nationals

Rachel Levitin: Baseball, rebirth and the natural rhythms of life

April 02, 2014, 5:29am

And so the marathon begins. The 162-game grind that die-hard baseball fans know all too well. Spring is here, too (for the most part), and the Nationals are back at it again. While it's easy to get bogged down in statistics and numbers from seasons past, I prefer looking at the game through a different lens. It's like Paul Dickson once wrote, "beyond the statistics, there are countless fascinating anthropological aspects of baseball." Those are the stories that spark my interest most and...

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Nationals Chatter: Recovery comparisons, Williams and Desmond profiles

April 01, 2014, 11:07am

Nationals

Happy new year, baseball fans! I know 2014 technically started in January, so I guess I should be more specific. Happy baseball new year! The Nationals kicked off the 2014 season in dramatic, extra-inning fashion on Monday. With the excitement of opening day, you may have missed some stories about the team from other media outlets. * Back in 2012 the Nats were in the midst of a division race with the Atlanta Braves. In early September, the team decided to shutdown ace Stephen Strasburg because...

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Ramos' bad injury luck continues, plus what may lie ahead

April 01, 2014, 8:01am

Nationals

Ramos' bad injury luck continues, plus what may lie ahead

NEW YORK - Back in the early stages of 2012, the Nationals were excited about what Wilson Ramos might be able to do in his second full big league season. Ramos played in just 25 games that year before suffering a devastating knee injury that left him with a torn ACL and meniscus. Entering 2013, after months and months of tireless rehab, Ramos felt the knee was stable and strong, and said he was excited to get back on a big league diamond again. The promising young catcher played in just six...

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Stuart Wallace: For Strasburg and Clippard, still work to be done

April 01, 2014, 9:52am

Nationals

Stuart Wallace: For Strasburg and Clippard, still work to be done

For a pair of Nationals pitching veterans, it was a season opener that would probably be better forgotten. Despite populating the win column, the performances of both Stephen Strasburg and Tyler Clippard, the anchors of the rotation and bullpen, respectively, left a lot to be desired. For Strasburg, the start of his 2014 regular season was a laborious one, highlighted by a 26-pitch first frame and a three-run homer by Mets outfielder Andrew Brown. Despite settling down as the game progressed,...

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Recapping a wild opening day in New York

April 01, 2014, 4:08am

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Recapping a wild opening day in New York

NEW YORK - Let's run through everything that happened yesterday at Citi Field, shall we? In Matt Williams' first game as a big league manager, he had his star left fielder, Bryce Harper, take a shin to the head in the second inning, leaving him lying flat on his back for a couple minutes as trainers tended to him. Williams had his cleanup hitter and catcher, Wilson Ramos, leave the game with a hand injury, the severity of which is not yet known. He saw his ace, Stephen Strasburg, give up...

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Espinosa's at-bat signal of renewed confidence at plate

April 01, 2014, 7:28am

Nationals

Espinosa's at-bat signal of renewed confidence at plate

It was not a start for Danny Espinosa, but his ninth-inning at-bat turned into a positive beginning for a veteran coming off a rough season. With the Nationals down 5-4, two out and Ian Desmond at first base, Espinosa strode to the plate to face Mets closer Bobby Parnell. Espinosa fought off several two-seam fastballs in an eight-pitch at-bat. "I am taking at-bats as they come. I got my name ... called," Espinosa said. "I was ready and I was prepared. I felt good going into that...

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Strasburg able to settle in after early homer, kept Nats in game

March 31, 2014, 2:44pm

Nationals

Strasburg able to settle in after early homer, kept Nats in game

NEW YORK -- Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg persevered in his opening day start against the Mets, battling back following an early three-run homer by Mets left fielder Andrew Brown. That battle to stay in the game and keep his team within striking distance became critical as the Nationals rallied to defeat the Mets 9-7 in a 10-inning seesaw affair. Even though the day didn't start off with a 1-2-3 first, Strasburg was able to stay focused and managed to go on a run of 10 consecutive outs...

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Aaron Barrett on getting the win in his major league debut: "That was unbelievable"

March 31, 2014, 2:50pm

Nationals

Aaron Barrett on getting the win in his major league debut: "That was unbelievable"

NEW YORK - Imagine you're making your major league debut. Your knees would be shaking and your heart would be in your throat if that debut was in July in front of 15,000 fans with your team 10 games out of first place, right? Now imagine that you're making your major league debut on opening day. In front of a sold out crowd of more than 42,000 people. In a tie game. In the bottom of the ninth. You want to talk about nerves? I'm not sure it gets much more intense than that for a big league...

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Harper escapes collision, LaRoche homers (Nationals win 9-7)

March 31, 2014, 9:11am

Nationals

NEW YORK - Bryce Harper appeared to be injured when he collided with Mets second baseman Eric Young Jr. in the second inning of Monday's opener, but the Nationals left fielder remained in the game. Harper drew a leadoff walk and was erased at second on a fielder's choice on Ian Desmond's grounder to David Wright. But a sliding Harper's head struck Young's knee and shin on the relay and Harper down on the field for a couple of minutes. Harper was attended to by the Nationals training staff...

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Matt Williams thrilled, relieved in first major league win

March 31, 2014, 2:25pm

Nationals

Matt Williams thrilled, relieved in first major league win

NEW YORK - Nationals skipper Matt Williams witnessed a season's worth of twists and turns in his first major league victory as manager, a 9-7 10-inning thriller over the Mets. "Yeah, how about that?" he said. "Lots of stuff. That is good, right in the thick of it, so that was fun." Williams leaned on his coaching staff when strategy points came up during the game. "We talked through everything," Williams said. "I have a stomach ache right now. which is probably pretty normal. Yeah, I...

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Williams updates Ramos, Harper injury news, Zimmerman's status

March 31, 2014, 2:05pm

Nationals

Williams updates Ramos, Harper injury news, Zimmerman's status

NEW YORK - Nationals manager Matt Williams updated the apparent hand injury suffered by catcher Wilson Ramos with somewhat promising news that preliminary X-rays at Citi Field came back negative. "He will see our hand specialist tomorrow," Williams said of Ramos. "There was a foul tip and he took a swing he didn't feel good on. We got him out of the game and took a picture of it." Williams said he feels for any player who gets injured, especially Ramos because of all the injuries the...

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Despite disappointing 2013, Nats a confident bunch entering a new season

March 31, 2014, 3:01am

Nationals

Despite disappointing 2013, Nats a confident bunch entering a new season

NEW YORK - The big day is finally here. Months of waiting, speculating about roster moves, sifting through minor league signings and watching players practice bunt plays - that's all behind us. Now we have actual, meaningful baseball. Hallelujah. This kind of feels like the first day of school, except not, because this is a little more fun. The Nationals open their 2014 season this afternoon (weather permitting) against the Mets, with Nats ace Stephen Strasburg squaring off against...

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Williams reflects on opening day as a player and now as a manager

March 31, 2014, 8:26am

Nationals

Williams reflects on opening day as a player and now as a manager

NEW YORK - Manager Matt Williams was the first to admit he was nervous and excited for opening day, his first as a major league manager and with the Nationals - so much so that he didn't sleep very well Sunday night. But he did appear relaxed in his red Nationals long-sleeve sweatshirt and athletic shorts, fresh-faced after completing a morning workout. How does day one feel now that it is here? "Good," Williams said from his office in the visiting clubhouse at Citi Field. "Nervous...

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The strategy behind the Nationals' opening day lineup

March 31, 2014, 8:16am

Nationals

NEW YORK - Nationals manager Matt Williams put out a somewhat surprising opening day lineup, placing Wilson Ramos in the cleanup spot with Denard Span, Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth at the top of the order, and Bryce Harper hitting behind Ramos in the five-hole. Williams believes Zimmerman can showcase his immense talent from the second spot in the order. "We look at our lineup and we say, 'How do we get to the best lineup?' " Williams said. "Zim has the ability to do a lot of things...

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Here's your Nats opening day lineup

March 31, 2014, 5:02am

Nationals

NEW YORK - Hello from Citi Field, everyone. There was snow falling from the sky when I left my hotel early this morning - how's that for opening day weather? - and the tarp is on the field, but the forecast looks OK for later on today. Manager Matt Williams has posted his first regular season lineup as a big league manager, and it's got a couple of interesting twists. Ryan Zimmerman will bat second today against Mets right-hander Dillon Gee, Wilson Ramos will hit cleanup and Bryce Harper...

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Williams, Ramos, LaRoche and Desmond on Ramos batting cleanup

March 31, 2014, 7:29am

Nationals

Williams, Ramos, LaRoche and Desmond on Ramos batting cleanup

NEW YORK - Nationals manager Matt Williams decided to make a big splash to begin the 2014 campaign with a surprise in his lineup. Catcher Wilson Ramos will hit in the cleanup spot on opening day today against the Mets. It is a rare start at the cleanup spot for Ramos, only the seventh of his career in the majors, which spans 238 games. But he has had a lot of experience in the fourth spot while playing in his native Venezuela. "I feel excited right now," Ramos said. "Not the first time....

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Marty Niland: Five reasons the Nationals offense should rebound in 2014

March 30, 2014, 1:48pm

Nationals

Oh, the burdens of Washington sports fans' high expectations. Where else can a team be considered a failure when it completes its second straight winning season after seven straight years of finishing .500 or below? But that's how we roll in the nation's capital, where 86-76 isn't good enough, especially after the retiring manager proclaims "World Series or bust." After the national media jumped on the bandwagon, those expectations seemed to drag down down the Washington Nationals'...

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Cool, calm, collected Strasburg ready for opening day start

March 30, 2014, 11:54am

Nationals

Cool, calm, collected Strasburg ready for opening day start

On the eve of another opening day start for the Nationals, you can see the difference in Stephen Strasburg. He appears more poised, more confident. He talks with an assuredness and calmness of a Tom Glavine or Mike Mussina. Strasburg has battled expectations, a major injury, a great season for the team when he had to be shut down, and then another season when the team and his play did not meet their early hopes. Now in his fifth year with the club, Strasburg's speech and demeanor...

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Nats ink Laffey to minor league deal, acquire Poveda from White Sox

March 30, 2014, 1:33pm

Nationals

Nats ink Laffey to minor league deal, acquire Poveda from White Sox

NEW YORK - The Nationals may have set their 25-man roster for opening day, but the club continues to tinker with its organizational depth chart. The Nats announced Sunday that veteran left-hander Aaron Laffey has been signed to a minor league deal. The 28-year-old native of Cumberland, Md., has a 25-29 record and 4.45 ERA in 153 career games (68 starts) with the Indians, Mariners, Yankees, Blue Jays and Mets. Last season, he worked to a 7.11 ERA in five major league games, and went 6-8 with a...

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LaRoche on his swing, his weight and his confidence entering 2014

March 30, 2014, 8:01am

Nationals

LaRoche on his swing, his weight and his confidence entering 2014

NEW YORK - Adam LaRoche's 2013 struggles have been well-documented. Struggles when it comes to his offensive performance. Struggles when it comes to keeping weight on his frame. The good news for both LaRoche and the Nationals is that on the eve of the 2014 season, the 34-year-old first baseman feels good. He feels good at the plate after a strong spring training. He feels good health-wise. And he feels ready to be a big part of what many people feel will be a strong offensive ball...