Dan Kolko

Werth on unlucky Nats: "I think at some point, the tide's got to turn"

July 23, 2013, 7:30pm

Following losses both Sunday afternoon and Monday night, reporters approached Jayson Werth to discuss his two-homer performance (something that happened both days) and another tough defeat. Both of those interviews were brief, with a frustrated Werth not wanting to answer what he called "gloom and doom" questions. Tonight, things were different. Werth called reporters over to his locker and opened up about the Nationals' play of late. He only took three questions before ending the...

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Johnson on Jordan's outing and another Nats loss

July 23, 2013, 6:58pm

Nationals

Johnson on Jordan's outing and another Nats loss

Again, while the line score might not indicate it, Taylor Jordan pitched well enough to win tonight. Instead, the Nationals' rookie right-hander dropped to 0-3 on the season with tonight's 5-1 loss. Jordan allowed five runs (four earned) over 7 2/3 innings, but he got minimal help from his defense and the Nationals' bats. Two Pirates runs followed Anthony Rendon's second-inning error, an miscue that came on a potential inning-ending double play, and another run charged to Jordan came...

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Jordan again in line for a tough-luck loss (Nats lose fifth straight)

July 23, 2013, 5:29pm

Nationals

Jordan again in line for a tough-luck loss (Nats lose fifth straight)

The Nationals are being outscored by the Pirates 5-1 midway through the eighth. They're being outhit 10-2. At least they hold lead in one category - errors, where they have a 2-0 edge tonight. They've got that going for them, so that's nice. The box score says that Taylor Jordan allowed five runs tonight, four of which were earned. And that's true, of course. But making his fifth career major league start, Jordan pitched a heck of a lot better than the box score indicates. The rookie...

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More sloppy baseball (updated)

July 23, 2013, 3:50pm

Nationals

Taylor Jordan allowed three runs in the second inning, but in reality, he should've been out of the frame with the Nationals trailing 1-0. Sure, Jordan loaded the bases with none out and fell behind in counts too many times, putting pressure on himself and his defense. But with one out and runners on the corners, Jordan got a tailor-made double play ball hit to Ryan Zimmerman at third base. The ball was struck well by Jordy Mercer, for sure, but Zimmerman picked it clean and delivered an...

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Detwiler seeing back specialist, Mattheus to be activated Friday

July 23, 2013, 1:42pm

Nationals

Detwiler seeing back specialist, Mattheus to be activated Friday

I saw Ross Detwiler in the player parking lot as I was driving up to Nationals Park this afternoon. Detwiler won't be around the park too long before hopping on a plane for the West Coast. Manager Davey Johnson said Detwiler is heading out to Los Angeles today to meet with Dr. Robert Watkins to get another opinion on the lower back strain that landed Detwiler on the DL back on July 7 (retroactive to July 4) and has bothered him since. Detwiler threw a bullpen session Saturday, but was...

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Nats sticking with same lineup (with Pirates lineup)

July 23, 2013, 11:32am

Nationals

Nats sticking with same lineup (with Pirates lineup)

The Nationals will stick with their same lineup (minus the pitcher) for game two of this four-game series with the Pirates. Bryce Harper will lead off and Denard Span will hit seventh. Wilson Ramos is again behind the plate for the Nats. Taylor Jordan will get his fifth big league start tonight, still in search of his first win despite positing an impressive 3.32 ERA thus far. Jordan is coming off the best outing of his major league career thus far, when he allowed just two runs on eight...

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Little things adding up to big problems

July 23, 2013, 6:23am

Nationals

For much of the last two months or so, Davey Johnson has been peppered with questions about why the Nationals have been struggling so mightily. Early on in that period, Johnson didn't really have much of an answer, other than that the offense largely wasn't doing its job. That part is obvious, of course, but there are other factors at play. Overall, the Nats just aren't performing quite to the level that they did last season, mostly across the board. The starting pitching largely has...

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Hearing from Haren and LaRoche after Nats' 6-5 loss

July 22, 2013, 8:08pm

Nationals

Hearing from Haren and LaRoche after Nats' 6-5 loss

Dan Haren was asked after tonight's 6-5 Nationals loss, a loss that dropped them to 48-51 on the season and eight games back of the Braves in the National League East, whether he thinks the Nats have reached their low-point, or "rock bottom," as one reporter phrased it. "That I don't know," Haren said. "Obviously the mood in the clubhouse right now isn't really good. I haven't really talked to the guys about how they're feeling about today with Eck being gone, but yeah, it was a...

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Johnson: "This is a bad day for me. I'm glad it's over with."

July 22, 2013, 7:43pm

Nationals

Johnson: "This is a bad day for me. I'm glad it's over with."

Davey Johnson normally walks through life with a smile on his face and a joke ready for those he encounters, regardless of the circumstances. The 70-year- old is typically upbeat and cheerful, even if his team is going through a rough patch on the field. When reporters met with Johnson this afternoon, he spoke quietly and slowly, his spirits severely dampened by the firing of Nationals hitting coach Rick Eckstein, a move made by general manager Mike Rizzo without Johnson's endorsement. When...

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Stop pitching to Andrew McCutchen (Nats reach new low with 6-5 loss)

July 22, 2013, 4:00pm

Nationals

Stop pitching to Andrew McCutchen (Nats reach new low with 6-5 loss)

Seriously. Just stop. Andrew McCutchen has come to the plate twice tonight in three innings of play. He's twice hit a two-run homer off Dan Haren. This is McCutchen's 27th career game against the Nationals. In those 27 games, McCutchen is hitting .444 with 13 homers, 26 RBIs and a 1.448 OPS. Yes, those numbers are accurate. Yes, those numbers are insanely high. McCutchen has now homered every 7.62 at-bats against the Nats in his career. Yes, that number is insanely low. You get the idea...

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Rizzo: "I felt we needed a change and so I made the change"

July 22, 2013, 2:11pm

Nationals

Rizzo: "I felt we needed a change and so I made the change"

When Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo approached manager Davey Johnson and informed him the decision had been made to fire Rick Eckstein, Johnson stood up for his hitting coach. Johnson told Rizzo that if he wanted to change up the coaching staff, perhaps firing the manager was the way to go. Rizzo declined that offer, and instead made the decision to let Eckstein go and hire Rick Schu - a guy he worked with when both men were with the Diamondbacks - as the Nats' new hitting...

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Johnson on Eckstein: "Today is arguably the toughest day I've had in baseball"

July 22, 2013, 1:45pm

Nationals

Johnson on Eckstein: "Today is arguably the toughest day I've had in baseball"

One thing is clear about the Nationals' decision to fire hitting coach Rick Eckstein today: The move was not endorsed by manager Davey Johnson. General manager Mike Rizzo approached Johnson today and told him that he was going to fire Eckstein, who has served as the Nats' hitting coach for the last five years. Johnson, who has called Eckstein the best hitting coach he's ever been around, disagreed with the call to the point that he put his own job on the line, suggesting that Rizzo could...

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Harper hitting leadoff again

July 22, 2013, 11:29am

Nationals

The Nationals lineup with Rick Schu as their hitting coach looks a lot like their lineup when Rick Eckstein was their hitting coach. Bryce Harper will remain atop the lineup today, with Denard Span returning and hitting seventh. Harper will be in left, Span in center. Dan Haren will look to continue his recent turnaround; he's allowed just two earned runs over 11 innings in his last two starts. For the Nats LF Bryce Harper 2B Anthony Rendon 3B Ryan Zimmerman 1B Adam LaRoche RF Jayson...

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Eckstein out as Nats' hitting coach, replaced by Schu (updated)

July 22, 2013, 11:00am

Nationals

Eckstein out as Nats' hitting coach, replaced by Schu (updated)

Two days after getting a vote of confidence from Nationals manager Davey Johnson, who called him the best hitting coach he's had in his 17 seasons as a major league manager, Rick Eckstein has been relieved of his duties. The news came in a press release issued a few minutes ago. Rich Schu, a former major leaguer who has served as he Nationals' minor league hitting coordinator for the past four seasons, has been promoted to fill the vacancy. Schu played for nine seasons in the majors with...

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A look into some depressing numbers

July 22, 2013, 6:02am

Nationals

Into torturing yourself? Not already feeling enough pain on a Monday morning and want some more? I've got some numbers that should do the trick. The Nationals sent their best three starters to the mound in their weekend series with the Dodgers. They got swept anyway. Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez combined to allow two runs over 13 innings with 17 strikeouts. It didn't matter. Jordan Zimmermann had a fluky outing, one that was actually the worst of his career. He's certainly allowed...

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Zimmermann and Werth discuss Nats' latest defeat

July 21, 2013, 2:19pm

Nationals

Zimmermann and Werth discuss Nats' latest defeat

Jordan Zimmermann has battled through a stiff neck and found a way to pitch at a very high level over the last couple of months. Strangely enough, with the discomfort in his neck dissipating, Zimmermann turned in the worst outing of his career this afternoon in the Nationals' 9-2 loss to the Dodgers. Zimmermann has been on anti-inflammatories over the last week or so, and he made a conscious effort over the All-Star break to rest the neck to try and get it back to full strength. While the...

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Johnson on Zimmermann's rough outing, another Nats loss

July 21, 2013, 2:02pm

Nationals

Johnson on Zimmermann's rough outing, another Nats loss

If you thought there wasn't anything positive to take out of today's 9-2 drubbing at the hands of the Dodgers, a loss that wrapped up a three-game sweep, I've got something for you. Jordan Zimmermann's health isn't a concern. Zimmermann's neck had been bothering him for the last couple of months, but it appears that he might be over the soft tissue problem at this point. Both Zimmermann and manager Davey Johnson said the right-hander felt great today health-wise, even though he had the...

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It goes from bad to worse (Nats swept by Dodgers)

July 21, 2013, 10:28am

Nationals

It goes from bad to worse (Nats swept by Dodgers)

Well, this is a nightmare of a start for Davey Johnson, Jordan Zimmermann and the Nationals. The Dodgers sent 11 men to the plate in the second inning. They notched six hits, walked twice and scored seven runs. Can the Nationals score eight times against Clayton Kershaw - the major league leader in ERA - and the Dodgers today? They'll need to plate at least that many runners to have a shot at avoiding a brutal three-game sweep. Matt Kemp started the damage with a homer to left leading off...

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LaRoche returns, Harper leading off, Hairston in left

July 21, 2013, 8:02am

Nationals

LaRoche returns, Harper leading off, Hairston in left

After missing two games with the flu, Adam LaRoche is back in the Nationals lineup today against Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw. LaRoche had been battling the flu for a few days now, an illness that left his body achy and confined him to a back room in the Nats' clubhouse during games so as not to infect his teammates. He returns in time to face the major league leader in ERA (1.98) and WHIP (0.91). LaRoche is 4-for-16 (.250) with a homer and two RBIs in his career against Kershaw,...

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Getting in on the latest Eckstein discussion

July 21, 2013, 6:07am

Nationals

Getting in on the latest Eckstein discussion

Anytime the Nationals offense has struggled over the last few years, Rick Eckstein's name has surfaced. The Nats hitting coach has been the target of plenty of criticism - perhaps some warranted, some not - during the rough stretches, and since Eckstein came on board five seasons ago, there have been a number of rough stretches. And so it probably shouldn't surprise Davey Johnson when he gets a question about Eckstein's job security after another loss in which the Nats scored just one run...