Harper only Nats player in NL All-Star running

Harper only Nats player in NL All-Star running
It's a good thing All-Star voting continues until July 3. Why? The Nationals are barley visible in the most recently released All-Star balloting figures. In the most recent results, Bryce Harper is the only Nats player with a shot at being in the National League's starting All-Star lineup, and it's not looking promising. Harper sits in 15th place among NL outfielders with 314,860 votes, which is understandable considering he has only played in 22 games this season due to surgery to repair a...

On the current NL East layout, Zimmerman's probable return and Zimmermann's start

On the current NL East layout, Zimmerman's probable return and Zimmermann's start
The Nationals wake up this morning in fourth place in the National League East. That's a weird sentence to write. Sunday's loss to the Rangers combined with yesterday's off-day allowed the Mets (who have now won three in a row and seven of their last 10) to move percentage points above the Nats in the division. Still, the Nats, at 27-28 on the season and yet to hit their stride, are just 3 1/2 games back of the division-leading Braves. This lengthy homestand will end with three games...

Span steals another base, wants 30 for the season

Span steals another base, wants 30 for the season
One of the top reasons Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo had his eyes on center fielder Denard Span while he was with the Minnesota Twins was his ability to not only get on base, but while he was on base, steal some, and get in a spot where his team can get him home. Recently, Span has been able to take an extra base and force the defense to make a play. In the last series for the Nationals, Span scored from first base thanks to a bad throw to third base. On Sunday Span swiped his eighth...

Zimmerman reinstated from DL, playing left field tonight; Moore optioned (with lineups)

Zimmerman reinstated from DL, playing left field tonight; Moore optioned (with lineups)
After more than seven weeks on the disabled list, Ryan Zimmerman has been reinstated today, opening the door for him to return to the Nationals lineup and play left field for the first time in his major league career. Tyler Moore was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to make room for Zimmerman on the roster. Zimmerman hit .364 with a .405 on-base percentage and .636 slugging percentage in the first 10 games of the season, before fracturing his right thumb when diving back into second base during...

Nats reinstate Ryan Zimmerman from DL, option IF/OF Tyler Moore to Triple-A Syracuse

Nats reinstate Ryan Zimmerman from DL, option IF/OF Tyler Moore to Triple-A Syracuse
The Washington Nationals today returned from rehab and reinstated third baseman Ryan Zimmerman from the 15-Day Disabled List, and optioned infielder/outfielder Tyler Moore to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Zimmerman, 29, returns to the Nationals after missing 44 games due to a right thumb fracture, suffered April 12 at Atlanta. He rejoins the active roster after hitting .357...

Zimmerman could return tomorrow, Roark continuing to make a statement

Zimmerman could return tomorrow, Roark continuing to make a statement
In case you missed it yesterday, Ryan Zimmerman played his second straight game in left field for Single-A Potomac, going 2-for-4 and playing seven innings in left. He got three chances in the field and had the opportunity to get in some work as a baserunner and test out his legs, going first to third on a ball. He also got caught in a rundown between third and home and slid back into the bag head-first, which, of course, is the way that he fractured his thumb in the first place. Manager Matt...

Stuart Wallace: Fister's fielding continues to back his pitching approach

Stuart Wallace: Fister's fielding continues to back his pitching approach
As a pitcher not blessed with the high-octane fastball of some of his Nationals starting rotation cohorts, Doug Fister must do a lot of things, well, sometimes perfectly in order to succeed. Much of this success, which he appears to have finally found as a Washington National after a brief convalescence for a back injury, lies in his ability to locate his pitches on the corners and for these pitches to have movement, not so much in order to generate swings and misses, but to generate contact....

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

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

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

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...

Williams recaps Nats' 2-0 loss

Williams recaps Nats' 2-0 loss
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...

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

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...

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

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

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

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...

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

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...

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

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...

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

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...

Zimmerman heading to left field for P-Nats

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,...

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

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...

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

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...

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

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...