Byron Kerr

Garcia, Nelo and Davis making waves in Harrisburg (Hood update)

May 23, 2012, 12:57pm

I have some updates on the pitching staff at Double-A Harrisburg, with a focus on the bullpen. The Senators swept a doubleheader from Altoona on Wednesday, once again thanks to the pitchers keeping the score down, 5-3 and 3-2. A lot of talk has surrounded the emergence of former Yankees prospect right-hander Christian Garcia, who has fought back from a pair of Tommy John surgeries. He recorded his sixth save of the season in game one. Senators pitching coach Paul Menhart said Garcia has...

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A little run support was all Zimmermann needed to stun the Phillies

May 22, 2012, 7:19pm

Nationals

A little run support was all Zimmermann needed to stun the Phillies

You must have felt a measure of added joy for Jordan Zimmermann in the third inning. He finally got a chance to look up at the scoreboard and see four runs on the board for his team. 4-1. Alright, now we are talking. Zimmermann came in averaging just 2.4 runs of support per game when he is in the contest. So four runs had to feel like a big block of cheese for the Wisconsin native. Forget the "Summer of George", this might be the summer of Jordan. Zimmermann went six solid innings,...

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Move Stammen to closer's role, activate Wang

May 22, 2012, 6:35am

Nationals

Move Stammen to closer's role, activate Wang

With another extremely uncomfortable ninth-inning save opportunity almost thrown away, the Nationals and manager Davey Johnson need to make a decision. Johnson told the media he would sleep on what happened to reliever Henry Rodriguez on Monday in Philadelphia. Without the literal save by Sean Burnett, Rodriguez was on the rocky road to his fourth blown save of the season. It is obvious Rodriguez has the swing-and-miss stuff one covets in a closer, firing fastballs regularly at 101 mph. But...

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Johnson believes Gonzalez can do more with less

May 21, 2012, 7:14pm

Nationals

Johnson believes Gonzalez can do more with less

Everyone loves to see the strikeouts. Left-hander Gio Gonzalez had plenty of them Monday in a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at a wet Citizens Bank Park. Finishing with nine strikeouts, Gonzalez yo-yoed back over Stephen Strasburg (64), for the team lead, and is now holding onto the major league top spot with 69 punchouts in nine starts. More importantly, Gonzalez tallied another team first: win No. 6 on the season. Plus, the win was against the perennial top seed in the NL East,...

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Leading off didn't put added pressure on Espinosa

May 21, 2012, 10:53am

Nationals

Leading off didn't put added pressure on Espinosa

On Saturday, Danny Espinosa was out of the lineup after laboring through a 3-for-18 home stand. Then in the late innings, with the game on the line, Espinosa was summoned for a key pinch-hitting appearance. He lined the ball hard, but right at outfielder Xavier Avery for the out. Then Sunday, Espinosa was back in the lineup - and where else but leading off for the first time this season. He struck out twice, but also had a well-hit double and huge two-run homer to put the game on ice in a...

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Purke will continue to pitch in Florida this week

May 20, 2012, 6:20pm

Nationals

Purke will continue to pitch in Florida this week

Left-hander Matt Purke will remain at the Nationals' training facility this week, continuing to build up innings as he makes his way back to being ready for his minor league debut. As I reported here last week, Purke pitched five innings Thursday in Viera, Fla. The schedule this week calls for Purke to go five innings again on Thursday, according to Nationals director of player development Doug Harris. There is no concern for Purke getting seven days off between outings. Harris said Purke...

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Harper's big offense outweighs outfield misplay

May 20, 2012, 2:28pm

Nationals Orioles

Harper's big offense outweighs outfield misplay

Look out to left and center field in the top of the first inning and the two players on defense for the Nationals had a combined 32 major league games at their defensive positions. Even looking at their minor league careers, Bryce Harper (129) and Tyler Moore (3) combined for just 132 total games in the outfield. Then, in the top of the second, Orioles third baseman Wilson Betemit lofted a fly ball between Moore and Harper that looked catchable, but the ball never hit Harper's glove and...

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Jackson's outstanding effort lost in extra-inning lid-lifter

May 18, 2012, 7:22pm

Nationals Orioles

Jackson's outstanding effort lost in extra-inning lid-lifter

3-2 count. Fastball low, walk. Tough to allow a baserunner in any situation, but having it be the Orioles' leadoff hitter, Xavier Avery, on the first at-bat of the game proved more costly in a tight contest. Avery was able to come around to score the first run of the game, thanks to a double by Nick Markakis and a single from Adam Jones. But really, it was only 1-0 Orioles. In the end, however, the Orioles beat the Nationals 2-1 in 11 innings on a Markakis homer. But when he was in, it...

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Catch him if you can: Burns flying in Hagerstown

May 18, 2012, 5:58pm

Nationals

Catch him if you can: Burns flying in Hagerstown

Outfielder

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Purke has positive outing in Florida, could make pro debut next week

May 17, 2012, 6:21pm

Nationals

Purke has positive outing in Florida, could make pro debut next week

Southpaw

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Brian Goodwin to be activated Friday and start

May 17, 2012, 2:48pm

Nationals

Brian Goodwin to be activated Friday and start

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Low Single-A outfielder

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Matt Skole's two-homer game helps him shake off slump

May 17, 2012, 2:37pm

Nationals

Matt Skole's two-homer game helps him shake off slump

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Low Single-A Hagerstown Suns third baseman

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Combo of stopper Gonzalez, closer Rodriguez helps Nats to 7-4 victory over Bucs

May 16, 2012, 7:08pm

Nationals

Combo of stopper Gonzalez, closer Rodriguez helps Nats to 7-4 victory over Bucs

There is a method to Davey's madness: leave him in. The strategy worked in two ways as starter Gio Gonzalez and closer Henry Rodriguez fought through varying threats to hold off the Pirates 7-4 on Wednesday. Gonzalez's line was impressive again, taking over the major league lead in strikeouts, momentarily, with 60 punch-outs courtesy of 10 strikeouts against Pittsburgh. Leading 4-1, Gonzalez gave up a two-run shot to Pirates third baseman Josh Harrison. And the seemingly comfortable...

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Storen right on schedule in recovery from elbow surgery

May 16, 2012, 2:24pm

Nationals

Storen right on schedule in recovery from elbow surgery

Right-hander Drew Storen remains with the team in D.C. as he continues his rehab from elbow surgery to remove a bone chip. Storen soft-tossed 100 throws Wednesday, the same number he threw Monday. He did two sets of 50 throws, 25 at 45 feet and 25 from 60 feet. Storen will have another day off tomorrow. "It feels all right," Storen said. "It is right where I expected it to be. It is just different, playing catch, soft tossing. It's right on track, a day-by-day thing." Storen is not...

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Tyler Moore ready for start against Pirates, not rusty from wait

May 16, 2012, 1:27pm

Nationals

Tyler Moore ready for start against Pirates, not rusty from wait

Nationals Tyler Moore gets the start in left field Wednesday in the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Finally. Moore started in his first game in a Nationals uniform against the Dodgers back on April 29. In only his ninth game - so far he has only gone 2-for-11 (.182) without an extra base hit - Moore gets a chance to start at Nationals Park against the Pirates. He says it has not been tough waiting for his opportunity. "No, not really," Moore said. "We got great coaches and...

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Former Longhorn Keyes making steady progress in Potomac

May 16, 2012, 7:27am

Nationals

Former Longhorn Keyes making steady progress in Potomac

Potomac Nationals outfielder Kevin Keyes made a big splash as one of the top home run hitters in the system with his play in 2011, and although the competition has ramped up in high Single-A, Keyes believes he is making progress in preparing for the better pitching he sees now at this advanced level. "The Carolina League is an adjustment," Keyes said. "It is a harder league than the South Atlantic League. As a team, we are making adjustments that are making everybody better at the plate. We...

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Fly ball misplay was swing Padres needed against Strasburg

May 15, 2012, 1:43pm

Nationals

Fly ball misplay was swing Padres needed against Strasburg

It looked like an innocent pop up between left field and right field midway towards the warning track from the first hitter of the game, Padres right fielder Will Venable. Nationals left fielder Roger Bernadina and center fielder Rick Ankiel, as well as right fielder Bryce Harper converged on the fly ball. Bernadina and Ankiel appeared to look down at each other as they tracked the ball and suddenly it fell in front of Bernadina's feet. Venable scampered to second on a double and San Diego...

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Johnson's familiar lineup card starting to pay dividends for Nationals

May 15, 2012, 8:19am

Nationals

The lineup is starting to show a familiar refrain. Ian Desmond and Roger Bernadina. Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche and Bryce Harper. Danny Espinosa and Rick Ankiel. The catching spot. The starting pitcher. Johnson said the genesis of this particular starting nine was given boost into motion when he had a conversation with outfielder Roger Bernadina, who was off to a slow start due in part to a lack of consistent at-bats. With the unfortunate injury to Jayson Werth, Johnson was looking to mix...

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How close was Stephen Strasburg to being a Padre?

May 14, 2012, 8:52pm

Nationals

How close was Stephen Strasburg to being a Padre?

It was the close of a miserable 2008 campaign. The Nationals were in the midst of losing 14 of their final 17 games en route to dismal 59-102 overall mark. In late September 2008, the San Diego Padres traveled to D.C. for a three-game set against the Nationals. The Padres swept the Nationals - winning 11-6 in 14 innings, 6-1 and 6-2 during a weekend series from Sept. 19-21, 2008. Following that sweep, the Padres went 2-4 the rest if the way. The Nationals went 1-4. San Diego finished...

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Harper not embarrassed by bat-to-face incident

May 14, 2012, 7:50pm

Nationals

Harper not embarrassed by bat-to-face incident

Before Monday's series opener against the Padres, Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper said his left eye was feeling better three days after he struck himself with his bat off a runway wall in the Cincinnati visitors' clubhouse. The pain had subsided and he didn't have to sleep a certain way to avoid laying on his left side. When asked if the injury was embarrassing, Harper said, "No, I'm not embarrassed." He said the incident would not make him change his future reaction to a bad game...