nationals

Span in, Zimmerman out in Bronx finale (with lineups)

June 10, 2015, 7:57am

The Nationals will get their second look at Yankees right-hander Nathan Eovaldi this season. Ian Desmond and Bryce Harper both tagged Eovaldi for solo homers on May 19 as the Nats scored five runs in his 4 1/3 innings. Harper bombed his 20th homer of the year in last night's loss. The blast came in the 58th game, making Harper the fastest player to reach the 20-homer mark in Nationals history (2005-present). Harper trails only Miami slugger Giancarlo Stanton for the major league lead in home...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper chris johnson denard span nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman yunel escobar featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Stevenson on getting call from Nats: "I was just excited that they believe in how I play"

June 09, 2015, 11:25am

Nationals

Stevenson on getting call from Nats: "I was just excited that they believe in how I play"

LSU center fielder Andrew Stevenson was the Nationals' first pick in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft on Monday as the No. 58 selection. He leads the Tigers in hitting with a .356 average in 59 games, including 11 doubles, five triples, a homer, 26 stolen bases and 21 RBIs. "I've had a great year," Stevenson said. "We got a great team over here and we're playing some great baseball." He still has some college baseball to play as the Tigers defeated Louisiana-Lafayette in the super...

Comments

Tags:

andrew stevenson byron kerr ken griffey lsu tigers nationals frontstory_nationals3

Nationals select three left-handers from 5th to 10th rounds

June 10, 2015, 1:56am

Nationals

The Nationals added talent and depth with picks from the fifth round through the 10th round Tuesday in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft. All of them came from the collegiate ranks. From the fifth through seventh rounds, the Nationals went on a run for southpaws. In the fifth round, the Nationals chose left-hander Taylor Hearn from Oklahoma Baptist University. Hearn went 9-0 with a 3.50 ERA in 15 games (13 starts) in 2015. He struck out 71 batters in 64 1/3 innings pitched. His nine wins ranked...

Comments

Tags:

blake perkins byron kerr clemson illinois nationals oklahoma state featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Rachel Levitin: Pinpointing the Nationals' problem

June 10, 2015, 5:39am

Nationals

The Nationals are 58 games into this season, and it's not the Marlins, Mets, Cubs or even the Yankees who remain their toughest foe. As it turns out, they may be their own worst enemy. Though the Nationals have managed to find a groove and settle into first place in the National League East so far this season, they've dropped a game behind the Mets to second place in the division with their 6-1 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday night. It's June 10 and the All-Star break is nearly a month away....

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz rachel levitin

Another quiet night from Nats offense leads to a third straight loss

June 09, 2015, 7:13pm

Nationals

Another quiet night from Nats offense leads to a third straight loss

The Nationals managed to put only a solo homer from Bryce Harper on the scoreboard tonight as they fell 6-1 to the Yankees. Runs figured to be hard to come with right-handers Max Scherzer and Masahiro Tanaka showcased in the night's premier pitching duel, and they were until the bottom of seventh inning. With the game knotted at 1-1, Scherzer came out to start the frame having already thrown 100 pitches. He gave up consecutive singles to Yankees left fielder Ramon Flores and center fielder...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper chris johnson matt williams max scherzer nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Nationals draft Vanderbilt's Rhett Wiseman and Iona's Mariano Rivera Jr.

June 09, 2015, 10:47am

Nationals

The Nationals have a theme going in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft. They dipped into the talent-rich SEC pool to select junior Rhett Wiseman from Vanderbilt University in the third round (No. 103 overall). Wiseman becomes the third outfielder the Nats have drafted this year following LSU's Andrew Stevenson and Arizona prep star Blake Perkins from Verrado High School. Wiseman, 20, is slashing .316/.418/.567 this season for the Commodores, who are still alive in the College World Series....

Comments

Tags:

chris johnson mariano rivera jr nationals nationals pastime rhett wiseman featured_sidebar first-year player draft frontstory_nationals3

Scherzer, Tanaka headline marquee pitching matchup (Span late scratch)

June 09, 2015, 1:04pm

Nationals

Scherzer, Tanaka headline marquee pitching matchup (Span late scratch)

Denard Span is set to lead off and play center field for the Nationals tonight, two days after he was forced to leave Sunday's loss due to back spasms. Like many in the Nats lineup, Span has also been slumping lately. He is just 3-for-24 (.125) over his last six games. Yunel Escobar is the designated hitter for the interleague game at Yankee Stadium. That allows Anthony Rendon to start at third base and Danny Espinosa to play second. Over his last four games, Espinosa is 4-for-8 (.500) with...

Comments

Tags:

chris johnson denard span max scherzer nationals nationals pastime frontstory_nationals1

Scherzer takes the loss as Nats fall 6-1

June 09, 2015, 4:20pm

Nationals

Scherzer takes the loss as Nats fall 6-1

In a game featuring top-flight starting pitching, a couple of solo homers are the only runs on the scoreboard. Nationals starter Max Scherzer flinched first. Leading off the third inning, Yankees second baseman Stephen Drew belted a fastball over the right field fence. Scherzer missed on the heater, leaving it on the inner half of the plate and Drew made him pay with his eighth longball of the season. Bryce Harper answered for the Nats in the fourth. Facing a 1-0 count with two outs, Harper...

Comments

Tags:

anthony rendon bryce harper chris johnson max scherzer nationals nationals pastime yunel escobar frontfeatured_nationals

Nationals select eight players on second day of First-Year Player Draft

June 09, 2015, 3:00pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today selected eight players on the second day of Major League Baseball's 2015 First-Year Player Draft. Nationals President of Baseball Operations & General Manager Mike Rizzo and Assistant General Manager & Vice President of Scouting Operations Kris Kline made the joint announcement. The Nationals kicked off today's action selecting outfielder Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt University) with their third-round pick (103rd overall). During the regular season, Wiseman...

Comments

Tags:

Nationals News Release nationals

Rizzo on Stevenson: "This guy plays 100 mph with his hair on fire"

June 09, 2015, 8:03am

Nationals

Rizzo on Stevenson: "This guy plays 100 mph with his hair on fire"

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo opted for a couple dynamic outfielders with the team's 58th and 69th picks in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft. Louisiana State University's Andrew Stevenson was Rizzo's first selection this year followed by Blake Perkins, a prep prospect out of Verrado High School in Arizona. "We're adding to our already fertile stable of athletes," Rizzo said. "You know our motto here ... we go pitching, defense, athleticism. And certainly both of these guys fill...

Comments

Tags:

blake perkins chris johnson kris kline mike rizzo nationals nationals pastime andrew stevenson featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Nationals select a pair of outfielders to begin 2015 First-Year Player Draft

June 08, 2015, 11:12pm

Nationals

The Nationals selected a pair of outfielders to begin the 2015 First-Year Player Draft. With the 58th pick, the Nationals chose Louisiana State outfielder Andrew Stevenson. He is a 6-foot, 184-lb. speedy outfielder from Youngsville, La., who was All-First Team SEC for the Tigers, who have advanced to the College World Series this weekend in Omaha, Neb. Stevenson also ranked near the top of the league in batting average (sixth, .356), hits (tied for sixth, 84), triples (tied for sixth, five),...

Comments

Tags:

byron kerr nationals andrew stevenson blake perkins featured_sidebar first-year player draft frontstory_nationals1

Injuries leave streaky Nats confused

June 08, 2015, 4:40am

Nationals

Who are these Washington Nationals? Are they the team that baffled baseball coming out of the gates with a 7-13 mark in their first 20 games and have now stumbled to a 2-8 record in their last 10? What happened to those guys in May that won 18 of the 27 games? "I don't know, man," Denard Span said. "We've been streaky. Obviously this year, we're just going through a rough patch. Can't get anything going offensively. A lot of it's I think we're banged up as well. We've got a lot of...

Comments

Tags:

chris johnson denard span doug fister matt williams nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar stephen strasburg frontstory_nationals2

Opposite dugout: Yankees still atop AL East behind high-powered offense and good enough pitching

June 08, 2015, 6:14pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Yankees still atop AL East behind high-powered offense and good enough pitching

Manager: Joe Girardi (8th season) Record: 32-25 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: DH Alex Rodriguez (.280/.386/.522 with 11 HR, 28 RBIs), LF Brett Gardner (.278/.355/.438 with 26 RBIs), C Brian McCann (.255 with 9 HR, 35 RBIs), 1B Mark Teixeira (17 HR and 45 RBIs), RHP Masahiro Tanaka (3-1, 2.76 ERA), LHP Andrew Miller (17 saves, 1.04 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: 0-2 Pitching probables: June 9: RHP Max Scherzer vs. RHP Masahiro Tanaka, 7:05 p.m., MASN June 10: TBA vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi,...

Comments

Tags:

bobby blanco nationals nationals buzz opposite dugout yankees frontstory_nationals3

Matt of Matt's Bats: Handicapping the Nationals' Triple Crown contestants

June 09, 2015, 5:30am

Nationals

If you're like me, you were glued to the TV on Saturday evening, watching the Belmont Stakes to see American Pharoah win the Triple Crown. In horse racing, the Triple Crown means that a horse wins the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes in the same year. American Pharoah was the first Triple Crown winner since a horse named Affirmed did it in 1978. American Pharoah's win on Saturday ended a 37-year drought for thoroughbred racing's biggest prize. (It was also more fun to...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger jordan zimmermann matt nationals nationals buzz ryan zimmerman stephen strasburg

Nationals not fazed by picking No. 58 in the MLB Draft: "It's the Super Bowl of the season"

June 08, 2015, 3:58am

Nationals

The 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft commences tonight and the Nationals won't make a big 1-1 splash like they have in the past with players like Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. They won't even turn heads with a 1-6 pick like that of infielder Anthony Rendon. That's because the Nationals don't even pick in the first round this season. In the offseason, the Nationals surrendered that selection by signing former Cy Young winner Max Scherzer. That decision has already...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper byron kerr max scherzer mike rizzo nationals stephen strasburg featured_sidebar first-year player draft frontstory_nationals2

Inconsistency leads to third straight series loss

June 07, 2015, 4:38pm

Nationals

Inconsistency leads to third straight series loss

After winning a franchise best nine consecutive series, the Nationals dropped their third straight after falling 6-3 to the Cubs in the finale of this weekend's four game set. "Am I concerned? No, I'm not concerned," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "What we need to do is play every day. It's the same team that was really good in May. It's been a little rough for us recently, but there's no reason that we can't pull out of that, too. It's the same team that was rough in April....

Comments

Tags:

chris johnson ian desmond jordan zimmermann matt williams nationals nationals pastime yunel escobar denard span featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Span leaves with back spasms, Espinosa plays left field for first time in loss to Cubs

June 07, 2015, 4:37pm

Nationals

Span leaves with back spasms, Espinosa plays left field for first time in loss to Cubs

Nationals center fielder Denard Span had to leave Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Cubs after the seventh inning with back spasms. Danny Espinosa replaced Span in the game and played left field. Michael A. Taylor switched over to center field. Span said the back spasms came upon him quickly and jolted him in the dugout after his at bat in the bottom of the seventh. "I felt fine. I popped up to shortstop," Span said. "Came back, put my helmet in the rack, put my bat down, calmly. Sat down on the...

Comments

Tags:

byron kerr danny espinosa denard span matt williams nationals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Marty Niland: Injuries continue to take toll on Nationals

June 08, 2015, 5:20am

Nationals

A day off on Monday has to be a welcome relief for a Nationals team that has dropped three straight series and eight of its last 10 games. After a torrid 18-9 May, the Nats could not help but come back down to Earth. In the major leagues, .667 baseball just isn't sustainable. The Nationals are also succumbing to another inevitability of the big league season: injuries. The eight position players who were projected as starters at the beginning of spring training have yet to play in the same...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger marty niland nationals nationals buzz

Cubs pound 10 hits off Zimmermann, Nats lose 6-3

June 07, 2015, 12:48pm

Nationals

Cubs pound 10 hits off Zimmermann, Nats lose 6-3

The Cubs combined a double from left fielder Chris Coghlan and a single from shortstop Starlin Castro to score the game's first run in the second inning. The Nationals answered in the bottom of the frame. After Wilson Ramos reached on an error by Castro, Ian Desmond launched his fifth homer of the year to deep right-center field. Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann has allowed one run on three hits with a walk and two strikeouts through the first two innings. Update: The Cubs tied it up in the...

Comments

Tags:

chris johnson ian desmond jordan zimmermann nationals nationals pastime wilson ramos frontstory_nationals2

Runs hard to come by for Nats lately

June 06, 2015, 12:37pm

Nationals

The Nationals have now dropped seven of their past nine games after the offense was non-existent for much of today's 4-2 loss. Cubs starter Jason Hammel, a Nats killer, ran his career record against Washington to 9-0 after allowing just two solo homers to Wilson Ramos and Bryce Harper while striking out seven over eight innings and a batter. It has been a while since Nats manager Matt Williams has appeared as frustrated as he was when meeting with the media after the loss. "Strikes, quality...