Thom Loverro
Columns by Thom Loverro
Nationals’ old-school ‘putting-the-ball-in-play’ mantra part of identity
Strikeouts have gone up every year for at least a decade, as players are being taught to try to drive the ball out of the park, even at the cost of striking out. They have been taught the risk is worth the reward, part of the analytics movement. Not in Washington, where the value of putting the ball in play is still paramount. The players believe it is part of this team's comeback identity. Published October 24, 2019
Kurt Suzuki extinguishes Astros
Kurt Suzuki took the Astros' heart with his solo home run in the top of the seventh, breaking a 2-2 tie and sending a signal to his Nationals teammates that it was time to dance. Published October 24, 2019
Juan Soto star turn gives Nationals win
Juan Soto continued to write his name in the 21st-century record book by driving in three runs Monday night and leading the Washington Nationals to a 5-4 Game 1 World Series win over the Astros before a silenced crowd of 43,339. Published October 23, 2019
D.C.’s hunger for baseball helped build Astros’ home
If the bring-baseball-back-to-Washington movement had been successful sooner, the Astros might be just a memory for Houston. Published October 22, 2019
Juan Soto stakes Nationals to 1-0 Series lead
Nationals take Game 1 behind Soto, Scherzer Published October 22, 2019
Nationals see D.C.’s first World Series opener in 86 years
When the Nationals come back to host Games 3 and 4, and possibly Game 5, it will be something unprecedented that fans here will witness. No, the Capitals' Stanley Cup doesn't measure up. No, the Bullets 1978 NBA championship isn't comparable. Published October 21, 2019
Kyle Shanahan gets revenge on Redskins
A 9-0 shutout Sunday of Washington at the annual Alumni Homecoming game may not have been the way that San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan envisioned. But a win is a win. Published October 20, 2019
Dave Martinez’s message, style have not changed since day he took Nationals manager job
Martinez -- with zero managing experience -- went beyond all his predecessors' boasts and excitement and formulas for success and put himself out there with his testimony that nothing less than a World Series title would do. And now, here he is, farther than anyone who came before him, on the brink of talking his goals into existence. Published October 17, 2019
Nationals give the fans history, joy, a World Series
"We're not here solving the world's problems. We're here playing a baseball game. Some of you guys have done it since you were 3, 4 years old. So just go out there and have fun." That was Dave Martinez, telling his players to enjoy the moment. Players heard him, and so, for that matter, did Nationals fans. Published October 15, 2019
Alex Smith had multiple leg surgeries
The last count we got on surgeries for Redskins quarterback Alex Smith was six -- an alarming amount of operations on the broken leg he suffered on Nov. 18, 2018, against the Houston Texans. But what if I told you that wasn't even close to the count? Published October 15, 2019
Stephen Strasburg’s tenacity, brilliance now define legacy
Monday night before a packed and raucous sold-out Nationals Park crowd of 43,675 energized by their team's first NL Championship Series home game, Stephen Strasburg focused on what he could control -- and he controlled the St. Louis Cardinals for seven innings of one-run baseball. Published October 14, 2019
Dave Martinez and the win-from-behind edge
Now we will see how the Washington Adversities deal with success. Published October 13, 2019
Nationals exorcise their demons in the City of Angels
This 2019 team has a personality the others did not -- one built for adversity. Those previous four Nationals postseason teams coasted to division titles. This team, as Martinez has said so often, has essentially played a wild card game every day since that 19-31 start. Published October 10, 2019
Redskins’ brass may be dangerous to team’s health
In 2019, it may be time for the media to require this warning with all references to the Washington Redskins: "Warning -- the Washington Redskins are not a real NFL franchise. It doesn't matter who plays quarterback. It doesn't matter who coaches. Nothing matters as long as Dan Snyder owns the team." Published October 7, 2019
Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman night to remember
It's not quite time for Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman to say goodbye yet. They have business still ahead in Nationals uniforms. Published October 7, 2019
Patrick Corbin relief stint goes off the rails
Sunday night's Game 3 loss pours a little cold water on the idea that the Nationals can paper over the holes in their bullpen by slipping in starters like Strasburg, Scherzer and Corbin as relief pitchers. Published October 6, 2019
Stephen Strasburg wills Nationals to win
Postseason brilliance answers skeptics who've questioned the pitcher's heart and competitive spirit. Published October 5, 2019
LOVERRO: Game 1 dominated by Dodgers
Patrick Corbin said he signed with Washington because he wanted the ball on the mound in a playoff game. On Thursday, though, it looked, early, as though he would have rather been just about anywhere else. Published October 4, 2019
NFL teams fight for place in saturated L.A. market
The Los Angeles Dodgers' real competition isn't the NFL. It's the Los Angeles Lakers. No one else matters, really, which makes the city atypical of most sports markets, where NFL franchises reign. Published October 3, 2019
Anthony Rendon-Cody Bellinger MVP debate to be part of NLDS narrative
A sideshow to the Washington Nationals-Los Angeles Dodgers National League Division Series beginning Thursday night at Dodger Stadium will likely be the battle of the Most Valuable Player candidates -- or, more accurately, their home crowd backers. Published October 2, 2019
