Dan Kolko

Carroll outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse

April 24, 2012, 6:35am

Outfielder Brett Carroll, who was designated for assignment by the Nationals on April 14, has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse. Carroll, who had to clear waivers before he could be outrighted to the minors, has accepted the assignment. Nationals manager Davey Johnson was high on Carroll in spring training because of his versatility, but the journeyman outfielder saw limited playing time with Washington through the season's first nine games, going just 0-for-2 with two...

Tags:

Flipping through some insane numbers

April 23, 2012, 10:15pm

Nationals

I've never been a fan of power rankings. I think they're silly and worthless, especially this early in the season. (Come on, Dan, tell us how you really feel.) But when I saw the Nationals ranked sixth on

Tags:

jordan zimmermann nationals ross detwiler stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Chien-Ming Wang goes three innings at extended spring training

April 23, 2012, 12:54pm

Nationals

Chien-Ming Wang goes three innings at extended spring training

In his first game action since suffering a left hamstring injury March 15, Chien-Ming Wang threw three innings today at extended spring training. Facing the Tigers' extended spring training club, Wang allowed one run and five hits with no walks and three strikeouts over his three frames of work. He threw 51 pitches, 37 for strikes. This is the latest step in Wang's recovery from the hamstring injury which set him back in his quest to make the Nationals' starting rotation. The 32-year-old...

Tags:

chien-ming wang dan kolko davey johnson ross detwiler featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Some minor matters

April 23, 2012, 9:39am

Nationals

Things are going pretty well at the major league level for the Nationals, and within the organization, there's a lot of positive stuff going on at the minor league ranks, as well. Bryce Harper hit his first home run at Triple-A Syracuse yesterday, crushing a 3-1 pitch from Buffalo's Jeurys Familia out to right. It took 16 games and 61 at-bats for Harper to finally go yard with Syracuse, but the Nats' top prospect finds himself in the home run category.

Tags:

bryce harper dan kolko danny rosenbaum nationals tyler moore yunesky maya frontfeatured_nationals frontstory_nationals2

Clubhouse Cliff Notes

April 22, 2012, 10:02pm

Nationals

Another Monday, another edition of Clubhouse Cliff Notes. As you might've noticed, there were a lot more wins than losses for the Nationals this week, so most of the chatter in the clubhouse was of an upbeat nature. Here you'll find some of the more interesting, humorous or insightful things said this week. As always, I've tried to keep this entry fresh by going with quotes that I didn't use in previous entries. And away we go: Ryan Mattheus April 18 pregame Context: On his most recent...

Tags:

ian desmond nationals ryan mattheus ryan zimmerman steve mccatty featured_sidebar frontfeatured_nationals

Rainy day news and notes on Zimmerman, Strasburg

April 22, 2012, 11:43am

Nationals

Rainy day news and notes on Zimmerman, Strasburg

There are both positives and negatives that can be taken out of this afternoon's rained-out series finale between the Nationals and Marlins. First, the pluses. Ryan Zimmerman was scheduled to get today off to give his inflamed right shoulder a chance to rest. Now, he'll get that break without needing to miss an additional game. The rainout means Zimmerman will go into Tuesday's series opener in San Diego on three days of rest and having only been out of the Nats' lineup once....

Tags:

nationals ryan zimmerman stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Marlins-Nationals series finale postponed due to rain (updated)

April 22, 2012, 6:34am

Nationals

The highly anticipated matchup of Gio Gonzalez and Josh Johnson will have to wait for another day. The final game of a three-game set between the Marlins and Nationals has been postponed due to inclement weather. No makeup date has yet been announced, but it will definitely not be tomorrow, as the Nats are flying out to West Coast for their six-game road trip. This means the Nationals will conclude their homestand with an impressive 8-2 record. They just missed out on securing a four-game...

Tags:

dan kolko gio gonzalez marlins nationals frontfeatured_nationals

The wins just keep on coming

April 21, 2012, 2:58pm

Nationals

Now that we've gotten all of the negative stuff from this afternoon's game out of the way, let's talk about the positive. The Nationals keep winning. Even when they don't have their most consistent and clutch hitter (Ryan Zimmerman) in the lineup. Even when the guy who leads the team in RBIs by a mile and a half (Adam LaRoche) has a day off. Even when they suffer a punch to the gut in the ninth inning when their two-run lead is wiped out on a game-tying home run. It doesn't seem to...

Tags:

brad lidge dan kolko davey johnson ryan mattheus frontstory_nationals3

Despite another blown save, Johnson committed to Lidge

April 21, 2012, 2:10pm

Nationals

Despite another blown save, Johnson committed to Lidge

Brad Lidge has blown two of his four save opportunities so far this season. Henry Rodriguez, meanwhile, has closed out all four games in which he's gotten the ball in a save situation. Don't read too much into those early results, however. Manager Davey Johnson said after today's game - which the Nationals won in 10 innings after Lidge lost a two-run lead in the ninth - that he still plans on giving Lidge opportunities to close games. Davey Johnson meets with the media to talk about the...

Tags:

brad lidge dan kolko davey johnson nationals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Zimmerman on shoulder injury: "It's nothing"

April 21, 2012, 1:32pm

Nationals

Zimmerman on shoulder injury: "It's nothing"

Given the injury luck that the Nationals have had so far this season, some might have feared the worst when they heard Ryan Zimmerman was scratched from this afternoon's starting lineup just prior to first pitch. But according to both Zimmerman and manager Davey Johnson, the right shoulder inflammation that Zimmerman is suffering is minor, and shouldn't keep him out for an extended period of time. "It's been bothering me a bit just from diving around and jammed it a little bit,"...

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontfeatured_nationals frontstory_nationals1

Two-run lead disappears in the ninth (Nats walk off with 3-2 win)

April 21, 2012, 11:36am

Nationals

Two-run lead disappears in the ninth (Nats walk off with 3-2 win)

Brad Lidge entered the game with a two-run lead and needing three outs to lock down the Nationals' second straight shutout of the Marlins. He couldn't deliver. Lidge got up on leadoff hitter Hanley Ramirez 0-2, then tossed four straight balls to put Ramirez on first and bring the tying run to the plate. Then, two pitches into Lidge's battle with Logan Morrison, the game was tied. Morrison crushed a 91 mph fastball that was basically sitting on a tee into the second deck in right,...

Tags:

brad lidge dan kolko nationals frontfeatured_nationals frontstory_nationals3

Strasburg, Sanchez dueling in D.C. (Nats lead 2-0)

April 21, 2012, 10:30am

Nationals

Strasburg, Sanchez dueling in D.C. (Nats lead 2-0)

We've got a good old fashioned pitcher's duel here at Nationals Park, as Stephen Strasburg and Anibal Sanchez are matching zeros. Through five innings of play, Strasburg has allowed just three hits and has struck out five Marlins hitters. He's thrown 71 pitches, 43 for strikes, and has overpowered Miami's lineup with a fastball that's topped out at 98 mph and a curveball which has been nasty. Sanchez, meanwhile, has completely held Nationals hitters at bay, allowing just two hits...

Tags:

dan kolko marlins nationals stephen strasburg frontfeatured_nationals

Ryan Zimmerman a late scratch from today's game (updated with diagnosis)

April 21, 2012, 9:19am

Nationals

Ryan Zimmerman a late scratch from today's game (updated with diagnosis)

Ryan Zimmerman was written into today's lineup. He was scheduled to hit third and play third base. He was introduced with the Nats' starters to the crowd here at Nationals Park. But Zimmerman wasn't the guy standing at third when Stephen Strasburg threw his first pitch of today's game. Zimmerman has been scratched from today's game, with Mark DeRosa taking over at third base and replacing the Nationals All-Star in the three-hole in Davey Johnson's lineup. No reason has yet been...

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson mark derosa nationals ryan zimmerman frontfeatured_nationals frontstory_nationals1

Johnson talks attendance, hot start, plans to rest Zimmerman

April 21, 2012, 8:42am

Nationals

Johnson talks attendance, hot start, plans to rest Zimmerman

Davey Johnson brought his sense of humor to today's pregame press conference. Asked why he thinks Edwin Jackson's been traded so many times in his career (the total is now at six), Johnson took the comical approach with his response. "I don't know; why have I been fired so many times?" he said. A few minutes later, Johnson mentioned that he doesn't normally view left-handers as being good athletes. Why's that? Davey Johnson talks about how the Nats' recent success has attracted...

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontfeatured_nationals frontstory_nationals3

Tracy gets the start at first base

April 21, 2012, 5:55am

Nationals

As promised, Chad Tracy is in the Nationals lineup for this afternoon's game against the Marlins. And he's hitting cleanup. Raise your hand if you ever thought you'd see a Nationals lineup that had Chad Tracy in the four-hole. Tracy spells another left-handed first baseman, Adam LaRoche, who will get his first day off of the season. Here are your Nationals and Marlins lineups as Washington looks to lock up another series win: Nats SS Ian Desmond 2B Danny Espinosa 3B Ryan Zimmerman 1B...

Tags:

chad tracy dan kolko frontfeatured_nationals nationals lineups marlins

Detwiler making his case to stick in Nats' rotation

April 20, 2012, 8:01pm

Nationals

Detwiler making his case to stick in Nats' rotation

It's long been assumed that when Chien-Ming Wang returns from his hamstring injury, the fifth spot in the Nationals' rotation is his, and Ross Detwiler will move to the bullpen. Wang is a proven veteran who twice has won 19 games in a season, and the Nationals loved what they saw from the 32-year-old this spring prior to the injury he suffered during a Grapefruit League start on March 15. But with Detwiler throwing the heck out of the ball to start the season (I'm now borrowing one of...

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals ross detwiler chien-ming wang frontfeatured_nationals frontstory_nationals3

Johnson on Ankiel: "He won it for us"

April 20, 2012, 7:13pm

Nationals

Davey Johnson pretty much summed up Rick Ankiel's impact on today's 2-0 Nationals win in one simple sentence. "He was basically our offense and our defense," the Nats' skipper said. Ankiel did it all tonight, hitting his first home run of the season, scoring both of the Nationals' runs, showing fantastic aggressiveness and intelligence on the basepaths, tracking down balls in the gap and letting his arm further intimidate baserunners. "It was a great game, outstanding game," Johnson...

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson rick ankiel featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Ankiel delivers in Nats' 2-0 win over Miami

April 20, 2012, 5:39pm

Nationals

Ankiel delivers in Nats' 2-0 win over Miami

What a day for Rick Ankiel. Oh, and the Nationals' pitching staff fared pretty nicely, as well. Ankiel had a home run, single and double, and scored both of the Nats' runs tonight in a 2-0 win over the Marlins. The veteran center fielder went 3-for-3, while the rest of the Nationals' hitters combined to go 1-for-25. Ankiel's solo homer gave the Nats a 1-0 lead in the third inning, and his double in the bottom of the eighth helped provide a huge insurance run. On the double, right...

Tags:

dan kolko henry rodriguez nationals rick ankiel ross detwiler tyler clippard frontfeatured_nationals

A surprisingly quick hook for Detwiler (Nationals clinging to 1-0 lead)

April 20, 2012, 4:45pm

Nationals

Ross Detwiler's day is done after six strong innings of work. In his third start of the season, Detwiler held the Marlins scoreless over his six frames, allowing just three hits and a walk. He struck out seven, tying a career high, and needed just 79 pitches to get through the sixth. He leaves with a 1-0 lead and Craig Stammen coming out of the bullpen to take over in relief. I know Detwiler was used primarily as a reliever in spring training and the Nationals are still trying to stretch...

Tags:

craig stammen dan kolko nationals ross detwiler frontstory_nationals1

Ankiel smacks a homer, scares a runner

April 20, 2012, 4:14pm

Nationals

The Nationals' first baserunner of the night was only on the bases for a few seconds. Rick Ankiel's solo home run to deep center has given the Nats a 1-0 lead as we go to the fourth inning. Ankiel got a 2-0 sinker from Marlins starter Carlos Zambrano and crushed it over the centerfield wall for his first longball of the season. Ankiel has also made his presence felt on the defensive side, as yet again, a runner declined to tag up on a fly ball to the Nationals center fielder. Earlier this...