Pete Kerzel

With opt-out looming, Young's strong effort will force decisions

March 20, 2013, 1:10pm

JUPITER, Fla. - Chris Young's outing Wednesday against the Miami Marlins - five scoreless innings of two-hit ball with nine straight batters retired at one point - may have created quite the win-win dilemma for the veteran right-hander. Young's most effective of three starts this spring lowered his Grapefruit League ERA to 3.00 and set the stage for some serious decision-making. Because he has a March 24 opt-out clause in the minor league deal he inked in February, there's no guarantee...

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Werth, Harper making trek to Jupiter worthwhile (Nats win 7-5)

March 20, 2013, 9:51am

Nationals

Werth, Harper making trek to Jupiter worthwhile (Nats win 7-5)

JUPITER, Fla. - Given his druthers, Jayson Werth would probably prefer to have remained back at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, done his work early and called it a day. Instead, he's here at Roger Dean Stadium, plugging along with the rest of what's expected to be the Nationals' regular season lineup. For a guy who didn't relish the 90-minute or so bus trek down Interstate 95 - which manager Davey Johnson is well aware of, but really doesn't care about - Werth is making the most of the...

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Case closed: Johnson doesn't think 'pen needs second lefty

March 20, 2013, 8:11am

Nationals

Case closed: Johnson doesn't think 'pen needs second lefty

JUPITER, Fla. - With less than two weeks left in camp, Davey Johnson is still fielding questions about whether he needs a second left-hander in his bullpen. And the Nationals manager continues to insist that he's confident that his hard-throwing right-handers can be effective against even the most dangerous left-handed sticks. One word summed up Johnson's feelings: "Stuff." The Nationals continue to look at left-hander Fernando Abad, a non-roster invitee, as a potential complement to...

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Nationals-Marlins lineups (plus Bernadina, Soriano notes)

March 20, 2013, 7:48am

Nationals

JUPITER, Fla. - The Nationals get another look at right-hander Chris Young today against the Miami Marlins, and it could be their last. Signed to a minor league deal Feb. 22 as part of general manager Mike Rizzo's offseason attempt to bolster the Nats' starting pitching depth, Young has an opt-out clause in his contract. He can leave the club March 24 if he doesn't think he'll have a shot at a roster spot - or if he thinks he can find a major league job elsewhere. The Nationals have him...

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For first base coach Tarasco, focus on preparation leads to new opportunity

March 19, 2013, 6:24am

Nationals

For first base coach Tarasco, focus on preparation leads to new opportunity

VIERA, Fla. - Perhaps no role on a coaching staff is more misunderstood than that of the first base coach. New Nationals first base coach Tony Tarasco knows this. He realizes fans see him point a runner toward second base on a sure-fire double down the line, or grab the batting gloves from a player who has just drawn a walk, and think he has the cushiest job on the diamond. Tarasco, in his first season on Davey Johnson's staff after seven seasons in Washington's minor leagues as an...

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Johnson cracking the whip and Werth is ready (updated)

March 18, 2013, 1:48pm

Nationals

Johnson cracking the whip and Werth is ready (updated)

VIERA, Fla. - The whip is coming, and Jayson Werth is ready. For several days, Nationals manager Davey Johnson has been pulling his regulars aside and telling them that the somewhat leisurely pace that goes along with a seven-week spring training elongated by the World Baseball Classic is about to change drastically. No more veterans begging off from long bus trips, citing the years they've spent and the presence of rookies. "I'm taking everybody," said Johnson, who pinpointed...

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Johnson on Soriano's outing, Storen's rebound (plus Gonzalez note)

March 18, 2013, 1:22pm

Nationals

Johnson on Soriano's outing, Storen's rebound (plus Gonzalez note)

VIERA, Fla. - It'll take a lot more than one subpar outing for Nationals manager Davey Johnson to lose faith in new closer Rafael Soriano. Soriano had a hiccup Monday afternoon, coughing up a 1-0 lead in an outing that Johnson said was nowhere near as bad as it looked. "I thought that was the best he's thrown all spring," Johnson said after Soriano yielded four runs on five hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning, absorbing the loss in a 5-1 defeat. "I thought he made some quality...

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Changing things up, Zimmermann adds to his repertoire

March 18, 2013, 1:02pm

Nationals

Changing things up, Zimmermann adds to his repertoire

VIERA, Fla. - Jordan Zimmermann isn't usually prone to wordy dissections of his pitching lines, so when the Nationals right-hander spends more than four minutes responding to questions about his performance, you know he's probably done something of note. In this case, it was the kind of spring start that rarely happens: After surrendering a leadoff single to Andy Dirks on Monday, Zimmermann was as locked in as a pitcher can get, retiring the next 18 hitters in order and spraying ground balls...

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Zimmermann's got that sinking feeling (Nats lose 5-1)

March 18, 2013, 9:53am

Nationals

Zimmermann's got that sinking feeling (Nats lose 5-1)

VIERA, Fla. - When Jordan Zimmermann is on, you can often tell by the number of ground balls he gets. Swings and misses are nice - everybody gets so enamored of strikeouts - but a biting sinker usually translates into many chances for Nationals infielders. Suffice it to say Zimmermann's got some sink to his stuff today. Through three innings against the Tigers, Zimmermann is keeping his infielders hopping. He has gotten seven outs on ground balls and the only batter to get a ball into the...

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Tigers-Nats lineups (plus Garcia, Gonzalez notes)

March 18, 2013, 7:32am

Nationals

Tigers-Nats lineups (plus Garcia, Gonzalez notes)

VIERA, Fla. - Another day, another appearance by a Nationals lineup filled with regulars for today's 1:05 p.m. game against the Detroit Tigers at Space Coast Stadium. The Tigers didn't skimp on star power either, bringing their marquee names for the 90-minute drive from Lakeland. For the Tigers: LF - Andy Dirks RF - Torii Hunter 3B - Miguel Cabrera 1B - Prince Fielder DH - Victor Martinez C - Alex Avila CF - Don Kelly 2B - Omar Infante SS - Ramon Santiago RHP - Max Scherzer For the...

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Nats cut eight, Snyder released, spring roster pared to 33 (updated)

March 18, 2013, 7:03am

Nationals

Nats cut eight, Snyder released, spring roster pared to 33 (updated)

VIERA, Fla. - Faced with too many pitchers and dwindling innings, and preparing to start playing his regulars deeper into games, Davey Johnson announced another round of eight cuts at Nationals camp before Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Detroit Tigers. Right-handers Ryan Perry and Erik Davis, first baseman Chris Marrero, catcher Jhonatan Solano and outfielder Corey Brown were optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, and right-hander Ross Ohlendorf and infielder Zach Walters were reassigned...

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Jhonatan Solano's most excellent outfield adventure

March 17, 2013, 1:50pm

Nationals

Jhonatan Solano's most excellent outfield adventure

LAKELAND, Fla. - The catcher who played the final two innings in left field Sunday afternoon didn't look as out of place as you might expect. He ran fairly well, showed off a decent arm and made sure he didn't drop any of the three fly balls that were hit to him in his unexpected stint. Not that Jhonatan Solano had any experience playing left field before manager Davey Johnson looked down the bench, wondering who would be willing to take over for Micah Owings, who was dealing with a minor...

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For Moore, a different feel this spring

March 17, 2013, 1:29pm

Nationals

LAKELAND, Fla. - Gone are the days when Tyler Moore just hoped to make an impression on the Nationals. The soft-spoken first baseman/outfielder has accomplished that goal, though he's going to have to adjust to a much different role in the coming two weeks. With the Washington outfield set in stone and Adam LaRoche's big bat and slick glove manning first base, Moore is without a position. No amount of production in spring training will change the inevitability of his situation: In short...

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Detwiler on Detwiler, Johnson on Perry

March 17, 2013, 1:12pm

Nationals

LAKELAND, Fla. - Because the Nationals' 12-10 slugfest took 3 hours, 27 minutes to complete, and because effective pitching is at a premium in a game where so many runs are scored, it's easy to forget that left-hander Ross Detwiler started - and prospered. His 57-pitch effort - his first appearance since returning from Team USA and the World Baseball Classic, and following a seven-day layoff since his WBC relief stint - was still a positive step in preparing for the Nationals rotation. It...

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Once through the order, Detwiler holding his own (Nats win 12-10)

March 17, 2013, 9:59am

Nationals

Once through the order, Detwiler holding his own (Nats win 12-10)

LAKELAND, Fla. - One time through the Tigers' lineup and it's been a mixed bag for Nationals lefty Ross Detwiler, who's holding his own in his third spring start. Two batters into the order, Detwiler was down 1-0 after yielding a mammoth home run to Torii Hunter, who cleared the berm in left field on a 1-1 fastball, sending patrons at the Hooters tiki bar scattering. Other than that, Detwiler's effort has been pretty positive. There have been a couple of hard-hit balls - before Hunter's...

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Johnson on Detwiler, Espinosa, Rivero, Kobernus and more

March 17, 2013, 8:00am

Nationals

Johnson on Detwiler, Espinosa, Rivero, Kobernus and more

LAKELAND, Fla. - Talk about your basic frying pan-fire conundrum. Nationals left-hander Ross Detwiler might not be facing the best international hitters in the World Baseball Classic now that Team USA has been eliminated. Instead, he gets one of the toughest lineups in the majors today, when the Detroit Tigers trot out what could be their opening day order. "They've got some of the best hitters in baseball on this ballclub," said manager Davey Johnson, a smile crossing his face. "I...

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Today's Nationals-Tigers lineups

March 17, 2013, 6:38am

Nationals

LAKELAND, Fla. - There's a different look to the Nationals' lineup for today's 1:05 p.m. St. Patrick's Day game against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. Second baseman Danny Espinosa is leading off, Tyler Moore is playing right field and batting cleanup and the Nats have four first baseman in the lineup - Moore, DH Chad Tracy, first baseman Chris Marrero and left fielder Micah Owings. Bryce Harper also made the 90-minute trip from Viera and will play center field. For the...

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Johnson's prescription for struggling Storen: more work

March 16, 2013, 6:11pm

Nationals

Johnson's prescription for struggling Storen: more work

VIERA, Fla. - Judging solely by the numbers, last night was another forgettable outing for right-hander Drew Storen. Storen pitched one inning in a 4-2 loss to the Astros, blowing a save opportunity, absorbing the loss and watching his spring ERA balloon to 6.43 after seven outings. Rough springs are nothing new for Storen. Last year, he was limited to two appearances before surgery to remove a small bone fragment from his right elbow, a procedure that cost him half a season. Two years ago,...

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Stretch work clicks for Strasburg on 93-pitch night

March 16, 2013, 5:52pm

Nationals

Stretch work clicks for Strasburg on 93-pitch night

VIERA, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg is itching to get the season started. His internal clock, if not his pitch count Saturday night against the Astros, tells him the season should be starting soon, not be more than two weeks away. So what did he take out of tonight's effort, in which he went deeper into a game than any other Nationals starting pitcher this spring, and recorded eight strikeouts, the most by any Washington hurler in Grapefruit League play? The 93 pitches he threw, 64 of them for...

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One chance, some jitters and a step forward for Zimmerman

March 16, 2013, 5:32pm

Nationals

One chance, some jitters and a step forward for Zimmerman

VIERA, Fla. - Ryan Zimmerman's surgically repaired right shoulder felt so good in recent days that he talked Nationals manager Davey Johnson into pushing up his spring debut at third base by a couple of days. Instead of playing defense for the first time in Grapefruit League play Monday against the Tigers, Zimmerman did so Saturday night versus the Astros. He needed to make only one play, and handled that chance with relative ease, but it was enough to wipe away a few jitters that accompanied...