nationals

Ted Leavengood: It all goes back to Zimmerman

September 24, 2013, 6:19am

There are landmark moments that stand like Mount Rushmore looking down upon the crowd of gameday events that have transpired since the first pitch was thrown out at RFK Stadium in 2005. There was Jayson Werth's walk-off home run to send the Nationals to a Game 5 in the 2012 National League Division Series, Stephen Strasburg's 14-strikeout debut in 2010 and maybe Bryce Harper's breakout game against the Phillies when he stole home. But the launch date for the current Nationals team happened...

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Hearing from Desmond, LaRoche and Harper after Nats are eliminated

September 23, 2013, 9:27pm

Nationals

Hearing from Desmond, LaRoche and Harper after Nats are eliminated

ST. LOUIS - A harsh reality hit the Nationals tonight following their 4-3 loss to the Cardinals, a defeat that came just minutes after the Pirates and Reds had taken care of business and earned late wins. "The postseason door is officially closed," Ian Desmond said. The Nats will have five more regular season games and then head their separate ways, bound for the offseason after a turbulent 2013 campaign that saw them struggle through the first four months of the season before putting...

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Roark vs. Wainwright tonight in St. Louis (Holliday scratched)

September 23, 2013, 12:45pm

Nationals

Roark vs. Wainwright tonight in St. Louis (Holliday scratched)

ST. LOUIS - We've got a pretty strong pitching matchup tonight at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, as Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright will oppose Nationals righty Tanner Roark. If I had written that sentence back in June, you all would've thought I was drunk. But while Roark obviously isn't on Wainwright's level, he has burst onto the scene over the last couple of months and started to turn some heads. Roark is 7-0 with a 1.08 ERA over 41 2/3 innings this season. He's yet to allow a...

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Johnson on rotation alignment, battle with Cards and Zimmerman's defense

September 23, 2013, 3:45pm

Nationals

Johnson on rotation alignment, battle with Cards and Zimmerman's defense

ST. LOUIS - Tanner Roark gets the start tonight for the Nationals in the opener of their three-game set with the Cardinals, but this will probably be the last time we'll see the rookie right-hander start a game this season. Manager Davey Johnson has laid out his rotation for the remainder of the season, and he'll have Roark move back to the bullpen following tonight's game. Gio Gonzalez will start tomorrow night, followed by Jordan Zimmermann in the series finale Wednesday afternoon. Then...

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Nationals believe strong finish will turn into good start in 2014

September 23, 2013, 12:14pm

Nationals

Winning Sunday's nightcap was nice, but the realization of the predicament the Nationals put themselves in came Sunday afternoon at home when they dropped a 4-2 decision to the Marlins. "It didn't help it, for sure," said center fielder Denard Span. "It just made it tougher on us to try to pull this thing out. We are going to keep fighting until we are absolutely out of it. We are stumbling right now, but we are going to keep fighting until it is over." But that does not mean that they...

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Davey Johnson: "We gave it a good fight. We just came up short"

September 23, 2013, 8:35pm

Nationals

Davey Johnson: "We gave it a good fight. We just came up short"

ST. LOUIS - Minutes after his team had been mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture, Davey Johnson held back tears as he discussed the Nationals' dreams of postseason baseball coming to an end. Johnson, the Nats' 70-year-old skipper who is in his final season at the helm of this team, spoke evenly, and his voice didn't break at any point during his session with reporters, but you could see the sadness on his face. The Nationals' 4-3 loss to the Cardinals coupled with wins by...

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On the verge of elimination (Nats lose, won't be postseason-bound)

September 23, 2013, 6:58pm

Nationals

On the verge of elimination (Nats lose, won't be postseason-bound)

ST. LOUIS - Not only are the Nationals losing here in the late innings in St. Louis, but the Pirates and Reds just won in dramatic fashion. With their win, the Pirates will clinch a playoff spot if the Nats lose here tonight. Same deal with the Reds. Put in other words, the Nats are three outs away from elimination. The Nats go into the top of the ninth inning trailing the Cardinals 4-3. A Ryan Zimmerman RBI groundout in the eighth cut the Cardinals' lead in half, but the Nats will need a...

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A big blast, then a few zeros (Roark finally allows a homer)

September 23, 2013, 5:41pm

Nationals

A big blast, then a few zeros (Roark finally allows a homer)

ST. LOUIS - Jayson Werth got the road trip started on a positive note early on tonight. Boy, did he ever. Werth demolished a 2-2 curveball from Adam Wainwright way out to left field for a two-run shot in the top of the first inning, giving the Nationals a 2-0 lead right off the bat. It was an absolute bomb, one that nearly traveled to the "Big Mac Land" sign on the facade of the second deck in left field. The Cardinals estimated the ball traveled 439 feet, which sounds about right. It...

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How much roster turnover will be needed?

September 23, 2013, 2:55am

Nationals

How much roster turnover will be needed?

Well, here we go. The final stretch. The Nationals will kick off a three-game series against the Cardinals in St. Louis tonight, then fly to Phoenix for three more to close out the regular season. They currently sit five games back of both the Pirates and the Reds with six games to play. If the Nats make up those five games, they'll have a one-game playoff to determine who will earn the final National League wild card spot. In order to pull one of the greatest comebacks ever and earn that...

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Dave Nichols: Disappointing campaign ends on hopeful note

September 23, 2013, 6:08am

Nationals

Dave Nichols: Disappointing campaign ends on hopeful note

Well, here we are. The final week of the 2013 regular season. It's been a fascinating but ultimately disappointing season. Unless the Nationals manage to win out this week and get an extraordinarily well-timed losing streak by either the Reds or Pirates, the Nats' season will come to an end without reaching the playoffs. It's funny, if the Nats had finished a couple of games out of the playoffs last season as they will this one, it would not have been particularly disappointing. Rather,...

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Strasburg on no-decision, Desmond and Span react to 20/20

September 22, 2013, 8:06pm

Nationals

Strasburg on no-decision, Desmond and Span react to 20/20

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg didn't believe his six-inning no-decision was as "awful" as Nationals manager Davey Johnson described it. The Nationals came back to beat the Marlins 5-4 on a late error. "I went out there and competed," Strasburg said. "That is all I can do. I think my changeup got better as the game went on. I spiked it a little bit early. Curveball was good from the start. And fastball command was kind of hit or miss." He was asked about how his forearm felt after...

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Johnson on pregame ceremony: "I was really moved by everything"

September 22, 2013, 1:32pm

Nationals

Johnson on pregame ceremony: "I was really moved by everything"

The Nationals will mathematically remain alive into their series-opener in St. Louis tomorrow regardless of what happens tonight in the nightcap of the doubleheader between the Nats and Marlins, but this afternoon's action might've effectively ended any real chances the Nats had at a playoff spot. Their loss combined with the Reds' win puts the Nats 5 1/2 games back of both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh entering tonight's game. At best, the Nats will head on the road sitting five games back...

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Marlins take early lead on Strasburg (Nats walk off with 5-4 win)

September 22, 2013, 3:29pm

Nationals

Marlins take early lead on Strasburg (Nats walk off with 5-4 win)

Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg, making his 29th start of the season and first in two weeks, got off to a slow start Sunday night in the second game of a split doubleheader versus Miami. The Marlins' Donovan Solano led off the game with a double and later scored on a Christian Yelich grounder to first base. Miami led 1-0 after one. In the second, Justin Ruggiano crushed his 18th homer of the season, a solo shot over the wall in left-center field to extend the Marlins' lead to...

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Johnson on Strasburg, team's chances after 5-4 win

September 22, 2013, 7:31pm

Nationals

Johnson on Strasburg, team's chances after 5-4 win

Manager Davey Johnson said the special ceremony prior to game one was a nice moment that he will not forget - and it went better than he thought it would. He spoke after the Nationals walked off in the nightcap with a 5-4 victory over the Marlins. "I was kind of dreading it and then it was very pleasant," he said. "I was very moved by ownership, front office, the fans and the players." It also got him to think of some of his earliest baseball memories. "I don't usually think back and...

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Homers hurt Haren again (Nats lose 4-2, Braves clinch NL East title)

September 22, 2013, 11:14am

Nationals

Homers hurt Haren again (Nats lose 4-2, Braves clinch NL East title)

Dan Haren is done after six innings of work this afternoon, and if not for two mistakes that turned into home runs, the veteran right-hander might've turned in a pretty strong outing. As it is, it will still officially go down as a quality start, but Haren and the Nationals trail 3-0 in the sixth. Haren gave up a two-run bomb to Giancarlo Stanton in the first inning on a 90 mph fastball over the fat part of the plate, and two innings late, it was Christian Yelich crushing an 85 mph cutter...

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Harper on mentor Werth: "He is like an older brother to me"

September 21, 2013, 4:19pm

Nationals

Harper on mentor Werth: "He is like an older brother to me"

There was touching moment Friday night during the Nationals' 3-2 victory over the Marlins. Following his three-run homer in the first inning, left fielder Bryce Harper was met at home plate by his teammate, right fielder Jayson Werth. Werth had a big smile on his face, looking like a big brother who was happy with what little brother was able to accomplish. You could see in the exchange the pride Werth had for Harper after he hit his 20th homer of the season. Later in the inning, MASN...

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Nationals on 4-2 loss to Marlins; game two lineups set (updated)

September 22, 2013, 1:39pm

Nationals

The Nationals have said for the last week they pretty much needed to win out to have a shot at the National League wildcard. So with a 4-2 loss in the opening game of two on Sunday to the Marlins, the window for a shot at the playoff berth is almost shut. "Any loss right now makes it tougher," said third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. "Like I said before, I am not that good at math, but I am good enough to figure it out that losing makes it tougher. But, you just got to keep playing and see what...

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Solano behind the plate, Lombardozzi playing second in Game 1

September 22, 2013, 7:53am

Nationals

Solano behind the plate, Lombardozzi playing second in Game 1

What a gorgeous day it is at Nationals Park. You'd have never known that the entire stadium nearly got washed away last night. We've got sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s today, and if you're a Nationals fan, you probably can't ask for a much better day as the home schedule wraps up. Two ballgames in nice weather with the Nats still holding out hope of a playoff spot. Dan Haren will start game one today, and he'll throw to Jhonatan Solano. Wilson Ramos will catch Stephen Strasburg...

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The day after the delay

September 22, 2013, 8:32am

Nationals

How do players spend their time during a 3-hour, 45-minute rain delay? Much the way you'd expect, I guess. They lay around on sofas. They watch college football. They

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Davey Johnson honored in pregame ceremony (with game update)

September 22, 2013, 9:47am

Nationals

Davey Johnson honored in pregame ceremony (with game update)

On what will likely be the last day that Davey Johnson stands in the Nationals Park dugout as manager, the Nationals honored Johnson with a ceremony lasting more than 10 minutes before this afternoon's game. The ceremony included a video tribute, the presentation of a Tiffany crystal from Nationals ownership, inscribed with, "In celebration of your decorated baseball legacy and contributions to the Washington Nationals," and interviews with some of Johnson's former and current...