Espinosa improving from the left side

Espinosa improving from the left side
Of all the positives to come out of last night's dominating win over the National League West-leading Giants - and there were many to choose from - the thing that Davey Johnson was most pleased with was the performance of his second baseman. Danny Espinosa went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI last night, with all three hits coming from the left side, a troublesome side of the plate for Espinosa this season. "I was really pleased to see Espinosa," Johnson said last night. "He's been...

Your Fourth of July lineups

Your Fourth of July lineups
The Nationals will wear their normal red hats for this afternoon's 11:05 a.m. start, with a patriotic twist: The curly W will be camouflage. Trust me when I say that the special July 4 hats look pretty sweet. Happy Fourth of July to everyone out there. Hope your BBQs are fun, the fireworks shine brightly tonight and we get some good baseball this morning, even if it's far too early for me to be at the stadium. I'll be hitting up the press box coffee machine quite a few times over the...

Johnson on roster move, Zimmermann on his consistency

Johnson on roster move, Zimmermann on his consistency
As if the later part of tonight wasn't crazy enough, with an 85-minute rain delay which only saw about 15 minutes of rain and a 12-hour turnaround until first-pitch tomorrow, the Nationals had some theatrics go on before the game, as well. This afternoon, while throwing a bullpen session, Chien-Ming Wang felt a little something in his hip. He was checked out by Nationals' doctors, who determined that Wang had a hip strain and needed to be placed on the disabled list. That meant, in order to...

Nats smack around a two-time Cy Young award winner (Nats win 9-3)

Nats smack around a two-time Cy Young award winner (Nats win 9-3)
It wasn't that long ago that Tim Lincecum was without question one of the top two or three pitchers in baseball. The Giants righty won the National League Cy Young award in 2008 and 2009 and made the All-Star Game each of the last four years. This season has been a little different for Lincecum. He entered today with a 5.60 ERA, and that number has only risen tonight. Lincecum has allowed five runs on eight hits through just three innings. Ian Desmond has two of those hits, including a...

National League Final Vote takes an interesting turn

National League Final Vote takes an interesting turn
Remember that whole "Bryce Harper vs. Chipper Jones for the last spot on the National League All-Star team" thing? Yeah, that won't be happening. Jones has been named to the All-Star team as an injury replacement for Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, removing him as a candidate for the Final Vote. It's a little uncertain what will happen now, but Harper clearly now has a better shot of earning that final NL roster spot for the Midsummer Classic. As of earlier today, he ranked third in voting...

Wang heading to DL, Rodriguez activated

Wang heading to DL, Rodriguez activated
The Nationals have placed struggling right-hander Chien-Ming Wang on the 15-day disabled list with a right hip strain and reinstated reliever Henry Rodriguez from the DL. Wang's DL stint is retroactive to July 1. This is his second time on the disabled list this season; he missed the first 42 games of the season due to a strained left hamstring which he suffered in spring training. Manager Davey Johnson said today that Wang's personal trainer thought there was an issue with the veteran...

Storen to begin rehab assignment Thursday, Rodriguez close to returning

Storen to begin rehab assignment Thursday, Rodriguez close to returning
Drew Storen is getting closer to returning by the day. The Nationals reliever, who has yet to appear in a game due to an elbow surgery, will begin a rehab assignment on Thursday, likely with Single-A Potomac, according to manager Davey Johnson. The team plans for Storen to pitch every-other day and appear in four games. That puts him on track to return to the Nationals the first game back after the All-Star break. "That's the plan," Johnson said. "I think that would be enough." Storen...

Nats lineup vs. Lincecum (with Giants lineup added)

Nats lineup vs. Lincecum (with Giants lineup added)
The Nationals will square off against the Giants and starter Tim Lincecum tonight. Lincecum is 3-8 with a 5.60 ERA this season, but has put up quality starts his last two times out. He delivered seven shutout innings his last start, which came against the Dodgers. Here's Davey Johnson's lineup for tonight: LF Steve Lombardozzi CF Bryce Harper 3B Ryan Zimmerman RF Michael Morse 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian Desmond 2B Danny Espinosa C Jesus Flores P Jordan Zimmermann For the Giants: RF...

Some shocking Zimmermann numbers

Some shocking Zimmermann numbers
Believe it or not, Jordan Zimmermann has only one win at Nationals Park since last year's All-Star break. One win. In 11 starts. This despite posting a 3.13 ERA during those 11 outings at home. Zimmermann's last home win came on Aug. 18, 2011. In his eight home starts since, he has an 0-4 record and has received 10 runs of offensive support while in the game. Despite all the talk about the Nationals' two All-Star starters (Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez), Zimmermann currently leads...

An interesting question regarding Harper's possible All-Star inclusion (updated)

An interesting question regarding Harper's possible All-Star inclusion (updated)
Being selected to the All-Star Game is an honor, regardless how a player gets there. Bryce Harper wasn't voted in as a starter or selected as a reserve by his peers or the manager of the National League All-Star team, Tony LaRussa. He will, however, have a shot to participate in the Midsummer Classic thanks to the All-Star Game Final Vote. The Nationals' 19-year-old outfielder is up against Chipper Jones, Michael Bourn, David Freese and Aaron Hill for the final spot on the NL roster. Fans...

Clippard named MLB's top relief pitcher for June

Clippard named MLB's top relief pitcher for June
The month of June treated Tyler Clippard pretty well. The Nationals' new closer went 10-for-10 in save opportunities during June, holding opponents scoreless over 11 2/3 innings. He solidified the back of the Nats' bullpen and found out that he'll more than likely remain Davey Johnson's closer even when Drew Storen returns from his rehab from elbow surgery. Now, Clippard has been named the MLB Delivery Man of the Month for June. The award is given to the most outstanding relief pitcher...

Ready to close out the first half

Ready to close out the first half
The Nationals' recent three-city road trip might not have seemed that lengthy, given one of the stops was just a 45-minute drive from D.C. The visit to Baltimore was followed by trips to steamy Colorado and Atlanta, where the Nationals literally worked up quite a sweat over the last week. They now return home having gone 5-5 on the 10-game trip, which helped give them a winning month of June. The Nats went 15-11 last month, and after going 14-8 in April and 15-13 in May, they have now put up...

Johnson gives Gonzalez a little bit too much rope (Nationals win 8-4)

Johnson gives Gonzalez a little bit too much rope (Nationals win 8-4)
All-in-all, allowing four runs in five-plus innings in the 100-degree Atlanta heat isn't the worst thing in the world. But when you consider that Gio Gonzalez led 6-1 starting the bottom of the sixth inning, it has to sting a bit that he left the game with just a two-run lead. After Davey Johnson played things very carefully with Stephen Strasburg in the hot conditions yesterday, it could certainly be argued that he went a bit too long with Gonzalez today. The Nationals lefty entered the...

Strasburg, G. Gonzalez, Desmond named to NL All-Star team (Harper in Final Vote)

Strasburg, G. Gonzalez, Desmond named to NL All-Star team (Harper in Final Vote)
Prior to this year, the Nationals had never had more than two players named to the All-Star team in a single season. This season, three Nationals have been selected to the Mid-summer Classic. And that number can possibly grow to four. Nationals pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez and shortstop Ian Desmond have all been named to the National League All-Star team. This is the first All-Star appearance for both Strasburg and Desmond and marks the second straight year that Gonzalez has...

Lombardozzi at second, Ankiel in center, Solano behind the plate

Lombardozzi at second, Ankiel in center, Solano behind the plate
Davey Johnson has made a few changes to his normal lineup for today's series finale against the Braves. Danny Espinosa will get the day off, with Steve Lombardozzi taking over at second base and hitting out of the leadoff spot. Rick Ankiel starts in center field, moving Bryce Harper over to right and Michael Morse to left. Jhonatan Solano will also get the nod behind the plate, giving Jesus Flores a breather after catching all nine innings in yesterday's brutally hot weather. The...

Pulling Strasburg the right move, even if it failed to net Nats a win

Pulling Strasburg the right move, even if it failed to net Nats a win
We've talked about how Davey Johnson's patience with his players, even when they're struggling, is part of what makes him so beloved by the guys he manages. Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa and Michael Morse can all attest to that. Yesterday, it was Johnson's lack of patience which showed why he is so highly regarded by the guys in his clubhouse. With the temperature in Atlanta sitting at 104 degrees, Johnson saw that Stephen Strasburg wasn't himself very early on in yesterday's game. He...

Strasburg leaves game due to "heat-related issues" (Nats lose 7-5)

Strasburg leaves game due to "heat-related issues" (Nats lose 7-5)
The 104-degree heat in Atlanta got the better of Stephen Strasburg today. The Nationals ace was pulled from today's game after just three innings due to what the team is calling "heat-related issues." Strasburg was really laboring this afternoon and clearly wasn't himself. He walked four hitters and needed 67 pitches to get through his three frames. The righty's final line: three innings, three runs, two hits, four walks and four strikeouts. Only 36 of his 67 pitches were for...

Lineups with Strasburg on the mound

Lineups with Strasburg on the mound
The Nationals look to improve to 6-1 on the season against the Braves, and 5-0 at Turner Field, as they send Stephen Strasburg to the mound today. Here's manager Davey Johnson's lineup for today: 2B Danny Espinosa CF Bryce Harper 3B Ryan Zimmerman RF Michael Morse 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian Desmond LF Tyler Moore C Jesus Flores P Stephen Strasburg For the Braves: CF Michael Bourn LF Martin Prado RF Jason Heyward 1B Freddie Freeman 2B Dan Uggla C Brian McCann SS Andrelton Simmons 3B...

Morse starting to come around

Morse starting to come around
This is starting to look like the Michael Morse we saw last season. It took a few weeks to find him, but that's to be expected. Given how long Morse was out with that strained lat and given how little time he had on a rehab appearance before returning to the Nationals' lineup, it was bound to take a bit for him to find his timing and his stroke. The first 21 games were frustrating for the Nationals' slugger. He was hitting just .217, slugging .313 and had more strikeouts than...

Lineups in Atlanta

Lineups in Atlanta
Left-hander Ross Detwiler, (4-3, 3.09 ERA) will take the mound tonight, looking to beat the division-rival Braves. Atlanta is second in the NL East, 3 1/2 games behind the Nats. For Atlanta, righty Randall Delgado will take the mound. He's 4-8 with a 4.52 ERA on the season. The Nationals are hoping their bats will stay hot at Turner Field. In their last series, a four-game set in Colorado, the Nats scored a total of 35 runs. For the Nats: LF Steve Lombardozzi CF Bryce Harper 3B Ryan...