An early missed opportunity might loom large (Nats lose 2-0)

An early missed opportunity might loom large (Nats lose 2-0)
It's not often you can put up a crooked number against Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers left-hander came into today with a 1.62 ERA on the season, having allowed more than two earned runs in just two of his eight starts in 2013. The Nationals had a chance to get to Kershaw early on in tonight's game, when they loaded the bases with two outs. Kershaw had already thrown 25 pitches in the first inning by the time Tyler Moore stepped into the batter's box with the sacks packed and two down. The...
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Harper out of Nats' lineup after yesterday's wall collision (Span out, too)

Harper out of Nats' lineup after yesterday's wall collision (Span out, too)
Not surprisingly, Bryce Harper is out of the Nationals' lineup the day after crashing face-first into the right field wall at Dodger Stadium, a collision that left him with a bruised knee and shoulder, as well as 11 stitches in his chin. Harper will miss his third game in the last five days. He sat out last Friday and Saturday's games against the Cubs after having surgery to remove an ingrown toenail. That procedure surely hurt (I had an ingrown toenail removed a handful of years ago, and...
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Davey Johnson on Padres/Dodgers brawl; Storen knew Quentin from Stanford days

Davey Johnson on Padres/Dodgers brawl; Storen knew Quentin from Stanford days
There's been a lot of buzz around the clubhouse about the bench-clearing brawl in Thursday's Padres vs. Dodgers game at San Diego's Petco Park. Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin charged the mound and tackled Dodgers starter Zack Greinke after getting hit by a pitch. Greinke was injured during the melee, suffering a fractured left collarbone. Greinke is out until June. No suspensions have been announced. Manager Davey Johnson said hitting a batter was never a part of his direction, but he...
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Rosenbaum and Kobernus excited to be selected in Rule 5 draft, thankful to Nats

Rosenbaum and Kobernus excited to be selected in Rule 5 draft, thankful to Nats
Former Nationals prospects Danny Rosenbaum and Jeff Kobernus knew the Rule 5 draft was was today at 10 a.m. Eastern time (7 a.m. Pacific time in California, where Kobernus is). And around that time they both considered the possibility of being picked up by another team, but did not let it dominate their thoughts. Then the calls came in. Kobernus, a second baseman, got his 15 minutes after the hour from his agent. He'd been taken by the Red Sox, and was later dealt to the Tigers. "I...
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Knorr believes Nationals' team chemistry key component to postseason drive

Knorr believes Nationals' team chemistry key component to postseason drive
Team chemistry in baseball can be an undervalued commodity. Take the Los Angeles Dodgers. They can pretty much put an All-Star lineup on the field every night. Players like Shane Victorino, Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez. You look down that Dodgers lineup and gasp. It is filled with on-base guys, home run hitters, powerful pitchers and battle-tested postseason players. But the one thing this talented crew does not possess? It has not worked together from spring training,...
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Nats-Dodgers postponed, straight doubleheader tomorrow

Nats-Dodgers postponed, straight doubleheader tomorrow
Tonight's Nationals-Dodgers game has been postponed due to weather, and a straight doubleheader between the two teams has been scheduled for tomorrow. The first game will begin at 4:05 p.m., with tomorrow's regularly scheduled contest to follow. It'll be a single-admission doubleheader. Manager Davey Johnson said that Jordan Zimmermann and John Lannan will likely be his two starters tomorrow, in that order, although he had yet to confirm that with pitching coach Steve McCatty. Aaron...
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Phillies purge, National League contenders improve

Phillies purge, National League contenders improve
The Phillies are throwing in the towel, dishing veterans off and, for the first time in years, looking to build toward the future. In the process, the Nationals' National League competitors are bolstering their rosters for a playoff push. Both the Giants and Dodgers have swung deals to acquire a Phillies outfielder, with San Francisco reportedly trading for Hunter Pence and Los Angeles bringing in Shane Victorino. I'm not sure who the Phillies plan on putting in the outfield over the next...
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Bryce Harper's catch at wall a reminder of what's yet to come

Bryce Harper's catch at wall a reminder of what's yet to come
Those kinds of catches must be second nature to Bryce Harper. But they are new to Nationals fans. Get used to it. The kid can make the spectacular seem routine. Showing no fear, the 19-year old went hard to his left toward the center field wall at Dodger Stadium after a shot off the bat of Juan Uribe on Sunday. Not breaking stride, Harper jumped into the padded concrete wall and caught the ball as the collision occurred. Falling onto his back it took a moment or two for Harper to get back...
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Bryce Harper playing center field today

Bryce Harper playing center field today
With the Nationals facing a left-hander today in the Dodgers' Chris Capuano, Rick Ankiel will get the day off and Bryce Harper will play center field. Harper played left field in his major league debut yesterday, and is likely to get the bulk of his playing time at the big league level (at least, for now) in left. Against lefties, however, manager Davey Johnson will continue to sit Ankiel, and today, Harper will take over the Nats' center field duties. Tyler Moore has not yet officially...
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With Harper, don't expect too much too soon

With Harper, don't expect too much too soon
Bryce Harper, the 2010 No. 1 pick, will make his major league debut. Stephen Strasburg, the 2009 No. 1 pick, will be on the mound. Matt Kemp, who leads the universe in hitting with a .452 average and 10 home runs, will hit third for Los Angeles. The Nationals and Dodgers are both in first place in their respective divisions. Is this just about as exciting as an April baseball game can get, or what? The eyes of a large part of the baseball world will be on the Nats-Dodgers game tonight, as...
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As promised, Harper hitting seventh in his debut

As promised, Harper hitting seventh in his debut
I'm not going to lie, it was a little strange typing Bryce Harper into the lineup that you see below. I'm still not used to the 19-year-old phenom being in the Nationals' batting order, and I'm probably not the only one. Harper will bat seventh and play left field in his major league debut tonight, and he'll take his hacks off Dodgers righty Chad Billingsley, who is 2-0 with a 3.04 ERA so far this season. The Nationals will send Stephen Strasburg to the hill, as he looks to notch his...
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Dodgers take early lead, outlast Detwiler and Nationals, 3-2

Dodgers take early lead, outlast Detwiler and Nationals, 3-2
The Nationals opened their series in Los Angeles against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers with phenom Bryce Harper arriving for Saturday night. Kershaw crashed that good feeling early and often, as the Dodgers hung on for a 3-2 win over the Nationals at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw set the tone early by striking out the side in the first inning, sandwiched around an error that got Steve Lombardozzi on base. Kershaw (2-0) notched his 12th straight win at home, going eight innings, allowing just...
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Lombardozzi hitting second, Espinosa hitting sixth

Lombardozzi hitting second, Espinosa hitting sixth
Before we dive even deeper into Bryce Harper cracking the Nationals lineup tomorrow, let's look at the Nats lineup today. There's an interesting twist to manager Davey Johnson's lineup against the Dodgers: He's dropped second baseman Danny Espinosa to sixth in the order and has Steve Lombardozzi playing third base and hitting in the No. 2 spot tonight. Johnson has said he likes slotting Espinosa into the two hole in his lineup because he likes having run-producers towards the top of the...
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Looks like Lidge is back in peak form

Looks like Lidge is back in peak form
VIERA, Fla. - Stan Kasten was once an NBA general manager. Now the former president of the Nationals is back in baseball, only with an NBA Hall of Famer by his side. Kasten and Magic Johnson are part of a group which agreed to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers for $2 billion late last night. The purchase will get Kasten back into the major leagues, although in some ways, Kasten never left, even after resigning as Nationals president after the 2010 season. He was still seen around the Nats'...
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Former Nationals president Kasten part of group that will buy Dodgers

Former Nationals president Kasten part of group that will buy Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers announced late Tuesday that the team will be purchased for a record $2.15 billion by a group that includes former NBA and Los Angeles Lakers great Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Also a part of the group is former Nationals and Atlanta Braves team president Stan Kasten. Johnson's group won out the right to buy the Dodgers over groups led by multiple sports team owner Stan Kroenke and New York Mets limited partner Steven Cohen. Johnson said in a statement: "I am thrilled to...
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A fan's guide to the Nationals' April schedule

A fan's guide to the Nationals' April schedule
Let's get you ready for the first month of the season, and if you have the good fortune of seeing the Nationals on the road to begin in Chicago and New York, here is a quick primer. Every time I get an advance schedule for a local team, I always look to see what other sporting events are going on in the four major professional sports and check the live music or comedy schedules to see if they possibly matchup with off-days. I also have to hit the best pizza, wings or hot dog joints available...
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Coffey might shelve sprint from bullpen with Dodgers

Coffey might shelve sprint from bullpen with Dodgers
Setup man Todd Coffey is taking his quality stuff and energizing entrance to the west coast with the announcement that the right-hander will be leaving the Nationals to sign a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This made me think that the engaging personality that is Coffey may hang up his famous entrance each game from the bullpen. Why? Last season, I asked Coffey if anything unusual had ever happened at any stadium when he made his famous sprints in from the bullpen after getting...
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Peacock knows he doesn't need to rush delivery to be effective

Peacock knows he doesn't need to rush delivery to be effective
Nationals pitcher Brad Peacock gave up a couple of hits and a walk in his major league debut, but didn't let that bother him. He still felt very good about his first outing. After all, he was excited and nervous during his first start with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs back on July 16. He settled down following that game and reeled off five straight wins from July 22 to August 29. Peacock said during those last few weeks, Syracuse pitching coach Greg Booker helped him to calm down on the...
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