nationals

Harper, Rendon have ground to make up in NL All-Star balloting

May 28, 2014, 1:15pm

The first update on the National League All-Star voting was released on Wednesday, and two Nationals are in the running for starting gigs on July 15. As voted by fans, Nats second baseman Anthony Rendon and Nats outfielder Bryce Harper are both in the mix on the first ballot, but they have some ground to make up before being pinned as NL starters. Rendon sits in fourth place among NL second basemen with 183,600 votes. He trails the Phillies' Chase Utley (509,390 votes), the Dodgers' Dee...

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Span, LaRoche and Roark on the mastery of Darvish in 2-0 setback

June 01, 2014, 2:09pm

Nationals

Span, LaRoche and Roark on the mastery of Darvish in 2-0 setback

Nationals center fielder Denard Span went 2-for-4 against Rangers winning pitcher Yu Darvish Sunday. The rest of the team managed three hits. Texas ended up with the 2-0 shutout. Span believes Darvish's windup and delivery can mess up guys' rhythm in the box. "I think it just throws your timing off," Span said. "He has that long, dramatic leg kick. He pitches to both sides of the plate. He can throw the cutter back door, front door. Two-seamer same way. He has the devastating breaking...

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Williams recaps Nats' 2-0 loss

June 01, 2014, 1:38pm

Nationals

Tanner Roark was pretty darn good today. Yu Darvish was better. Roark allowed one run over seven strong innings, scattering seven hits. His lone blemish in the run column came on a Leonys Martin solo homer in the seventh. That was all Darvish needed. The Rangers ace was spectacular, striking out 12 over eight scoreless innings, helping Texas salvage the finale of this three-game set. Here's Nationals manager Matt Williams after the loss: On Darvish: "I saw him a couple times last year. He's...

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Marty Niland: Sub-.500 team can blame some notorious Nats killers

June 02, 2014, 4:54am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Sub-.500 team can blame some notorious Nats killers

Yu Darvish's performance on Sunday (five hits in eight innings with 12 strikeouts) certainly qualifies as one of the better games ever pitched against the Nationals, but this was also his first time facing them. Luckily for Washington fans, Darvish plays in the American League, so as Bob Carpenter might say, they'll "see Yu later" (most likely in three years). But over the past few weeks, some players who seem to make a regular living off the Nats have been up to their old tricks, turning a...

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Dual first-inning challenges go Nationals' way (Rangers win 2-0)

June 01, 2014, 9:54am

Nationals

The Nationals are seeking their first series sweep since April 30 at Houston, facing off against Yu Darvish and the Rangers on Sunday. Darvish has not pitched since May 22 at Detroit. He missed his last scheduled start against the Twins due to a stiff neck, but has gone at least seven innings in three consecutive starts. Washington's Tanner Roark is trying to break out of a two-game losing streak against the club that drafted him in 2008. The game started with some quick controversy on a pair...

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Zimmerman plays five innings in left field for Potomac, goes 1-for-3

June 01, 2014, 4:19am

Nationals

Zimmerman plays five innings in left field for Potomac, goes 1-for-3

WOODBRIDGE, Va. - Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman (right thumb fracture) went 1-for-3 with a single in his second rehab game for high Single-A Potomac Saturday night, playing for the first time in left field. He played five innings. There was a standing room only crowd of 7,000 at Pfitzner Stadium. "It felt good," Zimmerman said. "I think just getting my legs back under me and getting on the field and being in the pace of the game instead of DHing is always nice. So we will kind of...

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On Rendon's progression as a third baseman and how good he can be

May 31, 2014, 1:16pm

Nationals

On Rendon's progression as a third baseman and how good he can be

First of all, before I get into some notes on Anthony Rendon's defensive play at third base this season, I want to make sure to point out how much fun the Nationals Dream Gala was last night. The event itself - held this year at the new Marriott Marquis - was a great time, and all of the fans, viewers and readers that I had a chance to meet were so nice. I really did enjoy myself, and thank the Nationals for inviting me. Now on to some baseball talk. It might go slightly unnoticed because...

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Roark takes hill as Nats seek sweep of Rangers (updated)

June 01, 2014, 7:25am

Nationals

Roark takes hill as Nats seek sweep of Rangers (updated)

The Nationals have scored 19 runs in the first two games of their series against the Rangers and send right-hander Tanner Roark to the mound in search of an interleague sweep this afternoon. But it won't be easy. Texas ace Yu Darvish is 4-2 with a 2.35 ERA and brings so many pitches to the table that it took Nats manager Matt Williams about 30 seconds to list all all of them in a press conference yesterday. Of course, Roark is pretty solid, too. The 3-3 record and 3.47 ERA may look pretty...

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Williams on Fister's strong outing and another offensive explosion in 10-2 win

May 31, 2014, 12:12pm

Nationals

Williams on Fister's strong outing and another offensive explosion in 10-2 win

We've gone from a seven-game stretch where the Nationals scored just 19 total runs and left 64 runners on base to a two-game stretch where the Nats have put up 19 runs and seemingly everyone that reached base came around to score. Baseball is a funky game sometimes, isn't it? The Nats have moved past their offensive slide that lasted for a good portion of May by pounding the ball all around the ballpark in the first two games of this series against the Rangers, and today, they had five...

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Zimmerman heading to left field for P-Nats

May 31, 2014, 6:47am

Nationals

Zimmerman heading to left field for P-Nats

All the talk about Ryan Zimmerman playing left field is about to move from conjecture to reality. Nationals manager Matt Williams said this morning that Zimmerman's minor league rehabilitation assignment with high Single-A Potomac will continue this evening with the veteran scheduled to play in left field for five innings. The P-Nats host Salem at Pfitzner Stadium at 6:35 p.m. "The plan is he'll play five innings tonight on defense," Williams said."He had four at-bats last night DH-wise,...

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Rendon stakes Fister to 1-0 lead in first (Nats win 10-2)

May 31, 2014, 8:32am

Nationals

Rendon stakes Fister to 1-0 lead in first (Nats win 10-2)

Well, that didn't take long. But it could have been more. Anthony Rendon lined a 2-2 pitch from Nick Tepesch over the fence in left, giving the Nationals a 1-0 lead over the Rangers in the first inning. While the Nats will gladly take offense in any shape or form, it's frustrating that the blast could have given them a 2-0 edge. Denard Span drew a leadoff walk in the first, but drew immediate attention from Tepesch, who seemed determined to keep the speedster at first base. To the tune of...

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Zimmerman on return: "I think Tuesday is a realistic goal"

May 31, 2014, 4:30am

Nationals

Zimmerman on return: "I think Tuesday is a realistic goal"

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman (right thumb fracture) got his swings in a rehab game Friday night for the high Single-A Potomac Nationals in Woodbridge, Va. The P-Nats defeated Salem 5-4 in 10 innings. Zimmerman had a RBI sacrifice fly in the first inning, finishing 0-for-3 with the RBI. He was the designated hitter. Zimmerman told reporters at Pfitzner Stadium that he believes he will play there through the weekend and then be activated for Tuesday's game against the Phillies, barring...

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Strasburg, Desmond and McLouth on 9-2 victory over Rangers

May 30, 2014, 7:05pm

Nationals

Strasburg, Desmond and McLouth on 9-2 victory over Rangers

Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg notched his fourth win of the season with a nine-strikeout six-inning performance against the Rangers on Friday night in a 9-2 victory. It did not start off well for Strasburg, however. In the second, the Rangers scored two runs with two outs. Strasburg allowed three hits in the inning and committed a fielding error, leading to two unearned runs. "It was a good win for us," Strasburg said. "I ... had the little hiccup there in the second inning, but...

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Williams on Desmond's homer, Strasburg's outing, Espinosa's progress in 9-2 win

May 30, 2014, 6:51pm

Nationals

Williams on Desmond's homer, Strasburg's outing, Espinosa's progress in 9-2 win

After a seven-day stretch where not much went right for the Nationals, a lot went their way tonight. The Nats pounded out 15 hits and scored nine runs. Stephen Strasburg put an early fielding error and two unearned runs behind him and delivered six strong innings. Drew Storen and Blake Treinen combined to throw three scoreless frames. Tyler Moore had his first pinch-hit of the season. Wilson Ramos showed signs that he's continuing to heat up, as did Nate McLouth. The end result was a badly...

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Zimmerman starting rehab assignment with Potomac tonight (updated)

May 30, 2014, 11:32am

Nationals

Zimmerman starting rehab assignment with Potomac tonight (updated)

Looks like Ryan Zimmerman might be back with the Nationals within a matter of days. Zimmerman will start a rehab assignment with high Single-A Potomac tonight, the Nationals announced. Zimmerman will DH for the P-Nats and bat third. This comes two days after Zimmerman was put through a fairly strenuous workout at Nats Park in which he took live batting practice for the first time since landing on the disabled list with a fractured left thumb on April 13. Zimmerman also took ground balls at...

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Rangers get early lead thanks to Strasburg's bobble (Nationals win 9-2)

May 30, 2014, 3:42pm

Nationals

Friday marked the first visit to Nationals Park for the Texas Rangers since June 2008, when they won two out of three games against the Nationals. The last time the Nationals played in Arlington, Texas, was 2005. The three games in D.C. this season will be their only regular season meeting. Texas has won three of four in consecutive series against the Tigers and the Twins. The Nationals have lost six of their last seven games. The Rangers are 0-2 in interleague play on the road. The Rangers got...

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Williams on getting guys days off and the importance of the pinch-hitter

May 30, 2014, 3:10pm

Nationals

Williams on getting guys days off and the importance of the pinch-hitter

Nationals manager Matt Williams today offered some intriguing insight about how he puts together a lineup and how he decides who goes into pitch in the late innings. He said a lot of lineup decisions can be made by how the team is playing, especially when they are struggling. If they were on a winning streak, for instance, players like Ian Desmond or Jayson Werth might have already taken a day off or more. "It's communication with those guys and talking with them and saying, 'Hey, I am...

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Williams on Zimmerman rehab start, Harper and Gonzalez

May 30, 2014, 2:18pm

Nationals

Williams on Zimmerman rehab start, Harper and Gonzalez

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, on the 15-day disabled list with a right thumb fracture, went to high Single-A Potomac on Friday night for a rehab game. Manager Matt Williams said Zimmerman will be the designated hitter. "He has got to get some at-bats," Williams said. "He hasn't hit live. The field BP was great the other day. Did it again yesterday. Took some grounders at third yesterday. He took grounders at first the day before. Certainly been doing all the stuff in the outfield....

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After slow start, McLouth starting to settle in

May 30, 2014, 4:34am

Nationals

After slow start, McLouth starting to settle in

Browse the Nationals' individual offensive numbers this season, and it'll take you a bit to get to Nate McLouth's name. In pretty much any major category, go past Jayson Werth and Denard Span and Anthony Rendon. Keep skimming down the page past Wilson Ramos and the struggling Danny Espinosa. Eventually, you'll find McLouth, who sports a lowly .182 batting average and a .582 OPS on the season. But those numbers don't tell the whole story of how McLouth has performed over the season's first...

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Postponed game vs. Marlins to be played as part of doubleheader Sept. 26

May 29, 2014, 9:50am

Nationals

Postponed game vs. Marlins to be played as part of doubleheader Sept. 26

The Nationals announced today that Tuesday's postponed game against the Marlins has been rescheduled for Sept. 26. The game will be played at 1:05 p.m. as part of a split doubleheader. Fans with tickets to the originally scheduled game against Miami on May 27 may use their original tickets on Sept. 26 for the 1:05 p.m. game, or they can exchange them for any 2014 regular season "regular" or "value" game. Because of the postponement on Tuesday, the Nats and Marlins will now be playing...