Tag: Washington Nationals

Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia hit a home run that will likely make you feel old

Luis García is here to make you feel old.

Chances are you’re old. I’m old, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. I’m cool with it. I get it.

But sometimes I see something that does, indeed, make me feel old and I  wonder where the heck all of the time has gone.

That happened on Monday night when I saw that Washington Nationals second baseman Luis García hit a home run. On the surface, there’s nothing crazy about that – Majore League Baseball players hit home runs all the time.

But then I noticed he’s the youngest player in MLB and that he’s the first player born in the year 2000 (5/16/2000) or later to hit a home run and yeah, I felt old.

Check this out:

And listen, if you were born in 2000 or later and don’t get why this home run would make some of us feel old then just enjoy your youth and leave us old people alone!

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Stephen Strasburg got ejected during a Nationals game he was watching from the stands

That’s a new one.

In an effort to promote social distancing during this pandemic-shortened MLB season, players are allowed to watch the game from the stands instead of a crowded dugout.

But that doesn’t mean that the stands protect players from the wrath of hypersensitive umpires. Just look at Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg.

During Thursday afternoon’s game between the Nationals and Mets, home plate umpire Carlos Torres exchanged some words with Nats manager Davey Martinez over balls and strikes. It appeared that Torres accurately called a borderline 2-2 pitch a ball, but the Nationals were still furious.

That was when Torres pointed towards the stands and ejected … somebody.

There was some initial confusion over who had just been ejected. The broadcast thought that Martinez had been tossed — even Martinez seemed to ask if he was ejected. But no, it was Strasburg who was watching the game FROM THE STANDS.

Strasburg, upon realizing he was just ejected, tipped his cap and walked through the aisles to exit the stands.

Just amazing — all of it.

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Juan Soto hit a home run to the moon and MLB fans were rightfully in awe

This almost went out of Citi Field!

Washington Nationals star Juan Soto is very good at hitting a baseball very far.

On Monday night he hit a home run 463, which at the time was a career high for the 21-year-old left fielder.

I said “at the time” because on Wednesday night he stepped up to the plate in New York and hit one 466 feet, which is obviously a new career high.

The lefty sent that home run into orbit on a on 1-0 pitch in the top of the first inning off of Mets pitcher Robert Gsellman and my goodness was this a moon shot.

Check out this homer:

This makes it even more impressive:

MLB fans were in awe:

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The Nationals’ grounds crew’s futile attempt to unroll a rain tarp was hysterical to watch

Naturally, people had jokes.

You’ve really gotta feel for the Washington Nationals’ grounds crew, which became the target of so many jokes after struggling with the rain tarp.

In the middle of the defending World Series champs’ Sunday afternoon home game against the Baltimore Orioles, Mother Nature stopped by with heavy rain that absolutely soaked the field at Nationals Park. A relatively brief storm rolled through D.C. in the middle of the sixth inning with the Nationals down, 5-2, and they had no choice but to delay the game as it poured.

But it certainly didn’t help the situation when the Nationals’ grounds crew tried and failed miserably for a while to unroll the tarp designed to protect the infield. At one point, they even tried to roll it back up in an effort to correct whatever mistake was made, but it didn’t seem to help too much.

After floundering for several minutes, the crew eventually got the tarp situation figured out.

But as they were about to finally get the tarp completely over the infield, the rain stopped, the sun came out and their effort was largely futile. Multiple Nationals reporters noted how it was a “mud bath infield” at that point.

It was not a flattering scene for the crew at Nationals Park. And naturally, people on Twitter did what they do best and tossed out some great jokes at the expense of these unfortunate (and drenched) groundskeepers.

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Juan Soto hilariously danced on the Nationals dugout to celebrate Josh Harrison’s homer

Juan Soto is clearly happy to be back.

In only his second game with the Washington Nationals, Josh Harrison hit his first home run for the defending World Series champions in their 5-3 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night.

And absolutely no one in the dugout — and maybe not even Harrison himself — was as excited about the dinger as Juan Soto, who was reinstated for his first game of the 2020 season after testing positive for COVID-19 and being put on the injured list on Opening Day on July 23. (He wasn’t in the starting lineup.)

Soto wasn’t in the Nationals’ staring lineup, but he certainly was doing his part to pump up and celebrate his team. After Harrison hit his 406-foot homer in the bottom of the second to give Washington a 2-0 lead, Soto jumped on top of the dugout and started dancing — something both he and the Nationals became known for nationally during their World Series run last season.

Dancing in celebration after big and small moments is what this team does, and it sounds like Harrison will fit right in with them. Via MLB.com:

“I didn’t see it until I just saw a video,” said Harrison of Soto’s moves. “Where I was in the dugout, I couldn’t see on top. But when I saw the video, I was excited. Got another person that likes to dance, so we can get down together.”

Here’s a reminder of what Soto’s at-bat shuffling moves look like from the 2019 postseason:

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Nationals’ manager Davey Martinez says it all about COVID-19: I’m scared

Washington Nationals manager Davey Martinez admits he is scared of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Miami Marlins are in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic. Two games were postponed Monday. Will MLB be able to continue or will the coronavirus derail its already shortened season?

You want to know how scary this coronavirus is? Look no further than this quote from Washington Nationals manager Davey Martinez, who has a heart condition and had to have treatment during the 2019 season.

The skipper of the World Series champs said it all in 10 words.

New York Yankees at Washington Nationals odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s New York Yankees at Washington Nationals sports betting odds and lines, with MLB betting picks, tips and best bets.

The New York Yankees (1-1) and Washington Nationals (1-1) close out a season-opening three-game series at Nationals Park. Sunday’s contest is slated for a 1:05 p.m. ET first pitch. We analyze the Yankees-Nationals betting odds and lines, with MLB picks and best bets.

Yankees at Nationals: Projected starting pitchers

RHP Jonathan Loaisiga vs. LHP Patrick Corbin

Loaisiga: 4.55 ERA in 31 2/3 IP

  • The Yankees figure to go through the bullpen in Sunday’s contest with Loaisiga, Chad Green and some combination of Tommy Kahnle, Adam Ottavino and Zack Britton.
  • The fire-balling 25-year-old righty logged a 3.12 ERA over September and October (postseason) last fall. His stuff was also sharp during New York’s summer camp.

Corbin: 3.25 ERA in 202 IP

  • Corbin registered a 3.49 FIP (fielding independent pitching) in 2019. FIP is an ERA-type stat which filters defense, strikeouts, walks and home runs into a league average. The lefty’s performance in this peripheral metric confirms a fine ERA that was mostly for real.
  • The veteran southpaw likes pitching in D.C. Corbin posted a 2.40 ERA at Nationals Park last season. He allowed just 8 home runs over 16 home starts.

Special Betting Line: Bet $1. Win $100! If either the Yankees or Nationals hit a homer, you win. Visit BetMGM to place your legal MLB bet in CO, IN, NJ and WV and for terms and conditions. Bet now!

Yankees at Nationals: Key injuries

The list of MLB injuries includes:

Yankees

  • RP Aroldis Chapman (COVID-19) out

Nationals

  • RP Wander Suero (COVID-19) out
  • OF Juan Soto (COVID-19) out

Yankees at Nationals: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 11:45 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML)

Managing games via the relief corps amounted to a mixed bag for the Yanks in 2019. The available arms in this one and the overall upside for Loaisiga make New York a solid play on Sunday. A play on NEW YORK (-121) makes sense.

New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Yankees pays out an $8.26 profit.

Run line/Against the spread (ATS)

Pair the above with a NEW YORK -1.5 (+120) play to spice up the action. The public may be leaning a bit too hard into a Soto-less Nats offense coming off a big night (nine runs scored Saturday).

Over/Under (O/U)

The game will be played on a hot afternoon in D.C. The weather report calls for a light breeze out to right. The lean here is on the OVER 9.5 (-110).

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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New York Yankees vs. Washington Nationals, MLB Live Stream, Pitching Lineups, TV Channel, Start Time

The Yankees will play the second game out of the three-game series against the Nationals on Saturday, stream all your MLB games here.

Major League Baseball is back this week with MLB Opening Weekend. With the shortened season every game will count, you can check out each MLB team’s opening weekend schedule here!

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New York Yankees vs. Washington Nationals

Pitching: James Paxton vs. Eric Fedde

  • When: Saturday, July 25
  • Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: FOX
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

You’ll see some MLB players are wearing these awesome game day face coverings. You can find more information about those MLB face covers and scarves here.

MLB Odds and betting lines

MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds last updated Saturday at 5:50 p.m. ET.

New York Yankees (-189) vs. Washington Nationals (+170)

  • Run total: 9.5 (Over: -106, Under -115)
  • Run Spread: Yankees -1.5, -129 / Nationals +1.5, +105

Want some action on the MLB? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ, and WV at BetMGM.

For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

We recommend interesting sports viewing/streaming and betting opportunities. If you sign up for a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

New York Yankees at Washington Nationals odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s New York Yankees at Washington Nationals sports betting odds and lines, with MLB betting picks, tips and best bets.

The New York Yankees (1-0) look to start the season with a second straight win over the Washington Nationals (0-1) at Nationals Park. Saturday’s contest is slated for a 7:15 p.m. ET first pitch. We analyze the Yankees-Nationals MLB betting odds and lines, with MLB betting picks and best bets around the matchup.

Yankees at Nationals: Projected starting pitchers

LHP James Paxton vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg

Paxton: 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA over 150 2/3 innings pitched and 29 starts in 2019.

  • The Yankees port-sider clocked an 11.1 strikeouts per nine rate last season.
  • Paxton struggled on the road in 2019 (.814 OPS allowed). But that figure rolled in alongside a .351 batting average on balls in play, and the big lefty has otherwise been a solid road hurler over his career.

Strasburg: 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA over 209 innings and 33 starts in 2019

  • The 6-foot-5 right-hander changed some mechanics and sequencing a year ago. Results were impressive, with an increased ground ball percentage and a lower walk rate. Strasburg logged a 2.96 ERA in the season’s second half.
  • Strasburg does a tremendous job of limiting barreled-up contact. That will be a big key against the big bats in the Yankees lineup.
  • One key matchup: Strasburg vs. OF Giancarlo Stanton, who homered in Thursday’s opener. Stanton owns a robust 1.044 OPS against the Washington hurler.

Special Betting Line: Bet $1. Win $100! If either the Yankees or Nationals hit a homer, you win. Visit BetMGM to place your legal MLB bet in CO, IN, NJ and WV and for terms and conditions. Bet now!

Yankees at Nationals: Key injuries

Listed MLB injuries include:

Yankees

  • RP Aroldis Chapman (COVID-19) out
  • 2B DJ LeMahieu (COVID) questionable

Nationals

  • RP Wander Suero (COVID-19) out
  • OF Juan Soto (COVID) out

Yankees at Nationals: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 10:55 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML)

New York (-128) took Thursday’s opener, 4-1, in a rain-shortened affair. This line feels like an overreaction to the Soto’s absence and an overreach on Paxton. TAKE WASHINGTON (+115).

New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Nationals returns $11.50.

Run line/Against the spread (ATS)

WASHINGTON +1.5 (-143) is a play with less value than the straight moneyline, and this contest has a lower-scoring lean to it. Skip this play.

Over/Under (O/U)

Pitchers have appeared to be ahead of hitters in the early going. TAKE THE UNDER 9.0 (-110) here.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Dr. Fauci’s ceremonial first pitch before the Yankees-Nationals game was not great at all

Dr. Fauci has been busy working on much more important things so he gets a pass here.

The 2020 MLB season kicked off Thursday night with the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals hosting the New York Yankees.

There was a special moment before the game when Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is a big Nationals fans, threw out the first pitch.

How’d it go for the hero who has been leading the battle against the coronavirus the past five months and giving us all hope while he deals with such difficult circumstances each day on the job?

Not great.

Fauci had spent time before this moment by working on his arm while playing catch with his wife during brief breaks from the job. But maybe this big stage and moment got to him:

Dr. Fauci has had much more important things to work on than just throwing a baseball in an empty stadium and I’m guessing he can laugh off this first pitch as he seems to be a good human being who can laugh at himself.

No matter how bad that was, he’s the man and we wish him the best as he continues to do what’s best for our nation.

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