nationals

Nats and Giants share frustrations on disappointing 2013 campaigns

August 13, 2013, 2:32pm

Earlier this afternoon, before sitting down with reporters for his daily pregame press conference, Nationals manager Davey Johnson met up with Giants manager Bruce Bochy and some of the San Francisco coaches. Johnson has struggled to come up with answers for why his offense has struggled this season, but he's not alone. While the Nats rank fourth-worst in the majors in runs scored this season, the Giants are actually one spot lower, having scored four fewer runs than the Nats. The Giants are...

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Harper battling the flu, plus Ohlendorf, Detwiler updates

August 13, 2013, 1:43pm

Nationals

Harper battling the flu, plus Ohlendorf, Detwiler updates

Davey Johnson is feeling much more spry today than he did Sunday, when he spent the final two innings of the Nationals' win over the Phillies on a training table with back pain. Johnson got a couple of shots in his back yesterday to numb the affected area and then an injection of cortisone, and that seems to have done the trick. The 70-year-old skipper was all smiles and even said he might be closing in on throwing batting practice sometime soon, a goal of his from earlier in the...

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A Drew Storen update

August 13, 2013, 4:24am

Nationals

The Nationals welcome the San Francisco Giants to town today for the first of three games at Nats Park. Let's just call it the Battle of the Underachievers. These two teams rival the Angels and maybe the Blue Jays in the most disappointing department this season, with the Giants in last place in the National League West, sitting 13 games under .500, and the Nats still three games under .500 even after their sweep of the Phillies this weekend. Two tough lefties will take the mound tonight in...

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Harper out of Nats' lineup against Bumgarner

August 13, 2013, 11:37am

Nationals

Harper out of Nats' lineup against Bumgarner

The Nationals' lineup against Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner does not feature Bryce Harper. Scott Hairston will play left field and hit eighth tonight, with Harper getting the day off. We can assume that the reason for Harper's absence is his struggles against left-handed pitching this season. Harper has hit just .172/.270/.276 against southpaws in 2013, while Hairston has a career .268 batting average and .817 OPS against lefties. Bumgarner is holding lefties to a .150 average and...

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Skole tweets he is close to being cleared to resume baseball-related activities

August 12, 2013, 1:12pm

Nationals

Skole tweets he is close to being cleared to resume baseball-related activities

Third baseman/first baseman Matt Skole has been out the entire season because of an injury early he suffered in April. Skole had to undergo Tommy John surgery and recently I was told Nationals officials are hoping the former Georgia Tech star will be able to play fall or winter ball. He had been going through one arm swings in light practice, and had continued to rehab the elbow this summer. But this tweet reveals that he is ready to take the next step and get baseball activities...

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Ted Leavengood: Playing for pride

August 13, 2013, 4:53am

Nationals

Stephen Strasburg's complete-game shutout on Sunday was an exclamation point at the end of a weekend statement that the Nationals have found their sense of pride. It was the best game of Strasburg's young career. He has said many times that he wants to go deeper into seasons, deeper into games and it doesn't get much deeper than a complete-game shutout. Coming at the end of the weekend sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies, it emphasized Davey Johnson's assertion that the team needed to play...

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Offensively, Nats showing signs of life

August 12, 2013, 5:48am

Nationals

Individually, you can decide how much you choose to make out of the Nationals' offensive explosion this weekend. Yes, it came against the Phillies, who own the fifth-worst team ERA in the majors. Yes, it was just three games, which in no way means that the Nats have snapped out of their season-long offensive funk and gotten on track. Some of you might choose to view this as the start of something positive, a sign that the bats are waking up down the stretch. Others might brush off the...

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Ramos and McCatty on Strasburg's first complete game, shutout

August 11, 2013, 5:07pm

Nationals

Ramos and McCatty on Strasburg's first complete game, shutout

Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg said earlier in the season that going just six innings wasn't cool anymore. On Sunday, it must have felt really cool as Strasburg tossed 99 pitches in his first complete game shutout of his career, beating the Phillies 6-0. Catcher Wilson Ramos said he was impressed because Strasburg battled through a tweak of his groin on his second pitch to Dominic Brown in the second inning, which could have unraveled the start before he even got going. However,...

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Strasburg on first career shutout: "My stuff was just on today"

August 11, 2013, 5:07pm

Nationals

Strasburg on first career shutout: "My stuff was just on today"

When discussing his individual goals for this season back in spring training, Stephen Strasburg would often come back to one word that he hoped would eventually be used to describe him. Workhorse. After a 2012 season in which he never worked longer than seven innings and was shut down during a pennant race after 159 1/3 innings, Strasburg was determined to become the guy that would consistently work deep into games, giving his team a chance to win and eating innings for his pitching...

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Werth on his knee, Desmond and Strasburg

August 12, 2013, 10:20am

Nationals

Werth on his knee, Desmond and Strasburg

Right fielder Jayson Werth got his knee caught up under him during the play at the plate Sunday. He was removed from the game as a precaution. Werth said the knee stiffened up a bit, but feels it will be OK. He said it depends on how he feels today. "I don't think it is a big deal", Werth said. On the play at home, Werth and shortstop Ian Desmond scored back-to-back runs after the fielder's choice in the infield off the bat of Wilson Ramos. Werth said it was fun to be a part...

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Johnson discusses Strasburg's gem and Werth's injury after 6-0 win

August 11, 2013, 5:29pm

Nationals

Johnson discusses Strasburg's gem and Werth's injury after 6-0 win

Davey Johnson couldn't bear to watch Stephen Strasburg finish off his shutout in tonight's 6-0 Nationals win. That had nothing to do with Strasburg or anything Johnson was seeing on the field. Turns out, Johnson's back was acting up so much that the Nats' 70-year-old skipper had to head back to the trainer's room to apply some heat packs and watch the final two innings of the game while lying down. Johnson will spend part of tomorrow's off-day getting a procedure done on his back that...

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David Nichols: Werth's resurgence provides some fun down the stretch

August 12, 2013, 5:51am

Nationals

David Nichols: Werth's resurgence provides some fun down the stretch

The Nationals swept the Phillies over the weekend. That always feels good. But the Nats are still eight games out of a wild card spot with just 45 games to play. It's not an impossibility, but the odds of making the postseason sure aren't great. What is great, though, is the way Jayson Werth has been playing this summer. The veteran outfielder is in the midst of what could possibly be his finest season at the plate as a big leaguer. Due to the hamstring injury that caused him to miss a...

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Jordan and Roark proving worthwhile pitching commodities as season rolls on

August 10, 2013, 7:21pm

Nationals

Jordan and Roark proving worthwhile pitching commodities as season rolls on

Right-hander Tanner Roark achieved another milestone Saturday by earning his first major league victory. And it took only 12 pitches. Roark retired six consecutive Phillies in the sixth and seventh innings. The Nationals' offense scored six runs in those two innings to come back and win 8-5. "It felt great, the come-from-behind win," Roark said. "Great team effort, bats came alive and it was awesome to watch." Roark had watched starter Taylor Jordan allow four runs in the second inning...

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Could Strasburg tally another career first? (Strasburg shuts out Phillies)

August 11, 2013, 3:28pm

Nationals

Could Strasburg tally another career first? (Strasburg shuts out Phillies)

Through seven scoreless innings tonight, Stephen Strasburg has thrown just 82 pitches. He's struck out 10, surrendered just four hits and a walk and failed to allow a runner into scoring position. Strasburg has notched a number of firsts this season, and he could be in line for another. His first career complete game is well within reach. This is now Strasburg's 10th career double-digit strikeout game, but despite the strikeouts, the pitch count has remained relatively low. Strasburg has...

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Werth keeps on raking, Strasburg is cruising (the lead increases)

August 11, 2013, 2:08pm

Nationals

Werth keeps on raking, Strasburg is cruising (the lead increases)

I've never been too good at math, but I'm pretty sure Jayson Werth now has 1,001 hits for his career. End one game at 1,000 hits and deliver an RBI single to center in your first at-bat the next night, and I think that leaves us at 1,001. Feel free to double-check the numbers for me. Werth continues to rake, delivering a run-scoring single off Kyle Kendrick in the first inning that quickly broke a scoreless tie and put the Nationals up 1-0. Stephen Strasburg has kept the score right there...

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A handful of pregame notes

August 11, 2013, 11:46am

Nationals

OK, one more Jayson Werth stat, and then I'm done for now. Since July 1, Werth has a .404 batting average, which is the best in the majors by quite a wide margin. The Rangers' Adrian Beltre ranks second in batting average since July 1 with a .372 mark, and the Tigers' Victor Martinez is right behind Beltre at .371. But Werth's hot streak over the last six weeks or so crushes just about anyone else's in the game. With one more save, Rafael Soriano will notch the third 30-save campaign of...

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Lombardozzi starting at second base as Nats go for sweep

August 11, 2013, 9:30am

Nationals

Lombardozzi starting at second base as Nats go for sweep

The Nationals will shoot for the sweep in this three-game series against the Phillies this evening, with Stephen Strasburg (5-9, 3.01 ERA) taking the ball for the Nats and right-hander Kyle Kendrick (9-8, 4.29) going for the Phils. Steve Lombardozzi will play second base for the Nats today, with Anthony Rendon getting a day off. This will be Wilson Ramos' eighth time starting behind the plate in the Nats' last nine games. For the Nats CF Denard Span 3B Ryan Zimmerman LF Bryce Harper RF...

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Examining some remarkable Werth numbers

August 11, 2013, 6:16am

Nationals

Stop whatever it is you're doing, folks. I've got some shocking news to pass along. The Atlanta Braves actually lost a game yesterday, snapping their 14-game winning streak. Apparently the Upton brothers and their teammates are human, after all. With that Atlanta loss and the Nationals' win over the Phillies, yesterday marked the first time since all the way back on July 25 that the Nats actually made up ground on the Braves. The Nats have now won two games in a row, and the deficit in...

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Werth and Harper on the homer, the squeeze and the Gatorade attack

August 10, 2013, 7:55pm

Nationals

Werth and Harper on the homer, the squeeze and the Gatorade attack

Batting practice pitcher Ali Modami informed Jayson Werth after his sixth-inning single that the outfielder was one hit away from 1,000 for his career. Werth didn't need to wait long before putting himself in that thousand-hit club. Just an inning later, Werth launched a two-run homer to left, giving the Nationals their first lead of the game and pushing Werth into four-digit-hit territory for his career. "Definitely a milestone," Werth said. "When you set out playing this game however...

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Johnson discusses Nats' 8-5 win

August 10, 2013, 7:19pm

Nationals

As if it wasn't enough that Jayson Werth continued his lengthy hot streak with a two-run go-ahead homer in the seventh that lifted the Nationals to victory tonight, it just happened to be Werth's 1,000th career hit and it just happened to come against the 34-year-old's former team. Quite a memorable set of circumstances for Werth, who earned a curtain call after the home run and ended up going 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the Nats' 8-5 win over the Phillies. On the season, Werth is now...