Washington, D.C

Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats shut out by Twins, 10-0; Rubber match in D.C. today…

Published

2 years ago

May 22, 2024

Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats shut out by Twins, 10-0; Rubber match in D.C. today…

CORBIN KEEPS MISSING LOCATION:

Davey Martinez summed up Patrick Corbin’s struggles on Tuesday night succinctly when he spoke with reporters following a 10-0 drubbing the hands/bats of the Minnesota Twins, who evened things up in their three-game series in Washington, D.C.’s Nationals Park.

Corbin, who was actually on a nice run in the month of May, with a 3.24 ERA, a 3.21 FIP, and a .297/.343/.438 line against before Tuesday’s start, giving up six runs in three starts and 16 ²⁄₃ IP, after he finished the first month-plus of the 2024 campaign with a 6.82 ERA, 4.63 FIP, and a .353/.405/.564 line against in six starts and 31 ²⁄₃ IP.

The 34-year-old gave up two home runs in his first outing of the season, but he’d given up just two in 44 innings in his previous eight starts before taking on the Twins.

Corbin gave up nine hits, three of them home runs, and eight runs total in a six-inning start, walking three, and striking out three.

The common factor in the home runs by the Twins? (By Byron Buxton in the second, Jose Miranda in the third, and Buxton again in the fifth).

“Missed location,” Martinez said. “He tried to go in on all three of those home runs, and left the ball out over the plate. His location was just bad today.

“But he’s pitching well, and for what it’s worth he gave us six innings and kind of saved our bullpen for tomorrow.”

But the outing, in which he threw 106 pitches, 60 for strikes, was not a good one for Corbin.

“Sometimes those days just happen. He’s been really good and keeping us in games. Today it just didn’t happen.”

A night after the club scored 13 runs on the Twins, the offense just didn’t happen either.

Twins’ starter Joe Ryan tossed seven scoreless innings against the Nationals, giving up just three hits and two walks, while striking out six, and collecting 10 swinging strikes, eight of them on his fastball, and 14 called strikes, 13 of them with his heater.

The difference for his offense night-to-night in the first two games of the series?

“Obviously the pitcher,” Martinez said. “We fell behind, but the pitcher, Ryan, he kept us off-balance, but his fastball played really well tonight.

“He located it, it was up in the zone, we couldn’t get on top, so he threw the ball well.”

“His stuff was good. His stuff was really good. So we got a chance to come back tomorrow and win a series, so let’s go back and go 1-0 tomorrow and win a series.”

DID RUIZ RETURN TOO SOON?:

Keibert Ruiz missed 13 games while dealing with a particularly rough bout of influenza. In his time on the IL, he reportedly lost 18-20 lbs. He played just two games on a rehab stint beore returning to the big leagues, and after a 2 for 4 game in the Nationals’ 12-3 win on Monday, he had hits in 3 of 4 games, but still just a .153/.176/.222 line, two doubles, a home run, one walk, and 12 Ks over 20 games and 74 plate appearances since the IL stint.

How, if at all, have his struggles affected his confidence?

“He’s been really, really good, he really has,” manager Davey Martinez said in his pregame press conference on Monday.

“He’s frustrated,” Martinez added, “… because we really thought, and he really thought that he was in a good place before he got sick, and we’ve been really, really trying to stay positive, with him, we really have, because it’s not his fault he got real sick. But he’s been very positive.”

Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

In hindsight, did the club rush him back? Should they have given him more time to get back up to speed in the minors after the prolonged illness?

“He said he felt really good, and then he hit a little lull,” Martinez explained, “but that’s part of kind of building him up a little bit. So like I said, I’ll continue to monitor him, but he said now he’s at the point where he said now he feels like he gained some weight back, and he feels good enough, and now it’s just going out there and playing baseball.”

Ruiz is working both sides of his game, the manager said, and trying to get back to hitting and improve his catching as he plays most days as the Nationals’ No. 1 backstop.

“He spends a lot of time working on his catching, so hopefully he’s starting to feel better all the way around. We talked to him today about just not trying to do too much, just getting a good swing, swinging at strikes. The biggest thing for me is that he’s chasing a lot. He’s got to get the ball in the zone. When he does that — usually when he does that he strike the ball pretty well. He’s a big part of our lineup and a big part of our young players, so he’s going to be okay.”

MLB: Minnesota Twins at Washington Nationals

Martinez said he tried to assure Ruiz he believes the catcher is capable of turning it around.

“I told him, ‘This is not the first time — and granted, you’ve been sick, but this is not the first time you’ve started slow neither. You’ve done it and all of a sudden you’ve picked it up and you were — Wow! So let’s just focus on today, and focus on what you need to do to get ready to catch, and each at-bat try to get to that next pitch. But he was good. I saw him today, he was laughing and smiling amongst his players in the cage, so we just got to keep him positive.”

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Washington, D.C

Storm Team4 Forecast: Thick fog to clear before storms, rain Thursday night

Published

1 hour ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Storm Team4 Forecast: Thick fog to clear before storms, rain Thursday night

4 things to know about the weather:

Grab the umbrella
Big temperature ranges
Thunder possible Thursday night
Warmer days on the way

Heads up commuters! For Thursday morning, there will be some thick fog in spots with some rain possible, especially around the Mason-Dixon line. The fog should clear out by 10 a.m.

Throughout the day, some sunshine should develop with highs warming into the low 60s. Those in Northern Maryland could see some showers throughout the day but those near the D.C. area will stay relatively dry except for a stray shower or two.

Some rain and evening storms by 8 p.m. will impact the area Thursday night. Although it’s a bit unusual for this time of year, don’t be surprised if you hear thunder Thursday evening.

Warmer temperatures coming this weekend

These next few days will come with some major forecast challenges.

Much, much warmer air is just to our south and cold, high pressure is moving into New England. The front separating the 40s from the 70s will be laying right across our region for the next two to three days.

So keep in mind, when you’re looking at the forecast highs in the text below, that it will be warmest in Fredericksburg, VA and coolest in northern Maryland.

Friday’s weather will be similar as a front system remains just over the area, separating chilly air to the north and warmer air to the south. There might be a stray shower or two, too.

For the weekend, Saturday looks to be the warmer of the two days with highs in the low to mid 70s. Some rain overnight Saturday will lead to cooler temperatures on Sunday.

Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.

QuickCast

THURSDAY:
Mostly Cloudy
Stray Shower Possible
Big Temperature Range
Wind: Southeast 5 mph
Chance of Rain: 40%
HIGHS: 62° to 72°

THURSDAY NIGHT:
Cloudy And Chilly
Rain Likely
Some Thunder Possible
Wind: Northeast 5 mph
Chance Of Rain: 70%
LOWS: 44° to 54°

FRIDAY:
Mostly Cloudy
Cooler For Most
Isolated Shower Or Two
Wind: East 5-15 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 52° to 68°

SATURDAY:
Partly Sunny
Breezy And Warmer
Isolated Shower
Wind: Southwest 10-20 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 66° to 78°

SUNDAY:
Mostly Cloudy
Cooler
Few Showers Possible
Wind: Northwest 5-15 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 64° to 72°

Sunrise: 6:35 Sunset: 6:05
Average High: 53° Average Low: 36°

Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.

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Washington, D.C

Tax expert explains DC filing season amid Congress-District dispute

Published

14 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Tax expert explains DC filing season amid Congress-District dispute

WASHINGTON (7News) — D.C. taxpayers may be confused by back-and-forth between the D.C. City Council and Congress over taxprovision. The city’s financial officer sent a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson, that said the District’s tax laws will not change, despite recent actions by Congress.

7News spoke to director of Tax Policy at the Center for American Progress Corey Husak to explain the complicated tax policy.

“The short answer is, nothing changes. Filing Season can continue as it has been, continue as planned, and according to the laws as we understood them in January,” said Husak.

“If you’ve already filed your taxes, you don’t have to change anything. And if you want to file your taxes, the rules are still the same as they were on the books before,” said Husak.

RELATED | DC Council Chairman talks taxes, budget, bodycams, federal surge

Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee’s revenue estimate issued Friday does not include an estimated $180 million expected this fiscal year from the city’s decoupling law, “due to the uncertainty of the associated revenue as a result of Joint Resolution 142,” according to a released letter.

“The CFO was in a tough spot here. If he agreed with Congress, then businesses and overtime workers will get bigger refunds. But if he agreed with the Mayor and the Attorney General, then families with children and lower income workers would get bigger tax cuts,” said Husak.

SEE MORE | Development of new Commanders stadium scrutinized at DC oversight hearing

“We as District residents can’t control, you know what happens in the courts, what happens in, you know, what Congress does in the future,” said Husak. “But for now, the CFO has said, you know this is, this is a law as it stands, and the law that I’m going to enforce so, you know, file your legally obligated taxes, and maybe in the future, there’ll be a surprise.”

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW

7News spoke to director of Tax Policy at the Center for American Progress Corey Husak to explain the complicated tax policy (7News).{ }

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Washington, D.C

CHERRY BLOSSOM COUNTDOWN: Peak Bloom prediction drops Thursday

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

CHERRY BLOSSOM COUNTDOWN: Peak Bloom prediction drops Thursday

WASHINGTON (7News) — The nation’s capital is just about ready to be transformed into a breathtaking pastel landscape of cherry trees in bloom. The famed blossoms around the Tidal Basin are not only a symbol of spring’s arrival, but also of a long-standing friendship — a gift of more than 3,000 trees from Tokyo, Japan, to the United States in 1912.

So what is considered “Peak Bloom”?

The National Park Service (NPS) defines peak bloom as the time when at least 70% of the Yoshino cherry trees around the Tidal Basin have opened their blossoms. This is the period when the blossoms appear most full and spectacular and most ideal for photos, and soaking up spring’s beauty here in DC.

Because cherry trees respond to the cumulative effects of winter and spring weather, especially daily temperatures, it’s very difficult to predict peak bloom more than about 10 days in advance. Warm spells accelerate blooming; cold snaps slow it down.

Average Timing — What History Shows

Since 1921 overall, national data indicate peak bloom typically fell around early April (April 4), based on historical averages.

Average date peak bloom – cherry blossom trees Washington DC Tidal Basin

Since 1990, the average has kept shifting earlier and earlier. In fact, the last 6 years our peak has occurred in late March.

These shifts reflect how warmer springs have nudged peak bloom earlier over the decades.

Earliest & Latest Blooms on Record

Earliest peak bloom: March 15 — recorded in 1990.

Latest peak bloom: April 18 — recorded in 1958.

Of course, most years fall between those dates, with the last week of March to the first week of April historically being the most consistent window for peak bloom.

Earliest Peak Bloom Washington DC

Recent peak blooms show how variable and climate-dependent the timing can be:

2025: The National Park Service predicted peak bloom between March 28–31 (and confirmed the official peak around March 28).

2024: Peak bloom arrived very early, on March 17, several days ahead of NPS projections — tied for one of the earliest peaks in decades.

These examples demonstrate not only how much each season can differ, but also a trend toward earlier spring blossoms in recent years.

What to Expect for Spring 2026

As of early March 2026, the cherry trees are still dormant. The buds haven’t begun significant growth yet. The weather will become more critical in the weeks leading up to the bloom will be the biggest factor in determining when peak bloom happens in 2026.

Heavy winter cold, as experienced this year, tends to delay bloom compared with recent early springs. In contrast, an early warm stretch could push peak bloom earlier — as long as it doesn’t come with subsequent frost.

Look for the green bud stage first. This is when the buds are small, tight, and green, with no sign of petals yet. Trees are still several weeks from blooming.

Tips for Cherry Blossom Visitors

Plan in the “sweet spot” — peak bloom often lasts a few days to about a week, but weather (rain, wind, heat) can shorten that window.

Visit slightly before or after the predicted peak dates for smaller crowds and extended color. Blossoms can be gorgeous even before 70% bloom or as petals begin falling.

Check NPS updates and First Alert Weather forecasts in late March for tweaked peak bloom dates.

The cherry blossoms of Washington, D.C. remain one of the most iconic harbingers of spring in the U.S., and while exact bloom dates vary year-to-year, history and natural patterns point to late March through early April as your best bet for seeing the Tidal Basin in full floral glory.

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