nationals

David Huzzard: For bench, no impact is better than negative impact

June 26, 2014, 5:47am

One of the reasons for the success of the 2012 Nationals was their bench, and one of the main reasons for the disappointment of the 2013 Nationals was their bench. As it stands right now, the 2014 Nats bench is directly in the middle. The combined contributions of Danny Espinosa, Kevin Frandsen, Tyler Moore, Zach Walters, Jose Lobaton, Scott Hairston, Nate McLouth, Sandy Leon and Greg Dobbs have been nothing and that is great. At a combined 0.0 fWAR the Washington Nationals bench has played...

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Wiliams recaps Nats' thrilling 4-2, 16-inning win

June 24, 2014, 10:51pm

Nationals

Wiliams recaps Nats' thrilling 4-2, 16-inning win

MILWAUKEE - That ballgame have enough for ya? Tremendous pitching, sparkling defensive plays, gutty efforts from guys on both ballclubs. It was one of those games you hate to see one team lose. Fortunately for the Nationals, they weren't that one team tonight. The Nats pulled out a 4-2, 16-inning win over the Brewers tonight, and they got contributions from throughout the roster. Anthony Rendon tied the game in the eighth with a solo homer to the opposite field. The bullpen worked 10...

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Williams recaps Nats' 6-4, 13-inning loss to Braves

June 20, 2014, 8:27pm

Nationals

Williams recaps Nats' 6-4, 13-inning loss to Braves

It sure felt like the Nationals were poised to put up another dramatic comeback win when Anthony Rendon ripped a game-tying, two-run homer off Craig Kimbrel in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Nationals Park crowd went nuts, the home dugout was filled with smiles and fist-pounds, and for the first time in this series, the Nats had momentum on their side. But that momentum wasn't able to turn into the game-winning run, and the Braves put up two runs against Jerry Blevins in the top of the...

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Strasburg looks to complete sweep in Milwaukee (Brewers win 9-2)

June 25, 2014, 10:33am

Nationals

Strasburg looks to complete sweep in Milwaukee (Brewers win 9-2)

The Nationals have recently done an excellent job of getting off to good starts on road trips against first place teams. Two weeks ago, after winning a series in San Diego, the Nationals took on a then 42-21 San Francisco team and won three straight games. This week, facing a 47-30 Milwaukee team, the Nationals won the first two games of the series and held the Brewers to two runs in those games. On Tuesday night, the Nationals won what felt like one of their more significant gut-check...

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Williams on roster move, Ramos, Harper, Saturday doubleheader

June 25, 2014, 9:58am

Nationals

Williams on roster move, Ramos, Harper, Saturday doubleheader

Coming off Tuesday's 16-inning win in Milwaukee, the Nationals certainly didn't have a quiet morning leading up to this afternoon's series finale at Miller Park. The Nats needed seven relievers to cover 10 innings in last night's victory, so a move to add an arm to the bullpen was a near-certainty. So Washington called up right-handed pitching prospect Taylor Hill from Triple-A Syracuse and designated reserve infielder Greg Dobbs for assignment. Manager Matt Williams discussed the...

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Nats call up Hill, designate Dobbs for assignment (plus two other moves, lineups)

June 25, 2014, 8:21am

Nationals

Nats call up Hill, designate Dobbs for assignment (plus two other moves, lineups)

MILWAUKEE - The Nationals have officially called up right-handed pitching prospect Taylor Hill from Triple-A Syracuse, and designated infielder Greg Dobbs for assignment to make room on the 40- and 25-man rosters. The Nats have 10 days to release, trade or outright Dobbs to the minors. Hill, 25, will be making his first appearance in the majors and will be available in relief today. On top of those two roster moves, the Nats reinstated utility man Jeff Kobernus from the 60-day disabled list...

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Taylor Hill on callup: "It's definitely a dream come true"

June 25, 2014, 8:56am

Nationals

Taylor Hill on callup: "It's definitely a dream come true"

Taylor Hill's breakthrough with Triple=A Syracuse and the Nationals' need for length in their bullpen following last night's 16-inning game has landed the 25-year-old in the major leagues for the first time. Hill is having a tremendous first full season at Triple-A, tying for the International League lead with a 1.92 ERA, leading the IL with 93 2/3 innings and ranking second with a 0.99 WHIP. Stingy, indeed. Now he finds himself in a Nationals uniform, filling a long-relief role. "It's...

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On last night and today

June 25, 2014, 6:29am

Nationals

MILWAUKEE - While still getting over the fact that we very nearly saw Adam LaRoche pitch last night ... What a ballgame that was at Miller Park last night and into this morning. In addition to some idiot sliding down Bernie Brewer's slide, we had 16 hard-fought, drama-filled innings between two division-leading clubs. The Nationals trailed 2-1 going to the eighth, but Anthony Rendon knotted things up with a solo shot to right-center, a homer that led to more than two more hours of...

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Nats grab early lead in Milwaukee (Zimmerman homers in 16th, Nats win 4-2)

June 24, 2014, 4:31pm

Nationals

Nats grab early lead in Milwaukee (Zimmerman homers in 16th, Nats win 4-2)

The Nationals wasted no time scoring against the Brewers' Yovani Gallardo. Denard Span singled to right field for the Nats' first hit of the night. With Anthony Rendon batting, Span stole his 13th bag of the season. Span then went to third on Rendon's single and scored on Jayson Werth's RBI groundout to give the Nats a 1-0 lead. Gallardo has allowed just two runs in his last 21 innings, struck out 20 and walked three. The Nats lineup made Gallardo throw 29 pitches in the first....

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Rachel Levitin: Examining which Nats are most deserving of All-Star nods

June 25, 2014, 5:42am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Examining which Nats are most deserving of All-Star nods

It's almost that time of year again, that time when fans get a say regarding who takes the field at a Midsummer Classic of sorts. It's almost time for the All-Star Game. This year's game will be hosted by the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis and voting runs through Thursday, July 3 at 11:59 p.m. It's always interesting to see who the Nationals get to send to the All-Star affair despite the fact that I've personally never gotten too into that particular exhibition...

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Harper "felt great" after three-run homer, Ramos drives in two for Potomac

June 24, 2014, 3:51pm

Nationals

Harper "felt great" after three-run homer, Ramos drives in two for Potomac

WOODBRIDGE, Va. - Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper slammed a three-run homer in his second game of the rehab process on Tuesday for Single-A Potomac Nationals. Harper went 2-for-3 with a single, homer, walk, scored a run and drove in four. In his final at-bat, facing Salem right-hander Kyle Kraus, Harper crushed a 3-1 pitch over the right center field fence for a three-run shot to give Potomac a 10-0 lead in the fifth inning. "It felt really good," Harper said. "Trying to go up there...

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Rotation, bullpen both working at an elite level

June 24, 2014, 12:01am

Nationals

Rotation, bullpen both working at an elite level

MILWAUKEE - After shutting out the Brewers - the team with the fourth-most runs scored in the major leagues - last night, the Nationals now have the top team ERA in the bigs. Through their first 75 games, the Nats have a 3.00 ERA as a team. And if you prefer more advanced metrics that determine the quality of a pitching staff, consider this: the Nats also rank first in the majors in overall team FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching). Their rotation has been fantastic, especially the last few...

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Zimmermann looks to keep rolling in Milwaukee

June 24, 2014, 12:22pm

Nationals

Zimmermann looks to keep rolling in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE - Jordan Zimmermann starts at Miller Park tonight with a chance to extend a run of tremendous starts. The Nationals right-hander has allowed three runs in 32 innings for a miniscule 0.84 ERA over his last four starts. He has struck out 27 and walked three while holding opponents to a .153 average and .383 OPS. Despite that, he's just 2-2 in those four starts. Zimmermann, an Auburndale, Wisc., native, matches up with perhaps the Brewers' hottest starter, Yovani Gallardo. The...

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Knorr and Williams on the 3-0 win and the skipper's ejection

June 23, 2014, 8:24pm

Nationals

Knorr and Williams on the 3-0 win and the skipper's ejection

MILWAUKEE - Reporters didn't just get to meet with manager Matt Williams after tonight's 3-0 Nationals win. We also got to meet with bench coach Randy Knorr, who took over the managerial duties in the bottom of the second inning after Williams' first career ejection as a big league skipper. Williams was tossed by home plate umpire Mark Wegner for arguing balls and strikes, leaving Knorr in charge the rest of the way. It didn't really matter much who was at the reins tonight, as Gio Gonzalez...

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Stuart Wallace: A whole lot of shaking going on

June 23, 2014, 7:34pm

Nationals

Stuart Wallace: A whole lot of shaking going on

To shake or not to shake was a uniting theme between the Nationals and the Atlanta Braves in their recent four-game series that pitted the National League East foes against one another in a fight for first place in the division. For the Nationals, the question was whether to shake off fastballs in favor of other pitches for Friday starter Stephen Strasburg - in particular, against Braves slugger Jason Heyward. For the Braves, it was a continued shakging off of catcher Evan Gattis' signs by...

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Williams gets first ejection of managerial career (Nats blank Brewers 3-0)

June 23, 2014, 4:46pm

Nationals

Williams gets first ejection of managerial career (Nats blank Brewers 3-0)

Matt Williams won't be around to watch the remainder of the Nationals' first game of a seven-game road trip. Between the top and bottom halves of the second inning, Williams was ejected after a prolonged and animated discussion with home plate umpire Mark Wegner over his interpretation of the strike zone in an inning during which the Nationals loaded the bases with none out - and still failed to score. The key point that Williams seemed to repeatedly make was that Wegner called a 3-2 pitch to...

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Nationals barely visible in All-Star voting

June 23, 2014, 4:51pm

Nationals

The Nationals may be in first place in the National League East, but they are not well-represented in the 2014 All-Star Game voting. Actually, they're barely represented at all. In the most recent All-Star balloting figures, Bryce Harper is the only Nationals player listsed among the top vote-getters. He sits in 15th place among NL outfielders, and has amassed 680,930 votes. Harper has missed nearly two months recovering from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb. Before his...

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Zimmerman feels good after taking grounders at third base

June 23, 2014, 3:04pm

Nationals

Zimmerman feels good after taking grounders at third base

Ryan Zimmerman was back at third base during pregame drills before the opener of a three-game series against the Brewers at Miller Park, and said he felt good after taking 15-20 ground balls at his former position. "This is the first time I've thrown in - I don't know, probably since I don't remember. ... It's been a while, just because there's been no reason," Zimmerman said. "But, yeah, it felt good. Everything went fine." Zimmerman said he would ramp up his activity at third base in...

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Harper has single, walk and run scored, Ramos three-run homer for Potomac

June 23, 2014, 4:08pm

Nationals

Harper has single, walk and run scored, Ramos three-run homer for Potomac

WOODBRIDGE, Va. - Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper played three innings in left field for the high Single-A Potomac Nationals in his first minor league rehab game as he recovers from a left thumb ligament injury. Wearing jersey No. 32, Harper went 1-for-1 with a single, a walk and a run scored. He came home on a three-run shot by catcher Wilson Ramos in a four-run third inning that gave the P-Nats a 4-1 lead over the Salem Red Sox. Ramos finished 3-for-4 with a single, double and three-run...

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Espinosa widens stance at plate to help improve batting numbers

June 23, 2014, 6:55am

Nationals

Espinosa widens stance at plate to help improve batting numbers

Second baseman Danny Espinosa has rebounded from a difficult month of May to have a positive month of June so far at the plate. In May, Espinosa struggled to a .125 batting average (10-for-80) before hitting .303 (20-for-66) so far this month. In April, he struck out only 20 times. In May, that ballooned to 37 whiffs. In June, he is back down to 25 with a handful of games to play. In the just-completed four-game series against the Braves, Espinosa connected for five base hits and was able to...