nationals

One intriguing left-handed bullpen option for 2014

September 27, 2013, 7:32am

PHOENIX - Hello from Arizona, where I'll make sure to check with the Diamondbacks before taking a dip in their pool after any of the games this weekend. After all, I don't want Senator John McCain calling me an "overpaid, immature, arrogant, spoiled brat." Davey Johnson has said time and time again that he wishes that the Nationals had come into this season with more of a balanced bullpen. The Nats broke camp with just one left-hander in their 'pen - Zach Duke, a career-long starter...

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Solis and Purke take positive steps forward as they prepare for the Arizona Fall League

September 26, 2013, 10:14am

Nationals

Solis and Purke take positive steps forward as they prepare for the Arizona Fall League

Two of the top left-handers in the Nationals system are preparing to start play in early October in the Arizona Fall League. Sammy Solis and Matt Purke are two of the eight Nationals prospects invited to play for the Mesa Solar Sox. This season was big for both south paws as they returned to the field following injuries. Solis recovered from Tommy John surgery and Purke from shoulder rehabilitation. High Single-A Potomac manager Brian Daubach said both starters made positive steps pitching...

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Dan Haren on his frustrating season as a National and what lies ahead

September 25, 2013, 11:08pm

Nationals

Dan Haren on his frustrating season as a National and what lies ahead

ST. LOUIS - Dan Haren is one of the most self-aware pitchers you'll find in the major leagues. He knows what he was brought to D.C. to do. He knows that largely, he hasn't done it. And despite his solid performance since coming off the disabled list in early July, Haren isn't going to try and color his 2013 season in favorable terms. When asked how he views his year with the Nationals, Haren, as always, is blunt. "Obviously not a success," Haren said during a lengthy interview in the...

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Bryce Harper jersey ranked No. 15 in MLB sales

September 26, 2013, 8:17am

Nationals

Bryce Harper jersey ranked No. 15 in MLB sales

Major League Baseball announced its current list of the top 20 jersey sales, and Bryce Harper is ranked No. 15 on the list. He is the only Nationals player in the Top 20. The list is based on sales of Majestic jerseys from MLB.com/Shop since the All-Star break. Here is the list: 1. Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees 2. Matt Harvey, New York Mets 3. Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers 4. Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles 5. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants 6. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles...

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Rachel Levitin: September subject to change

September 26, 2013, 5:00am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: September subject to change

The past three September in D.C. have felt completely different. September 2011 was a quiet time. The Nationals went 80-81 that year, which was an improvement on all the seasons prior. The 2012 season was the most successful season played by this incarnation of D.C. baseball since the Nats' inaugural year in 2005. Despite a short-lived playoff run, the Nats entered the offseason as National League East champions for the first time. And in 2013, well, high expectations were met with somewhat...

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A disappointing finish to a stellar season for Zimmermann

September 25, 2013, 2:06pm

Nationals

A disappointing finish to a stellar season for Zimmermann

ST. LOUIS - After a rough month of July in which he battled a lingering neck injury and went 0-3 in a four-start stretch, Jordan Zimmermann's chances of even approaching the 20-win mark seemed pretty darn slim. But Zimmermann rebounded this month, going 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA in four September starts coming into today's outing, giving him a shot at reaching 20 victories on the season. He came up short today, getting the loss after allowing four runs over seven innings in a 4-1 Nationals...

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Johnson: "They just kicked our butt in just about every aspect"

September 25, 2013, 1:38pm

Nationals

Johnson: "They just kicked our butt in just about every aspect"

ST. LOUIS - The Nationals and Cardinals played an incredibly tight, entertaining five-game postseason series last fall. This year, the Cardinals pushed the Nats around, winning all six games between the teams in sweeping the season series. Coming into this three-game set at Busch Stadium, the Nats had hoped to keep their slim postseason chances alive into the final series of the season in Arizona. Then, after getting eliminated from the playoff picture Monday, they hoped to play the spoiler...

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Nats discuss lopsided battles with Cardinals and a recent mental dropoff

September 25, 2013, 2:38pm

Nationals

Nats discuss lopsided battles with Cardinals and a recent mental dropoff

ST. LOUIS - Davey Johnson readily admits the Cardinals kicked the Nationals' butts this season. Denard Span doesn't disagree. In fact, he agrees 100 percent. "I think they just flat-out kicked our butt. You lose six games, they just were better than us," Span said. On paper, the Nationals and Cardinals seemed to match up pretty evenly this season. They both have talented, deep rotations. They both have lineups filled with run-producers. But the Cardinals outplayed the Nats by a wide...

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Zimmermann in a hole (Nats lose 4-1, swept in St. Louis)

September 25, 2013, 11:16am

Nationals

Zimmermann in a hole (Nats lose 4-1, swept in St. Louis)

ST. LOUIS - This Cardinals lineup is no picnic for opposing pitchers, especially pitchers named Jordan Zimmermann. Zimmermann entered today's start with a 9.12 ERA in five career regular season outings against the Cardinals. And that doesn't include his start in Game 2 of the National League Division Series last year, in which Zimmermann lasted just three innings and allowed five runs on seven hits. It also, of course, doesn't include Zimmermann's absolutely dominant inning of relief work...

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How important is 20 wins in this day and age?

September 25, 2013, 9:19am

Nationals

How important is 20 wins in this day and age?

ST. LOUIS - Jordan Zimmermann will have one shot at reaching the 20-win mark this season. That shot comes this afternoon in St. Louis. Tigers righty Max Scherzer put himself in a situation (with significant help from his teammates in terms of run support) where he had five cracks at notching his 20th win before he finally hit that mark. That's what getting to getting to 19 wins by Aug. 24 will do for you. Zimmermann notched his 19th win his last time out, and with today being his final start...

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Opening up the unwritten rulebook

September 24, 2013, 10:51pm

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - As if the Nationals don't see enough young hurlers with upper-90s fastballs in their own division - with Matt Harvey, Jose Fernandez, Craig Kimbrel and others - they had to deal with another one last night. Michael Wacha is just 22. He's made just 15 big league appearances. But when you throw 98 mph and can control a changeup that comes in around 88-89, you've got a good chance to be successful in the bigs. Add in a sharp curveball, and you can see why they're excited about...

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Zimmermann gunning for 20th win (with Cardinals lineup)

September 25, 2013, 8:01am

Nationals

Zimmermann gunning for 20th win (with Cardinals lineup)

ST. LOUIS - Jordan Zimmermann will be seeking his 20th victory of the season when the Nationals meet the Cardinals in a 1:45 p.m. game this afternoon. He'll be trying to give the Nationals back-to-back 20-game winners, after Gio Gonzalez went 21-8 in 2012. The only other 20-game winner in franchise history was Ross Grimsley, who notched 20 wins in 1978. The Nats will stick with pretty much the same lineup against Cardsinals rookie right-hander Shelby Miller, who is trying for his 15th win....

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David Huzzard: As potential free agent, Yankees' Girardi a tempting option

September 25, 2013, 5:12am

Nationals

David Huzzard: As potential free agent, Yankees' Girardi a tempting option

This is a tale of two teams. One has an average age of 27.8 and the other 31.8. One has a solid young core composed of a 20-year-old former Rookie of the Year outfielder with back-to-back 20-homer seasons, a young pitching staff with three top-of-the rotation starters who are finishing the season with a 3.50 ERA or lower, a converted third baseman playing second who has slashed line drives all over the park since being recalled, and veterans in a third baseman that always seems to be an .800...

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Zimmerman, LaRoche and Span discuss Wacha's dominance

September 24, 2013, 8:41pm

Nationals

Zimmerman, LaRoche and Span discuss Wacha's dominance

ST. LOUIS - It's been a bit of a rough 24 hours for the Nationals. They were eliminated from postseason contention last night, and tonight, they came within an out of being the first D.C. team to be no-hit since 1966. Ryan Zimmerman saved the Nats from that distinction with his infield hit with two outs in the top of the ninth, a chopper that deflected off Cardinals starter Michael Wacha's glove. Shortstop Pete Kozma's throw to first was just wide of the bag, and Zimmerman evaded Matt...

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Hearing from Johnson and Matheny after Wacha's near no-no

September 24, 2013, 8:07pm

Nationals

Hearing from Johnson and Matheny after Wacha's near no-no

ST. LOUIS - Davey Johnson, a Texas A&M guy, couldn't help but be impressed with what Michael Wacha, another A&M guy, did tonight, as the 22-year-old right-hander came just inches away from a no-hitter in the Cardinals' 2-0 win over the Nationals. Wacha was one out away from being the first Cardinals pitcher to throw a no-hitter in St. Louis in 30 years, but Ryan Zimmerman's slow tapper deflected off Wacha's glove, and Pete Kozma's barehanded grab and throw pulled Matt Adams off the first...

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Johnson on playing his starters and Lombardozzi's strong season

September 24, 2013, 3:40pm

Nationals

Johnson on playing his starters and Lombardozzi's strong season

ST. LOUIS - Davey Johnson says he didn't sleep too well last night. Can't really blame him. In his last season as manager of the Nationals, he officially saw his team get knocked from the playoff picture last night. The season that Johnson labeled as "World Series or bust" back at the Winter Meetings reached bust here in St. Louis, leaving Johnson to go through all the what-ifs as he laid in bed last night. Eventually, he got to sleep, and made his way over to the ballpark earlier today....

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Harper: "I've got to try to be in this lineup every night"

September 24, 2013, 11:15am

Nationals

Harper: "I've got to try to be in this lineup every night"

ST. LOUIS - It was a pretty innocuous question, but one that drew an interesting answer. After the Nationals were eliminated from postseason contention last night, Bryce Harper was asked how much he thinks back to the early part of the season and what could have been different when the Nats struggled to gain momentum and put together any extended period of strong play. "I wasn't there for a month," Harper replied. "I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I'm a game-changer or...

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Wacha think of the rookie? (Nats nearly no-hit in 2-0 loss)

September 24, 2013, 5:22pm

Nationals

Wacha think of the rookie? (Nats nearly no-hit in 2-0 loss)

ST. LOUIS - Apologies for that awful pun in the headline. This is how I entertain myself over the course of a 162-game season. Cardinals starter Michael Wacha has absolutely dominated the Nationals through four innings tonight, retiring all 12 batters he's seen, six of whom have gone down on strikes. The 22-year-old right-hander, who was the Cardinals' first-round pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, has touched 98 mph with his fastball, shown impressive feel for his changeup and used...

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Even after elimination, Nats sticking with regular lineup

September 24, 2013, 12:22pm

Nationals

Even after elimination, Nats sticking with regular lineup

ST. LOUIS - Prior to yesterday's game, Davey Johnson said that even if his team was to be eliminated from the playoff picture, he still planned on "putting my best foot forward" by starting his regular players down the stretch. Johnson is a man of his word. The Nationals skipper is running out his normal starting lineup today in game two of this three-game set against the Cardinals. Johnson talked last night, after the Nats had been eliminated, about wanting to deliver some payback to the...

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Dealing with the defeat

September 24, 2013, 6:58am

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - One image from the postgame scene in the Nationals clubhouse last night stays with me above all others this morning. That image is Bryce Harper seated at his locker, staring at nothing in particular. Harper was in full uniform, his feet resting on the wooden beams on either side of his locker. He stayed in that position for nearly 45 minutes after the game, refusing to change out of his clothes and move on from the idea that the Nationals still had a chance at postseason...