Dan Kolko

Harper batting ninth in NL All-Star lineup

Nationals
Harper batting ninth in NL All-Star lineup
You know what's weird? Seeing Bryce Harper's name in the No. 9 spot in a batting order, that's what's weird. Harper will hit ninth for the National League All-Star team, which makes me wonder whether Harper has ever, in his life, hit ninth before. It probably ensures that Harper will only get on at-bat in the Midsummer Classic. Harper will play center field. Here's the National League starting lineup: 2B Brandon Phillips RF Carlos Beltran 1B Joey Votto 3B David Wright LF Carlos...
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Dan Kolko

A look back at the first half

Nationals
A look back at the first half
We've officially finished up the first half of the 2013 season. We'll ignore the fact that the Nationals have already played 95 games (59 percent of their season) and continue calling the pre-All-Star break portion of the schedule the first half. Is it weird that's a little bit of a pet peeve of mine? Yes? I thought so. The Nationals head into the All-Star break with a 48-47 record. They went 27-18 at home, 21-29 on the road and have a run differential of minus-14 to this point. They've...
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Dan Kolko

Dissecting the disaster in Miami

Nationals
Dissecting the disaster in Miami
There's plenty to discuss coming out of last night's 2-1, 10-inning loss to the Marlins. So let's dive right in. On Bryce Harper getting ejected in a 1-0 game in the eighth inning: Can't happen. It just can't. I know Harper was frustrated by a couple of Hunter Wendelstedt's calls during a sixth-inning at-bat in which he was called out on strikes. Two called strikes in that at-bat was actually on the black. Regardless of all that, you simply cannot get thrown out of a one-run game...
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Dan Kolko

Harper ejected in eighth inning (Nats lose 2-1 in 10 innings)

Nationals
Harper ejected in eighth inning (Nats lose 2-1 in 10 innings)
Bryce Harper has been ejected in the top of the eighth inning for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. After getting called out on strikes for the second time tonight, Harper threw up his hands and gave Wendelstedt a piece of his mind. Wendelstedt was less than pleased with the display, and tossed Harper from the game. This is the second time this season that Harper has been ejected, and the third time in his career. Harper was also tossed in Miami last...
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Dan Kolko

An impressive beginning for Haren (Haren outduels Fernandez)

Nationals
An impressive beginning for Haren (Haren outduels Fernandez)
You cannot predict baseball. Try as hard as you might, you just can't. Stephen Strasburg entered last night's game with a 2.45 ERA. He allowed seven runs over just two innings in a loss to the Marlins. Dan Haren entered tonight with a 6.00 ERA. He's thrown four scoreless innings against the Marlins, with six strikeouts. Haren has looked really sharp thus far tonight, allowing just two measly singles and a walk and pitching out of the only real jam he's been in - when Jeff Mathis reached...
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Dan Kolko

Rendon getting a day off (with Marlins lineup)

Nationals
Rendon getting a day off (with Marlins lineup)
Davey Johnson will give Anthony Rendon the day off today in Game 2 of this three-game set against the Marlins. Steve Lombardozzi will play second base for the Nationals today, giving him his first start since June 23, while Rendon gets a rest. This will be the first time Rendon isn't in the starting lineup since June 14. Dan Haren gets the start for the Nats looking to build off his first outing off the DL, when he allowed two runs over five innings in a loss to the Phillies. The...
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Dan Kolko

Moving in the wrong direction

Nationals
Moving in the wrong direction
Stephen Strasburg has had shortened outings due to injury reasons. That kind of stuff can happen to any pitcher. You don't expect to see Strasburg leaving games after two innings when he's completely healthy. That kind of stuff also can, of course, happen to any pitcher. It's just surprising to see it happen to Strasburg. Strasburg's ERA jumped from 2.45 to 2.99 yesterday thanks to a two-inning, seven-run performance. He'd dominated the Marlins in 10 previous starts in his career,...
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Dan Kolko

The worst outing of Strasburg's career (Nats lose 8-3)

Nationals
The worst outing of Strasburg's career (Nats lose 8-3)
Stephen Strasburg has now made 63 major league starts. Tonight's outing was his worst. By far. Strasburg is done after just two innings of work tonight. He allowed a career-high seven earned runs on five hits and four walks. He struck out two, and only half of his 66 pitches were for strikes. Strasburg had thrice allowed six earned runs in an outing (Aug. 10, 2010, July 31, 2012 and April 7 of this year). But in each of those outings, Strasburg went at least four innings of...
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Dan Kolko

LaRoche's turnaround continues, Strasburg roughed up (plus Owings note)

Nationals
LaRoche's turnaround continues, Strasburg roughed up (plus Owings note)
A notoriously slow starter, Adam LaRoche followed that career-long trend this season. Boy, did he ever. Through his first 25 games this season, LaRoche hit a miniscule .129/.204/.247 with three homers and eight RBIs. Yes, his slugging percentage was well below his career batting average, and he was barely reaching base 20 percent of his plate appearances. In LaRoche's 63 games since, however, the Nationals' first baseman has gotten back on track. Over his last 251 plate appearances,...
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Dan Kolko

Strasburg faces the Fish

Nationals
Strasburg faces the Fish
The Nationals open their final series before the All-Star break tonight in Miami, with Stephen Strasburg taking on Nathan Eovaldi in a battle of young, talented right-handers. Eovaldi, acquired by Miami last season in the Hanley Ramirez trade, has made just four starts with the Marlins this season since coming up from the minors. The 23-year-old has gone 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA, 13 strikeouts and nine walks in 24 2/3 innings. Strasburg has a 2.45 ERA over 106 1/3 innings this season, but is just...
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Dan Kolko

Closing out the first half; Desmond reflects on Final Vote campaign

Nationals
Closing out the first half; Desmond reflects on Final Vote campaign
The Nationals leave Philly and head to Miami for the final series before the All-Star break trailing by six games in the division. They snagged just one of the four games against the Phillies this week, leaving them with a 47-45 record. Five games above .500 is the best the Nats can hope for heading into the break, and with the Marlins playing much better ball of late (they're 20-17 since a 13-40 start), you can no longer guarantee a series win when they're in the opposing dugout. Some...
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Dan Kolko

Span on his rough night, plus quotes from Harper and Frandsen

Nationals
Span on his rough night, plus quotes from Harper and Frandsen
PHILADELPHIA - Denard Span's night got off to a rough start from the get-go. He sent a pop-up foul leading off the first inning, only to have Chase Utley's error give him another shot in the at-bat. He then shot a liner at Utley, who skied to make the catch and rob Span of a hit. In his second at-bat, Span laid down a bunt that he thought rolled foul. He stood near the batter's box for a couple seconds until he saw that the ball had stayed fair and was going to be turned into an easy 2-6-3...
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Dan Kolko

Johnson discusses Nats' 3-1 loss to Phillies

Nationals
Johnson discusses Nats' 3-1 loss to Phillies
PHILADELPHIA - It might be a little deceiving when you look at the box score and see the Phillies committed four errors behind starter Kyle Kendrick tonight. One of those errors came on a dropped foul pop-up. Two came on one play with the bases empty. Another came on a diving stop by third baseman Michael Young, who stole a single and then handed Kurt Suzuki two bases. Still, the fact of the matter is that the Phillies committed four errors and the Nationals didn't turn any of them into a...
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Dan Kolko

Zimmermann: Missing All-Star Game "a possibility" due to stiff neck

Nationals
Zimmermann: Missing All-Star Game "a possibility" due to stiff neck
PHILADELPHIA - For the last handful of weeks, Jordan Zimmermann has been pitching through some mild stiffness in his neck. After tonight's outing, in which he allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings in a loss to the Phillies, Zimmermann acknowledged that the neck issue could lead him to skip the All-Star Game, which he was selected to for the first time in his career. "I mean, it's a possibility," Zimmermann said. "I'm not real sure yet about what I'm going to do, but we'll see how the...
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Dan Kolko

Less than textbook baseball being played in Philly (Nats lose 3-1)

Nationals
Less than textbook baseball being played in Philly (Nats lose 3-1)
PHILADELPHIA - The Phillies have committed four errors through five innings of play. Somehow, they've still managed to grab a 1-0 lead. Chase Utley has committed three errors himself, two of which came on one play in the fourth that put Jayson Werth on third with two outs. Michael Young committed a two-base error in the fifth that put Kurt Suzuki in scoring position with no outs. The Nationals converted neither opportunity. As sloppily as the Phillies have played defensively, the Nats...
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Dan Kolko

Desmond loses NL Final Vote

Desmond loses NL Final Vote
PHILADELPHIA - Droves of Nationals fans went online and took to Twitter to support shortstop Ian Desmond in the National League All-Star Final Vote competition, but it wasn't enough. Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman won the NL Final Vote, receiving a record 19.7 million votes and securing the final spot on the National League All-Star roster. Desmond finished fourth, behind Freeman, Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig and Giants outfielder Hunter Pence. Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez...
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Dan Kolko

Nats, Phillies lineups for finale in City of Brotherly Love

Nationals
Nats, Phillies lineups for finale in City of Brotherly Love
PHILADELPHIA - After facing left-handers each of the last three days, the Nationals will take their hacks against Phillies right-hander Kyle Kendrick tonight in the finale of this four-game series at Citizens Bank Park. With a win, the Nats would salvage a split in this set despite dropping the first two games. Bryce Harper is 7-for-14 career off Kendrick with a homer and three doubles and Ian Desmond is 10-for-28 with two homers, a triple and two doubles off the righty. Jordan Zimmermann...
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Dan Kolko

Digesting some early afternoon stats

Nationals
Digesting some early afternoon stats
PHILADELPHIA - Anthony Rendon and Wilson Ramos are raking lately, but they're not alone. There's also Jayson Werth, whose recent hot streak is worth taking note of. Since June 15, a span of 24 games, Werth has posted a .373/.454/.614 slash line with five homers, five doubles and 17 RBIs. He has at least one hit in 19 of those 24 games, and is 8-for-21 with three homers and seven RBIs in six games against the Phillies over the last month - all at Citizens Bank Park in front of fans who...
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Dan Kolko

Rendon and Ramos packing a punch, Gonzalez hitting his stride

Nationals
Rendon and Ramos packing a punch, Gonzalez hitting his stride
PHILADELPHIA - If you haven't heard much about Henry Rodriguez lately, it's because the former Nationals reliever, who was traded to the Cubs a month ago, hasn't seen a whole lot of action with his new team. Prior to last night, Rodriguez had appeared in just four games since heading to the Cubs on June 11, and just one since June 23. Rodriguez got into a game last night, entering a blowout in the fifth inning. He faced five batters and didn't retire any of them. The five batters went...
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Dan Kolko

Johnson discusses Nats' 5-1 win over Phillies

Nationals
Johnson discusses Nats' 5-1 win over Phillies
PHILADELPHIA - It might sound a bit silly at first, but Davey Johnson thinks a key to the Nationals' 5-1 win over Cliff Lee and the Phillies tonight was his team's aggressive approach in batting practice. Aggressive approach? In batting practice? By that, Johnson doesn't mean that there are some days where his players just stand there in the cage and choose not to swing. (Or, for the Seinfeld fans out there,
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