Harper in center, Nady in left, Werth hitting third

Harper in center, Nady in left, Werth hitting third
With the Nationals facing another left-handed starter tonight, Rick Ankiel will take a seat and Bryce Harper will get the start in center field for manager Davey Johnson. This will be Harper's second time playing center in his four major league games. Jayson Werth will hit in the No. 3 hole today, with Xavier Nady playing in left and hitting fifth. Tyler Moore again will come off the bench. Joe Saunders will take the mound for the Diamondbacks, looking to improve on his 2-1 record and 0.90...
Continue reading
  0 Comments
0 Comments

Nats fall again, drop 5-1 decision to Diamondbacks

Nats fall again, drop 5-1 decision to Diamondbacks
For a few games last week, the Nationals were working on a string of consecutive scoreless innings thrown by their starting pitchers, a total which reached 25 frames. For most of tonight's game, they were watching a different scoreless streak mount. And it wasn't a good one. When Roger Bernadina crossed the plate in the eighth inning tonight, it broke a string of 17 straight innings the Nats had gone without a run. The one run was nice, but Washington could have used a few more of 'em, as...
Continue reading
  0 Comments
0 Comments

Harper back in left, hitting seventh

Harper back in left, hitting seventh
I tried posting the lineups from my iPhone a couple of hours ago, but apparently that failed miserably. So let's try this again. Bryce Harper is hitting seventh again today, and he's back in left field with Rick Ankiel playing center against Diamondbacks right-hander Trevor Cahill. Ankiel will hit third today, and Jayson Werth is back in the lineup hitting fifth after missing Sunday's game because of a migraine. Nationals SS Ian Desmond 3B Steve Lombardozzi CF Rick Ankiel 1B Adam...
Continue reading
  0 Comments
0 Comments

Some of this, some of that

Some of this, some of that
Think Danny Rosenbaum is almost ready for a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse? The 24-year-old lefty threw seven shutout innings for Double-A Harrisburg yesterday, allowing six hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Rosenbaum lowered his season ERA to 0.76 and now has gone his last three starts, spanning 23 innings, without allowing a run. In that time, he's given up just 13 hits with two walks and 16 strikeouts. Yeah, Triple-A might be calling shortly. For those who have asked, I can't...
Continue reading
  0 Comments
0 Comments

D-Backs' Upton said early confidence helped him, will guide Bryce Harper

D-Backs' Upton said early confidence helped him, will guide Bryce Harper
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton turns 24 on Thursday, enjoying his fifth season in the major leagues. At age 19, Upton made his major league debut on Aug. 2, 2007 and played in 43 games during the Diamondbacks' pennant race, relying on veterans on the team to gain experience. Upton said he concentrated on his job in those first few weeks in the big leagues. He didn't let the moment get away from him and made sure to work hard in every at-bat and every fly ball that came his...
Continue reading
  0 Comments
0 Comments

Nationals have no answers for D-backs' Collmenter, 4-0

Nationals have no answers for D-backs' Collmenter, 4-0
The Nationals' three-game winning streak has come to an end, thanks to a 4-0 victory Friday night by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Washington managed just three hits off Arizona right-hander Josh Collmenter, while Michael Morse, the team's hottest hitter, went 0-for-4, including striking out for the game's final at-bat. It was the first time Morse had been held hitless in 12 games. Johnny and Phil ask Jim Riggleman his thoughts on the Nats' 4-0 loss to the Diamondbacks Nationals right-hander...
Continue reading
  0 Comments
0 Comments

Rizzo "optimistic" a deal will be made with Bryce Harper

Rizzo "optimistic" a deal will be made with Bryce Harper
In Cleveland, I got the opportunity to speak with Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo regarding this year's #1 first-year player selection, catcher/outfielder Bryce Harper. Mike, having worked with agent Scott Boras while signing Stephen Strasburg last season, does that give you a leg up in the negotiations with Bryce Harper this year? "Each case with each individual and each representative is unique. We are not going to put any timetables on it. We feel with Bryce like we did with...
Continue reading
  0 Comments
0 Comments