Latest news with #MichaelSoroka
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Washington Nationals Eye Signature Series Win Against Powerhouse Houston Astros
Washington is coming off back-to-back series wins and is looking for another against a stellar Houston Astros squad. Trade rumors are swirling around the organization, including prized All-Star pitcher MacKenzie Gore. With almost no shot at a playoff run in 2025, veterans will be sold, and the rebuild will continue. This is one of the most important series of the season for Michael Soroka and Josh Bell, veterans who will be trying to contribute to a playoff team. The Houston Astros are one of the top teams in the American League, currently leading the American League West. With a stellar lineup paired with two of the best pitchers in baseball (Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown), Houston is pushing for the chance to represent the American League in the World Series. Let's take a closer look at just how good the Houston Astros are. TEAM STATS OFFENSE Houston made some huge moves during the off-season, which included trading away long-time Astro Kyle Tucker for Isaac Paredes and Cubs' top prospect Cam Smith. They signed Christian Walker to a long-term deal after spending most of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Jeremy Pena has taken a huge leap this season, posting career-highs across the board. As a team, they are batting .257 (2nd), scoring 456 runs (17th), hitting 116 home runs (14th), boasting an on-base percentage of .322 (10th), and a slugging percentage of .404 (13th). PITCHING Hunter Brown has been one of the most improved players in baseball this season, posting a 2.54 ERA and already a career high in WAR at 3.9. Brown and Valdez have been incredible for Houston and will be a scary duo heading into the playoffs. However, injuries to the rest of the rotation have caused questions to arise with the trade deadline looming. Josh Hader and Bryan Abreu have been some of the best bullpen arms in baseball and should continue to dominate this season. As a team, they have a 3.73 ERA (9th), allowed 124 home runs (21st), 1.19 WHIP (3rd), and teams are batting .230 against them (4th). GAME ONE - Monday, 8:10 EDT WAS: RHP Brad Lord (2-5) - 36 G (7 GS), 3.39 ERA, 57 SO, 1.26 WHIP, 117 ERA+ HOU: LHP Framber Valdez (11-4) - 20 G, 2.67 ERA, 129 SO, 1.13 WHIP, 152 ERA+ Rookie Brad Lord has been primarily used out of the bullpen but was experimented with early on as a starter. After performing well out of the bullpen and with injuries to the starting rotation, Lord has been inserted back into the starting rotation. He performed well in his last start, throwing four innings and allowing six hits and one earned run. Framber has continued to demonstrate why he is one of the best left-handed pitchers of the 2020s. Valdez is having one of the best seasons of his career, posting his lowest ERA since his rookie season, and is on track to produce more WAR than in any other year of his career. In his last start, he continued his domination, throwing seven innings of one-run baseball in another Houston win. GAME TWO - Tuesday, 8:10 EDT WAS: RHP Michael Soroka (3-8) - 15 G, 4.85 ERA, 83 SO, 1.13 WHIP, 82 ERA+ HOU: TBD Soroka has become one of the biggest trade pieces for Washington and could provide quality innings for a team desperate for innings to be filled. In his last three starts, he has allowed less than two runs twice and is improving his trade value. His last start was stellar, throwing 5.2 innings and allowing just two hits and one run. With no run support, Washington was shut out by the Cincinnati Reds 5-0. GAME THREE - Wednesday, 2:10 EDT WAS: LHP MacKenzie Gore (4-10) - 21 G, 3.52 ERA, 144 SO, 1.28 WHIP, 113 ERA+ HOU: TBD Since throwing in the All-Star game, Gore has struggled to continue the same level of performance we were seeing in the first half. In two starts since the break, Gore has allowed nine total runs and has walked nine batters while only striking out six. With trade rumors swirling about him and his future with the team, this could be one of the most important starts at this point in his career. In his last start, he only allowed one run on one hit but walked six batters in a loss to the Minnesota Twins. With the trade deadline looming, it is a waiting game for the Nationals and the fans. With rumors swirling, it feels like nobody is safe in Washington. However, with prospect returns inevitable, the rebuild should continue smoothly as Washington preps to compete next season. Both of these teams are completely different teams, and are on two different spectrums of the trade deadline, which makes this series even more important. More from Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats avoid sweep with 5-2 win over Guardians; Jake Irvin solid again... Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats & Mets battle till end in opener; MacKenzie Gore vs NY + more... Copy of Copy of Washington Nationals GameThread(s) 1-162: 2024 Season GameThread Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats lose a sloppy, 3-2 game to Guardians... Nats reportedly sign 16yo OF Juan Soto for $1.5M A look back at when the Washington Nationals wore the infamous Natinals jerseys Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats win opener with Marlins, 3-1; Joey Meneses drives in big runs + more...
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Sport
- 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.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Michael Soroka sets down six Reds
Michael Soroka strikes out six Reds over his 5 2/3 strong innings of work during his start against Cincinnati
NBC Sports
18-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Padres at Nationals Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends and stats for July 18
Its Friday, July 18 and the Padres (52-44) are in Washington to take on the Nationals (38-58). Dylan Cease is slated to take the mound for San Diego against Michael Soroka for Washington. The Padres sit in second place and 5.5 games behind the Dodgers in the National League West. They won six of their last ten prior to the All-Star Break. Mired again this season in last place in the National League East, Washington overhauled their front office and coaching staff prior to the Break. Pitching has been the primary issue as the Nats have allowed 519 runs. Only the Rockies (589) and the Athletics (551) have allowed more. Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long. Game details & how to watch Padres at Nationals Date: Friday, July 18, 2025 Time: 6:45PM EST Site: Nationals Park City: Washington, DC Network/Streaming: SDPA, MASN Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out. Odds for the Padres at the Nationals The latest odds as of Friday: Moneyline: Padres (-157), Nationals (+132) Spread: Padres -1.5 Total: 8.0 runs Probable starting pitchers for Padres at Nationals Pitching matchup for July 18, 2025: Dylan Cease vs. Michael Soroka Padres: Dylan Cease (3-9, 4.88 ERA) Last outing: July 9 vs. Arizona - 6IP, 6ER, 5H, 3BB, 8KsNationals: Michael Soroka (3-7, 5.35 ERA) Last outing: July 10 at St. Louis - 4IP, 2ER, 4H, 2BB, 4Ks Padres: Dylan Cease (3-9, 4.88 ERA) Last outing: July 9 vs. Arizona - 6IP, 6ER, 5H, 3BB, 8Ks Nationals: Michael Soroka (3-7, 5.35 ERA) Last outing: July 10 at St. Louis - 4IP, 2ER, 4H, 2BB, 4Ks Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type! Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Padres at Nationals The Padres have won 7 of their last 9 games at Washington The Over is 5-0 in the Nationals' last 5 home games The Padres have covered in 4 of their last 5 games showing a profit of 1.93 units Fernando Tatis Jr. is enjoying a 6-game hitting streak (9-21) Manny Machado was 3-10 (.300) in the Padres' 3-game series against the Phillies just prior to the Break James Wood is 10-41 (.244) with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs in July If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports! Expert picks & predictions for tonight's game between the Padres and the Nationals Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Padres and the Nationals: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the San Diego Padres on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Washington Nationals at +1.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0. Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
Washington Post
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
For Michael Soroka and the Nationals, no escaping the fifth in 11-2 loss
If there was anything Washington Nationals pitcher Michael Soroka could do to stop the fifth inning's flood, manager Davey Martinez was waiting to see it. Five straight batters to begin the inning and five straight base runners: double, walk, single, walk, single. Martinez said his bullpen was thin on depth, so he gave his starter the chance to find a way 'out of his own mess.' But Soroka couldn't. For a Washington team already with the third-worst ERA in baseball entering Friday, leaving in a tiring Soroka led to him a lonely walk back to the dugout with no outs in the fifth and three runs in already. The flood still kept coming. In Soroka's worst start of the season — and possibly his career — Washington (37-51) dropped Friday's series opener to the Boston Red Sox, 11-2, at Nationals Park. Soroka had pitched at least five innings in eight consecutive starts dating from May 13. In no start this season had he given up more than four runs. In no outing in his career had he allowed more than five runs. On Friday, he allowed seven. 'I think he hit the wall there that inning, gave up seven runs,' Martinez said. 'I told him, 'Hey, it happens. It was a quick turnaround. Come back your next start.' He's been pitching really well for us, so let's forget about this one.' Martinez said he'll be worried only if Soroka repeats Friday's performance. It's been a far fall from Soroka's top-10 finish in Cy Young Award voting in 2019. He didn't pitch in 2021 or 2022 because of injuries. Signing him this offseason was intended to give the Nationals an experienced presence on a young pitching staff, and a possible trade deadline candidate. On Friday, his ERA jumped from 4.70 to 5.40, and his record fell to 3-6. 'It's tough when you don't command your fastball that well,' Soroka said. 'It's just one of those days where it's kind of a perfect storm where I'm not throwing that well and didn't quite catch a couple breaks, and it added up.' This season, Soroka has thrown his fastball on 43.8 percent of pitches. That was down to 39 percent against Boston as he struggled with command. He relied on his slurve far more often (42 percent of the time Friday against a 34.9 percent season average). Even before the teams took the field Friday, a Washington pitching staff already lined with inconsistency took another hit. The Nationals placed starting pitcher Trevor Williams on the 15-day injured list Friday with a right elbow strain. Williams last pitched Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader against Detroit, struggling through three innings during which he allowed seven runs and two home runs. Six of those runs came during a first inning in which he threw 54 pitches. 'We just didn't feel right after the last start,' Williams said Friday. 'I thought it was just the heat and everything. But we took an MRI yesterday, and we're still TBD on what the next steps are.' This is Williams' second right arm injury in as many seasons. He went on the injured list in June last year with a right flexor injury and didn't return until September. Neither Williams nor Martinez was able to pinpoint the exact cause of this injury, but Williams said it feels similar to what he experienced last season. The Nationals brought up relief pitcher Ryan Loutos from Rochester to replace Williams' spot. Washington has not announced a starting pitcher for Sunday, where Williams had been slated. Washington also reinstated catcher Keibert Ruiz from the injured list after he missed nearly two weeks because of a concussion. Catcher Drew Millas was optioned down to Rochester to make room on the roster. Ruiz went 1 for 4 in his return as part of a Nationals lineup that struggled after scoring 11 runs against the Tigers barely 12 hours prior. Washington managed just four hits off him in 7⅔ innings off Boston starter Lucas Giolito, who returned to the same mound where he made his major league debut for the Nationals nine year ago. Washington traded Giolito later that season to the White Sox for Adam Eaton, who played a key role in the Nationals' run to the 2019 World Series. Giolito, who also has pitched for the Angels and Guardians before arriving in Boston this season, improved to 5-1 this season with a 3.66 ERA. He has a 0.83 ERA over his past 32.2 innings. The former Nationals first-round pick received a standing ovation from Red Sox fans as he left the field in the bottom of the eighth.
