nationals

Ramos keeps raking (Ohlendorf does his job, Nats increase lead)

September 13, 2013, 3:55pm

The list of Nationals players currently riding hot streaks - and it's a lengthy list - can be expanded to include Wilson Ramos. Ramos smoked a solo homer to left leading off the bottom of the second inning tonight, giving the Nats a 2-1 lead over the Phillies and giving Ramos four homers in his last six games. The Nationals catcher got a 1-0 cutter from Kyle Kendrick and didn't miss it, crushing the pitch into the Phillies bullpen. Ramos now has 14 homers on the season in just 240...

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Strasburg scratched due to forearm tightness, expected to start Thursday

September 13, 2013, 1:02pm

Nationals

Strasburg scratched due to forearm tightness, expected to start Thursday

Stephen Strasburg has been scratched from tonight's scheduled start against the Phillies due to right forearm tightness, but the Nationals don't think the injury is anything serious. Strasburg is expected to make his next start this Thursday, Sept. 19. Reporters were surprised when we made our way into the Nationals clubhouse this afternoon only to see that Ross Ohlendorf was listed as tonight's scheduled starter. Manager Davey Johnson said that Strasburg, who had Tommy John surgery on...

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Strasburg scratched, Ohlendorf starting (updated)

September 13, 2013, 11:55am

Nationals

Strasburg scratched, Ohlendorf starting (updated)

If you're headed to Nationals Park and you're excited about seeing Stephen Strasburg start for the Nationals in the opener of a three-game series against the Phillies, you're going to be disappointed. The Nationals have scratched Strasburg from tonight's start. No reason was given, but he's not on the lineup posted in the clubhouse. Instead, right-hander Ross Ohlendorf is listed as tonight's starting pitcher. We'll update with news about Strasburg when it becomes available. In the...

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What lies ahead

September 13, 2013, 5:25am

Nationals

Believe it or not, the Nationals will open their last homestand of the 2013 regular season tonight. The final stretch is here, all right. Sixteen games are all that remain on the Nationals' schedule. Ten of those 16 are at home, then the Nats will head on the road for their final six contests of the season. Over the last few weeks, the Nats have started to heat up. They've won 23 of their last 32 games, going from a team that was six games under .500 to one that is currently a season-high...

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Nats win 7-2, finish off four-game sweep of Mets

September 12, 2013, 1:04pm

Nationals

Nats win 7-2, finish off four-game sweep of Mets

Tanner Roark worked six strong innings to improve to 6-0 on the season and the Nationals crushed four more homers en route to a 7-2 win. The victory locks up a four-game sweep of the Mets, in which the Nats outscored their division rivals 25-5. The Nats will close their season series with the Mets with a 12-7 record. They hit 13 home runs in this series to the Mets' zero. This is the second-most homers hit by the Nats in a single series in team history. They hit 15 from Sept. 3-6 last year...

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Washington Nationals announce Team Service All Stars Campaign

September 13, 2013, 10:06am

Nationals

Fans are encouraged to vote for their favorite gameday employees as part of the team's 2013 rewards and recognition program The Washington Nationals today announced the launch of the TEAM Service All Stars campaign to recognize and reward gameday staff who provide world class customer service to guests at Nationals Park. From Friday, September 13 to Wednesday, September 18, fans of all ages are encouraged to go to nationals.com/teamservice to vote for the team member(s) they believe go above...

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Nationals name outfielder Billy Burns Minor League Player of the Year, Right-hander Taylor Jordan Minor League Pitcher of the Year

September 13, 2013, 10:05am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today named outfielder Billy Burns Minor League Player of the Year and right-handed pitcher Taylor Jordan Minor League Pitcher of the Year. The club also named second baseman Tony Renda the recipient of the inaugural Bob Boone Award. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Development Bob Boone, Director of Player Development Doug Harris and Director of Minor League Operations Mark...

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Ryan Zimmerman keeps destroying baseballs (Roark done after six strong)

September 12, 2013, 9:24am

Nationals

Ryan Zimmerman keeps destroying baseballs (Roark done after six strong)

This is starting to get ridiculous. Ryan Zimmerman crushed a first-pitch homer off Aaron Harang with one out in the top of the first inning this afternoon, giving him eight homers in his last 10 games, and giving the Nationals a 1-0 lead. Eight of Zimmerman's last 10 hits have left the yard, which is just insane. More than a third of his 23 homers this season have come in the last week and a half. Zimmerman's 23rd homer now ties him with Jayson Werth for the team lead. This homer came on...

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On Zimmerman's power surge and Johnson's use of his southpaws

September 12, 2013, 5:32am

Nationals

On Zimmerman's power surge and Johnson's use of his southpaws

Here's how locked-in Ryan Zimmerman is lately, from a power perspective: Over Zimmerman's first 463 at-bats of the season, he hit 15 home runs, an average of 30.8 at-bats per homer. Over Zimmerman's last 39 at-bats, Zimmerman has hit seven home runs, an average of 5.6 at-bats per longball. If Zimmerman could keep this pace up over the course of a full season (550 at-bats), he'd have 98 homers. Sounds pretty doable, right? Strangely enough, in this nine-game span where Zimmerman's power...

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Roark back to the hill in series finale vs. Mets

September 12, 2013, 7:48am

Nationals

Roark back to the hill in series finale vs. Mets

Tanner Roark's first major league start couldn't have gone much better. Roark threw six scoreless innings, allowing just four hits, walking none and striking out four in a win over the Marlins. The rookie right-hander improved to 5-0 with that win, and his ERA dropped to a sparkling 0.94. Today, Roark gets the ball again in the finale of the Nationals' four-game series with the Mets. The Nats have taken the first three in New York and are gunning for a much-needed sweep. Veteran...

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Nats win 3-0, extend winning streak to five games

September 11, 2013, 6:04pm

Nationals

Nats win 3-0, extend winning streak to five games

Dan Haren spun a gem, and the bats provided enough pop to allow the Nationals to pick up their fifth straight win. Haren threw six scoreless innings tonight, allowing just a hit and a walk and striking out eight, and Ryan Zimmerman's solo homer and Anthony Rendon's two-run double were enough to give the Nats a 3-0 win over the Mets. The victory makes Haren 9-13 on the season and gives him two more wins than Stephen Strasburg. Baseball can be a funny game at times. The Nats are now 22-9 in...

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Rachel Levitin: Is it too little too late for the Nats?

September 12, 2013, 5:14am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Is it too little too late for the Nats?

The Nationals are now six games back in the wild card chase behind Cincinnati with 17 games left on the schedule. This is after Wednesday night's 3-0 victory against the New York Mets in which Washington notched its fifth consecutive victory. It's like MASN's Dan Kolko said yesterday: finally, it's all clicking. But is it too late? That's the question facing the Nationals. Offense has been an ongoing issue for Washington throughout the season. Batting coach Rick Eckstein was let go,...

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Much better stuff from Haren (Rendon provides some insurance)

September 11, 2013, 4:05pm

Nationals

Much better stuff from Haren (Rendon provides some insurance)

Prior to tonight, the last two times Dan Haren took the mound, his night was over before he could sniff the fourth inning. Haren allowed nine runs over 2 2/3 innings in a loss to the Mets on Aug. 31, then surrendered five runs over three innings in a loss to the Marlins on Sept. 6. Tonight, Haren has allowed just one baserunner through his first three frames, holding the Mets hitless and striking out four. Haren has worked quickly and needed just 42 pitches (27 of which have been strikes) to...

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Harper returns, hitting cleanup

September 11, 2013, 11:56am

Nationals

After missing the last four games with left hip inflammation, Bryce Harper is back in the Nationals lineup today, playing left field and hitting cleanup. Harper went back to D.C. over the weekend to get checked out by Nationals medical director Dr. Wiemi Douoguih. He was told to sit out Monday and Tuesday's games, but took batting practice at Citi Field yesterday and felt well enough to have Davey Johnson write him back in the lineup for tonight's contest. This will mark just the fourth...

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Finally, it's all clicking

September 10, 2013, 9:21pm

Nationals

Jordan Zimmermann notched his 17th win last night, most in the National League. Rafael Soriano recorded his 40th save, second-most in the NL. Jayson Werth leads the league in OPS and slugging percentage, and is one percentage point behind Chris Johnson for the league lead in batting average. Denard Span has a 21-game hitting streak and has worked his average up to .281. Wilson Ramos has 12 homers and 46 RBIs in just 231 at-bats. Tyler Moore is hitting .388 since his promotion with three...

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Nats' Jayson Werth should be a factor in National League MVP competition

September 11, 2013, 8:49am

Nationals

Nats' Jayson Werth should be a factor in National League MVP competition

Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth should be a factor in the National League's MVP voting. But if the team pulls off a miracle and becomes a wild card team, Werth's case gets stronger. He missed May with an injury, but there's no arguing that his average, on-base percentage and power in the second half have carried the Nationals' reawakened offense. He might win the NL batting title, and, in addition, he has all the leadership intangibles. The competition: * Freddie Freeman and Chris...

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David Huzzard: The Nationals and international free agents

September 11, 2013, 5:56am

Nationals

List the best free agent pick-ups of this past offseason, and it will be difficult to leave off Hyun-jin Ryu or Yasiel Puig. Go back one season earlier and there is an argument to be made that the best free agent signings were once again of non-MLB players in Yoenis Cespedes and Yu Darvish. This offseason, that could be the case once again with rumors of Masahiro Tanaka being posted and Jose Abreu already a free agent. And while the Nationals made a run at Aroldis Chapman, there was never any...

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Werth and LaRoche having a party (Nats win 6-3)

September 10, 2013, 3:44pm

Nationals

Werth and LaRoche having a party (Nats win 6-3)

Prior to last season, the Mets brought in the fence in left and left-center field at Citi Field in order to make the park a bit smaller, and installed what they call the Party City Deck between the new fencing and the old wall that they had out there. It's an area for fans to hang out during the game and get a unique view just above the fence. And it's also a prime area for souvenirs, especially the last two days. The Nationals are wearing out that Party City Deck during this series, and...

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Gio Gonzalez's interesting 2013 campaign

September 10, 2013, 5:17am

Nationals

Gio Gonzalez's interesting 2013 campaign

It's been a bit of a strange season for Gio Gonzalez. When Gonzalez has been good, he's been really, really good. See: last night's one-hit shutout of the Mets in a 9-0 Nationals win. That was dominance, and it sure looked for a while there like Gonzalez had a legitimate shot at a no-hitter the way he was throwing. But on the rare occasion when Gonzalez has struggled this season, he's really struggled. The left-hander has allowed more than four earned runs in a start five times this...

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Lombardozzi, Moore in Nats lineup against Gee

September 10, 2013, 12:27pm

Nationals

Lombardozzi, Moore in Nats lineup against Gee

As teammates, good friends and roommates, Steve Lombardozzi and Tyler Moore are around each other a lot. That's why, as a joke, an unknown member of the Nationals took Moore's jersey, hat and baseball gloves during the last homestand and put them in Lombardozzi's locker. When Moore walked into the Nats clubhouse and made his way toward his locker, he noticed his stuff was gone. The confused Moore started spinning around looking, trying to figure out what was going on, only to find his gear...