nationals

Waiting on the bats to heat up

May 26, 2014, 2:54pm

You can choose to look at the Nationals' recent slump in one of two ways. No. 1: Of the Nats' last six losses, five have been by a single run, indicating that they're very much in these ballgames. No. 2: That the Nats have now dropped five of their last six contests, and it's largely because their offense has struggled mightily of late. I have a feeling most fans currently have the second mindset, given that the Nats have now dropped back below .500 and sit in third place in the...

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Zimmerman to take live BP Wednesday (updated)

May 27, 2014, 2:02pm

Nationals

Zimmerman to take live BP Wednesday (updated)

Ryan Zimmerman is continuing toward his return to the Nationals lineup after being placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right thumb fracture on April 13. While there's no clear timeframe yet, the third baseman has felt good and passed the hurdles so far in his progression, according to manager Matt Williams. "Tomorrow, we've set up some early batting practice for him on the field, so that's kind of his first day of really live BP," Williams said. "We'll see how that goes too. All...

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Frandsen at second base, Espinosa sits (with Marlins lineup)

May 27, 2014, 11:30am

Nationals

Frandsen at second base, Espinosa sits (with Marlins lineup)

For the second time in three days, Matt Williams' lineup has Kevin Frandsen playing second base, with Danny Espinosa on the bench. Frandsen gets the start today as the Nationals take on Marlins right-hander Henderson Alvarez. The switch-hitting Espinosa would typically be a better option against a righty starter, but Espinosa is now 0-for-his-last-13 with eight strikeouts and is hitting .123 with 34 strikeouts in 74 at-bats this month. Williams pinch-hit Frandsen for Espinosa in the ninth...

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Williams updates Zimmerman, Gonzalez and Harper recoveries

May 26, 2014, 7:57am

Nationals

Williams updates Zimmerman, Gonzalez and Harper recoveries

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is scheduled for another X-ray today to check the progress on his broken right thumb, according to manager Matt Williams. "Doc will take a look at (the X-ray)," Williams said. "Expectation is it will be good. Hopefully, he will get cleared to take baseball activity and get the splint off of there, starting taking some batting practice. ... Been throwing a little bit, he will throw out to 90 (feet) today. That would include grounders. "Then we will...

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Stuart Wallace: Retooling repertoire has returned Clippard to shutdown form

May 27, 2014, 5:37am

Nationals

Stuart Wallace: Retooling repertoire has returned Clippard to shutdown form

Tyler Clippard's start to the season was about as unceremonious and odious as they come: Through 6 2/3 innings over seven appearances through April 11, the typically steadfast Nationals reliever scuffled through two home runs, a blown save, a 5.40 ERA and a minus-1.18 RE24. This had many shaking their heads in disbelief, calling for his demotion or at least questioning whether four consecutive seasons of at least 70 innings of relief had finally caught up with the hurler. Victims to small...

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Marlins get early 3-0 lead against Roark (Nats fall 3-2)

May 26, 2014, 9:53am

Nationals

Marlins get early 3-0 lead against Roark (Nats fall 3-2)

The Nationals begin a nine-game home stand with a Memorial Day matinee against the division rival Miami Marlins, and are in the midst of a stretch of 15 of 19 at home. So far, they are just 4-6 in this stretch. The Marlins come into the series in second place in the National League East, three games back of the Braves. The Nationals, despite losing three of their last four games, are 3 1/2 games off the pace. But Miami has struggled on the road. The Marlins are 6-17 on the road, worst on the...

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Hearing from LaRoche, Roark and Ramos after 3-2 setback

May 26, 2014, 1:34pm

Nationals

Hearing from LaRoche, Roark and Ramos after 3-2 setback

Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche played his first home game since coming off the disabled list and delivered a two-run homer to cut the Marlins' lead to 3-2. But the Nationals were unable to get anything else going and settled for three hits, leaving four men on base. "Feels great to be back, no doubt," LaRoche said. "I had to sit there and watch for two weeks. Great to come back, frustrating game today. I felt we didn't give ourselves a ton of opportunities. Not sloppy. We didn't...

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Williams on another one-run loss and Zimmerman's rehab progress

May 26, 2014, 1:09pm

Nationals

Williams on another one-run loss and Zimmerman's rehab progress

The Nationals have lost five of their last six. Four of those losses have been by one run. It's not like they're getting blown out. They're just not getting the job done in tight ballgames as of late. This afternoon, it was a 3-2 loss to the Marlins that bumped the Nats back below .500 at 25-26. Adam LaRoche crushed a two-run homer into the second deck in right in his second game back off the disabled list and Tanner Roark allowed just three runs over seven strong innings, but the Nats...

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Williams says Espinosa looking to rein in aggressiveness at plate

May 26, 2014, 8:23am

Nationals

Williams says Espinosa looking to rein in aggressiveness at plate

Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa has had a difficult May at the plate and is working on adjusting his approach, manager Matt Williams said prior to Monday's series opener against the Marlins at Nationals Park. Espinosa has just four hits in his last 10 games, going 4-for-36 (.111) since May 11. In the month of May, Espinosa has just nine hits for a .127 batting average. He hit .291 in April and his overall batting average to date is now .212. He struck out 20 times in April, and has...

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Marlins-Nats lineups for series opener vs. Marlins

May 26, 2014, 6:48am

Nationals

Marlins-Nats lineups for series opener vs. Marlins

The Nationals hope to build off yesterday's win in Pittsburgh now that they're back home, and they'll send Tanner Roark to the mound in this afternoon's Memorial Day contest. The Nats welcome the Marlins to town, who are handing the ball to righty Nathan Eovaldi. For the MarlinsLF Christian Yelich2B Derek Dietrich RF Giancarlo Stanton 3B Casey McGehee 1B Garrett Jones C Jarrod Saltalamacchia CF Pablo Ozuna SS Adeiny Hechavarria RHP Nathan Eovaldi For the Nats CF Denard Span 3B Anthony...

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Rendon hopes run of walks are a positive step forward

May 25, 2014, 2:37pm

Nationals

Rendon hopes run of walks are a positive step forward

Anthony Rendon has drawn 17 walks this season, and eight of them have come in his past seven games. Though his batting average has dipped from .311 on May 1 to .258 after Sunday's 5-2 victory over the Pirates, the more frequent free passes are an encouraging sign for a hitter who was viewed as a walk machine in college and the minors. "I don't think he's being any more selective now than he has been in the last year-plus," said Nationals manager Matt Williams. "He's a good hitter. He...

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Nats grab quick 2-0 lead over Pirates (Nats win 5-2)

May 25, 2014, 9:52am

Nationals

Nats grab quick 2-0 lead over Pirates (Nats win 5-2)

Doug Fister will take the mound today with a 2-0 lead, after the Nationals picked up a couple of runs early against Pirates lefty Francisco Liriano. Not all of the offense was, well, a result of the Nats' bats, but for a team struggling to score runs, who's going to complain? Denard Span started things off with a leadoff double and Anthony Rendon worked a walk. After Jayson Werth struck out, the Nats got a break when Adam LaRoche hit what normally would have been a double play ball into the...

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Fister reluctantly plays role of stopper for Nats

May 25, 2014, 2:18pm

Nationals

Fister reluctantly plays role of stopper for Nats

The Nationals wanted to end a season-high four-game losing streak, and needed a good game from right-hander Doug Fister in order to accomplish that goal. But that doesn't make Fister the team's stopper. He said as much after working 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball as the Nats salvaged the final game of a four-game series in Pittsburgh with a 5-2 win over the Pirates on Sunday afternoon. "That's the mentality we come in every day with," said Fister, who allowed six hits, walked none and...

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LaRoche returns from DL, Walters optioned (plus lineups)

May 25, 2014, 6:40am

Nationals

LaRoche returns from DL, Walters optioned (plus lineups)

Adam LaRoche is back from the left quad injury that landed him on the 15-day disabled list, and he'll go right into the Nationals lineup in his customary spots at first base and fourth in the batting order. For a team that's dropped a season-high four straight games, an infusion of offense is a welcome development. To make room for LaRoche on the 25-man roster, infielder Zach Walters was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. The Nats will keep both Tyler Moore and Greg Dobbs, deciding their bench...

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LaRoche's return can provide calmness to struggling lineup

May 25, 2014, 4:17am

Nationals

LaRoche's return can provide calmness to struggling lineup

First baseman Adam LaRoche has been activated and returns to the Nationals lineup this afternoon for the series finale at Pittsburgh. Infielder Zach Walters was sent to Triple-A Syracuse in the corresponding move. With LaRoche back in the lineup, the bench gets better, with power hitter Tyler Moore now returning to a utility role. Maybe Moore's return to the bench will also help ignite the backup crew. But the bigger statement is that with LaRoche returning, the Nationals get a consistent bat,...

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Answering the most-asked questions

May 25, 2014, 8:55am

Nationals Orioles

Two months into the season, here are answers to your most-often asked questions for your Memorial Day weekend reading: Q: Are the Blue Jays for real in the American League East? A: Yes, especially in a division where every team has flaws for the first time in who knows how many years? There is no question the Blue Jays have enough hitting. They lead the AL in home runs and are in the top five in run production. The question is the pitching: R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle are fine, but can a...

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LaRoche activated from DL, Walters optioned to Triple-A

May 25, 2014, 8:41am

Nationals

LaRoche activated from DL, Walters optioned to Triple-A

The Washington Nationals today optioned infielder Zach Walters to Syracuse and recalled from rehab and reinstated first baseman Adam LaRoche from the 15-Day Disabled List. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. LaRoche returns to the active roster after being placed on the 15-Day Disabled List on May 11 (retroactive to May 10) with a right quad strain. Upon being relegated to the DL, LaRoche led all qualified Nationals in batting...

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A .500 record 48 games in

May 24, 2014, 7:10am

Nationals

PITTSBURGH - The Nationals are .500 for the first time all season. It's weird to type. I bet it's weird to read. Fourty-eight games in, the Nats are 24-24, having lost three in a row and four of five. They're currently 3 1/2 games back of the Braves in the National League East and in third in the division, although I really hate looking at the standings this early in the season. Where do things sit on the panic meter? Depends who you ask, I guess, Fans might be getting frustrated,...

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Nats turn to Strasburg to avoid falling below .500 (with lineups)

May 24, 2014, 10:49am

Nationals

Nats turn to Strasburg to avoid falling below .500 (with lineups)

There's something about the prospect of Stephen Strasburg facing the Pittsburgh Pirates that gets Nationals fans downright giddy. Who could forget the hard-throwing right-hander's uber-hyped major league debut on June 8, 2010, when Strasburg fanned 14 Pirates in front of a sellout "Strasmas" crowd at Nationals Park. Yep, that 14-strikeout performance in his first big league game still stands as Straburg's career high in strikeouts. Who better to turn to when you've lost three straight and...

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Span on the offensive struggles, Zimmermann on his outing

May 23, 2014, 7:43pm

Nationals

Span on the offensive struggles, Zimmermann on his outing

PITTSBURGH - There's no doubt the Nationals have hit a rough stretch from an offensive perspective. Denard Span has actually gotten hot of late, and he added two hits (including a double) today, but he addressed his team's overall struggles with runners in scoring position lately. "We could do better," Span said. "We definitely could do better with guys in scoring position. You look up at the scoreboard, the number of guys left on base is very high. So we could definitely do better. But...