nationals

Zimmerman, LaRoche and Span discuss Wacha's dominance

September 24, 2013, 8:41pm

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...

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche cardinals dan kolko denard span michael wacha nationals ryan zimmerman frontstory_nationals3

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...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson mike matheny nationals featured_sidebar frontfeatured_nationals frontstory_nationals1

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....

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals steve lombardozzi frontfeatured_nationals frontstory_nationals3

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...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper dan kolko nationals frontfeatured_nationals frontstory_nationals1 frontstory_nationals3

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...

Comments

Tags:

cardinals dan kolko nationals frontfeatured_nationals ryan zimmerman

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...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko lineups nationals frontfeatured_nationals frontstory_nationals1

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...

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche bryce harper dan kolko davey johnson ian desmond nationals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Ted Leavengood: It all goes back to Zimmerman

September 24, 2013, 6:19am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: It all goes back to Zimmerman

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...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz ryan zimmerman ted leavengood

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...

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche bryce harper dan kolko frontstory_nationals1 ian desmond nationals

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...

Comments

Tags:

cardinals dan kolko lineups nationals tanner roark featured_sidebar

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...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals ryan zimmerman tanner roark frontstory_nationals3

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...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper byron kerr denard span nationals stephen strasburg frontstory_nationals2

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...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals frontfeatured_nationals

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...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nationals pirates reds frontfeatured_nationals

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...

Comments

Tags:

cardinals dan kolko nationals frontfeatured_nationals

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...

Comments

Tags:

dan haren dan kolko nationals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

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,...

Comments

Tags:

dave nichols guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz

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...

Comments

Tags:

byron kerr denard span ian desmond nationals stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

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...

Comments

Tags:

dan haren dan kolko davey johnson denard span nationals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

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...