This one has gotten ugly (Nats lose 8-0)

This one has gotten ugly (Nats lose 8-0)
One of the teams playing at Nationals Park tonight has the best record in the major leagues. The other has essentially given up on the 2012 season. Hard to tell which is which, isn't it? The Nationals trail the Phillies 6-0 entering the fifth inning, and frankly, the Nats are lucky their deficit is only a half-dozen. They've been completely pushed around by their division rivals so far tonight. Stephen Strasburg tied a career-high by allowing six earned runs. He and catcher Jesus Flores...

Lannan to rejoin Nats Friday, team sticking with eight-man 'pen

Lannan to rejoin Nats Friday, team sticking with eight-man 'pen
Chad Tracy has rejoined the Nationals after a lengthy injury absence. Jayson Werth isn't too far behind him. Manager Davey Johnson said today that Werth will likely get a few more games on a rehab assignment before getting activated, but that he's still hopeful that Werth will be ready to return to the Nationals' lineup before the end of this current homestand, which runs through the weekend. "He feels like he could play, but he's not quite 100 percent," Johnson said. "He's only,...

Rizzo: "We didn't see the need to make a big splash"

Rizzo: "We didn't see the need to make a big splash"
Why didn't the Nationals make a trade of some kind prior to today's 4 p.m. no-waiver deadline? The reasoning is simple. They didn't feel they needed to. General manager Mike Rizzo held discussions with a number of teams over the last couple weeks, and there were a couple times that negotiations ramped up a bit. But at no point did Rizzo feel a deal was "imminent." He didn't see any major holes on his roster, and thus didn't force a trade of some kind. "It's not about complacency,...

Nats stand pat at trade deadline (Zimmerman, LaRoche out of lineup)

Nats stand pat at trade deadline (Zimmerman, LaRoche out of lineup)
Well, 4 p.m. has come and gone, and there's no word of any trade involving the Nationals that has been completed. The Nats appear to be standing pat at the non-waiver trade deadline, willing to stick with their current roster - for the time being, at least. Again, a trade can still be completed after today's deadline, as long as the players pass through waivers. That would allow the Nats to still look to upgrade their catcher depth over the next month. Update: Manager Davey Johnson wanted...

Tracy activated, Brown optioned to Triple-A

Tracy activated, Brown optioned to Triple-A
If you were looking for the Nationals to make a move before the trade deadline, you're in luck. OK, it's not a trade, but it is a roster move. The Nats announce that they have activated infielder Chad Tracy from the disabled list and optioned outfielder Corey Brown to Triple-A Syracuse. Tracy landed on the DL all the way back on May 28 with a right adductor strain. He's missed the last 55 games, and still somehow is tied for the second-most pinch-hit RBIs in the majors. In many ways,...

Phillies purge, National League contenders improve

Phillies purge, National League contenders improve
The Phillies are throwing in the towel, dishing veterans off and, for the first time in years, looking to build toward the future. In the process, the Nationals' National League competitors are bolstering their rosters for a playoff push. Both the Giants and Dodgers have swung deals to acquire a Phillies outfielder, with San Francisco reportedly trading for Hunter Pence and Los Angeles bringing in Shane Victorino. I'm not sure who the Phillies plan on putting in the outfield over the next...

The clock keeps on ticking

The clock keeps on ticking
Good morning, Nationals fans. Your team currently stands alone with the best record in the majors. With the Reds losing last night, the Nationals are atop Major League Baseball with a 61-40 record entering today's action. And that's a large part of the reason why the team is unlikely to look much different (if at all) after this afternoon's 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline. Why mess with a good thing unless you can truly improve the on-field product without giving up too large a piece of...

The deadline approaches

The deadline approaches
The rumors continue to swirl throughout the day as the clock ticks down on tomorrow's trade deadline, which now sits a little less than 25 hours away. The new bit of news around the majors is that the Phillies are seriously entertaining trade offers for starter Cliff Lee, who has struggled this season and has just a single win and a 3.95 ERA. Lee hasn't been at his best this season and still has three additional years and $87.5 million left on his contract. Still, if you had told me before...

The road warriors do it again

The road warriors do it again
Now that's the way you perform on a road trip. Over the last seven days, the Nationals played seven games away from home. They won six of the seven, including yesterday's dramatic comeback victory over the Brewers. The Braves played well over the weekend, sweeping the Phillies in a three-game set by a combined score of 14-4. But despite Atlanta's strong play of late, they still trail the Nats by four games in the National League East. The Phillies, on the other hand, now find themselves...

Nats notch a thrilling win

Nats notch a thrilling win
The Nationals have signed reliever Mike MacDougal to a minor league contract, according to the transactions page on the team's Web site. MacDougal, 35, has been assigned to Triple-A Syracuse. He started the season with the Dodgers, recording a 7.94 ERA in seven major league appearances. This is the righty's second go-round with the Nats; he appeared in 52 games with Washington in 2009, posting a 3.60 ERA and notching 20 saves in 21 chances. MacDougal will give the Nationals some relief...

Harper back in Nats lineup (Nats release Nady)

Harper back in Nats lineup (Nats release Nady)
A day after being scratched from the Nationals lineup due to a stomach virus, Bryce Harper is back in there as the Nats try and take three of four from the Brewers. Harper has been battling the virus for the last few days and yesterday marked the first game that he has not appeared in since his promotion to the big leagues. Harper and the Nats will face 26-year-old righty Mark Rogers, who will be making his first major league start since 2010. Rogers got called up from Triple-A to start...

Zimmermann just keeps on rollin'

Zimmermann just keeps on rollin'
Jordan Zimmermann will enter the month of August with a 2.28 ERA, fourth-best in the majors. He'll go into his next start having allowed either zero or one run in seven straight outings. He wraps up July having worked at least six innings in all 21 of his starts this season, a streak topped by only Justin Verlander. He's only lost one game in the last two months. Yeah, the guy's on a decent little run right now. Last night, Zimmermann put on a clinic in his first big league start in his...

Brown notches first career hit in style (Nats win 4-1)

Brown notches first career hit in style (Nats win 4-1)
Since making his major debut on Sept. 6 of last year, Corey Brown has had to wait quite a while for his first big league hit. I have a feeling the wait was worth it. Brown got in both the hit column and the home run column with one fourth-inning swing tonight, taking a Randy Wolf curveball out over the center field wall. The 26-year-old, who is only in the starting lineup tonight because Bryce Harper was a late scratch with a stomach virus, made his way around the bases and was greeted at...

Harper scratched with stomach virus

Harper scratched with stomach virus
Bryce Harper has been scratched from tonight's game due to a stomach virus, forcing manager Davey Johnson to shuffle his starting lineup just a bit. Corey Brown will now play center field as the Nationals take on the Brewers in Milwaukee. Brown will also take over Harper's No. 2 spot in the batting order. According to the Nationals, Harper will be available to pinch hit tonight, indicating that the virus isn't anything serious. It has been enough to knock the rookie out of the starting...

Zimmermann goes home (Espinosa back hitting leadoff)

Zimmermann goes home (Espinosa back hitting leadoff)
Jordan Zimmermann will take the ball tonight for his 21st start of the season. He'll also take the ball in his home state of Wisconsin for the first time in his major league career. The Auburndale, Wisc., native and former star at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point will face the Brewers tonight as he looks for his eighth win of the season. Zimmermann has been on fire lately, allowing a total of four earned runs over his last six starts. Earlier this week, a reporter asked...

One area which must be improved

One area which must be improved
Sometimes, you just run into a hot pitcher. You face a guy that can't be touched. Last night was one of those times. Mike Fiers has come out of nowhere. He was selected in the 22nd round of the 2009 draft out of little-known Nova Southeastern University and didn't make his first appearance in the big leagues until he was 26. Apparently the guy is a late bloomer. Fiers dominated the red-hot Nationals last night, allowing just four hits and striking out nine over 6 1/3 scoreless...

Things escalate quickly on Detwiler, Nats (Nats lose 6-0)

Things escalate quickly on Detwiler, Nats (Nats lose 6-0)
Ross Detwiler was cruising along through 3 2/3 innings tonight. He'd allowed just two hits, had struck out three and was making quick work of a tough Brewers lineup. Then Detwiler got hit fairly hard, and it happened in a hurry. The lefty allowed three straight extra-base hits with two outs in the fourth, the middle of which was a two-run homer by Corey Hart. In the fifth, Detwiler again retired two quick outs before the Brewers brought another run across. Norichika Aoki ripped a double,...

Nationals release Rick Ankiel (with lineups)

Nationals release Rick Ankiel (with lineups)
The Nationals have announced the unconditional release of outfielder Rick Ankiel. The 33-year-old was designated for assignment last week. He cleared waivers, but was unclaimed, and now becomes a free agent. The center fielder was batting .228/.282/.411 on the season for the Nats, with five home runs and 15 RBIs. Meanwhile, the Nats are set to face the Brewers after taking the first game of the four-game set last night 8-2. Sandy Leon will be behind the plate, as Ross Detwiler looks to lead...

The view from the top

The view from the top
Nationals fans have a lot to smile about this morning. For the first time since baseball returned to D.C., the Nationals are 20 games over .500. Actually, this is the first time a D.C.-based baseball team has been 20 games above .500 since all the way back in 1945. The Nationals currently are tied with the Yankees for the best record in baseball. They have a five-game lead over the Braves in the National League East. Even if the Nats only win half their remaining games, they'll finish...

Jackson getting it done in all three phases (Nats win 8-2)

Jackson getting it done in all three phases (Nats win 8-2)
The Nationals have scored a touchdown and split the uprights with the extra point. They're up 7-0 over the Brewers in the sixth inning thanks to a dominant offensive performance and some nice work on the mound from Edwin Jackson. But the mound isn't the only place Jackson has been effective tonight. After Adam LaRoche hit his third home run in as many days to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead in the second inning, the bottom of the order kept the inning alive. That included Jackson, who...