SEAN DOOLITTLE NEWS

Soto returns, Nats beat Rays 5-3 to finish 2-game sweep

Juan Soto drove in a run in his return to the lineup and the Washington Nationals used strong relief pitching to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 to sweep the two-game series

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

McGowin, Nats' bullpen dominates in 10-4 win over Braves

Victor Robles’ third hit, a bunt single in the sixth inning, gave Washington the lead and the Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 10-4

SEPTEMBER 6, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Trout hits 300th homer, Angels rally to take 2 from Astros

SEPTEMBER 6, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bohm's sacrifice fly gives Phillies 6-5 win, sweep of Nats

Alec Bohm hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Washington Nationals 6-5 on Thursday, completing a four-game sweep

SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pete Alonso hits 2-run shot in 10th, Mets beat Yankees 9-7

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Effective in low-leverage spot Doolittle struck out two in a perfect eighth inning during Monday's loss to the Phillies.

Impact The southpaw entered the game with the Nats down 8-4, and he was able to get Didi Gregorius and Jay Bruce to swing through fastballs for his first two punchouts since coming off the injured list last week. It's been a tough season for Doolittle, and while the results Monday were encouraging, his heater topped out at 91.1 mph -- well below last year's 93.5 mph average. Unless he proves he can consistently get outs with reduced velocity, the 33-year-old is unlikely to work his way back into a share of the closer role.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Dalbec homers for first big league hit, Red Sox top Nats 9-5

Bobby Dalbec hit a two-run homer in his major league debut, Rafael Devers hit a pair of home runs, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Nationals 9-5

AUGUST 30, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington Nationals’ Sean Doolittle feels more like himself again: "I’m not searching for things anymore." Sean Doolittle spent some time in Fredericksburg, VA, and now he’s back to try to turn his season around...

AUGUST 30, 2020 • FEDERALBASEBALL.COM

Nola bounces back, leads Phillies to 3-2 win over Nationals

Aaron Nola bounced back from the shortest outing of his career to throw seven strong innings, and the Philadelphia Phillies took advantage of the Washington Nationals’ sloppy outfi...

AUGUST 27, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dealing with inflammation Doolittle is dealing with some inflammation in his right knee, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Impact Doolittle was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday, but manager Dave Martinez revealed that he's experiencing some inflammation. It's unclear how long the southpaw will be sidelined as a result. He's displayed decreased fastball velocity over his first several appearances, and the injury could have played a slight role in the downturn in production.

AUGUST 13, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Tomas Nido homers twice to power Mets past Nationals 8-2

Tomas Nido had his first two-homer game as a professional, hitting a two-run shot in the fourth and a grand slam in the fifth to lead the New York Mets to an 8-2 win over the Washi...

AUGUST 13, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington Nationals select contract of 2017 1st Round pick Seth Romero; Sean Doolittle to 10-Day IL Davey Martinez has been talking Seth Romero up for the last week or so, and the left-hander got the call this afternoon.

AUGUST 13, 2020 • FEDERALBASEBALL.COM

Shut down with knee fatigue The Nationals placed Doolittle on the 10-day injured list Thursday with right knee fatigue, Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic reports.

Impact Expected to challenge Daniel Hudson for the closer's role in the abbreviated season, Doolittle hasn't been able to reclaim his old post while giving up at least one run in all but one of his five appearances on the campaign. The lefty's fastball velocity has been down a few ticks this season, but it's unclear if his struggles are simply age-related or a byproduct of overcompensating for the sore knee. The Nationals are hoping it's the latter, as Doolittle will now be sidelined for at least the next week and a half before the team revisits bringing him back onto the 28-man active roster. Seth Romero was called up from the Nationals' taxi squad in a corresponding move.

AUGUST 13, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

How the Nationals can repair Sean Doolittle, and the bonding of a bullpen Sean Doolittle's return plan involves throwing fewer of his signature fastballs, and increased spin efficiency.

AUGUST 13, 2020 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Washington Nationals: Sean Doolittle should be worried about next contract Sean Doolittle finds himself struggling to secure a role on the 2020 Washington Nationals team, ahead of his impending free agency. The team...

AUGUST 10, 2020 • CALLTOTHEPEN.COM

Washington Nationals’ bullpen woes: Sean Doolittle & Daniel Hudson on disastrous 8th last night A 3-0 lead turned into a 5-3 deficit in a hurry in the eighth inning last night...

AUGUST 9, 2020 • FEDERALBASEBALL.COM

Doolittle, Hudson labor; Nats stunned by O’s The Nationals had not allowed back-to-back pinch-hit home runs since Aug. 23, 2001, when the franchise was playing in Montreal as the Expos....

AUGUST 9, 2020 • MLB.COM

Santander, O's rough up Nats relievers, rally for 5-3 win

Pat Valaika, Pedro Severino and Anthony Santander homered during a five-run rally in the eighth inning as the Baltimore Orioles roughed up Washington’s relievers and beat the Natio...

AUGUST 9, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Semien hits leadoff HR, A's beat Astros to win 8th straight

AUGUST 8, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington Nationals’ skipper Davey Martinez on Sean Doolittle struggling: "We need Sean Doolittle." Davey Martinez stated the obvious on Friday: The Nationals need Sean Doolittle at the back end of the bullpen and he’s working hard to get o...

AUGUST 8, 2020 • FEDERALBASEBALL.COM

Picks up first save Hudson allowed one hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Impact Hudson successfully maintained a two-run lead for the Nationals to earn his first save of the season. He allowed a two-out double, but retired Cavan Biggio with a strikeout to end the contest. Most notably, Sean Doolittle -- another candidate for saves in the Nationals' bullpen -- did not enter the game, even with the team maintaining a lead from start to finish. Given that Doolittle has pitched only twice this season, he was almost certainly available to throw. Given that, it appears Hudson may be the team's primary choice to close games to begin the season.

JULY 30, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Washington Nationals’ Sean Doolittle super-frustrated with 2020 debut, but determined Sean Doolittle told reporters after a tough outing on Sunday that he was already hard at work watching film and trying to get right before h...

JULY 28, 2020 • FEDERALBASEBALL.COM

Tagged with loss Sunday Doolittle (0-1) allowed one run on two hits and a walk over 0.2 innings Sunday to take the loss as the Nationals fell 3-2 to the Yankees. He struck out one.

Impact The southpaw entered the game in a non-save situation to begin the eighth inning with the score tied 2-2, but he wasn't able to shut down the Yankees' offense. Doolittle was expected to share closing duties with Daniel Hudson this season, but given that Hudson was manager Dave Martinez's first choice in the ninth during the club's World Series run last year, Doolittle's usage here should be a little concerning to those fantasy GMs counting on him for saves.

JULY 27, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Astros lose 7-6 to Mariners, announce Verlander injury

JULY 26, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Yanks don't let Nats toot own horn, beat 2019 champions 3-2

Gleyber Torres homered in the seventh to start a comeback and delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth as the New York Yankees came back to beat the Washington Nationals 3-2

JULY 26, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS