nationals

Nats take 3-0 lead in first over Pirates (Nats win 5-4)

August 15, 2014, 3:38pm

How's this for a statistic: The Nationals have scored 29 first-inning runs when Tanner Roark is on the mound. Adam LaRoche got the party started tonight, his RBI single scoring Asdrubal Cabrera to stake the Nats to a 1-0 lead. Denard Span led off the frame with a single, Cabrera walked and Span was thrown out trying to steal third before Anthony Rendon's single to right put runners at first and second. LaRoche followed with a single to center off Pirates righty Charlie Morton. Ian Desmond...

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Tonight's Pirates-Nationals lineups

August 15, 2014, 11:41am

Nationals

The Nationals will kick off their 10-game homestand tonight with a game against the Pirates. Right-hander Tanner Roark will face the Pirates' Charlie Morton. First baseman Adam LaRoche is 3-for-5 against Morton in his career with a home run and four RBIs. For the Pirates SS Josh Harrison RF Gregory Polanco C Russell Martin 2B Neil Walker CF Starling Marte LF Travis Snider 1B Ike Davis 3B Pedro Alvarez RHP Charlie Morton For the Nationals CF Denard Span 2B Asdrubal Cabrera 3B Anthony...

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Odds in their favor

August 15, 2014, 12:30am

Nationals

I'm not sure whether the following piece of information will please readers or make you guys want to slam down your laptop screens and run away. So I guess I'll issue a quick warning: if you're the superstitious type, if you're the type to get annoyed by some positive news about your baseball team's chances of making the postseason, you might want to stop reading now. Just take a little break from the blog. Go catch up on some world news or check out some home decor tips for a bit and...

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Opposite dugout: Pirates dealing well with injury woes to stay in NL Central race

August 15, 2014, 5:56am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Pirates dealing well with injury woes to stay in NL Central race

Manager: Clint Hurdle, fourth year Record: 64-57 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 2B Neil Walker (.277/.347/.456, 16 HR, 50 RBIs); UT Josh Harrison (.313/.351/.503, 25 doubles, 10 HR, 38 RBIs, 17 SB); RHP Edinson Volquez (10-7, 3.67 ERA, 1.27 WHIP); RHP Charlie Morton (5-11, 3.62 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats: 3-1, 12 runs scored, 11 runs allowed Pitching probables Aug. 15: Charlie Morton vs. Tanner Roark, 7 p.m., MASN HD Aug. 16: Jeff Locke vs. Gio Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN HD Aug. 17:...

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Nationals begin long homestand with two big road trips waiting at end of season

August 15, 2014, 6:13am

Nationals

It's not the only MLB rankings out there, but it's always interesting to see what others think of the Nationals. Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports has the Nationals at No. 5 on his latest team rankings. The first three teams are American League squads in Oakland, the L.A. Angels and the Orioles. The Dodgers are in fourth place. The next closest National League club is the Brewers at No. 7. * The Nationals looked like a machine this week in New York. Each game featured the power of the lineup...

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Williams, Strasburg on the Nationals' 4-1 win

August 14, 2014, 7:07pm

Nationals

Prior to Thursday night's game, Nationals manager Matt Williams was confident starter Stephen Strasburg was going to come out firing. It seemed like a reasonable, even predictable comment for a manger to make of his own starting pitcher. Yet with a meager 1-8 road record this season coming into tonight, Strasburg's success away from our nation's capital had been anything but a realistic notion. As it turns out, Strasburg backed his skipper in a big way and backed the Nationals in a 4-1 win...

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Nationals continue success against divisional foe

August 14, 2014, 7:26pm

Nationals

For all of the talk about how much the Nationals struggle against the Braves, it's the team's record against another divisional opponent that should be raising a few eyebrows. Following Thursday night's 4-1 win over the Mets, the Nationals hold a 10-2 advantage against New York in 2014, having outscored them 62-34. Sure, the Mets don't appear to have any hopes of playing in the postseason, while the Braves and Nationals fight atop the division, but with the regular season schedule pitting...

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Cabrera wasting no time turning heads with Nats

August 14, 2014, 2:52pm

Nationals

Cabrera wasting no time turning heads with Nats

It's been a whirlwind of changes for Nationals second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera. Not only has the infielder had to get used to playing for a new team, but for the first time in his eight-year career, he's in a new league. Oh by the way, he's learning a new primary position, too. All in a day's work. "It's hard when you switch leagues and you don't know the pitching," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "It's especially difficult when you're switching positions and going to the...

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LaRoche provides early spark (Nats win 4-1)

August 14, 2014, 4:02pm

Nationals

LaRoche provides early spark (Nats win 4-1)

The Nationals didn't waste any time in giving Stephen Strasburg room to work. After the newest National Asdrubal Cabrera drew a walk with one out in the first inning, Adam LaRoche blasted his 17th home of the season, a two-run shot that put the visiting team ahead 2-0. It's LaRoche's third first-inning home run of the season, tying him for the most in any single inning this year. In fact, the opening frame has been kind to LaRoche. In 53 at-bats, the righty has collected 14 RBIs and is...

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Span returns to lineup, Cabrera remains in two-hole

August 14, 2014, 11:40am

Nationals

Span returns to lineup, Cabrera remains in two-hole

NEW YORK - Denard Span is back in the starting lineup in his customary center field and leadoff roles as the Nationals go for a sweep of their three game series against the New York Mets at Citi Field. A night after hitting his first home run in a Washington uniform, second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera remains in the two-hole. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg will take the mound for the Nats, opposing the Mets' Dillon Gee. For the NationalsCF Denard Span2B Asdrubal Cabrera3B Anthony Rendon1B Adam...

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Storen comes up huge

August 14, 2014, 6:34am

Nationals

NEW YORK - One-run game, bottom of the seventh inning. Two Nationals errors have already been committed, allowing the Mets to load the bases with just one out. Game on the line. Momentum possibly starting to shift. Matt Williams comes out to get Jordan Zimmermann, who hadn't allowed an earned run through his 6 1/3 innings to that point. Drew Storen trots out of the Nats bullpen, handed a jam that couldn't be much tougher. Not that Storen seems to mind. "Those are the fun spots," Storen...

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David Huzzard: On Strasburg, Harper and expectations

August 14, 2014, 7:15am

Nationals

David Huzzard: On Strasburg, Harper and expectations

If there was a 25-year-old pitcher making just under $4 million with an ERA of 3.68 compared to the major league average of 3.87 and who couldn't be a free agent until after the 2016 season, this would be a pitcher you'd want on your team. On the other hand, mention the name of Stephen Strasburg attached to those stats and you get a much different response. The expectations are higher. You'll hear how first overall picks are supposed to be better, and anything less than a Cy Young is a...

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Hearing from Williams, Zimmerman, Frandsen and Cabrera after Nats' 3-2 win

August 13, 2014, 7:05pm

Nationals

Hearing from Williams, Zimmerman, Frandsen and Cabrera after Nats' 3-2 win

NEW YORK - It certainly wasn't pretty. The Nationals made three errors and needed to work their way out of bases-loaded, one-out jams in both the seventh and ninth innings. Yet they still managed to come away with a tight 3-2 win over the Mets, securing a series win and giving themselves a shot at a sweep tomorrow night. Asdrubal Cabrera hit a much-needed solo homer in the top of the eighth to give the Nats a 3-1 lead and made a tremendous catch that left him tumbling over the fence down the...

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Taylor leading off, playing center field with Span getting day off

August 13, 2014, 11:37am

Nationals

Taylor leading off, playing center field with Span getting day off

NEW YORK - After starting every Nationals game for 1 1/2 months, Denard Span is not in tonight's lineup at Citi Field. Instead, rookie Michael A. Taylor is leading off and starting in center field, one night removed from a memorable major league debut where he had his first two hits, including a two-run homer. Span had started each game since getting the second contest off during the Nats' June 28 doubleheader against the Cubs. In starting the 36 games since, he batting .377/.442/.438 with...

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Werth gets cortisone injection, Span gets a day off

August 13, 2014, 1:51pm

Nationals

Werth gets cortisone injection, Span gets a day off

Nationals right fielder Jayson Werth will miss at least a couple of days after receiving a cortisone injection this morning in his right shoulder to relieve inflammation in his sprained AC joint. Manager Matt Williams hopes the preventative treatment will "calm it down," allowing Werth to return to the lineup in short order. "He had an MRI last night, and all of that checked out really well," Williams said during his pregame meeting with reporters at New York's Citi Field. "But he's got...

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Nats, Mets locked in scoreless tie (Nats win 3-2)

August 13, 2014, 3:52pm

Nationals

Nats, Mets locked in scoreless tie (Nats win 3-2)

We're three innings deep, and there's no score at Citi Field. Washington's Jordan Zimmermann and New York's Bartolo Colon are putting up zeros all around. The Nationals had a threat brewing in the top of the third when Wilson Ramos doubled and Kevin Farndsen singled, putting runners on the corners with no one out. But Zimmermann and Michael A. Taylor struck out and Asdrubal Cabrera grounded out to short to end the rally. Heading to the fourth, it's 0-0. Update: Kevin Frandsen dropped a fly...

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Leftovers from last night

August 13, 2014, 6:37am

Nationals

NEW YORK - After last night's game, Mets manager Terry Collins provided what I thought was an incredibly accurate description of how Doug Fister goes about his business. "Doug throws what he wants, when he wants, where he wants," Collins told reporters. Yeah, that pretty much hits the nail on the head. And it's quite a compliment, if you ask me. Fister is now 12-3 on the season. In his last four outings, he's thrown at least seven innings without allowing an earned run three times....

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Williams, Taylor and Harper on Taylor's big debut and Nats' 7-1 win

August 12, 2014, 7:31pm

Nationals

Williams, Taylor and Harper on Taylor's big debut and Nats' 7-1 win

NEW YORK - Michael A. Taylor collected his first major league hit in his major league debut. He also ripped his first home run. And it all came in a 7-1 win. Decent little night. Taylor, called up from minors on Sunday, got his first taste of big league ball tonight with Jayson Werth sidelined with a shoulder injury, and the 23-year-old provided one of four Nationals home runs. Bryce Harper and Ian Desmond also delivered two-run shots, and Anthony Rendon added a solo homer, as the Nats cruised...

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Rachel Levitin: How about Doug Fister, right?

August 13, 2014, 5:04am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: How about Doug Fister, right?

How about Doug Fister, right?!? Despite a delayed start to the 2014 season due to a strained lat muscle, the right-handed starting pitcher has made his mark on the National League. Fister made his major league debut in 2009 with the Seattle Mariners and became a solid back-of-the-rotation guy. Since then, Fister has made his mark on three variations of Tigers playoff teams before coming to Washington in exchange for Steve Lombardozzi, Ian Krol and Robbie Ray in December 2013. And while this...

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Werth sees doctor, Nats trying to schedule MRI on right shoulder (update)

August 12, 2014, 2:03pm

Nationals

Werth sees doctor, Nats trying to schedule MRI on right shoulder (update)

Right fielder Jayson Werth departed the Nationals clubhouse at Citi Field this afternoon to have his sore right shoulder checked out by a physician. The Nationals are trying to schedule an MRI to determine the severity of the inflammation in the AC joint and to make sure there's nothing further wrong with the shoulder. "We're just going to get him checked by the doc," manager Matt Williams told reporters during his pregame briefing. "He was OK the other day, playing that last game in...