Closer Rafael Soriano allowed the go-ahead, three-run, pinch-hit homer in the ninth inning with two outs to the Giants' Hector Sanchez, and the Nationals lost 4-3.
Soriano said the key call might have been to the previous pitch, when he thought he had a strikeout on a 2-2 call.
"I tried to throw it quarter-in," Soriano said on the home run pitch to Sanchez. "I think it was a bad pitch.
"At the same time, I think when the game be over (was the 2-2 pitch to Sanchez). That pitch I think...
The 2013 Nationals have experienced a number of crushing losses. Today's can be added to the list.
Rafael Soriano gave up a three-run homer to Hector Sanchez with two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth inning, turning a 3-1 Nationals lead into a 4-3 loss.
It's Soriano's fifth blown save of the season, one that snaps the Nats' five-game winning streak in shocking fashion and drops them to 59-61 when they appeared poised to get back to .500.
"That one hurt," manager Davey...
You know how they always say the difference between winning and losing in Major League Baseball is so miniscule?
Let's look back to yesterday evening, if it isn't too painful.
The Nationals were one pitch, one called strike that wasn't, away from sweeping the Giants, winning their sixth game in a row (which would have been their longest winning streak of the season) and heading into this 10-game road trip riding more momentum than they've had all season.
Instead, not.
The called strike...
Prior to going on the disabled list in late June, Dan Haren had pitched to a 6.15 ERA, put up a 1.44 WHIP and allowed 2.1 home runs per nine innings.
Haren has since said that he wasn't even really hurt when he went on the DL. He just used that time to reset and fix whatever mental issues he had going on after his confidence had been beaten down pretty good.
Whatever Haren told himself during that stretch, it's worked wonders.
The veteran right-hander allowed just one run through six...
Manager Davey Johnson said he thinks that right-hander Drew Storen didn't need much time at Triple-A Syracuse to get everything straightened out and that his standard leg kick and rejuvenated mental approach will help the ballclub in a critical moment of the season.
The Nationals announced today that Storen had been returned to the team and that reliever Ryan Mattheus was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.
"I saw the first two outings," Johnson said. "He has continued what he did up here with...
Nearly three weeks ago, Drew Storen was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse after a stretch that saw him allow 14 earned runs over 11 appearances.
It was the first time Storen had been optioned to the minor leagues since his initial promotion to the bigs in May of 2010, and it hit him hard. He had lengthy conversations with manager Davey Johnson, pitching coach Steve McCatty and general manager Mike Rizzo after the demotion, and was frustrated with the decision made by the Nats' front...
Two more two-out, run-scoring hits. Multiple knocks with runners in scoring position. Hitters fouling off two-strike pitches to get something better to handle.
Not sure where this Nationals team has come from, but I bet Davey Johnson is hoping this group stays around for a while.
The Nats have taken a 3-0 lead on Ryan Vogelsong and the Giants through 3 1/2 innings thanks to a big third.
Ian Desmond's 52nd extra-base hit of the season drove in Denard Span and Jayson Werth to get the scoring...
Dan Haren will try to continue his recent success when he takes the hill for the Nationals in the finale of their three-game series against the Giants. The right-hander has lowered his ERA from 6.15 to 4.99 since coming off the disabled list July 8, allowing 10 earned runs over his past six starts (and half of them came in one outing on July 22).
Here are today's lineups:
For the Giants:
2B Marco Scutaro
SS Brandon Crawford
1B Brandon Belt
C Buster Posey
RF Hunter Pence
3B Pablo Sandoval
LF...
When Nationals manager Davey Johnson indicated yesterday that he hasn't been pleased with the bullpen's performance of late, he wasn't kidding. This afternoon, the Nats made a roster move they hope will shore up their relief corps.
Right-hander Drew Storen was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, where he's been doing well of late. In his past three outings, covering 2 1/3 innings, Storen has struck out four without allowing a hit. In six games with the Chiefs, where he was supposed to work on...
The Nationals have been hesitant to dish out large contracts to international free agents since the Esmailyn Gonzalez incident, but they made a splash in the international signing pool today, signing 16-year-old Dominican third baseman Anderson Franco for $900,000, according to Baseball America's Ben Badler.
Franco was ranked as the 29th-best international prospect in this year's class by Baseball America. He became eligible to sign today, which is his 16th birthday.
Quite a birthday...
The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms on a professional contract with international free agent third baseman Anderson Franco. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo and Nationals Director of International Scouting Johnny DiPuglia made the joint announcement.
Franco, who was the top unsigned international free agent according to Baseball America, projects as an athletic right-handed power hitter. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder from the Dominican Republic...
There were actually a few factors working against Denard Span as he tried to track down Hunter Pence's liner in the left-center field gap with two outs in the top of the ninth inning.
First of all, Span was shading Pence towards right-center field, increasing the amount of ground he had to cover in order to prevent the ball from dropping in, tying the game and possibly giving the Giants the lead. On top of that, Span took a false step when the ball was first hit, coming in a bit before...
What's been different over the last six days that has allowed the Nationals to rattle off five straight wins following an embarrassing three-game sweep at the hands of the Braves?
Well, part of what's been different has been the competition. The Braves have the best winning percentage in baseball, while the Phillies and Giants are a combined 29 games under .500.
That'll certainly play a factor.
Outside of that, however, different Nats players seem to have different theories for what's...
With the Nationals' 6-5 victory over the Giants, the win streak reached five games. It is the Nationals' second five-game win streak of the season, matching an identical streak from May 4-9 against Pittsburgh and Detroit.
It was Nationals outfielder Denard Span who made a spectacular catch in center field off the bat of Hunter Pence with two men on to end the game and preserve the win.
Span said the team learned from the Braves' sweep last week and concentrated on getting back to...
Davey Johnson didn't just let out a figurative sigh of relief after Denard Span made a game-saving catch in the top of the ninth, laying out in the left-center field gap to rob Hunter Pence of a hit that would have at least tied the game and possibly given the Giants a lead.
Johnson literally let out a sigh of relief as he met with reporters following the Nationals' 6-5 win, their fifth straight victory.
"Whew. Heck of a play," Johnson said. "I didn't think he was going to get to it....
When it comes time to reflect on the Nationals' 2013 season, my thought is that this one will be all about managing expectations. After last night's victory against the San Francisco Giants - the Nats' fifth win in a row - I found myself on the Metro amid the postgame foot traffic. While sitting there, I gathered nuggets from people's conversations and took notice of those who were wearing curly W attire.
The general consensus, as far as I was able to infer, is that the big issue people...
Nationals manager Davey Johnson had more thoughts on the Gio Gonzalez versus Jayson Werth verbal spat in the first inning of Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Giants.
Johnson said he has seen disagreements occur with other clubs and believes it demonstrates the passion that Gonzalez and Werth come to the field with every day.
"That was a little strange," Johnson said. "But it has happened. I have had other clubs when you are frustrated and you see a little something you don't like. Another...
On a night when the Nationals needed a lengthy start from Jordan Zimmermann, having used four relievers after a rain delay last night, Zimmermann delivered.
It wasn't the right-hander's finest outing, as he threw 82 pitches in his first four frames and needed to finagle out of a couple of jams.
But Zimmermann has found a way to get through seven innings, needing just 30 pitches in his final three frames and retiring eight of the last nine Giants hitters he faced.
He leaves with the Nats...
Glancing down at the batter-pitcher matchups before tonight's game, it wasn't hard to spot Ian Desmond's career batting line against Giants starter Tim Lincecum.
Desmond was 9-for-11 off Lincecum entering tonight, with one homer, two doubles and five RBIs.
We can now boost those numbers up a bit.
Leading off the bottom of the second, Desmond demolished a 2-2 Lincecum changeup way out to left-center for his 17th homer of the season. The ball cleared the Giants' bullpen and came down about...
Wilson Ramos was wearing a smile this afternoon, something you don't often see on a player's face the day after he needed to leave a game due to the aggravation of a previous injury.
Turns out, Ramos' left hamstring is not seriously injured, and will likely only knock him from the Nationals' lineup for a couple of days.
"(I'm) a little bit happy because it's not too hurt," Ramos said. "I felt a little bit yesterday sore in my hamstring, but it's not in the big part of the...