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Rafael Soriano | Relief Pitcher

Team: Washington Nationals
Age / DOB:  (33) / 12/19/1979
Ht / Wt:  6'1' / 210
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
Contract: view contract details
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Latest News

Recent News

Rafael Soriano took his third blown save after giving up a run in the ninth against the Giants on Tuesday.
Soriano also took a blown save on Friday, but that was aided by a Ryan Zimmerman throwing error and he ended up notching the win in the 10th. Soriano still has nothing to worry about as far as job security -- he's more trustworthy than Drew Storen right now -- but the Nationals can't afford to continue being let down by their pen when their offense has been so poor. May 22 - 1:35 AM

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Player News

Date:
Rafael Soriano - R - Nationals

Rafael Soriano worked a perfect ninth inning to earn his 11th save of the season Wednesday.

There are a lot of cloudy closer situations around the league, but Washington isn't one of them. Soriano has blown just one save in 12 chances, and he has a 2.40 ERA after Wednesday's game. The right-hander is one of the safest saves options going these days.
May 8 - 11:47 PM
Rafael Soriano - R - Nationals

Rafael Soriano notched his 10th save of the year Saturday in the Nationals' 5-4 win over the Pirates.

Soriano needed only 12 pitches. He has a 2.77 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 12/3 K/BB ratio in 13 innings this year.
May 4 - 7:14 PM
Rafael Soriano - R - Nationals

Rafael Soriano recorded his eighth save of the year with a 1-2-3 ninth inning against the Braves on Wednesday.

Soriano avoided the meat of the Braves' order, but not all saves are created equal. They do, however, all count the same, and the right-hander has blown just one of nine opportunities so far. After a rough patch in early April, Soriano has rebounded to post seven straight appearances without allowing a run.
May 1 - 9:34 PM
Rafael Soriano - R - Nationals

Rafael Soriano is unavailable for Monday's game following the birth of his child.

He's only expected to miss one game, so the Nationals will not make a roster move. Drew Storen will be used if a save opportunity presents itself Monday.
Related: Drew Storen
Source: James Wagner on Twitter
Apr 22 - 4:28 PM
Rafael Soriano - R - Nationals

Rafael Soriano earned his sixth save of the season Saturday in the Nationals' defeat of the Mets.

Soriano allowed a walk but was otherwise perfect in closing out the Nationals' victory. He has not allowed a run in four straight relief appearances and should remain a top fantasy closer throughout the 2013 season.
Apr 20 - 6:34 PM
Rafael Soriano - R - Nationals

Rafael Soriano picked up his fifth save with a scoreless ninth versus the White Sox on Thursday.

Soriano has been shaky, but he's 5-for-6 saving games and he's pitched scoreless innings in four of his six trips to the mound. Now that he's pitched three days in a row, he probably is due Friday off. Drew Storen could close tomorrow in his place.
Related: Drew Storen
Apr 11 - 10:44 PM
Rafael Soriano - R - Nationals

Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty said Wednesday that Rafael Soriano has a "little tweak in his leg."

That might help explain why Soriano has had such trouble in his last two relief appearances. It's not believed to be a serious injury, but the 33-year-old right-hander may be given a few days off. Which is even more reason to go grab Nationals setup man Drew Storen.
Related: Drew Storen
Source: Bill Ladson on Twitter
Apr 10 - 5:11 PM
Rafael Soriano - R - Nationals

Rafael Soriano nailed down a save in nail-biting fashion Tuesday, allowing a two-run homer before getting a flyout to end the game.

Alex Rios got to Soriano with a two-out blast, but Paul Konerko flew out harmlessly to center field to seal the Nationals' win. The Nats' closer has now allowed two runs in two straight games, blowing one save and nearly blowing a second. He has some leash, but Washington has a good alternative in Drew Storen should Soriano continue to falter.
Apr 9 - 11:16 PM
Rafael Soriano - R - Nationals

Rafael Soriano blew a save Saturday in the Nationals' 7-6 extra-innings victory over the Reds.

Soriano entered with a 5-3 lead. He promptly gave up a solo home run to Shin-Soo Choo and then a triple to Joey Votto, who scored moments later on a wild pitch. It was an ugly showing, but Soriano won't be pulled from the ninth-inning role unless he blows a couple more. The Nats were bailed out by Ian Desmond and Wilson Ramos, who both homered in the top of the 11th.
Apr 6 - 5:02 PM
Rafael Soriano - R - Nationals

Rafael Soriano moved to 2-for-2 in save opportunities in Wednesday night's win over the Marlins.

It wasn't without some trepidation, as the tying run came to the plate following a single and a walk. But the 33-year-old reliever got the last two batters to secure the win. The Nationals have plenty of other options available to close games should Soriano falter, but the job isn't going to anyone else any time soon.
Apr 3 - 10:58 PM
Rafael Soriano - R - Nationals

Rafael Soriano tossed a scoreless ninth inning Monday against the Marlins to earn his first save of 2013.

Soriano set 'em down in order, picking up two strikeouts. He posted an exceptional 2.26 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 69/24 K/BB ratio across 67 2/3 innings last season for the Yankees and should be an elite fantasy closer this summer on a very good Nationals team.
Apr 1 - 3:30 PM
Rafael Soriano - R - Nationals

Rafael Soriano (root canal) will pitch in a minor league game Saturday.

Soriano had a root canal Thursday afternoon, but was originally expected to return to Grapefruit League action on Saturday. However, he's not back to 100 percent quite yet, so the Nationals are going to ease him back into things against lesser competition.
Source: Adam Kilgore on Twitter
Mar 22 - 4:33 PM
Rafael Soriano - R - Nationals

Rafael Soriano had a root canal Thursday afternoon in Florida.

Nationals manager Davey Johnson believes that he will be ready to pitch Friday, as scheduled. It will not have an impact on his availability for Opening Day.
Source: Mark Zuckerman on Twitter
Mar 21 - 4:07 PM
Rafael Soriano - R - Nationals

Rafael Soriano may need surgery for an infected wisdom tooth.

Soriano traveled to his native Dominican Republic on Tuesday, but it was unrelated to his tooth. Surgery wouldn't affect his availability for the season, but the Nationals would like him to get it taken care of as soon as possible.
Source: Mark Zuckerman on Twitter
Mar 20 - 11:23 AM

Depth Charts

Batters
PosRoleName
C1Kurt Suzuki
2Wilson Ramos
3Jhonatan Solano
1B1Adam LaRoche
2Tyler Moore
3Chad Tracy
2B1Danny Espinosa
2Steve Lombardozzi
SS1Ian Desmond
3B1Ryan Zimmerman
LF1Bryce Harper
2Roger Bernadina
CF1Denard Span
RF1Jayson Werth
Starting Pitcher
PosRoleName
S1Stephen Strasburg
2Gio Gonzalez
3Jordan Zimmermann
4Dan Haren
5Ross Detwiler
Relief Pitcher
PosRoleName
R1Rafael Soriano
2Drew Storen
3Tyler Clippard
4Craig Stammen
5Ryan Mattheus
6Henry Rodriguez
7Christian Garcia
8Zach Duke
9Yunesky Maya
10Fernando Abad