Nationals' Josh Bell: Three hits in Saturday's loss
Rotowire
Bell went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday's loss to the Red Sox.
The veteran switch hitter is digging his way out of an early-season hole at the plate. The three-hit performance was Bell's second in the last four games, and over his last 16 contests he's slashing .327/.377/.491 with three doubles, two homers, five runs and 11 RBI.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Drives in three in nightcap
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Bell went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Tigers.
Bell was productive throughout the contest, driving in runs in the first, third and eighth innings. Over his past 10 games, the 32-year-old has hit safely seven times while collecting four extra-base hits and 10 RBI. For the season, he's slashing just .204/.292/.365 with 11 home runs, 35 RBI and 26 runs scored across 288 plate appearances.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Sitting for first game of twin bill
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Bell is out of the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Tigers.
The switch-hitting Bell will open the first game of the twin bill on the bench while the Tigers send lefty Tyler Holton to begin the contest. Bell has been far more productive against righties (92 wRC+ in 229 plate appearance) than lefties (26 wRC+ in 53 plate appearances) this season, so the Nationals could look to use him as more of a platoon player moving forward.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Slugs homer in win
Rotowire
Bell went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run, an additional RBI, two walks and three total runs scored in Friday's 15-9 win over the Angels.
Bell was one of two Nationals limited to one hit, but he made it count, opening the scoring with a second-inning homer. He also tied the game with an RBI groundout in the fifth. The 32-year-old is 13-for-49 (.265) with four extra-base hits and eight RBI over his last 14 games. For the season, he's maintained a mediocre .194/.282/.355 slash line with 11 homers, 31 RBI, 26 runs scored, four doubles and one triple across 70 contests.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Idle for series finale
Rotowire
Bell is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
The switch-hitting Bell has received most of his days off against left-handed pitching of late, but he'll head to the bench Wednesday against a right-hander (Nick Pivetta) as the Nationals open up a spot on the lineup for Alex Call. Bell had started in each of the Nationals' last four games, going 5-for-16 with a home run to bring his OPS up to .624 for the season.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Belts 10th long ball
Rotowire
Bell went 2-for-4 with a home run and three total RBI in a 10-6 victory versus San Diego on Monday.
Bell was one of three former Padres to shine against San Diego on Monday, joining CJ Abrams (3-for-5, three runs) and James Wood (3-for-5, homer, four RBI). Bell's contributions included a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning, a run-scoring single in the fifth and a solo home run in the ninth. He's still batting a meager .197 on the campaign, but Bell hasn't been entirely unproductive, as he ranks fourth on the team in both homers (10) and RBI (28).
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Nationals' Josh Bell: On bench against southpaw
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Bell is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rockies.
Though the switch-hitting Bell started in two of the Nationals' previous three matchups with left-handed hurlers, he'll hit the bench Monday as the Rockies send southpaw Carson Palmquist to the hill. James Wood will get a day off from playing the outfield and will assume Bell's usual duties as Washington's designated hitter.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Not in Wednesday's lineup
Rotowire
Bell is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.
Andres Chaparro is in the designated hitter spot versus lefty David Peterson and could cut into Bell's playing time against southpaws moving forward. The switch-hitting Bell is just 2-for-39 at the dish versus left-handed pitching this season.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Getting night off
Rotowire
Bell is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers.
Bell will get a breather Friday after making nine consecutive starts, as he cedes DH duties to Alex Call while Nathaniel Lowe starts at first base. During his nine-game starting streak, Bell went 11-for-33 (.333) with three homers and a 4:2 BB:K.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Homers again Friday
Rotowire
Bell went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk in Friday's 9-7 win over the Diamondbacks.
After failing to record a multi-hit effort in any of his first 45 games this season, Bell has gone 7-for-14 with three homers and seven RBI over the last three contests. The 32-year-old put the Nationals ahead briefly in the third inning with his blast Friday. He's up to nine homers, 22 RBI, 18 runs scored and a .181/.277/.361 slash line. He's added just one double and one triple this season after recording at least 20 doubles in each of the previous seven full-length campaigns, so he still has work to do in the power department, though that should come naturally if he can continue hitting at a higher level.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Belts extra-inning homer
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Bell went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Thursday's extra-inning win over the Mariners.
The long ball wasn't exactly clutch, as it closed the books on a seven-run 10th inning for the Nationals that blew open a 2-2 tie, but it's another encouraging sign that Bell is coming out of his early season swoon. The 32-year-old has gone yard in back-to-back games, racking up five hits over those contests, and over his last 14 games he sports a .277/.370/.489 slash line with three of his eight homers on the year.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Finally notches multi-hit game
Rotowire
Bell went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored Wednesday in a 9-0 win over Seattle.
Bell slugged a solo homer to left field in the second inning and added two singles for his first multi-hit effort of the season. Incredibly, it took him 46 contests to achieve that feat, which explains why his season slash line still stands at a paltry .166/.264/.318. Bell has supplied a bit of pop with seven homers and has recorded a solid 10.7 percent walk rate, which have helped him remain the Nationals' primary DH despite his slow start to the campaign.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Sitting amid struggles
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Bell is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
The switch-hitting Bell has produced an abysmal .065/.216/.129 slash line over 37 plate appearances against lefties this season, and the Nationals seem content to treat him as a platoon player for the time being. He'll remain on the bench for the second day in a row as the Nationals face off against another Giants lefty in Robbie Ray.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Idle Saturday
Rotowire
Bell isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Bell will take a seat on the bench Saturday after going 3-for-16 with a homer and two runs scored across his last five games. James Wood will act as Washington's designated hitter instead while Alex Call, Robert Hassell and Daylen Lile start across the outfield.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Goes yard in Sunday's win
Rotowire
Bell went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Orioles.
The veteran slugger took Bryan Baker deep in the eighth inning, the last of five Nats long balls in a 10-4 rout. Bell has six homers and 15 RBI in 40 contests, but he's mostly had a miserable start to the season in his return to Washington -- incredibly, he has yet to collect multiple hits in the same game, leading to a .156/.242/.305 slash line.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Not starting Saturday
Rotowire
Bell isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Cardinals, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Bell's early-season struggles continued with an 0-for-3 performance in Friday's series opener, and he'll now take a seat to begin Saturday's game. James Wood will serve as the Nationals' DH with Alex Call filling the void in left field.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Exiting starting nine
Rotowire
Bell is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Guardians.
Bell returned to action in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader after missing the previous four contests with a groin issue. While Bell seems to be healthy now, the Nationals are going with James Wood at designated hitter and Alex Call in left field for Wednesday's series finale.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Starting in Game 2
Rotowire
Bell (groin) will serve as Washington's designated hitter and bat fourth in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Guardians.
Bell has been out since Saturday due to a groin injury and sat out the first game of Tuesday's twin bill, but he'll return to the starting nine for the nightcap. The 32-year-old has struggled to break out of his slump to start the season, going just 3-for-19 with a homer over his last five games.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: On bench for matinee
Rotowire
Bell (groin) is out of the lineup for Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Guardians, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Bell hasn't seen the field since Friday due to the groin issue, and his absence will extend into Game 1 of Tuesday's twin bill. It's unclear if the veteran slugger will be available for the nightcap. James Wood is receiving another look at designated hitter while Alex Call starts in left field with Bell out.
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Nationals' Josh Bell: Remains out Monday
Rotowire
Bell (groin) remains out of the lineup for Monday's contest against the Guardians.
Bell will miss out on a third straight start due to a groin injury. The Nationals haven't provided any indication that Bell could need a stint on the injured list, but he'll need to show improvement in a hurry. For the third straight game, the Nationals will use James Wood at designated hitter and Alex Call in left field.
