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The DC Metro is adding flexible hours for Nationals and Mystics postseason runs

The DC Metro is adding flexible hours for Nationals and Mystics postseason runs

By Jared Goldstein October 03, 2019 12:22 PM

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Leave the game early to catch the last Metro train or stay until the end and find another way home? It's the age-old question facing Washington sports fans during playoff runs when games start later and are scheduled almost on the fly.

Well, during Nationals postseason games, and a potential Mystics WNBA Finals Game 5, fans won't have to worry.

Metro General Manager/CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld announced in a release Thursday that Metrorail service will be "flexed" to accommodate fans. The Navy Yard-Ballpark Station will remain open for 20 minutes following the conclusion of Nationals home games for the duration of the postseason. Anybody in line to enter that station will be accommodated, according to the release.

Navy Yard-Ballpark will be the only station to flex its hours. All other stations will be open for exit only, per the release.

The same flexed hours will be available at the Congress Heights Station if the WNBA Finals reach a Game 5, which would be played next Thursday at the Events and Sports Center.

“Today’s commitment to keep trains running 20 minutes after all Nationals and Mystics postseason games lets the region’s fans choose Metro and know that we’ll be there to get them home,” Wiedefeld said in the release. “This approach is a bridge to address the immediate concerns of customers until the Board can take a fresh look at the policy.”

The Nationals will first host the Dodgers for Game 3 of the NLDS, scheduled to start at 4:10 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6. A Game 4 on Monday, if necessary, could be the only time Metrorail might need to flex its hours of operation, but a start time has not yet been announced.

With the WNBA Finals Best-of-5 series tied at one game apiece, the Mystics and Sun would have to split the next two in Connecticut to force a deciding Game 5 in Washington. That game, if necessary, would start at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10.

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The ageless Fernando Rodney to reportedly play in Dominican Winter League

The ageless Fernando Rodney to reportedly play in Dominican Winter League

By Matt Weyrich December 07, 2019 12:41 PM

Only one player in the major leagues threw a pitch while over the age of 40 last season. Fernando Rodney, who in fact is 42 and coming off his first ever World Series title, has appeared in at least 50 games each of the last eight years and 10 of the last 11.

For a player who’s three years older than the second-oldest active pitcher, taking the offseason off wouldn’t just be expected—it’d probably be recommended. But Rodney is taking no such break, reportedly signing up for the Dominican Winter League this offseason.

Leones del Escogido plays in his hometown of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. This will actually be the fifth time Rodney will suit up for the team, most recently doing so last winter.

Rodney is a free agent after being picked up by the Nationals midseason. He’s played 17 years in the majors and ranks 17th all-time in saves with 327.

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How big of a priority is filling the hole at second base for the Nationals?

How big of a priority is filling the hole at second base for the Nationals?

By Matt Weyrich December 07, 2019 11:42 AM

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When the Nationals entered the offseason, they had significant needs at seven different areas of the roster: catcher, first base, second base, third base, rotation, bullpen and bench.

Washington made strides toward solidifying the first two by inking catcher Yan Gomes and first baseman Howie Kendrick to separate deals over the first five weeks of the offseason. But with former stars Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon both still on the board, there are still many different directions the Nationals could go this winter.

On this week’s episode of the Nationals Talk podcast, NBC Sports Washington’s Todd Dybas sat down with Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post and MLB.com’s Jamal Collier to talk about the team’s offseason plans. With the needs the Nationals have in so many areas, the writers agreed Washington didn’t need to prioritize second base.

“Second base, to me, feels like it would probably be the last thing on my checklist if I’m the Nats,” Collier said. “You’re going to operate on some kind of budget and you have to spend money on re-signing [Stephen] Strasburg, figuring out whatever you’re going to do at third base…and you have to do something with this bullpen as well.”

Right now, the Nationals have top prospect Carter Kieboom as a potential option to take the starting job out of Spring Training. They also have veteran utility players Wilmer Difo and Adrian Sanchez on the roster, but neither has been able to produce consistently on the offensive end.

“I would probably band-aid it with probably a cheaper option than Brian Dozier,” Dougherty said. “Maybe even give Carter the shot but have a veteran behind him…César Hernández makes a ton of sense to me. He’s a switch hitter, he can play multiple positions, you have a hole at utility player.”

Dybas also mentioned Starlin Castro as a potential option. Castro played all 162 games for the Miami Marlins last season, hitting .270 with a career-high 22 home runs. He’ll be 30 years old on Opening Day and was lauded by his former club for his clubhouse presence.

One potential option that came off the board in recent weeks was Mike Moustakas, who inked a four-year, $64 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds. A natural third baseman, Moustakas played 47 games at second for the Milwaukee Brewers last season and is now entrenched there for the Reds moving forward with Eugenio Suarez playing third.

“I hate that Moustakas deal,” Collier said. The Reds are “putting him out of position. He’s not a second baseman. So you’re getting worse defensively for a guy who’s pretty much all power. We don’t know what the shape of the ball is going to be [and] he’s only getting older.”

It was certainly a high price tag, which likely took the Nationals out of the running if second base is an area the team is hoping to save money on. But they also could’ve signed Moustakas to play third, a position that is remarkably light on talent in free agency.

For the full episode, which also includes discussions about Rendon and Strasburg’s prospects of returning to Washington, you can find the Nationals Talk podcast at Art19, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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