SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 • MLB.COM
WASHINGTON NATIONALS 71-91 · 4TH IN NL EAST
71-91 · 4TH IN NL EAST
Veteran catcher Avila to retire at end of year WASHINGTON -- “All good things must come to an end,” Alex Avila said with a shrug and a smile on Sunday. After 13 seasons in the Majors, the...
Alex Avila - Expected to retire Avila will retire at the end of the regular season, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.
Impact Avila is hitting .179/.347/.333 in his 13th and supposedly final season. He caught for the Tigers from 2009 to 2015 and has since spent time with five other clubs. The 34-year-old, who will become a free agent when the season ends, is a career .233 hitter with 105 home runs.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Gray expected to start for the Rockies against Nationals
The Nationals will send Paolo Espino to the mound Sunday and the Rockies will give Jon Gray the startSEPTEMBER 19, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rockies easily handle Nationals to keep rolling on road trip
Kyle Freeland struck out seven over six innings, Trevor Story hit a three-run homer and the Colorado Rockies beat the Washington Nationals 6-0SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Keibert Ruiz - Gets rest day Ruiz is not in Saturday's starting lineup against the Rockies, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Impact Ruiz has turned in consecutive three-hit performances, but he will sit Saturday for the fourth time in the Nationals' last eight games. Alex Avila will start behind the plate in Ruiz's absence.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Luis García - Sitting Saturday Garcia is not in Saturday's lineup against the Rockies, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Impact Garcia has now been out of the lineup for two of the team's last three games, though he did appear as a pinch hitter Wednesday. Jordy Mercer will start at second base in Garcia's place.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Josh Bell - Absent from Saturday's lineup Bell is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Impact Bell was a fixture in the Nationals' lineup for the last 23 games, so he'll get a deserved breather. He hit well in that span, logging a .310/.423/.609 line with seven home runs, 18 RBI and 11 runs scored across 104 plate appearances. Ryan Zimmerman will start at first base in Bell's absence.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
LEADING OFF: Scherzer unbeaten with Dodgers, faces Reds
Max Scherzer has dominated since being traded to the Dodgers, and tries to extend his streak of success when he pitches Saturday at Cincinnati in a matchup with playoff implication...SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Corbin expected to start for Washington against Colorado
The Rockies will start Kyle Freeland on Saturday while the Nationals are expected to counter with Patrick CorbinSEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Keibert Ruiz - Three hits in Friday's loss Ruiz went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 9-8 loss to Colorado.
Impact The 23-year-old has recorded the first two three-hit efforts of his career in his last two games. Ruiz is now batting .224 with a home run, six RBI, four runs scored and a pair of doubles in 18 games between the Nationals and the Dodgers this year. He figures to see the bulk of the playing time behind the plate, while Riley Adams and Alex Avila compete for the backup role.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Lane Thomas - Productive in loss Thomas went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Friday's 9-8 loss to Colorado.
Impact The 26-year-old remains locked in at the plate with his third straight multi-hit effort. Thomas went yard in the fourth inning to give Washington a 6-2 lead that didn't last. His recent hot streak has lifted his season slash line to .248/.358/.422 with five homers, 23 RBI, 25 runs scored and four stolen bases in 190 plate appearances. Thomas appears locked in as Washington's everyday leadoff hitter.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Kyle Finnegan - Another meltdown Friday Finnegan (5-8) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in one innings, taking the loss and a blown save versus Colorado on Friday.
Impact Tasked with protecting a one-run lead in the ninth inning, Finnegan blew a save for the second straight outing. He allowed a solo home run to Elias Diaz and an RBI single to Brendan Rodgers, which was enough to stick the right-hander with the loss. The 30-year-old has a 3.39 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 61:30 K:BB through 61 innings this year. Mason Thompson and Patrick Murphy both pitched perfect innings prior to Finnegan's meltdown Friday, and they could be the top candidates to get any save chances should manager Dave Martinez take Finnegan out of the closer role.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Josiah Gray - No-decision versus Rockies Gray allowed five runs on three hits and four walks while striking out five in 5.1 innings in a no-decision versus Colorado on Friday.
Impact Control continues to be a problem for Gray, who threw 58 of 94 pitches for strikes in this contest. He's walked 10 batters in 10.1 innings across his last two starts. The 23-year-old owns a 6.24 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 57:27 K:BB in 53.1 innings overall, while adding an 0-2 record in 11 appearances. Gray projects for a friendlier road start in Miami next week.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Josiah Gray's growing pains continue in Nationals' loss to Rockies Years from now, if the Washington Nationals make something of what they have generously called a “reboot,” these late-season starts for Josi...
SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM
Rockies score 2 in 9th, beat Nats 9-8 for 4th straight win
Elías Díaz hit a tying homer and Brendan Rodgers had an RBI single as the Colorado Rockies rallied in the ninth inning to beat the Washington Nationals 9-8SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
LEADING OFF: Scherzer unbeaten with Dodgers, faces Reds
Max Scherzer has dominated since being traded to the Dodgers, and tries to extend his success streak when he pitches at Cincinnati on Saturday in a matchup with playoff implication...SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Perspective ' Two years after a world championship, the Nationals have become a tough sell The Nats must develop more players who are worth paying good money to see, so Septembers at the ballpark can go back to being electric.
SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM
Marquez scheduled to start for Rockies at Nationals
The Nationals will send Josiah Gray to the mound Friday and the Rockies will give German Marquez the startSEPTEMBER 17, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Analysis ' The Nats sent Victor Robles to Rochester to relax and rediscover his swing. Seems to be working. While Lane Thomas shines with the Nationals, Victor Robles has found his footing in the minors.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM
Adríán Sanchez - Clears waivers Sanchez cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Impact Sanchez was cast off the 40-man roster Monday, but he'll opt to remain in the organization rather than hitting free agency. He made 37 appearances in Rochester earlier this year and slashed .336/.384/.492 with four homers, 19 runs, 18 RBI and two stolen bases.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Riley Adams - Draws pair of walks in loss Adams went 0-for-3 with two walks, one run and one RBI in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to the Marlins.
Impact Though Adams appeared to supplant Tres Barrera as Washington's top catcher in the second half of August, the 25-year-old's stay atop the depth chart proved short lived, as Keibert Ruiz has taken over as the team's preferred backstop since his Aug. 30 promotion. Adams made what was just his second start in the Nationals' last eight games Wednesday, and he demonstrated the sort of plate discipline that made him an intriguing prospect coming up through the Toronto system. While he likely won't see his opportunities behind the plate pick up over the final two and a half weeks of the season, Adams has been working out at first base of late and could end up getting a look in a short-side platoon role behind the lefty-hitting Josh Bell, according to Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Nationals notes: Josh Rogers' place in the 2022 rotation, Juan Soto's NL ranks and more With five scoreless innings against the Marlins on Wednesday, Josh Rogers advanced his case for being kept in the rotation.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Alcides Escobar - Four-hit effort Wednesday Escobar went 4-for-6 with an RBI in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to Miami.
Impact The shortstop collected four singles in his fourth multi-hit effort of the month. Escobar has been a solid contributor for Washington with a .278/.327/.379 slash line across 271 plate appearances. He's added two home runs, two stolen bases, 15 doubles, 21 RBI and 41 runs scored in 59 games while serving as the team's primary shortstop since the start of July.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Josh Bell - Homers, doubles in loss Bell went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and a double in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to Miami.
Impact The first baseman appeared to provide insurance for Washington in the eighth inning, but closer Kyle Finnegan imploded in the ninth inning. Bell has recorded three multi-hit efforts in 15 games in September, batting 15-for-54 (.278) this month. He's up to 27 homers, 83 RBI, 66 runs scored and a .256/.333/.489 slash line in 501 plate appearances overall.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Kyle Finnegan - Implodes in loss Finnegan (5-7) allowed four runs on four hits and a walk with one strikeout in 1.1 innings, taking the loss and a blown save versus Miami on Wednesday.
Impact The 30-year-old was responsible for all of Miami's four-run ninth inning, which gave the visitors their only lead in the contest. This was just the second blown save of the year for Finnegan, who has added nine saves and 12 holds in 61 appearances. He's been mostly solid with a 3.15 ERA, but a 1.42 WHIP and 61:29 K:BB indicate he's gotten away with some sloppy work on the mound. Finnegan still figures to serve as the primary closer for the remainder of the campaign.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
