasier and minor leaguer RHP Tanner Houck

L, (3-9) @Nationals Park
We dropped the fourth game on a row, this time it was the first one of the series against the Phillies. Voth suffered after an error from Turner and allowed 6 runs (3 unearned in the first 4 innings). Zimmerman had his 21st homer of the year.

W, (6-4) @Nationals Park
We won again! Strasburg started in spite of his back spams and had a decent game as he went 6 innings allowing just 3 earned runs. He will go in the 15 day IL because he has an unclear recovery now. The bullpen shut down the Phillies and we managed to secure the win thanks to a rally in the bottom of the sixth inning. Robles homered and Adam Eaton was named player of the game. He went 3 for 4 with a base on balls and an RBI.

Roster Moves
Strasburg was placed on the 15-day IL. Tony Watson was recalled from his rehab assignment on the minors

All-Star News
Stephen Strasburg, Howie Kendrick, Juan Soto, and Adam Eaton were named to represent the National League on the All-Star game.
On the All-Star prospect game, some players from our organization were named: Matt Croin CL (A) and Luis Garcia 2B (AA)

W, (3-0) @Nationals Park
We shut down the Phillies before the All-Star break. Scherzer, finally, had a great outing and went 7.2 innings without allowing a single run and punching out 14. Givens, Treinen, and Watson finished the shutout. Watson earned his second save of the year. Robles, Kieboom, and Zimmerman had a good game offensively.

League News
The Brewers have traded for Brandon Kintzler. The Marlins received minor leaguer C Jeyner Baez.

[lucho2107]

All-Star News
Yordan Alvarez has won the HR Derby beating Ronald Acuña Jr in the final
The NL defeated the AL by 1-0. Fernando Tatis Jr was named the All-Star MVP

League News
The Cubs have traded catcher Victor Caratini to the Indians and received Carlos Carassco and 2.86M in cash.
The Mariners sent Wei-Yen Chen and Evan White to the Reds in exchange for Derek Dietrich
The Mets sent 3B J. Davis to the Rangers in exchange for CL Jose Leclerc and minor leaguer SS Maximo Acosta

L, (1-2) @PNC Park
Max Scherzer had another decent outing after the All-star break but that was not enough to beat the Pirates. The offense was totally dominated by Joe Musgrove and the Pirates pitching staff and we only managed to score one run in 7 hits.

W, (3-2) @PNC Park
We came back on the last few innings to earn a crucial victory. Patrick Corbin had a quality outing by going 7 innings and allowing 2 runs. The bullpen did a good job holding the rival and Guerra was credited with the win and the save. It was an Adam Eaton single on the top of the 10th that gave us the winning run.

League News
David Price of the Los Angeles Dodgers was diagnosed with some damaged elbow ligament and will be out for the season.

W, (9-1) @PNC Park
A great offensive performance by Juan Soto lead the team to a series finale win. Soto went 3 for 3 with a double, 2 homers, 2 bases on balls and 5 RBI´s. Michael A Taylor had a 3-run homer on the eighth inning. The great offensive display was accompanied by a good pitching performance by Anibal Sanchez who went 8 innings and allowed just one run.

[lucho2107]

Roster Moves
I´ve made a trade to acquire starting pitcher Kevin Gausman from the San Francisco Giants. The Giants received minor leaguer RHP Jackson Stoeckinger. Joe Ross was DFA´d and placed on waivers.

L, (5-10) @Citizens Park
Maybe Voth is not ready for the majors either. He gave up 8 runs and only recorded one out. Realmuto, McCutchen, and Gregorious all recorded homers off Voth. The Phillies scored 9 runs on the first and the game was decided there. A tough loss as all of our bullpen arms saw action and will be probably tired for the rest of the series. Zimmerman and Cabrera had homers.

League News
Blockbuster Trade AJ Pollock was traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the New York Yankees. The Dodgers received James Paxton in return.
Richard Bleier was traded from the Orioles to the Blue Jays.

W, (6-1) @Citizens Park
A good pitching performance by Scherzer and the bullpen helped us steal the second game of the series. Max went just 4 innings in 65 pitches and allowed the Phillies only run of the game. Watson, who had a 1.2 inning relief appearance, was awarded the win. The offense relied on some key hits by Turner, Kieboom, and Kendrick.

Roster News
Ryan Zimmerman signed a one-year extension worth 1.5M

W, (9-1) @Citizens Park
We cruised through the third inning of the series. All-Star Kevin Gausman had his first appearance in a Nationals uniform and went seven innings allowing just one run in four hits. Trea Turner had a couple of doubles and drove in 4 runs. Victor Robles also had a good game as he went 3 for 5 with a couple of runs batted in.

L, (0-3) @Citizens Park
We were shutout on the last game of the series vs the Phillies. Patrick Corbin had a good game but surrender a 3-run homer to Rhys Hoskins in the fifth inning. Our offense was completely and totally dominated by Zack Wheller who went eight innings.

W, (5-3) @Nationals Park
We took the first game of the home series against the Braves thanks to a great effort by Anibal Sanchez. Anibal threw eigth frames of three-run baseball and recorded his 8th win of the year. Turner and Soto, the 3 and 4 hitters kept raking and were the main players on the offensive side.

L, (2-3) @Nationals Park
Austin Voth last performance before being placed on waivers was a good outing as he went seven innings and allowed just 2 runs. Will Harris gave up the decisive run on the top of the ninth. Turner and Kieboom had a couple of doubles that scored our only 2 runs of the game.

L, (2-3) @Nationals Park
We dropped the last game of this key series against the Braves. Max Scherzer had a quality outing and gave up just 2 runs in six innings. The offense went quiet against a very efficient Braves bullpen.

Roster moves
Strasburg is back from the IL. Starlin Castro was recalled from his rehab assignment on AAA. Difo and Ross cleared waivers and were demoted to the Minors.

League News
The Blue Jays acquired SP Mike Minor from the Rangers.
The Cubs acquired CF Jarrod Dyson from the Pirates.
The Dodgers acquired LHP Andrew Chafin from the Diamondbacks
The Phillies acquired LF Starling Marte from the Diamondbacks.

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L, (6-11) @Nationals Park
We dropped the first game of the home series against the Colorado Rockies. Gausman's second start was not as good as his first one, he gave up 4 runs in 5 innings. Doolittle, Watson, and Harris struggled on relief. Wolters, the catcher of the Rockies, had a massive game as he went deep twice. Kendrick, Soto, and Thames went deep for us.

League News
The Cardinals acquired SP Trevor Bauer from the Reds
The Brewers acquired 3B Miguel Andujar from the Yankees
The Yankees acquired RHP Corbin Burnes from the Brewers
The Dodgers acquired RHP Ivan Nova from the Tigers

W, (10-6) @Nationals Park
Strasburg returned after a couple of weeks in the IL and had to leave the game after 24 pitches. The rest of the bullpen did a good job keeping the Rockies offense quiet. In the final innings tried a comeback but they fell 4 runs short. Harris and Treinen are in a slump. Turner was named player of the game by going 3 for 4 with a double, a homer, and three runs batted in. Soto, Robles, and Kieboom had a three-hit game as well.

L, (5-9) @Nationals Park
The sloppy defense came back to haunt us in the last game of the home series vs Colorado. Corbin went 7.2 innings and allowed 9 runs but only four of them were earned. An error by Kieboom and another Cabrera cost us 5 runs. We tried a late-inning comeback but the homers by Zimmerman and Suzuki were not enough.

League News
A´s acquired RHP Pedro Stroop from the Reds.
White Sox´s acquired RHP Addison Reed from Mariners.
Padres acquired Ji-Man Choi from the Rays.

Roster moves
We´ve made a move on the trade deadline to improve our bullpen. We´ve acquired right-hand pitcher Matt Magill from the Astros in exchange for minor league reliever Bradley Blalock. Wander Suero was demoted to AAA to make room for Magill in the active roster.

W, (4-1) @Sun Trust Park
Anibal Sanchez had a great performance in the first game of the series against the Braves. He allowed just one run in 7.1 innings of work. Givens, Harris, and Treinen finished the game and secured our 61st victory of the year. Yan Gomes homered, only his third of the year, and Trea Turner had a three-hit game.

L, (1-3) @Sun Trust Park
Max Scherzer has been recovering from some difficult months and had another great outing. He threw 8 innings of one-run baseball and punched out 10 rivals. Nevertheless, the Braves won in extra-innings thanks to a 2-run walk-off home run by Austin Riley that came off Michael Givens.

L, (5-6) @Sun Trust Park
Another walk-off loss caused us to lose a key series. Kevin Gausman went 5.2 innings and allowed 3 runs. We were leading on the 8th inning by a run when James Bourque allowed 2 runs. Carter Kieboom tied the game on the top of the 9th with his seventh homer of the year. But in the bottom of the 10th Travis D'Arnaud drew a walk against Sean Doolittle and brought the winning run to the plate.