Dan Kolko

Rendon among Nats' cuts (updated with more cuts)

March 14, 2013, 5:46am

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals sent four more players over to minor league camp this morning, according to a team source: infielders Anthony Rendon and Matt Skole, right-hander Nathan Karns and left-hander Pat McCoy. Update: In addition to the four players listed above, infielder Will Rhymes, catcher Sandy Leon and outfielder Eury Perez have also been sent to minor league camp, manager Davey Johnson announced. Rendon, Karns and Leon were optioned to Double-A Harrisburg, Perez was optioned to...

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Ramos putting himself in the conversation for opening day starting job

March 14, 2013, 4:10am

Nationals

Ramos putting himself in the conversation for opening day starting job

VIERA, Fla. - Chris Young will get his second start of spring this afternoon as the Nationals host the Astros at Space Coast Stadium. Those in attendance this afternoon will also get to catch Rafael Soriano, Henry Rodriguez and Tyler Clippard, all three of whom are scheduled to take the mound today. Young will be throwing to Wilson Ramos, who will be behind the plate for the second straight day. This will mark Ramos' first time catching back-to-back games since tearing the ACL and meniscus...

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Harper not getting carried away by red-hot spring

March 13, 2013, 1:55pm

Nationals

Harper not getting carried away by red-hot spring

VIERA, Fla. - It would appear that Bryce Harper is as locked in as locked in can be right now. The Nationals left fielder has 16 hits in 36 spring at-bats, good for a .444 average. After pulling a three-run home run over the right-center field fence today, Harper has three homers, two doubles and a triple this spring. He's slugging a ridiculous .806 in 13 games played. Ask Harper about his approach at the plate, however, and he'll manage to find something that irks him. "I don't know. I...

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Johnson on Storen, Harper, Ramos and more after Nats' 8-5 win

March 13, 2013, 1:13pm

Nationals

Johnson on Storen, Harper, Ramos and more after Nats' 8-5 win

VIERA, Fla. - So much for that dead-arm phase that Jordan Zimmermann was going through. Two days after notching a hole-in-one during a team par-3 team golf tournament, the first ace of his life, Zimmermann found a pretty good groove on the mound against the Mets, allowing just one earned run (three runs total) over 4 2/3 innings, with six strikeouts. "Jordan threw the heck out of the ball," manager Davey Johnson said. "Threw the ball great. Threw some good change-ups. Got 80 pitches in, I...

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Harper still streaking in spring (Nats beat Mets 8-5, beat Astros 9-7)

March 13, 2013, 9:58am

Nationals

Harper still streaking in spring (Nats beat Mets 8-5, beat Astros 9-7)

VIERA, Fla. - Not that kind of streaking. Take it easy. Bryce Harper continues to hit the cover off the baseball this spring, only elevating expectations for what could be to come in his second major league season. Harper crushed a three-run homer off Mets right-hander Matt Harvey in the first inning today, smoking a ball over the advertisements above the right-center field wall. It was Harper's third home run this spring and made him 15-for-33 during the Grapefruit League season. That's a...

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Gonzalez lining up to start WBC title game, cuts looming for Nats (plus notes and lineups)

March 13, 2013, 7:30am

Nationals

Gonzalez lining up to start WBC title game, cuts looming for Nats (plus notes and lineups)

VIERA, Fla. - Should Team USA advance to the championship game of the World Baseball Classic, Nationals manager Davey Johnson says Gio Gonzalez will get the ball. Johnson said today that he's been informed that Gonzalez will be in line to pitch the title game, if Team USA does indeed get that far. Gonzalez would be pitching on six days' rest, two more than pitchers are used to, but Johnson likes the way Team USA manager Joe Torre has things lined up, saying that if Japan is the other team...

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Stephen Strasburg named Nats' opening day starter

March 13, 2013, 6:48am

Nationals

Stephen Strasburg named Nats' opening day starter

VIERA, Fla. - In no way is this a surprise, but Stephen Strasburg will be the Nationals' opening day starter for the second straight season. It's been clear for some time now that Strasburg was lining up to get the ball for April 1 against the Marlins at Nationals Park. Strasburg's spring training pitching schedule has him set to be on normal rest come April 1, and the right-hander has looked sharp in his four spring starts to this point. Manager Davey Johnson finally made the announcement...

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Werth talks tracking pitches, improved strength in wrist

March 13, 2013, 4:20am

Nationals

Werth talks tracking pitches, improved strength in wrist

VIERA, Fla. - It's been a little more than 10 months since Jayson Werth broke his left wrist sliding for a ball in right field during a game against his former team. Since that May 6 game against the Phillies, Werth has rehabbed the wrist, returned to a major league diamond and shown that he can still produce at a high level even without being 100 percent healthy. Following his return last season, Werth hit .312 with two home runs, 16 doubles, 19 RBIs and a robust .394 on-base percentage in...

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Gonzalez leads Team USA to WBC win over Puerto Rico

March 12, 2013, 7:35pm

Nationals

Gonzalez leads Team USA to WBC win over Puerto Rico

VIERA, Fla. - It certainly doesn't compare to the intensity level of his two starts in the National League Division Series last October, in which he allowed five runs and 11 walks in 10 innings. But in his first true competitive outing in nearly five months, and in a pretty big spot on an international stage, Gio Gonzalez delivered a stellar performance. Gonzalez pitched five scoreless innings against Puerto Rico tonight in the second round of the World Baseball Classic, allowing just three...

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Not many negatives to be found during Nats' first month in Viera

March 12, 2013, 5:11am

Nationals

Not many negatives to be found during Nats' first month in Viera

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals have their second off-day this spring today, which allows the players a chance to play in their annual golf tournament. I'll try and pass along who won at some point tomorrow, but we do know it won't be Davey Johnson. The Nationals manager - a scratch golfer who plays as often as he can during spring - joked that the players didn't invite him this year. I wouldn't if I were them, either. I wouldn't want the skipper taking any of my money. Now the guys just...

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Suzuki on Strasburg, Strasburg on the stretch

March 11, 2013, 1:24pm

Nationals

Suzuki on Strasburg, Strasburg on the stretch

VIERA, Fla. - There isn't a stadium radar gun at Space Coast Stadium, but Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki said he was pretty sure Stephen Strasburg was throwing in the 95-97 mph range today in the right-hander's fourth start of spring. "Easy," Suzuki said, indicating Strasburg was bringing heat without using much effort. "So easy." Strasburg dominated through his first five innings of work today before struggling in the sixth. He retired just one of the five hitters he faced in the sixth,...

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Johnson on Strasburg, Duke and Rodriguez after 7-2 loss

March 11, 2013, 12:51pm

Nationals

Johnson on Strasburg, Duke and Rodriguez after 7-2 loss

VIERA, Fla. - Outside of a Carlos Rivero RBI groundout and a Tyler Moore solo home run in the ninth inning, the Nationals were shut down today by a group of Braves hurlers led by Paul Maholm. Maholm held the Nats scoreless over five strong innings, striking out five, and the Nats fell to Atlanta 7-2. Had Stephen Strasburg been pulled after five innings, he would have finished with a dynamite stats line with a big zero in the run column. Because his pitch count was so low to that point,...

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Strasburg totally locked in vs. Braves (Nats lose 7-2)

March 11, 2013, 10:19am

Nationals

Strasburg totally locked in vs. Braves (Nats lose 7-2)

VIERA, Fla. - When I looked at Stephen Strasburg's stat line before today's game, I was surprised how inflated it was. Through his first three outings this spring, Strasburg had a 5.19 ERA, having allowed five runs in 8 2/3 innings, with 11 hits, three walks and 13 strikeouts. That's why spring stat lines mean almost nothing. Strasburg had been much better than his numbers had indicated this spring, and today, the in-game results started to match how good his stuff has been. Strasburg has...

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A few pregame notes plus Wednesday's split-squad update

March 11, 2013, 8:59am

Nationals

A few pregame notes plus Wednesday's split-squad update

VIERA, Fla. - In case you missed it over the weekend, former Nationals manager Manny Acta has joined ESPN as a bilingual analyst. Acta had the reins in D.C. from 2007-09 and spent the last three seasons as the manager of the Indians, compiling a record of 214-266. He has said that he hopes to get back into a big league dugout in the near future. The Nationals have an off-day tomorrow and then split-squad games on Wednesday. Jordan Zimmermann will get the start against the Mets here in...

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Karns to get X-ray on leg, Garcia getting closer to throwing (plus lineups)

March 11, 2013, 7:20am

Nationals

Karns to get X-ray on leg, Garcia getting closer to throwing (plus lineups)

VIERA, Fla. - When Davey Johnson sat down for his pregame session with reporters late this morning, the Netherlands was tied with Cuba in the bottom of the ninth inning of its elimination game in the World Baseball Classic. By the time Johnson's session had ended, the Netherlands had won on a walk-off sacrifice fly. Johnson, who managed the Netherlands in the 2004 Summer Olympics, was told of the win as he headed out to get ready for batting practice to start. "All right!" Johnson yelled,...

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Gonzalez gets his shot, Haren gets in-depth about his stuff

March 11, 2013, 4:33am

Nationals

Gonzalez gets his shot, Haren gets in-depth about his stuff

VIERA, Fla. - Gio Gonzalez will actually get a chance to put on a Team USA jersey. For a while there, Team USA looked like it might get bounced from the World Baseball Classic early, failing to make it out of pool play and leaving Gonzalez without an opportunity to pitch in the tournament. Instead, the Americans made a late comeback against Team Canada yesterday, securing a spot in the second round and giving Gonzalez a chance to take the hill for his country. The Nationals left-hander will...

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Haren adding to his repertoire against right-handed hitters

March 10, 2013, 12:52pm

Nationals

Haren adding to his repertoire against right-handed hitters

LAKELAND, Fla. - Even pitchers entering their 11th major league season come into spring training looking to add to their repertoire. Dan Haren is by far the most accomplished pitcher in the Nationals' rotation, with 119 career wins and three All-Star Games on his resume. He holds the fifth-best strikeout-to-walk ratio in major league history. But that doesn't mean that he isn't trying to add a new wrinkle or give hitters a different look. That's why he's made working the inside part of...

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Johnson pleased with Haren, Storen and Skole in 2-1 loss

March 10, 2013, 12:21pm

Nationals

Johnson pleased with Haren, Storen and Skole in 2-1 loss

LAKELAND, Fla. - It was a fairly uneventful afternoon from an offensive perspective here at Joker Marchant Stadium. The Nationals and Tigers combined for three runs on 11 hits in a 2-1 Detroit win, and all four of the hits in the Nats' column were singles. From a pitching perspective, however, Davey Johnson saw a bunch of positives. Dan Haren went four strong innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two strikeouts. The veteran right-hander threw 61 pitches (43 for strikes), and if not...

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Haren looks good in third start of spring (Nats lose 2-1)

March 10, 2013, 10:26am

Nationals

Haren looks good in third start of spring (Nats lose 2-1)

LAKELAND, Fla. - If not for a couple defensive miscues in the second inning, Dan Haren might have had a pretty darn impressive outing. Instead, it was just pretty impressive. We'll leave out the "darn." Haren allowed two runs on five hits with two strikeouts over four innings, and he gives way to Drew Storen to start the fifth. Making his third start of spring, Haren threw 61 pitches, 43 for strikes. Haren pitched a clean, 1-2-3 first inning, but he got a couple bad breaks in the second....

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Pregame notes and lineups from Lakeland

March 10, 2013, 8:42am

Nationals

LAKELAND, Fla. - Nationals manager Davey Johnson saw yesterday's brawl between Canada and Mexico in the World Baseball Classic and like most of us, was a bit shocked that things got to that point. "We've come close when I was managing the U.S. against Mexico, but we never got that far," Johnson said. "That was a little over the top." If you haven't seen the video of the brawl yet,