nationals

Johnson on Strasburg's season and Nats' 8-4 win

September 27, 2013, 9:50pm

PHOENIX - Not only did tonight's 8-4 Nationals win finish off Stephen Strasburg's season on a high note and feature Jayson Werth's 25th homer of the year, it also brought Davey Johnson one win away from reaching a statistical milestone that somewhat strangely holds a decent amount of importance for him. With one more win this season, Johnson would be guaranteed to finish at least 300 games above .500 for his managerial career. If the Nats don't get the win tomorrow, Johnson will send...

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Strasburg on his season: "I learned a lot"

September 27, 2013, 10:19pm

Nationals

Strasburg on his season: "I learned a lot"

PHOENIX - In some ways, tonight's start exemplified Stephen Strasburg's season. Strasburg had a couple of moments where he struggled to locate and had a shaky stretch in the third inning where he walked two batters and hit Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin with a 1-2 curveball. He had just four strikeouts in seven innings of work. But he finished the night going a solid seven innings, allowing just two runs in an 8-4 Nationals win. It wasn't the smoothest of starts for Strasburg, but it...

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Some leftovers from last night

September 28, 2013, 12:35am

Nationals

PHOENIX - Just prior to his fifth-inning home run Friday night, Jayson Werth noticed that the bat that he was using had splintered. It was the same bat he'd used for weeks, a much longer life span than most bats Werth handles, and had delivered many big hits over what has been a personal hot stretch. Werth needed a new piece of lumber, so he called for the bat boy. "I think his name was Bobby," Werth said, dropping a "The Natural" reference on everyone. "He ran out the Savoy Special to...

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Haren likely making his final start as a National (LaRoche scratched)

September 28, 2013, 12:54pm

Nationals

Haren likely making his final start as a National (LaRoche scratched)

PHOENIX - Dan Haren will look to cap a disappointing season on a positive note tonight when he takes on the Diamondbacks in what will likely be his final start as a National. A free agent this offseason after his one-year, $13 million deal with the Nats comes to an end, Haren will be shopping around for a new team, but he knows he likely won't have many suitors after going 9-14 with a 4.87 ERA and 28 homers allowed in 162 2/3 innings to this point this season. He's 1-1 with a lifetime 5.00...

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Gonzalez to start tomorrow, LaRoche done for the season

September 28, 2013, 2:55pm

Nationals

Gonzalez to start tomorrow, LaRoche done for the season

PHOENIX - After some initial indecision about who would start tomorrow in the Nationals' season finale, Gio Gonzalez has decided to take the ball for Davey Johnson's last game as Nats manager. Gonzalez had been initially under the impression that Tanner Roark would start the finale, but Johnson told Gonzalez that he'd like the left-hander to pitch tomorrow to help him ensure that he finishes his managerial career at least 300 games above .500. After thinking it over, Gonzalez agreed to...

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Rizzo on the season's disappointments and offseason priorities

September 28, 2013, 4:09pm

Nationals

Rizzo on the season's disappointments and offseason priorities

PHOENIX - Reporters sat down with Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo for more than 13 minutes a bit ago, discussing what went wrong this season that left the Nats on the outside of the playoffs looking in and where Rizzo will look to improve the club this offseason. I'll have bits of that interview coming throughout the next few days, but first, here is some of the important quick-hit stuff that was discussed: Rizzo declined to address the upcoming managerial search or what qualities...

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Strasburg's 2013 season is done (Nats win 8-4)

September 27, 2013, 8:06pm

Nationals

Strasburg's 2013 season is done (Nats win 8-4)

PHOENIX - This will wrap up Stephen Strasburg's 2013 season. The right-hander went seven strong innings tonight, and leaves with the Nationals holding an 8-2 lead mid-way through the eighth thanks to Wilson Ramos' three-run shot. It was Ramos' 16th homer of the season, and it's turned this game into a blowout. Outside of a blip in the third inning in which he walked two, hit the pitcher and allowed two runs, Strasburg pitched pretty darn well tonight. He allowed just the two runs on six...

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One intriguing left-handed bullpen option for 2014

September 27, 2013, 7:32am

Nationals

One intriguing left-handed bullpen option for 2014

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...