nationals

Johnson on chances of a postseason run: "Strange things happen in this game"

August 29, 2013, 6:45pm

It probably isn't stretching things to say that this is the most upbeat the Nationals clubhouse has been in months. The Nats picked up their 14th win in 19 games tonight with a 9-0 rout of the Marlins, finishing off a three-game sweep and getting back to three games over .500 for the first time since July 10. After tonight's win, the Nats trail the Reds by 6 1/2 games for the final wild card spot in the National League. Still a ways out with just 29 games to go, for sure, but the Nats are...

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Sept. 9 meeting set between Nationals and Lee County, developer

August 29, 2013, 9:32am

Nationals

Mark Sept. 9 on your calendars - that's the day we'll get an indication about how serious officials from Lee County and Fort Myers, Fla., are about courting the Nationals across the state to conduct spring training. According to Spring Training Online, that's the day the Nationals will meet in D.C. with representatives of Rockford Construction, a developer interested in building a mixed-use development that would have City of Palms Park as its centerpiece and also include retail and office...

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Middle of Nats order bringing the thunder (Nats sweep Marlins)

August 29, 2013, 5:24pm

Nationals

Middle of Nats order bringing the thunder (Nats sweep Marlins)

It's a party at Nationals Park tonight, and Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth and Ian Desmond are providing the fireworks. Each guy has homered tonight, with Harper's two-run shot putting the Nats on the board, Werth's three-run bomb pushing that lead to 5-0 and Desmond's moonshot making it a 9-0 Nats advantage. Desmond's homer came in the seventh, and it was a sky-high blast that seemed like it was in the air forever. When it finally came down a handful of rows into the left field bleachers,...

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Nats' left-handers getting it done early on (more of the same from Werth)

August 29, 2013, 4:21pm

Nationals

Nats' left-handers getting it done early on (more of the same from Werth)

A recent hot streak has gotten Bryce Harper's batting average and on-base percentage moving in the right direction. But Harper's power numbers have shot up over the last couple weeks, as well. Harper lifted an opposite-field two-run homer off Marlins right-hander Tom Koehler in the fourth, giving the Nationals a 2-0 lead. It's Harper's 19th homer of the season, and second in his last four games. He also has eight extra-base hits in his last 11 games, pushing his slugging percentage back...

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Strasburg to stay on turn, Ohlendorf likely to start Sunday

August 29, 2013, 2:11pm

Nationals

Strasburg to stay on turn, Ohlendorf likely to start Sunday

Despite some talk from manager Davey Johnson about Stephen Strasburg possibly getting moved up in the rotation and starting Sunday after his rain-shortened start last night, Johnson said today that Strasburg will stay on his current turn and pitch Monday against the Phillies. As for Sunday's starter, Johnson isn't able to settle on a guy just yet, needing to see how things play out tonight. Ross Ohlendorf seems to be the most likely guy to get the start for the Nationals against the Mets on...

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Werth's stellar 2013 just keeps getting better

August 28, 2013, 11:12pm

Nationals

Werth's stellar 2013 just keeps getting better

It might have gotten overlooked a little bit last night because of some of the weird plays that went on in the Nationals' 4-3 win over the Marlins, but Jayson Werth continued to rake, homering again to give him 20 longballs on the season. It also might have gotten overlooked because, well, Werth raking is pretty much just commonplace at this point. After his effort last night, Werth is now batting .324 with a .403 on-base percentage and .530 slugging percentage this season, leading the Nats...

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Nationals lineup for finale vs. Marlins

August 29, 2013, 11:48am

Nationals

The Nationals are fielding the same lineup for tonight's series finale against the Marlins with one exception. Anthony Rendon is back at second base instead of Steve Lombardozzi. Rendon has struggled of late, going 5-for-29 (.179) over his last nine games after recording hits in 13 of his previous 14 contests. Gio Gonzalez is on the mound looking to rebound from one of his worst starts of the season. The Nats lefty allowed seven runs on 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings on Friday in Kansas...

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Off the field, Zimmerman, Span and Gonzalez answered your questions in MASN's live chat

August 29, 2013, 8:46am

Nationals

Off the field, Zimmerman, Span and Gonzalez answered your questions in MASN's live chat

After a huge Nationals win, MASN will show you postgame interviews with players, in which reporters ask about a big inning or a huge home run. Following a loss, you will hear players being asked some tough questions, maybe about pitch selection or a costly error. Either way, you often hear players answering serious, game-related inquiries. However, we know that you have other burning questions for the players. Maybe you were curious about which National was the best golfer. Have you ever...

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Decision to pull Strasburg after long rain delay may shake up starting rotation

August 28, 2013, 8:22pm

Nationals

Decision to pull Strasburg after long rain delay may shake up starting rotation

Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg only tossed 22 pitches Wednesday thanks to a 72-minute rain delay. Strasburg pitched only two innings in the Nationals' eventual 4-3 win over the Marlins. Manager Davey Johnson said the one hour, 12 minute rain delay played a big part in why he decided to shut down Strasburg for the night and move on to Craig Stammen. But he also was concerned about Strasburg's back. "Actually, after about I guess it was 45 minutes, we asked him how he was,...

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Hearing from Storen and Desmond after Nats' win

August 28, 2013, 8:44pm

Nationals

Hearing from Storen and Desmond after Nats' win

Steve McCatty is a jokester, a guy never afraid to make one of his pitchers smile to lighten the mood in a big spot. He's also a bit of a disciplinarian at times, scolding pitchers who he feels aren't working to their strengths. So what type of speech did McCatty give Drew Storen tonight, when the Nationals' pitching coach came out of the dugout in the top of the seventh with two on, none out, Giancarlo Stanton at the plate and Storen having a 2-0 count on the Nationals-killer? "He just...

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Johnson discusses Nats' 4-3 win

August 28, 2013, 8:28pm

Nationals

Tonight's ballgame ended more than four hours and 10 minutes after it began, with a 72-minute rain delay in there, 11 total pitchers making an appearance and the Nationals and Marlins combining to go 3-for-23 with runners in scoring position. Not the prettiest of games, that's for sure. But don't tell Davey Johnson that. "It was a nice ballgame, since we won it," Johnson said. The Nats held on for a tight 4-3 win in a game in which both starting pitchers were done before they'd seen...

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Stanton does it again, but so does Werth (Nats win 4-3)

August 28, 2013, 6:26pm

Nationals

Stanton does it again, but so does Werth (Nats win 4-3)

Giancarlo Stanton kills the Nationals. Just kills them. He might not kill them like Andrew McCutchen kills them. But Stanton still kills them. You get the idea. The Marlins' right fielder absolutely obliterated a 2-2 slider from Ryan Mattheus to dead center leading off the sixth, tying the game 2-2. It was Stanton's 17th homer in 47 career games against the Nats. The ball was just crushed, on a line, and if not for a wall about 30 feet beyond the center field fence, that one still might...

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Nats take lead into early rain delay (Harper stays hot)

August 28, 2013, 3:45pm

Nationals

Nats take lead into early rain delay (Harper stays hot)

Stephen Strasburg is starting for the Nationals tonight, which meant that rain would play a factor at some point. It sure seems like every time Strasburg takes the mound, rain makes an appearance. It started pouring here at Nats Park in the bottom of the second inning, and within minutes, the tarp was on the field and we were in a rain delay. Looking at the radar online, it doesn't appear we're in danger of this being a long delay. But then again, I'm definitely no meteorologist. The...

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Johnson closer to giving Roark chance to start and sending Ohlendorf back to bullpen

August 28, 2013, 2:02pm

Nationals

Johnson closer to giving Roark chance to start and sending Ohlendorf back to bullpen

Manager Davey Johnson is not yet ready to hand over the fifth starter role to Tanner Roark, following hints that he might send Ross Ohlendorf back to the bullpen following Tuesday's win over the Marlins. However, he is leaning that way because he would like to give Roark a shot. "It is still premature because I need to see if there (are) any problems coming out of the 'pen today or tomorrow," Johnson said. "But I did have a conversation with both of them. We will see how things go. That...

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Johnson on his eating habits, Mattheus' return, Garcia's lost season

August 28, 2013, 2:38pm

Nationals

Johnson on his eating habits, Mattheus' return, Garcia's lost season

A reporter for a national outlet is at Nationals Park today doing a story on how some major league teams are putting more of an emphasis on eating healthy these days and hiring specialty chefs for their clubhouses. The reporter tried to get Nationals manager Davey Johnson to compare the food that players ate in his days to what players are eating in the Nats' clubhouse now. Johnson chose to take the conversation down a different path. "Well, I'm a meat and potatoes man, and I like iceberg...

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Nats lineup vs. Marlins

August 28, 2013, 11:34am

Nationals

Steve Lombardozzi gets the start at second base tonight for game two of this three-game set against the Marlins, with Anthony Rendon getting a day off. Stephen Strasburg (6-9, 3.00 ERA) will get the start for the Nationals tonight, opposing Marlins right-hander Henderson Alvarez (2-3, 3.86 ERA) The 23-year-old Alvarez came to the Marlins in the monster trade with the Blue Jays this winter, and while he's been pretty impressive this season, he has allowed at least four earned runs in each of...

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Johnson not taking a fancy to Ohlendorf's strategy, but he will take the win

August 27, 2013, 7:13pm

Nationals

Johnson not taking a fancy to Ohlendorf's strategy, but he will take the win

Not too many times does a starting pitcher allow only three hits and one run and is pulled with the lead. That is what happened to right-hander Ross Ohlendorf on Tuesday night. Ohlendorf allowed a leadoff solo homer to the Marlins' Christian Yelich in the sixth inning. It was the only run he surrendered. It held up, thanks to the two runs the Nationals scored in the first inning, and solid relief pitching for the final four frames in a 2-1 victory over Miami. Manager Davey Johnson decided...

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A hodgepodge of morning notes and quotes (with promotional note)

August 28, 2013, 6:10am

Nationals

A hodgepodge of morning notes and quotes (with promotional note)

The deficit is down to seven. It's at six in the loss column. The Nationals' hottest stretch of the season has gotten them back on the fringe of the playoff conversation. They've won 12 of their last 17, and coupled with the Reds now having lost five of their last eight, the Nats are finding a way to close ground in the race for the final wild card spot. All the TVs in the Nationals clubhouse were tuned to the Reds-Cardinals game last night after the Nats' 2-1 win over the Marlins. By no...

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Johnson admits Nats need left-handed specialist going forward

August 27, 2013, 2:53pm

Nationals

Johnson admits Nats need left-handed specialist going forward

The Nationals were hoping that left-hander Zach Duke and right-handed relievers that could get left-handed hitters out would be the answer to the southpaw specialist role in the 2013 bullpen. Things did not turn out the way the team had hoped, at least with 32 games remaining. It is an issue that manager Davey Johnson believes will need to be addressed. He said it is a top concern going forward. "Not having the left-handed presence that we had last year," Johnson said when asked what...

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Do the Orioles or Nationals have a better chance of returning to playoffs?

August 28, 2013, 6:41am

Nationals Orioles

Do the Orioles or Nationals have a better chance of returning to playoffs?

As the season's final month arrives, the looming question remains: Who has a better chance of returning to the postseason, the Orioles or the Nationals? The Orioles are chasing two pitching-rich teams - the Red Sox and Rays - in their own division and another, Cleveland, that can't hit. The Nationals are at point where they need a winning streak and a collapse from one of the three contenders in the National League Central. We will know more soon about who the Nationals will be chasing....