Josh Land

Nats blow out Diamondbacks 11-1 for fifth straight win

May 11, 2015, 6:38pm

The Nationals wasted no time getting back on the longball train tonight. Fresh off a rest day, center fielder Denard Span ripped the second pitch from Diamondbacks starter Josh Collmenter well over the right field wall for the third leadoff homer of his career. Third baseman Yunel Escobar followed with a single. And after left fielder Jayson Werth walked, right fielder Bryce Harper just missed his 12th homer. The long out ended about three feet short of the wall in the right. No worries though...

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Max Scherzer returns to familiar territory (with lineups)

May 11, 2015, 2:39pm

Nationals

Max Scherzer returns to familiar territory (with lineups)

Right-hander Max Scherzer was originally selected 11th overall by the Diamondbacks in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. He spent two seasons in Arizona, compiling a 9-15 record with a 3.86 ERA, before being traded to Detroit. Tonight, Scherzer gets the opportunity to face his old team for the second time in his career. The Nats' ace is coming off back-to-back games with 10 strikeouts. Scherzer's 49 strikeouts in six game leaves him seven behind National League leader Clayton Kershaw of the...

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Bryce Harper named National League Player of the Week

May 11, 2015, 11:56am

Nationals

Bryce Harper named National League Player of the Week

No surprise here: Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper has been named National League Player of the Week after hitting .455 with six homers, 13 RBIs, a 1.318 slugging percentage and 29 total bases last week. Harper' three-home run game against the Marlins on Wednesday made him the fourth Nationals player to accomplish the feat in the team's D.C. history, joining Alfonso Soriano, Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman. Two days later, the 22-year-old crushed two more homers against the Braves to become...

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A healthy Wilson Ramos is a hit

May 11, 2015, 4:29am

Nationals

Wilson Ramos isn't just helping his pitchers behind the plate, he is also terrorizing opposing pitchers at the plate. Braves right-hander Cody Martin was Ramos' latest victim yesterday. With two outs, the game tied in the bottom of the eighth and Ryan Zimmerman standing on first, Ramos sliced a double into the right field corner. Zimmerman chugged all the way around to score the go-ahead run as the Nationals went on to win 5-4 and sweep the Braves. "He's got a knack for driving runs in...

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Resilient Nats fight back again in 5-4 win

May 10, 2015, 2:35pm

Nationals

Resilient Nats fight back again in 5-4 win

Veterans Ryan Zimmerman and Wilson Ramos delivered clutch RBIs in the bottom of the eighth to help the Nationals to their eighth come-from-behind win of the early season in today's 5-4 victory over the Braves. After a sluggish start in the first 20 games of the year, the Nationals have stormed back, winning 10 of 12 while showing tremendous resiliency especially in late innings. "I like the fact that we grind," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. Trailing by one entering the eighth,...

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Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "Truman"

May 10, 2015, 12:59pm

Orioles

Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "Truman"

David McCullough is my favorite historical writer and one of my favorite writers, period. I could have picked any of his works to mention here and been positive on all, but "Truman" was a delayed read for me and I just finished it. President Harry S. Truman was unique and appears even moreso today. Plain speaking and a common touch are not exactly words we use describing most current politicians. This book covers Truman's life from first breath to end. As McCullough told the New York Times...

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Andrew Stetka: It's still too early to panic

May 10, 2015, 12:46pm

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: It's still too early to panic

Every Orioles fan is feeling a little down today. The team seems to be in a rut, a funk, some kind of a ditch that is causing wheels to spin while the car stays put. It looks grim after five losses in six games, especially since it followed five wins in six games. There is always light at the end of the tunnel, though. The especially relieving part is that the Orioles are still at the very start of the tunnel, and it isn't caving in on them in the slightest. Last place doesn't look good on...

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Zimmerman, Ramos deliver in Nats' 5-4 comeback win

May 10, 2015, 10:20am

Nationals

Zimmerman, Ramos deliver in Nats' 5-4 comeback win

Bryce Harper seems unstoppable right now. Harper picked right up where he left off with a two-out laser to dead center in the first. Braves center fielder Cameron Maybin hurried back and leaped up at the warning track, but the ball caromed off his glove. Nats third baseman Yunel Escobar scored easily on the double, which produced Harper's team-leading 28th RBI. First baseman Ryan Zimmerrman then followed with his 21st RBI on a double to the gap in left-center field. The Nationals weren't...

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Mike Rizzo's "hidden ceiling" for Bryce Harper remains private

May 10, 2015, 9:29am

Nationals

Mike Rizzo's "hidden ceiling" for Bryce Harper remains private

In his second year as general manager of the Nationals, Mike Rizzo held the golden ticket to select Bryce Harper with the No. 1 pick in the First-Year Player Draft. Few players in the game's storied history arrived with the rock star hype as Harper, who was still just 17 when he officially signed with the Nationals in August 2010. Harper didn't waste much time proving his worth. He belted 22 homers and hit .270 to coast to the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2012. Harper's...

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Escobar, Ramos look to stay hot in series finale (with lineups)

May 10, 2015, 8:22am

Nationals

Escobar, Ramos look to stay hot in series finale (with lineups)

The Nationals continue to be careful with center fielder Denard Span, who is coming off two offseason abdominal surgeries. Span receives a day off this afternoon and third baseman Yunel Escobar slides into the leadoff spot, while rookie Michael A. Taylor will play center. Escobar's .308 batting average is second on the Nats behind Wilson Ramos. In the last six games, Escobar is 10-for-24 (.417) with five RBIs, two walks and four runs scored. Meanwhile, Ramos brings a 12-game hitting streak...

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Ryan Zimmerman finds relief from big three-run homer

May 10, 2015, 6:11am

Nationals

Ryan Zimmerman finds relief from big three-run homer

The way Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman's season has been going so far, the events surrounding his three-run homer yesterday were no surprise. Zimmerman has been hitting ropes this year with unlucky results. Sure, he has 22 strikeouts in 121 at-bats, but his .223 average isn't reflective of how well he has hit the ball. After battling though seven pitches in his fifth inning at-bat, Zimmerman ripped a slider from Braves right-hander Julio Tehran into the flower bed just above the left...

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Harper's heroics lead Nats in walk-off win

May 09, 2015, 5:35pm

Nationals

Harper's heroics lead Nats in walk-off win

We are witnessing the maturation of a budding superstar in Bryce Harper this week. After the Nationals blew a five-run lead, the 22-year-old with a flair for the dramatics clobbered a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to close out the Braves 8-6. "Just right when I hit it, I knew it was gone," Harper said. "No disrespect to that other guy, I just knew it was gone. Got around the bases, pointed to right field because my fans out there, love them, so had to point out there. Got...

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Nationals honor Frank Robinson with spot in Nationals Ring of Honor

May 09, 2015, 2:09pm

Nationals

Hall of Famer Frank Robinson returned to Nationals Park today as the team honored its first manager by unveiling his name in the Nationals Ring of Honor. Robinson became the Nationals first manager, guiding the team from Montreal to Washington. "I take a lot of pride in it," Robinson said. "The players were great. It was a good situation for us coming from Montreal although it was kind of bittersweet to leave those fans up there." Robinson's Nationals greatly overachieved in their first...

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Unreal stretch for Bryce Harper continues with walk-off homer, Nats win 8-6

May 09, 2015, 12:54pm

Nationals

Unreal stretch for Bryce Harper continues with walk-off homer, Nats win 8-6

The Nationals are on quite a roll with the long ball. Catcher Jose Lobaton joined the party in the second inning with a two-run shot into the second deck beyond the right field wall at Nats Park. For Lobaton, both of his homers this season have come off Braves starter Julio Teheran. Second baseman Danny Espinosa followed Lobaton's blast with a double to center field. Three batters later, third baseman Yunel Escobar hit a two-out flare to center plating Espinosa for the Nats' third run. Nats...

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Bryce Harper tries to stay in zone in matinee (with lineups)

May 09, 2015, 9:04am

Nationals

Bryce Harper tries to stay in zone in matinee (with lineups)

Braves right-hander Julio Teheran will take his shot at cooling down Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper this afternoon. Over his last two games, Harper is 6-for-8 with five homers, 10 RBIs and five runs scored. In other words, he is zoned in. According to Elias, the only other former No. 1 overall draft picks to hit five bombs in two games are Alex Rodriguez (2002) and Josh Hamilton (2012). Teheran started the crazy game in Atlanta that featured the largest comeback in Nationals' history. He...

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For Danny Espinosa, the power comes from the left

May 09, 2015, 5:50am

Nationals

For Danny Espinosa, the power comes from the left

If I asked you before the season who would be leading the Nationals in homers through the first 30 games, the overwhelming answer would've been Bryce Harper. But if I asked which Nationals player would have the second most, not one single person would've guessed Danny Espinosa. However, that's exactly where the 28-year-old Espinosa stands after belting out his third and fourth long balls, both to the opposite field, in last night's 9-2 rout of the Braves. It's the third time in Espinosa's...

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Bryce Harper's history-making homers lead Nats to 9-2 win

May 08, 2015, 7:36pm

Nationals

Bryce Harper's history-making homers lead Nats to 9-2 win

During spring training, ESPN released a poll of major leaguers, naming Bryce Harper as the the game's most overrated player. The world-wide leader might want to call a re-vote after Harper followed Wednesday's three-homer assault by smacking two more bombs tonight to lead the Nationals to a 9-2 win over the Braves. The 22-year-old Harper became the youngest player in Major League Baseball history to hit five home runs in a two-game span and the first ever do it in the 47-year history of the...

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Harper, Espinosa both hit a pair of homers, Nats win 9-2

May 08, 2015, 3:37pm

Nationals

Harper, Espinosa both hit a pair of homers, Nats win 9-2

The Nationals caught some tough luck in the first inning when starter Gio Gonzalez hit the game's second batter, Andrelton Simmons. Gonzalez's breaking ball glanced Simmons' right foot as it shot out of the box on a check swing. Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman followed with a double to set up a sacrifice fly from left fielder Jonny Gomes, which plated Simmons easily. Freeman is now is 9-for-14 (.642) against the Nats this year and owns a career. 339 batting average in 77 games versus...

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Orioles make four roster moves

May 08, 2015, 2:54pm

Orioles

The Orioles today announced that they have reinstated infielder Ryan Flaherty from the 15-day disabled list, recalled left-hander T.J. McFarland from Triple-A Norfolk, placed right-hander Kevin Gausman on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis (retroactive to May 7), and optioned infielder Rey Navarro to Triple-A Norfolk. Flaherty, 28, appeared in three rehab games with Double-A Bowie, batting .333/.385/.667 (4-12) with a double, home run, two RBI, and two runs scored. He was...

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Orioles Orioles News Release

Williams on Strasburg, Gonzalez and Roark

May 08, 2015, 2:35pm

Nationals

Williams on Strasburg, Gonzalez and Roark

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg was forced to leave Tuesday's game after just three innings due to soreness underneath the shoulder blade on his throwing side. The injury did not require an MRI, but Strasburg did undergo a chiropractic adjustment. "He reported feeling pretty good today," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "So we'll look to see when we can get him ready for his next one." Strasburg is scheduled to start Monday night in Arizona. Williams indicated that Strasburg will have...