Dan Kolko

Rizzo on the loss, Strasburg and his message for Storen (plus a thank you)

Nationals
Rizzo on the loss, Strasburg and his message for Storen (plus a thank you)
I just got home from Nationals Park a few minutes ago, and wanted to post some quotes from Nats general manager Mike Rizzo before hitting the pillow for the next 3 1/2 weeks. Before I share Rizzo's postgame comments, though, I wanted to say thank you to all of you who read my work here on MASNsports.com, commented, interacted with me on Twitter or in any way helped make this season so fun for me. I joined the Nationals beat a couple weeks into spring training this year and had to play a bit...
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Dan Kolko

LaRoche, Jackson both say they'd like to return

Nationals
LaRoche, Jackson both say they'd like to return
Adam LaRoche has a $10 million mutual option for next season, which he's sure to decline in search of a more lucrative deal. Edwin Jackson is set to become a free agent yet again. The Nationals' 2012 season just ended, and ended in stunning fashion. But general manager Mike Rizzo and his staff have been preparing for the offseason for about three or four weeks, and soon enough, they'll need to decide how to proceed with both LaRoche and Jackson. LaRoche says he hopes to be back with the...
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Dan Kolko

Storen tries to deal with a blown save he'll never forget

Nationals
Storen tries to deal with a blown save he'll never forget
Drew Storen stood in front of his locker wearing his grey undershirt with red sleeves. He looked at the floor, paced around the Nationals clubhouse a bit, then came back to his locker. Veteran infielder Mark DeRosa walked over and gave Storen a hug and a few words of encouragement. Starter Gio Gonzalez followed, as did general manager Mike Rizzo. Storen stared at the ground a bit more, playing at the carpet with his toes. Plastic sheets were pulled up above the lockers towards the ceiling. A...
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Dan Kolko

Storen blows lead in ninth (Nats lose an absolute stunner, are eliminated)

Nationals
Storen blows lead in ninth (Nats lose an absolute stunner, are eliminated)
Drew Storen was handed a 7-5 lead in the ninth inning, but the Nationals' 25-year-old closer allowed four runs to give the Cardinals a 9-7 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth. Storen allowed a double to Carlos Beltran leading off the ninth, then retired the next two Cardinals hitters and got two strikes on Yadier Molina to bring the Nationals to within a strike of the National League Championship Series. He then walked Molina and David Freese, loading the bases for Daniel Descalso....
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Dan Kolko

Gonzalez nearly implodes in the fifth (Suzuki adds a huge insurance run)

Nationals
Gonzalez nearly implodes in the fifth (Suzuki adds a huge insurance run)
It looked like Gio Gonzalez was on cruise control. He'd faced just one over the minimum through the first three innings, had struck out four and was having no trouble pounding the zone with both his fastball and dazzling curve. Then the Game 1 Gio Gonzalez returned. We remember that Gio Gonzalez - the one who couldn't find the strike zone, handed out walks to anyone who was willing to take one and forced the Nationals' bullpen into action in the early innings. Staked to a 6-0 lead after...
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Dan Kolko

Nats deliver a haymaker right off the bat (another follows in the third)

Nationals
Nats deliver a haymaker right off the bat (another follows in the third)
The Nationals needed just seven pitches to send the Nats Park crowd into a frenzy and to deliver a massive body blow to the Cardinals. Adam Wainwright, who struck out 10 and gave up just a single run in his Game 1 outing against the Nats, gave up a double to Jayson Werth to open the bottom of the first, a shot ripped down the left field line to get things started. Bryce Harper, who had gone just 1-for-18 over the first four games of the series, then crushed a triple off the center field wall,...
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Dan Kolko

No changes in Nats lineup for Game 5

Nationals
No changes in Nats lineup for Game 5
The Nationals have announced their lineup for the decisive Game 5 of the National League Division Series, and it's the same one that's faced the Cardinals throughout the series. Well, save for the starting pitcher - Gio Gonzalez, in this case. For the Nationals against the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright: RF - Jayson Werth CF - Bryce Harper 3B - Ryan Zimmerman 1B - Adam LaRoche LF - Michael Morse SS - Ian Desmond 2B - Danny Espinosa C - Kurt Suzuki P - Gio Gonzalez It's already pretty chilly...
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Dan Kolko

Jackson available in 'pen, Zimmermann would start Game 1 of NLCS

Nationals
Jackson available in 'pen, Zimmermann would start Game 1 of NLCS
If the Nationals win tonight and get their way to the National League Championship Series, Jordan Zimmermann will get the ball for Game 1. Nats manager Davey Johnson said today that Zimmermann would be his guy to open the NLCS on Sunday, this after working a perfect inning of relief yesterday and striking out all three hitters he faced. Like Zimmermann yesterday, Edwin Jackson will be available in relief tonight because it's his throw day. Unlike Zimmermann yesterday, however, Jackson will...
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Dan Kolko

Looking at Game 5 by the numbers

Nationals
Looking at Game 5 by the numbers
A few Nationals players said after Wednesday's Game 3 loss that if they could just force a Game 5, they felt like they had the advantage. Gio Gonzalez, a 21-game winner this season who posted a 1.35 ERA in his final six regular season starts, would take the mound for the Nats in that Game 5 with a chance to pitch them to the National League Championship Series. Well, here it is. The Nats did what they needed to do last night to force a game today to decide the National League Division...
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Dan Kolko

Leftovers from one of the most thrilling games of the year

Nationals
Leftovers from one of the most thrilling games of the year
Before yesterday's must-win Game 4, reliever Michael Gonzalez, one of the Nationals' veteran leaders, walked past Jayson Werth and asked him how he was feeling. "I said, 'I feel like I want to play tomorrow,' " Werth said. "And we get that chance." They sure do. The Nationals will play a Game 5 tonight in prime time, a decisive game that will send either them or the Cardinals home for the winter. The Nats wouldn't be in this spot today if not for one of their best-played games of...
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Dan Kolko

The start the Nats needed and the speech that got them started

Nationals
The start the Nats needed and the speech that got them started
When Ross Detwiler reached for his phone after tonight's game, he had 83 text messages waiting for him. Good thing he won't be needed to pitch for at least another few days. His fingers might be numb for a while if he plans on getting back to everyone. Detwiler took the mound tonight needing to pitch the game of his life. He did just that. He's had more impressive stat lines this season. But Detwiler's effort, given the circumstances, should put this outing up there on the list of best...
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Dan Kolko

The walk-off homer through the eyes of the guy who hit it

Nationals
The walk-off homer through the eyes of the guy who hit it
What does Jayson Werth remember about his game-winning, walk-off home run off Lance Lynn in the bottom of the ninth inning, a homer which gave the Nationals new life in the best-of-five National League Division Series and let them play one more day? Not a whole lot. "It's almost like I blacked out," Werth said after the game. "A Will Ferrell moment." The pieces Werth does remember are brief flashes. The 2-2 curveball from the hard-throwing Cardinals reliever that bent just out of the...
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Dan Kolko

Johnson discusses a thrilling Game 4 walk-off win

Nationals
Johnson discusses a thrilling Game 4 walk-off win
I don't know where to begin. I'll get to quotes from the walk-off hero, the starting pitcher who threw the game of his life with the pressure of an entire organization on his shoulders and all the other guys who contributed in between. First, here's Davey Johnson. The Nationals skipper said both after last night's blowout loss and before today's must-win Game 4 that he had no reason to doubt that his team would come through in a big spot. They entered today's game confident despite the...
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Dan Kolko

An interesting decision brings Zimmermann on (Werth wins it with a walk-off)

Nationals
An interesting decision brings Zimmermann on (Werth wins it with a walk-off)
With the game tied 1-1 after six innings and Ross Detwiler done for the day after a stellar outing in the biggest game of his life, Nationals manager Davey Johnson has made an interesting decision. Instead of going to his bullpen and calling on Ryan Mattheus, Craig Stammen or one of his other right-handed relievers to work the seventh, Johnson is going to Jordan Zimmmermann, his Game 2 starter. Today is Zimmermann's throw day, and Johnson said he wouldn't hesitate to use him if Detwiler got...
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Dan Kolko

A reason to cheer and a tie ballgame (a heck of an effort from Detwiler)

Nationals
A reason to cheer and a tie ballgame (a heck of an effort from Detwiler)
Finally, this crowd had something to cheer about. More than 45,000 fans waited for a reason to explode all game yesterday. The Cardinals took a lead in the top of the first, piled on in the second and then never looked back. The largest crowd in Nationals Park history never got a chance to let loose. They sure did in the second inning today, when Adam LaRoche ripped a solo homer to center to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead. LaRoche fouled off three straight 3-2 pitches and then roped a 92 mph...
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Dan Kolko

Johnson on Nats' must-win mindset, Espinosa's approach

Nationals
Johnson on Nats' must-win mindset, Espinosa's approach
This is it. As Jayson Werth said yesterday, the Nationals have one game to play and one game to win. The Nats' backs are against the wall today, but they're ready to go out and fight. Mark DeRosa said he planned to give his teammates a bit of a pep talk today, telling them to enjoy the moment and play with a sense of urgency. Manager Davey Johnson won't do the same, but he spoke to some guys individually and spent time during batting practice going around and having one-on-one chats, as he...
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Dan Kolko

Lineup remains the same, Zimmermann available in relief

Nationals
Lineup remains the same, Zimmermann available in relief
The Nationals' lineup will remain the same for today's must-win Game 4 of the best-of-five National League Division Series. Davey Johnson will not make tweaks to his batting order today, despite Danny Espinosa's struggles and the offense's recent issues driving in runs. "Going right with what we had yesterday," Johnson said. "Going to have a little better outcome." Jordan Zimmermann will be available in relief today if Ross Detwiler falters or is unable to work deep into the game....
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Dan Kolko

Strasburg or no Strasburg, Nats not playing well enough to win

Nationals
Strasburg or no Strasburg, Nats not playing well enough to win
I hated myself for being so tired last night that I passed out before the end of the Tigers-A's game. When did I get so old that regardless of how tired I was (and man, was I tired), I couldn't fight through it and watch late-night postseason baseball? C'mon, Kolko, get it together. This is what I get, I guess. I miss a thrilling ninth-inning comeback in which the A's scored three runs to earn a walk-off win and force Game 5. That game actually ended up affecting the Nationals-Cardinals...
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Dan Kolko

Readying for a must-win

Nationals
Readying for a must-win
It's clear at this point what has to be done. "Kind of got our backs up against the wall now," Adam LaRoche said calmly after today's game. "It's a must-win tomorrow." The Nationals played great baseball for much of the regular season. They finished with the best record in the majors, earned the top seed in the National League and set themselves up for a long postseason run. Now, all of a sudden, that run is one game from being over. "It's the consistent storyline of the whole...
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Dan Kolko

Hearing from the hitters after another rough day at the plate

Nationals
Hearing from the hitters after another rough day at the plate
It was a very quiet Nationals clubhouse following today's 8-0 loss to the Cardinals. It might take a few hours to get past this one, given the way the Nats were dominated in their home park in the much-anticipated first playoff game in D.C. in 79 years. Not only did the Nationals' pitchers fail to do much to contain a dangerous St. Louis offense, the Nats did nothing with the bats to help pick up the slack and overcome some rocky innings put up by Edwin Jackson, Craig Stammen, Christian...
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