nationals

Johnson doesn't expect Nats to retaliate after benches-clearing incident

August 07, 2013, 2:35pm

A day after Bryce Harper was drilled on the thigh by a Julio Teheran fastball and voiced his displeasure with what he felt was an uncalled-for plunking and saw both benches empty, the chatter about the incident continues. Nationals players continue to believe that Teheran intentionally hit Harper two innings after Harper took Teheran deep and made a slower-than-usual trot around the bases. That hasn't changed in the last 20 or so hours. "No doubt in my mind," one player, who noted that he...

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Davey on Ohlendorf's possible rehab start and Rendon's defense at second base

August 07, 2013, 1:44pm

Nationals

Davey on Ohlendorf's possible rehab start and Rendon's defense at second base

Manager Davey Johnson has been pleasantly surprised how well Anthony Rendon has come along defensively at second base. It was a position Rendon had only played at a handful of times before arriving in D.C. Johnson noticed Rendon had quick mechanics back in March in Viera, Fla. "I thought his footwork in the spring when we went through a lot of drills was a lot more advanced than I thought it would be, especially for a corner guy," Johnson said. "He has got good feet and he is a smart...

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Questioning the interpretation of one of baseball's unwritten rules

August 07, 2013, 6:03am

Nationals

Questioning the interpretation of one of baseball's unwritten rules

Is this what the game has come to? Are we really at the point in today's game that when a player looks at a home run for a second or two before running around the bases, he gets drilled the next time he comes to the plate? Or the following week? Or two months down the road? Don't confuse my intentions by writing this. I'm not whining about Bryce Harper getting drilled in the thigh by a first-pitch Julio Teheran fastball last night. I'm not specifically standing up for Harper and I'm not...

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David Huzzard: What to do with Adam LaRoche

August 07, 2013, 4:45am

Nationals

David Huzzard: What to do with Adam LaRoche

Adam LaRoche's offensive numbers are better than a league average hitter, and only the second-worst among Nats regulars, but he ranks 22nd in the league among qualified first basemen in OPS. The problem isn't that the Nationals are locked into one more year of LaRoche. They faced the same issue in the 2012 offseason when they went after Prince Fielder. It is that there isn't a Fielder on the free agent market this offseason. The best available free-agent first baseman is Mike Napoli, who...

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Johnson discusses Nats' 2-1 loss to Braves

August 06, 2013, 7:47pm

Nationals

Johnson discusses Nats' 2-1 loss to Braves

A reporter asked Davey Johnson after tonight's 2-1 Nationals loss, a loss that dropped the Nats to 54-59 on the season and left them averaging a paltry 3.68 runs per game, what can be done about the lack of offense. Johnson let out a deep sigh. "I'm asking you," Johnson responded. "Either they're pitching that good, or we just ... I don't know. I don't have an answer." The Nats left the bases loaded in the seventh when Adam LaRoche grounded out to first to end the threat, and then...

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Reactions from both sides to Harper HBP, benches clearing

August 06, 2013, 7:08pm

Nationals

Reactions from both sides to Harper HBP, benches clearing

Following tonight's 2-1 Nationals loss to the Braves, Bryce Harper calmly answered questions about being hit by a first-pitch, 94 mph Julio Teheran fastball in the fifth inning, a pitch that led to Harper taking a couple of steps towards the mound and shouting a few choice words at the Braves right-hander. Harper felt the pitch was payback for his home run in the third inning, a solo shot that gave the Nats a 1-0 lead. Harper took a second or two to admire the homer and then tossed his bat...

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Benches clear after Harper hit by Teheran pitch (Nats lose 2-1)

August 06, 2013, 4:49pm

Nationals

Benches clear after Harper hit by Teheran pitch (Nats lose 2-1)

Things got interesting in the bottom of the fifth inning, when benches cleared following Bryce Harper being drilled by a first-pitch, 94 mph fastball from Braves righty Julio Teheran. Harper took exception to the hit-by-pitch, which he clearly felt was intentional following his home run off Teheran in the third inning. Harper took a couple of steps toward the mound and gestured at Teheran, but was moved down the first base line by home plate umpire Joe West. Braves catcher Brian McCann got a...

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The power of the mustache (Braves get the breaks in the fifth)

August 06, 2013, 4:15pm

Nationals

The power of the mustache (Braves get the breaks in the fifth)

Bryce Harper has a new look today, having rid himself of the full beard that he's been sporting for much of the season. All that's left in the facial hair department is a mustache, and it apparently has brought some luck. Harper smoked a one-out solo homer to dead center in the third inning, his 17th longball of the season, giving the Nationals a 1-0 lead over Julio Teheran and the Braves. After Teheran struck Harper out in the first, the Braves righty left a 91 mph two-seam fastball over...

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Johnson on Zimmerman's throwing and a possible move to first base

August 06, 2013, 2:35pm

Nationals

Johnson on Zimmerman's throwing and a possible move to first base

Davey Johnson is going with a new-look lineup tonight, with Bryce Harper leading off, Ryan Zimmerman starting in the two-hole for the first time in his career, Wilson Ramos hitting sixth and Anthony Rendon eighth. Essentially, Johnson has just gotten rid of a leadoff hitter and moved of his middle-of-the-order hitters up a spot. What was the rationale for that alignment? "It's just something," Johnson said, smiling and giving a shake of the head. "I don't know. ... I was just throwing...

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Werth back in Nats lineup

August 06, 2013, 12:04pm

Nationals

Jayson Werth is back in the Nationals lineup tonight against the Braves after being scratched from starting on Monday because of a strained groin. Werth pinch hit in the seventh of yesterday's loss to Atlanta, but returns to the lineup as the Nats seek their first win in three games. Also, Ryan Zimmerman is making his first career start in the No. 2 spot in the batting order. He has one career at-bat and two plate appearances batting second, but no starts. For the Braves RF Jason Heyward LF...

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Nats promote Tanner Roark, option Cedeno, move Detwiler to 60-day DL

August 06, 2013, 10:11am

Nationals

Nats promote Tanner Roark, option Cedeno, move Detwiler to 60-day DL

The Nationals made a series of roster moves today, selecting the contract of right-hander Tanner Roark from Triple-A Syracuse, optioning left-hander Xavier Cedeno back to Syracuse and transferring lefty Ross Detwiler to the 60-day DL. Optioning Cedeno to Triple-A clears a spot for Roark on the 25-man active roster, and moving Detwiler from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL opens a spot for Roark on the 40-man roster. Roark has gone 9-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 33 games (11 starts) this season with the...

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Frustration, confusion continue to build

August 06, 2013, 5:55am

Nationals

Frustration, confusion continue to build

Ready for a few mind-numbing stats? Stephen Strasburg has a 2.14 ERA in four starts against the Braves this season. He's allowed just five runs and struck out 26 in 21 innings against Atlanta. Yet, Strasburg is 0-1 in those four starts. The Nationals have scored two runs or fewer in 45.5 percent of their games this season. This season, the average major league team has scored two runs or fewer 29.1 percent of the time. For what it's worth, the Nats are 6-45 in games where they score fewer...

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Nationals select right-hander Roark from Triple-A Syracuse, option left-hander Xavier Cedeno to Syracuse

August 06, 2013, 10:08am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today selected right-handed pitcher Tanner Roark from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and optioned left-handed pitcher Xavier Cedeno to Syracuse. Additionally, the Nationals transferred left-handed pitcher Ross Detwiler to the 60-Day Disabled List. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Roark went 9-3 with two saves, four holds and a 3.15 ERA in 33 games/11 starts this season with the Chiefs. He...

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Werth scratched from Nats' lineup, named NL Player of the Month

August 05, 2013, 1:10pm

Nationals

Werth scratched from Nats' lineup, named NL Player of the Month

Jayson Werth has been named the National League Player of the Month. He'll celebrate with an unplanned day of rest. Werth has been scratched from the Nationals' lineup for tonight's series opener against the Braves. Manager Davey Johnson said this afternoon that Werth's bruised right hand isn't really much of an issue, but the strained groin that Werth aggravated this weekend in Milwaukee is still bothering him. The Nationals had originally written Werth into today's lineup, but he...

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Teammates, manager glad Gonzalez can officially put Biogenesis queries behind him

August 05, 2013, 1:55pm

Nationals

Teammates, manager glad Gonzalez can officially put Biogenesis queries behind him

Nationals teammates and manager Davey Johnson all are glad that left-hander Gio Gonzalez finally gets the recognition from Major League Baseball that he was not a part of the Biogenesis scandal. Today's announcement by Commissioner Bud Selig suspended thirteen more players, including Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, for their admitted use of performance enhancing drugs. The last paragraph of the statement released by Major League Baseball today read: "Major League Baseball's...

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Hearing from Hairston, Clippard, Span and Desmond

August 05, 2013, 7:44pm

Nationals

Hearing from Hairston, Clippard, Span and Desmond

It doesn't make the defeat any easier to stomach, but while the Nationals have had losses this season where the bats were nearly completely silent, at least they stuck the ball well tonight. That was something that Davey Johnson pointed out as a minor glimmer on a relatively dark night for the home team at Nats Park. "That's been happening a lot lately," Scott Hairston said. "All we can do is square it up, and it seems like that's been a pattern. A lot of lineouts and not too many...

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Ted Leavengood: Seeking 2.75 million heroes for 2013

August 06, 2013, 4:48am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: Seeking 2.75 million heroes for 2013

There was a point several months ago, before games against Atlanta became object lessons in what the Washington Nationals have failed to master. It was opening day, when last night's game was projected to be a key matchup between the key contenders for the NL East title. On that cool April day, Stephen Strasburg pitched seven shutout innings and Bryce Harper hit two home runs as the Nationals started the season with a 2-0 win against the Marlins. The beginnings seemed auspicious enough and...

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Johnson: "Boy, we needed that one"

August 05, 2013, 7:12pm

Nationals

Another tight ballgame, another strong pitching performance, another night where the offense isn't able to deliver. Tonight's 3-2 Nationals loss feels like so many before it. The Nats took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, got seven strong frames from Stephen Strasburg and then watched things slip away. Justin Upton's solo homer leading off the eighth off Tyler Clippard gave the Braves the lead, one they didn't relinquish. After the first inning, the Nationals went 0-for-9 with runners in...

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Zimmerman: "It's great to see these guys get in trouble for what they've done"

August 05, 2013, 2:06pm

Nationals

Zimmerman: "It's great to see these guys get in trouble for what they've done"

Perhaps not surprisingly, the reactions inside the clubhouses to today's sweeping suspensions handed down by Major League Baseball for players' involvement with Biogenesis were very wide-ranging. Some, like Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche and the Braves' B.J. Upton, had no interest in discussing the 13 suspensions and the fallout from players getting caught using performance-enhancers. "I'm so over it. I don't even care anymore," LaRoche said. "Literally don't care." Others...

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Pregame notes on the Braves, Werth's bat and McCatty's return

August 05, 2013, 3:01pm

Nationals

Pregame notes on the Braves, Werth's bat and McCatty's return

We've covered the Biogenesis story from a couple different angles, with reactions to Gio Gonzalez being cleared of wrongdoing and 13 players being suspended for purchasing/taking performance-enhancers. Now how about a non-PED blog entry for the first time in a while? Sounds good to me. The Nationals enter this three-game set with the Braves tonight well-aware of where things stand with 51 games remaining on their schedule. They're 12 1/2 games back of Atlanta in the National League East and...