Dan Kolko

Harper on first home run: "Hopefully, it's one of many"

May 14, 2012, 9:01pm

With it being a Monday night and rain falling throughout the afternoon and into the evening, there wasn't a huge crowd on hand at Nationals Park Monday. But in the third inning, when Bryce Harper bounded into the dugout after his first major league home run, those in attendance stayed on their feet, kept clapping and called for the 19-year-old rookie to take a bow. It was all set up to be a great Nationals moment, similar to the one Stephen Strasburg had when he took his curtain call out of...

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Leon has high ankle sprain, Maldonado to be called up

May 14, 2012, 7:51pm

Nationals

Leon has high ankle sprain, Maldonado to be called up

A player's major league debut is supposed to be a thrilling time in his life, a day he'll never forget. Unfortunately, years from now, Sandy Leon will not look back too fondly on his first-ever game in the big leagues. Manager Davey Johnson announced after today's game that Leon suffered a high right ankle sprain when he was run into at the plate by Padres third baseman Chase Headley in the fourth inning, an injury which will land Leon on the DL just a day after he was officially activated...

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Nats win a wild one, 8-5

May 14, 2012, 6:14pm

Nationals

It was a wacky night in the nation's capital. We had four errors (one of which scored a run), another Nationals catcher leave with an injury, a phenom hit his first major league home run, a journeyman hit a big pinch-hit homer and a total of 13 runs score in a game played between two of the worst offensive teams in baseball. In the end, the Nats escaped with an 8-5 win, with Sean Burnett bailing out Henry Rodriguez to earn the save. It wasn't easy, though. Rodriguez walked the bases loaded...

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Rookie Leon helped off after injuring right leg (updated twice)

May 14, 2012, 4:32pm

Nationals

Rookie Leon helped off after injuring right leg (updated twice)

A cool moment - Bryce Harper's first major league home run - is quickly trumped by a sad one. Nationals catcher Sandy Leon, making his major league debut tonight, was run into by Padres third baseman Chase Headley as Headley was trying to score from second on a fourth-inning single to right-center. Leon's right leg got bent back, and he was clearly in pain after Headley touched home to make it a 4-3 game. It was a clean play by Headley, as Leon was blocking almost the entire plate, but the...

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Harper blasts his first career home run

May 14, 2012, 4:19pm

Nationals

The kid is in the home run column. It took Bryce Harper 15 games, but with no one on and two outs in the bottom of the third inning tonight, he smacked his first career major league homer to dead-center field, the ball rolling about a quarter of the way up the batter's eye. The home run came on a 2-1 pitch from Padres righty Tim Stauffer and gave the Nationals a 4-1 lead. Harper motored around the bases in a hurry and returned to smiles and high fives in the Nationals' dugout. The sparse...

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Wang to make at least one more rehab start

May 14, 2012, 3:05pm

Nationals

Wang to make at least one more rehab start

Even after going eight strong innings for Triple-A Syracuse in a rehab start earlier today, Chien-Ming Wang will not rejoin the Nationals just yet. Manager Davey Johnson said that Wang will make at least one more rehab outing before the Nats decide to activate him and have him join their rotation. "He should for sure get one more start down there, and then we'll go from there," Johnson said. Wang, who suffered a left hamstring injury during a spring training start on March 15, is allowed...

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A plethora of injury updates on Morse, Werth, Storen, Lidge, DeRosa

May 14, 2012, 2:29pm

Nationals

A plethora of injury updates on Morse, Werth, Storen, Lidge, DeRosa

I've got a ton of injury updates to pass along today, so I'll jump right into it. According to manager Davey Johnson, left fielder Michael Morse threw from about 50-60 feet without any problem today, and Morse said he plans to take some dry swings tomorrow, meaning he won't actually make contact with a ball. If Morse keeps progressing in his rehab from a strained left lat, the plan is for him to go on a rehab assignment and then rejoin the Nationals when they open interleague play on June...

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Johnson on Rodriguez: "As far as I'm concerned, he's been great"

May 14, 2012, 1:46pm

Nationals

Johnson on Rodriguez: "As far as I'm concerned, he's been great"

Given the two blown saves Henry Rodriguez has put up over his last four outings and the spectacular manner in which the Nationals' closer has lost those games, manager Davey Johnson has been asked whether Rodriguez will continue to get the ball in save situations. He got that question after yesterday's 9-6 loss, in which Rodriguez allowed a walk-off grand slam to Joey Votto, and stated that he'll stick with the 25-year-old righty. Today, Johnson was asked whether he thinks Rodriguez's...

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Leon to make major league debut vs. Padres

May 14, 2012, 11:52am

Nationals

Leon to make major league debut vs. Padres

Sandy Leon will make his major league debut tonight as the Nationals host the Padres in the first game of a brief two-game series. He'll catch and hit eighth. Weather permitting, the game begins at 7:05 p.m. Here's the Padres lineup: CF Cameron Maybin RF Chris Denorfia LF Jesus Guzman 1B Yonder Alonso 3B Chase Headley C Nick Hundley 2B Orlando Hudson SS Jason Bartlett P Tim Stauffer Here's the Nationals lineup: SS Ian Desmond LF Roger Bernadina 3B Ryan Zimmerman 1B Adam LaRoche RF Bryce...

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Wang goes eight-plus innings in rehab start at Syracuse

May 14, 2012, 10:23am

Nationals

Wang goes eight-plus innings in rehab start at Syracuse

It's looking like Chien-Ming Wang is just about ready to return to the big leagues. Wang threw eight-plus innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse this afternoon, allowing four runs on 11 hits with a walk, a strikeout and a hit batter. The Chiefs beat Rochester 6-4 in a game that was aired on MLB Network. Wang had his heavy sinker working today, as he got 14 groundball outs and benefited from three inning-ending double plays. A number of the 11 hits he allowed were on ground balls or...

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Oh, Henry

May 13, 2012, 10:13pm

Nationals

I'm not entirely sure how a guy can strike out the side on just 10 pitches in a save situation one night, looking absolutely locked-in and unhittable in the process, and then walk two, allow two hits and surrender a walk-off grand slam in a save situation the very next night. Henry Rodriguez entered both games with a one-run lead in the ninth inning. He was facing the same team. He was pitching in the same ballpark. He just delivered two vastly different performances, and showed again that...

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Two-out knocks put Nats on top (walk-off grand slam sinks Nats)

May 13, 2012, 2:34pm

Nationals

Two-out knocks put Nats on top (walk-off grand slam sinks Nats)

In the six games between the Nationals and Reds this season prior to today, Joey Votto had just one extra-base hit - a double back on April 15. Today, Votto has two home runs in as many at-bats. The 2010 National Leauge MVP has taken Edwin Jackson yard twice, but luckily for Jackson and the Nats, both longballs have been solo shots. Outside of Votto, the Reds haven't done all that much off Jackson, who allowed just three hits through four innings. The Nats lead the Reds 4-2 as we go to the...

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Sunday's Nats-Reds lineups (first pitch set for 4:45 p.m.)

May 13, 2012, 7:38am

Nationals

Sunday's Nats-Reds lineups (first pitch set for 4:45 p.m.)

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Davey Johnson is sticking with the same lineup he's gone with the last few games, with Roger Bernadina hitting second and Bryce Harper hitting fifth. With Wilson Ramos going on the DL with a torn ACL, Jesus Flores slides into the starting lineup and will hit eighth. The Nationals will face Reds righty Bronson Arroyo, who is 2-1 with a 2.75 ERA this season. Here are the lineups for both teams: Nationals SS Ian Desmond LF Roger Bernadina 3B Ryan...

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Ramos has torn ACL, Nats call up Leon

May 13, 2012, 7:00am

Nationals

The news is not good for Wilson Ramos. An MRI has revealed that Ramos has a torn ACL in his right knee, an injury which will likely sideline him for most, if not all, of this season. The Nationals have placed Ramos on the 15-day disabled list and called up catcher Sandy Leon from Double-A Harrisburg to back up Jesus Flores. Leon, who will wear No. 41, batted .319 with 10 doubles, one home run and 12 RBIs in 27 games this season with the Senators. He also has been strong behind the plate,...

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A win and a loss (Ramos heading to DL)

May 12, 2012, 6:21pm

Nationals

The Nationals beat the Reds 2-1 tonight, winning their third straight and securing yet another series win. Jordan Zimmermann delivered another fantastic start, striking out nine over seven one-run innings, lowering his ERA to 2.14. Danny Espinosa hit his second homer in as many ballgames, breaking a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning by crushing a ball over the wall in right and raising his average to .205, the highest it's been since April 29. Henry Rodriguez got his eighth save of the season,...

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A tight one in the middle innings (Ramos injured)

May 12, 2012, 5:12pm

Nationals

A tight one in the middle innings (Ramos injured)

Jordan Zimmermann is getting just 2.1 runs of support while he's in the game this season, the third-lowest total in the majors. That number isn't rising tonight. Zimmermann has done his job on the mound this evening, holding the Reds to just one run through five innings of work, but outside of a Wilson Ramos solo home run, the Nationals' starter hasn't gotten much offensive help from his teammates. We're tied 1-1 after five frames. Part of the reason why Zimmermann doesn't have...

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Pregame thoughts on Harper, Gonzalez, Stammen

May 12, 2012, 2:57pm

Nationals

Pregame thoughts on Harper, Gonzalez, Stammen

Those who are getting after Bryce Harper and calling his bat accident last night immature need to relax, in my opinion. Yeah, Harper's 19 and still has some growing up to do. But this was a legitimate bit of misfortune and shouldn't be overanalyzed. You see players spike their batting helmets and toss bats to the ground after striking out all the time. I bet there have been countless times this season when a Nationals player has gone into the tunnel and thrown something after a poor...

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Harper in Nats lineup

May 12, 2012, 11:25am

Nationals

A day after accidentally hitting himself in the face with a bat and opening a cut over his left eye, Bryce Harper is in the Nationals' starting lineup. Tough kid. Manager Davey Johnson had suggested that Harper might need a couple days off after the bizarre wall-meet-bat, bat-meet-face incident yesterday, but the 19-year-old will be back in right field tonight, hopefully sans blood dripping down his face. The Nationals will face Reds righty Mat Latos, who allowed two runs and five hits over...

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Weekend at Bernie's

May 11, 2012, 6:34pm

Nationals

With Jayson Werth out for a few months and general manager Mike Rizzo saying he's not going to trade to acquire an outfielder for the short term, a few guys on the Nationals roster have an opportunity on their hands right now. There's playing time to be had in left field, and it's up to someone to earn it. Roger Bernadina, step on up. Bernadina has made a claim for the left field job with his play the last two days, hitting two home runs, driving in four and stealing a base over the...

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The bats come alive in Cincinnati (Nats win 7-3, plus Harper update)

May 11, 2012, 5:05pm

Nationals

The bats come alive in Cincinnati (Nats win 7-3, plus Harper update)

The Nationals have scored in all four innings thus far tonight, have hit two home runs and lead the Reds 7-1 as we go to the top of the fifth. It's fun to hit in the Great American Ballpark, all right. Washington got on top 3-0 in the top of the first inning on Roger Bernadina's two-run home run and Adam LaRoche's RBI double. Bernadina has now homered in two straight games, and he added another RBI when his single to left plated Wilson Ramos in the second. Think Bernadina wants to grab...