Former adversaries, Fister and Span, team up to take it out on the Reds

Former adversaries, Fister and Span, team up to take it out on the Reds
If you ask Doug Fister, Denard Span was always a tough hitter to face. If you ask Span, Fister always got great movement on his pitches, which were incredibly deceptive to the hitter in the box. Unfortunately for the Reds, they had to face both of them Tuesday. The Nationals, led by Fister's seven strong innings and Span's 5-for-5 performance, cruised past Cincinnati 9-4. Fister went seven innings and allowed just six hits and two runs. He walked only one batter, and struck out five. Span...

Williams on Span's stellar performance, Fister's strong start in 9-4 win

Williams on Span's stellar performance, Fister's strong start in 9-4 win
Doug Fister didn't need much run support tonight. Denard Span helped make sure he had plenty anyway. Span went 5-for-5 tonight with two doubles, two runs scored, two RBIs and a stolen base, leading the offensive charge against Reds starter Johnny Cueto, who came in leading the majors in ERA among starters. Manager Matt Williams had been asked before the game whether he had given thought to moving Span out of the leadoff spot. Let's all have a laugh about that now. Fister took care of...

Reds go after first pitches against Fister, grab early lead (Nats win 9-4)

Reds go after first pitches against Fister, grab early lead (Nats win 9-4)
The Reds picked up where they left off on Tuesday against the Nationals. Fresh off a 4-3, 15-inning marathon win Monday night (Tuesday morning), Cincinnati scored a run in its first at-bat. With one out, Skip Schumaker went after the first offering from Nationals starter Doug Fister and laced the two-seam fastball for a double to left field. Brandon Phillips and Todd Frazier also went after the first pitch from Fister, both of which were two-seam fastballs. Phillips grounded out. But...

Williams updates Zimmerman's latest X-ray and LaRoche's on field progress

Williams updates Zimmerman's latest X-ray and LaRoche's on field progress
Manager Matt Williams had another update on third baseman Ryan Zimmerman's recovery from a right thumb fracture. Williams reported the latest X-ray showed the thumb was getting "better". "He is seeing the occupational therapist to get a splint that will allow him to start throwing a baseball a little bit," Williams said. "It is not really throwing, but it puts his thumb in a position where he can start working his arm which is good, which he needs to do. "I don't know if he will be...

Frandsen in left, Moore at first against Cueto

Frandsen in left, Moore at first against Cueto
Kevin Frandsen will play left field and Tyler Moore will be at first base for the Nationals in tonight's game against the Reds. Right-hander Doug Fister makes his Nationals Park debut tonight and gets a stern test in going up against Reds righty Johnny Cueto, who owns a 4-2 record and a 1.25 ERA. For the RedsCF Billy HamiltonRF Skip Schumaker2B Brandon Phillips1B Todd FrazierC Brayan PenaLF Chris HeiseySS Zack Cozart3B Ramon SantiagoRHP Johnny Cueto For the NationalsCF Denard Span3B Anthony...

Hearing from Strasburg, Detwiler, Storen, Rendon and Frandsen after marathon loss to Reds

Hearing from Strasburg, Detwiler, Storen, Rendon and Frandsen after marathon loss to Reds
Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg did not factor in the decision of Monday's 4-3 loss in 15 innings to the Reds. But Strasburg was able to go seven innings and allowed just two runs. "Felt pretty good, battled," Strasburg said. "Fastball was up a little bit tonight. Trying to keep it close." A key play in the game came in the seventh when the Nationals were able to get Billy Hamilton caught between third and home plate. Strasburg could see Hamilton leading off of third base. "I...

On last night and today

On last night and today
A 15-inning, nearly five-hour game that results in a loss might seem like it would sting more than your standard, nine-inning, three-hour defeat. You scratch and you claw for that long, use up so many relievers and expend that much energy, and don't come away with a victory, and it's bound to leave you that much more frustrated, right? Think again, according to the Nationals, who were on the losing end of a 4-3 ballgame that carried past midnight and into this morning. "Nah, you can't go...

Stuart Wallace: Examining the changes leading to Storen's resurgence

Stuart Wallace: Examining the changes leading to Storen's resurgence
It has been a superlative-laden start to 2014 for reliever Drew Storen - and a start that has also seen the righthander's performance at an all-time high. While the sample size is still small--15 1/3 innings pitched--the hot start has Storen amassing a 30.9 percent strikeout rate, 3.6 percent walk rate, 93 percent left on base percentage and a 2.10 fielding independent pitching, all of which surpass his current career bests in each statistic. It's this sort of lights-out pitching from Storen...

Williams discusses Nats' 15-inning loss

Williams discusses Nats' 15-inning loss
Fifteen innings. Four hours, 58 minutes. It took that long for the Nationals and Reds to decide the opener of a three-game series, and unfortunately for those who stuck around Nats Park or those who stayed up with us on MASN to watch this one, the road team ended up going home the victor. Todd Frazier's two-run homer in the top of the 15th off Ross Detwiler gave the Reds a 4-2 lead, and they hung on for a 4-3 victory. It was a tight, entertaining ballgame, but a tough one for the Nats to...

Strasburg and Leake control game early (Reds win 4-3 in 15)

Strasburg and Leake control game early (Reds win 4-3 in 15)
Monday's series opener paired a matchup of two of the top eight overall selections from the 2009 first-year player draft as the Reds arrived in D.C. to face the Nationals. Top overall selection Stephen Strasburg faced off against the eighth overall pick Mike Leake. Strasburg had to deal with a runner in scoring position in each of the first two innings, but escaped unscathed. In the first, Skip Schumaker doubled with one out. Strasburg was then able to retire Brandon Phillips and Devin...

Williams updates Zimmerman, LaRoche, Treinen

Williams updates Zimmerman, LaRoche, Treinen
Nationals manager Matt Williams said third baseman Ryan Zimmerman will have another x-ray today to check on his recovering right thumb fracture. Zimmerman, on the 15-day disabled list since April 13, has been seen shagging fly balls in the outfield the last few batting practices. "He also has been taking grounders in the infield too," Williams said. "We have to be very careful with him because it is a fracture. His natural tendency in the infield is to catch the ball with two hands. So in...

Dobbs gets first Nationals start

Dobbs gets first Nationals start
After getting 14 plate appearances as a pinch-hitter this season between the Marlins and Nationals, Greg Dobbs is in a starting lineup for the first time in 2014. The veteran utilityman will play first base for manager Matt Williams tonight. Dobbs has gone 2-for-14 this season, but singled up the middle on Friday in his first at-bat with the Nats. The Reds will send right-hander Mike Leake to the mound, while the Nats will go with Stephen Strasburg in the opener of this three-game set. For the...

Improved changeup a key to Storen's success

Improved changeup a key to Storen's success
In my on-field interview with Wilson Ramos after yesterday's Nationals win, I asked the Nationals catcher what's been the key to Drew Storen getting off to such a strong start to the 2014 season. Storen has a 1.26 ERA through 17 outings this year, and he's allowed just eight baserunners in his 14 1/3 innings, with 15 strikeouts. Ramos noted that Storen's changeup has been a big factor in his effectiveness, saying that Storen has been throwing the pitch much more than in the past, and that...

This is Stephen Strasburg: Nats ace stars in SportsCenter ad

This is Stephen Strasburg: Nats ace stars in SportsCenter ad
Even if you're not a hardcore sports fan, chances are pretty high that you've seen a "This is SportsCenter" ad because, frankly, they are hilarious. We have seen Rafael Nadal, Rickie Fowler, Rajon Rondo and other athlete make appearances in the spots. The latest star to make an appearance? The Nationals' Stephen Strasburg. We won't give the whole commercial away, but we'll let you know that it involves glazed turkey tenderloins. Watch it for yourself below!

Hide your Lean Cuisines from Stephen Strasburg

Hide your Lean Cuisines from Stephen Strasburg
Why should Bryce Harper have all the fun? ESPN today unveiled a new "This is SportsCenter" commercial featuring Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg. Like most of the network's spots, it has a humorous bent, placing usually stoic Strasburg in the ESPN cafeteria while anchor Bram Weinstein rifles through the refrigerator searching for his Lean Cuisine. What happened to Weinstein's glazed turkey tenderloins (words I never thought I would type when I got into this crazy business back in the...

Desmond's homer pulls Nats into 1-1 tie (Nats win 6-3)

Desmond's homer pulls Nats into 1-1 tie (Nats win 6-3)
Ian Desmond led off the bottom of the second inning with a homer to left, pulling the Nationals into a 1-1 tie with the Mets. Those early-season plate woes may finally be turning for the Nats shortstop. In his last seven games, Desmond is 8-for-23 (.348) with a triple, three homers and eight RBIs. That kind of punch comes in handy when you're missing the likes of Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche and Bryce Harper. The Mets took a 1-0 lead against Jordan Zimmermann in the top of the inning. Lucas...

Williams updates Gonzalez's injury and recaps Nats' 6-3 win

Williams updates Gonzalez's injury and recaps Nats' 6-3 win
The Nationals won a ballgame today and then got some good news on starter Gio Gonzalez. Gonzalez does not have any structural damage to his injured left shoulder, according to manager Matt Williams. An MRI taken today revealed that Gonzalez merely has inflammation in the shoulder, which will lead to Gonzalez needing some time to rest. The left-hander was placed on the 15-day disabled list earlier today. "He'll be shut down for four or five days," Williams said. "No throwing, no nothing....

Marty Niland: With rotation dinged again, Nats need quality starts - and good luck

Marty Niland: With rotation dinged again, Nats need quality starts - and good luck
Another week, another key injury for the Nationals. This time it's Gio Gonzalez, who landed on the disabled list of for the first time in his seven-year career after being knocked around for a second straight start. If you're keeping score at home, that makes eight members of the opening day roster who have been sidelined at some point this season, including two from the starting rotation. The prognosis for Gonzalez seems good, but there is still some cause for concern because once again, the...

Ramos' request to play on Sunday pays big dividends for Nats

Ramos' request to play on Sunday pays big dividends for Nats
You have to think Wilson Ramos was trying to make up for lost time on Sunday. Way back on opening day, March 31 in New York against the Mets, the Nationals catcher had only three at-bats before he was removed with a hand injury. That hand injury turned out to be a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. Ramos missed 32 games. On Sunday, in only his eighth game since returning from injury, Ramos had a big day at the plate against those very same Mets. Ramos had a two-run double in the third and...

Gonzalez headed to DL for first time in his career (updated after MRI)

Gonzalez headed to DL for first time in his career (updated after MRI)
Remember last night, when Matt Williams said there was nothing physically wrong with left-hander Gio Gonzalez, who sounded as if he was contradicting his manager by saying he just had to pitch through an unspecified issue? Well, chalk one up for Gonzalez, who this morning was placed on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his career. The problem: left shoulder inflammation. Since joining the Nats in 2012, Gonzalez's 35 victories are tied for the most in the majors by a southpaw with...