Byron Kerr

Rendon has big game as Salt River wins 12-9; Robbie Ray update

October 17, 2012, 6:50pm

The Salt River Rafters outscored Peoria 12-9 in the Arizona Fall League on Wednesday, rallying from an early 7-1 deficit. A five-run sixth inning and a four-run ninth broke open an 8-7 game for the win. The Rafters are now 5-2. Good game for

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Aaron Barrett showing "aggressive fastball" in AFL (plus Salt River update)

October 15, 2012, 6:50pm

Nationals

Aaron Barrett showing "aggressive fastball" in AFL (plus Salt River update)

I have had a few requests for news about the Arizona Fall League and some of the Nationals' prospects and how they are doing. The Rafters beat Phoenix 4-2 in 10 innings thanks to a two-run single by Matt Skole. Brian Goodwin went 2-for-5 with two runs and two doubles - one of the doubles would have scored a run had the runner not been thrown out at the plate. Goodwin is batting .353, leading off and playing left field. Skole went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Skole is batting .583 and was the...

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Amazing to consider ...

October 13, 2012, 6:26pm

Nationals

Nine games. Nine wins. That is how close the Nationals were to a World Series title. Twice they were down to one strike from dethroning the current world champions. The St. Louis Cardinals celebrated. The Nationals headed home. The Cardinals were sweating the Nationals, a team that eight years ago deployed a pretty much decimated minor league system. A team that was pretty much orphaned by Major League Baseball. They had 59 wins in 2008, 59 wins in 2009 and 100 wins in 2012. In 2008 and...

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With option decision looming, LaRoche's teammates want him back in 2013

October 12, 2012, 10:29pm

Nationals

With option decision looming, LaRoche's teammates want him back in 2013

The Nationals' season came to a quick end in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the National League Division Series. But if you look back at the past couple of seasons, there is no way this team would have had a chance to be one strike away from the National League Championship Series without the bat and glove of Adam LaRoche at first base. LaRoche put up career numbers in 2012, smacking 33 homers and 100 RBIs in helping the Nationals to 98 regular season wins and a the National League East...

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Johnson on Harper's struggles at plate: "He will be all right"

October 12, 2012, 2:10pm

Nationals

Johnson on Harper's struggles at plate: "He will be all right"

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper has not been able to get on track in the National League Division Series against tough St. Louis pitching. He has gone 1-for-18 in four games with a double in Game 2. He has struck out six times. Harper is a perfectionist and focuses more and more when he struggles. Manager Davey Johnson said before Game 5 that may not be the best strategy. "With Bryce, when he doesn't do something spectacular, he tries harder," Johnson said. "And trying harder is not...

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Bullpen finally able to flex its muscle as Nationals survive Game 4

October 11, 2012, 4:44pm

Nationals

Through three games of the best-of-five National League Division Series, the Nationals' bullpen was used early and taxed late. You got the feeling that the relief crew really didn't get to show what it was really made of after 27 innings. But in Game 4, that all changed. Eight strikeouts in three innings effectively capped the St. Louis offense with the score tied. And it helped lead to a 2-1 Nationals win over the Cardinals, as Washington survives to play another day. Game 5 is set for...

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Gonzalez ready if he gets Game 5 opportunity

October 11, 2012, 12:16pm

Nationals

Gonzalez ready if he gets Game 5 opportunity

The Nationals hope they get a chance to have Gio Gonzalez pitch here Friday. That would mean they won Game 4 of the best-of-five National League Division Series. And that would be just fine with the cool, calm and confident Gonzalez. He has been that way since he arrived in D.C., and he is certainly not going to change now. Always smiling, always giving credit to his catcher and his defense, never taking credit for anything he did. And he won 21 games in a Cy Young-esque first season for the...

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Detwiler ready to forget last start on must-win Thursday

October 10, 2012, 9:16pm

Nationals

Detwiler ready to forget last start on must-win Thursday

Ross Detwiler chooses to forget his last outing. He lasted only 2 1/3 innings and gave up three earned runs on four hits with five walks. It was a loss. Who was it against? The St. Louis Cardinals. "I try not to remember that one," Detwiler said of his Sept. 30 start. "I am really going out there trying to throw strikes, trying to get ahead in the count. Make the hitters hit my pitch instead having to come after them 2-1 and 3-1 like I was the whole time." Which team does Detwiler need...

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Jackson, starters struggling to keep runs off the board

October 10, 2012, 3:22pm

Nationals

Jackson, starters struggling to keep runs off the board

The Nationals' starting pitching has had trouble getting off to quick starts in this series. Following Wednesday's 8-0 Game 3 win, the Cardinals have now scored nine runs in the second inning in three games and a total of 13 runs in the first four innings during the series. In that same span, the Nationals have tallied a total of two runs. Nationals starters have allowed 11 runs in 13 innings. The Cardinals' starters, by contrast, have gone 13 1/3 innings and surrendered a total of two...

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After ceremonial first pitch, Robinson reflects on baseball's return to D.C.

October 10, 2012, 11:02am

Nationals

After ceremonial first pitch, Robinson reflects on baseball's return to D.C.

Hall of Famer Frank Robinson threw out the ceremonial first pitch of Game 3 of the National League Division Series. Donning his trademark No. 20 jersey, Robinson threw a strike to Ian Desmond, much to delight of the soldout crowd at Nationals Park. "It was very delightful and quite an honor," Robinson said. "I enjoyed doing it. I thank the Lerner family for asking me to do it." Robinson was able to wear his No. 20 jersey, the same number that Desmond switched to this season in honor of...

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Johnson believes Espinosa can get on track at home

October 10, 2012, 7:54am

Nationals

Johnson believes Espinosa can get on track at home

Nationals manager Davey Johnson is not worried about second baseman Danny Espinosa and his slow start in the National League Division Series. Espinosa went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Game 1. In Game 2, he fared much better. Espinosa walked, had a groundout, hit a ball that could very easily have been extra bases if not for an amazing catch by Cardinals' outfielder Jon Jay and smacked a clean single in the eighth inning. Overall, the second baseman is 1-for-7 with a single, walk and...

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Morse and Desmond ready for challenge of Cardinals back home

October 09, 2012, 12:34pm

Nationals

Morse and Desmond ready for challenge of Cardinals back home

Nationals left fielder Michael Morse said the St. Louis Cardinals were very good, as expected, at Busch Stadium in the first two games of the National League Division Series. After the Nationals won Game 1, 3-2, the Cardinals rebounded to take Game 2, 12-4. "They are a tough team at home," Morse said. "If you look at their numbers home and away, they are a tough team to beat. Just like when we were there a couple of weeks ago, they put up some big numbers." This season, the Cardinals were...

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Matheny goes with rookie Shelby Miller to replace injured Garcia

October 09, 2012, 11:47am

Nationals

Matheny goes with rookie Shelby Miller to replace injured Garcia

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny announced Tuesday that right-hander Jaime Garcia has been removed from the postseason roster due to a right rotator cuff strain with some inflammation. The Cardinals and Nationals were in Washington on Tuesday and completed scheduled workouts at Nationals Park. The National League Division Series is even at one game apiece, with Game 3 scheduled to begin a 1:07 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. Matheny said Garcia will get a second opinion on the shoulder. The...

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Cardinals' bold move in second inning pays off (updated)

October 08, 2012, 4:30pm

Nationals

Cardinals' bold move in second inning pays off (updated)

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny took a huge gamble early in Game 2 of the series. Already down a game in the best-of-five National League Division Series and watching his game two starter Jaime Garcia struggle through the top of the second, Matheny opted to go to pinch-hitter Skip Schumaker and sit his starter down after just two innings. St. Louis scored four runs in that second frame and never looked back. Garcia's replacement, Lance Lynn, came on to go three innings and allowed two late...

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Cardinals familiar with urgency to win Game 2

October 08, 2012, 5:10am

Nationals

Cardinals familiar with urgency to win Game 2

Winning Game 1 on the road Sunday was the best-case scenario for the playoff-infant Nationals. The 3-2 comeback victory set the tone in a short series. But these are the world champion St. Louis Cardinals, and they have been in this position before. Last season, the Cardinals lost Game 1 in both the National League Division Series and the Championship Series. A look back at how the Cardinals' first two series last season ended gives you an idea of the comeback potential of this team....

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Werth's catch at wall helps stave off Cardinals rally

October 07, 2012, 5:39pm

Nationals

Werth's catch at wall helps stave off Cardinals rally

Every postseason story has great plays that become the trademark for a team. A huge double play. A timely run-scoring hit. A game-saving catch. The Nationals had all three Sunday in their first postseason win, a 3-2 stunner at St. Louis in the National League Division Series opener. In the bottom of the sixth, with the Cardinals leading 2-1 and David Freese at first base, second baseman Daniel Descalso launched a long fly ball to deep right field that had a very good chance of leaving Busch...

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The amazing two years of Tyler Moore

October 07, 2012, 3:02pm

Nationals

After winning Game 1 in St. Louis 3-2, the Nationals now have three of the next four games in the series at home. Of course, Game 4 and Game 5 are if necessary. Trailing 2-1 after five innings, the Nationals found a way to get to a bullpen that had allowed more than one earned run just once in the last 14 postseason games. Well, that streak reached 14 of 15, but they still allowed two runs. And the Nationals' bench, another one of the team's many strengths, came through with the game's...

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Can Suzuki play the role of Cody Ross for Nationals in postseason?

October 06, 2012, 5:10am

Nationals

The postseason can sometimes be the coming-out party for a player who had a pretty good regular season but then turns it up a notch in the playoffs. Sometimes it is a player who wasn't even with the postseason team when the season began. Take the amazing run of right fielder Cody Ross, who arrived in San Francisco on August 10, 2010 and played just 33 games with the Giants, hitting .288 with three home runs. Then, he turned in one of the most amazing postseason performances in quite some...

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By the numbers: 2012 Nationals set high marks

October 04, 2012, 11:45am

Nationals

"It was a pretty good season, all things considered," said outfielder Jayson Werth after the Nationals' 5-1 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday. "We had a lot of injuries and things to overcome. The fact that we ended up here, it really came down to the last game for the best record. We showed up again today. "I like where we are sitting heading into the postseason. This is what it is all about. This is what you play your whole life for. We got a chance to do something special here. We...

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Zimmerman on postseason: "This is where the good teams are"

October 03, 2012, 2:33pm

Nationals

Zimmerman on postseason: "This is where the good teams are"

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman hit his 25th homer of the season Wednesday in a 5-1 win over the Phillies, marking third time in his career he has it 25 or more homers in a season. He also hit 24 homers in 2007. He is a part of a Nationals team that has the most wins in major league baseball and has won its division. He said that is all nice, but the ultimate goal is a world championship. "It is quite an accomplishment," Zimmerman said. "Winning the division was a goal and now we...