nationals

Final notes and quotes from Detroit

August 01, 2013, 5:04am

DETROIT - Before I pack up and head out of Detroit late this morning, I wanted to pass along some bonus thoughts from the Nationals' two games at Comerica Park, which, by the way, I really enjoyed visiting for the first time. You never really hear Comerica mentioned as one of the nicer parks in the majors, and while it certainly isn't up there with PNC Park in Pittsburgh or AT&T Park in San Francisco or Camden Yards in Baltimore, I enjoyed the layout and feel of the park here in Detroit. I...

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Washington Nationals Promote Mike Rizzo; Award new, long-term contract

August 01, 2013, 4:54pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today announced that Mike Rizzo has signed a new, long-term contract with the team and has been promoted to the position of President of Baseball Operations and General Manager. Managing Principal Owner, Theodore N. Lerner, issued the statement. Rizzo, who was appointed General Manager in 2009 after serving as Assistant GM since 2006, is widely credited with building one of the strongest scouting operations in baseball and engineered a player development system...

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Johnson discusses 11-1 blowout loss, plus Harper, Ohlendorf updates

July 31, 2013, 1:57pm

Nationals

Johnson discusses 11-1 blowout loss, plus Harper, Ohlendorf updates

DETROIT - Not only did the Nationals get blown out by 10 runs this afternoon, they also had Bryce Harper and Ross Ohlendorf leave their 11-1 loss to the Tigers with apparent injuries. Quite a banner day for the road team. Fortunately for the Nats, neither Harper nor Ohlendorf appear to have any type of serious ailment, and the Nationals believe both will be fine. Harper, who after the game had some critical things to say about the mood around the team right now, started grimacing and bent...

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Harper: "If we play like we're capable, we will win this"

July 31, 2013, 1:14pm

Nationals

Harper: "If we play like we're capable, we will win this"

DETROIT - Bryce Harper may be the youngest guy in the Nationals' clubhouse, but that's not going to stop him from speaking his mind. After this afternoon's 11-1 trouncing at the hands of the Tigers, the 20-year-old Harper aired some of the frustration that he's been feeling lately, with the Nats now four games under .500 and 10 1/2 games back of the Braves in the National League East. The Nats scored two runs in these two games in Detroit and were outscored 16-2 overall, snapping a...

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Hearing from LaRoche, Gonzalez and Suzuki

July 31, 2013, 2:40pm

Nationals

Hearing from LaRoche, Gonzalez and Suzuki

DETROIT - Adam LaRoche's tone doesn't change much regardless of the outcome of a game. He's a quiet, calm presence in the Nationals' clubhouse after losses, and he's the same after big wins. But LaRoche seemed even a bit more beaten down than normal after today's 11-1 loss at the hands of the Tigers, a game where the Nats trailed 5-1 after two innings and 10-1 after four. "You don't want to say we've gotten used to it, by any means, but it seems like we've had a few of these games...

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Rachel Levitin: Maybe making no moves was the right move

August 01, 2013, 4:51am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Maybe making no moves was the right move

The non-waiver trade deadline has passed and it appears the Nationals are staying intact. Given the team's performance this summer, there were times in which I thought there might be a few more mumblings on the rumor mill followed by a few changes come the end of July. But as I've continued to watch this team over the course of season, this might be the best thing for them. Washington is quiet clearly invested in maintaining its core group players who they'll continue to develop over time....

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Examining the deals on an anti-climactic non-waiver deadline day

August 01, 2013, 4:17am

Nationals Orioles

Examining the deals on an anti-climactic non-waiver deadline day

Overall, the trades leading up to Wednesday's non-waiver deadline can be described in one word: anti-climactic. Cliff Lee and Michael Young stayed put in Philadelphia. Former National Michael Morse stayed in Seattle, even though Texas and Pittsburgh were looking for right-handed power. It turns out there was no market for the Twins' Justin Morneau. It's strange that Bud Norris, traded from Houston to the Orioles Tuesday, will be pitching against his former Astros team in his first...

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It gets worse (the deficit increases, Harper leaves game)

July 31, 2013, 10:00am

Nationals

It gets worse (the deficit increases, Harper leaves game)

DETROIT - The Nationals had a chance to do some major damage off Justin Verlander in the top of the first when they loaded the bases with no outs. They got one run, but largely let Verlander off the hook. After Jayson Werth's sacrifice fly brought in Denard Span, Adam LaRoche struck out and Ian Desmond grounded out to end the inning. If you had a feeling at that point that the Nats would end up kicking themselves for not capitalizing further, you're probably not alone. In the second, the...

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A disaster in Detroit

July 31, 2013, 12:10pm

Nationals

DETROIT - The Nationals won't be too upset that their time in Detroit has come to an end. A 11-1 loss this afternoon caps off a horrific two-game series, in which the Nats were outscored 16-2 and out-hit 23-11. Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez got stuck with the losses, with Gonzalez allowing 10 earned runs and 11 hits in just 3 1/3 innings today. The Nats had their chances again today, namely in the first inning, when they loaded the bases with none out against Justin Verlander and got...

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Johnson talks trade deadline, "World Series or bust" slogan

July 31, 2013, 8:22am

Nationals

Johnson talks trade deadline, "World Series or bust" slogan

DETROIT - The reality of the situation for the Nationals right now is this: They are currently three games under .500 with 55 games remaining in the 2013 regular season. They sit 10 games back of the Braves in the National League East and are 6 1/2 games behind the Reds for the final NL Wild Card spot with the Diamondbacks also ahead of the Nats in the Wild Card mix. The chances of the Nats reaching the postseason are slim. No doubt about that. And that's a large reason why, with the...

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A player's perspective on the trade deadline

July 31, 2013, 5:47am

Nationals

A player's perspective on the trade deadline

DETROIT - Things can certainly change very quickly at this time of year, but the Nationals are not expected to make any big splashes prior to today's 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline. General manager Mike Rizzo might look to upgrade his bench or tweak the back-end of the roster, but the chances of adding (or subtracting) a major piece appear to be very slim. Since there isn't much trade speculation involving the Nats right now, I figured I'd take a different look at the trade deadline and...

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Zimmerman DHing, Rendon at third, Span leading off (Cabrera sits)

July 31, 2013, 6:26am

Nationals

Zimmerman DHing, Rendon at third, Span leading off (Cabrera sits)

DETROIT - Ryan Zimmerman will get a little bit of a breather today, serving as the designated hitter in the finale of this brief two-game set with the Tigers. Anthony Rendon will slide over and play third base today, with Steve Lomabrdozzi playing second. Denard Span is back in the leadoff spot this afternoon. Bryce Harper will hit second. The Nationals will have the pleasure of facing Justin Verlander this afternoon. Gio Gonzalez will oppose him. Update: Miguel Cabrera is out of the...

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With trade deadline nearing, who's buying and who's selling?

July 28, 2013, 12:07pm

Nationals Orioles

With trade deadline nearing, who's buying and who's selling?

The non-waiver trade deadline is Wednesday, and so far, general managers are saying that there are more buyers than sellers and that's driving up the price for contenders wanting to add players. "It looks like now our help is going to have to come from within the organization," says Pirates general manager Neal Huntington. "The market is tough right now." Trade speculation is tough to nail, here's how it is taking shape: * The Pirates, trying to break 20 consecutive seasons of losing,...

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David Huzzard: A dichotomy of maddening inconsistency

July 31, 2013, 5:32am

Nationals

David Huzzard: A dichotomy of maddening inconsistency

A team doesn't end up in the position of the Nationals without more than one problem, and while most of the focus has been on an offense that has scored the second-fewest runs in the National League, there are other problems. For the month of July, the Nats offense was what most expected it to be: an offense full of streaky hitters that scored the sixth-most runs in the NL, scoring five or more runs nine times and two or fewer 12. The Nationals have been prone to these strange...

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Johnson recaps Nats' 5-1 loss

July 30, 2013, 6:44pm

Nationals

DETROIT - As far as Davey Johnson is concerned, Stephen Strasburg was on his A-game tonight right up until Alex Avila sent a 96 mph fastball deep into the Detroit night, turning a 1-1 game into a 5-1 Tigers lead in the sixth inning. That shot spoiled what seemed like a stellar outing from Strasburg and set the Nationals up for another tough loss, one that dropped them back to three games below .500 and played a part in them now sitting 10 games back of the Braves in the National League East....

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Postgame quotes from Strasburg, Ramos and Desmond

July 30, 2013, 7:17pm

Nationals

Postgame quotes from Strasburg, Ramos and Desmond

DETROIT - Stephen Strasburg saw tonight's outing much in the same way Davey Johnson did. Johnson felt that Strasburg was cruising for much of his start but made one mistake, leaving a fastball over the heart of the plate to Alex Avila with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth. Yeah, Strasburg's on board with that assessment. "I pitched well, minus one pitch," Strasburg said. "It's tough. It's baseball. I tried to throw a fastball away, and it came back over and he put a good...

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Sanchez does it again as Nats lose 5-1

July 30, 2013, 5:32pm

Nationals

DETROIT - The Nationals might have finally bested Anibal Sanchez back in May, handing the Tigers right-hander his first loss in 20 career starts against the Nats. Tonight, Sanchez returned to his dominating ways, holding the Nats to a single run over seven strong innings in the Tigers' 5-1 win here at Comerica Park. The Nats notched a run and three hits off Sanchez in the first, but then posted just two hits against the 29-year-old over his final six innings of work. Overall, the Nats went...

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McCatty update plus Nats trade deadline chatter

July 30, 2013, 2:39pm

Nationals

McCatty update plus Nats trade deadline chatter

DETROIT - Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty is not with the team here in Detroit as he recovers from an irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure, but he's expected to be released from a D.C. hospital tomorrow, according to manager Davey Johnson. McCatty needed to be taken to a hospital prior to Sunday's game against the Mets, and the Nats had hoped that McCatty would be well enough to join them on the team charter to Detroit yesterday afternoon. But doctors have decided to keep...

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A smoothly-played first five frames (Avila having a grand old time)

July 30, 2013, 4:35pm

Nationals

A smoothly-played first five frames (Avila having a grand old time)

DETROIT - Stephen Strasburg cruised through his first three innings of work, but if you make mistakes against this Tigers lineup, they will most certainly make you pay. In the fourth, Strasburg walked Prince Fielder for the second time in as many at-bats, then left two balls right out over the middle of the plate to Jhonny Peralta and Andy Dirks. The result was single from Peralta and a ground-rule double just inside the left field line from Dirks, allowing the Tigers to knot this game at...

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Tracy serving as designated hitter as Nats face Tigers

July 30, 2013, 11:34am

Nationals

Tracy serving as designated hitter as Nats face Tigers

DETROIT - Hello from the Motor City, where the weather is gorgeous and the city, not surprisingly, just feels empty. This is the first time I've been to Comerica Park, and for what it's worth, I'm really impressed. Nice layout, decent sight lines and lots of concrete sculptures of tigers all over the place. Got to love that. Tonight's Nationals lineup includes Chad Tracy as the designated hitter, with Tracy hitting ninth. Other than that, the lineup remains the same as it has over the...