WASHINGTON NATIONALS NEWS

Brad Hand - Surrenders homer in 18th save Hand gave up a solo home run and had a strikeout during the ninth inning to earn the save Tuesday versus Tampa Bay.

Impact Mike Zunino went deep to start the ninth inning, but thankfully Hand entered with a two-run cushion and quickly retired the next three batters. It was the first run allowed for the veteran lefty since June 9, which was a span of 10 appearances and 11 innings. Hand is 18-for-20 in save opportunities with a 2.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 34:12 K:BB across 34.2 innings this season.

JUNE 30, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Joe Ross - Picks up fifth victory Ross (5-7) earned the win Tuesday against the Rays after giving up two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks across 6.1 innings.

Impact The right-hander kept Tampa Bay off the board through four frames and delivered his second consecutive quality start. Ross made five starts in June and posted a 1.95 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 33:6 K:BB over 32.1 innings, but he tentatively lines up for a tough matchup his next time out Sunday versus the Dodgers.

JUNE 30, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Juan Soto - Breaks homer drought Soto went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Rays.

Impact Soto took Rich Hill deep for a two-run shot during the opening frame, which is his first home run since June 9, a span of 18 games. The run production hasn't been there most of the season, but the young outfielder is 13-for-41 (.317 average) with a home run, five doubles, six RBI, six runs and two stolen bases in his past 11 contests.

JUNE 30, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Kyle Schwarber just keeps homering and the Nationals beat the Rays to go over .500 Kyle Schwarber hits the first pitch he sees against Rays' starter Rich Hill for his 25th homer, paving the way for a 4-3 win over Tampa Bay.

JUNE 30, 2021 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM

Kyle Schwarber - Continues homer binge Schwarber went 1-for-4 with a solo homer during Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Rays.

Impact The slugger went deep on the first pitch from southpaw Rich Hill, which is his third homer in the past two days and 16th over his past 18 contests. Schwarber had a .218/.312/.404 slash line with nine long balls through 51 games before catching fire, and he's now slashing .253/.336/.576 with 25 home runs in 69 games.

JUNE 30, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Schwarber's 12th homer in 10 games helps Nats over .500

Kyle Schwarber led off the first inning  with his 12th home run in 10 games, and the Washington Nationals beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 to move above

JUNE 30, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

LEADING OFF: Ohtani, Schwarber staging own home run derby

Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani  is expected to become the second player and first since Babe Ruth to start on the mound and hit in the top half of the batting order...

JUNE 30, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

New reliever Raley seeks Will Harris' advice HOUSTON -- With his emergence as one of manager Dusty Baker’s key bullpen weapons this year, left-hander Brooks Raley turned to Nationals pi...

JUNE 30, 2021 • MLB.COM

Nats' Schwarber hits 12th homer in 10 games, 25th of season

Washington’s Kyle Schwarber led off the first inning against Tampa Bay with his 12th home run in 10 games, tying Albert Belle in 1995 for the most over that span since at least 190...

JUNE 30, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Paolo Espino - Slated for another start Manager Davey Martinez said Tuesday that Espino will stay in the Nationals' rotation for at least one more start, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Impact Espino started in place of Erick Fedde (oblique) against the Mets on Monday and wound up earning his second win while tossing five shutout innings. His next start will likely come Saturday against the Dodgers, and depending on how he fairs, he could remain in the rotation beyond this weekend.

JUNE 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Erick Fedde - Plays catch from 120 feet Fedde (oblique) played catch from 120 feet Tuesday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

Impact The right-hander landed on the injured list with an oblique strain over the weekend, but he wasn't shut down from throwing for long. Fedde remains without an official timeline for his return, though his quick return to throwing is a good early sign.

JUNE 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Examining Scott Boras' Max Scherzer Comments From Red Sox Viewpoint Let's evaluate whether the Red Sox could trade for Nationals ace Max Scherzer after recent comments made by the pitcher's agent, Scott Boras...

JUNE 29, 2021 • NESN.COM

Victor Robles - Returns to lineup Robles (knee) is batting eighth and playing center field Tuesday against the Rays, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact The 24-year-old was held out of Monday's lineup after exiting Sunday's contest with a bruised right knee, but he did enter the game Monday to play center field late. Robles has hit .167 in his last ten games, though he has drawn six walks in that span.

JUNE 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Josh Bell - On bench Tuesday Bell is not starting Tuesday's game against the Rays, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact The switch hitter has hit .281 with three homers and 10 RBI in his last 10 games. Bell has also struck out just 13.9 percent of the time during that span, as opposed to his 26.6 percent strikeout rate over his first 52 games of the season. Ryan Zimmerman will bat fourth and play first base Tuesday.

JUNE 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Kyle Lobstein - Recalled from Triple-A The Nationals recalled Lobstein from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

Impact The lefty has posted a 1.69 ERA in 16 Triple-A relief appearances this season, with all four of his earned runs coming in one outing May 22. Since that rough performance, Lobstein has pitched 13.2 scoreless innings with 15 strikeouts and just one walk. He'll join a Nationals bullpen that, along with many of its top relievers, is now without Tanner Rainey (leg).

JUNE 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Ryne Harper - Rejoins big-league squad Harper was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

Impact The righty has pitched in six games between two stints with the Nationals this season, posting a 1.13 ERA with five strikeouts in eight innings of relief. Harper will help fill the void left by Tanner Rainey (leg), who went to the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

JUNE 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Justin Miller - Designated for assignment The Nationals designated Miller for assignment Tuesday, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

Impact The righty yielded five runs in just three innings after being called up June 15. Monday against the Mets, Miller allowed two solo home runs while recording just one out, the last outing in what was a short stint with the big-league roster. Miller did excel as a minor-league reliever before getting the call-up, though, so it's possible another team in need of pitching considers claiming him.

JUNE 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Maria Torres: Nationals placed Tanner Rainey on the IL with a... - The Athletic Nationals placed Tanner Rainey on the IL with a right tibia stress reaction, selected the contract of LHR Kyle Lobstein, recalled Ryne Harpe...

JUNE 29, 2021 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Tanner Rainey - Heads to IL The Nationals placed Rainey on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a stress reaction in his right tibia, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

Impact The righty felt discomfort in that right leg, his push-off leg, while pitching Sunday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports. Despite having a hefty 6.93 ERA on the season, Rainey has held opponents scoreless in nine of his last 10 appearances and has been one of the Nationals most trusted late-inning relievers. Wander Suero and Austin Voth are likely to earn more high-leverage opportunities during Rainey's absence, the length of which is unclear at this time.

JUNE 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Stephen Strasburg - Throws off mound again Strasburg (neck) threw off the bullpen mound Tuesday for the second time since suffering the injury, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact That the veteran righty has thrown a bullpen twice in three days is a promising sign, but he remains a long way from returning to the Nationals, still needing to progress into facing live hitters and an eventual rehab assignment.

JUNE 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Aaron Barrett - Activated from MiLB IL The Nationals activated Barrett (knee) from the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Rochester and assigned him to Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday, independent sports writer Byron Kerr re...

Impact Barrett's start to the minor-league season was delayed while he recovered from right knee surgery, but he was cleared to begin a rehab assignment at Low-A Fredericksburg just over a week ago. During his four outings at Low-A, Barrett covered five innings and gave up three runs (two earned) while striking out 11. The 33-year-old right-hander, a veteran of 95 career big-league appearances, will likely move up to Rochester quickly if he continues to make bats miss at a high rate in Harrisburg.

JUNE 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

2021 MLB Betting Futures Update - Nationals Making Moves as Oddsmakers Scramble SI Gambling insider Frankie Taddeo shares the latest MLB futures updates and tracks which teams have seen the most movement.

JUNE 29, 2021 • SI.COM

Nationals' Kyle Schwarber isn't counting stats amid home run tear: 'I want to play stupid' Kyle Schwarber has had a power surge of historic proportions since mid-June, but he's not getting hung up on the numbers.

JUNE 29, 2021 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM

Washington Nationals: Kyle Schwarber on absolute tear The Washington Nationals' decision to move Kyle Schwarber to the leadoff spot was met with a great deal of skepticism. While he had some exp...

JUNE 29, 2021 • CALLTOTHEPEN.COM

Nationals' Schwarber on unprecedented HR surge WASHINGTON -- Kyle Schwarber homered twice, becoming the first player in major-league history to hit 15 home runs in a 17-day span, and the...

JUNE 29, 2021 • ARKANSASONLINE.COM