2015 Washington Nationals season

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2015 Washington Nationals
Major League affiliations
Location
Other information
Owner(s) Lerner Enterprises
Manager(s) Matt Williams
Local television MASN
WUSA (CBS affiliate)
(Bob Carpenter, FP Santangelo, Johnny Holliday, Ray Knight)
Local radio WJFK 106.7 FM
Washington Nationals Radio Network
(Charlie Slowes, Dave Jageler)
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The 2015 Washington Nationals season was the Nationals' 11th season as the baseball franchise of Major League Baseball in the District of Columbia, the eighth season at Nationals Park, and the 47th since the original team was started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The team finished in second place in the National League East with a record of 83-79. Manager Matt Williams and the entire coaching staff were dismissed at the conclusion of the season.

Offseason[edit]

Transactions[edit]

On December 12, 2014, the Nationals traded Ross Detwiler to the Texas Rangers for Abel De Los Santos and minor-leaguer Chris Bostick.[1]

On December 19, 2014, the Nationals took part in a three-team trade. Washington sent Travis Ott and Steven Souza, Jr., to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Rays sent Ryan Hanigan, Wil Myers, and minor-leaguers Jose Castillo and Gerardo Reyes to the San Diego Padres, and the Padres sent René Rivera, Burch Smith, and minor-leaguer Jake Bauers to the Rays. The Padres sent Joe Ross and a player to be named later to the Nationals, and completed the trade on June 14, 2015, by sending Trea Turner to the Nationals.[2]

On January 14, 2015, the Nationals traded Tyler Clippard to the Oakland Athletics for Yunel Escobar[3] and traded minor-leaguer Daniel Rosenbaum to the Boston Red Sox for Dan Butler.[4] On March 30, 2015, they traded Jerry Blevins to the New York Mets for Matt den Dekker[5] and traded Sandy León to the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations.[4]

Spring Training[edit]

The Nationals held their 2015 spring training in Viera, Florida, with home games played at Space Coast Stadium.

Team News[edit]

Regular season[edit]

Opening Day[edit]

The Nationals opened their season on April 6, 2015 at Nationals Park against the New York Mets. As multiple starters were still recovering from offseason surgeries or injuries sustained during spring training, the Nationals were forced to get creative with their lineup in order to fill the holes: Michael Taylor stood in for the recovering Denard Span in centerfield, and Tyler Moore was placed in left field while Bryce Harper moved to right as Jayson Werth was still rehabilitating his injured shoulder. Yunel Escobar, originally slated to play at second base, was bumped to third as Anthony Rendon continued nursing an MCL sprain. The sudden vacancy at second was filled by the veteran Dan Uggla, who had impressed the coaching staff during spring training.

The Nationals were mostly quiet on offense throughout the game except for Harper, who went 2-4 on the day. Harper opened up the score by smashing a solo home run over the right-field wall in the fourth inning, giving his team a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, a pair of errors by the shortstop Ian Desmond in the sixth and seventh innings allowed the Mets to score three runs, causing the Nationals to lose the game 3-1. The Mets' starting pitcher Bartolo Colon was credited with the win, and reliever Buddy Carlyle notched the first save in his career. Nationals' starting pitcher Max Scherzer was credited with the loss, despite having an ERA of 0.00 as all three Mets runs came indirectly from Desmond's two errors.

Opening Day lineup[edit]

Opening Day Starters
Name Position
Michael A. Taylor Center fielder
Yunel Escobar Third baseman
Bryce Harper Right fielder
Ryan Zimmerman First baseman
Wilson Ramos Catcher
Ian Desmond Shortstop
Dan Uggla Second baseman
Tyler Moore Left fielder
Max Scherzer Starting pitcher

Season standings[edit]

National League East[edit]

NL East		 W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Mets 90 72 0.556 — 49–32 41–40
Washington Nationals 83 79 0.512 7 46–35 37–44
Miami Marlins 71 91 0.438 19 41–40 30–51
Atlanta Braves 67 95 0.414 23 42–39 25–56
Philadelphia Phillies 63 99 0.389 27 37–44 26–55


National League Wild Card[edit]

Division Leaders		 W L Pct.
(1) St. Louis Cardinals 100 62 0.617
(2) Los Angeles Dodgers 92 70 0.568
(3) New York Mets 90 72 0.556


Wild Card teams
(Top 2 qualify for 1-game playoff)		 W L Pct. GB
(4) Pittsburgh Pirates 98 64 0.605 +1
(5) Chicago Cubs 97 65 0.599 —
San Francisco Giants 84 78 0.519 13
Washington Nationals 83 79 0.512 14
Arizona Diamondbacks 79 83 0.488 18
San Diego Padres 74 88 0.457 23
Miami Marlins 71 91 0.438 26
Milwaukee Brewers 68 94 0.420 29
Colorado Rockies 68 94 0.420 29
Atlanta Braves 67 95 0.414 30
Cincinnati Reds 64 98 0.395 33
Philadelphia Phillies 63 99 0.389 34


Record vs. opponents[edit]

2015 National League Records

Source: NL Standings Head-to-Head
Team ARI ATL CHC CIN COL LAD MIA MIL NYM PHI PIT SD SF STL WSH AL
Arizona — 3–3 2–4 6–1 13–6 6–13 5–2 5–2 2–5 2–4 1–5 9–10 11–8 0–7 3–4 11–9
Atlanta 3–3 — 1–6 3–4 1–6 3–3 10–9 5–2 8–11 11–8 2–4 2–5 3–4 4–2 5–14 6–14
Chicago 4–2 6–1 — 13–6 4–2 3–4 3–3 14–5 7–0 2–5 11–8 3–3 5–2 8–11 4–3 10–10
Cincinnati 1–6 4–3 6–13 — 2–4 1–6 3–4 9–10 0–7 4–2 11–8 2–4 2–5 7–12 5–1 7–13
Colorado 6–13 6–1 2–4 4–2 — 8–11 2–5 5–1 0–7 5–2 1–6 7–12 11–8 3–4 3–3 5–15
Los Angeles 13–6 3–3 4–3 6–1 11–8 — 4–2 4–3 3–4 5–2 1–5 14–5 8–11 2–5 4–2 10–10
Miami 2–5 9–10 3–3 4–3 5–2 2–4 — 4–2 8–11 9–10 1–6 2–5 5–2 1–5 9–10 7–13
Milwaukee 2–5 2–5 5–14 10–9 1–5 3–4 2–4 — 3–3 7–0 10–9 5–2 1–5 6–13 3–4 8–12
New York 5–2 11–8 0–7 7–0 7–0 4–3 11–8 3–3 — 14–5 0–6 2–4 3–3 3–4 11–8 9–11
Philadelphia 4–2 8–11 5–2 2–4 2–5 2–5 10–9 0–7 5–14 — 2–5 5–1 1–5 2–5 7–12 8–12
Pittsburgh 5–1 4–2 8–11 8–11 6–1 5–1 6–1 9–10 6–0 5–2 — 5–2 6–1 9–10 3–4 13–7
San Diego 10–9 5–2 3–3 4–2 12–7 5–14 5–2 2–5 4–2 1–5 2–5 — 8–11 4–3 2–5 7–13
San Francisco 8–11 4–3 2–5 5–2 8–11 11–8 2–5 5–1 3–3 5–1 1–6 11–8 — 2–4 4–3 13–7
St. Louis 7–0 2–4 11–8 12–7 4–3 5–2 5–1 13–6 4–3 5–2 10–9 3–4 4–2 — 4–2 11–9
Washington 4–3 14–5 3–4 1–5 3–3 2–4 10–9 4–3 8–11 12–7 4–3 5–2 3–4 2–4 — 8–12

Through games of October 4, 2015.


April[edit]

The Nationals struggled to stay afloat in their first month of the season. The team managed to bounce back from a poor Opening day performance with a win over the New York Mets in game 2, earning Jordan Zimmermann his first win and Drew Storen his first save of the year. However, with its normal top 3 men in the lineup still not ready, the offense struggled to score runs as the team lost the opening series at home to the Mets, and had similar results in the following series against the Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox. Even when they scored multiple runs, poor fielding would often sabotage the team's chances of victory. The Nationals ended the month with a league-worst 24 recorded errors, 9 of them attributed solely to shortstop Ian Desmond.

Jayson Werth and Denard Span eventually finished their minor-league injury rehab assignments and joined the team. However, more players would join the disabled list over the course of the month: stalwart reliver Craig Stammen tore a flexor tendon in his pitching arm and would need surgery to repair it, abruptly ending his 2015 season. Felipe Rivero, called up to add depth to the bullpen, would only make one appearance in a loss to the Phillies before going on the injury list himself with gastrointestinal bleeding. Reed Johnson, signed late in spring training to provide bench depth, would strain his calf while avoiding a pickoff throw to first base. Meanwhile, Casey Janssen, Nate McLouth, and Anthony Rendon all stayed on the disabled list throughout the month, with changing timetables for their return.

The Nationals appeared to hit their lowest point as they suffered a six-game losing streak, starting from an April 22 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. On April 28, pitching prospect A.J. Cole made an unexpected major-league debut against the Atlanta Braves, as the nominal starter Max Scherzer injured his thumb. Cole was quickly chased off the mound after two innings, allowing nine runs off nine hits and one walk, with one strikeout. Despite being down 9-1 after two innings, the team fought back and won the game 13-12, capped off with a 3-run homer by second baseman and former Brave Dan Uggla in the ninth inning. The effort broke the Nationals previous record comeback from June 17, 2006, when the team came back from a 9-2 deficit to beat the Yankees 11-9.

The Nationals also set another record the very next game, being the first team to post back-to-back 13-run games after repeating their offensive performance and demolishing the Braves 13-4 in the rubber match of the series.

May[edit]

With the return of many key players to the roster, the Nationals would go on to win eight of the nine series they played in the month of May. Many of these games would be won by small run margins, which led Storen to an NL-leading 16 saves by the end of the month. At one point, the team had so many consecutive save opportunities that the manager opted to rest Storen and gave Tanner Roark his first career save on May 4 against the Marlins. Cole would later notch his own first save during a 10-0 blowout of the San Diego Padres on the 15th, having pitched three straight innings in relief.

Other rookies notched their own notable firsts throughout this month: pitchers Matt Grace and Sammy Solis acquired their first major-league wins in May 4 and May 10, respectively. Wilmer Difo, an infielder who started the year at the team's single-A affiliate Potomac Nationals, was called up on the 19th and hit a single up the middle against the New York Yankees on his first-ever major-league at-bat. Michael Taylor, who subbed in for an ejected Bryce Harper in a May 13 match against the Arizona Diamondbacks, hit his first career grand-slam off Addison Reed in the top of the ninth inning to win the game for his team.

For a large part of the month, Harper led the NL in nearly every offensive category, including batting average, home runs, RBI, and even WAR. Harper was awarded the "NL Player of the Week" trophy two weeks in a row.

Unfortunately for the team, the injury bug kept eating its way through the starting lineup: Doug Fister was diagnosed with a flexor strain after a losing performance against the Padres on the 14th, forcing Roark to start in his place while he recovered. Stephen Strasburg pitched poorly in several games and was often pulled out early, until the team finally placed him on the DL following a short start against the Reds on the 29th due to "neck tightness." After being hit by a pitch by a Padres' pitcher on the 15th, Werth was discovered to have two fractures in his wrist, keeping him sidelined until August at the earliest. Meanwhile, Rendon's rehab hit a snag after straining an oblique while rehabbing from an earlier MCL sprain, pushing his own return back to June.

All the injuries came to a head in the series against the Cincinnati Reds to close out the month. The offense struggled to score runs, and when the team did lead the bullpen struggled to keep their opponents in check. The Nationals were swept for the first and only time in May. In addition, Harper was hit by a pitch in the back and sat out the middle game to recover. Gio Gonzalez was hit twice at the plate in the same game, including once in his throwing arm, which led to him getting pulled earlier than planned. Span hurt his knee making a play in the outfield in the last game, putting him on a day-to-day injury watch as well while .

Though still leading the NL East, the Nationals ended the month only a half-game above the Mets.

June[edit]

In a 4-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 14, Washington pitcher Max Scherzer pitched a complete-game one-hitter in which he had 16 strikeouts, a new personal best that also set a new Nationals single-game strikeout record, exceeding the previous team record of 14 strikeouts Stephen Strasburg set in his Major League Baseball debut on June 8, 2010. Scherzer retired the first 18 Brewers he faced – also a Nationals record – and only two Brewers reached base, via a single and a walk. Only three balls left the infield, and Scherzer had 27 swings-and-misses among his 119 pitches, another personal best and the most by any Major League Baseball pitcher during the 2015 season up to that time. Eight of his strikeouts came on four or fewer pitches. It was Scherzer's second career shutout and only the third time that a Nationals pitcher had pitched a one-hit shutout, the previous two having been by Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann in 2013. Scherzer also became only the third Major League Baseball pitcher in history to pitch a one-hit shutout with 16 or more strikeouts and one walk or less, joining Nolan Ryan and Kerry Wood.[6][7]

On June 16, the Nationals had 23 hits in a 16-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, setting a record for the most hits by the team in a single game since the franchise moved to Washington for the 2005 season.[8][9] Late in the game, Nationals pitcher Joe Ross pinch-hit for designated hitter Yunel Escobar, the first time a pitcher had pinch-hit for a designated hitter in a Major League Baseball game since 1992.[9]

On June 18, Yunel Escobar went 5-for-5 at the plate in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Nationals Park, the third 5-for-5 game of his career. It also was his third 5-for-5 game in the 2015 season, making him the first player in the history of the Montreal-Washington franchise to have three 5-for-5 games in a season and only the 20th Major League Baseball player to do so since 1914.[10]

In his first start since his one-hit shutout in Milwaukee, Scherzer pitched the second no-hitter in Nationals history – as well as the sixth in the history of the franchise since it began play in Montreal in 1969[note 1] and the fourth in history for a Washington, D.C., Major League Baseball team[note 2] – on June 20, 2015, shutting down the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 6-0 win at Nationals Park. Scherzer's perfect game bid was denied by José Tábata, whom he hit with a pitch on a 2-2 count with two outs in the ninth inning to become the only Pirates base runner of the game. Tábata faced some criticism after the game by fans and analysts who believed he leaned into the pitch, although Scherzer said he did not blame Tábata for breaking up the perfect game. Scherzer had 10 strikeouts in the game and, although it was only the third complete game of his career, it was his second complete game in a row. In the two games, in which he had a combined 26 strikeouts, his opponents had gone 1-for-55 against him, making him the first Major League Baseball player to allow one hit or fewer in consecutive complete games since Jim Tobin of the Boston Braves in 1944.[11][12]

In a 9-2 victory over Pittsburgh at Nationals Park on June 21, the Nationals scored nine runs in the first inning. It set a new Nationals record for runs scored in the first inning and tied the Nationals record for runs scored in any inning.[13] The Pirates did not score until the ninth inning, ending a 24-inning streak of scoreless innings pitched by Nationals pitchers Joe Ross, David Carpenter, Drew Storen, Max Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez, and Matt Thornton during the three games against Pittsburgh, a new Nationals record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched.[14]

In the seventh inning of a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 26, the Phillies scored a run off Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer, ending a streak of 48 consecutive scoreless innings posted by Nationals starting pitchers Joe Ross, Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, and Scherzer that began in the third inning of a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Nationals Park on June 19. It was the longest streak of consecutive scoreless innings by starting pitchers in the history of the Montreal-Washington franchise, and the second-longest by any Major League Baseball team since the beginning of the "expansion era" in 1961.[15][note 3] The run given up on June 26 also ended Scherzer's personal scoreless-inning streak of 24⅔ innings,[16] but he became the first major league pitcher since Doyle Alexander in 1976 to pitch a perfect game through the first six innings in three consecutive starts.[16]

July[edit]

On July 2, Max Scherzer was named National League Pitcher of the Month for June 2015, the second consecutive month he had received the award. He became the seventeenth major-league pitcher to receive the honor in two consecutive months and the first since Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers did it in June and July 2014. The award for May 2015 had made Scherzer the fifth Nationals pitcher[note 4] to receive the award, and the award for June 2015 made him the first Nationals pitcher to win it twice, the first Nationals pitcher to win it in two consecutive months, and the first pitcher in Montreal-Washington franchise history to win it in consecutive months since Jeff Fassero received it in June and July 1996 while playing for the Montreal Expos.[17]

After the all-star break, baseball resumed on July 17 with a very odd evening at Nationals Park in the first of three games the Nationals hosted against the Los Angeles Dodgers. At 8:19 p.m. EDT with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning, a bank of lights went out, forcing a 1-hour-22-minute stoppage of play. After the lighting finally was restored, the teams played for nine more minutes before the lights went out for a second time. The second delay lasted 40 minutes, after which play resumed. Twelve minutes later, the lights went out for a third time, and the game was suspended with five innings completed and the Nationals ahead 3-2. It was the first game in the history of Nationals Park that was suspended for any reason other than weather. Although rumors spread that the outage somehow was related to a pair of Taylor Swift concerts held at Nationals Park two days earlier, the Nationals announced the following morning that a faulty circuit breaker appeared to have caused the lighting failure. The game was completed on the afternoon following its suspension, resulting in a 5-3 Washington victory.[18][19][20]

On July 18, after the completion of the suspended game, the Nationals and Dodgers also played their previously scheduled game for the date. Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, whom the Nationals had not beaten since the 2010 season, had a dominating three-hit performance in the 4-2 Dodger victory, retiring 17 of the last 18 batters he faced and striking out 14 Nationals over eight scoreless innings. No opposing pitcher had ever struck out that many Nationals in a single game since the team's arrival in Washington for the 2005 season. The Nationals swung and missed 30 times against Kershaw, more swings-and-misses than any major-league pitcher had induced in a single game over the past seven years.[20] The next day saw a pitchers' duel between the Dodgers' Zack Greinke, who had not given up a run in a month and had the best ERA in Major League Baseball, and Max Scherzer, who had not issued a walk in a month and had the second-best ERA. Greinke gave up only three hits in eight innings and struck out 11 Nats to beat Scherzer, who gave up only one run – on a wild pitch – during six innings of work. The Dodgers won the game 5-0, and Greinke extended his scoreless streak to 43⅔ innings, the longest in Major League Baseball since Orel Hershiser's 59-inning streak, also for the Dodgers, in 1988.[21]

August[edit]

Taking the mound for the first time since July 4 after a stint on the disabled list, Stephen Strasburg pitched seven innings in a 6-1 Nationals victory over the Colorado Rockies at Nationals Park on August 8, giving up only three hits and striking out 12 Rockies. Although he had only six hits during the entire 2014 season, he went 3-for-3 at the plate in the August 8 game. His three singles made him the first Nationals player ever to strike out 10 or more opponents and have three hits of his own in the same game.[22]

With two outs in the seventh inning of a 3-2 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, on August 21, Nationals center fielder Michael A. Taylor hit a two-run home run to deep left center field off Rockies starting pitcher Yohan Flande measured at 493 feet (150 meters). It went 10 feet (3 meters) farther than any other home run in Major League Baseball during the 2015 season up to that time.[23][24]

September and October[edit]

The Nationals defeated the Atlanta Braves 15-1 on September 3, setting records for the highest number of runs the Nationals had ever scored in a game at Nationals Park and for the largest margin of victory for the franchise since it moved to Washington for the 2005 season.[25] During the game, Bryce Harper walked four times in his four plate appearances. He scored four runs and had one RBI without ever swinging at any of the 20 pitches thrown to him, becoming the first Major League Baseball player to do so since at least 1920, when tracking of the RBI statistic began.[26] He saw the second-greatest number of pitches in a game without swinging since 2005, exceeded only by Juan Uribe, who saw 21 pitches in a game without swinging while playing for the San Francisco Giants in 2010.[27] He became the first Major League Baseball player with four or more walks, four or more runs, and at least one RBI in the same game since Derrek Lee in 2002 with the Florida Marlins,[27] only the fourth player in history to record at least four walks and at least four runs scored in a single game with no official at-bats,[28] and the first in history to do so while also recording an RBI.[28] He also had had four walks and four runs in an August 18 game against the Colorado Rockies, and by repeating this performance on September 3 he became the first Major League Baseball player to have four or more walks and four or more runs in two games in the same season since Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees in 1950.[27] Only Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who had three four-walk games during the 2015 season, had more four-walk games than Harper during the year.[27]

Ace Max Scherzer threw his second no-hitter of the season on October 3, the first since Nolan Ryan in 1973 to pitch multiple no-hitters during the regular season.[29] He struck out 17 Mets during the game. Only one opposing batter reached base, on a throwing error by Yunel Escobar.[30][31]

Game log[edit]

Legend
  Nationals win
  Nationals loss
  Postponement
Bold Nationals team member
2015 Game Log

Notable Transactions[edit]

Roster[edit]

2015 Washington Nationals
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders

Manager

Coaches

Statistics[edit]

Batting[edit]

Through October 4, 2015
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; BB = Base on balls; SO = Strikeouts; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases

Player G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG SB
Aaron Barrett, P 40 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
–
 0
Emmanuel Burriss, 2B 5 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 .667 0
David Carpenter, P 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
–
 0
Xavier Cedeño, P 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
–
 0
A. J. Cole, P 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Ian Desmond, SS 156 583 69 136 27 2 19 62 45 187 .233 13
Abel De Los Santos, P 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
–
 0
Matt den Dekker, OF 55 99 12 25 6 1 5 12 9 20 .253 0
Wilmer Difo, 2B 15 11 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 .182 0
Yunel Escobar, 3B 139 535 75 168 25 1 9 56 45 70 .314 2
Danny Espinosa, 2B 118 367 59 88 21 1 13 37 33 106 .240 5
Doug Fister, P 29 31 2 7 1 0 0 0 2 15 .226 0
Gio Gonzalez, P 31 43 1 4 1 0 0 2 1 18 .093 0
Matt Grace, P 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
–
 0
Bryce Harper, RF 153 521 118 172 38 1 42 99 124 131 .330 6
Taylor Hill, P 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
–
 0
Casey Janssen, P 48 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
–
 0
Reed Johnson, OF 17 22 0 5 1 0 0 3 0 6 .227 0
Taylor Jordan, P 4 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 .333 0
José Lobatón, C 44 136 11 27 4 0 3 20 15 40 .199 0
Rafael Martin, P 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
–
 0
Tyler Moore, 1B,LF 97 187 14 38 12 0 6 27 11 45 .203 0
Jonathan Papelbon, P 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
–
 0
Wilson Ramos, C 128 475 41 109 16 0 15 68 21 101 .229 0
Anthony Rendon, 2B,3B 80 311 43 82 16 0 5 25 36 70 .264 1
Felipe Rivero, P 49 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
–
 0
Tanner Roark, P 40 27 1 5 2 0 0 0 0 9 .185 0
Clint Robinson, OF,1B 126 309 44 84 15 1 10 34 37 52 .272 0
Joe Ross, P 17 27 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 11 .111 0
Max Scherzer, P 34 69 4 15 0 0 0 0 2 23 .217 0
Pedro Severino, C 2 4 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 .250 0
Sammy Solis, P 18 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 0
Denard Span, CF 61 246 38 74 17 0 5 22 25 26 .301 11
Craig Stammen, P 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
–
 0
Drew Storen, P 58 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
–
 0
Stephen Strasburg, P 23 38 1 5 0 0 0 0 2 17 .132 0
Michael A. Taylor, CF 138 472 49 108 15 2 14 63 35 158 .229 16
Matt Thornton, P 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
–
 0
Blake Treinen, P 60 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 0
Trea Turner, SS,2B 27 40 5 9 1 0 1 1 4 12 .225 2
Dan Uggla, 2B 67 120 12 22 4 2 2 16 19 40 .183 0
Jayson Werth, LF 88 331 51 73 16 1 12 42 38 84 .221 0
Ryan Zimmerman, 1B 95 346 43 86 25 1 16 73 33 79 .249 1
Jordan Zimmermann, P 33 63 4 10 1 0 0 3 0 18 .159 0

Pitching[edit]

Through September 16, 2015
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts

Player W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB K
Aaron Barrett 3 3 4.60 40 0 0 29.1 28 15 15 1 7 35
David Carpenter 0 0 1.50 8 0 0 6.0 5 1 1 1 2 4
Xavier Cedeño 0 0 6.00 5 0 0 3.0 3 2 2 1 2 4
A. J. Cole 0 0 5.79 3 1 1 9.1 14 11 6 1 1 9
Abel De Los Santos 0 0 5.40 2 0 0 1.2 2 1 1 1 1 3
Doug Fister 5 7 4.19 25 15 1 103.0 120 56 48 14 24 63
Gio Gonzalez 11 8 3.79 31 31 0 175.2 181 79 74 8 69 169
Matt Grace 2 1 4.24 26 0 0 17.0 26 11 8 0 8 14
Taylor Hill 0 0 3.75 6 0 0 12.0 14 5 5 2 4 9
Casey Janssen 2 5 4.95 48 0 0 40.0 38 22 22 5 8 27
Taylor Jordan 0 2 5.29 4 1 0 17.0 20 10 10 0 6 11
Rafael Martin 2 0 5.11 13 0 0 12.1 12 9 7 4 5 25
Tyler Moore 0 0 0.00 1 0 0 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jonathan Papelbon 2 2 3.04 22 0 7 23.2 22 13 8 4 4 16
Felipe Rivero 2 1 2.79 49 0 2 48.1 35 15 15 2 11 43
Tanner Roark 4 7 4.38 40 12 1 111.0 119 55 54 17 26 70
Clint Robinson 0 0 0.00 1 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Joe Ross 5 5 3.64 16 13 0 76.2 64 33 31 7 21 69
Max Scherzer 14 12 2.79 33 33 0 228.2 176 74 71 27 34 276
Sammy Solis 1 1 3.38 18 0 0 21.1 25 11 8 2 4 17
Craig Stammen 0 0 0.00 5 0 0 4.0 2 0 0 0 3 3
Drew Storen 2 2 3.44 58 0 29 55.0 45 23 21 4 16 67
Stephen Strasburg 11 7 3.46 23 23 0 127.1 115 56 49 14 26 155
Matt Thornton 2 1 2.18 60 0 0 41.1 33 12 10 2 11 23
Blake Treinen 2 5 3.86 60 0 0 67.2 62 32 29 4 32 65
Jordan Zimmermann 13 10 3.66 33 33 0 201.2 204 89 82 24 39 164

Team leaders[edit]

Qualifying players only.

Batting[edit]

Stat Player Total
Avg. Bryce Harper .330
HR Bryce Harper 42
RBI Bryce Harper 99
R Bryce Harper 118
H Bryce Harper 172
SB Michael A. Taylor 16

Pitching[edit]

Stat Player Total
W Max Scherzer 14
L Max Scherzer 12
ERA Max Scherzer 2.79
SO Max Scherzer 267
SV Drew Storen 29
IP Max Scherzer 228.2

Awards and honors[edit]

All-Stars[edit]

Bryce Harper was a starting outfielder for the National League in the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It was the third All-Star Game appearance of his four-year major league career, and his second appearance as a starter. In 2015 all-star fan voting, he received a National League-record 13.86 million votes, nearly four million more than the second-highest National League vote-getter, Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants.[35][note 12]

Max Scherzer was selected for the National League All-Star Team by player vote, the third selection of his career to the all-star team and his first as a National League player. He was a strong candidate to start for the National League in the game, but a Major League Baseball rule prohibiting pitchers who pitch in a game the day before the all-star break from pitching in the All-Star Game two nights later precluded him from appearing in the game after he pitched for the Nationals in a 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on July 13. Scherzer nonetheless traveled to the game and was honored as an all-star.[36]

Farm system[edit]

See also: Minor league baseball
Level Team League Manager
AAA Syracuse Chiefs International League Billy Gardner, Jr.
AA Harrisburg Senators Eastern League Brian Daubach
A-Advanced Potomac Nationals Carolina League Tripp Keister
A Hagerstown Suns South Atlantic League Patrick Anderson
Short-Season A Auburn Doubledays New York–Penn League Gary Cathcart
Rookie GCL Nationals Gulf Coast League Michael Barrett
Rookie DSL Nationals Dominican Summer League Sandy Martinez

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The other no-hitters in Montreal-Washington franchise history were by Bill Stoneman against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 17, 1969 for Montreal, by Stoneman against the New York Mets on October 2, 1972 for Montreal, by Charlie Lea against the San Francisco Giants on May 10, 1981 for Montreal, by Dennis Martinez on July 28, 1991 in a perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers for Montreal, and by Jordan Zimmermann against the Miami Marlins on September 28, 2014 for Washington. (See Svrluga, Barry, "Masterpieces," The Washington Post, September 29, 2014, Page D9.)
  2. ^ The only other no-hitters for a Washington, D.C., major-league baseball team were by Walter Johnson for the original Washington Senators against the Boston Red Sox on July 1, 1920, by Bobby Burke of the original Washington Senators against the Boston Red Sox in a game at Griffith Stadium on August 8, 1931, and by Jordan Zimmermann of the Washington Nationals against the Miami Marlins on September 28, 2014. (See Svrluga, Barry, "Masterpieces," The Washington Post, September 29, 2014, Page D9.)
  3. ^ The only longer scoreless-inning streak by starting pitchers in Major League Baseball since the beginning of the 1961 season was 54 innings set by the Baltimore Orioles in 1974. (See Johnson, Chris, "Max Scherzer dominates Phillies for 100th career win," www.masnsports.com, June 27, 2015, 12:27 a.m. EDT.)
  4. ^ The other four Washington Nationals that had been named National League Pitcher of the Month at the time were Chad Cordero, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, and Jordan Zimmermann, each of whom had received the award once.
  5. ^ The game on June 27, 2015, began but was called off after the completion of the top of the second inning with the score tied at 0-0.
  6. ^ a b The two games on June 28 were played as a single-admission doubleheader with attendance counted only for the two games combined.
  7. ^ Three light failures occurred at sold-out Nationals Park during the evening of July 17, the first causing a delay of 1 hour 22 minutes, followed by nine minutes of play before the second failure caused another delay of 40 minutes. When a third failure occurred after another 12 minutes of play, the game was suspended after the completion of five innings with the score Washington 3, Los Angeles 2. Its completion, starting at the top of the sixth inning, was scheduled for July 18, to be followed by the game previously scheduled for July 18. (See Janes, Chelsea, "," washingtonpost.com, July 17, 2015, 11:45 p.m. EDT.)
  8. ^ The completion of the game suspended on July 17, resumed at the top of the sixth inning with a score of Washington 3, Los Angeles 2.
  9. ^ This reflects the attendance on July 17. Tickets for the suspended July 17 game were not honored for its completion on July 18 or for the game originally scheduled for July 18. The July 18 completion of the July 17 game and the regularly scheduled game on July 18 were played as a single-admission event.
  10. ^ This was the originally scheduled game for July 18, played after the completion of the game suspended on July 17.
  11. ^ The July 18 completion of the July 17 game and the regularly scheduled game on July 18 were played as a single-admission event.
  12. ^ Harper was one of three outfielders voted into the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game as starters, alongside Matt Holliday of the St. Louis Cardinals and Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins. Due to injuries, neither Holliday nor Stanton played in the game.

References[edit]

  1. ^ baseball-reference.com Trades between Washington Nationals & Texas Rangers
  2. ^ baseball-reference.com Trades between Washington Nationals & San Diego Padres
  3. ^ baseball-reference.com Trades between Washington Nationals & Oakland Athletics
  4. ^ a b baseball-reference.com Trades between Washington Nationals & Boston Red Sox
  5. ^ baseball-reference.com Trades between Washington Nationals & New York Mets
  6. ^ Wagner, James, "Max Scherzer fires a 16-strikeout one-hitter as Nationals salvage split with Brewers," washingtonpost.com, June 14, 2015, 5:33 p.m. EDT.
  7. ^ Wagner, James, "Was Max Scherzer’s start the best in Nationals history?," washingtonpost.com, June 15, 2015, 7:30 a.m. EDT.
  8. ^ Janes, Chelsea, "Nationals pound out 23 hits in 16-4 rout of Rays," washingtonpost.com, June 16, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Janes, Chelsea, "," washingtonpost.com, June 17, 2015, 7:29 a.m. EDT.
  10. ^ Wagner, James, "Yunel Escobar notches third five-hit game this season," washingtonpost.com, June 19, 2015, 12:30 p.m. EDT.
  11. ^ Wagner, James (June 20, 2015). "Nationals Max Scherzer throws no-hitter after hit-by-pitch spoils perfect game". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 20, 2015. 
  12. ^ Healy, John (June 20, 2015). "Fans rip Pirates’ Jose Tabata, say he leaned into pitch to break up Nationals ace Max Scherzer’s perfect game". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 20, 2015. 
  13. ^ Janes, Chelsea, "Nationals score nine runs in the first to knock around Pirates, complete sweep," washingtonpost.com, June 21, 2015, 4:38 p.m. EDT.
  14. ^ Brewer, Jerry, "Nationals find a winning formula in resounding sweep of Pirates," washingtonpost.com, June 21, 2015, 7:30 p.m. EDT.
  15. ^ Johnson, Chris, "Max Scherzer dominates Phillies for 100th career win," www.masnsports.com, June 27, 2015, 12:27 a.m. EDT.
  16. ^ a b Janes, Chelsea, "," washingtonpost.com, June 26, 2015, 10:22 p.m. EDT.
  17. ^ Janes, Chelsea, "," washingtonpost.com, July 2, 2015, 6:20 p.m. EDT.
  18. ^ Janes, Chelsea, "Friday’s Nationals-Dodgers game suspended when lights go out (UPDATED)," washingtonpost.com, July 17, 2015.
  19. ^ Janes, Chelsea, "Nationals say faulty circuit breaker, not Taylor Swift, caused power outage," washingtonpost.com, July 18, 2015.
  20. ^ a b Janes, Chelsea, "A day after being left in dark, Nats and Dodgers split a pair in the summer sun," washingtonpost.com, July 18, 2015.
  21. ^ Wagner, James, "Zack Greinke wins pitching duel with Max Scherzer, blanks Nats, 5-0," washingtonpost.com, July 19, 2015.
  22. ^ Janes, Chlesea, "Stephen Strasburg strikes out 12, has three hits to lead the Nationals over the Rockies," washingonpost.com, August 8, 2015.
  23. ^ Janes, Chelsea, "Nats finish trip West with a 3-2 loss in Colorado; 4 games back of idle Mets," washingtonpost.com, August 21, 2015.
  24. ^ Janes, Chelsea, "Michael A. Taylor’s homer measured as one of the longest in the majors this season," washingtonpost.com, August 21, 2015.
  25. ^ Driver, David, "Washington Nationals blast Atlanta Braves in a rare laugher," United Press International, September 4, 2015, 12:06 AM
  26. ^ Wagner, James, "Bryce Harper didn’t swing Thursday yet scored four runs," washingtonpost.com, September 4, 2015.
  27. ^ a b c d Anonymous, "Even without using his bat, Harper can fuel offense," espn.com, September 4, 2015.
  28. ^ a b Draper, Kevin, "Bryce Harper Scores Four Runs Without Ever Recording An Official At-Bat," deadspin.com, September 3, 2015, 10:13 p.m. EDT.
  29. ^ Burke, Timothy (October 3, 2015). "Max Scherzer Becomes First Pitcher Since Nolan Ryan In 1973 To Throw Two No-Hitters In Same Regular Season". Deadspin. Retrieved October 4, 2015. 
  30. ^ "Max Scherzer hurls second no-hitter of season with dominating 17-strikeout performance". USA Today. October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2015. 
  31. ^ Puma, Mike (October 3, 2015). "Mets get no-hit by Max Scherzer in Citi Field embarrassment". New York Post. Retrieved October 4, 2015. 
  32. ^ a b baseball-reference.com Trades between Washington Nationals & Los Angeles Dodgers
  33. ^ a b baseball-reference.com Trades between Washington Nationals & Philadelphia Phillies
  34. ^ baseball-reference.com Trades between Washington Nationals & New York Yankees
  35. ^ Wagner, James, "Bryce Harper named a National League starter for MLB All-Star Game," washingtonpost.com, July 5, 2015.
  36. ^ Janes, Chelsea, "Max Scherzer named to National League all-star team," washingtonpost.com, July 6, 2015.

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