mets - Blog

Johnson recaps a wild 5-4 extra-inning win

July 17, 2012, 7:56pm

Davey Johnson walked into the interview room next door to the Nationals' clubhouse, sat down at the table in front of reporters and broke into a big smile. "Wow! That's my kind of ballgame," Johnson said. This was certainly another crazy one, one which saw the Nats jump out to a 2-0 lead, lose it in the ninth when Tyler Clippard blew his first save since taking over the closer duties, tie it up in the bottom of the ninth on a dramatic two-out, two-strike RBI single by Danny Espinosa, fall...

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Detwiler, Niese dueling in D.C. (Nats win an insane ballgame)

July 17, 2012, 4:26pm

Nationals

Detwiler, Niese dueling in D.C. (Nats win an insane ballgame)

We've cruised through 5 1/2 innings at Nats Park, and Ross Detwiler and Jon Niese are locked in quite a pitcher's duel. The Nationals have a 1-0 lead after Tyler Moore went yard in the bottom of the fifth, a blast which got the Nats their first baserunner since Bryce Harper singled with one out in the first. It was Moore's fifth homer of the season and his first since June 27. Prior to the Moore longball, Niese had set down 12 straight Nats. Detwiler has been pretty darn effective...

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Desmond again not in Nats lineup, expects oblique injury to linger

July 17, 2012, 1:27pm

Nationals

Desmond again not in Nats lineup, expects oblique injury to linger

Yet again, Ian Desmond will watch from the bench as his Nationals teammates take on a division rival. Desmond will remain sidelined tonight because of a sore left oblique, an injury which has now knocked him out of the lineup three straight days. Unfortunately for Desmond, it appears that the time off so far - both the four days of rest over the All-Star break and the last two days in which he's been held out of the Nationals lineup - hasn't allowed the oblique to make major strides in the...

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Which division opponent poses the biggest threat?

July 12, 2012, 11:45am

Nationals

Which division opponent poses the biggest threat?

It was announced this afternoon that Bryce Harper was named as the Nationals' team winner of the 2012 Heart and Hustle Award, given out by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. The award honors active players who demonstrate a passion for the game and best embody the values, spirit and tradition of the game of baseball. What a shocker - Harper winning an award for demonstrating passion and hustle. If there was ever was an award that screamed out "Bryce Harper," it's this...

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Getting a little distance within the division

July 06, 2012, 10:11am

Nationals

Getting a little distance within the division

As Giants first baseman Brandon Belt failed to secure a low, skipping throw and Adam LaRoche crossed first base safely in the ninth inning of last night's game, plating the game-winning run for the Nationals, a group of ballplayers about 650 miles away let out a frustrated groan. According to reporters in Atlanta, Braves players watching the end of last night's Nationals game on a clubhouse TV made a loud, exasperated noise and dropped a few expletives when it became clear the Nats had...

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It doesn't get any easier

June 19, 2012, 5:59am

Nationals

I can't believe I'm actually asking this question right now, but is there a better starting pitcher in baseball as of today than R.A. Dickey? The guy who spent time with four organizations over a five-year span from 2006-2010, the guy who two years ago started the season in Triple-A, the guy who throws a knuckleball for God's sake, is the pitcher who no one in the majors wants to face right now. Dickey dominated the Nationals nearly two weeks ago, holding them scoreless over 7 1/3 innings...

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Arm slot an issue in Wang's latest shaky outing

June 07, 2012, 1:47pm

Nationals

Arm slot an issue in Wang's latest shaky outing

As Davey Johnson puts it, when Chien-Ming Wang is throwing from the correct arm slot, his stuff is "almost unhittable". The problem was, Wang was rarely throwing from the proper arm slot today. As a result, he was very hittable. Wang allowed 12 baserunners (eight hits, three walks and a hit-by-pitch) during his 5 1/3 innings against the Mets today, and while he only gave up two runs, it wasn't the type of outing the Nationals were looking for. Since returning to the Nats' rotation eight...

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Dickey's varying speeds on knuckleball befuddled Nationals' bats

June 07, 2012, 1:09pm

Nationals

There is a reason Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey has nine wins already this season: His knuckleball is very good, and Dickey can throw more than one variation of it. His best is a hard knuckleball that caused the Nationals serious trouble in a 3-1 setback Thursday at Nationals Park. In Dickey's first meeting with Bryce Harper, he threw the young phenom seven straight knuckleballs that varied in speed from 75 mph to 81 mph. He then struck out Harper on the eighth pitch, a 63 mph,...

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Another average outing for Wang (Nats manage five hits in 3-1 loss)

June 07, 2012, 11:17am

Nationals

Another average outing for Wang (Nats manage five hits in 3-1 loss)

Since getting inserted into the Nationals' starting rotation, Chien-Ming Wang has made two starts. Neither have been awful. Neither have been that good, either. Wang went 5 1/3 innings today against the Mets, allowing two runs on eight hits. The veteran righty walked three and struck out one, throwing 81 pitches, 54 for strikes. He tossed a 1-2-3 first inning, but things slowly went downhill from there. Wang loaded the bases in both the second and third innings, and was able to get out of...

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An immature man's pitching matchup (Moore addition official)

June 07, 2012, 7:31am

Nationals

An immature man's pitching matchup (Moore addition official)

Being as immature as I am, I can't help but chuckle at today's pitching matchup, which features the Nationals' Chien-Ming Wang against the Mets' R.A. Dickey. Wang vs. Dickey. For all the marbles. It was an incredibly low-key morning, as players slowly trickled into the Nats' clubhouse with their suits ready for the road trip which they'll leave for after the game. Tyler Moore has officially been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse and Carlos Maldonado was placed on the 15-day DL with a...

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Nats lineup vs. Hefner, Mets

June 06, 2012, 11:31am

Nationals

Who would you rather face if you were the Nationals - Johan Santana, coming off a no-hitter his last time out, or Jeremy Hefner, making his third career start? Yeah, me too. Santana might have been a bit tired had he pitched tonight on normal rest, but if I'm Nats manager Davey Johnson, I'll take a matchup with an unproven hurler over one with a worn-down yet in-the-zone veteran any day. The Mets have opted to push Santana back to Friday to give him a chance to rest up from his lengthy...

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Nats just wouldn't give up in wild, wacky 12-inning affair

June 05, 2012, 9:19pm

Nationals

Nats just wouldn't give up in wild, wacky 12-inning affair

Well, this one was nuts. Twelve innings, 14 total pitchers used, three blown Mets leads in the eighth inning or later, countless misplayed balls (two in the bottom of the 10th by poor Jordany Valdespin), three wild pitches and the first walk-off hit by a teenager in nearly 24 years. It felt like it might never end, but it did. A thrilling - and exhausting - contest finally went to the Nationals by a 7-6 score. "It was a wild game," manager Davey Johnson said. "They didn't play very well,...

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How 'bout some bonus baseball? (Harper walks 'em off in 12)

June 05, 2012, 6:00pm

Nationals

How 'bout some bonus baseball? (Harper walks 'em off in 12)

As if nine innings of tonight's Nationals-Mets contest hasn't been entertaining enough, we're going to extras. The Nats and Mets are tied 4-4 after nine in an up-and-down game which saw both teams squander a lead in the late innings. After tying it in the eighth, Washington had a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth when Roger Bernadina singled with two outs, bringing Bryce Harper to the plate and the crowd to its collective feet. Harper smoked a ball to left field on a line, but...

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Mets-Nats lineups (plus fifth-, sixth-round picks)

June 05, 2012, 11:42am

Nationals

Mets-Nats lineups (plus fifth-, sixth-round picks)

The Nationals welcome the Mets to town for a three-game set starting today, and they'll face starter Chris Young, making his season debut. Here are the lineups for both teams: For the Nationals LF Steve Lombardozzi CF Bryce Harper 3B Ryan Zimmerman 1B Adam LaRoche RF Michael Morse SS Ian Desmond 2B Danny Espinosa C Jesus Flores P Jordan Zimmermann For the Mets LF Kirk Nieuwenhuis CF Andres Torres 3B David Wright RF Lucas Duda 2B Daniel Murphy 1B Ike Davis C Josh Thole SS Omar Quintanilla P...

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Nats beat Mets 4-0, win second straight road series

April 11, 2012, 12:48pm

Nationals

Nats beat Mets 4-0, win second straight road series

FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Nationals will head back to D.C. for their home opener possessing two series wins. Washington beat the Mets 4-0 this afternoon, giving them their second straight road series victory and a 4-2 record as they return to the nation's capital. Stephen Strasburg outdueled Johan Santana in an early season battle of the aces, as Strasburg went six shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out eight. The Nats righty threw a career-high 108 pitches before giving way to...

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Detwiler dominant early in debut

April 10, 2012, 4:41pm

Nationals

FLUSHING, N.Y. - If the Nationals can get this type of effort out of their fifth starter every time, they'll be a happy bunch. Ross Detwiler has thrown four sparkling scoreless innings so far tonight, holding the Mets to just two hits and striking out six. Ruben Tejada doubled to lead off the game and Ronny Cedeno followed with a single to left, but since then, it's been all Detwiler. The lefty has retired 12 of the last 13 he's faced and has only allowed a single ball out of the infield -...

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A mid-afternoon stat or two

April 10, 2012, 10:16am

Nationals

FLUSHING, N.Y. - The New York Mets currently have the best record in the major leagues at 4-0. Let's just take a second and let that all sink in. I know, I didn't see it coming, either. Tonight's starter for the Mets, Dillon Gee, won 13 games for New York last year in just his first full season in the big leagues. He's had good success against Nationals hitters in his brief career, as well; of the seven Nats who have faced Gee more than five times, Jayson Werth has the highest batting...

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Tonight's Nationals-Mets lineups

April 09, 2012, 11:41am

Nationals

FLUSHING, N.Y. - Wilson Ramos will get his first day off of the season, as manager Davey Johnson has written Jesus Flores into his lineup today. Flores will catch Edwin Jackson in the righty's first start with the Nationals. Jackson will oppose the 3-0 (yeah, who would've thunk it?) Mets. Here are your lineups for tonight's game: Nationals SS Ian Desmond 2B Danny Espinosa 3B Ryan Zimmerman 1B Adam LaRoche RF Jayson Werth LF Mark DeRosa CF Roger Bernadina C Jesus Flores P Edwin...

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Today's Nats lineup vs. Mets

March 25, 2012, 6:16am

Nationals

VIERA, Fla. - Davey Johnson had hoped to write in his opening day lineup for this afternoon's game against the Mets, but that's kind of tough to do when two of your middle-of-the-order hitters are banged up and your center fielder is still recovering from a quad injury. Instead, this is the lineup Johnson will send out today against New York: SS Ian Desmond 2B Danny Espinosa 3B Ryan Zimmerman RF Jayson Werth 1B Mark DeRosa C Jesus Flores CF Roger Bernadina LF Steve Lombardozzi P Stephen...

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A fan's guide to the Nationals' April schedule

March 21, 2012, 7:52am

Nationals

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...