Ramos to approach latest return with caution

Ramos to approach latest return with caution
The third time's the charm. At least, that's what Wilson Ramos is hoping. After missing the team's last 14 games with a strained right hamstring - his second significant absence this season due to injury - the Nationals catcher was activated earlier today, and is ready to put a stop-and-start beginning to the 2014 season behind him. "Yeah, it feels good," Ramos said of his health. "Those games in the minor leagues helped me a lot to be here and healthy and those games helped me to see...

Ramos comes off DL, Leon optioned (with lineups)

Ramos comes off DL, Leon optioned (with lineups)
CHICAGO - As expected, catcher Wilson Ramos has been activated off the disabled list today, with catcher Sandy Leon being optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to make room for Ramos on the 25-man roster. Ramos, who missed the last 14 games with a strained right hamstring, played four games on a rehab assignment, split between Double-A Harrisburg and high Single-A Potomac. In those games, Ramos went 7-for-16 (.438) with a double, two homers and nine RBIs. In 24 games with the Nationals this season,...

Nationals activate Ramos from DL, option Leon to Triple-A Syracuse

Nationals activate Ramos from DL, option Leon to Triple-A Syracuse
The Washington Nationals today recalled from rehab and reinstated catcher Wilson Ramos from the 15-Day Disabled List and optioned catcher Sandy Leon to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Ramos, who rejoins the Nationals after missing 14 games with a strained right hamstring, completed a four-game rehab assignment this week with Double-A Harrisburg (two games) and Single-A Potomac...

Desmond on scrum with Gomez, Strasburg on struggles, Hill on debut

Desmond on scrum with Gomez, Strasburg on struggles, Hill on debut
Stephen Strasburg's struggles and Taylor Hill's major league debut in Wednesday's series-ending 9-2 loss to the Brewers were overshadowed by a few tense moments after the eighth inning. The eighth had ended on a double play where Milwaukee's Carlos Gomez, after being hit by a Hill pitch, slid hard into Kevin Frandsen at second trying to break it up. Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond didn't like the fact that Gomez issued a takeout slide in that situation, potentially hurting Frandsen late in...

Ramos set to return, Desmond defends his teammates

Ramos set to return, Desmond defends his teammates
CHICAGO - The reinforcements keep on coming. You could certainly claim that the Nationals haven't yet had their full roster in place this season. Doug Fister began the 2014 campaign on the disabled list, Wilson Ramos landed there after playing just seven innings in the season opener, and Ryan Zimmerman and Bryce Harper have also missed extended stretches. But the Nats are now slowly getting back toward full health, with Ramos set to return from the DL today after missing 15 days with a...

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

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

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

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...

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

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...

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

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...

Williams on roster move, Ramos, Harper, Saturday doubleheader

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...

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

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...

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

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...

On last night and today

On last night and today
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...

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

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....

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

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...

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

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...

Rotation, bullpen both working at an elite level

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...

Zimmermann looks to keep rolling in Milwaukee

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...

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

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...

Stuart Wallace: A whole lot of shaking going on

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...