MIAMI - Despite being removed from the game in the seventh inning of tonight's 9-2 Nationals win, Bryce Harper says he's fine, and some minor quad tightness that he's been feeling lately won't keep him out of tomorrow's lineup.
"I just fell," Harper said of the play when he dropped to the infield dirt when trying to move from second to third in the seventh inning. "Tripped on my foot. Nothing with my hamstring or my quad or anything like that. Tripped over my ankle and just ran...
Charles "Lefty" Driesell, Johnny Holliday, Olaf "Olie" Kolzig, Ted Lerner, George Solomon, Michael Weiss and Chris Weller will be awarded the prestigious honor before April 27 Nationals-Padres Game
Seven new members of the Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame will be honored during pregame festivities prior to the Washington Nationals series finale against the San Diego Padres on Sunday, April 27 at Nationals Park. This year, the renowned sports club will enshrine the following inductees:
*...
It has been a rough start to the season for sinkerballer Taylor Jordan. An ERA a little under 5.00, a FIP a little under 4.00 and a hike in walks/nine innings (3.18 compared to 1.92 in 2013) all point to the 11-plus innings pitched so far not being kind to the young righty after an encouraging spring training that solidified his standing as the Nationals' No. 5 starter.
While this tiny selection of numbers is troublesome, there is one other set of numbers that are more concerning for the...
Apparently, there's nothing like the Miami Marlins to bring a team out of its offensive woes.
Going to the bottom of the third in Little Havana, the Nationals have a 5-1 lead, with right-hander Jordan Zimmermann on the mound. Zimmermann has given up a run on three hits and struck out three over two frames.
In the first inning, it was Washington's extra-base power on display. Jayson Werth doubled off the top of the wall in left-center and then scored easily when Bryce Harper tripled.
Tyler...
Injured right-hander Doug Fister, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a right lat strain, threw a 50-pitch bullpen in Miami this afternoon. If he feels good tomorrow, the Nationals will work a simulated game into his upcoming rehabilitation schedule.
"Fifty pitches, and he was a little winded, he told me afterward, but physically he was good," manager Matt Williams said. "Everything felt good. He's progressing. It's a very good sign for him to go through that today and have no...
MIAMI - Adam LaRoche is out of the Nationals starting lineup for the first time this season, as the Nats face off against Marlins left-hander Brad Hand tonight.
The right-handed-hitting Tyler Moore will get the start at first base in LaRoche's stead.
The red-hot Kevin Frandsen will bat second for the Nats tonight. Frandsen is 7-for-15 with two walks to begin the season.
Bryce Harper will again play center field with Denard Span on the seven-day concussion disabled list. Frandsen will play...
Before this season, Kevin Frandsen had trotted to the outfield only 14 times in 398 career games. Now, with the Nationals thin in the outfield because of injuries that sent Denard Span (concussion) and Scott Hairston (oblique strain) to the DL, and with Nate McLouth nursing a sore left knee, Frandsen is quickly becoming reacquainted with warning tracks, walls and tricky bounces in opposing ballparks.
Tonight marks the veteran's third straight start in left field, but to hear Frandsen tell it,...
MIAMI - I swear the Nationals will play teams other than the Braves and Marlins this season.
It might not seem that way, given the schedule of late, but you'll have to trust me on this.
The Nats open a three-game set in Miami tonight, a series that will cap off 12 straight games against the Braves and Marlins and 15 straight games against division opponents to begin the season.
Given the way things went in Atlanta over the weekend, the Nats might be pretty pleased that they won't be seeing...
The Academy Award-winning film "The Lost Weekend" details an alcoholic's troubles in giving up his bad habits during an especially rough weekend.
Sound familiar, Nationals fans?
There will be plenty of time to reflect on the Nats' lost weekend in Atlanta. The injuries, the errors, the baserunning mistakes and all their other failures in their sweep at the hands of the Braves will no doubt be analyzed ad nauseum in the coming days.
Where we choose to begin today, however, is the part of the...
Bryce Harper can't explain why the Nationals struggle against the Braves, nor is the slugging outfielder really concerned with Atlanta's early-season dominance. Going 1-5 against one club during the first two weeks of the regular season isn't any reason to panic, Harper said after the Nats were shellacked 10-2 at Turner Field on Sunday, with the Braves finishing off a weekend sweep.
"It sucks coming here to lose," Harper said. "Nobody wants to lose. But like I said, it's part of the...
Through a quirk in the schedule, the Nationals won't play the Braves again until June 19, when Atlanta comes to D.C. for a four-game series. Washington doesn't return to Turner Field until Aug. 8.
After being swept this weekend by the homestanding Braves, it's a good bet manager Matt Williams won't be critical of the schedule-maker. Maybe by the time they next face one another, the Nationals will be healthier, playing better defense and will have figured out a way to beat the Braves.
By...
It didn't take long for the Braves to get to Gio Gonzalez. Atlanta took a 3-0 lead over the Nationals in the first inning.
Gonzalez issued a leadoff walk to Jason Heyward, and then threw away a bunt attempt by B.J. Upton, placing runners at second and third with no outs. Freddie Freeman followed with a sac fly and Justin Upton homered to center for a 3-0 lead. Andrelton Simmons then tripled, but was stranded at third.
In the second, Tyler Pastornicky tripled into the right field corner and...
ATLANTA - Ryan Zimmerman was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Nationals this morning with a broken right thumb and is expected to be out for four to six weeks. While the Nats will miss their slugging third baseman, they'll at least get right fielder Jayson Werth back in the starting lineup this afternoon for the 1:35 p.m. series finale against the Braves.
Werth tweaked his groin in Friday's loss to the Braves, and was out of yesterday's starting lineup, though he pinch-hit.
To take...
So much for Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman's sizzling April at the plate.
Zimmerman, who was hitting .364 with two home runs and six RBIs in his first 10 games, will be lost for four to six weeks with a fractured right thumb. He suffered the injury Saturday night, diving back to second base on a pickoff throw where he was tagged out by Atlanta shortstop Andrelton Simmons.
"I probably have more hits this April than I've had my whole career," Zimmerman said Sunday morning after being...
While fans may lament the Nationals' early-season injury problems, general manager Mike Rizzo thinks having multiple key players on the disabled list gives his team a chance to show the depth it added in the offseason.
Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman (broken right thumb) today joined outfielders Denard Span (concussion) and Scott Hairston (left oblique strain), pitcher Doug Fister (lat strain) and catcher Wilson Ramos (broken hamate bone) on the DL.
"We feel as good as we can be with the glut of...
ATLANTA - If you're getting frustrated by the new instant replay system in Major League Baseball, it might make you feel slightly better to know that you're not the only one.
The frustration extends to the Nationals clubhouse, especially after last night's 6-3 loss to the Braves, when the Nats felt they had challenged a call that would be overturned, only to see the umpires stick with the ruling on the field.
In the top of the third inning, with a runner on first and the Nats trailing 4-1,...
ATLANTA - Add Ryan Zimmerman to the list of injured Nationals.
Zimmerman fractured his right thumb in tonight's 6-3 loss to the Braves, an injury that will knock the Nationals' third baseman out for four to six weeks, according to manager Matt Williams.
"It is what it is. Nobody's going to feel sorry for us," Williams said. "Gotta play."
Zimmerman injured the thumb while trying to dive back into second base on a pickoff attempt in the fifth inning. Braves starter Alex Wood's throw...
The Washington Nationals today selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Blake Treinen from Triple-A Syracuse and optioned right-handed reliever Aaron Barrett there. Additionally, the team recalled outfielder Steven Souza Jr. and placed outfielder Denard Span on the 7-day Disabled List with a concussion. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.
Treinen, 25, made one start for Triple-A this season (April 7 vs. Pawtucket), tossing five...
The Washington Nationals today recalled infielder Zach Walters from Triple-A Syracuse and placed third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-day Disabled List with a right thumb fracture. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
Walters has worked to a .290 batting average in nine games for Triple-A Syracuse this season, with a .303 on-base percentage and .452 slugging percentage. He's clubbed three doubles and a triple, and driven in three...
ATLANTA - The Nationals dropped another one to the Braves tonight, a 6-3 defeat, marking the fourth loss in five tries against Atlanta for Matt Williams' club this season.
Here are some postgame reactions from the clubhouse on the defeat, the Nats going 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position, Ryan Zimmerman's injury and the string of loses to the Braves:
Anthony Rendon
On Ryan Zimmerman's injury: "Terrible. I know how he feels. Luckily it wasn't 4-6 months. I've been through that....