nationals

Harper on his battle with Kershaw

September 03, 2014, 7:37am

LOS ANGELES - Over the last few weeks, Bryce Harper has looked more like the guy he expects to be and the world expects to see. After missing two months with a torn ligament in his thumb, the Nationals cautioned that Harper wouldn't return and be full-go right out of the gates. He needed a bit to get his timing back, to get his body back in gear and to regain strength in his hand. Looks like that process is coming along nicely. Over his last 23 games, Harper is batting .310/.352/.571. And over...

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Williams meets the media after Nats' 4-1 loss

September 02, 2014, 9:36pm

Nationals

Williams meets the media after Nats' 4-1 loss

LOS ANGELES - This just in: Clayton Kershaw is pretty good. Kershaw held the Nationals to just one run on three hits over eight stellar innings tonight, and his decision to go first-to-third on a single to center led to a key Dodgers rally in Los Angeles' 4-1 win. Bryce Harper provided the lone Nats run of the night with a solo shot to right-center, marking the first home run and the first RBI by a left-handed hitter off Kershaw all year. Unreal. Doug Fister gets the loss in his third straight...

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Williams updates LaRoche's back, discusses facing Kershaw

September 02, 2014, 5:50pm

Nationals

Williams updates LaRoche's back, discusses facing Kershaw

Adam LaRoche's back has landed him on the bench for the second time in seven games. After his bout with his back last week against the Phillies, LaRoche didn't miss a game, pinch-hitting in the one contest he didn't start, and then returning to the lineup the next five in a row before being removed from Monday's game in the seventh because of tightness. LaRoche is out again tonight against the Dodgers, as the Nationals take a cautious approach with the veteran first baseman. "His...

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Rachel Levitin: This year's Nats creating their own storylines

September 03, 2014, 5:20am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: This year's Nats creating their own storylines

When you've got a team like the Nationals, who started in 2005 and didn't really start getting good until 2012, team storylines tend to take on a life of their own. If a team isn't losing, that's one topic of conversation. If a team is so bad that there players are laughable, that's another. But throughout the Nats' time, they dug their way out of the gutter and become a feel-good story of sorts. In 2005, when Ryan Zimmerman was called up, he became a story. His prowess down the line,...

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Giving LaRoche more than the night off now a good call

September 02, 2014, 10:54am

Nationals

Giving LaRoche more than the night off now a good call

Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche was taken out of Monday's matchup against the Dodgers with a recurring back issue. LaRoche told reporters the back had been barking for a while. "It's been tight for a while," LaRoche said. "Last couple days, it's gotten tighter late in the game. In the fourth, fifth inning, it starts really tightening up from just standing around. I've had it before. I hope it's quick, a day or two. But again, you never know." It might be a good time to rest...

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Souza favorite to nab organization's Player of the Year honor

September 02, 2014, 7:56am

Nationals

Souza favorite to nab organization's Player of the Year honor

Outfielder Steven Souza Jr. has had a breakthrough season with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, earning Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year honors from the International League. The 25-year-old has played so well, he got his opportunity with the big club already a couple of times this season. Most recently, he was activated from the disabled list after a shoulder injury sustained Aug. 8. He is back with the big club through at least September. It has been a pretty quick rise for Souza. He...

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Some morning notes and quotes

September 01, 2014, 11:38pm

Nationals

LOS ANGELES - The division lead is back to seven games. Only 26 games remain on the Nationals' schedule. You can do the math. The Nats' magic number is now down to 19. When is it appropriate to start talking about what a division leader's magic number is? I asked a fellow reporter that question last night. He said when the magic number dips below 20. I say when the calendar has reached September. Both of those qualifications have now been met. Any combination of 19 Nats wins or Braves...

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Dave Nichols: What do the Nats do when - or if - Zimmerman returns?

September 02, 2014, 5:53am

Nationals

Dave Nichols: What do the Nats do when - or if - Zimmerman returns?

The Nationals have taken their lead in the National League East and run with it. At the start of play Tuesday, they enjoy a seven-game lead over the Atlanta Braves, who have been mired in mediocrity for weeks now - and were no-hit Monday afternoon by a group of Philadelphia Phillies pitchers. Additionally, with Monday's 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Nats have wrested the mantle of winningest team in the entire NL, owning one more victory than their hosts for the next two days. Of...

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Nationals with four homers, Gonzalez pitching well (Nats win 6-4)

September 01, 2014, 4:32pm

Nationals

If every batter could work the pitcher and force them to throw the pitch he wants like Jayson Werth does, the Nationals would average 10 runs a game. Facing a very feisty Roberto Hernandez in the series opener against the Dodgers, Werth worked him to seven pitches with two outs in the first inning. On Hernandez's 2-2 offering, Werth crushed the 92 mph sinker over the left-center field wall, his 16th homer of the season, and the Nationals led 1-0. But left-hander Gio Gonzalez could not hold...

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Williams on the homer barrage, LaRoche's back and more after 6-4 win

September 01, 2014, 8:18pm

Nationals

Williams on the homer barrage, LaRoche's back and more after 6-4 win

LOS ANGELES - The longball barrage continues. The Nationals pounded out four more homers tonight - this after hitting 40 home runs in August - and hung on to a shrinking lead late, taking the opener of a three-game series agains the Dodgers by a 6-4 final. Denard Span ripped two homers, giving him three in his last five games, and Jayson Werth and Asdrubal Cabrera also went yard, giving Gio Gonzalez a solid lead to work with. Gonzalez went six-plus innings, allowing three runs on three hits,...

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Williams on call-ups: "You have more bullets"

September 01, 2014, 3:35pm

Nationals

Williams on call-ups: "You have more bullets"

While the Nationals get set to take on the Dodgers for a three-game series in Los Angeles, Matt Williams will get used to a more crowded clubhouse. September is here, allowing for expanded rosters. To kick off the month, the Nats added six players: right-hander Aaron Barrett, left-hander Xavier Cedeno, catcher Sandy Leon, first baseman/outfielder Tyler Moore, outfielder Steven Souza Jr., and right-hander Blake Treinen. "That's the beauty of having all these guys in September," Williams...

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Nats add six players to active roster

September 01, 2014, 11:49am

Nationals

LOS ANGELES - The Nationals added six additional players to their roster prior to tonight's game against the Dodgers. The club is taking advantage of Major League Baseball's Sept. 1 40-man roster expansion. The Nats will add right-handers Aaron Barrett and Blake Treinen as well as left-hander Xavier Cedeno to the bullpen. Additionally, catcher Sandy Leon, first baseman/outfielder Tyler Moore and outfielder Steven Souza Jr. were added to the roster. Souza was activated from a rehab...

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Nationals continue West Coast swing in Los Angeles (with Dodgers lineup)

September 01, 2014, 1:06pm

Nationals

LOS ANGELES - September is here, meaning that rosters have expanded. The Nationals have taken advantage of the expansion already, calling up six players to join them here for the series opener vs. the Dodgers. The Nats are probably sad to see August go. They went 19-10 last month, outscoring opponents 135-95. Gio Gonzalez is on the mound tonight. In August, he pitched to a 2-3 record with a 3.77 ERA. For the Nats: CF Denard Span 3B Anthony Rendon RF Jayson Werth 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian...

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Williams and Harper on slugger's resurgence, plus more clubhouse chatter

August 31, 2014, 4:19pm

Nationals

Williams and Harper on slugger's resurgence, plus more clubhouse chatter

Two wins in three games against a Mariners team fighting for a spot in the postseason is nothing to sneeze at. Though the Nationals have largely had their way with the Mariners over the years, a series win in Seattle this season is significant. Losing pitcher Tanner Roark lamented one bad pitch to Dustin Ackley on Sunday afternoon: a meaty fastball that Ackley turned on for a three-run homer that helped the Mariners to a 5-3 victory and prevented a Nationals sweep at Safeco Field. The Nationals...

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Nationals add six players to expanded roster

September 01, 2014, 11:41am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today recalled right-hander Aaron Barrett, left-hander Xavier Cedeno, catcher Sandy Leon, first baseman/outfielder Tyler Moore and right-hander Blake Treinen from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Additionally, outfielder Steven Souza Jr. (left shoulder) was returned from rehab and reinstated to the active roster. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Barrett, 26, is 3-0 with a 3.21...

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Opposite dugout: Top two teams in NL meet as Dodgers welcome Nats

September 01, 2014, 4:22am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Top two teams in NL meet as Dodgers welcome Nats

Manager: Don Mattingly, fourth year Record: 77-60 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 1B Adrian Gonzalez (.279/.337/.465, 35 doubles, 19 HR, 91 RBIs); RF Yasiel Puig (.298/.384/.489, 33 doubles, 9 triples, 13 HR, 59 RBIs); OF Matt Kemp (.279/.345/.468, 31 doubles, 16 HR, 64 RBIs); LHP Clayton Kershaw (16-3, 1.73 ERA, 0.84 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats: 1-2, 10 runs scored, 10 runs allowed Pitching probables Sept. 1: Roberto Hernandez vs. Gio Gonzalez, 8 p.m., MASN2 HD Sept. 2: Clayton Kershaw vs....

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Marty Niland: Seattle slugfest shows Nats can beat anyone, anywhere

September 01, 2014, 5:17am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Seattle slugfest shows Nats can beat anyone, anywhere

The Nationals and their fans bid a reluctant farewell to Seattle after the team pounded a Mariners staff with the lowest ERA in baseball for 10 home runs over three days in pitcher-friendly Safeco Field. Manager Matt Williams told reporters before the series that it was not necessarily a measuring stick for a team that has struggled against top competition. Even so, it was a huge confidence-builder for the Nats, who can now head into the stretch run feeling that they are currently capable of...

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Harper goes yard for second time (Nats fall 5-3)

August 31, 2014, 1:05pm

Nationals

Harper goes yard for second time (Nats fall 5-3)

You can't say Bryce Harper doesn't take instruction well. At Safeco Field, there's an eatery on the second deck in right field called the Hit It Here Cafe. Guess where Harper deposited his ninth home run of the season in the second inning? The mammoth blast, measured at 418 feet by the Mariners, staked Tanner Roark and the Nationals to a 1-0 lead. It was a no-doubter off the bat; the only question was how far it was going to carry. It glanced off a Plexiglass window of the cafe, bouncing...

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Strasburg looks the part in win over Seattle

August 31, 2014, 6:38am

Nationals

Strasburg looks the part in win over Seattle

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg put together a start Friday night that reminded the Nationals why they made him their No. 1 overall selection in 2009. In a 3-1 series-clinching win over the Seattle Mariners, Strasburg came within one out of eight full innings, allowing six hits, one run, a solo homer, no walks and eight strikeouts. His 210 strikeouts this season are a new Nationals record, and it's only August 31. Gio Gonzalez tallied 207 strikeouts in 2012. Strasburg has thrown the 210...

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Jayson Werth: "I want to win another championship. I want another ring"

August 30, 2014, 11:41pm

Nationals

Jayson Werth: "I want to win another championship. I want another ring"

SEATTLE - Jayson Werth made the postseason with the Dodgers in 2004, four years in a row with the Phillies from 2007-2010, then again in 2012 with the Nationals. He made it to the National League Championship Series in 2010. He won an NL pennant in 2009. He got a World Series ring in 2008. No shortage of accomplishments there. Yet, here's what Werth said last night after the Nats increased their lead over the Braves to seven games with 28 games left in the regular season: "I think we got a...