Mark Zuckerman

FYI: I’m still posting here, but you can also follow me now at markzuckerman.bsky.social if you’re so inclined.

How Josh Bell turned his season around by focusing less on hitting home runs and more on just hitting line drives. “You can slug hitting a ball in the gap, hitting it down the line. I’ve tried to do that the last couple months, and it’s been working out.” masnsports.com/blog/entry/wit…

Game 100 on @Nats_Chat * Bell’s two-month resurgence * Lile’s future when Crews returns * Irvin’s lack of consistency * Finnegan’s fading trade value natschatpodcast.com/episode-posts/…

OK, so maybe this win wasn't as smooth and convincing as it should've been at 7-0. The Nationals, though, haven't won nearly enough games this summer to get picky about how they win. So a 10-8 triumph over the Reds was plenty good enough. masnsports.com/blog/entry/nat…

Final: Nats 10, Reds 8. James Wood reached base 4 times. Josh Bell reached 3 times and homered. Brady House had 3 hits. Daylen Lile had a 3-run triple. Kyle Finnegan barely survived a harrowing 9th.

Brady House has three hits, a sac fly and a couple of nice plays at third base tonight.

Andrew Chafin and Luis García (the pitcher, not the second baseman) combined to go 6 up, 6 down on 19 pitches. The viejos getting the job done to send this game into the stretch with the Nationals ahead 10-6.

Jacob Young scoots a 2-out RBI single through the right side of the infield, and the Nats increase their lead to 10-6.

Terry Francona brought in a righty to face Amed Rosario. Rosario proceeded to lace an RBI double off the wall in right-center, increasing the Nats' lead to 9-6.

Nats couldn't cleanly turn a 5-4-3 DP, and it wound up costing them a run. The lead is down to 8-6 in the 5th after Cole Henry barely stranded the bases loaded.

Nats added a run in the 4th but squandered a chance for another big inning, with Rosario and Adams striking out with the bases loaded. They now lead 8-5.

That 7-0 lead is now 7-5 and Miguel Cairo is pulling Jake Irvin with 2 outs in the 4th. MacKenzie Gore only went 2 1/3 yesterday. Brad Lord probably can't go more than 3 or 4 tomorrow. Not ideal.

Five straight Reds have reached vs. Jake Irvin to open the top of the 4th, the first three of them scoring so far. The Nats' 7-0 lead is down to 7-3.

Riley Adams rips an RBI hustle double (recognized nobody was covering second) and Jacob Young follows with an RBI single. Nats lead 7-0 in the 3rd and everybody but Amed Rosario has reached base so far tonight.

Josh Bell's first 45 games: .151/.254/.289 Josh Bell's last 42 games: .303/.374/.490

Josh Bell, who already doubled in the 1st inning, just launched a home run into the second deck in the 3rd inning. He's now got a higher OPS (.700) than Nathaniel Lowe (.691). Nats up 5-0.

And now a bases-loaded triple for Daylen Lile gives the Nats a 4-0 lead in the 1st inning against Brady Singer.

CJ Abrams draws a leadoff walk, James Wood rips an RBI double to left-center and all is right with the world again. Nats lead 1-0 in the 1st.

Series opener between the Nats and Reds is underway on a surprisingly comfortable, 86-degree Monday evening in mid-July.

Dylan Crews appears to have done everything he needs to do before starting a rehab assignment. Plus more injury updates on Keibert Ruiz, Orlando Ribalta and Jarlin Susana: masnsports.com/blog/entry/cre…