nationals

Marveling at some postseason magic

October 11, 2013, 11:28pm

Boy, does Carlos Beltran dominate the postseason or what? Not only did Beltran go 2-for-6 in last night's National League Championship Series Game 1, driving in two of the Cardinals' three runs in a 3-2 win, including the game-winning run in the 13th inning, but he also threw out a runner at the plate in the top of the 10th, keeping the game tied at that point. What a tremendous play that was, and what a tremendous game we got to see. In his postseason career, spanning 40 games, Beltran is...

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Some of this, some of that

October 11, 2013, 6:12am

Nationals

Like the Nationals, the Mariners are looking for a new manager this offseason. They were interested in having their new manager be their old manager, however. FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Mariners made a major effort to try and convince former manager Lou Piniella to return to the dugout and take the reins of that struggling franchise. The 70-year-old Piniella declined, however. With Davey Johnson stepping away from the Nationals' managerial job and Charlie Manuel...

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Could Nationals' best choice for a new manager come from the outside?

October 10, 2013, 6:08am

Nationals

The managerial search continues for the Nationals. Most likely, a decision or announcement will not come until after the World Series. Manager Davey Johnson leaves with a Hall of Fame legacy. Finishing his career with the Nationals, he won 100 games in 2012 and 86 in 2013. General manager Mike Rizzo has to make one of the bigger decisions of his tenure. His choice will decide the direction the organization will go for at least the next five seasons. Bench coach Randy Knorr appears to have...

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Pool of managerial candidates gets a little smaller

October 10, 2013, 5:44am

Nationals

Pool of managerial candidates gets a little smaller

Well, I guess Joe Girardi won't be going anywhere after all. Girardi was thought to be a main target of the Cubs. The Nationals had expressed interest in discussing their managerial job with him. Other teams surely would have wanted to interview the former big league catcher who won the 2009 World Series as the skipper of the Yankees and has posted a .566 career winning percentage as a big league manager. Instead, Girardi will forego his other managerial options and remain in New...

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More on Moore's rocky season and outlook for 2014

October 09, 2013, 12:46am

Nationals

More on Moore's rocky season and outlook for 2014

Over the final couple of months of the season, we heard manager Davey Johnson say over and over (and over and over) again that one of the main reasons for the Nationals' struggles for much of the year was that the guys on the bench didn't perform to their ability level. Chad Tracy hit .202 with a .568 OPS and Roger Bernadina hit .178 with a .517 OPS this season, a pretty steep decline from their numbers in 2012. But they weren't alone. Tyler Moore also saw his production level take a pretty...

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Looking back on the two winter trades

October 07, 2013, 11:42pm

Nationals

Yesterday an entertaining enough day of baseball for everyone? In four postseason games, we saw a ninth-inning, benches-clearing incident in Detroit; a near no-hitter by 22-year-old Michael Wacha (who came within an out of a no-hitter against the Nationals in his last start prior to yesterday); a walk-off homer that staved off elimination for the Rays; and a series-clinching homer in the bottom of the eighth that sent the Dodgers to the National League Championship Series and sent the Braves...

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Werth selected as Nats' nominee for Hank Aaron Award

October 07, 2013, 10:00am

Nationals

Werth selected as Nats' nominee for Hank Aaron Award

Major League Baseball announced today that Jayson Werth has been selected as the Nationals' nominee for the 2013 Hank Aaron Award, which recognizes the most outstanding offensive performer in each league. Fans can place their vote for the award here through Oct. 10 by visiting MLB.com. The winners of the 2013 Hank Aaron Award will be announced during the World Series. Werth hit .318 with 25 home runs, a team-leading 82 RBI, 24 doubles, 60 walks and 84 runs scored in 129 games this season....

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Span: "I can go home and have my head up. I held my own"

October 07, 2013, 5:43am

Nationals

Span: "I can go home and have my head up. I held my own"

If you look at Denard Span's overall numbers for the 2013 season, you probably wouldn't have any indication of just how long the Nationals center fielder struggled offensively this year. Span's career slash line is .283/.351/.387. This season, he hit .279/.327/.380. Not his best work, but not a line that jumps out at you as all that subpar. Yet, for more than four months, Span was stuck in neutral from an offensive perspective. He didn't feel comfortable with his swing. He wasn't getting...

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Jayson Werth named Nationals' nominee for Hank Aaron Award

October 07, 2013, 9:44am

Nationals

Major League Baseball and MLB Advanced Media announced that right fielder Jayson Werth was named the Nationals' nominee for the 2013 Hank Aaron Award. Fans can vote exclusively online at MLB.com and the 30 Club sites. For the fourth straight year, a special panel of Hall of Fame players led by Hank Aaron will join fans in voting for the award, which is officially sanctioned by Major League Baseball and has recognized the most outstanding offensive performer in each League since it was...

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Another way to look at the search for a starter

October 06, 2013, 6:52am

Nationals

Another way to look at the search for a starter

I mentioned yesterday that the emergence of young pitching talent in the Nationals organization could cause general manager Mike Rizzo to view the plans for the back of the rotation differently. Instead of going out and spending a large chunk of money for an experienced free agent starter, like the Nats have the last two offseasons when they acquired Edwin Jackson and Dan Haren, Rizzo could go a different route. He could decide that with Tanner Roark, Taylor Jordan, Nathan Karns, A.J. Cole,...

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Thinking differently about the back of the rotation

October 05, 2013, 6:33am

Nationals

Thinking differently about the back of the rotation

Each of the last two offseasons, the Nationals have added a veteran right-handed starter to complement the back end of their rotation. Edwin Jackson and Dan Haren were supposed to provide experienced, talented options behind a rotation of fairly young starters. They got $11 and $13 million, respectively, and were counted on to make big things happen to help the Nats get over the edge. It's safe to say that didn't happen. Jackson went 10-11 with a 4.03 ERA in 189 innings in 2012 and...

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Report: Nats ask permission to interview Girardi

October 04, 2013, 6:32am

Nationals

Report: Nats ask permission to interview Girardi

The Nationals' search for a manager is officially under way, and not surprisingly, Joe Girardi's name has found its way into the discussion. According to David Kaplan of CSNChicago, the Nationals have requested permission to interview Girardi, who just finished up his sixth season as manager of the Yankees. Girardi is an interesting name to watch this offseason. His contract with the Yankees expires at the end of the month, and he's one of the more proven and respected managers that could...

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Who's your Most Valuable National?

October 04, 2013, 5:31am

Nationals

While watching a host of games last night - and man, was there a lot of entertaining sports action on TV with two MLB playoff games, an overtime Capitals game and "Thursday Night Football" - I got into a discussion with my buddy about who should take home National League MVP honors. I feel Andrew McCutchen is deserving of the award after leading the Pirates to the playoffs for the first time in 21 years, sitting among the league leaders in the three major offensive categories, stealing 27...

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Nats players pulling for Knorr, McCatty as offseason begins

September 29, 2013, 5:12pm

Nationals

Nats players pulling for Knorr, McCatty as offseason begins

PHOENIX - The Nationals' 2013 season is over. "World Series or bust" came up bust. One thing that's strange about professional sports is how quickly the focus inevitably turns once a season ends. A week ago, the Nats embarked on a road trip still hoping to pull off a miraculous run into the postseason. Two days ago, they ran out their regular lineup and played a game for their manager, who was trying to reach a statistical milestone. But after yesterday's game, as the Nats packed their...

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LaRoche on weight loss, struggles and confidence he can regain top form

October 03, 2013, 12:22am

Nationals

LaRoche on weight loss, struggles and confidence he can regain top form

Over the course of the 2013 season, Adam LaRoche lost around 15 pounds and was left playing at a weight he hadn't been measured at since high school. The medicine that LaRoche took to combat his attention deficit disorder (ADD) sapped his appetite and left him down in the low-190 lb. range, as compared to the 205-210 lbs. at which he typically plays. A couple of months into the season, Nationals teammates started noticing the difference in LaRoche's frame, and it's around that time that...

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Rendon won't be handed starting second base job this spring

October 01, 2013, 10:57pm

Nationals

Rendon won't be handed starting second base job this spring

On June 5 of this season, Anthony Rendon started his first big league game at second base. Rendon had been promoted from Triple-A Syracuse the day prior, marking his second stint with the Nationals, and Danny Espinosa, who had been the Nats' starting second baseman the vast majority of the season up to that point, had been placed on the disabled list. That day, June 5, served as a turning point as far as the Nationals' second base job went for the remainder of the season. Rendon effectively...

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Zimmerman not moving off the hot corner anytime soon

September 30, 2013, 10:35pm

Nationals

Zimmerman not moving off the hot corner anytime soon

Last night's Rays win over the Rangers in the American League play-in game means that former Nationals great David DeJesus will taste the postseason for the first time in his 11-year big league career. What do you think DeJesus will remember most about this season - finally reaching the playoffs, or those three at-bats he got in a Nationals uniform back in August? They're probably about even, is my guess. If someone was stranded in a cave without TV or the Internet for the last six months,...

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Zimmerman-Ripken conversation featured at Dec. 4 event

October 01, 2013, 8:57am

Nationals

Zimmerman-Ripken conversation featured at Dec. 4 event

Offseason baseball events have come a long way since the rubber chicken awards dinners of winters past. Mark your calendars now for Wednesday, Dec. 4 - that's the night when the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation will host "The Hot Corner: A Conversation of Baseball Greats" at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C. The event will feature an intimate conversation between Cal Ripken Jr., the longtime Orioles third baseman who was enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007, and...

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What's your final take on the Nats' 2013 campaign?

September 29, 2013, 10:31pm

Nationals

What's your final take on the Nats' 2013 campaign?

PHOENIX - I'm about to say goodbye to Phoenix and wrap up the 2013 season from a personal perspective, as my flight back east is set to take off in just a little bit. Quickly, I'd like to say thank you to each and every one of you for following along this season, both here on the blog and on Twitter. While it's a long season and the job can be pretty grueling at times, you guys have again helped make things fun. I really enjoy the back-and-forth with everyone, and truly thank you for your...

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Predicting the AL and NL postseason awards

September 30, 2013, 6:48am

Nationals Orioles

Predicting the AL and NL postseason awards

The season is done. The ballots are in. The Orioles' Chris Davis and Adam Jones are going to appear on American League MVP ballots. The Nationals' Jordan Zimmermann should make some National League Cy Young Award ballots and maybe his teammate, Jayson Werth, will get NL MVP votes as well. The Baseball Writers' Association of America will announce their awards in November, but here's one perspective: * NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers is the winner. How could anyone argue with...