Byron Kerr

Kimball feels no pain after two throwing sessions

June 18, 2011, 11:12am

Nationals right-handed reliever Cole Kimball had two throwing sessions Saturday under the supervision of bullpen coach Jim Lett and head athletic trainer Lee Kuntz to test his injured shoulder. He said the sessions went very well and his throwing shoulder showed no pain during the workouts. Kimball has been on the disabled list since June 10 with shoulder inflammation. Kimball threw two sessions and 60 feet and felt "pretty good" afterward. "There was no pain," Kimball said. "I am...

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Nationals and Orioles all even at 1-1 early

June 18, 2011, 9:53am

Nationals Orioles

Nationals and Orioles all even at 1-1 early

The Nationals and Orioles under way in their fifth meeting of the season. Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz is facing Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmerman. With a victory, the Nationals can guarantee at least a season split with the Birds. Washington has won both series hold on,openers by a combined score of 25-9. The Orioles got to Zimmermann early with a solo homer by Adam Jones in the top of the first. The blast to left field came with two men out. The Nationals countered with the...

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Desmond continues to steal bases even with sore leg

June 18, 2011, 8:24am

Nationals

Desmond continues to steal bases even with sore leg

Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond stole two bases Friday and now has a career-high 20 stolen bases in his first 64 games of the season. Last year, he had 17 stolen bases in 154 games. The Nationals are being more aggressive on the basepaths and taking advantage of Desmond's speed to put pressure on the opposition to not make mistakes. Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said the team is running more this season, but they have to be careful with Desmond because he is still nursing a sore left...

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Nationals' Desmond finding all kinds of ways to contribute

June 17, 2011, 8:43pm

Nationals

Nationals' shortstop Ian Desmond was back to batting in the second hole after hitting ninth Thursday. Desmond's timely hitting, speed on the bases and crafty glove helped guide Washington to an 8-4 win in their series opener against the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park. Desmond had two hits, two stolen bases, a run and two RBIs in his final three at-bats as the Nationals came back from an early 2-0 deficit to beat the Birds. Even with Desmond batting all over the lineup, he feels the...

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Short-season Auburn Doubledays win 2011 opener

June 17, 2011, 7:00pm

Nationals

Short-season Auburn Doubledays win 2011 opener

There were some very impressive performances from a few of the minor league affiliates in the Nationals' chain Friday, including the debut of the short-season Single-A Auburn Doubledays, managed by Gary Cathcart, as a Washington affiliate. Doubledays catcher Adrian Nieto went 3-for-3 with two runs, a homer and two RBIs as Auburn started its season with 11 hits and a 6-1 win over Batavia. Ryan Demmin went five innings for the win. At Double-A, Nationals prospects Josh Johnson and Chris Rahl...

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Wizards' Wall bounces first pitch, excited to see first Nationals' game

June 17, 2011, 5:06pm

Nationals

The Washington Wizards star point guard John Wall threw out the first pitch before Friday's matchup with the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park. It didn't quite do what he had planned. Wall's pitch bounced twice before the Nationals closer Drew Storen made a nice play to catch it. Wall said the 56-minute rain delay allowed him to cool down too much and affected the throw. "That was my All-Star game bounce pass right there," Wall said. "I will come back out and redeem myself sometime...

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Hagerstown's Harper invited to SAL All-Star home run derby

June 17, 2011, 11:14am

Nationals

Hagerstown's Harper invited to SAL All-Star home run derby

The Nationals' top prospect, outfielder Bryce Harper, will participate in the home run derby prior to the South Atlantic League All-Star game on Tuesday in Salisbury, Md. The event is billed as the 2011 BB&T All-Star Game Home Run Derby at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium and begins at 5:30 p.m. The winner receives $500 courtesy of BB&T. Harper has hit 14 home runs with a .601 slugging percentage during the first half of the season for the Single-A Hagerstown Suns. He will be joined by Northern...

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Potomac's Kobernus replaces Hood as Carolina League All-Star

June 17, 2011, 9:27am

Nationals

Potomac's Kobernus replaces Hood as Carolina League All-Star

Single-A Potomac Nationals second baseman Jeff Kobernus has been named to the 2011 Carolina league All-Star team, replacing his teamate, outfielder Destin Hood. Hood was placed on the disabled list Wednesday with a knee injury. Hood has been recovering from a knee issue and needs some rest. Kobernus has gotten hot at the right time, batting .333 (37-for-111) with 18 runs and 12 steals in the last 28 games. He is batting .266 overall, with 13 doubles, two home runs and 24 RBIs. Kobernus leads...

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Confidence in Burnett gave Nationals chance to sweep Cards

June 16, 2011, 7:32pm

Nationals

The Nationals were looking good with a 4-2 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals late Thursday night. In the eighth inning, they called upon their set-up man, Tyler Clippard, to get three outs. But an Albert Pujols' home run cut the lead to 4-3. The Nats still had the lead into the ninth frame. As usual, closer Drew Storen was summoned to finish off another game, as he had done 16 times this season. But, Yadier Molina's home run to lead off the inning changed that plan quickly. So, how big...

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Riggleman: Personnel changes key to defensive turnaround

June 16, 2011, 1:07pm

Nationals

Riggleman: Personnel changes key to defensive turnaround

The Nationals are tied with the Phillies for fewest errors in the national league with 33 through 68 games (the Phillies have now played 70). That is a significant step forward for the Nationals team defense after leading the majors, alongside the Pirates, last season with 127 miscues. What might be even more impressive is what the team has done in the first summer month of 2011. The Nationals have the longest current errorless streak in the major leagues at 122 2/3 innings, dating back to...

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Patience at the plate has fueled Nationals' win streak

June 16, 2011, 9:41am

Nationals

Earlier this season I was talking to a writer of a struggling opposing team and I asked him why they were losing. He said it was because they were not being patient at the plate. They were going after the first pitch. They weren't taxing the pitcher. They were going for bad pitches and innings were short and uneventful. While watching the Nationals during this current win streak, you can see one of the reasons the team is playing well. They are waiting for their pitch and fighting through...

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Nationals' offense finally rewards Hernandez in 10-0 win over the Cards

June 15, 2011, 7:10pm

Nationals

The Nationals' offense has rewarded its starting pitching with a couple of big offensive performances to begin a series with the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park. Washington was down 6-1 in the fifth inning Tuesday, and erupted for seven runs to win, 8-6. Then, the Nationals crushed four home runs, two by red-hot Michael Morse, in a 10-0 shellacking of the Cardinals on Wednesday. It was a well-deserved reward for Livan Hernandez (4-8), who threw his 50th complete game and his ninth...

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Bryce Harper returns to Hagerstown lineup after missing two games

June 15, 2011, 3:03pm

Nationals

Bryce Harper returns to Hagerstown lineup after missing two games

Nationals top prospect Bryce Harper is in the lineup for tonight's regularly scheduled game for the Single-A Hagerstown Suns at Lakewood. Harper took batting practice prior to the conclusion of Tuesday's suspended game. He was deemed good to start. Harper jammed his left thumb in Sunday's game and missed two games. He is batting .338 with 14 homers, 11 stolen bases and 43 RBIs in 60 games. Harper is 12-for-32 (.375) with three homers and seven RBIs in the month of June (span of 10...

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Balester returns to Nationals throwing changeup more plus draft notes

June 15, 2011, 2:52pm

Nationals

The Nationals recalled right-handed reliever Collin Balester from Triple-A Syracuse before Wednesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Balester has gotten into a nice groove at Syracuse. He was 2-0 with one save and a 3.24 ERA in 19 games, striking out 29 and allowing just one home run. Balester appeared in three Nationals games earlier this season and got roughed up a bit. But he has made an adjustment in his pitch choices. Balester said he has started to throw his changeup more...

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Nationals top prospect Bryce Harper has sore thumb, listed day-to-day

June 15, 2011, 10:26am

Nationals

Nationals prospect

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Nationals' Mattheus "amazed" by quality MLB debut against Cards

June 15, 2011, 7:06am

Nationals

It has been a pretty amazing run for Nationals right-hander Ryan Mattheus, who began the season in Double-A Harrisburg and on Tuesday made his major league debut for the Washington Nationals. The run becomes even more impressive when you realize that Mattheus had been in the minors since 2005. Mattheus jumped from the short season Single-A New York-Penn League last year to Harrisburg to start this season after a scintillating spring. Fast-forward to April 2011. He pitched in 13 games for...

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Nix keys comeback with relentless at-bat in Nationals' rally over Cards

June 14, 2011, 8:22pm

Nationals

The Nationals showed resiliency with a gutty seventh inning rally against the first place St. Louis Cardinals. Down 6-2, the Nats put six runs on the board on four hits, three walks, one intentional and one hit by pitch. The six-run outburst matched the most runs the Nationals had scored in an inning this season. The Nationals had also scored six runs in an inning versus the Cardinals on April 20, against the Marlins, May 15 and the Orioles, May 20. Laynce Nix faced 11 pitches from St. Louis...

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Desmond starts and Bernadina replaces Ankiel

June 14, 2011, 3:01pm

Nationals

Desmond starts and Bernadina replaces Ankiel

Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond will go tonight but center fielder Roger Bernadina did not start. However, Rick Ankiel left the game in the second inning, Bernadina pinch hit and took over in center. We are awaiting word on the reason for Ankiel leaving the game. Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said they are going to watch Desmond carefully tonight to see how his sore left thigh reacts. "Desmond has had two days off now," Riggleman said. "I am sure he feels a little better. But I...

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Sammy Solis seeking second win in a row tonight for Suns

June 13, 2011, 6:39pm

Nationals

Sammy Solis seeking second win in a row tonight for Suns

Pitching for Single-A Hagerstown, left-handed prospect Sammy Solis notched his first win as a professional Thursday with an impressive outing over Delmarva. Solis went 6 2/3 innings in his longest start of the season, allowing just five hits and one run, with five strikeouts and one walk. "It felt great giving the team a chance to win a game after my first two outings," he said. "It is still early in the season for me. I feel as though I can only get stronger." Solis hit 96 mph on...

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Gorzelanny to make rehab start tonight in Syracuse

June 13, 2011, 9:10am

Nationals

Gorzelanny to make rehab start tonight in Syracuse

Nationals left-hander Tom Gorzelanny is scheduled to make a injury rehabilitation start tonight with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, playing a 7 p.m. game against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees at Alliance Bank Stadium in Syracuse. Gorzelanny went through bullpen sessions and simulated at-bats with Nationals pitching coordinator Spin Williams last week in Woodbridge, Va., at Pfitzner Stadium. Williams said Gorzelanny looked very good in those outings and deemed him ready to go for tonight's...