After a slow start, the Nationals have stormed back to take the lead over the Diamondbacks thanks to a monster fifth inning.
Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Morse and Jesus Flores all delivered run-scoring hits in the fifth, with Zimmerman's single plating two.
That five-run inning turned a 4-1 Nats deficit into a 6-4 Washington lead.
Seven Nationals hitters reached in the fifth, knocking Diamondbacks starter Wade Miley out after just 4 1/3 innings.
The Nats put up a run in the top...
After a 9-1 rout of the Diamondbacks last night, the Nationals will send Edwin Jackson to the mound, who is looking to even his record at 7-7. He'll face Wade Miley, who is 12-7 with a 2.85 ERA.
Bryce Harper will sit for the second time in the last three days. The rookie is hitting just .173 since the All-Star break, which has dropped his average on the year to .250.
For the Nats:
CF Jayson Werth
SS Danny Espinosa
3B Ryan Zimmerman
RF Michael Morse
1B Adam LaRoche
LF Tyler Moore
C...
Since coming back from a broken wrist on August 2, Jayson Werth has done a little bit of everything.
He's gotten on base in big spots, setting the table for his teammates. He's put together his power stroke, showing he hasn't lost the form he displayed early in the season before his injury forced him to miss 75 games. He's added even more stability to a Nationals lineup which is really rounding into form.
In nine games since his return (eight starts), Werth is hitting .400 (12-for-30)...
After a four-day stretch which featured three absolute nailbiters against the worst team in the majors, you've got to believe last night's 9-1 throttling of the Diamondbacks was highly appreciated in the Nationals dugout.
The Nats smacked 11 hits, seven for extra bases. They held the D'backs to just three hits all night, including one through the first eight innings. They went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position and outscored the opposition by eight runs, their largest margin of...
We'll be getting a heavy dose of both the Nationals and Diamondbacks bullpens tonight.
Stephen Strasburg and Trevor Cahill have both thrown well tonight, but through five innings, each starter has a pitch count in the 90s.
Strasburg has tossed 93 pitches, while Cahill has needed 92 to get through his five frames. Strasburg might very well be done before reaching the sixth, and if he is indeed finished, he leaves with at least a three-run lead.
The righty uncharacteristically walked four,...
After getting a day off yesterday, Bryce Harper is back in the Nationals lineup for tonight's series opener against Diamondbacks.
Stephen Strasburg will face off against D'backs righty Trevor Cahill, who is 9-9 with a 3.76 ERA this season.
Michael Morse will hit fifth, but instead of looking to extend his hitting streak to 19 games, he'll try and boost that hitting streak to eight.
Major League Baseball has announced that Morse's third inning single against the Phillies on August 2...
Michael Morse's first home run last night was measured at 434 feet by hittrackeronline.com.
Call me shocked the thing wasn't projected to travel at least 460 feet. That ball was crushed.
It registers as Morse's second-longest homer of the season, apparently not even coming all that close to his mammoth 465-foot blast back at Nats Park on July 20.
Outside the Mid-Atlantic region, you probably won't hear Jordan Zimmermann's name tossed around during many discussions about the top pitchers...
Hey, the game's in Texas; I figured I should toss a country reference in there.
After struggling a bit (and getting some bad breaks) in his last outing, Jordan Zimmermann is back to his dominant self tonight down in Houston.
Zimmermann has cruised through five innings, allowing just two hits and striking out nine. He has a 2-0 lead going to the sixth.
The righty has already tied his season high for strikeouts in a game, which he posted back on May 12. Zimmermann needed seven innings to...
Davey Johnson suggested last night that he would probably give Bryce Harper a day off today, and that's what he's done.
Mired in a slump, which has seen him hit just .176 since the All-Star break, Harper is not in the Nationals lineup today. The rookie outfielder also made an ill-advised throw in the ninth inning last night, allowing the Astros to put the potential game-winning run in scoring position.
It was after that play that Johnson said he decided Harper could use a breather, or a...
Major League Baseball has officially released its 2012 postseason schedule, and hopefully I can pass along a few of the key dates without being considered a jinx.
Since I plan on taking full credit if the Nationals make the playoffs this season (I come aboard and look how quickly things turn!), I'll certainly be the one to blame if things go south for the Nationals over these next couple months.
The new Wild Card "play-in" games will both be held on Friday, Oct. 5, with the winner in each...
It's never a good thing when an umpire becomes a hot topic of discussion.
Umpires are a lot like long snappers in football - you only really hear about them when they've made a mistake.
Unfortunately, Angel Hernandez's name was brought up a lot last night.
Hernandez, who isn't shy about putting his stamp on a game, called two balks from behind home plate and had what seemed like a shaky strike zone most of the night. He got quite a few nasty glares from players after what they felt were...
We've had a sacrifice bunt which scored a runner from first and left the bunter standing on third base.
We've had a leaping catch against the wall in left-center which was one of the best grabs you'll see all season.
We've had a sacrifice fly called back because the pitcher was called for a balk, scoring a run.
We've had two extra-inning games in consecutive nights played between the best team in the majors and the worst team in the majors.
Now, we have Gio Gonzalez crushing a two-run,...
Outfielder Jayson Werth returns to tonight's lineup after sitting out last night's 12-inning win with tightness in his legs.
Kurt Suzuki is also back in the lineup and will catch left-hander Gio Gonzalez as he aims for his 14th victory.
Suzuki and Gonzalez were teammates out in Oakland, and the two batterymates will reunite tonight.
For the Nats:
2B Steve Lombardozzi
CF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmermann
1B Adam LaRoche
LF Michael Morse
RF Jasyon Werth
SS Danny Espinosa
C Kurt Suzuki
P...
Tyler Clippard owes Roger Bernadina a big, juicy steak.
Or 12.
If not for Bernadina's dazzling defense, we'd be talking about how Clippard had blown four saves since the All-Star break, including two in as many nights.
Instead, Clippard gets his 23rd save of the season thanks to a scoreless 12th inning. Looks pretty nice in the box score.
I know Mike Trout's home run-robbing grab at Camden Yards earlier this season was just an insane play. There have been a few other ridiculous outfield...
After spinning a gem his last time out, Ross Detwiler has delivered another stellar outing through six innings tonight.
Outside of a two-run homer served up to Ben Francisco in the first inning, Detwiler has been nearly unhittable, facing just two above the minimum over his last five innings of work.
Overall, the Nationals lefty has surrendered just three hits and two walks over his six frames, and has needed only 74 pitches thus far.
Yet again, he's been aggressive with his fastball early...
Jayson Werth is out of the Nationals lineup for tonight's game against the Astros, this after he had complained about some tightness in his legs during last night's contest.
Manager Davey Johnson pulled Werth in the eighth inning last night after his veteran outfielder had made it known that his legs were bothering him a bit.
Since coming off the disabled list last Thursday, Werth is batting .438 (7-for-16) with an RBI and five walks in five games.
Werth was on the DL for nearly three...
For some time now, manager Davey Johnson and pitching coach Steve McCatty have been trying to get Nationals pitchers to throw more fastballs.
Work off that pitch, they say. Establish the fastball, throw it for strikes, get ahead in counts and then mix in your off-speed stuff.
It's a tried-and-true formula, one that forces hitters to put the ball in play, keeps pitch counts low and, when executed properly, gets the pitcher and his teammates off the mound quickly and back on offense.
For...
It sure wasn't pretty. No, it wasn't that.
The Nationals played an Astros team last night that now is 4-31 (yes, 4-31!) in its last 35 games.
They outhit the Astros 14-6, but scored just one more run than their hosts. Washington relievers combined to allow nine baserunners over 5 2/3 innings. The Nats gave up four more stolen bases without catching a runner trying to steal, yet they had one of their own runners picked off first base.
They blew a three-run lead, then failed get a guy in...
Through 5 1/2 innings tonight, the Nationals' 3-5 hitters have combined to go 6-for-10 with four RBIs.
This is what happens when you finally have your big guns healthy and producing.
The Nats have a 4-1 lead over the Astros so far tonight. Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Morse, Adam LaRoche and Jayson Werth have smacked around Astros starter Dallas Keuchel, and Edwin Jackson has thrown four scoreless frames after allowing a run in the first.
Jackson also has gotten in the hit column himself,...
The Nationals begin a four-game series with the worst team in the majors, the Astros, tonight from Minute Maid Park.
Obviously, nothing is guaranteed in this game, but this would seem to be a nice chance for the Nats to rattle off a few wins and put a little more distance between themselves and their National League competition.
The Astros have gone just 2-17 in their last 19 games, a stretch which included a 12-game losing streak.
They did take one of their three games against the Braves...