When it was over, when this two-inning explosion of offensive might was complete and the crowd of 32,118 had a moment to catch its breath and consider what exactly it had just witnessed, all that was left to do was tally up the numbers and marvel at how ludicrous it all was.
In the third and fourth innings this afternoon, the Nationals sent 21 batters to the plate. They wound up with 13 runs, 13 hits, seven homers, three doubles, three singles, three walks, one stolen base. And a pigeon in the...
The Nationals placed Stephen Strasburg on the 10-day disabled list this morning, a move they continue to say is one of precaution and one they hope will only sideline the right-hander for one start.
Nothing changed in Strasburg's diagnosis over the last 48 hours, according to Dusty Baker. The organization wanted to be cautious all along and made adjustments to Erick Fedde's pitching schedule so their top prospect would be available to replace Strasburg in the big league rotation...
Five batters into Wednesday night's game, Gio Gonzalez had served up the longest home run in Nationals Park history, allowed a double and then that same player to steal third without any attempt to throw him out, and allowed a run to score on a strikeout.
Sounds like the recipe for a disastrous outing, right? Not exactly.
Despite a shaky top of the first, Gonzalez quickly rebounded and wound up going seven strong innings. He didn't earn the win, but he kept the Nationals in position to come...
They had, as Ryan Zimmerman put it, "played 15 innings of terrible baseball over the last day and a half," leaving themselves in the precarious position of losing two straight to the Brewers without so much as scoring a run.
But then Daniel Murphy lofted a seventh-inning pitch from Jimmy Nelson over the right field fence, and now at least the Nationals were on the board, trailing Milwaukee by only one run. And then - well, let's just say the bottom of the eighth tonight on South Capitol...
The Nationals are planning to promote right-hander Erick Fedde this weekend, putting their top pitching prospect on track to make his major league debut and perhaps give Stephen Strasburg more time to rest his arm.
Fedde's promotion from Triple-A Syracuse, confirmed by a source familiar with the club's decision, comes as the Nationals take a cautious approach with Strasburg's forearm. Though Strasburg has been able to throw on flat ground the last two days, the nerve impingement that caused...
Washington officially was on the clock as host of the 2018 All-Star Game the moment this year's Midsummer Classic in Miami ended two weeks ago. But what's a big event without a logo or a press conference with important people sitting at the dais?
So consider today the unofficial start of an 11 1/2-month countdown to an event many people in this town have anticipated for decades.
"It's been 49 years since we had an All-Star Game here in Washington," Major League Baseball commissioner Rob...
The Nationals will try to even their series with the Brewers tonight, and right fielder Bryce Harper will try to extend his 17-game hitting streak, which is already a career high. He's 28-for-64 (.426) with six doubles, one triple, seven homers, 17 RBIs, 12 walks and 23 runs scored during the streak.
Harper is also in the midst of a 25-game on-base streak, the second-longest of his career. During that span, he is slashing .398/.496/.724.
The Nats send left-hander Gio Gonzalez to the mound...
It has at times been easy to overlook, because the group collectively continues to produce, but the Nationals do miss their injured position players.
How could any lineup not miss Jayson Werth, Trea Turner and Michael A. Taylor, who progressively have gone on the disabled list over the last six weeks?
"Do you want all your guys healthy? I think, of course," first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said after Tuesday night's 8-0 drubbing at the hands of the Brewers. "You look at the teams at the end of...
When the Nationals suddenly found themselves in need of a No. 5 starter during the All-Star break, they turned to an old friend. Edwin Jackson, who had recently returned to the organization for which he pitched five years earlier, was performing well at Triple-A Syracuse and was a logical replacement for the injured Joe Ross.
And when Jackson proceeded to dominate the Angels over seven sparkling innings last week in Anaheim, the Nationals might have tempted to believe their back-of-the-rotation...
Dusty Baker mentioned this afternoon he wanted to see the Nationals start playing better at home, noting in particular his team's struggles when it returns from the West Coast.
Tonight's performance in an 8-0 loss to the Brewers didn't do anything to allay Baker's fears. It only underscored his point.
Some sloppy defense, some poor hitting with runners in scoring position and a ragged start from Edwin Jackson all contributed to a lopsided loss to open this six-game homestand against teams...
The forearm discomfort that caused Stephen Strasburg to depart Sunday's start after only two innings was the result of nerve impingement, which has since been alleviated according to the Nationals, allowing the club to remain optimistic the right-hander will make his next scheduled start.
Strasburg played long-toss catch in the outfield at Nationals Park this afternoon, his typical routine four days before a start, further evidence neither he nor the team believes his ailment is serious.
"He...
There's only one National League team the Nationals have yet to see in person this season. That will change tonight when they take the field to face the Brewers in the opener of a three-game series. It's been a surprising year for Milwaukee, which took advantage of the Cubs and Cardinals' struggles to lead the Central Division for most of the last 3 1/2 months. Things have begun to slide, though, and now the lead over the Cubs is down to a half-game, with the Pirates lurking three games back...
There's a ballgame tonight at Nationals Park, the first such ballgame there in 16 days. Such is life when you have a three-city road trip coming out of the All-Star break.
The Nationals team that takes the field tonight will be markedly different than the one that was last seen here July 9, when Joe Ross departed with an injury that turned out to be a torn elbow ligament and Matt Albers closed out a 10-5 victory over the Braves.
Edwin Jackson is now the No. 5 starter. Ryan Madson and Sean...
It's a beautiful morning for a cross-country flight. (At least, I assume it is. I actually typed this last night.) After an eventful week out west, the Nationals are headed home and so is your trusty beat writer. No charter flight for me, though. No, it's Seat 27A on United Flight 236, departing Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport at (gulp!) 6:25 a.m. MST and scheduled to arrive at Washington-Dulles International Airport at 1:43 p.m. EDT.
And what better way to pass the time than to...
PHOENIX - Stephen Strasburg has been through enough in eight seasons in the big leagues to have felt just about every possible ache and pain in just about every possible part of his body when he pitches. Perhaps he has dealt with more ailments than most, but if nothing else, that has helped him recognize which ailments he needs to worry about and which ones he does not.
So if you want to interpret Strasburg's explanation for his early departure today during the Nationals' 6-2 victory over the...
PHOENIX - They lost Stephen Strasburg to an apparent injury in the third inning. They lost Enny Romero to an apparent injury in the seventh inning. They had a makeshift lineup after losing two more outfielders on Saturday. They were facing an opponent with a potent lineup and an All-Star on the mound.
Recipe for disaster for the Nationals, right? No, not at all.
In spite of all those hurdles, the Nats somehow found a way to cobble together a 6-2 victory over the Diamondbacks this afternoon,...
PHOENIX - Despite their sudden influx of injuries, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said he's not likely to look outside the organization for outfield help before next week's non-waiver trade deadline, believing at least some of his regulars will be back in early to mid-August.
Jayson Werth (fractured left foot) and Michael A. Taylor (strained right oblique) are both on the disabled list, with Werth transferred to the 60-day DL this morning. Chris Heisey (strained groin) was placed on the...
PHOENIX - In a perfect world, the Nationals wouldn't have promoted Andrew Stevenson to the big leagues for the first time in this manner, with a late-night phone call and an early-morning flight from Columbus to Phoenix in advance of a 1:10 p.m. ballgame.
But rarely does a baseball season play out perfectly, so when they lost Chris Heisey to a strained groin late in Saturday night's game against the Diamondbacks - after finding out earlier in the day Ryan Raburn needed to go on bereavement...
PHOENIX - It's another scorcher outside Chase Field, but thankfully the roof is closed inside and it'll be another comfortable day inside the big hangar for a ballgame as the Nationals and Diamondbacks wrap up their weekend series.
There's plenty of intrigue to this one, with the Nats scrambling to get enough healthy outfielders on site to field a starting lineup. No official word yet on the moves, but Ryan Raburn is heading to the bereavement list following his grandfather's death and...
PHOENIX - Already dealing with a thin outfield following the long-term injuries to two starters and their primary backup, the Nationals now may find themselves in a full-fledged outfield crisis for today's series finale against the Diamondbacks.
Ryan Raburn is going on the bereavement list today following his grandfather's death. And Chris Heisey may need to go on the disabled list after tweaking his groin during a key triple in Saturday night's 4-3 victory at Chase Field.
Even if Heisey can...