nationals

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

September 22, 2013, 7:31pm

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...

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Is Rendon's future at second base?

September 22, 2013, 5:43am

Nationals

It's kind of weird to think that, barring a shocking late comeback, today will mark the last home game at Nationals Park this year. Seventy-nine home games are in the books. Two remain, both of which will be played today under what looks like clear skies and gorgeous weather, after yesterday's postponement following a nearly four-hour rain delay. Stephen Strasburg would have started last night's game, and now he'll start the nightcap tonight. I guess it's fitting that the Nationals' ace...

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Marlins-Nationals game postponed; split doubleheader Sunday (updated)

September 21, 2013, 6:58pm

Nationals

After a rain delay of 3 hours, 45 minutes, it's been announced that tonight's Marlins-Nationals game has been postponed due to rain. The two teams will play a split doubleheader tomorrow. The first game is scheduled to start at 1:35 p.m., with the nightcap following at 7:05 p.m. Because it's a split doubleheader, separate admission will be required for each game. The stadium will be cleared in between ballgames. It will be Dan Haren and Marlins right-hander Tom Koehler (who was scheduled...

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Hope stays alive for another day

September 21, 2013, 6:32am

Nationals

It sure is starting to feel like playoff season, all right. The Reds and Pirates played a thrilling 10-inning ballgame last night, in which Cincinnati came from two runs down in the ninth to tie the game and then won it in extras on Joey Votto's home run. The Cardinals and Brewers played a crazy 10-inning game of their own, in which St. Louis scored twice in the top of the ninth to take a 6-4 lead, only to see the Brewers tie it up in the bottom of the ninth with two of their own. The...

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More rain for a Strasburg start

September 21, 2013, 12:01pm

Nationals

Stop me if you've heard this one before. Stephen Strasburg is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Nationals tonight. The skies are dark, it's already raining at Nats Park and the forecast is a more than a little foreboding. How foreboding? Check the weather radar and you'll discover a huge green blob stretching from slightly north of Ottawa, Ont., to south of New Orleans. Right now, its width is from about Burke in the western suburbs of D.C. to a little east of Charleston, W.Va. In...

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As the rain falls ... (start of tonight's game officially delayed)

September 21, 2013, 1:32pm

Nationals

As the rain falls ... (start of tonight's game officially delayed)

Rain continues to fall at Nationals Park, and based on the radar that we're all looking at in the press box, there's no sign of things letting up for a while. If this was June, it'd be an easy call to bang this one tonight and reschedule the game for later in the season. But in late September, postponements are tough because of scheduling issues. The only possible option other than waiting it out tonight is playing two tomorrow, which is a getaway day for both the Nats and the Marlins....

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Johnson discusses Nats' 8-0 win

September 20, 2013, 6:51pm

Nationals

It didn't take Nationals manager Davey Johnson long to get the feeling that Jordan Zimmermann had a special night ahead of him. "You could tell from the first pitch of the ballgame that Zim wasn't going to be denied," Johnson said. Zimmermann's first pitch was a 94 mph fastball that Donovan Solano fouled off, and he needed just eight more pitches, seven of which were strikes, to retire the side in the first inning. Zimmermann notched two strikeouts in that first frame, had eight...

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Zimmermann: "It's probably one of the better ones I've ever had up here"

September 20, 2013, 7:14pm

Nationals

Zimmermann: "It's probably one of the better ones I've ever had up here"

The Reds just finished off a 10-inning, comeback win over the Pirates, meaning the Nationals are now five games back of both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in the wild card chase with just eight games to go. The odds decrease. Jordan Zimmermann's memory doesn't really allow him to give an accurate ranking of how his stuff was tonight compared to his previous 111 big league starts. He's not sure if tonight's two-hit shutout performance, in which he struck out nine (tying a season high) and...

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Even if Zimmermann won't admit it, teammates know reaching 20 wins is important

September 20, 2013, 6:42pm

Nationals

Even if Zimmermann won't admit it, teammates know reaching 20 wins is important

Winning pitcher Jordan Zimmermann may deny it, but his Nationals teammates certainly believe that he wants to get to 20 wins on the season, and they think he can get there. Zimmermann tossed the second complete-game shutout of his career Friday night, allowing two hits, striking out nine and walking one an 8-0 victory over the Marlins, earning his 19th victory. Center fielder Denard Span had a good look in on defense watching Zimmermann work and was glad he didn't have to face him in the...

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Nats break it open in the sixth (Zimmermann throws two-hitter in 8-0 win)

September 20, 2013, 5:00pm

Nationals

Nats break it open in the sixth (Zimmermann throws two-hitter in 8-0 win)

The crowd at Nationals Park might have been down for a few minutes after Jordan Zimmermann's no-hit bid was spoiled with two outs in the sixth on Donovan Solano's single to center, but the Nationals lifted their fans' spirits with a huge seven-run bottom half of the inning. They got seven hits and a walk in the sixth inning alone, batting around and quickly turning what was a scoreless game into a laugher. Denard Span started the merry-go-round with a leadoff single, giving him a one-game...

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Zimmermann dominating through four hitless frames (there goes the no-no)

September 20, 2013, 4:05pm

Nationals

Zimmermann dominating through four hitless frames (there goes the no-no)

Jordan Zimmermann is all kinds of locked in tonight, and he's running through a soft Marlins lineup. Zimmermann has yet to allow a hit through four innings of work. He's struck out eight. He's thrown 40 of his 54 pitches for strikes. The fastball is sitting in the mid-90s. The slider has been tight and has touched 89 mph. And the curveball has been sharp. Zimmermann struck out two in the first inning, including Giancarlo Stanton to end the frame. He struck out the side in the second. And...

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Strasburg cleared to start Saturday vs. Marlins

September 20, 2013, 2:40pm

Nationals

Strasburg cleared to start Saturday vs. Marlins

After playing catch on flat ground and doing some running this afternoon, a normal day-before-start routine, Stephen Strasburg has been cleared to start tomorrow against the Marlins. Strasburg has been scratched from scheduled starts twice in the last week due to tightness in his right forearm. The right-hander was originally scheduled to start last Friday against the Phillies, but had that start pushed back to Thursday. When Strasburg had trouble getting loose before a throwing session...

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Zimmermann looking to tie Scherzer for wins lead

September 20, 2013, 11:44am

Nationals

Zimmermann looking to tie Scherzer for wins lead

Jordan Zimmermann is seeking his 19th win of the season tonight. With a victory, the Nationals right-hander would tie the Tigers' Max Scherzer for the major league lead in wins. The Nats will face Marlins right-hander Jacob Turner, who came to Miami as part of the Anibal Sanchez trade last season. Turner is 3-7 with a 3.51 ERA this season. He allowed five runs on nine hits over four innings in a loss to the Nats back on Sept. 8. For the Nationals CF Denard Span 3B Ryan Zimmerman RF Jayson...

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Harper quietly joins an exclusive club

September 20, 2013, 6:02am

Nationals

A number of Nationals players had kind words to say about Denard Span and his impressive last month after Span's 29-game hitting streak came to an end last night. Ian Desmond was one of them, noting that it was nice to see Span play the way he knows he can play after a rough start to the season. But Desmond added another interesting angle on to his thoughts about Span's streak ending. "Obviously you never want to see someone who goes to that extent of a hitting streak have it end but it...