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The final line score on Saturday was striking enough: one run, two hits, no errors, 12 men left on base. Behind it was a mostly silent locker room full of frustrated players, having just slogged through four weeks of offensive futility and knowing that without third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, they could be in for six more. The Nationals' 2-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants
Early in today's game against the Giants, when the Nationals only scored one run despite getting five walks, two hit batters, two hits and a wild pitch off Jonathan Sanchez, it felt like they might pay for doing so little with such generosity. That looks like a distinct possibility in the seventh inning, and somewhat fittingly, it's because of walks. With runners on second and
On Friday, the Nationals played their 17th game with Ryan Zimmerman, beating the world champion San Francisco Giants 3-0 behind a five-hit shutout from Jason Marquis and just enough timely hitting to slip past two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. They improved to 9-8 without Zimmerman, and fielded a lineup on Saturday that included one hitter batting over .250 at game time. They'll be
Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman will have surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn rectus abdominis muscle, and is expected to be out for six weeks, the team announced today. Dr. Bill Meyers, a specialist Zimmerman saw Friday, will perform the surgery Tuesday in Philadelphia. The news takes the Nationals' best player, who hasn't played since April 9, out of their lineup until mid-June if
Good afternoon from Nationals Park. Here are the Nationals' and Giants' lineups for today's 4:05 start: Giants: Rowand - CF Sanchez - 2B Posey - 1B Burrell - LF Tejada - 3B Ross - RF Fontenot - SS Whiteside - C Sanchez - P Nationals: Espinosa - 2B Ankiel - CF Werth - RF LaRoche - 1B Ramos - C Morse - LF Desmond -
Blogging this from the drive-thru line at Chick-Fil-A. Oh, technology - you're almost as wonderful an innovation as chicken biscuits for breakfast. Anyway, Laynce Nix got a start in left field last night, with manager Jim Riggleman wanting to stack a lineup of left-handed hitters against Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum. And the decision to start Nix was his best of the night; the 30-year-old went
In his 13th season in the major leagues, Jason Marquis is still evolving; he's throwing more strikes than he ever has before, making a point only to pepper the bottom of the strike zone and worrying little about the results beyond that. In his second year with the Nationals, he's rebounding. A year ago, he was out of the Nationals' rotation, letting the effects of
I think it's safe to say Jason Marquis is back in business. The right-hander just pitched a five-hit shutout against the world champion San Francisco Giants, striking out seven batters and outdueling Tim Lincecum on what was a solid night for the Giants' ace in his own right. The Nationals won 3-0, improving to 12-13 for the season. It was Marquis' fourth career shutout, and
At this time last year, Jason Marquis had a 20.52 ERA. He was on the disabled list after three starts, none of which lasted longer than 4 1/3 innings, and was about to have elbow surgery. This year, he's healthy. And not only is he the pitcher the Nationals thought they were getting when they signed him for $15 million over two years, he might
To this point, Laynce Nix has been the one player off the Nationals' bench that has hit well this season. But he's been even better when he's been in the lineup. He entered the night 6-for-17 with a homer in five starts this season, and in the first two innings tonight, he's made his mark on this game. The left fielder blasted a homer to
At the close of spring training, the Nationals opted to put together a bench full of veterans in their 30s, many of which had double-digit years of service in the major leagues. The plan was for those players to share their experience and success in the game - four of the five players on the Nationals' ideal bench have World Series rings - with young
Here are the Nationals' and Giants' lineups for tonight's series opener at Nationals Park: Giants: Rowand - CF Sanchez - 2B Huff - 1B Posey - C Sandoval - 3B Burrell - LF Tejada - SS Ross - RF Lincecum - P Nationals: Espinosa - 2B Ankiel - CF Werth - RF LaRoche - 1B Ramos - C Nix - LF Desmond - SS Cora
Last year in San Francisco, the Nationals entered the second game of a series with the unenviable task of trying to beat Giants' starter Tim Lincecum to halt a skid that had resulted in eight losses in their last 11 games. The two-time Cy Young Award winner had never allowed more than two runs against him, and they'd lost a winnable game against Todd Wellemeyer
Had the Nationals lost to the New York Mets on Thursday night, they would have fallen to 10-14 for the season. It would have been their fourth straight loss, seventh in eight games and they would have been staring at the task of stopping a losing streak against two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, who opens a nasty 13-game stretch of the Nationals' schedule
As much as late-April baseball games can be key moments in the course of a season, this one was. And as much as they can have meaty subplots, this one did. Back in the Nationals' lineup on Thursday night, after a three-week slump to start the season and two days more memorable than just about anything he'll do on a baseball field, was shortstop Ian
The Nationals ended their three-game losing streak on Thursday night, beating the Mets 4-3 in a game they simply needed to have. Ian Desmond tripled, homered and scored two runs, and Drew Storen converted his fourth straight save. Livan Hernandez allowed three runs in eight innings for the victory. The Nationals won just two of six games against the Pirates and Mets - an opportunity
In the last week before his son Grayson was born, Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond continued to say that the fact he was about to become a father wasn't affecting him on the field. That's the smart thing to say, even if Desmond's errors were piling up and manager Jim Riggleman sat him on Sunday because he thought Desmond "has a lot on his mind." But
Last weekend in Pittsburgh, Jayson Werth said the changes in his swing were getting to the point where he was about to go on a tear. He's heading into one now. Werth drove in a run with a ground-rule double in the third inning, taking an 0-2 fastball from Chris Capuano to right field. The ball was misplayed by Carlos Beltran in right, but Werth
If the Nationals end up in a save situation tonight, it's likely Sean Burnett wouldn't pitch. But that's got more to do with the fact the reliever has worked three days in a row than anything else; his four-run ninth inning last night, much of which was constructed on bloop base hits and poor defense, didn't affect it. Manager Jim Riggleman said the Nationals will
Here are the Nationals' and Mets' lineups for tonight's series finale at Nationals Park: Mets: Reyes - SS Murphy - 2B Wright - 3B Beltran - RF Bay - LF Davis - 1B Thole - C Harris - CF Capuano - P Nationals: Espinosa - 2B Ankiel - CF Werth - RF LaRoche - 1B Morse - LF Desmond - SS Hairston - 3B Rodriguez
The Nationals optioned outfielder Roger Bernadina back to Triple-A Syracuse this afternoon, making room for shortstop Ian Desmond to come off Major League Baseball's new paternity list after the birth of his son, Grayson. "Indescribable," Desmond said when asked how it felt. "It's the best thing I've seen in my entire life." Bernadina had a pair of hits in three innings last night, but the
By nature, Livan Hernandez is a pitcher who doesn't get rattled by much. He prepares for his starts a certain way, blasting Latin music and reggaeton in the clubhouse before going out to the bullpen and working through an intricate warmup routine that often involves as many as 90 pitches. Once he gets on the mound, he attacks hitters with fastballs and changeups on the
On Wednesday, when the Nationals activated Henry Rodriguez from the 15-day disabled list and brought him to the majors, they got closer than they've been at any point this year to having the bullpen they thought they'd have all along. And yet, their bullpen has never looked more in flux. They've lost two straight games where their relief corps, which is usually solid, has allowed
You're sure to see the play on highlight shows a couple dozen times tomorrow: Mets shortstop Jose Reyes slaps a ball off Nationals reliever Tyler Clippard into a corner in left center, Rick Ankiel throws a missile to third, one-hopping a throw to Jerry Hairston Jr. The throw is a half-second late, but in the process of Hairston tagging Reyes, his feet and the heel
It started as an infield single, then a basehit, then another. Before long, a one-run lead for the Nationals had melted into a three-run deficit. It's funny how fast things can snowball. Sean Burnett certainly can't be feeling too jovial. He lasted just 2/3 innings, but surrendered four earned runs on four hits as the Mets jumped out in front and never looked back in
News item: Tom Gorzelanny pitched into the seventh inning for the first time this year and needed only 79 pitches to get through six, as the Nationals lead the Mets 2-1. The Nationals are yanking him a batter into the seventh, though, after Jayson Werth made an error on the first at-bat of the seventh inning. They're getting Tyler Clippard to face Willie Harris. Analysis:
News item: We're in the bottom of the fifth inning, and the Nationals and Mets are tied at a run apiece. The Nationals pulled even in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Michael Morse. Analysis: Once again, we're seeing how important Jayson Werth's aggressive baserunning is becoming to the Nationals. He doubled in the first inning on a grounder down the right field line
Welcome to our live Nationals chat for April 27 - with the Nationals and Mets in a rain delay, we'll spend some time chatting about the team. If you'd submitted questions earlier in the day, I'll answer those here. Otherwise, you can ask them live: April 27 Washington Nationals chat
The Nationals announced today they are activating right-hander Henry Rodriguez - the flame-throwing reliever at the center of last winter's Josh Willingham trade - from the 15-day disabled list. To make room for Rodriguez, they put right-hander Chad Gaudin on the DL with right shoulder inflammation, retroactive to April 26. Rodriguez started the year on the DL with neck spasms after losing his command in
Here are the Nationals' and Mets' lineups for tonight's 7:05 game, as the Nationals try to end a three-game losing streak against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Wilson Ramos starts at catcher for the second day in a row, batting fifth after his two-homer night on Tuesday. Mets: Reyes - SS Turner - 2B Wright - 3B Beltran - RF Bay - LF Davis - 1B Hairston
Just a quick public service announcement: We'll be running our first live Nationals chat of the year during the first few innings of tonight's Nationals-Mets game. I'll be talking about the game and the team, and taking some of your questions on how the season's gone so far this year. If you'd like to submit some questions ahead of time, you can leave them in
With the Nationals' minor league teams winding through the first several weeks of their season, MASNsports.com's Byron Kerr and I got together at Nationals Park yesterday to discuss the progress of several key prospects. We touched on what's next for Brad Meyers and Tom Milone, who are off to hot starts at Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse, respectively, and talked about when we might see
The Nationals' 6-4 loss to the Mets last night, as I mentioned after the game, was one of the first times this year when the team's pitching staff broke down at key moments that directly contributed to a loss. The team has now lost five of six, slipping behind the surging Braves in the NL East. And the only one of those games where they
There have been few games this year where the Nationals can legitimately say they'd provided enough offense to win, but got hurt by their pitching staff. They were blown out in the first week of the season against the Braves, lost a 7-4 game to the Marlins when their bullpen fell apart and got beat 8-4 against the Mets two weekends ago. But tonight's 6-4
After working all night to stay within striking distance of the Mets, the Nationals couldn't overcome their bullpen's mistakes in the end. They lost 6-4 to the Mets, after Doug Slaten allowed two inherited runners to score and Sean Burnett gave up an inherited run in the ninth inning, hitting two batters after filling in for Brian Broderick. The loss was Washington's fifth in its
This wasn't a great night for Jordan Zimmermann - that much was clear early when he allowed four hits in the first two innings. But Zimmermann had retired six of the last seven batters he'd faced before allowing two singles in the sixth inning, and had only thrown 73 pitches. Manager Jim Riggleman decided to pull him at that point, though, taking out the young
We're in the fourth inning here at Nationals Park, and despite a rocky start to the game from Jordan Zimmermann, the Nationals have pulled even with the Mets. Or rather, slugged their way even. Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos have both homered here in the fourth inning, blasting shots to left off Mets starter Chris Young. Ramos' homer was his second of the night -
Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who has missed the last two weeks with an abdominal strain, got back to baseball activities on Tuesday, playing catch and running at Nationals Park. Manager Jim Riggleman said Zimmerman did "some firm tossing" from about 60 feet, and ran at about 50 percent of his full speed. "We're just trying to initiate back into some baseball activities and move along
Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond, who went on paternity leave today under Major League Baseball's new rule, became a father this afternoon. His wife Chelsey gave birth to a baby boy, Grayson Wesley Desmond, at 3:56 p.m. in Sarasota, Fla. He is six pounds, 11 ounces. A Nationals spokesman said both mother and baby are doing well. Manager Jim Riggleman said Desmond will likely return to
Good afternoon from Nationals Park, where the Nationals begin a three-game series with the Mets tonight at 7:05 p.m. Here are the lineups for both teams: Mets: Reyes - SS Murphy - 2B Wright - 3B Beltran - RF Bay - LF Davis - 1B Thole - C Pridie - CF Young - P Nationals: Espinosa - 2B Ankiel - CF Werth - RF LaRoche
The Nationals announced a few minutes ago they've placed Ian Desmond, who is expecting the birth of his first child, on paternity leave. To replace Desmond, they've called up outfielder Roger Bernadina. Bernadina, who missed out on the final outfield spot in spring training when the Nationals decided to keep Laynce Nix and option him to Triple-A Syracuse, had a .267 average with a homer
A few of you have asked in the last few days about all the called strikes the Nationals have taken, and whether games like last night's and the ninth-inning loss to the Phillies on Aprl 13, which both ended in called third strikes, are indicative of a larger trend. I can't say for sure whether it's part of a flaw in the Nationals' hitting approach,
All season, you've heard plenty - with much of it coming from here - about how good the Nationals' pitching has been. And it's true their starters have been consistent; the Nationals still haven't pulled a pitcher before the fifth inning, and 21 games into the season, they're the last team to do that. So we know on most nights, the Nationals' starters have given
The Nationals won two games on their road trip to St. Louis and Pittsburgh. In both of those games, they scored at least six runs. The rest of the time, their offense ranged from inconsistent to futile, coming up with few answers against pitchers like Paul Maholm and Jeff Karstens and none against St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse. And after 21 games, there's a clear
The Nationals had jumped out to an early lead, John Lannan was grooving and it was looking like Jim Riggleman's squad would leave Pittsburgh with a series win and a .500 record on their six-game road trip. Then the rain came, and the 19-minute delay that ensued seemed to put a stop to all the Nats' momentum. Lannan allowed a walk and two straight hits
The Nationals and Pirates are currently in a rain delay with the Nats holding a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Pittsburgh is getting hit hard by rain tonight, but there appears to be clear skies on the way after this storm rolls through. Adam LaRoche accounted for both Nationals RBIs with a two-run single in the top of the first inning.
We've seen a few different iterations of the Nationals' lineup this season, but the one I've been waiting for is the one we'll see for the first time today: Danny Espinosa leads off for Washington against Pittsburgh, with Ian Desmond hitting behind him in the No. 2 spot as Rick Ankiel gets his first day off this year. Desmond hit .326 batting second last year,
PITTSBURGH - Growing up in Springfield, Ill., Jayson Werth lived next door to his grandfather, Dick Schofield. As most kids would if they'd grown up with grandparents that close, Werth spent plenty of time next door, talking and playing baseball. There was one piece of memorabilia in that house, though, that Werth wasn't allowed to touch. Dick "Ducky" Schofield was a 25-year-old infielder with the
The Nationals arrived in Pittsburgh on Friday after a three-game series in St. Louis that involved tornado warnings, three games in 24 hours and a two-hit shutout for Cardinals pitcher Kyle Lohse. They got rained out again Friday night, finding out they'd be spending their scheduled Monday off-day finishing their series against the Pirates, instead of playing a doubleheader on Saturday. And when they finally
PITTSBURGH - The Nationals scored six runs, and got 15 hits, against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon with Ryan Zimmerman still nowhere close to returning to their lineup. Jayson Werth went 0-for-5, and despite getting three hits in his five at-bats, Danny Espinosa scored just one run, as the Nationals went 1-for-8 with men in scoring position. That combination of events, on most days,
Update: The Nationals have beaten the Pirates to end a three-game skid. The game ended with Jayson Werth throwing out Andrew McCutchen at home plate. PITTSBURGH - We're heading into the top of the seventh here at PNC Park, and the Nationals' lead over the Pirates has been cut to two runs - the Pirates rallied for two in the fourth before Adam LaRoche hit
PITTSBURGH - All season, the Nationals have been waiting for Michael Morse to break out at the plate, patiently riding out his early-season slump and hoping he'd get back to the opposite-field hitting and steady power he showed last season and into the spring. He might finally be on his way to doing that. Morse hit his first homer of the year in the third
PITTSBURGH - After Saturday's game between the Nationals and Pirates, pitcher Livan Hernandez said several times that teams need to give players more notice when a game is about to start after a rain delay, pointing out that he had to finish his warmup routine in the top of the first inning while the Nationals were batting. He also took some issue with the fact
PITTSBURGH - After making two errors on Saturday night and going 0-for-3 to drop his average to .203 for the season, shortstop Ian Desmond will get a day off against the Pirates on Sunday. Manager Jim Riggleman said he was planning to get Alex Cora - who will start at shortstop today - a game at some point this weekend, though it didn't necessarily have
PITTSBURGH - Good morning, and a happy Easter (or Passover) to all of you. The Nationals and Pirates are supposed to play the second game of their interminable three-game series today, but once again, rain could play a factor in the start time. We'll keep you posted. Here are the Nationals' and Pirates' lineups for today; Ian Desmond sits for Washington today after making a
PITTSBURGH - Before Saturday's game against the Pirates, Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth was on the PNC Park field, taking early batting practice and continuing the work he'd been doing with hitting coach Rick Eckstein for the last week to get his swing in a better spot. The results showed up during Saturday's game a little quicker than he expected. Werth hit his third homer of
PITTSBURGH - The good news for the Nationals is they seem to know what caused, or how to fix, every mistake they made in a 7-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night. Jayson Werth said he got fooled on a fly ball from Pirates right fielder Garrett Jones in the first inning, thinking he'd hit it off the end of his bat instead
PITTSBURGH - The Nationals optioned right-hander Collin Balester back to Triple-A Syracuse after tonight's game with the Pirates, making room for reliever Todd Coffey to come off the disabled list tomorrow, the first day he's eligible to return from a left calf strain. Balester, who had a 2.57 ERA out of the bullpen last year, only pitched twice in his most recent call-up, allowing three
PITTSBURGH - The Nationals cut the Pirates' lead to 6-2 in the fourth inning, when Jayson Werth blasted the first pitch he saw from Jeff Karstens to deep left field. And Werth made a tremendous catch at the right field wall to end the fourth inning, making up for his rough start in the field and saving a run when he crashed into the fence
PITTSBURGH - We're in the second inning at PNC Park, and already, the Nationals are trying to battle out of a big hole. Livan Hernandez allowed five runs in the first inning, three of them earned, and Pittsburgh currently leads the Nationals 6-1. It wasn't that Hernandez was awful - he didn't walk anyone, and threw 25 of his 39 pitches for strikes. At times,
PITTSBURGH - When Sean Burnett first got the news he'd been traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Washington Nationals on June 30, 2009, his mind went immediately to the short term. That might be completely normal for a reliever, whose work is measured a day and an inning at a time, or it might have had more to do with the dizzying list of
PITTSBURGH - At some point, the Nationals and Pirates will begin their three-game series at PNC Park. But 24 hours after the series was supposed to begin, we're still waiting for baseball. Tonight's 7:05 p.m. start has been delayed, with the field dry at the moment but a series of storms on the way. The Nationals and Pirates are already making up Friday's game on
PITTSBURGH - Good afternoon from PNC Park, where the Nationals and Pirates will attempt to start their series tonight at 7:05 p.m. There's some rain in the forecast, but we'll hopefully be able to get this one in. Both teams are using the same lineups they were scheduled to use last night. Here they are: Nationals: Espinosa - 2B Ankiel - CF Werth - RF
The Nationals have officially made a roster move to put Brian Bixler on their 40-man roster; they designated reliever Lee Hyde, whom they claimed on waivers from the Atlanta Braves this spring, for assignment. Bixler is now on the 40-man roster, and he'll give the Nationals some infield inventory for when Ian Desmond goes on paternity leave. Hyde, who had an 11.05 ERA in six
PITTSBURGH - Dear residents of the Steel City, I have something I need to tell you: I'm sorry. For several years now, I've had a burgeoning distaste for your town. I ignored all of the most-livable-city awards and the talk about how Pittsburgh had reinvented itself after the decline of the steel industry, focusing only on its stereotypical image as a smoggy, burnt-out town in
PITTSBURGH - In his first game in the majors, on Sept. 24, 1996, Livan Hernandez came out of the bullpen. He took the ball for the Florida Marlins in the sixth inning, overcame two hits and two walks to get through three shutout innings in a 12-1 win over the Atlanta Braves, and didn't pitch again the rest of the season. He still hasn't made
For all of his seemingly preternatural talent, Bryce Harper is sure a slow starter. He struggled early at the College of Southern Nevada last year before surpassing the previous school record for homers by 19. He scuffled at the beginning of spring training this year, and wound up hitting .389. And at Single-A Hagerstown, he was hitting .226 in the first 10 games of the
Reliever Todd Coffey, who's been out since April 9 with a stained left calf, said he's still on track to come off the disabled list on Sunday, the first day he's eligible to return. Coffey did some sprints on a treadmill Friday, and said his leg felt fine. The only soreness he still has is from the hard massage therapy team trainers did on his
PITTSBURGH - The Nationals' bad luck with the weather this month has continued. Their game with the Pirates tonight has been rained out, meaning they've had a scheduled game postponed for the third time in seven days. It's the seventh time in 23 days Washington hasn't played a game. The game will be made up Monday at 7:05 pm - another decision that rankled plenty
PITTSBURGH - Hello from PNC Park, where the Nationals begin a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight. Here are the lineups for both teams: Nationals: Espinosa - 2B Ankiel - CF Werth - RF LaRoche - 1B Ramos - C Morse - LF Desmond - SS Hairston - 3B Hernandez - P Pirates: McCutchen - CF Tabata - LF Overbay - 1B Walker -
In 2008, the Nationals made their annual trip to St. Louis on the first road swing of the season, after losing two of three in Philadelphia against the defending National League East champion (and eventual world champion) Phillies. They went there in 2009 in the middle of a three-city road trip, after losing hot-hitting center fielder Nyjer Morgan to a season-ending broken wrist in Chicago.
After today's loss to the Cardinals, the Nationals optioned catcher Jesus Flores back to Triple-A Syracuse, after calling him up for a pair of pinch hit at-bats with Ryan Zimmerman on the disabled list. The team will make a corresponding move tomorrow. I'm guessing that move will be to call up infielder Brian Bixler, who was pulled from the Chiefs' game in the fourth inning
There are going to be times this year, with Ryan Zimmerman in the lineup and especially without him, where the Nationals' offense just goes limp for a day. This is a team relying on a handful of first-time starters, hoping to get by without a game-changing power threat and, at the moment, capable of freezing at any time even if it is coming off a
Update: The Cardinals have defeated the Nationals 5-0. Jayson Werth and Michael Morse got the only hits of the day for Washington. The Nationals and Cardinals are halfway through the final game of their series at Busch Stadium, and so far, the only difference are the mistakes Tom Gorzelanny made early and the ones Kyle Lohse has avoided. Gorzelanny has walked four batters through four
A year ago, right-hander Garrett Mock started the season in the Nationals' rotation, with the team taking another chance on his considerable talent despite a rough spring. But Mock lasted just one start before going on the disabled list with a neck injury, and this spring, he fared so poorly he didn't factor seriously in the competition to make the Nationals' rotation. Mock's struggles have
The Nationals and Cardinals finish up their series at Busch Stadium today at 1:45 p.m. eastern time. Here are the lineups for both teams: Nationals: Espinosa - 2B Ankiel - CF Werth - RF LaRoche - 1B Desmond - SS Morse - LF Rodriguez - C Cora - 3B Gorzelanny - P Cardinals: Theriot - SS Rasmus - CF Pujols - 1B Holliday - LF
The Nationals' quest for their first five-game win streak in 19 months will have to wait. They fell to the Cardinals 5-3 tonight, splitting a doubleheader with St. Louis after winning 8-6 in the first game this afternoon. Johnny and Ray get Jim Riggleman's reaction to the Nats' 5-3 loss to St. Louis Jordan Zimmermann allowed five runs on eight hits in six innings. His
Update: Nationals can't complete comeback, fall to Cardinals, 5-3. If you're feeling a tad nauseous, it could be this topsy-turvy game we've got going on in St. Louis. Every time the Cardinals decide to put some runs on the scoreboard, the Nationals answer right back. A run in the bottom of the third for the Cards? How about one for the Nats in the top
Here is the Nationals' lineup for Game 2 of today's doubleheader with the Cardinals, which gets underway at 8:15 p.m. at Busch Stadium. The Nationals are looking for a sweep of the doubleheader, and a series win, after beating the Cardinals 8-6 this afternoon for their first victory in St. Louis since 2007: Jordan Zimmermann faces the Cardinals for the third time; he's got a
As you're sweating out the end of this Nationals game - with the Nationals up 8-6 and Drew Storen coming to the mound after Sean Burnett allowed a run - I've got a couple items of interest for you: * I'll be filling in on "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report" at 5:30, discussing the Nationals and Orioles with Tom Davis, Dave Johnson and Phil Wood. Once
Update: The Nationals have defeated the Cardinals 8-6. Drew Storen got the save for Washington. The Nationals and Cardinals are in the eighth inning, and with Washington's lead being cut to 8-6, manager Jim Riggleman has switched his late-inning progression. He's got Sean Burnett pitching the eighth inning, and Drew Storen is up in the bullpen for the ninth. Burnett will face the top of
Nationals' starter John Lannan went five innings and allowed just two runs to the Cardinals, but was pulled because of a pitch count of 101. Manager Jim Riggleman opted to bring in reliever Chad Gaudin who struggled, in large part because of an Ian Desmond error. Gaudin allowed three unearned to St. Louis after Desmond's error allowed Tyler Greene to reach first and Gerald Laird
The start of the game may have been delayed, but the Nationals' offense remained hot. Washington got off to a fast start against St. Louis starter Jake Westbrook, scoring one run in the first inning on an Adam LaRoche groundout. The offense really exploded in the third inning. Led by second baseman Danny Espinosa, the Nats scored six times before Westbrook retired pitcher John Lannan
The Nationals just sent out lineups for the first game of today's doubleheader with the Cardinals, which starts at 2:15 p.m.at Busch Stadium. Here they are: Nationals: Espinosa - 2B Ankiel - CF Werth - RF LaRoche - 1B Desmond - SS Nix - LF Rodriguez - C Cora - 3B Lannan - P Cardinals: Theriot - SS Rasmus - CF Pujols - 1B Holliday
On several occasions early this season, the Nationals have made it clear they weren't thrilled with Major league Baseball's decision to give them five off-days in the first month of the season, pointing out stretches like the one in May and early June, when they play 33 games in 34 days and take a pair of three-city road trips. (That's the only such stretch they
The first game of the Nationals and Cardinals series was postponed tonight after a storm system that produced tornado warnings swept through St. Louis. The two teams will play a doubleheader tomorrow, with the first game starting at 2 p.m. Eastern time. The second game will start at the originally scheduled time (8 p.m.). Nats Xtra will air both after the first game and then
The Nats and Cardinals are currently in a rain delay out in St. Louis, and it's unclear when - or if - they'll be playing baseball tonight. Tornado sirens have been set off at Busch Stadium, and fans have been asked to take cover. Stay tuned to MASN2 and here at MASNsports.com for the latest updates on the situation.
Here are the Nationals' and Cardinals' lineups for tonight's game at Busch Stadium. Jayson Werth is back in the lineup, and Wilson Ramos is again hitting fifth, in front of Michael Morse. The lineups for both teams are below: Nationals: Espinosa - 2B Ankiel - CF Werth - RF LaRoche - 1B Ramos - C Morse - LF Desmond - SS Hairston - 3B Lannan
There are some rumors that get tossed out about possible trades and free agents that can quickly be written off as smokescreens from teams or agents, wishful thinking from fans or reporters trying to connect dots that don't line up. There are others, though, that make all the sense in the world. The report from Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal that the Nationals would be interested
The Nationals begin a three-game series in St. Louis tonight against the Cardinals, with John Lannan facing Jake Westbrook at 8:15 p.m. They'll face a team that's been on a similar path to theirs early this season, winning four of its last five to get back to .500 after a 2-5 start. But the matchup is more formidable than that for another reason: The Nationals
Since they drafted him in 2008 and watched him quickly work his way through their minor league system, the Nationals have thought of Danny Espinosa as a hitter who could routinely post double-digit homer totals in the majors. But as his professional career has progressed, the switch-hitter had largely been doing that from one side of the plate. Espinosa hit an impressive six homers in
Welcome to the first doubleheader edition of Second Look, where we try to pack not one, but two, games worth of analysis into one blog post. Should be interesting. A year ago last weekend, the Nationals got two of the most dichotomous pitching performances they had all season. Livan Hernandez shut out the Milwaukee Brewers on April 17, 2010, putting the Nationals over .500 for
The Nationals are 8-7 with an offense that might have had its best day of the season on Sunday, pounding out two 11-hit games to raise its average for the year all the way to .226. Their new-and-improved defense has showed increased range and athleticism across the diamond, but they entered Sunday with 11 errors for the season, the ninth-most in baseball. They've tried three
Update: LaRoche hits solo shot to cap 5-1 win for Nationals. More to come. In the first game of the Nationals' doubleheader against the Brewers, Danny Espinosa hit a three-run homer from the left side of the plate, which is typically the switch-hitter's weaker side. In the second game, Espinosa came up with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, and tripled down the left
We're in the second inning of the second game between the Nationals and Brewers at Nationals Park, and the Nationals have a 1-0 lead after Jerry Hairston Jr.'s first homer of the year. Yes, Hairston just hit a homer. So if you're keeping track, the Nationals have four homers today from Danny Espinosa, Ian Desmond (who didn't have a hit at Nationals Park before today),
The Nationals' 8-4 win in Game 1 of their doubleheader with the Brewers was an uplifting victory for several reasons: it evened their record at .500, locked up a series victory over a team many picked to go to the playoffs. It was also Jason Marquis' first win at Nationals Park - coming 364 days after he faced seven batters without recording an out against
Here are the lineups for Game 2 of the Nationals-Brewers doubleheader, which should get underway in a few minutes here at Nationals Park: Brewers: Weeks - 2B Gomez - CF Braun - LF Fielder - 1B McGehee 3B Bentancourt - SS Kottaras - C Almonte - RF Estrada - P Nationals: Espinosa - 2B Ankiel - CF Morse - LF LaRoche - 1B Ramos -
Update: Nationals hold off late rally from Brewers, win Game 1 of doubleheader, 8-4. More to come. The Nationals entered the day with a team batting average languishing around .200 and a team slugging percentage just above .300. They'd been beaten in back-to-back complete games and won on Friday almost in spite of their offense, scoring four runs without a RBI hit. But today, the
The Nationals' struggling offense woke up with a rally in the fifth inning, started by the unlikeliest of sources and punctuated with a big blast from Danny Espinosa. Alex Cora and Jason Marquis both singled with one out in the fifth inning to put two runners on for Espinosa. He got to a 3-0 count on Yovani Gallardo, and then took two strikes to run
Yovani Gallardo, come on down. The Brewers starter is the latest front-line pitcher to shut the Nationals' offense down, at least early in the first end of today's doubleheader. He's one-hitting the Nationals through three innings, and has struck out five batters already. I've mentioned it a couple times here, and I talked about this on Nats Xtra today - the Nationals really need the
You won't see Nyjer Morgan in the Brewers' lineup today, though the former Nationals outfielder may surface as a pinch-hitter at some point. As for why he's not in the lineup, well, that's too good not to share. Tom Haudricourt, the Brewers beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, passed this along a few minutes ago: Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said Morgan isn't starting today
Todd Coffey was running in the outfield before Wednesday's Nationals-Phillies game, doing the same conditioning routine he does every day. He felt a cramp in his calf in his second-to-last run, but by the time he got back to the clubhouse, he knew it was more than that. It turned out Coffey had strained his left calf, and after two days of treatment, the injury
Here are the Nationals' and Brewers' lineups for the first game of today's doubleheader, which starts at 1:35 pm. The second game will begin a half-hour after the end of the first one. Brewers: Weeks - 2B Counsell - SS Braun - LF Fielder - 1B McGehee 3B Kotsay - RF Lucroy - C Gomez - CF Gallarado - P Nationals: Espinosa - 2B Ankiel
The Nationals made an unexpected roster move this morning, putting reliever Todd Coffey on the disabled list with a left calf strain. In his place, they recalled Collin Balester, the final reliever left off the roster out of spring training, from Triple-A Syracuse. Coffey last pitched on April 8 in New York, so his DL placement is retroactive to April 9. He'd be eligible to
The Nationals' 1:05 p.m. game with the Brewers today has been postponed because of rain, the team has announced. The teams will play a straight doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 1:35 p.m. If you had a ticket for tomorrow's game, you can simply present that ticket and be given your seat for tomorrow's game. If you had a ticket for today's game, you can exchange for
Yewri Guillen, an 18-year-old shortstop the Nationals signed in February to be part of their academy in the Dominican Republic, died Thursday morning after contracting bacterial meningitis earlier this week, the team said. But team doctor Wiemi Douoguih said the Nationals' medical staff has treated everyone who came in contact with Guillen, and have taken all possible steps to prevent the disease spreading. Guillen first
As soon as Jayson Werth saw Brewers shortstop Yunesky Betancourt's throw get away from first baseman Prince Fielder, his mind was made up. Werth took a wide turn around first base, hustled toward second and slid in safely. He hadn't reached base with a hit, but then, what little damage the Nationals had done came without the benefit of hits. They'd scored two of their
UPDATE: Adam LaRoche plated Jayson Werth with a fielder's choice in the bottom of the 10th inning, giving the Nats a 4-3 walk-off win over the Brewers. More to come in a bit. For the fourth time this year - and the first at home - the Nationals are headed to extra innings. They're on the way there because of what happened in the ninth
We're headed into the top of the seventh at Nationals Park, and the Nationals' bullpen has just been entrusted with hanging onto a lead over the Brewers that has been cut to a run. Rickie Weeks' homer in the fifth inning, which banged off the back wall of the Brewers' bullpen, made the score 3-2, and the Nationals weren't able to do anything else against
Entering tonight, Brewers left-hander Chris Narveson had a 13-inning shutout streak to start the year, and the Nationals were coming off a three-hit shutout against Cliff Lee and the Phillies. All that changed quickly in an erratic second inning from Narveson. He walked three batters, issuing two bases-loaded free passes to the eighth and ninth hitters in the lineup (Jerry Hairston Jr. and Tom Gorzelanny).
Yewri Guillen, a shortstop in the Nationals' baseball academy in the Dominican Republic, died this morning of bacterial meningitis, the team announced on the scoreboard moments ago. The Nationals observed a moment of silence for Guillen right before the first pitch of tonight's game with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was 18. The Nationals' PR department is not commenting and has not released a statement on
The Nationals' lineup has a new look tonight, in the sense that different players are in the first and seventh spots than there have been all year and a catcher is starting in back-to-back games for the first time this year. But none of the moves the Nats made - putting Danny Espinosa in the leadoff spot, dropping Ian Desmond to the No. 7 spot
Nationals manager Jim Riggleman must have a different definition of "major lineup changes" than the media that cover the team, because a day after saying he wouldn't make any, he's switched leadoff hitters. Danny Espinosa will lead off for the Nationals tonight against the Brewers, with Desmond batting seventh against left-handed pitcher Chris Narveson. The Nationals had planned to use that lineup configuration last week
At this point, Tyler Clippard seems like a natural fit in the Nationals' bullpen. His awkward delivery, high fastball and changeup make him one of the toughest relievers in the game to figure out, and he's become so valuable to the Nationals that whenever they need a strikeout, Clippard is usually the one they call on. But it wasn't always that way. At the beginning
Before the start of the 2011 season, most people in the business of predicting things (including this reporter) said the Nationals' pitching staff would be their biggest issue. Their offense certainly looked like it had some issues, too, but whether the Nationals pitched well seemed like the primary factor in how well they'd do. Twelve games into the season, they've allowed 53 runs. They have
For five innings on Thursday night, Jordan Zimmermann wasn't just every bit the pitcher Cliff Lee was. He was better. Lee threw up zero after zero against the Nationals' decimated lineup, racing ahead in the count and striking out five batters with his fastball, which can appear in any one of three iterations. But he gave up a pair of hits, and needed some aggressive
UPDATE: Cliff Lee struck out 12 and threw a complete game shutout, as the Phillies beat the Nats 4-0 to take the rubber game of the series. Plenty more on this one to come. Not only did Jordan Zimmermann lose his perfect game on the first at-bat of the sixth inning, he also lost his shutout, and the Nationals lost a tie game. And after
We're through five innings, and Jordan Zimmermann has faced the minimum - he's retired all 15 batters that have come to the plate, throwing just 54 pitches in that time and striking out four. The Nationals have two hits off Cliff Lee, who's been almost as impressive. He's thrown just 12 balls in the first four innings of the game, and is matching Zimmermann zero
It's 69 degrees and sunny at Nationals Park tonight, one of the nicest nights we'll have for baseball all season. And the way the first three innings of this game are shaping up, we could be in for some fun. Cliff Lee has been impressive early, striking out every other hitter he's faced in the first two innings. But Jordan Zimmermann has been just as
Good afternoon. A couple quick notes from Nationals Park: * Henry Rodriguez, who didn't walk any batters in an impressive rehab stint at Double-A Harrisburg, is off to a rough start today at Triple-A Syracuse. He walked two of the first three batters he faced against Pawtucket, and threw just seven of 18 pitches for strikes. Rodriguez can be on rehab until May 7, at
Good afternoon from Nationals Park, where the Nationals are getting ready to take on the Phillies in the last of three games between the teams tonight at 7:05 p.m. Michael Morse is back in the Nationals' lineup, but the left fielder - who's hitting just .148 in 10 games this season - will hit a spot lower than he has been early this year. He'll
For eight innings, it looked like the Nationals could write off some of their fielding mistakes last night as inconsequential. The story of the game appeared to be that they were dominated by Roy Halladay, and there was nothing they could do about it except throw up their hands and admit they were beaten. Only when they rallied for two runs in the ninth inning,
The rally the Nationals put together against Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay in the ninth inning on Wednesday night was, in some sense, a sign of encouragement. Four of the first five hitters in a depleted lineup came to the plate, jumped on early strikes and put up base hits to cut two-thirds out of the Phillies' 3-0 lead. But in reality, it might have been
We're headed into the ninth inning here at Nationals Park, and the Nationals are trailing the Phillies 3-0 in part because of the poor defense they played in the fourth inning and the hits John Lannan gave up in the fifth. But on a more basic level, they're losing because they've been utterly dismantled by Roy Halladay. The two-time Cy Young winner has shut down
We've played three innings at Nationals Park, and the fact that the Nationals haven't scored yet on Roy Halladay isn't exactly surprising. But John Lannan, who's been miserable against the Phillies in his career, is turning his luck around early tonight. He's matched Halladay with three shutout innings, getting a pair of double plays to keep the game scoreless so far. Lannan has recorded six
Good evening from Nationals Park, where the Nationals are getting ready to take on the Phillies (and two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay) in the second of three games. A couple pregame notes before we get started: * Adam LaRoche, who is back in the Nationals' lineup tonight, was originally going to sit out another day. But the first baseman, who strained his left
Here's are the lineups for tonight's scheduled 7:05 p.m. game between the Phillies and Nationals at Nationals Park. Adam LaRoche returns to the Washington lineup after missing last night's game with a groin injury. For the Phillies: Victorino - CF Polanco - 3B Rollins - SS Howard - 1B Francisco - RF Ibanez - LF Ruiz - C Valdez - 2B Halladay - P For
The Nationals' win over the Phillies Tuesday night may have seemed all about Jayson Werth, but part of it was about the two pitchers (Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee) the Nationals haven't faced yet. Those two former Cy Young Award winners will pitch tonight and tomorrow, respectively, and with Joe Blanton on the mound for the Phillies last night, the Nationals knew they needed to
There was little about his first game against his old team at Nationals Park that surprised Jayson Werth. And why should there have been? Everything that's happened between the Nationals and Phillies the last four years - all the times the Nationals have walked off the field as the Phillies clinched a playoff spot, all the Philadelphia fans that have turned games at Nationals Park
In the handful of times he's talked about his departure from Philadephia, Jayson Werth has hinted he wasn't happy that the Phillies didn't make more of an effort to resign him toward the end of the 2010 season, though he hasn't done much to help the narrative of him getting revenge on his former team this week. Wait, strike that last part. That might not
The Nationals' three-run fourth inning tonight was a mix of extra-base hits (Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos started the rally with doubles), smart at-bats (Danny Espinosa worked a walk) and successful small ball (Matt Stairs moved Werth to third with a groundout, and Livan Hernandez dropped the Nationals' third squeeze bunt in 10 games). And at the end of four innings, their lineup - which
We've only played an inning at Nationals Park, but the Phillies fans in tonight's sparse crowd have already made it clear how they feel about Jayson Werth; he's already been booed three times. There aren't enough of them here to leave a lasting impression, but if this is a good representation of the rest of the Phillies fans, things could be interesting the rest of
In one sense, Jesus Flores' return to the majors was quicker than he expected it to be. He was sent to Triple-A Syracuse to start the year after Wilson Ramos won the second catcher's spot. But short of one workout in Syracuse, he never actually played there; the Chiefs started the season on the road and hadn't played their home opener yet when Flores got
Ryan Zimmerman was placed on the disabled list today retroactive to Sunday, so the earliest he could return to the Nationals' lineup is for their game on Tuesday, April 26 (they have an off-day the day before, when Zimmerman could come off the DL). Manager Jim Riggleman was optimistic Zimmerman could be ready to return that day, but no one knows for sure if the
Matt Stairs starts at first base tonight for the Nationals as they take on the Phillies, hitting cleanup for the Nationals and starting at the position for the first time since 2008. Manager Jim Riggleman said LaRoche, who strained his left groin sliding into second base on Sunday, lobbied to play, but the Nationals are giving him a day or two to get better. Stairs
The Nationals officially put third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-day disabled list with an abdominal strain today, making a bit of a surprise move to replace him. They recalled catcher Jesus Flores from Triple-A Syracuse, giving them another right-handed bat off the bench. The Nationals only have Alex Cora and Jerry Hairston to play third base, though Michael Morse did see some time there
In their first nine games, the Nationals scored just 36 runs, 12th-most in the National League and an average of just four a game. They are last in the NL with a .217 average, a .328 slugging percentage and 98 total bases. And that's with Ryan Zimmerman getting on base at a .486 clip - seventh-best in the NL - and posting a 1.022 OPS.
We're going to start posting a the daily lineups for the Nationals' minor league teams, as often as we can get them, to give you a closer way to follow what's going on with the team's prospects. You might have noticed Byron Kerr's post on the Double-A Harrisburg lineup yesterday, and I've got a couple for you tonight. First, Triple-A Syracuse is in Lehigh Valley
Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who on Saturday aggravated an abdominal strain he's been playing with since spring training, will be placed on the 15-day disabled list, a Nationals source confirmed. The team will announce the move tomorrow, though the DL placement will be retroactive to Saturday. The injury hasn't hindered Zimmerman at the plate; he's hitting .357 so far with a 1.022 OPS in eight
NEW YORK - Ask Jayson Werth about his memories from his time in Philadelphia, ask him to compare the experience of winning a World Series there to his first days with a team that lost a combined 205 games in the Phillies' two World Series years and, for a while, he will indulge you. It's not so much out of a desire to throw open
The Nationals' 7-3 win over the Mets on Sunday was as exhausting a victory as the team hopes to have for a while. It came at the end of a six-day road trip, represented the third time Washington had played extra innings on that trip and concluded with both of the team's corner infielders (Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche) sitting because of injury. But in
NEW YORK - On normal days, 14 or 15 players from the Nationals' 25-man roster might get into a game, depending on pinch-hit situations, defensive replacements and how many relievers are needed to finish a game. Wins typically require fewer players, for obvious reasons; starters pitch more innings, position players are feeling comfortable through most of the game. In short, there are fewer things to
NEW YORK - Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche strained his left groin Sunday, and had to come out of the team's win over the Mets after sliding into second base in the 11th inning. But LaRoche said he's had similar injuries before, and is confident it won't cause him to miss any time. LaRoche, who already missed Saturday's game because the labral tear in his
NEW YORK - The Nationals' battered roster, missing Ryan Zimmerman and now missing Adam LaRoche, has come back to take a 7-3 lead in the 11th inning on the Mets. LaRoche singled, and pinch hitter Jordan Zimmermann - remember, the Nationals are down a bench player today with Ryan Zimmerman out - dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt to move LaRoche over. Sliding into second, though,
NEW YORK - Is it possible for the Nationals to feel disappointed with an inning where they just tied today's game with the Mets, even though they'd only had one hit before the eighth inning? If it is, there's a chance they should. They got some unlikely offense from the bottom of their lineup when Ivan Rodriguez dropped in a double to right that Lucas
NEW YORK - In 245 career starts before today, Jason Marquis had only struck out nine batters or more twice. He's done after six innings today, having matched the second-highest total of his career. Marquis struck out nine, falling four short of the career high he set in 2001 but matching his nine-strikeout game from 2004. He also became the first Nationals pitcher to throw
NEW YORK - After getting hit with a barrage of singles early, Jason Marquis has settled into a groove at Citi FIeld and looks as good as he has in a Nationals uniform. He's retired 11 of the last 12 hitters he's faced, and has struck out six so far. But the Nationals still trail the Mets 2-1 heading into the fifth. Marquis is doing
NEW YORK - In the first inning of today's game at Citi Field, Ivan Rodriguez made a nice play to nearly throw out Jose Reyes on a bunt single. Jason Marquis made an impressive barehanded scoop-and-throw to first base, and Rick Ankiel launched a great throw home from center field on Angel Pagan's single. Alex Cora also charged a bunt from third, firing over to
NEW YORK - Ryan Zimmerman is out of the Nationals' lineup today after re-aggravating the abdominal strain he sustained during spring training. Zimmerman felt it when he slid headfirst into second base during the Nationals' loss to the Mets on Saturday night, and the Nationals hope the rest today, coupled with tomorrow's off-day, will be enough to get Zimmerman back to normal. But they'll err
NEW YORK - Ryan Zimmerman, who appeared to jam his finger sliding headfirst into second base last night, is out of the Nationals' lineup today against the Mets as the two teams finish their series as 1:10 p.m. We'll have more on Zimmerman as it becomes available. Here are the lineups for both teams: UPDATE AT 11:55 A.M.: It's Zimmerman's abdominal strain that's causing him
NEW YORK - Officially, the difference between the Mets and Nationals in Washington's 8-4 loss at Citi Field on Saturday night was a dropped fly ball, a couple of hit-by-pitches and a grounder or two that got through the middle of the Nationals' infield. And to a man, the players involved in those mistakes sat at their lockers after the game and took responsibility for
NEW YORK - The bottom of the eighth inning at Citi Field had two of the first three Mets batters getting hit by a pitch and the fourth hitting into a ground ball that resulted in a runner's interference call. The fifth batter of the inning was All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez, who'd never had a career at-bat - and looked like it. And at the
NEW YORK - In a game where the Nationals and Mets have done most of their damage on balls hit too far to be caught by fielders, the biggest blow could turn out to be a ball that stayed in the park and wasn't caught by a fielder. Carlos Beltran, who'd hit homers in his first two at-bats, lofted a deep fly ball to left
NEW YORK - We're in the fifth inning here at Citi Field, and so far, the Nationals and Mets collectively resemble a group of free-swinging sluggers. They've each hit two homers, struck out seven times and the Nationals still lead by a run. Carlos Beltran hit his second homer of the game against Tom Gorzelanny in the bottom of the fourth inning: He's got the
NEW YORK - We've played two innings at Citi Field, and this is already shaping up to be a game where a couple of middling starters - Tom Gorzelanny and Chris Capuano - get battered. The Nationals have a 3-2 lead over the Mets in the second inning, by virtue of having one more runner on base when they hit their homer than the Mets
NEW YORK - The Nationals' plan is for Adam LaRoche to play more than 150 games this year and get upwards of 600 plate appearances, even with the small labral tear that will likely limit his throwing all season. But the fact that the team is facing a left-handed pitcher tonight gave manager Jim Riggleman a good chance to rest the first baseman - and
NEW YORK - Here are the Nationals' and Mets' lineups for tonight's game The Mets start left-hander Chris Capuano. It's the first time the Nationals have faced a lefty, and they'll put Michael Morse at first base tonight, giving Adam LaRoche a night off: Nationals: Desmond - SS Werth - RF Zimmerman - 3B Morse - 1B Ramos - C Ankiel - CF Espinosa -
NEW YORK - On Friday, the Nationals did to the New York Mets what the Atlanta Braves did to them eight days earlier: They entered as the road team in a home opener, the ones getting booed in the extended introductions of both teams, and promptly unplugged all the fervor of the year's first game by giving the home fans little to cheer about. In
NEW YORK - How did this happen? How did Tyler Clippard, a one-time top starting prospect who washed his way through the Yankees' system before doing the same with the Nationals, morph himself first into one of baseball's most unlikely setup men before making himself so indispensable that the Nationals can't wait until the eighth to use him any more? Where did the gangly 26-year-old,
NEW YORK - The Nationals are back within a game of .500, having spoiled the home opener of the New York Mets with a 6-2 victory on Friday afternoon. They benefitted from nine walks issued by the Mets' pitching staff, scoring three runs (two of them initiated by walks) in the eighth inning. Ivan Rodriguez's two-run single split the game open in the eighth. Jordan
NEW YORK - We're in the bottom of the eighth inning here, and the Nationals are facing the prospect of winning their first game this year that wouldn't require a save situation. They lead the Mets 6-2 in the eighth inning, after adding three in the top of the eighth. Ivan Rodriguez got his first hit of the year, taking a single the other way
NEW YORK - We're headed into the sixth inning here, and if Jordan Zimmermann's not done for the day, his next inning will probably be his last one of the day. The Mets have started to put balls in the air as Zimmermann's fastball has come up in the strike zone, and they are within one of the Nationals, who lead 3-2. Washington chased R.A.
NEW YORK - Two years ago, Jordan Zimmermann got the first road win of his career by coming into Citi Field and shutting the Mets down. He allowed a run in 5 1/3 innings, striking out five, and made Mets hitters look foolish on more than one occasion. In his first road start of this season, Zimmermann looks on his way to doing that again.
NEW YORK - The Nationals, at the moment, are still dutifully alternating time at catcher between Ivan Rodriguez and Wilson Ramos. Rodriguez is behind the plate today because Ramos caught last night, and that means the rookie will be back in the Nationals' lineup tomorrow night. They'd committed to that approach through the first three series of the year. But we're now in series No.
NEW YORK - Twice this week, the Nationals used Tyler Clippard, Drew Storen and Sean Burnett - arguably their best three relievers - in that order. Evidence would suggest so far that they're leaning toward putting the three in that order at the ends of games, with Burnett getting the saves. But manager Jim Riggleman said Friday that order hasn't stratified yet, though he'd like
NEW YORK - Good afternoon from Citi Field, where players (and writers) are still trickling in after one of the nastier travel turnarounds of the season. The Marlins, in their infinite wisdom, scheduled a night game the day before both they and the Nationals had to travel, and Washington has a 4:10 game here against the Mets today. I got back to my hotel about
NEW YORK - Hello from Citi Field, where the Nationals will take on the New York Mets in their home opener today at 4:10. The Nationals had a late (or early, depending on how you look at it) arrival in New York this morning, so they won't be taking batting practice on the field before the game. But they'll be hoping to win their second
MIAMI - The comparisons to Adam Dunn will be there, even if the commonalities between Adam LaRoche and the former Nationals slugger begin and end with their birthdates (LaRoche is three days older) and the slight twang each one has in his voice. It's natural for anyone who replaces someone - especially when the decision that went into the process was as polarizing as the
MIAMI - The Nationals' first two games in Florida doubled as a kind of stress test for their bullpen, and by the time players arrived at Sun Life Stadium on Thursday afternoon for the last of three games with the Marlins, it appeared there were legitimate fissures in the group's composition. Tyler Clippard, Drew Storen and Sean Burnett were doing what was expected of them,
MIAMI - Heading into the 11th inning, Adam LaRoche had a .130 batting average. He had a .111 average with runners in scoring position, and had only driven in one run. Now, he's got the first clutch homer of the Nationals' season. LaRoche stroked a two-run shot to right off Edward Mujica, scoring Ryan Zimmerman and giving the Nationals a 5-3 lead. Sean Burnett is
MIAMI - The Nationals had Danny Espinosa on second with one out in the 10th. Ian Desmond, who's had six hits in his last nine at-bats, was at the plate, and Jayson Werth, who homered in the fourth inning, was due up behind him. And Espinosa took off. He got caught trying to steal third, effectively killing a 10th-inning rally that could have given the
MIAMI - We're in the eighth inning of a tie game, and though it's felt all night like the Nationals were on the verge of toppling against the Marlins, they've got a chance to take the lead with the top of the order coming up. That's largely because of the work Tyler Clippard did tonight. Entering the game with the Nationals ahead, 3-2, runners on
MIAMI - The Nationalshave pulled within a run of the Marlins in the fourth inning, and Josh Johnson's no-hitter is over. And it all happened on a strange first homer in a Nationals uniform from Jayson Werth. The right fielder launched a 96-mph fastball from Johnson to right field, but the ball bounced back into the field of play. Thinking it was still live, Werth
MIAMI - We're 2 1/2 innings into this one at Sun Life Stadium, and the way Josh Johnson is pitching for the Marlins, the Nationals' 2-0 deficit already feels slightly insurmountable. Johnson has faced the minimum through three innings, already striking out four of nine batters, including three on called third strikes. He's thrown 43 pitches - and though they've never beaten him, the Nationals
MIAMI - Michael Morse knows, technically, what he needs to do to fix his swing. He's at his best when he's able to hit the ball for power to the opposite field, and that requires him letting the ball travel deeper into the strike zone, instead of jumping out in front of it like he's been doing in the first week of the season. But
MIAMI - Reliever Henry Rodriguez, who started the season on the disabled list after struggling with his mechanics this spring, begins a rehab assignment tonight at Double-A Harrisburg. He's slated to throw two innings in the Senators' season opener tonight, and general manager Mike Rizzo said the Nationals will figure out the timetable for the right-hander's return after they see where he's at. In no
MIAMI - Good afternoon from Sun Life Stadium. The Nationals' lineup will have another new look tonight; Michael Morse, who's hitting .118 this season and has never faced Marlins starter Josh Johnson, gets a night off. Laynce Nix will start in his place, batting eighth for Washington. Here are the full lineups for both teams: Nationals: Desmond - SS Werth - RF Zimmerman - 3B
MIAMI - Good afternoon; just had a couple news items about multimedia goings-on to pass along to you: * I'll be talking Nationals on a couple of MASN TV broadcasts today and tomorrow. I'll be on our new studio show, "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report" live from Miami tonight at 6:15 p.m., discussing the team with Dave Johnson, Mel Antonen, Tom Davis and Phil Wood. Then,
MIAMI - The Nationals' bullpen, which looked in need of some help last night, might be a step closer to getting it. Reliever Henry Rodriguez is headed to Double-A Harrisburg on a rehab assignment after working through a neck injury in the Nationals' accelerated minor league camp in Viera, Fla. Rodriguez had lost control of his mechanics just before going on the disabled list at
MIAMI - The Nationals' 7-4 loss to the Florida Marlins on Wednesday night didn't play out in the same kind of forehead-slapping fashion as Tuesday's 3-2, 10-inning loss. The Nationals buit a 4-0 lead on the Marlins, then Livan Hernandez walked a couple batters, gave up a big three-run triple to John Buck and the Marlins just sort of pulled away after that, like a
MIAMI - The numbers, and a bit of faulty memory, will tell you that the Nationals' bullpen - unquestionably the rock of the team by the end of the year - was that way all season. And that'd be partially true. But for the first two months in 2010, one half of Washington's relief group was getting the job done, while the other half simply
MIAMI - The Nationals have lost control of tonight's game against the Marlins, and they're starting to lose their composure, as well. Todd Coffey, who was taken out in favor of Doug Slaten a minute ago after giving up a double and two walks, was ejected from the game after he gave home plate umpire Tim Tschida a few unsolicited (and probably unprintable) opinions of
MIAMI - Seemingly, it doesn't matter how these games between the Nationals and Marlins start; we know how they're going to end. Down 4-0 after the fourth inning tonight, the Marlins have rallied for six consecutive runs while the Nationals have missed chances to add on to their lead. They added a pair in the sixth inning, getting their most recent run when Ian Desmond
MIAMI - After looking like they were firmly in control of this game, the Nationals have all of a sudden lost their lead. Livan Hernandez threw 35 pitches, gave up three hits, walked two and - most importantly - allowed four runs in the fifth inning as the Marlins pulled even with the Nationals. The biggest blow was John Buck's bases-clearing triple, which scored three
MIAMI - The Nationals' offense, so far this year, has been in an unhealthy pattern; it hasn't been able to manufacture runs, despite lacking the kind of power hitters and high on-base percentage players at the top of the lineup it typically takes to score another way. But in the second inning tonight, things finally clicked for them. In putting together a three-run second inning
MIAMI - Things started well enough for the Nationals at Sun Life Stadium tonight; in his first pitch back in the lineup, Ian Desmond shot a fastball from Chris Volstad back up the middle, and hustled his way to second for a leadoff double. One pitch, and his 0-for-13 slump was over. But two batters later, Desmond tried going to third on a ground ball
MIAMI - A couple other notes from Sun Life Stadium before the Nationals' and Marlins' 7:10 p.m. start: * Manager Jim Riggleman said he'd try to stay away from Drew Storen, who threw 35 pitches in an inning-plus of work last night. "He was in that range where you'd like to get him a day," Riggleman said. "(Tyler) Clippard may be in the same situation
MIAMI - Yesterday, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said he was leaning toward putting Danny Espinosa in the leadoff spot tonight against the Marlins. He'd talked to both Espinosa and Ian Desmond about hitting there after the Nationals traded Nyjer Morgan, and he was thinking it might be better to put Espinosa (who hit there 18 times last year) at the top of the lineup for
MIAMI - Good afternoon from Sun Life Stadium. After saying yesterday he would make a change in the leadoff spot of the lineup, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman has changed his mind. Ian Desmond, not Danny Espinosa, will lead off for the Nationals tonight against the Marlins, getting another chance to pull himself out of is 0-for-13 slump in the leadoff spot. Riggleman had said yesterday
MIAMI - Well, the votes are in, and I owe all of you a thank you: I've been voted Washington's best sports journalist using Twitter in TBD's poll. There were plenty of great nominees in the poll, and for me, it's a lot of fun to be recognized among them. It's also nice to be recognized for something I care so much about: interacting with
MIAMI - Here is a look at the big turning points in the Nationals' 3-2 loss to the Marlins last night. Consider this an addendum to the Second Look post I filed earlier this morning. There were enough key moments in this game, and I got enough good details from the people involved in them, that I wanted to expand on them here. We'll just
MIAMI - The Nationals' 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Marlins on Tuesday night was a game filled with turning points, as so many of the games between these teams are. Everything that happened in the 10th inning - Jayson Werth and Danny Espinosa botching an easy fly ball, Jerry Hairston Jr. running to the dugout twice to switch gloves so he could jump in and
MIAMI - Players milled about in the stone-silent vistors' clubhouse at Sun Life Stadium on Tuesday night, wearing blank expressions far longer than an early April loss would normally warrant. No, this wake was a matter of logistics. Outside the stadium, the Nationals' team bus had broken down. "It's a brand-new bus, too," general manager Mike Rizzo said. Then, smiling ruefully, he said sarcastically, "It
MIAMI - The Nationals' 3-2 loss to the Marlins tonight played out like so many of their other ones in Sun Life Stadium: hopeful in the beginning, bizarre in the middle and hard to swallow in the end. After Jayson Werth called off Danny Espinosa on an easy pop fly, leading to an error in right field, the Marlins loaded the bases, then got a
MIAMI - To extra innings we go. Drew Storen walked pinch hitter Mike Stanton in the ninth, but got three groundouts to escape the bottom of the ninth unscathed. Edward Mujica will pitch the top of the 10th for the Marlins, and Rick Ankiel, Wilson Ramos and Alex Cora are due up for the Nationals. Washington still has five relievers available to pitch; Sean Burnett
MIAMI - The Nationals had a golden chance to take the lead back in the eighth inning when Jerry Hairston Jr. drew a two-out walk, bringing Jayson Werth to the plate. And when Werth smoked a Clay Hensley pitch, it looked like the Nationals might have their run. The ball bounced hard off the left field wall, though, and a potentially costly baserunning mistake ended
MIAMI - Jim Riggleman decided to leave Jason Marquis in to pitch the beginning of the seventh, and almost immediately, that decision put him in a strategic box. Donnie Murphy led off with a double to left on a Marquis sinker, putting the tying run in scoring position with none out. He got to third on Emilio Bonifacio's sacrifice bunt, and at that point, Riggleman
MIAMI - In all but one inning tonight, the Marlins have put a runner in scoring position. Yet, their only run remains Logan Morrison's homer in the second inning. The reason they haven't scored the rest of the night is because Jason Marquis, despite giving up four extra-base hits and a handful of other hard-hit balls, has managed to pitch out of scoring situations in
MIAMI - Ryan Zimmerman played in 18 game last September. He hit safely in 15 of them, batting .361 and compiling an .848 OPS. But considering how much Zimmerman was hitting, his OPS was actually on the low side. It's because for all of his success at the plate, the third baseman didn't homer all month. In fact, his last homer was last Aug. 30,
MIAMI - On many occasions last year, the Nationals had rallies die because they were unable to do two things: take extra bases and come up with big two-out hits. They took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of tonight's game with the Marlins because they were able to do both of those things. After Jayson Werth struck out for the 14th time in
MIAMI - Left-hander Tom Gorzelanny threw a four-inning simulated game yesterday, manager Jim Riggleman said, and will make his first start of the year on Saturday in New York against the Mets. Riggleman said Gorzelanny threw between 60 and 65 pitches yesterday, going through the workout on the Nationals' off-day in Florida. Because the Nationals had two off-days in the first five days of the
MIAMI - Second baseman Danny Espinosa will hit leadoff tomorrow for the Nationals, manager Jim Riggleman said, giving a new look to a lineup that already appears more fluid than previously thought. Riggleman said he talked to both Espinosa and Ian Desmond about hitting leadoff in spring training, and the manager said both players wanted to hit there. But with Desmond sitting at 0-for-13 this
MIAMI - Good afternoon from Sun Life Stadium, where the rain has stopped for the moment and the tarp has been pulled off the infield. Assuming tonight's game between the Nationals and Marlins is played, that infield will have a different set of starters for Washington than the first three games of the season did. Jerry Hairston gets his first start of the year, leading
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Hello from sunny (at the moment) Florida, where the Nationals begin a three-game series with the Marlins tonight at 7:05. There's a big storm sweeping up the East Coast that could lead to some rain tonight, but we're dry for the time being. I'll keep you posted. As we discussed this morning, the Nationals haven't exactly fared well against the Marlins
Hello from the frequent traveler security line at Washington Dulles, where there are about two dozen people, including two strollers, standing in front of me. Again, I'm in the frequent traveler line. At least this lapse in standards has given me time to blog on my iPhone while waiting in line. I'm on the way to Miami, Fla., where the Nationals begin a three-game series
Lost in the 11-2 beating the Nationals took from the Atlanta Braves yesterday was the fact that through six innings, the game was actually close. It wasn't until Jordan Zimmermann left the game that the Braves poured it on, battering the Nationals' bullpen for eight runs between the seventh and eighth innings. Zimmermann, though, turned out to be one of the few bright spots for
Generally speaking, it's never a good sign when a baseball team is questioning its own effort level three games into a season - unless, possibly, it's being done in the spirit of preventative maintenance. Is it bad that, after a spring of talking about a new mentality and commitment to hustle, the Nationals looked listless in an 11-2 loss to the Braves on the season's
If things weren't going poorly enough by the seventh inning for the Nationals, when Atlanta expanded its lead to 5-1 on some shoddy Washington defense, they got even worse in the eighth. The Nationals allowed six runs in the inning, with Brian Broderick and Chad Gaudin each getting drilled, and they ended the day with an 11-2 loss to the Braves. The defeat cost the
For the first two games of the year, the Nationals played solid, error-free defense, giving the impression that their new emphasis on preventing runs might actually work. Today? Not so much. Rick Ankiel and Jayson Werth have misplayed a pair of balls between them, Danny Espinosa has continued to struggle in the field and the Nationals trail the Braves 3-1 in the bottom of the
We've played three at Nationals Park, and after allowing a run in the first inning, Jordan Zimmermann has found a nice groove. He's retired nine of the last 10 batters since Brian McCann's RBI single, and threw 43 pitches (29 strikes) through the first three innings. The Nationals got their first run in the first inning after Jayson Werth walked, and promptly went to second
The Nationals trail the Braves 1-0 in the first inning at Nationals Park, after Brian McCann singled to center to drive in a run on Jordan Zimmermann. But the run could've been unearned, if not for a gaffe by Danny Espinosa and a flaw in the way baseball awards responsibility for runs. Espinosa muffed a would-be double play on Chipper Jones, only having time to
Just a quick heads-up: I'll be on WJFK at 11:30, talking Nationals with Byron Kerr and Grant Paulsen as part of the Nationals pregame show from the left field plaza at Nationals Park. You can tune in on 106.7 FM or listen online here. Or, if you're in the park early, stop by the left field plaza and say hello.
A day after Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said he planned to alternate Ivan Rodriguez and Wilson Ramos behind the plate, he's sticking with his rotation. Rodriguez is back at catcher today, as the Nationals finish their series with the Atlanta Braves at 1:35 p.m. The Nationals will try to win the series by beating one of their most frequent tormentors: Braves right-hander Tim Hudson. The
Officially, the Nationals still don't have one, full-time, no-doubt-about-it closer. But if we learned anything from the way manager Jim Riggleman handled the late innings of Saturday's 6-3 win over the Atlanta Braves, it's that the Nationals are inching in the direction of settling that role. Riggleman used Drew Storen in the eighth inning of Saturday's game, pitching him against three lefties in four batters
We won't spend too much time obsessing over the suicide squeeze play the Nationals ran to get their fifth run on Saturday afternoon, since it merely provided an insurance run the team wound up not needing anyway. But there were some interesting inside-baseball nuggets to come out of the play: First, the situation: The Nationals got a runner in scoring position right away in the
The ingredients were all there: * A bullpen that turned in four solid innings, making a respectable, but not dominant effort from a starting pitcher stand up. * An offense that played station-to-station ball, getting more runs through smart baserunning, sacrifice flies (and a suicide squeeze play) as it did through homers. * An infield that gobbled up ground balls, turning hits into outs with
After Ryan Zimmerman's leadoff triple in the seventh inning - on a ball that went past Nate McLouth when he dove for it, rather than playing it on a bounce - the Nationals had an interesting situation. Adam LaRoche couldn't drive Zimmerman in (falling to 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position this year) and the Braves walked pinch hitter Jerry Hairston. That brought up lefty
We're headed into the top of the seventh inning at Nationals Park, and the Nationals' lead over the Braves is down to two runs. They lead 4-2, with Tyler Clippard still on the mound, and barely survived the sixth inning with the lead. After John Lannan came out of the game at the start of the sixth, Chad Gaudin gave up a homer to Dan
The Nationals and Braves are back under a delay in the fourth inning, as rain and hail came into Nationals Park during Jayson Werth's third at-bat of the day. Washington leads 4-1. We'll keep you posted on the weather outlook here. It's currently pouring, and Werth stepped out of the box during his at-bat as hail was bouncing off his shoulder. Stay tuned. UPDATE AT
First, the Nationals prevented a run in the top of the third with a pair of diving stops, including a layout by Danny Espinosa at second base to snare a Martin Prado liner that you're likely to see on the highlight shows today. Then, they got another double from Jayson Werth, which probably would have been his first homer of the year in his old
Two games into the 2011 season, Jayson Werth is showing he's got the wares to be a terrific No. 2 hitter. He takes pitches, can turn a bad ball into a base hit and runs the bases with calculated aggression. On a 1-2 pitch from Tommy Hanson in the first inning, Werth dug out a low slider and turned a single into a double, before
The tarp is currently on the field at Nationals Park, as a weather system dropped spitting rain over the field a few minutes ago. We're obviously going to be in a rain delay before the Nationals and Braves get started. The system swept in quickly, with winds blowing the topmost corner of the tarp back toward second base and momentarily trapping a grounds crew member
Potentially, the Nationals' catching situation could force them to make some uncomfortable decisions. One of their catchers is Ivan Rodriguez, who's chasing 3,000 hits and will likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when his career's over - which the 39-year-old said won't be for another three or four years. Their other catcher is Wilson Ramos, a 23-year-old prospect with a live bat and good
Good morning from Nationals Park, where the Nationals and Braves are getting ready for the second game of the year, scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Once again, there's rain in the forecast this afternoon, but we'll keep you posted when and if it affects the game. Wilson Ramos is in the Nationals' lineup for the first time this year, catching and batting eighth. It's likely we'll
The Braves and Nationals play their second game of 2011's three-game opening series Saturday at 1:05 p.m. at Nationals Park, with Washington lefty John Lannan opposing Atlanta's Tommy Hanson. Here are the lineups for today's game: Braves: Prado - LF McLouth - CF Jones - 3B McCann - C Uggla - 2B Heyward - RF Gonzalez - SS Freeman - 1B Hanson - P Nationals:
When I last took questions for Nationals minor leaguer Ryan Tatusko - who will start his first full season in the organization at Double-A Harrisburg next week - we couldn't make it through all of the ones you submitted. So, before leaving Viera this week, I caught up with Tatusko to discuss the rest of your questions for him. This time, we decided to conduct
Welcome to our Second Look feature, which we'll run on most mornings after Nationals games this season. The point of this feature is to take a more detailed look back at the previous night's (or in this case, day's) Nationals game, spot some trends and showcase a few things you might have missed. We'll also have our Golden Geese and Goose Eggs feature here. The
