nationals

Meet Denard Span this Saturday, presented by Cox

August 08, 2013, 9:56am

For Nationals fans, one of the most exciting parts about last offseason was the acquisition of Denard Span. The center fielder livened up the Nats lineup, bringing speed to both the outfield and the basepaths. Well, thanks to Cox Communications, you have the chance to meet Span this Saturday, August 10! From 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Span will be taking pictures with fans at the Cox Solutions Store in Fairfax, Va. Be sure to RSVP today; however, the event is open to all on a first-come,...

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Hearing from Zimmermann, Krol, Mattheus and Roark

August 07, 2013, 8:23pm

Nationals

Hearing from Zimmermann, Krol, Mattheus and Roark

You've already seen Jordan Zimmermann's quotes where he denied that he was feeling tightness in his neck, as manager Davey Johnson had indicated. So if it wasn't the neck, why was Zimmermann so off tonight, allowing seven hits, two walks and two runs in just four innings of work? "I had really, really good stuff today," Zimmermann said. "I just either was 0-2 and I let them back in the count or I fell behind 2-0, 3-0 and I had to battle. Get it back to full count, they fouled a few...

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Reality starting to set in

August 08, 2013, 12:01am

Nationals

For months now, Nationals players, coaches and front office personnel have countered questions about the team's continued struggles by saying that they have a talented roster and that there was plenty of time left for things to turn and for talent to show through. Well, there's no longer plenty of time left for things to turn. And so far, the talent still hasn't shown through. The Nats have played 114 games, more than 70 percent of their schedule. They've reached their season's low...

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Werth opens up on state of Nationals: "We are still in a building phase"

August 07, 2013, 8:00pm

Nationals

Right fielder Jayson Werth did all he could to keep the Nationals in their 6-3 loss to the Braves on Wednesday. He hit a game tying two-run shot, which was the first hit for the Nationals against Kris Medlen. He singled and scored the tying run three innings later. He walked in the rally attempt down three in the bottom of the ninth. But it was not meant to be and, in the end, Werth was sitting at his locker contemplating what a three-game sweep at the hands of the first-place Braves means...

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LaRoche and Gonzalez lament another set of missed opportunities in loss

August 06, 2013, 7:24pm

Nationals

LaRoche and Gonzalez lament another set of missed opportunities in loss

The Nationals dropped another one-run squeaker to the Braves, 2-1, failing to take advantage of opportunities presented to them with runners in scoring position. On Monday, the Nationals were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. On Tuesday, 0-for-5. First baseman Adam LaRoche reviewed his chance in the seventh. Facing reliever Luis Avilan, LaRoche worked the count to 2-0 on a pair of two-seam fastballs. On the third offering, LaRoche also faced a two-seam fastball that he weakly...

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A.J. Cole strikes out 10 in third Double-A start

August 07, 2013, 7:55am

Nationals

A.J. Cole strikes out 10 in third Double-A start

Right-hander A.J. Cole has made good progress in his return to the organization. Cole was sent to the Oakland A's two seasons ago. He struggled at high Single-A for the A's, but then flourished with their low Single-A team. Before this season, Cole was traded back to the Nationals in the Michael Morse three-team triangle trade with Seattle and Oakland. 2013 has been a big step up for Cole. He looked good with high Single-A Potomac early in the season. In 18 starts, Cole went 6-3 with a...

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Nationals even facing tough road to earning an NL wild card berth

August 08, 2013, 8:21am

Nationals

Now that the Braves have finished off their second series sweep in D.C. and kept the Nationals from being relevant in the National League East, the Nationals have to turn their attention to making the playoffs as a wild card. And that avenue to October doesn't look good. After getting swept for a second time in D.C. by the Braves this season, the Nationals are nine games behind the Reds for the second wild card spot in the NL. The Diamondbacks are also ahead of the Nationals, who won 98...

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Rachel Levitin: Where's the sustained fire and passion in 2013 Nats?

August 08, 2013, 5:17am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Where's the sustained fire and passion in 2013 Nats?

While I'll admit I wasn't present for the actual bench-clearing brouhaha that went down at Nats Park on Tuesday night, I have to say I for one am glad it happened. Just a couple of weeks ago on this very blog, I was commenting about how this Nationals team doesn't seem to be fighting for their wins this season. Granted, I went on to explain that I don't have clubhouse access so there's no way for me to actually ask the players what their feelings are on how the season's playing out or...

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Johnson discusses sweep at the hands of Atlanta

August 07, 2013, 7:45pm

Nationals

Johnson discusses sweep at the hands of Atlanta

Prior to tonight's 6-3 loss to the Braves, a defeat that resulted in the second Atlanta sweep at Nationals Park this season, Davey Johnson threw his back out. He appeared fine after the game, but in the 70-year-old skipper's mind, that injury was symbolic of how this season has gone for his club. The Nats came into this series against Atlanta hoping to, at the very least, take two out of three games and give themselves a shot to possibly claw back into the division race. Instead, they...

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A heck of a debut from Roark (Nats lose 6-3, swept by Braves)

August 07, 2013, 4:56pm

Nationals

A heck of a debut from Roark (Nats lose 6-3, swept by Braves)

Tanner Roark outpitched Jordan Zimmermann by a wide margin today. Baseball can be a funky game. Making his major league debut, Roark, who was called up from Triple-A Syracuse yesterday, pitched two scoreless innings, keeping this game tied 2-2. Roark worked a 1-2-3 fifth inning, his first in relief of Zimmermann (who left after allowing seven hits over four frames), and after surrendering a leadoff bloop single in the sixth, the right-hander needed just two batters to get out of the...

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A whole lot of nothing (Werth knots it up with a bomb)

August 07, 2013, 4:06pm

Nationals

A whole lot of nothing (Werth knots it up with a bomb)

Dating back to last night, the Nationals are 0-for-their-last-15 with 10 strikeouts. Somehow, some way, it keeps finding a way to get worse. The Nats trail 1-0 after three innings tonight and have been set down in order by Kris Medlen to this point. Nine up, nine down. Four strikeouts, five groundouts. Not a single ball hit out of the infield. How much of that is Medlen, who has really looked sharp? How much of it is the Nationals, who continue to scuffle regardless of who is on the mound?...

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Span leading off as Nats try to avoid sweep (Heyward in Braves lineup)

August 07, 2013, 11:43am

Nationals

Span leading off as Nats try to avoid sweep (Heyward in Braves lineup)

Denard Span is back leading off for the Nationals as manager Davey Johnson produced yet another lineup this afternoon. Ryan Zimmerman will hit second. The Braves are 9-3 against the Nats this season and 5-0 at Nats Park. The Nats will try and take a stand in the home-field advantage department tonight. Jason Heyward is back in the Braves lineup tonight after leaving yesterday's game in the first inning with a strained neck muscle. For the Nationals CF Denard Span 3B Ryan Zimmerman LF...

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Johnson doesn't expect Nats to retaliate after benches-clearing incident

August 07, 2013, 2:35pm

Nationals

Johnson doesn't expect Nats to retaliate after benches-clearing incident

A day after Bryce Harper was drilled on the thigh by a Julio Teheran fastball and voiced his displeasure with what he felt was an uncalled-for plunking and saw both benches empty, the chatter about the incident continues. Nationals players continue to believe that Teheran intentionally hit Harper two innings after Harper took Teheran deep and made a slower-than-usual trot around the bases. That hasn't changed in the last 20 or so hours. "No doubt in my mind," one player, who noted that he...

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Davey on Ohlendorf's possible rehab start and Rendon's defense at second base

August 07, 2013, 1:44pm

Nationals

Davey on Ohlendorf's possible rehab start and Rendon's defense at second base

Manager Davey Johnson has been pleasantly surprised how well Anthony Rendon has come along defensively at second base. It was a position Rendon had only played at a handful of times before arriving in D.C. Johnson noticed Rendon had quick mechanics back in March in Viera, Fla. "I thought his footwork in the spring when we went through a lot of drills was a lot more advanced than I thought it would be, especially for a corner guy," Johnson said. "He has got good feet and he is a smart...

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Questioning the interpretation of one of baseball's unwritten rules

August 07, 2013, 6:03am

Nationals

Questioning the interpretation of one of baseball's unwritten rules

Is this what the game has come to? Are we really at the point in today's game that when a player looks at a home run for a second or two before running around the bases, he gets drilled the next time he comes to the plate? Or the following week? Or two months down the road? Don't confuse my intentions by writing this. I'm not whining about Bryce Harper getting drilled in the thigh by a first-pitch Julio Teheran fastball last night. I'm not specifically standing up for Harper and I'm not...

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David Huzzard: What to do with Adam LaRoche

August 07, 2013, 4:45am

Nationals

David Huzzard: What to do with Adam LaRoche

Adam LaRoche's offensive numbers are better than a league average hitter, and only the second-worst among Nats regulars, but he ranks 22nd in the league among qualified first basemen in OPS. The problem isn't that the Nationals are locked into one more year of LaRoche. They faced the same issue in the 2012 offseason when they went after Prince Fielder. It is that there isn't a Fielder on the free agent market this offseason. The best available free-agent first baseman is Mike Napoli, who...

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Johnson discusses Nats' 2-1 loss to Braves

August 06, 2013, 7:47pm

Nationals

Johnson discusses Nats' 2-1 loss to Braves

A reporter asked Davey Johnson after tonight's 2-1 Nationals loss, a loss that dropped the Nats to 54-59 on the season and left them averaging a paltry 3.68 runs per game, what can be done about the lack of offense. Johnson let out a deep sigh. "I'm asking you," Johnson responded. "Either they're pitching that good, or we just ... I don't know. I don't have an answer." The Nats left the bases loaded in the seventh when Adam LaRoche grounded out to first to end the threat, and then...

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Reactions from both sides to Harper HBP, benches clearing

August 06, 2013, 7:08pm

Nationals

Reactions from both sides to Harper HBP, benches clearing

Following tonight's 2-1 Nationals loss to the Braves, Bryce Harper calmly answered questions about being hit by a first-pitch, 94 mph Julio Teheran fastball in the fifth inning, a pitch that led to Harper taking a couple of steps towards the mound and shouting a few choice words at the Braves right-hander. Harper felt the pitch was payback for his home run in the third inning, a solo shot that gave the Nats a 1-0 lead. Harper took a second or two to admire the homer and then tossed his bat...

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Benches clear after Harper hit by Teheran pitch (Nats lose 2-1)

August 06, 2013, 4:49pm

Nationals

Benches clear after Harper hit by Teheran pitch (Nats lose 2-1)

Things got interesting in the bottom of the fifth inning, when benches cleared following Bryce Harper being drilled by a first-pitch, 94 mph fastball from Braves righty Julio Teheran. Harper took exception to the hit-by-pitch, which he clearly felt was intentional following his home run off Teheran in the third inning. Harper took a couple of steps toward the mound and gestured at Teheran, but was moved down the first base line by home plate umpire Joe West. Braves catcher Brian McCann got a...

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The power of the mustache (Braves get the breaks in the fifth)

August 06, 2013, 4:15pm

Nationals

The power of the mustache (Braves get the breaks in the fifth)

Bryce Harper has a new look today, having rid himself of the full beard that he's been sporting for much of the season. All that's left in the facial hair department is a mustache, and it apparently has brought some luck. Harper smoked a one-out solo homer to dead center in the third inning, his 17th longball of the season, giving the Nationals a 1-0 lead over Julio Teheran and the Braves. After Teheran struck Harper out in the first, the Braves righty left a 91 mph two-seam fastball over...