nationals

David Huzzard: Waiting for October

September 25, 2014, 4:39am

The day after the Nationals clinched the division, they put out a lineup that was more Triple-A Syracuse than it was Washington and it was a sign of things to come. Post clinch baseball is weird. A couple of days later, with the Nationals going for a four game sweep of the Marlins, and Stephen Strasburg through seven innings with a pitch count in the 80's, Craig Stammen entered for the eighth and disposed closer Rafael Soriano for the ninth. Post clinch baseball is somewhere between spring...

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Some of this, some of that

September 24, 2014, 7:01am

Nationals

Back on July 29, the Nationals held a half-game lead over the Braves atop the National League East. As of this morning, that division lead is now 16 1/2 games, which if the season finished today would rank as the fifth-most lopsided NL East division title since 1969 and the most lopsided since 2002. Yup, in less than a two-month window, the Nats have gained 16 games on Atlanta, which is an indicator both of how well Washington has played in that time (the Nats have gone 35-17 since July 30),...

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Span sits, Zimmerman in left, Harper in center

September 24, 2014, 11:33am

Nationals

Span sits, Zimmerman in left, Harper in center

As expected, Nationals center fielder Denard Span is getting today off. And as expected, Ryan Zimmerman is back in the lineup. Span will rest tonight after banging and scraping his knee on the warning track while making a sliding catch last night. That will free up a spot for Zimmerman to return to the lineup after getting the last three days off. Zimmerman will play left field tonight, and Bryce Harper will slide over and play center. Gio Gonzalez will make what's scheduled to be his last...

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Roark, LaRoche and Span after 4-2 win over the Mets

September 23, 2014, 7:26pm

Nationals

Roark, LaRoche and Span after 4-2 win over the Mets

The Nationals recorded another victory, their 92nd on this playoff-bound season, 4-2 over the Mets. But after the game, concern turned toward center fielder Denard Span, who crashed hard to the ground and into the center field wall after making a diving catch to end the third inning. He left the game and was replaced by Michael A. Taylor. "It's all right, a little sore," Span said. "Banged it pretty hard when I came down, also scraped it pretty good, too. So just a little sore, iced it a...

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Nationals honor outfielder Steven Souza Jr., right-hander Lucas Giolito and infielder Wilmer Difo

September 24, 2014, 10:19am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today named outfielder Steven Souza Jr. their Minor League Player of the Year and right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito their Minor League Pitcher of the Year. The club also named infielder Wilmer Difo the recipient of the second-annual Bob Boone Award. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Vice President of Player Personnel Bob Boone, Assistant General Manager & Vice President of Player Development Doug Harris and Director of Player...

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Adam LaRoche slams three-run shot, Nats win 4-2

September 23, 2014, 3:37pm

Nationals

Adam LaRoche slams three-run shot, Nats win 4-2

There was a big ovation as the Nationals took the field at Nats Park for the first time since wrapping up their second National League East title in three seasons last Tuesday in Atlanta. Right-hander Tanner Roark allowed a double in the first inning, but has since recorded six straight outs. Jayson Werth made a diving catch in right to rob Kirk Nieuwenhuis of extra bases, ending the second inning. Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon surrendered a leadoff hit to Denard Span and later a walk to...

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Williams on Span's injury and more after 4-2 win

September 23, 2014, 7:07pm

Nationals

Williams on Span's injury and more after 4-2 win

Nationals fans surely held their breath when they saw Denard Span get removed for a pinch-hitter in the third inning after making a remarkable, tumbling grab to end the top of the third, but the good news - on top of the 4-2 Washington win tonight - is that Span doesn't appear to have suffered a serious injury. Manager Matt Williams said after tonight's win that Span just banged and scraped his right knee while making that sliding catch on a Matt den Dekker liner to the warning track in...

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Updates on Zimmerman and Zimmermann plus other notes

September 23, 2014, 3:02pm

Nationals

Updates on Zimmerman and Zimmermann plus other notes

Nationals manager Matt Williams said right-hander Jordan Zimmermann is doing "good," but is still pretty sore after getting hit by a batted ball last week in Miami. "He's got a pretty good black and blue shoulder," Williams said. "He's going to go out and throw. Actually, he threw the day after he got hit, was OK. Looks pretty bruised up." Williams said they will get a further report later today on how Zimmermann's shoulder is feeling. The good news is Williams does not anticipate...

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Looking at Roark's role come the postseason

September 23, 2014, 6:36am

Nationals

Looking at Roark's role come the postseason

Tanner Roark will get the ball today for his 31st start of the season, and should he happen to work 7 2/3 or more innings, he'll top the 200-inning mark for the 2014 campaign, a milestone for many pitchers. Roark has posted a 2.85 ERA this season, which only ranks 17th among qualified major league starters. No big deal. He has an ERA-plus (which is adjusted to the pitcher's ballpark, where a league-average mark is 100) of 131, eighth-best in the National League. Decent, I guess. His...

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Washington Nationals announce TEAM Service All-Stars campaign

September 23, 2014, 7:18am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today announced the launch of the TEAM Service All-Stars campaign to recognize and reward gameday staff who provide world class customer service to guests at Nationals Park. From Tuesday, September 23 to Friday, September 26, fans of all ages are encouraged to go to nationals.com/teamservice to vote for the team member(s) they believe go above and beyond their typical duties to create a memorable experience at the ballpark. Managers from each of the nine TEAM Service...

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Could Xavier Cedeno overtake Jerry Blevins for a playoff roster spot?

September 23, 2014, 4:27am

Nationals

Could Xavier Cedeno overtake Jerry Blevins for a playoff roster spot?

When discussing left-handed relievers, are Jerry Blevins and Xavier Cedeno battling for one playoff roster spot? Should they be? Blevins has been with the team the whole season. He started off well. But recently, he has had some rough outings, especially the Sept. 10 appearance against the Braves at Nationals Park. Blevins allowed three earned runs on two hits and a walk in just one-third of an inning. The Nationals lost that game 6-2. They lost only two of the next 11 games. Blevins has...

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Opposite dugout: Mets still have chance at winning record as they face Nats for last time in '14

September 23, 2014, 5:43am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Mets still have chance at winning record as they face Nats for last time in '14

Manager: Terry Collins, fourth year Record: 76-80 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 1B Lucas Duda (.254/.354/.479, 26 doubles, 28 HR, 86 RBIs); 2B Daniel Murphy (.295/.339/.410, 35 doubles, 9 HR, 55 RBIs); LHP Jon Niese (9-11, 3.50 ERA, 1.29 WHIP); RHP Bartolo Colon (14-12, 4.02 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats: 3-13, 43 runs scored, 84 runs allowed Pitching probables Sept. 23: Bartolo Colon vs. Tanner Roark, 7 p.m., MASN2 HD Sept. 24: Dillon Gee vs. Gio Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN HD Sept....

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Nats return home with lots on their side (Perez assigned to Yankees)

September 22, 2014, 7:06am

Nationals

Nats return home with lots on their side (Perez assigned to Yankees)

When the Nationals' team plane landed at Dulles Airport last night following the team's long 11-game road trip, there was a sign waiting for them on the tarmac. "Congrats NL East Champs," it read. When the team buses pulled up to Nationals Park about an hour later, there were a bunch of visitors waiting for them. A group of probably close to 100 fans had congregated at the park, chanting and cheering and holding up signs to welcome their ballclub home. It's good to be back in D.C., all...

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Is Soriano pitching himself off the playoff roster?

September 22, 2014, 7:10am

Nationals

Is Soriano pitching himself off the playoff roster?

Is deposed Nationals closer Rafael Soriano pitching himself off the playoff roster for the National League Division Series? Two weeks ago, when Soriano was removed from ninth-inning duties after a terrible stretch since the All-Star break, I'd have told you no (in fact, I wrote that in response to several regular commenters on our blogs). The reasons were simple: Soriano had a track record, the Nationals are a veteran-laden club and first-year manager Matt Williams is a players' skipper who...

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Desmond named Nationals' nominee for 2014 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet

September 22, 2014, 11:26am

Nationals

Major League Baseball and Chevrolet, the official vehicle of MLB, announced that Ian Desmond was named the Washington Nationals' 2014 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet. Desmond is one of the 30 Club finalists for the annual Award, which recognizes a Major League Baseball player who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement. During the pregame ceremony...

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Clubhouse chatter after Nats finish 9-2 road trip with 2-1 win

September 21, 2014, 1:45pm

Nationals

Clubhouse chatter after Nats finish 9-2 road trip with 2-1 win

There were a few tense minutes while Marlins hitters were crushing balls with authority in the ninth inning, but Rafael Soriano worked his way around a leadoff pinch-hit double by Reed Johnson and finished off a 2-1 Nationals win Sunday afternoon with his 32nd save. The Nats end their final regular season road trip with a 9-2 record and have upped the win count to 91. Not too shabby. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg worked seven shutout innings today, picking up his 13th win. He had to deal with...

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Back the Nats during MASN Social Media Weekend presented by COX

September 19, 2014, 9:22am

Nationals

Back the Nats during MASN Social Media Weekend presented by COX

It's hard to believe the regular season is coming to a close. The Nationals will host their final home series of the regular season this weekend. MASN will also host its final social media weekend, presented by COX. We want to reward you for being loyal in backing the Nats this season. By using the hashtag #IBackTheNats throughout the weekend, you have a chance to win awesome prizes including autographed memorabilia, special #IBackTheNats koozies, Nats prize packs, and more! Also, be...

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Nationals benefiting from meaningful baseball in late September

September 21, 2014, 7:06am

Nationals

The Nationals clinched their second division title in the past three seasons on Tuesday in Atlanta. On Wednesday, they rested most of their regulars. On Thursday, they got back to business. They haven't lost since. This club has done a really nice job of setting its goals and then going about accomplishing them as the season goes on. Early on, they just searched for consistency. Their pitching was strong from the beginning. Their defense started to come on. Now it's their offense. They had 12...

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#IChallengeMatt: Take on the skipper at his own game in CareFirst Fan Challenge (updated)

August 07, 2014, 11:19am

Nationals

#IChallengeMatt: Take on the skipper at his own game in CareFirst Fan Challenge (updated)

From watching Matt Williams on and off the field, one word immediately comes to mind when I think about the Nationals skipper: intense. The manager often appears serious and in the zone while managing his team. But that doesn't mean he doesn't also have fun and let loose. You'll see the best of both worlds from Williams at our upcoming Fan Challenge, presented by CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield! We're inviting you to take on Williams at his own game. What's that game, you ask? Fungo golf!...

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Marty Niland: One blogger's vote for 2014 Nats awards

September 22, 2014, 5:29am

Nationals

Marty Niland: One blogger's vote for 2014 Nats awards

Each year, the D.C. chapter of the Internet Baseball Writers Association polls members of the Nationals blogosphere to determine its Player Achievement Awards. The voting is organized by District Sports Page editor and fellow MASNsports.com guest blogger Dave Nichols. This year's winners will be announced on Monday, Sept. 29 on the DC-IBWAA Web site. This blogger is honored to have a ballot this year. Here are the submissions in a few categories, with explanations. A player receives five...