MLB Player News

Doval earned the save in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Reds, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.

With closer Ryan Walker sidelined by back tightness, Doval stepped in and locked down the save on just 11 pitches. If Walker remains unavailable, the 27-year-old Doval's experience in the role should give him the edge to handle the team's save opportunities moving forward.

Gurriel went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 10-6 win over the Cubs.

Gurriel tied the game 6-6 in the eighth inning with his first homer of the season, the second of eight runs the D-Backs scored in the frame. The 31-year-old Gurriel is now 4-for-19 with two extra-base hits and three RBI to start the year. He slashed .279/.322/.435 with 18 homers, 75 RBI and 72 runs scored in 553 plate appearances last season.

Morgan (0-1) allowed six runs on six hits and a walk while retiring only two batters to take the loss Sunday against the Diamondbacks.

Morgan, who had tossed three scoreless innings of relief across two appearances to start the season, quickly saw his ERA climb to 14.73 with the awful outing. The righty allowed only nine earned runs in 42 innings with Cleveland all of last year as he posted a 1.93 ERA and 0.98 WHIP for the Guardians. Morgan should be able to right the ship, though his ERA may take a while to recover.

Boyd did not factor into the decision Sunday against the Diamondbacks, allowing four hits and three walks over five scoreless innings. He struck out five.

Boyd managed to navigate his way through traffic to post five scoreless innings in his Cubs debut. The left-hander would depart with a lead, but the Chicago bullpen proceeded to cough up 10 runs over the final three innings to leave Boyd with a no-decision. Boyd was strong in eight starts with Cleveland after returning from Tommy John surgery last season, posting a 2.72 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP and 46 strikeouts over 39.2 regular-season innings.

Rodriguez did not factor into the decision Sunday against the Cubs, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out five.

Rodriguez was solid for the most part Sunday, but two of the hits off him left the ballpark -- Dansby Swanson led off the second inning with a solo home run before Seiya Suzuki launched a two-run shot in the sixth. Rodriguez will look to limit the long ball in his next outing, currently lined up for next week in Washington. Injuries limited the left-hander to 10 starts (50 innings) in 2024, when he posted a 5.04 ERA with a 1.50 WHIP and 47:19 K:BB.

Bell went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Phillies.

Bell was hitless in his first 10 plate appearances this season before opening the scoring with a three-run homer in the fourth inning. The 32-year-old has hovered around 20 homers with 70-plus RBI in each of the past three seasons. He also entered Sunday with a strong track record at Nationals Park, boasting a .291 average and 25 home runs over 152 career games.

Lowe went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double and an additional run scored in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Phillies.

Lowe extended the Nationals' lead to five in the sixth inning with a 421-foot blast to dead center off Aaron Nola. The 29-year-old delivered a stellar opening series, racking up six hits, two homers and five RBI against one of the league's top pitching staffs.

Finnegan earned the save in a 5-1 win against the Phillies on Sunday, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.

Finnegan was called upon to protect a 5-0 lead with the bases loaded in the ninth inning and retired three straight batters on just five pitches. The 33-year-old finished third in baseball last season with a career-high 38 saves and remains firmly locked in as the Nationals' closer.

Parker (1-0) earned the win against the Phillies on Sunday, allowing seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 6.1 scoreless innings.

Parker worked around frequent traffic on the basepaths to contain a potent Phillies lineup. Last season, the southpaw posted stark splits, with a 2.65 ERA over 15 home starts compared to a 6.61 ERA in 14 road outings. That trend continued Sunday, and he's set to take the mound at Nationals Park again next weekend against the Diamondbacks.

Abbott (shoulder) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Abbott is expected to make two starts with Louisville, the first of which will be Tuesday, while the latter is set for April 6. The right-hander will then be re-evaluated for a potential return to the major-league roster after his second rehab outing. If all goes to plan, Abbott is roughly on track to be back in the Cincinnati rotation April 12.