The Nationals edged the Giants 2-1 on a dramatic two-run shot from Clint Robinson and the calm and methodical pitching of left-hander Gio Gonzalez.
Gonzalez was frustrated last Saturday when the rain in Philadelphia forced a postponement after he had tossed only 18 pitches. The rainout also forced Gonzalez into an extra day of rest. Sometimes that additional time off throws some starters out of rhythm.
But Gonzalez (6-4) was on target Friday, going seven innings and allowing just a solo homer...
Nationals manager Matt Williams had an update on first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and the plantar fasciitis in his right foot that has kept him out of the lineup since June 10.
"Good. (He's) progressing," Williams said. "Zim's not quite running yet, but he's doing the other things that he needs to do to get prepared. Once that pain gets out of there, he'll be able to get running on the basepaths and move the process along a little bit."
Williams said Anthony Rendon's left quad strain...
Several teams are making news with the signings of Dominican baseball teenagers. The Nationals have spent a great deal of time and resources combing the Dominican for the best talent available and have had continued success with the opening of their Dominican baseball academy.
Today the team announced they have agreed to terms with outfielder Juan Soto and infielder Luis Aquino. Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo and director of Latin American operations...
Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann has been able to locate and establish his curveball early in counts, which has helped his fastball and approach in his last two starts.
On Tuesday night, he held the Braves scoreless for 7 2/3 innings on six hits with no walks while striking out six for the win, 6-1.
"I had a good curveball the last two starts and felt like I could throw it when I wanted to, where I wanted to, any count," Zimmermann told reporters. "Keep them off balance, just pound the...
From the time they arrived from Montreal before the 2005 season, the Nationals have been a mainstay in the Washington, D.C., sports scene. But the Nats are also very active in the community, working diligently over the past decade to touch the lives of many in the region and proving that baseball has a further reach than wins and losses, balls and strikes, batters and pitchers. Each Thursday through mid-August, MASNsports.com's Byron Kerr will explore the Nationals' community outreach...
Nationals outfielder Victor Robles is only 18 years old, but he is playing with the confidence and ability of a veteran in his first few weeks of Gulf Coast League competition.
The outfielder from the Dominican Republic is batting .524 (11-for-21) with one double, one triple, two homers, three stolen bases and six RBIs in his first seven games.
His on-base percentage is .600 and his OPS is an insane 1.552. Monday was his first hitless game of the season, and he went 0-for-1. He was walked three...
Shortstop Trea Turner is still looking for his first Triple-A base hit. On Sunday, Turner pinch-hit in the eighth inning and popped out for pitcher Rafael Martin. He is now 0-for-9 with Syracuse, with a run scored and a strikeout.
After 68 Double-A games, Turner had accumulated an amazing 25 multi-hit games and a .327 average. In that span, he had a 16-game hitting streak and a 10-game hitting streak while with the San Antonio Missions, a Padres affiliate. He spent 10 games with Double-A...
Shortstop Trea Turner made his Triple-A debut Friday night in a Syracuse 9-1 loss at Indianapolis.
He was called out on strikes, lined softly to right fielder, grounded into a force out at second base, scored on a Kevin Keyes single, grounded into another force out and got to third later in the inning. He finished 0-for-4 with a run scored.
Not a big deal, he went 0-for-4 to start his first of 10 days at Harrisburg. The next game he had three base hits. Amazingly, he had 25 multi-hit games in...
It didn't take long for prospect Trea Turner to get to Triple-A. The talented shortstop is expected to join the Syracuse Chiefs today or tomorrow in Indianapolis, more likely today, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Turner spent 10 days with Double-A Harrisburg. But really he spent 68 games at Double-A, where he started the season at Double-A San Antonio. With the Missions, Turner had a 16-game hit streak. Before that he had a 10-game streak.
Turner has had 25 multi-hit games...
The Nationals did not waste any time getting to Braves rookie right-hander Matt Wisler in Thursday's getaway matchup. They scored six runs in the first three innings and cruised to a 7-0 win and a series sweep.
The biggest hit was from shortstop Ian Desmond, who crushed a two-run shot to cap the scoring in the third. The Nationals pounded out seven hits in the first three frames. Wisler lasted four innings and allowed nine hits and six runs, but only four of the runs were earned.
Every starter...
Two Nationals prospects - right-hander Lucas Giolito and shortstop Trea Turner - have been selected to play in the 2015 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, which will be played at 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 12 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
"I think it's a great opportunity for both of them to get a chance to be on a national stage and show their talent," said Nationals manager Matt Williams. "I think they are both very talented young players and they're improving quickly. It's good....
Right fielder Bryce Harper scored the winning run as the Nationals dropped the Braves 2-1 in 11 innings. He started the rally with a double. But the big concern after the game was the way he went into second base awkwardly on his right leg. It appeared at first that maybe he had reinjured his left hamstring.
Manager Matt Williams said during post game that it was not the hamstring, but instead it was pain in his right leg.
"It was a cramp when he went into second," Williams said. "Standing...
Injuries, as with most teams, can take their toll on even the most talented teams and derail promising seasons. Fortunately for the Nationals, they have several players that can play in the infield and outfield and still hit and help bridge the gap until a starter returns.
With injuries to players like Denard Span, Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon, Danny Espinosa and Clint Robinson are two examples of players that have stepped up and been successful transitioning from pinch-hit...
The California All-Stars dropped the Carolina All-Stars 9-2 Tuesday night from LoanMart Field in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
High Single-A Potomac Nationals right-hander Nick Pivetta took the loss after allowing two runs on two hits in one inning of work. P-Nats catcher Spencer Kieboom went 0-for-2 and had two passed balls. He also grounded into a double play.
California put up three runs in the fourth and sixth frames to put the game out of reach. Brett Phillips, Cody Bellinger and Brandon...
The Nationals offense waited over two hours and a half inning to finally get a shot at Braves left-hander Alex Wood.
They jumped on him quickly thanks to the one-two punch of Denard Span and Anthony Rendon. In the first, Span doubled and Rendon brought him home with a RBI single for a 1-0 lead. In the third, Span had a RBI single to make it 2-0. Rendon followed with another base hit. Rendon finished 4-for-4.
The Nationals went on to win the opener of the series, 3-1.
Manager Matt Williams said...
The marketing of Bryce Harper?
You better get in line.
News broke Monday that Nationals right fielder will be featured in the upcoming ESPN The Magazine Body Issue.
On Tuesday during pregame with the media, Harper said he was thrilled to be included in the offseason shoot and it was actually something he had hoped to be asked to do.
"Very excited, very happy to be a part of that," Harper said. "It's something I dreamed about since I was younger. It's very cool thing for athletes to show...
Catcher Spencer Kieboom and pitcher Nick Pivetta have been selected from the high Single-A Potomac Nationals to play in tonight's Carolina-California League All-Star Game in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. The game starts at 10:30 p.m. Eastern time from LoanMart Field.
The 24-year-old Kieboom, who also was selected to the South Atlantic All-Star Game in 2014, is hitting .249 with 13 doubles, one triple, one homer and 15 RBIs in 50 games. He has thrown out 42 percent of basestealers (23-for-55)....
From the time they arrived from Montreal before the 2005 season, the Nationals have been a mainstay in the Washington, D.C., sports scene. But the Nats are also very active in the community, working diligently over the past decade to touch the lives of many in the region and proving that baseball has a further reach than wins and losses, balls and strikes, batters and pitchers. Each Thursday through mid-August, MASNsports.com's Byron Kerr will explore the Nationals' community outreach...
After Thursday's loss to Tampa Bay, the sixth straight non-winning series for the Nationals, manager Matt Williams said that he was looking for players to "step up."
Over the weekend, in three sold-out games at Nationals Park, the Nats stepped up with three wins against the red-hot Pirates, who had arrived with a season-high eight-game hit streak.
In every game over the weekend, the Nationals had at least three regular starters not in the lineup. Left fielder Jayson Werth (wrist fractures)...
Left-hander Gio Gonzalez was looking for a bounce back performance after a struggle last Monday in Tampa Bay. He got exactly that in the Nationals' 9-2 win over the Pirates and a series sweep.
Gonzalez went a season-low 3 1/3 innings in the June 15 6-1 loss at Tampa Bay. He gave up eight hits, five runs, had three walks and only one strikeout.
But Sunday, Gonzalez came out aggressive, and manager Matt Williams said it was because he mixed up his pitch selections early in counts to confuse the...