nationals

Williams discusses lack of offense after Nats' 12-inning loss

April 24, 2014, 8:08pm

The Nationals sure gave themselves chances. They notched 16 hits, walked twice, and had two stolen bases. The opportunities were there, but the knocks in big situations weren't. The Nats went 0-for-16 with runners in scoring position in tonight's 4-3 loss to the Padres, and left 14 men on base. Jordan Zimmermann went six solid innings and the bullpen was impressive, but the Nats dropped the opener of this four-game set with San Diego. Here's manager Matt Williams after the loss: On if...

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Nationals get aggressive to go up on Padres in third (San Diego wins 4-3 in 12)

April 24, 2014, 3:47pm

Nationals

The Nationals got on the board in the third inning against Padres lefty Eric Stults. Pitcher Jordan Zimmermann got it started with a single past diving shortstop Everth Cabrera and into left field. Denard Span reached on a fielder's choice, erasing Zimmermann at second. Span then stole second and Stults' pickoff throw sailed past the first baseman, allowing Span to go to third. He scored on a towering fly ball to left field off the bat of Anthony Rendon and the Nationals led 1-0. Zimmermann...

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Padres-Nats lineups for series opener

April 24, 2014, 11:17am

Nationals

The Nationals kick off a four-game set with the San Diego Padres tonight, a team that has a really solid pitching staff but also really struggles to score. San Diego has the fourth-best ERA in the majors at 2.82 and owns the majors' best bullpen (San Diego relievers have posted a stellar 1.74 ERA). The Padres have scored just 60 runs in 22 games, however, and come into the series having scored three runs or fewer in seven straight games. Jordan Zimmermann gets the ball for the Nats tonight,...

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Lobaton working on keeping swing short

April 24, 2014, 2:38pm

Nationals

Nationals catcher Jose Lobaton began Wednesday's ninth-inning rally against the Angels with his first home run of the season, a no-doubter down the right field line and into the Nationals bullpen, cutting the Angels lead to 4-2. The Nationals were able to score three more runs and come back to win 5-4. Lobaton connected on a 0-2 count after starting the night 0-for-3 at the plate. He said more time with Nationals hitting coach Rick Schu helped him to make an important adjustment in his...

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Williams updates Gonzalez, Fister and Hairston

April 24, 2014, 1:07pm

Nationals

Williams updates Gonzalez, Fister and Hairston

Nationals manager Matt Williams updated the recovery of starting right-hander Doug Fister, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a right lat strain. Williams said Fister threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session Thursday and "felt good." This means that Fister is on track to make a rehab start Sunday for high Single-A Potomac on Sunday in Woodbridge, Va. The plan is for Fister to go four innings with a 60-pitch limit. Fister would then have one more rehab start and go five innings. All of these...

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Williams discusses Nats' 5-4 walk-off win, Gonzalez's health

April 23, 2014, 7:30pm

Nationals

Williams discusses Nats' 5-4 walk-off win, Gonzalez's health

Two walk-off wins in four days. I bet Matt Williams would like the victories to come a little easier, but he'll take them any way he can get 'em. The Nationals rallied from a 4-1 ninth-inning deficit with four runs in the bottom half of the ninth, picking up a big comeback win and salvaging a game in this three-game set with the Angels. Jose Lobaton led off the ninth with a solo homer, Jayson Werth knotted the score with a two-run double on a 3-0 count and Adam LaRoche then won it with a...

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Looking back on a wild ballgame

April 24, 2014, 5:51am

Nationals

What a weird game baseball can be. Tuesday night, the Nationals dropped their second straight ballgame to the Angels, this one by a 7-2 score. They were back to just one game over .500 through the season's first three weeks and were a win away from being swept. The defense wasn't pretty and hits with runners in scoring position had been largely absent on the homestand. Then, last night the Nats saw the Angels grab control of the game in the late innings. The Nats offense went quiet. Gio...

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Werth and LaRoche recount Nationals' wild ninth-inning rally against Angels

April 23, 2014, 7:27pm

Nationals

Something about these Nationals, they know how to mount a comeback. A lot has not gone their way this season, from injuries to sloppy defense to inconsistent early innings for the pitchers. But Wednesday reminded baseball that this team never stops fighting. Down 4-1 heading into their last at-bat, the Nationals rallied for four runs and shocked the Angels 5-4. The inning got its start as catcher Jose Lobaton connected off of Angels reliever Ernesto Frieri on an 0-2 pitch, slamming a long drive...

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David Huzzard: Tracking the Nationals and their trends

April 24, 2014, 4:56am

Nationals

There are times that I forget that baseball is about the journey and not the destination, but I become so focused on the destination, the unknown future, that I get frustrated when it isn't reached. These Nationals are predicted to win a World Series at some point. The ultimate potential of players like Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg is too great for them not to be a winning team for the foreseeable future, or at least that is what the experts say. So far with those two players together,...

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A handful of morning observations

April 22, 2014, 10:14pm

Nationals

Through the first 21 games of the season, the Nationals have been outscored 44-12 in the first two innings of ballgames. They've allowed at least three runs in the first inning six times. They've allowed at least three runs in the second inning five times. All of that in just 21 games. Tough to come back from those type of early deficits. Now, as we've discussed, the Nats have shown a propensity for battling back late in ballgames. They don't give up, and they scrap. That's all good...

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Gonzalez's bat gives Nats first run against Angels (Nats rally to win 5-4)

April 23, 2014, 3:48pm

Nationals

Gonzalez's bat gives Nats first run against Angels (Nats rally to win 5-4)

Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez got himself out of a pair of jams early and then contributed with his bat to get his team the early advantage. In the first inning with one away, the Angels got a double from Mike Trout and a single from Albert Pujols. Howie Kendrick walked to load the bases. Gonzalez then got Erick Aybar to ground into an inning-ending double play. Ian Desmond caught Aybar's short blooper and then threw back to second base to double up Pujols. In the second frame, the Angels...

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Pujols and Nationals react to historic 500th home run

April 22, 2014, 7:15pm

Nationals

Angels first baseman Albert Pujols crushed a pair of home runs to reach 500 for his career in a 7-2 win over the Nationals on Tuesday night. Pujols hit both home runs off Nationals starter Taylor Jordan. "It was a really good swing, a fastball middle up and obviously, probably the best swing I have taken this year so far," Pujols said. "It came at a good time." Although Jordan thought his pitch on Pujols' 499th home run was a good one, he admitted that he missed his target on Pujols'...

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Nationals Chatter: Harper, Harper, Harper and power rankings

April 22, 2014, 12:59pm

Nationals

Bryce Harper. Those two words dominated headlines not just in Washington, D.C., but all around baseball this past week - whether it was for his lack of hustle in Saturday's game against the Cardinals or for his hyped matchup with the Angels' Mike Trout. Here are a few headlines you may have missed from other media outlets regarding Harper and the Nationals. * Manager Matt Williams has received praise from many in the media over the way he handled the Harper situation. FOXSports.com's...

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Rachel Levitin: Going through growing pains

April 23, 2014, 5:05am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Going through growing pains

There's been a lot of going on at Nationals Park this week with the Los Angeles Angels in town. Fans in attendance at Tuesday night's game witnessed history as Angels first baseman Albert Pujols slugged his 499th and 500th career home runs. The three-game series, which concludes this evening, also marked the first time young guns Mike Trout and Bryce Harper's ballclubs have faced each other. But all of that aside, what's been most notable from a Nationals perspective is that this team is...

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Pujols hits his 500th career home run, Nats fall 7-2

April 22, 2014, 3:20pm

Nationals

Pujols hits his 500th career home run, Nats fall 7-2

The first inning did not start off well for the Nationals and Taylor Jordan. And again, the defense added to the early deficit. Jordan allowed a double to J.B. Shuck to lead off the game. Mike Trout reached on a throwing error by third baseman Anthony Rendon. With two men on, Albert Pujols stepped to the plate. On a 1-1 pitch, Pujols launched a mammoth shot deep over the left field wall for his seventh homer of the season and No. 499 of his career. He is 26th on the all-time list behind Eddie...

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Williams and Werth discuss Nats' 7-2 loss

April 22, 2014, 6:59pm

Nationals

Williams and Werth discuss Nats' 7-2 loss

A couple of familiar early-season trends popped up again in tonight's 7-2 Nationals loss - an early deficit and defensive miscues. The Nats trailed 3-0 three hitters into the game following a double, an Anthony Rendon throwing error and Albert Pujols' 499th career homer. The Angels added another run later in the frame, and had a four-run cushion before the Nats even got their first ups. The lead was trimmed to two in the third when the Nats scored twice without the benefit of an RBI (a wild...

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Barrett recalled, Cedeno optioned to Triple-A (Espinosa hits second, Rendon cleanup)

April 22, 2014, 11:09am

Nationals

Barrett recalled, Cedeno optioned to Triple-A (Espinosa hits second, Rendon cleanup)

As promised, it didn't take too long before Aaron Barrett was brought back from the minors and rejoined the Nationals. Barrett was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse this afternoon, with left-handed reliever Xavier Cedeno being optioned to Syracuse to make room for Barrett on the 25-man roster. The 26-year-old Barrett got off to a great start with the Nats in his first taste of the big leagues, throwing 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and two walks and striking out six. He...

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Williams offers updates on Fister, Storen; Barrett returns to majors

April 22, 2014, 2:11pm

Nationals

Williams offers updates on Fister, Storen; Barrett returns to majors

Manager Matt Williams reported that right-hander Doug Fister had another quality simulated game in Florida and could be 15 days away from making his first start for the Nationals. Fister went three innings and tossed 44 pitches. "He felt good with everything," Williams said. "Lots of grounders and reported he felt really good with it. The next step for him is work out down there tomorrow. The plan is for him to be here Thursday and continue to go through his program and get to a rehab start...

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More on Clippard's tough start to 2014

April 22, 2014, 5:08am

Nationals

Over the last four years, few late-inning relievers have been as consistently impressive as Tyler Clippard. Since the start of the 2011 season, Clippard has posted a 2.64 ERA and a 0.964 WHIP, struck out 10.3 batters per nine innings and allowed just a touch over a home run per nine. Right now, however, Clippard's going through a tough stretch. He's allowed at least one run in five of his 11 appearances this season, has a 1.45 WHIP and for whatever reason has struggled to post the clean,...

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Roark did his job Monday, left with the lead

April 22, 2014, 5:09am

Nationals

Roark did his job Monday, left with the lead

Right-hander Tanner Roark did everything he could possibly do to keep the Nationals in the game and continue his home dominance. Roark went 6 2/3 innings and scattered seven hits, allowing no runs with two walks, one intentional, and five strikeouts. He was a workhorse with 105 pitches, 63 for strikes. There is something about Roark at Nationals Park. He has allowed one earned run in 26 innings at home for a 0.35 ERA. Roark said the home numbers are good, of course, but more important to him is...