Lineups as Nats prepare to face Gallardo, Brewers

Lineups as Nats prepare to face Gallardo, Brewers
The Nationals open a four-game series in Milwaukee tonight by sending Edwin Jackson to the mound for the 19th time this season. Jackson will look to get his record back to the .500 mark. At 5-6, he's the only Nationals starter currently with a losing mark. The Brewers will give the ball to right-hander Yovani Gallardo tonight. The 26-year-old is 8-7 with a 3.73 ERA this season. In six career appearances against the Nats, Gallardo is 3-1 with a 3.90 ERA. Here are the lineups for tonight's...

A must-see video and more positive signs from Storen

A must-see video and more positive signs from Storen
Interested in watching Tyler Clippard, Sean Burnett, Craig Stammen and Ryan Mattheus read segments from "Fifty Shades of Grey"? Of course you are. During the Nationals' stop in New York this week, the four relievers went by the MLB Fan Cave, and took part in a few video shoots. One of them had the guys reading clips from the sultry book which has swept the nation. Stammen told me that the group needed a bunch of takes to get the video segments down, largely because Burnett couldn't stop...

The Henry Rodriguez dilemma

The Henry Rodriguez dilemma
So much has gone right recently. Since the Nationals' disastrous 11-10 extra-inning loss to the Braves (one that some seemed to feel would instantly end the Nats' season), Davey Johnson's bunch has won five of its last six games. In that six-game span, there aren't many flaws to pick at. But one negative jumps off the stat sheet at you. Over Henry Rodriguez's last two appearances, he's faced five batters. The result: a hit, four walks and two runs scored. Yesterday, he came into a...

Final thoughts after a convincing three-game sweep

Final thoughts after a convincing three-game sweep
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Before I pack up and leave the Citi Field press box, here are a few final thoughts: At the moment, the Nationals are tied with the Yankees for the best record in baseball. They're 19 games above .500, tying the franchise's high-water mark, set during the 2005 season. They've won five in a row, knocked the Mets 11 1/2 games back in the division and improved their road record to 30-20. If you've noticed this team gaining some swagger in recent weeks, there's a reason...

A masterful performance delivered by the Nats' ace

A masterful performance delivered by the Nats' ace
FLUSHING, N.Y. - After Stephen Strasburg's last start, in which he allowed four runs and needed 103 pitches to get through 5 1/3 innings, Davey Johnson frustratingly commented that his ace right-hander "really doesn't know who he is at times." The reactions to Strasburg's outing today were a little different. "That is the Strasburg I've known for a long time," Johnson said. "That's him. That's what he does." "I caught him before, it was really good," catcher Sandy Leon said....

Another rocky outing for Henry Rodriguez (Nats win 5-2, sweep Mets)

Another rocky outing for Henry Rodriguez (Nats win 5-2, sweep Mets)
FLUSHING, N.Y. - What was a comfortable 5-1 ballgame in the eighth inning quickly turned intense. Henry Rodriguez found himself right in the middle of all the action. The righty walked two batters leading off the eighth, and was immediately pulled by Davey Johnson. Rodriguez threw 11 pitches, eight of which were balls. The struggling flame-thrower failed to record an out for the second straight outing. The two walks forced Johnson to go into scramble mode, as he went to a total of four...

So far, another gem from a Nationals starter (updated)

So far, another gem from a Nationals starter (updated)
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Over their last five games entering today, Nationals starters pounded the zone with fastballs, allowing them to keep their pitch counts low and work deep into games. Stephen Strasburg's following suit today. The Nationals righty needed just 48 pitches through four innings of work and now sits at 68 pitches through five, largely because he's challenged Mets hitters today. He worked mainly off his fastball, mixing in his changeup to keep hitters off-balance. Strasburg has...

Pregame notes on Espinosa, Werth

Pregame notes on Espinosa, Werth
FLUSHING, N.Y. - There's been some major movement going on in the National League East lately. First, it looked like the Braves were set to acquire Ryan Dempster from the Cubs, only to have that deal apparently fall through when Dempster seemed unwilling to go to Atlanta. Now, the Braves claim they've moved on from Dempster and are looking at other options. Then the Marlins traded Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to the Tigers. Miami followed that deal up by shipping Hanley Ramirez and Randy...

Today's Nats-Mets lineups

Today's Nats-Mets lineups
FLUSHING, N.Y. - It'll be the 10-win Stephen Strasburg against the one-win Jeremy Hefner at Citi Field today as the Nationals and Mets wrap up a three-game set. Twice this season, the Nats have taken the first two games of a series against the Mets only to drop the finale, failing to record the sweep. Today they'll rely on Strasburg as they try to notch their fifth straight victory. In his only career start at Citi Field coming into today, Strasburg fired six scoreless innings, allowing...

Why another early hook?

Why another early hook?
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Even though Gio Gonzalez finished the seventh inning last night having thrown just 87 pitches, Edwin Jackson remains the only Nationals starter this season to record an out in the eighth. Take a second to let that sink in. As good as the Nationals' rotation has been this season, there have only been three games where that day's starter has notched an out in the eighth inning. And all three times, it's been Jackson. Gonzalez certainly could have worked into the eighth...

Nats pull out all the stops against Dickey

Nats pull out all the stops against Dickey
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Adam LaRoche used Roger Bernadina's bat in his first three trips to the plate tonight. The switch-hitting Danny Espinosa hit right-handed against a right-handed pitcher. Jesus Flores and Michael Morse attacked the ball early instead of waiting for it to get deep into the zone. The Nationals tried everything against Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. And after five innings of mostly ineffectiveness, all the tinkering started to pay off in the sixth. Washington's hitters...

Big sixth inning gives Gonzalez a cushion (Nats beat Mets 5-2)

Big sixth inning gives Gonzalez a cushion (Nats beat Mets 5-2)
FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Nationals had done very little against R.A. Dickey through five innings tonight, notching just three hits and going down on strikes seven times. The sixth was a different story. The Nats exploded with five straight two-out hits, scoring four runs and turning a 1-1 tie into a 5-1 lead. The outpouring of offense started with Adam LaRoche's two run homer off Dickey, a monster shot which was launched about halfway up the second deck in right field. It was LaRoche's 17th...

Storen to eventually settle in as backup closer

Storen to eventually settle in as backup closer
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Once Drew Storen has a few more appearances under his belt and the Nationals feel that he's strong and can handle a bit of a heavier workload, manager Davey Johnson will slide Storen in as his backup closer behind Tyler Clippard. Johnson said today that Storen will keep working in the middle-to-late innings for now, as he works back from surgery which removed bone chips in his elbow. When Storen, who saved 43 games for the Nationals last season, is ready to handle more...

Gonzalez looking to get back on track (with lineups)

Gonzalez looking to get back on track (with lineups)
FLUSHING, N.Y. - This is kind of remarkable given where his season numbers lie at this point, but over his last nine starts, Gio Gonzalez has pitched to a 4.93 ERA. Over that time, he's given up 27 runs and 49 hits over 49 1/3 innings. The last time he threw, Gonzalez delivered his worst start as a member of the Nationals, going just 3 1/3 innings and allowing six earned runs. That start, ironically enough, came against the same Mets team he'll face tonight. He'll again oppose R.A....

Morse heating up, lifting off

Morse heating up, lifting off
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Over the Nationals' last four games, Michael Morse has nearly torn the cover off two baseballs. The first such incident came at Nationals Park on Friday, when Morse took a Tommy Hanson pitch and deposited it over the red seats in left-center and off a railing just short of the Red Porch, a spot 465 feet from home plate. That ball was the longest home run in the history of Nats Park, according to HitTracker. The second massive longball came last night, when Morse crushed a...

Zimmermann excelling, but being handled carefully

Zimmermann excelling, but being handled carefully
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Once the Nationals blew open last night's game in the 10th inning and took a four-run lead, Davey Johnson decided he didn't need to waste another bullpen arm for the bottom of the frame. Instead, he just left Tom Gorzelanny in the game, asking him to notch the final three outs. Before Gorzelanny could work the bottom of the 10th, however, he had to hit in the top half. Getting a rare plate appearance, Gorzelanny, who already had two singles this year, looked at five pitches...

Battling against Young, coming up large late

Battling against Young, coming up large late
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Chris Young's fastball tops out at about 85 mph. He doesn't have a dazzling curveball or possess any dynamite secondary pitch. Still, he manages to keep the Nationals at bay. Including tonight's seven-inning performance in which he allowed just two runs, Young has pitched to a 3.00 ERA over 18 innings against the Nats this season. "Chris pitched against us the last few times and he's been tough," Ryan Zimmerman said. "He's done a great job keeping that ball right...

Johnson discusses Nats' hard-fought, extra-inning win

Johnson discusses Nats' hard-fought, extra-inning win
FLUSHING, N.Y. - For much of tonight's game, the Nationals couldn't touch whoever was standing on the mound for the Mets, Chris Young or otherwise. After the first inning, which featured a two-run homer from Bryce Harper, the Nats went seven straight innings without a hit and went eight innings without getting on the scoresheet. Then, they finally broke through in a big way in the 10th, pounding out six runs and grooving to an 8-2 win. "It was nice that the bats woke up," said a muted...

We go to extras in New York (Nats put a thumping on Mets in 10th)

We go to extras in New York (Nats put a thumping on Mets in 10th)
FLUSHING, N.Y. - As the rain continues to fall, the Nationals and Mets continue to play. We're heading to extra innings, tied 2-2. A combination of Michael Gonzalez, Ryan Mattheus and Tom Gorzelanny held the Mets scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings, and we go to the 10th at Citi Field. Gorzelanny allowed a two-out double to Daniel Murphy in the ninth, but was able to retire Jason Bay on a grounder to third to end the inning. Ryan Zimmerman made a sparkling play on Bay's ground ball,...

Harper back in the homer column (bullpen maneuvers backfire)

Harper back in the homer column (bullpen maneuvers backfire)
FLUSHING, N.Y. - In his first trip to the Big Apple as a big leaguer, Bryce Harper didn't take long to make a statement. Harper smacked a two-run home run off Chris Young in the top of the first inning, giving the Nationals what's now a 2-1 lead. Welcome to New York, rook. It was Harper's first home run since all the way back on June 28. He had gone 81 at-bats without a homer prior to launching an 85-mph fastball from Young into orbit. Can we really call an 85-mph four-seamer a fastball?...