nationals

Clippard expanding the repertoire, finding plenty of success

July 06, 2013, 6:58am

Repeating a stat I dropped last night, the Nationals have now won two in a row and still have two more games against a Padres team that has lost seven straight by a collective score of 39-12. As if that didn't look good enough for the home team, the Nats will send their two top pitchers this season - Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg - to the mound in these next two games. The Braves, meanwhile, have lost three in a row. That leaves the Nats' deficit in the National League East at...

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Notes and quotes following Nats' 8-5 win

July 05, 2013, 7:59pm

Nationals

Notes and quotes following Nats' 8-5 win

There have been a host of times over the last seven weeks where Gio Gonzalez has gone out, pitched a gem and been stuck with a tough-luck loss or a no-decision. In tonight's 8-5 Nationals win, Gonzalez threw 50 pitches in the first two innings, allowed eight runners to reach base in the first four frames and still got the win. Baseball can be a funky game sometimes. Gonzalez was able to minimize the damage early on, allowing just a run in the first and a run in the third, and then pitched...

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Johnson plans to give Harper rest of the weekend off

July 05, 2013, 7:20pm

Nationals

Johnson plans to give Harper rest of the weekend off

Since homering in dramatic fashion in his first at-bat off the disabled list, Bryce Harper has gone 0-for-18 with three walks and an RBI. Defensively, he's dropped two fly balls in the five games that he's been back in the Nationals lineup since returning from left knee bursitis. With Harper perhaps not 100 percent healthy and perhaps pressing from a mental standpoint, manager Davey Johnson says he's going to give his young outfielder the rest of the weekend off. "I think he's just...

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Ramos keeps on rolling (Nats win 8-5)

July 05, 2013, 4:22pm

Nationals

Everything's coming up Wilson Ramos. A night after posting a career-high five RBIs and hitting a game-winning three-run homer in his first game back off the DL, Ramos drove in two with a single to left, starting the Nationals scoring in a five-run second inning. Ramos missed 44 games while on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, but he's been on fire since his return. In his first 14 games this season, Ramos had six RBIs. He now is 4-for-5 with seven RBIs the last two...

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Pregame notes on Storen, Mattheus, All-Star possibilities

July 05, 2013, 2:30pm

Nationals

Pregame notes on Storen, Mattheus, All-Star possibilities

In just over 24 hours, we'll know how many Nationals have been selected to the 2013 National League All-Star team. We might as well use this time to speculate and talk about the possibilities. In Davey Johnson's eyes, he has two no-doubt-about-it All-Stars on his team: Jordan Zimmermann and Ian Desmond. "Those guys, for sure," Johnson said. Zimmerman ranks first in the National League with 12 wins and has posted the sixth-best ERA in the majors at 2.46. Desmond ranks second among NL...

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Johnson sticking with same lineup

July 05, 2013, 12:08pm

Nationals

Aside from pitcher Gio Gonzalez, Nationals manager Davey Johnson will trot out the same lineup for tonight's opener of a three-game series against the Padres as he used yesterday in the finale against the Brewers. I guess when you score eight runs, you don't want to mess up a good thing. Gonzalez will be opposed by right-hander Andrew Cashner. Here are tonight's lineups: For the Padres SS Everth Cabrera CF Chris Denorfia LF Carlos Quentin 3B Chase Headley RF Kyle Blanks 2B Logan...

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On Ramos and Jordan

July 05, 2013, 6:57am

Nationals

Hope everyone had a very happy July 4. We had a beautiful day yesterday, and after sweating through my polo in the press box, I was able to get in some barbequing and quality outdoor time with friends after leaving Nationals Park. Hopefully, you all got to do the same. The way I see it, Wilson Ramos is owed some happy moments. Ramos had to suffer through being kidnapped in the winter of 2011. He tore his ACL and meniscus last year, causing him to miss all but the season's first month....

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Nationals relish Ramos' breakout in his return

July 04, 2013, 12:24pm

Nationals

Few players are as well-liked in the Nationals clubhouse as catcher Wilson Ramos, whose teammates see a warrior in their catcher. Nothing has dulled Ramos' enthusiasm to play, excel and contribute - not his publicized kidnapping incident in his native Venezuela two offseasons ago, not the freak knee injury and subsequent surgery that cost him most of 2012, and not the two trips to the disabled list this season with hamstring problems. So the fact that Ramos returned from the DL on Thursday...

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Long rehab behind him, Ramos eager to get back to work

July 04, 2013, 6:23am

Nationals

Long rehab behind him, Ramos eager to get back to work

Catching a new pitcher for the first time might seem like a challenge. For Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos, who returned from the disabled list today to form a battery with rookie right-hander Taylor Jordan, the new alignment might help keep his mind off the left hamstring injury that kept him out of the lineup since May 15. "It was a long rehab for me. ... I'm excited to be back," Ramos said Thursday morning in the Nats clubhouse. "For me, I feel like I can help the team a little bit. I...

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The early leader for press conference of the year

July 04, 2013, 7:04am

Nationals

The early leader for press conference of the year

A sleep-deprived Davey Johnson is the best kind of Davey Johnson. Johnson was in rare form this morning when meeting with reporters before today's 11 a.m. game, ripping jokes - many of which were self-deprecating - and telling stories that even he admitted made him look a bit nuts. The ball got rolling when Johnson was asked why he decided to switch up his lineup by flipping Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth, putting the free-swinging Desmond in the No. 2 hole and Werth in the No. 6 spot. "I...

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Johnson and Ramos discuss Nats' 8-5 win

July 04, 2013, 12:02pm

Nationals

When Wilson Ramos strode to the plate with two on and two outs in the bottom of the sixth with the score tied 5-5, Nationals manager Davey Johnson turned to his bench coach, Randy Knorr. "He's had a good day," Johnson told Knorr. "He might as well just hit one out here." Ask, and you shall receive. In his first game off the disabled list after missing 44 games with a strained left hamstring, Ramos crushed a three-run, go-ahead homer off Brewers righty Brandon Kintzler, a long shot over...

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Storen gives up the lead (Ramos leads Nats to 8-5 win)

July 04, 2013, 10:01am

Nationals

Storen gives up the lead (Ramos leads Nats to 8-5 win)

Over the last couple of months, Drew Storen has either been really good or really bad. During a 17-appearance stretch, Storen didn't allow an earned run in 16 of those games. Now, in his last two appearances, Storen has surrendered a total of seven runs. Today, it was the Brewers putting up three runs on Storen in the seventh inning, turning a 5-2 Nationals lead into a 5-5 tie. Storen allowed a solo homer to Yuniesky Betancourt with one out in the seventh, and after striking out Norichika...

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Davey knows what he's doing (Ramos delivers a big knock in his return)

July 04, 2013, 8:27am

Nationals

Davey knows what he's doing (Ramos delivers a big knock in his return)

Davey Johnson was asked why he flipped Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth in the batting order today. "I don't know. Because I'm supposed to do something," Johnson joked. The man knows what he's doing. Desmond and Werth are a combined 3-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in their new spots in the lineup, and Werth's run-scoring single in the first gave the Nats a lead that has only grown since. The Nats have a 3-1 lead after three innings, with Adam LaRoche, Werth and Ryan Zimmerman each notching...

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Ramos returns for finale vs. Brewers

July 04, 2013, 5:53am

Nationals

Wilson Ramos has been activated from the 15-day disabled list and will catch rookie Taylor Jordan for today's 11:05 a.m. finale of a four-game series against the Brewers at Nationals Park. Ramos has been out since May 15 with a left hamstring strain, an injury which has twice landed him on the DL this season. Today's lineup sees shortstop Ian Desmond move into the second spot in the order, with right fielder Jayson Werth dropped to the six-hole. The Nationals will don patriotic...

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The scoreless streak is over (Nats lose 4-1)

July 03, 2013, 4:17pm

Nationals

The scoreless streak is over (Nats lose 4-1)

Let's look on the positive side of things. Anthony Rendon's solo home run in the seventh, the second homer of his big league career, has brought the Nationals to within three at 4-1 and prevented them from getting shut out for the second straight day. Their scoreless streak has been snapped at 15 innings, and they'll turn the lineup over and get their big bats to the plate at least once more before this game ends. However, the Nats do still trail, and they'll either get Kyle Lohse for...

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Rachel Levitin: Continuing my Fourth of July tradition at Nats Park

July 04, 2013, 7:28am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Continuing my Fourth of July tradition at Nats Park

Happy Fourth of July from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.! It wasn't always the case, but attending baseball games at Nats Park on Independence Day has become a tradition of mine. While I've lived in the District since 2005, I've been able to watch the Nationals as they've developed since their inception. It's been a staple of my summers. Just as being at Nats Park to watch baseball in the nation's capital on the day in which we celebrate our country's birth, heading down to the...

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Rendon making strides at second base on tough night for Nats

July 03, 2013, 5:46pm

Nationals

Rendon making strides at second base on tough night for Nats

Second baseman Anthony Rendon is responsible for the only run the Nationals have scored in an 18-inning span of two losses to Milwaukee. His solo homer off of winning pitcher Kyle Lohse cut the Brewers lead to 4-1, which turned out to be the final score. Rendon said he finally got a good look at a curveball after struggling against Lohse in earlier at-bats. "I knew he was throwing it at me the whole previous at-bats," Rendon said. "He got me on the first couple and he happened to hang one...

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Davey Johnson: "I don't have any answers"

July 03, 2013, 6:05pm

Nationals

Davey Johnson: "I don't have any answers"

Twice during his brief, three-minute postgame press conference tonight, Nationals manager Davey Johnson - a man who rarely is at a lack for words - uttered a simple phrase that sums up how perplexed the Nats are by their 42-42 start this season. "I don't have any answers," Johnson said quietly. The Nationals fell to the Brewers 4-1 tonight, marking their second straight defeat at the hands of a team that sits in the cellar in the National League Central. Going into yesterday's game,...

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Ramos expected to return to Nats' lineup tomorrow (the deficit increases)

July 03, 2013, 2:04pm

Nationals

Ramos expected to return to Nats' lineup tomorrow (the deficit increases)

Assuming all goes well tonight, the Nationals should have Wilson Ramos back in their starting lineup tomorrow. Ramos, who has missed the last 43 games with a strained left hamstring, will play in his fifth rehab game tonight. He'll serve as the designated hitter for high Single-A Potomac, and is slated to play a full nine innings. Barring any setbacks, manager Davey Johnson said Ramos will not only be activated off the disabled list tomorrow, but he'll likely be behind the plate in the 11...

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Nationals reinstate catcher Wilson Ramos from DL, option catcher Jhonatan Solano to Syracuse

July 04, 2013, 5:45am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today returned from rehab and reinstated catcher Wilson Ramos from the 15-Day Disabled List and optioned catcher Jhonatan Solano to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Ramos, who missed the last 44 contests with a left hamstring strain, is batting .250 (12-for-48) with three doubles, two home runs, six RBI, four walks and four runs scored in 14...