Dan Kolko

McDonald dominant; McCutchen, Barajas continue to kill Nats

Nationals
McDonald dominant; McCutchen, Barajas continue to kill Nats
Andrew McCutchen entered today hitting .439 in 23 career games against the Nationals. Rod Barajas came into tonight's game batting just .188 on the season, but was the one who smacked the walk-off two-run home run off Henry Rodriguez last week. Both guys continued terrorizing the Nats tonight. McCutchen smacked a solo homer off Jordan Zimmermann in the first inning to put the Pirates up 1-0. The blast gave him a ridiculous nine homers and 20 RBIs in 23 games against Washington. Those are...
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Dan Kolko

DeRosa making progress in oblique rehab

Nationals
DeRosa making progress in oblique rehab
You already know that Michael Morse is progressing in his rehab and is closing in on a return to action. We can file Mark DeRosa into that same category. DeRosa, who went on the disabled list April 29 with a left oblique injury, took dry swings, played catch and did some running today, all at about 50-60 percent. He still isn't ready to come off the DL despite being eligible to do so on Monday, but feels like he's taking positive steps. "I'm starting to do baseball activities, which is...
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Dan Kolko

Morse could return earlier than expected

Nationals
Morse could return earlier than expected
The Nationals had been targeting June 8 for Michael Morse's return to the lineup. That will be the start of road interleague games for the team, which would allow Morse to slide in as the Nats' designated hitter and give his strained lat - which had been bothering him when he threw - more time to recover before he needed to return to the outfield. But manager Davey Johnson indicated today that Morse could be ready to return earlier than originally expected, possibly as soon as June 1, when...
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Dan Kolko

Lineups for Thursday's Pirates-Nats matchup

Nationals
Lineups for Thursday's Pirates-Nats matchup
Jordan Zimmermann is on the mound tonight for the Nationals, who are looking to sweep the brief two-game series from Pittsburgh. Zimmermann is seeking his second victory in a row after dropping his previous two starts. For the Nationals: Ian Desmond SS Roger Bernadina LF Ryan Zimmerman 3B Adam LaRoche 1B Bryce Harper RF Danny Espinosa 2B Rick Ankiel CF Jesus Flores C Jordan Zimmermann RHP For the Pirates: Jose Tabata LF Neil Walker 2B Andrew McCutchen CF Pedro Alvarez 3B Garrett Jones...
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Dan Kolko

Nady trying to slowly lift himself from early-season funk

Nationals
Nady trying to slowly lift himself from early-season funk
You look at Xavier Nady's season numbers, and they're still less than ideal. Far less than ideal. Nady is batting just .147, has a .489 OPS and has driven in only four runs in 68 at-bats. But if you look at the last few games, you'll see that perhaps the Nationals' veteran outfielder is slowly starting to trend upward. Nady now has home runs in each of his last two games and has driven in a run in three of his last five contests. His average - down to .119 on May 6 - has jumped nearly 30...
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Dan Kolko

Standings, saves and strikeouts

Nationals
Standings, saves and strikeouts
If you're the type who enjoys monitoring the division standings in May, you'll be thrilled to know that the Nationals wake up this morning atop the National League East. Washington's win over the Pirates last night coupled with the Braves' loss to Miami puts the Nats a half-game ahead of Atlanta in the division. Who's got the champagne? If you're the type who enjoys keeping track of all the latest with the Nationals' closing situation, you'll be interested to know that manager Davey...
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Dan Kolko

For LaRoche, a milestone moment and another huge hit

Nationals
For LaRoche, a milestone moment and another huge hit
Remember back a few months ago, when a large portion of the Nationals fan base was pushing for the team to sign Prince Fielder, a move which would have essentially kicked Adam LaRoche to the curb? Yeah, Davey Johnson does, too. And he's plenty happy the Nats stuck with LaRoche. "He's making that move look real good. That lack of move," Johnson chuckled after tonight's game. Considering the year LaRoche had last season, with the .172 batting average, the boos he received at Nationals...
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Dan Kolko

LaRoche and Nady smack back-to-back jacks (Nats win 7-4)

Nationals
LaRoche and Nady smack back-to-back jacks (Nats win 7-4)
The Nationals now have three solo home runs so far tonight, and if Bryce Harper's blast in the first inning had traveled just a few more feet, that total would be four. After Ian Desmond went yard in the third, Adam LaRoche and Xavier Nady blasted back-to-back homers in the sixth, opening up a 4-1 Nats lead on Erik Bedard and the Pirates. Bedard had set down 11 hitters in a row following Desmond's homer, seven of which came via the strikeout. But LaRoche crushed a 1-2 fastball into the...
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Dan Kolko

Harper accomplishes another first

Nationals
Harper accomplishes another first
He might have missed out on notching his third home run in as many games by only a few feet, but Bryce Harper accomplished another first in the first inning tonight when he ripped a triple high off the wall in right-center. Harper seems to scratch something else off his major league to-do list pretty much every single night. Tonight it was the triple, which also registered as his ninth extra-base hit in 17 games. The rookie then came around to score one batter later on Ryan Zimmerman's RBI...
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Dan Kolko

Ramos done for the season, Morse feels "like a monkey riding a bike"

Nationals
Ramos done for the season, Morse feels "like a monkey riding a bike"
These days, the Nationals' clubhouse isn't the most pleasant of places. That has nothing to do with the team's win-loss record, recent performance or the overall clubhouse atmosphere, which has been pretty cheery this season. It's just that everywhere you turn, there are injured guys slowly trudging around. Today, Wilson Ramos awkwardly maneuvered through a hallway on crutches, just days after tearing his ACL. Fellow catcher Sandy Leon limped up to his locker with his right ankle still...
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Dan Kolko

Wang ready to return, open to coming out of the 'pen

Nationals
Wang ready to return, open to coming out of the 'pen
Chien-Ming Wang was back with the Nationals today, throwing a bullpen session under the watchful eye of pitching coach Steve McCatty and talking with some teammates in the Nats' clubhouse. The veteran right-hander showed on Monday that he is nearing a return to the major leagues, working into the ninth inning in a rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse. Wang will now make at least one more start with Syracuse before getting called up to the big league club. The widespread speculation is that...
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Dan Kolko

Harper in center, Nady in right

Nationals
Harper in center, Nady in right
As the Nationals welcome the Pirates to town tonight, Bryce Harper is in center field for the third time of his young career while also batting second. Outfielder Xavier Nady also starts for the first time since May 11 and Tyler Moore is in the starting lineup for the first time since May 9, batting seventh and patrolling left field. For the Nationals: SS Ian Desmond CF Bryce Harper 3B Ryan Zimmerman 1B Adam LaRoche RF Xavier Nady 2B Danny Espinosa LF Tyler Moore C Jesus Flores LHP Gio...
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Dan Kolko

Some of this, some of that

Nationals
Some of this, some of that
Is anyone else blown away by the fact that yesterday was just the second time in 25 career starts that Stephen Strasburg allowed more than three earned runs in a game? I still had trouble believing that was accurate, even after I had looked over all of Strasburg's outings and then double-checked the numbers later on yesterday afternoon. That's remarkable consistency out of the 23-year-old. While Strasburg has been grooving through much of this season, Ryan Zimmerman has not yet been able...
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Dan Kolko

An uncomfortable outing for Strasburg, in multiple ways

Nationals
An uncomfortable outing for Strasburg, in multiple ways
As unusual as Stephen Strasburg's start was today, with an eight-minute rain delay disrupting the first inning and the Nationals righty allowing the second-most runs of any start in his career, a bit of information revealed postgame might have been even more bizarre. According to manager Davey Johnson, Strasburg had some "hot stuff" get "misplaced" during his start, which contributed to his struggles on the mound. "It was on his shoulder and evidently ... I don't know how it got to...
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Dan Kolko

Not much to rave about in 6-1 loss

Nationals
Not much to rave about in 6-1 loss
Bryce Harper hit his second home run in as many days. Yeah, that's about all the positive stuff to report coming out of the Nationals' 6-1 loss to the Padres this afternoon. The Nationals couldn't get much of anything done against Padres starter Anthony Bass, who went eight strong innings in his best outing of the season, allowing just one run on five hits with seven strikeouts. Outside of Harper's home run, the Nats only had three runners in scoring position all afternoon (that counts...
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Dan Kolko

An abbreviated day for Strasburg (Harper homers again)

Nationals
An abbreviated day for Strasburg (Harper homers again)
This didn't look like the Stephen Strasburg we've seen much of this season. Strasburg, who entered today with a 1.64 ERA on the year, was clearly battling himself this afternoon against the Padres, stepping off the mound and taking deep breath after deep breath. He didn't have his good stuff, allowing seven hits and four runs before seeing the bullpen door open to begin the fifth inning. It's just the third time in his 25 career starts that Strasburg had failed to pitch into the fifth,...
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Dan Kolko

Strasburg in an early hole after brief rain delay (updated)

Nationals
Strasburg in an early hole after brief rain delay (updated)
For about three minutes, Stephen Strasburg was forced to pitch in a downpour with the bases loaded and two outs in the first inning. Finally, home plate umpire and crew chief Brian Gorman called for a rain delay and brought the grounds crew onto the field. Nearly as soon as he did so, the rain all but stopped. The tarp never got rolled out, and the players were quickly called back onto the field. We were all set to resume play, only the three base umpires were still in the tunnel. Tony...
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Dan Kolko

Catching up on things

Nationals
Catching up on things
Despite the initial forecast for today, it's turned into a beautiful day at Nationals Park. The sun is beaming down right now, and the grounds crew is tending to the infield and taking squeegees to the outfield turf to spread out the water that accumulated overnight and into the morning. We might get some light rain later in the afternoon, but it appears the heavy stuff will miss us. And weatherman Dan is done for the day. Davey Johnson was asked what his plans are for catcher Jhonatan...
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Dan Kolko

Maldonado activated, Ramos placed on 60-day DL (plus Nats lineup)

Nationals
Maldonado activated, Ramos placed on 60-day DL (plus Nats lineup)
The Nationals have officially placed catcher Sandy Leon on the 15-day DL with a high right ankle sprain and selected catcher Carlos Maldonado from Triple-A Syracuse. Maldonado made it here in time for today's game, although he might be a little bit worn out after making the late-night trip from Columbus, Ohio. To make room for Maldonado on the 40-man roster, the Nats have moved catcher Wilson Ramos from the 15-day to the 60-day DL. Lot of catcher maneuverings today. Here is the Nats'...
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Dan Kolko

Some bullpen bullet points

Nationals
Some bullpen bullet points
If you were wondering whether last night's performance by Henry Rodriguez - in which the righty walked the bases loaded while leading by three runs in the ninth - changed Davey Johnson's view on how Rodriguez will be used, the answer is a simple one. Nope. Within a five-minute press conference after last night's game, Johnson referred to either himself or the Nationals as a team having "confidence" in Rodriguez four separate times. "I went up to him after the game, I said, 'Henry,...
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