nationals

The Bryce Harper effect

July 01, 2013, 5:38am

He did it last season when he burst onto the scene in Los Angeles. Now, 14 months later, coming off an injury to his knee this season, which also ironically happened at Dodger Stadium, he is ready to make his "re-debut" with the Nationals back in D.C. tonight. And similar to that April 28, 2012 moment, Bryce Harper will instantly provide a spark for the Nationals, with his presence alone. Judging from Saturday's rehab game for Double-A Harrisburg at Bowie, Harper looks good to...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper byron kerr nationals frontstory_nationals3

Nationals reinstate Bryce Harper from DL, option Erik Davis to Triple-A Syracuse

July 01, 2013, 11:07am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today returned from rehab and reinstated left fielder Bryce Harper from the 15-Day Disabled List and optioned right-handed pitcher Erik Davis to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Harper, who missed the last 31 games with left knee bursitis, is batting .287 with seven doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, 23 RBI, 25 walks and two stolen bases in 44...

Comments

Tags:

Nationals News Release nationals

Hitting the halfway point

June 30, 2013, 6:05pm

Nationals

The Nationals have reached the halfway point of their 2013 season the owners of a 41-40 record. Not where they thought they'd be right now, that's for sure. The first three months have been one extended dance, with the Nats taking a step forward with a positive showing, like yesterday's 13-2 romp over the Mets, followed - usually immediately - by a step backwards. It leaves the team many considered to be World Series favorites entering the season, one that's still hovering around .500...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nationals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Nationals need to improve clutch hitting, Orioles' ascent to top of AL East won't be easy

July 01, 2013, 6:59am

Nationals Orioles

Nationals need to improve clutch hitting, Orioles' ascent to top of AL East won't be easy

As baseball moves into the third month of the season, here are some things to think about as burgers go on the grill: * If you think the Nationals' first half has been marked by a lack of clutch hitting, check out the Braves: Going into Monday, they have the National League's worst average (.221) with runners in scoring position. The Nats are at .247. Both teams are running on parallel tracks: Each has a strong rotation and bullpen, but no ability to sustain rallies. * It is obvious that...

Comments

Tags:

adam jones frontstory_nationals4 frontstory_orioles4 manny machado mel antonen nationals orioles ryan zimmerman

Johnson recaps Nats' 13-2 blowout win

June 30, 2013, 2:09pm

Nationals

NEW YORK - If the Nationals' win Friday was their "biggest win of the year," was today's victory the most enjoyable one this season? The Nationals pounded out 13 runs on 13 hits this afternoon. They connected on four home runs (one each by Adam LaRoche, Jayson Werth, Kurt Suzuki and Ian Desmond) and six doubles, and had every position player in the starting lineup produce at least one run and one RBI. This was the first time in team history that all eight starting position players had an...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals featured_sidebar gio gonzalez ian desmond frontstory_nationals3

Hearing from Gonzalez, Suzuki and LaRoche

June 30, 2013, 2:52pm

Nationals

Hearing from Gonzalez, Suzuki and LaRoche

NEW YORK - The roller-coaster season continues. A big win Friday, a downer of a game Saturday in which the Nationals scored just one run and a dominating showing in a 13-2 victory today. The Nats' pitching has been pretty consistent the last couple months, but the offense sure hasn't. Today, the Nats exploded offensively, to the point that the Mets ended up sending catcher Anthony Recker to the mound in the ninth, looking for someone to just eat an inning and save their bullpen in what they...

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche dan kolko gio gonzalez kurt suzuki nationals featured_sidebar

Marty Niland: At the midpoint, a mid-season Nationals report card

July 01, 2013, 5:01am

Nationals

The halfway point of the season is an ideal time to take stock of what the Nationals have accomplished so far and what they need to improve. Here are the grades so far: Starting Pitching: B-plus. Jordan Zimmermann (11-3, 2.28 ERA) is the main reason the Nats are still in contention in the National League East. He has accounted for 11 of their 41 wins and only 29 of their 283 earned runs. He is unbeatable (8-0, 1.09 ERA) at home and has given up more than three earned runs only twice this...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger marty niland nationals nationals buzz

Getting the wheels turning in the second (Nats crush Mets 13-2)

June 30, 2013, 9:58am

Nationals

Getting the wheels turning in the second (Nats crush Mets 13-2)

NEW YORK - Making his third major league start, Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler retired the Nationals in order in dominating fashion in the first inning, striking out two. Things went a little differently in the second. The Nats scored four runs on Wheeler in the second inning, putting five runners on base, three via extra-base hits. Adam LaRoche demolished the first pitch Wheeler threw in the inning, turning around a 95 mph heater and sending it off the railing of the second deck in right....

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche dan kolko ian desmond nationals frontstory_nationals1

Detwiler thinks he'll make his next start (plus Haren update and lineups)

June 30, 2013, 8:14am

Nationals

Detwiler thinks he'll make his next start (plus Haren update and lineups)

NEW YORK - The stiffness that Ross Detwiler felt in the left side of his lower back following his start Friday is all but gone, manager Davey Johnson said today. Johnson reported that Detwiler felt much better today than he did yesterday, and the left-hander thinks he'll be able to make his scheduled start Wednesday against the Brewers. Detwiler played catch in the outfield at Citi Field just a few minutes ago and seemed to be throwing at full force. He'll throw a side session tomorrow, and...

Comments

Tags:

dan haren dan kolko lineups mets nationals ross detwiler frontstory_nationals3

Harper after playing nine innings: "I really think I could help the team" (plus audio)

June 29, 2013, 6:26pm

Nationals

Harper after playing nine innings: "I really think I could help the team" (plus audio)

BOWIE, Md. - Left fielder Bryce Harper is anxious. That is the best sign of all that the knee is not bothering him and he is ready to get back with his teammates. On Saturday, he played nine innings for Double-A Harrisburg in what is likely his final rehab game before returning to the Nationals. Harper has been recovering from left knee bursitis since late May. On Saturday night, he faced off against Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, also on a rehab assignment. Harper went 0-for-3 with a...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper byron kerr nationals nationals farm report frontstory_nationals2

Hearing from Johnson, Jordan, Zimmerman and Desmond after 5-1 loss

June 29, 2013, 1:51pm

Nationals

Hearing from Johnson, Jordan, Zimmerman and Desmond after 5-1 loss

NEW YORK - Last night, the Nationals picked up what manager Davey Johnson and a couple players called their "biggest win of the year." They came back from three runs down, scored five runs in the final two innings and earned a hard-fought road victory in a game in which they faced arguably the toughest starter in the league. Today, the Nats scored just a single run, got shut down (yet again) by a starter with a 4.60 ERA and made three errors in a 5-1 loss to the Mets. How do you explain the...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson ian desmond nationals ryan zimmerman taylor jordan featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Dissecting the defensive issues

June 30, 2013, 6:10am

Nationals

NEW YORK - If the Nationals were putting up six runs a game to go along with their strong pitching, their defensive woes this season would be easier to stomach. After all, if you have double-digit run totals on the board a couple of times a week or are in the process of coasting to another victory, it's easier to put up with a defensive miscue here and there that extends an inning or allows a relatively harmless unearned run to come across. Unfortunately for the Nats, that's not...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nationals ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Detwiler dealing with back stiffness, could miss next start (with lineups)

June 29, 2013, 8:11am

Nationals

Detwiler dealing with back stiffness, could miss next start (with lineups)

NEW YORK - Another day, another injury issue for the Nationals. Ross Detwiler is dealing with a stiff lower back, manager Davey Johnson said this morning, an injury that could cause the left-hander to miss his next start in the Nats' rotation. Detwiler went five innings in last night's 6-4 win over the Mets, throwing 98 pitches in that time. He had landed on the DL with a right oblique/back issue in mid-May, and needed to miss nearly a month because of that ailment, but this issue is on the...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson erik davis lineups mets nationals ross detwiler

Our first look at Taylor Jordan

June 29, 2013, 8:50am

Nationals

NEW YORK - Taylor Jordan arrived to Citi Field this morning with the crowd of Nationals players and staffers that were on the second bus departing the team hotel. The tall, baby-faced right-hander walked into the visitors' clubhouse with a smile stretching from ear-to-ear, dropped off his bags and tossed on a brand new, red Nationals warm-up shirt. He shook the hands of a few people milling around the clubhouse, met up with pitching coach Steve McCatty and then turned the corner to head to...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals taylor jordan

Jordan's off and running (Nats don't give Jordan much help)

June 29, 2013, 9:56am

Nationals

Jordan's off and running (Nats don't give Jordan much help)

NEW YORK - Two innings into his big league career, Taylor Jordan has put up two zeros. Making his major league debut today against the Mets, Jordan understandably looked a little shaky in his first inning of work, but settled down in the second, locating better down in the zone and setting the Mets down in order. Jordan's first career big league pitch was a 91 mph fastball outside to Eric Young Jr. Catcher Kurt Suzuki rolled the ball towards the Nationals' dugout, and Jordan will have it...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nationals taylor jordan

Harper completes nine innings in rehab game for first time, likely to return Monday

June 29, 2013, 5:21pm

Nationals

Harper completes nine innings in rehab game for first time, likely to return Monday

BOWIE, Md. - Left fielder Bryce Harper played nine innings in what is likely his final rehab game before returning to the Nationals. Harper has been recovering from left knee bursitis since late May. On Saturday night, he faced off against Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, also on a rehab assignment. Harper went 0-for-3 with a walk, a run and a pair of strikeouts. Bowie won the game 6-4. Harper struck out looking against Chen with a man on first base in the first inning. Leading off the...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper byron kerr featured_sidebar frontfeatured_nationals nationals

An all-around stinker (Nats lose 5-1)

June 29, 2013, 11:39am

Nationals

NEW YORK - The Nationals have committed three errors and made a few other poor defensive plays. They put up just one run against Mets starter Dillon Gee, who has a 0.96 ERA in 18 2/3 innings against the Nats this season and a 5.55 ERA against everyone else. They've allowed eight Mets hits through six innings, and didn't get Craig Stammen's best stuff in relief, as Stammen has surrendered three hits and two runs over 1 2/3 innings, this after allowing an inherited run to score, as...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nationals craig stammen frontfeatured_nationals

Taylor Jordan, Erik Davis up; Kobernus, Marrero optioned

June 29, 2013, 6:41am

Nationals

Taylor Jordan, Erik Davis up; Kobernus, Marrero optioned

NEW YORK - The Nationals made two roster moves this morning. We knew one was coming. One is a little bit of a surprise. The Nats have selected the contract of right-hander Taylor Jordan from Double-A Harrisburg and also recalled right-handed reliever Erik Davis. To make room for those two, first baseman Chris Marrero and outfielder Jeff Kobernus were both optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. We knew Jordan would be coming up today and getting this afternoon's start against the Mets and that...

Comments

Tags:

chris marrero dan kolko erik davis jeff kobernus nationals taylor jordan frontfeatured_nationals

Johnson on Nats' 6-4 comeback win (Marrero optioned)

June 28, 2013, 7:46pm

Nationals

Johnson on Nats' 6-4 comeback win (Marrero optioned)

NEW YORK - Over the seven innings that Mets ace Matt Harvey was in tonight's game, the Nationals managed one run on three hits. Harvey overpowered the Nats, as he'd overpowered pretty much every other team he's faced this season. But the Nats kept the game close, and trailed 4-1 when the mediocre Mets bullpen was called upon in the eighth. Then they pounced. Ryan Zimmerman tied the game with a bases-loaded, two-out double in the eighth, and Ian Desmond smacked a go-ahead double in the...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals chris marrero ian desmond frontstory_nationals3

Zimmerman on the comeback: "It's not easy, but good teams do that"

June 28, 2013, 8:23pm

Nationals

Zimmerman on the comeback: "It's not easy, but good teams do that"

NEW YORK - The first 14 Nationals hitters that Matt Harvey faced Friday night all took the disappointing walk back to the visitors' dugout along the third base line. Seven of those 14 were set down on strikes by the Mets flame-throwing right-hander. At that point, when Harvey was cruising through the first 4 2/3 innings and had yet to allow a baserunner, did the Nats start to feel he had no-hit stuff? "No. This morning, when I woke up, I thought he had no-hit stuff," Ian Desmond...