nationals

Rendon getting a day off (with Marlins lineup)

July 13, 2013, 11:38am

Davey Johnson will give Anthony Rendon the day off today in Game 2 of this three-game set against the Marlins. Steve Lombardozzi will play second base for the Nationals today, giving him his first start since June 23, while Rendon gets a rest. This will be the first time Rendon isn't in the starting lineup since June 14. Dan Haren gets the start for the Nats looking to build off his first outing off the DL, when he allowed two runs over five innings in a loss to the Phillies. The...

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An impressive beginning for Haren (Haren outduels Fernandez)

July 13, 2013, 4:39pm

Nationals

An impressive beginning for Haren (Haren outduels Fernandez)

You cannot predict baseball. Try as hard as you might, you just can't. Stephen Strasburg entered last night's game with a 2.45 ERA. He allowed seven runs over just two innings in a loss to the Marlins. Dan Haren entered tonight with a 6.00 ERA. He's thrown four scoreless innings against the Marlins, with six strikeouts. Haren has looked really sharp thus far tonight, allowing just two measly singles and a walk and pitching out of the only real jam he's been in - when Jeff Mathis reached...

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Strasburg faces the Fish

July 12, 2013, 12:47pm

Nationals

The Nationals open their final series before the All-Star break tonight in Miami, with Stephen Strasburg taking on Nathan Eovaldi in a battle of young, talented right-handers. Eovaldi, acquired by Miami last season in the Hanley Ramirez trade, has made just four starts with the Marlins this season since coming up from the minors. The 23-year-old has gone 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA, 13 strikeouts and nine walks in 24 2/3 innings. Strasburg has a 2.45 ERA over 106 1/3 innings this season, but is just...

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Closing out the first half; Desmond reflects on Final Vote campaign

July 12, 2013, 6:49am

Nationals

Closing out the first half; Desmond reflects on Final Vote campaign

The Nationals leave Philly and head to Miami for the final series before the All-Star break trailing by six games in the division. They snagged just one of the four games against the Phillies this week, leaving them with a 47-45 record. Five games above .500 is the best the Nats can hope for heading into the break, and with the Marlins playing much better ball of late (they're 20-17 since a 13-40 start), you can no longer guarantee a series win when they're in the opposing dugout. Some...

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Johnson discusses Nats' 3-1 loss to Phillies

July 11, 2013, 7:17pm

Nationals

Johnson discusses Nats' 3-1 loss to Phillies

PHILADELPHIA - It might be a little deceiving when you look at the box score and see the Phillies committed four errors behind starter Kyle Kendrick tonight. One of those errors came on a dropped foul pop-up. Two came on one play with the bases empty. Another came on a diving stop by third baseman Michael Young, who stole a single and then handed Kurt Suzuki two bases. Still, the fact of the matter is that the Phillies committed four errors and the Nationals didn't turn any of them into a...

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Span on his rough night, plus quotes from Harper and Frandsen

July 11, 2013, 7:59pm

Nationals

Span on his rough night, plus quotes from Harper and Frandsen

PHILADELPHIA - Denard Span's night got off to a rough start from the get-go. He sent a pop-up foul leading off the first inning, only to have Chase Utley's error give him another shot in the at-bat. He then shot a liner at Utley, who skied to make the catch and rob Span of a hit. In his second at-bat, Span laid down a bunt that he thought rolled foul. He stood near the batter's box for a couple seconds until he saw that the ball had stayed fair and was going to be turned into an easy 2-6-3...

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Nats, Phillies lineups for finale in City of Brotherly Love

July 11, 2013, 11:46am

Nationals

Nats, Phillies lineups for finale in City of Brotherly Love

PHILADELPHIA - After facing left-handers each of the last three days, the Nationals will take their hacks against Phillies right-hander Kyle Kendrick tonight in the finale of this four-game series at Citizens Bank Park. With a win, the Nats would salvage a split in this set despite dropping the first two games. Bryce Harper is 7-for-14 career off Kendrick with a homer and three doubles and Ian Desmond is 10-for-28 with two homers, a triple and two doubles off the righty. Jordan Zimmermann...

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Nationals' Kissimmee plans appear back on track

July 11, 2013, 8:38am

Nationals

Just when it seemed like the Nationals' long trek toward a new spring training home had gained some traction, there are indications that the team's hopes for a new complex in Kissimmee, Fla., may have encountered an unexpected road block. According to this blog from the Orlando Business Journal, Osceola County has temporarily tabled talks on construction of a new two-team complex that would house both the Nationals and Houston Astros. The Nationals, who currently play Grapefruit League...

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Less than textbook baseball being played in Philly (Nats lose 3-1)

July 11, 2013, 4:46pm

Nationals

Less than textbook baseball being played in Philly (Nats lose 3-1)

PHILADELPHIA - The Phillies have committed four errors through five innings of play. Somehow, they've still managed to grab a 1-0 lead. Chase Utley has committed three errors himself, two of which came on one play in the fourth that put Jayson Werth on third with two outs. Michael Young committed a two-base error in the fifth that put Kurt Suzuki in scoring position with no outs. The Nationals converted neither opportunity. As sloppily as the Phillies have played defensively, the Nats...

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Zimmermann: Missing All-Star Game "a possibility" due to stiff neck

July 11, 2013, 6:52pm

Nationals

Zimmermann: Missing All-Star Game "a possibility" due to stiff neck

PHILADELPHIA - For the last handful of weeks, Jordan Zimmermann has been pitching through some mild stiffness in his neck. After tonight's outing, in which he allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings in a loss to the Phillies, Zimmermann acknowledged that the neck issue could lead him to skip the All-Star Game, which he was selected to for the first time in his career. "I mean, it's a possibility," Zimmermann said. "I'm not real sure yet about what I'm going to do, but we'll see how the...

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Digesting some early afternoon stats

July 11, 2013, 8:17am

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - Anthony Rendon and Wilson Ramos are raking lately, but they're not alone. There's also Jayson Werth, whose recent hot streak is worth taking note of. Since June 15, a span of 24 games, Werth has posted a .373/.454/.614 slash line with five homers, five doubles and 17 RBIs. He has at least one hit in 19 of those 24 games, and is 8-for-21 with three homers and seven RBIs in six games against the Phillies over the last month - all at Citizens Bank Park in front of fans who...

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Rendon and Ramos packing a punch, Gonzalez hitting his stride

July 11, 2013, 5:27am

Nationals

Rendon and Ramos packing a punch, Gonzalez hitting his stride

PHILADELPHIA - If you haven't heard much about Henry Rodriguez lately, it's because the former Nationals reliever, who was traded to the Cubs a month ago, hasn't seen a whole lot of action with his new team. Prior to last night, Rodriguez had appeared in just four games since heading to the Cubs on June 11, and just one since June 23. Rodriguez got into a game last night, entering a blowout in the fifth inning. He faced five batters and didn't retire any of them. The five batters went...

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Rachel Levitin: Harper's All-Star turn shouldn't obscure spotlight on Zimmermann

July 11, 2013, 7:06am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Harper's All-Star turn shouldn't obscure spotlight on Zimmermann

A lot of the All-Star Game chatter concerning the Nationals this year will be focused on Bryce Harper - and for good reason. It makes sense given the context of the scenario, his age, and the debate of whether or not he should be hitting in the Home Run Derby. But all of that aside, I think people need to shine a little more light on Jordan Zimmermann's first game as an All-Star. He's bounced back from Tommy John surgery and could be a No. 1 starter on a majority of teams in Major League...

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Johnson discusses Nats' 5-1 win over Phillies

July 10, 2013, 7:21pm

Nationals

Johnson discusses Nats' 5-1 win over Phillies

PHILADELPHIA - It might sound a bit silly at first, but Davey Johnson thinks a key to the Nationals' 5-1 win over Cliff Lee and the Phillies tonight was his team's aggressive approach in batting practice. Aggressive approach? In batting practice? By that, Johnson doesn't mean that there are some days where his players just stand there in the cage and choose not to swing. (Or, for the Seinfeld fans out there,

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Gio gets some rope, works out of a jam (Nats win 5-1)

July 10, 2013, 5:23pm

Nationals

Gio gets some rope, works out of a jam (Nats win 5-1)

PHILADELPHIA - Davey Johnson jokingly has given himself the nickname "Captain Hook" because he tends to err on the side of caution with his starting pitchers. The Nationals' skipper tends to have a fairly quick hook with his younger starters, and rarely sends them out for that extra inning in the middle or late innings, in an effort to have their start end on a positive note and leave them with a shot at a win. But this season, we've seen Johnson give the starters at the top of his...

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Not everyone happy to see Harper in Home Run Derby

July 09, 2013, 10:48am

Nationals

Not everyone happy to see Harper in Home Run Derby

Denizens of Natstown were pleased that Bryce Harper was voted into the starting outfield at the All-Star Game, no small achievement considering No. 34 has spent so much time on the disabled list recovering from left knee bursitis, which may or may not be related to his frequent run-ins with outfield walls with varying degrees of give. And D.C. was giddy yesterday when the Mets' David Wright named the 20-year-old slugger to his squad for the July 15 Home Run Derby that precedes the Midsummer...

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Christian Garcia suffers another setback (plus Jordan notes)

July 10, 2013, 3:17pm

Nationals

Christian Garcia suffers another setback (plus Jordan notes)

PHILADELPHIA - Christian Garcia's rough 2013 continues. The right-hander, who made his major league debut with the Nationals last season and played a big factor in the Nats' bullpen down the stretch, has suffered a hamstring injury and will miss his next scheduled appearance for Triple-A Syracuse, manager Davey Johnson said today. Garcia will get an MRI on the hamstring to determine the severity of the injury. This is the third separate injury issue that Garcia has had to deal with this...

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Johnson on adding a starting pitcher: "I don't think that's in our plans"

July 10, 2013, 2:51pm

Nationals

Johnson on adding a starting pitcher: "I don't think that's in our plans"

PHILADELPHIA - Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said the other day that he doesn't envision making any major deals prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, feeling that there are no "big splashy moves that are remaining" for the Nats this season. Still, there are those who feel that with Ross Detwiler having landed on the DL twice in the last two months and Dan Haren proving to be inconsistent in the first half of the season, the Nats would be wise to add another starting...

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Rendon and Ramos go back-to-back (so do Zimmerman and Werth)

July 10, 2013, 4:31pm

Nationals

Rendon and Ramos go back-to-back (so do Zimmerman and Werth)

PHILADELPHIA - Anthony Rendon broke open a scoreless tie four pitches into the fifth inning. Wilson Ramos didn't waste much time copying Rendon and giving the Nationals a 2-0 lead. After Gio Gonzalez and Cliff Lee had each started tonight's game with four scoreless innings, Rendon took an 0-2 Lee fastball out to left for his fourth homer of the season. That was the first home run Lee has allowed all season on an 0-2 pitch. The ball left the yard so quickly it looked like it had been shot...

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A battle of two tough lefties

July 10, 2013, 11:47am

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals have struggled mightily against left-handed pitching this season, and they'll face one of the toughest left-handers in the bigs tonight when they take on Cliff Lee. Lee is 10-2 with a 2.73 ERA this season, and he held the Nats to two runs over eight strong innings back on June 18 in a Phillies win here at Citizens Bank Park. The Nats are hitting .215/.281/.336 against left-handers this season. What's there to that? "I don't know," Adam LaRoche said last...