Capitals sign defenseman Dylan McIlrath to a 2-year, $1.6 million contract
The 32-year-old McIlrath has two assists in 11 games this season. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
McIlrath captained Washington affiliate Hershey's 2023 and 2024 Calder Cup championship teams in the American Hockey League. The 6-foot-6 defender has three goals and six assists in 86 career NHL regular-season games with Washington, Florida, the New York Rangers and Detroit.
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Washington Post
15 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Nationals give Michael Soroka little help, drop series finale to Reds
The final pitch Washington right-hander Michael Soroka threw Wednesday afternoon had little bearing on the game's final result, a 5-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Nationals Park. Once replay review showed his sinker nicked Noelvi Marte's elbow, it was just another free pass that the Nationals were able to work around in a scoreless sixth. The pitch, his 88th, was overshadowed by the 105 that Reds righty Nick Lodolo needed to toss the third complete-game shutout against the Nationals. 'He was nasty,' interim manager Miguel Cairo said of Lodolo. 'You don't want to give credit to another team's pitcher, but he mixed it up.' In the context of what could come next for Soroka and the Nationals — more acutely, the evaluation process for contending teams who may view the 27-year-old as a weapon down the stretch with the trade deadline approaching — the metrics on that pitch (and the 87 pitches that preceded it) were more noteworthy. That's because the sinker left his hand at 89 mph. 'If I knew, I would have been throwing harder today, right?' Soroka said when asked why his velocity was down. 'You go through ebbs and flows in your career, and I think it's something that we're going to be working tirelessly at, just like everything else.' Across Soroka's first 10 starts, his fastball consistently sat between 94 and 95 mph. On Wednesday, his four-seamer and two-seamer hovered between 90 and 91 mph, ultimately topping out with a 93.2 mph heater that sailed above the zone in the third. Eight of his final 11 fastballs were under 90 mph, continuing a trend that has persisted for a few weeks. Soroka has expressed some optimism throughout this recent stretch — because he has pitched well without his best stuff, he expects to get even better results when the velocity returns. He navigated around the declining velocity, needing just 25 pitches to retire the first eight batters. His breaking ball generated ugly swings throughout the lineup and his fastball wasn't hit all that hard. There was a workmanlike efficiency to his outing that his line backed up: 5⅔ innings, just two hits, one run and six strikeouts with three walks. 'I used to get outs without [great velocity], so I think just continuing on the path that there's a lot more to pitching than velocity,' Soroka said. 'Still spinning the ball really well ... keeping the righties between two-seam and four-seam was big again. So yeah. Had to pitch again.' A walk of Elly De La Cruz, an ensuing stolen base and an RBI single up the middle from Jake Fraley in the fourth was all the Reds were able to muster against Soroka, who signed a one-year, $9 million deal last offseason. After his final pitch, Soroka bounced the ball off the palm on his hand and turned his head toward Washington's dugout. Cairo had already began to walk Soroka's way. What cost him was a lack of run support. The Nationals (41-61) were shut out for the eighth timeas Lodolo snuffed out their bid for a three-game sweep of the Reds (53-50). Lodolo struck out eight and allowed just four hits (three of which were singles) without any walks. 'You never really know what you're looking for,' Jacob Young said of facing Lodolo, who had a fairly even split in usage between his four pitches. 'He threw anything in any count, and they're all strikes. He kept it down mostly. I think he made a couple mistakes where we had chances. I can think of a couple chances I had there, and I didn't put them in play. That's usually the difference.' After scoreless efforts from Cole Henry and Konnor Pilkington in relief, Jackson Rutledge and Andry Lara each allowed a pair of runs in the eighth and ninth. If there was a silver lining for the Nationals, it came in the eighth. With two outs, Rutledge threw Will Benson a first-pitch fastball. Off the bat, it looked gone. Out in center field, Young felt differently about its final destination. Young tracked the pitch off of the bat, broke for the wall, turned his body and scaled the fence as the ball began its descent. Somehow, at full extension, he plucked it from the air, robbing Benson of a home run. Rutledge stood on the mound hunched over. In the dugout, pitching strategist Sean Doolittle stood with his mouth agape. Young smirked, reminiscent of his reaction when he robbed another home run a month earlier. The 25-year-old admitted Wednesday's catch felt a bit smoother than his last one, which came against the Detroit Tigers. Young, a Gold Glove finalist in 2024, continues to grade out as one of the best center fielders in baseball. He has seemed to appreciate the reactions to his catches more than the process of catching them. 'We're all big leaguers,' Young said. 'So whenever you can make other big leaguers in awe [of a play], it feels good.'
Fox News
15 minutes ago
- Fox News
Nationals' Jacob Young defies gravity with jaw-dropping home run robbery
Washington Nationals center fielder Jacob Young scaled the outfield wall for an outstanding home run robbery in the team's 5-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Nationals Park on Wednesday. Reds left fielder Will Benson was hitting with two outs and a man on third base in the top of the eighth inning, with the Reds up 3-0 at the time. Benson swung at the first pitch he saw from Nationals reliever Jackson Rutledge and drilled it to deep center field. Young, who was playing deep in center field to begin with, got a great read on the ball and raced back to the wall. The 25-year-old center fielder leaped off the ground with his left foot, planted his right foot into the wall to propel himself up even further to where his shoulders were above the wall. Young then reached over the wall and robbed Benson of a two-run home run. Young stuck the landing as he leaped off the wall after making the sensational snag and then held his glove in the air for a moment as he ran back towards his dugout. Young has not been a strong hitter in his three-year career but remains in the lineup because of his strong defense in center field. In 76 games this season, Young has a .251 batting average with no home runs and just 18 RBI. The Reds' win over the Nationals on Wednesday was their lone victory of the three-game series, as the Nationals took the first two games of the series. The Reds (53-30) will look to build on their win when they take on the Tampa Bay Rays (53-49) on Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Nationals (41-61) will look to bounce back when they take on the Minnesota Twins (49-52) on Friday at 8:10 p.m. ET.
USA Today
44 minutes ago
- USA Today
Sights and sounds from Day 1 of Washington Commanders training camp
We are back for another year of first player to the field, day one of training camp is … *drumroll* … Cole Turner Welcome back, football. Training camp opened on Wednesday for several NFL teams, including the Washington Commanders. It marked the start of a new year for Washington. Fans are excited to see what the Commanders do for an encore after last season's surprising success. A return to practice also meant the return of star quarterback Jayden Daniels. Wednesday's practice featured the Washington debut for future Hall of Fame edge rusher Von Miller. Miller was working through drills with his fellow 2011 draft alum Ryan Kerrigan, who is now Miller's coach with the Commanders. The duo has a combined 225 career sacks. The Daniels to Deebo Samuel connection already looks promising as the pair hooked up for a touchdown in the early portion of practice. It was a beautiful day in Ashburn for the opening of camp. Let's take a look at some of the best photos and videos from those in attendance on Day 1 of Commanders' training camp. Laremy Tunsil: And here is Sam Cosmi in the flesh JD5 and the QBs getting warmed up #raisehail Back Leremy Tunsil & OL Coach Bobby Johnson before practice 🏈 Jayden Daniels is on site for 1. Year 2. Let's go campin' 🏕️ Noah Brown loosening are here & Sam Cosmi walks out with no sleeves. #Commanders @team980 Defensive guys headed out for Day 1 🏈 #Commanders The newest member of the #Commanders, welcome 2-time Super Bowl Champ #24 Von Miller!@JPFinlayNBCS @Gio_Delfa #RaiseHail Year 2 on deck The smile says it Daniels excited to be back on the field for Day 1 of Washington Commanders training might be the best :55 seconds of your welcome. Ryan Kerrigan and Von Miller workin'Just a casual combined 225 career sacks between the two 2011 first rounders LT1: Large human being. Get used to seeing Deebo operate around the line of scrimmage with catch-and-run opps. Jaylin Lane catching punts from Tress Marshon Lattimore is my X-factor for the Washington Commanders defense this he's healthy and goes back to being that shut down changer. Make sure to follow along for more coverage of Commanders' training camp.
