nationals

Nationals acquire DeJesus from Cubs, release Bernadina (updated)

August 19, 2013, 11:28am

CHICAGO - The Nationals this afternoon acquired outfielder David DeJesus from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for a player to be named. DeJesus, 33, was claimed off waivers by the Nationals. Ironically, since the Nationals open a four-game series at Wrigley Field tonight, DeJesus will only need to switch clubhouses to meet up with his new team. To make space on the 25-man roster for DeJesus, the Nationals released outfielder Roger Bernadina. A career .279 hitter who can play all three outfield...

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Already reaching one 2012 mark

August 20, 2013, 1:19am

Nationals

CHICAGO - I failed to mention this here on the blog last night, but if you're able to stomach a depressing stat, I've got one for you. Last night's loss marked the 64th defeat for the Nationals this season. That evens their number of losses from all of 2012. In other words, in order for the Nats to match their record from last season, they'll need to go 38-0 the rest of the regular season. I'm no Major League Baseball scout. I'm no mathematician. Neither of those roles would suit me...

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Ted Leavengood: Can Nats compete without more international signings?

August 20, 2013, 5:50am

Nationals

As an organization, the Washington Nationals have largely eschewed big international signings. Last week, they paid $900,000 for Anderson Franco and the front office has said it will be more aggressive in international markets moving forward. Prior forays have been disappointing at best. They got nothing except legal fees for the $1.4 million they paid to Dominican phenom Smiley Gonzalez in 2006. They tried again in 2009 when they landed Cuban emigre, Yunesky Maya, who commanded a four-year, $8...

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Osceola County rejects plans for Nationals' spring training complex

August 20, 2013, 5:30am

Nationals

The Nationals won't be moving their spring training headquarters to Kissimmee, Fla. Last night, Osceola County commissioners voted 4-1 against constructing a new complex and stadium for the Nationals, who want to move their Grapefruit League operations out of Viera, Fla. Those commissioners voting against the $98 million deal said that any potential benefits from the project were outweighed by the county's investment in it. Monday's vote followed last month's 3-2 rejection of the team's...

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Hearing from Zimmermann, Zimmerman, Ramos and DeJesus

August 19, 2013, 8:15pm

Nationals

Hearing from Zimmermann, Zimmerman, Ramos and DeJesus

CHICAGO - Jordan Zimmermann has had a couple solid starts since the All-Star break, throwing six scoreless against the Brewers and allowing just one run over seven innings against the Giants. Both those strong outings have been sandwiched by a number of poor starts, which are rare to see from a starter as consistent as Zimmermann. Tonight's five-inning, eight-run outing was the third time in seven starts since the break that Zimmermann has allowed five earned runs or more, and it was the...

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Johnson discusses Nats' 11-1 loss

August 19, 2013, 7:44pm

Nationals

CHICAGO - Coming into today, the Cubs had only scored 10 or more runs once this entire season. They had scored one run or fewer in four of their last six games. They put up 11 on Jordan Zimmermann and company tonight. The Cubs had nine hits today, five of which left the ballpark. Three of those longballs came off Zimmermann, who worked just five innings and allowed a season-high eight runs, falling to 14-7 on the season with the loss. "Zim left the ball up. This is a ballpark, you leave the...

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DeJesus recaps a wild day after learning of trade to Nats (game update)

August 19, 2013, 4:36pm

Nationals

DeJesus recaps a wild day after learning of trade to Nats (game update)

CHICAGO - At around 1 p.m., David DeJesus looked down at his cell phone and saw that he had a missed call from Cubs team president Theo Epstein. DeJesus and his wife Kim were out getting green juice at the time, and DeJesus mentioned who the missed call was from. "You probably got traded," Kim DeJesus joked. They weren't laughing a few minutes later. DeJesus quickly called Epstein back and learned the news - that he'd been shipped from the Cubs to the Nats in exchange for a player to be...

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Cubs teeing off on Zimmermann (Nats lose 11-1)

August 19, 2013, 5:38pm

Nationals

Cubs teeing off on Zimmermann (Nats lose 11-1)

CHICAGO - The Cubs are absolutely laying into Jordan Zimmermann. Three home runs, two of them three-run shots, have been hit off the Nationals' right-hander, who now trails 8-0 after five innings. Nate Schierholtz crushed a three-run shot to right four batters into the bottom of the first. Donnie Murphy smoked a solo shot to right leading off the fourth. And three batters into the fifth, Dioner Navarro demolished a Zimmermann offering out to right for another three-run blast. Add in two...

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Rizzo and Johnson discuss DeJesus addition and Bernadina release

August 19, 2013, 4:08pm

Nationals

Rizzo and Johnson discuss DeJesus addition and Bernadina release

CHICAGO - The Nationals came into this year feeling like they had a solid, well-rounded bench, based largely upon what guys like Roger Bernadina, Chad Tracy, Tyler Moore and Steve Lombardozzi had done in 2012. After watching those guys struggle for much of this season, however, the Nats made another deal with the Cubs to add a bench player today (their second such deal with Chicago in six weeks), acquiring veteran outfielder David DeJesus for a player to be named later. The move led to the...

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Zimmmerman back in Nats lineup, hitting second

August 19, 2013, 2:55pm

Nationals

Zimmmerman back in Nats lineup, hitting second

CHICAGO - Ryan Zimmerman was held out of the Nationals' lineup in yesterday's series finale at Atlanta due to a bruised left shin, but he's back in there today. Zimmerman is hitting second today, with Anthony Rendon moving down to the No. 8 spot in the order. Wilson Ramos is back behind the plate after getting yesterday off to recover from catching all 15 innings Saturday night into Sunday morning. For the Nats CF Denard Span 3B Ryan Zimmerman LF Bryce Harper RF Jayson Werth 1B Adam...

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Back in the Windy City, Roark and Krol living a childhood dream

August 19, 2013, 9:35am

Nationals

Back in the Windy City, Roark and Krol living a childhood dream

CHICAGO - For Tanner Roark and Ian Krol, two rookie relievers, the Nationals' four games at Wrigley Field this week don't just represent four more big league contests that they can put under their belts. They represent the realization of a childhood dream. Roark and Krol both grew up in the suburbs outside of Chicago - Roark in Wilmington, Ill., 75 minutes from Wrigley, and Krol in Naperville, Ill., 50 minutes from one of the most historic ballparks in baseball. Both were huge Cubs fans...

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Nationals acquire David DeJesus from Cubs

August 19, 2013, 11:48am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today acquired outfielder David DeJesus from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for a player to be named and released outfielder Roger Bernadina. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. DeJesus is a career .279 (1281-for-4587) hitter with 254 doubles, 61 triples, 86 home runs, 513 RBI, 449 walks and a .354 on-base percentage in 11 big league seasons with the Cubs, Athletics and Royals. During his career, DeJesus has...

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Breaking down the head-to-head beatdown

August 18, 2013, 10:18pm

Nationals

CHICAGO - Why do I have a feeling the Nationals are plenty happy to be out of Atlanta and done with trips to Turner Field for the rest of the season? The Braves have absolutely dominated the Nats this season, and if that wasn't already evident just by watching the games, you can look down at the game logs and see that yesterday's 2-1 Braves win boosts their record in the season series between these teams to 12-4. Yeah, that would qualify as domination. The strange thing, however, is that...

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Dave Nichols: Strasburg shows backbone standing up for Harper

August 19, 2013, 5:56am

Nationals

Dave Nichols: Strasburg shows backbone standing up for Harper

It was a wild weekend in Atlanta. Not so much for the actual baseball content, as the Nationals dropped another series to the Braves, setting their season record against the division leaders at 4-12. Rather, after Bryce Harper was hit by pitches twice Friday night, the Nationals - at least their top starting pitcher - decided enough was enough. Harper, a player who will forevermore wear a target on his back with the Braves, was hit twice Friday night by two different pitchers, the second time...

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Harper on Braves fans: "I love these fans. I really do"

August 18, 2013, 3:04pm

Nationals

Harper on Braves fans: "I love these fans. I really do"

ATLANTA - Bryce Harper got a villain's welcome in Atlanta this weekend. He got hit by two pitches in the first game of the series. He heard fans applaud after those two plunkings, even the one that came on a pitch near his head. He got booed every time he came to the plate or recorded an out in the field. But all that didn't seem to affect Harper's view of the Braves' fan base in general. "I love these fans. I really do," Harper said after today's 2-1 Nationals loss. "These people...

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Johnson discusses Nats' 2-1 loss to Braves

August 18, 2013, 2:36pm

Nationals

Johnson discusses Nats' 2-1 loss to Braves

ATLANTA - In many ways, today's 2-1 Nationals loss was a microcosm of their season to this point. The Nats got pretty solid starting pitching, as Gio Gonzalez allowed two runs over seven innings. They gave themselves chances to do damage offensively, putting 12 runners on base and getting 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position. And yet, they drove in a single run and ended up on the losing end of another tight ballgame. The Nats couldn't capitalize on putting the first two runners on...

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Nats' offensive futility hits a new low (Nats lose 2-1)

August 18, 2013, 11:25am

Nationals

Nats' offensive futility hits a new low (Nats lose 2-1)

ATLANTA - The Nationals haven't had a problem getting runners on base today. That's been relatively easy. The problem has been doing anything at all with the scoring opportunities that have presented themselves. The Nats are a ridiculous 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position through just three innings this afternoon. They've put the first two runners on base in every inning so far, and have done nothing with those chances. In the first, Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche went...

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Jordan reflects on his 2013 campaign, wants to add to his arsenal (the rain is gone)

August 18, 2013, 10:03am

Nationals

Jordan reflects on his 2013 campaign, wants to add to his arsenal (the rain is gone)

ATLANTA - Apparently Davey Johnson isn't the only guy who is unsure of how exactly Taylor Jordan suffered the lower back injury that landed him on the disabled list yesterday, essentially bringing his 2013 season to an end. Jordan isn't entirely sure, either. The rookie right-hander first felt the back issue (diagnosed by the Nationals as a lower right back strain) after he got out of a dentist's chair early this week, but he doesn't know exactly when discomfort originated. He does,...

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Notes on Ramos, Roark and LaRoche a day after the marathon (it's pouring)

August 18, 2013, 8:56am

Nationals

Notes on Ramos, Roark and LaRoche a day after the marathon (it's pouring)

ATLANTA - While everyone around him in the Nationals clubhouse was dragging this morning - players, coaches and reporters included - Kurt Suzuki was bouncing around looking ready to play at about 10:45 a.m. I guess that's what happens when you're the only position player on either team not to see action in the 15-inning marathon that went on last night. Suzuki will be behind the plate for the Nats today, giving Wilson Ramos a break after he caught all 15 innings last night. Ramos needed to...

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Harper and Werth playing, Zimmerman sitting

August 18, 2013, 8:18am

Nationals

Harper and Werth playing, Zimmerman sitting

ATLANTA - Who's ready for some more baseball? The Nationals will take on the Braves this afternoon, about 13 hours after yesterday's game ended. Three players who played all 15 innings last night are in the Nats lineup today: Denard Span, Ian Desmond and Anthony Rendon. Jayson Werth (back stiffness) and Bryce Harper (left triceps bruise) are both in the lineup, as well. Harper was scratched from yesterday's starting lineup after he couldn't get his arm loose before the game, but replaced...