nationals

A rocky start for Haren (Phillies pick up a 5-4 walk-off win)

June 17, 2013, 4:31pm

PHILADELPHIA - Dan Haren had a 1-2-3 first inning, retiring Ben Revere, Michael Young and Jimmy Rollins in order to get his night started on a positive note. Over his next two innings of work, Haren allowed seven of the 12 hitters he faced to reach base. The right-hander served up five hits (three of which were for extra bases) and two walks, and three of those baserunners came around to score. Ryan Howard crushed a solo homer off Haren in the second, marking the 18th home run allowed by...

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Johnson discusses Nats' 5-4 walk-off loss

June 17, 2013, 7:39pm

Nationals

Johnson discusses Nats' 5-4 walk-off loss

Tonight, for just the second time this season, the Nationals entered the ninth inning trailing and were able to tie the score or take the lead. Chad Tracy's solo homer off Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the ninth turned what looked like another frustrating loss into a big momentum booster. Then, it became a frustrating loss yet again. Domonic Brown's two-out, two-strike RBI single off Nats left-hander Fernando Abad scored Ben Revere from...

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Nats sign 22 draft picks, plus updates on Espinosa, Moore

June 17, 2013, 8:52am

Nationals

Nats sign 22 draft picks, plus updates on Espinosa, Moore

The Nationals announced that they've signed 22 of the 39 players they selected in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, including eight of their first nine draft picks. Among those to have agreed to terms so far are right-hander Jacob Johansen (second round), third baseman Drew Ward (third), right-hander Austin Voth (fifth), third baseman Cody Gunter (sixth), first baseman Jimmy Yezzo (seventh), left-hander David Napoli (eighth), right-hander Jake Joyce (ninth) and shortstop Brennan Middleton...

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Span, LaRoche out of Nats lineup vs. Lannan

June 17, 2013, 11:32am

Nationals

Span, LaRoche out of Nats lineup vs. Lannan

PHILADELPHIA - Both Denard Span and Adam LaRoche are out of the Nationals lineup for tonight's series opener against the Phillies. Span fouled yet another ball off his right foot yesterday (something he's done quite a bit over the last couple of months) and will get today off. So will LaRoche, who is mired in an 0-for-15 slump, with six strikeouts in his last four games. With Phillies left-hander John Lannan getting the ball tonight, Nats manager Davey Johnson is sitting two left-handed...

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Harper improving, to begin "ground-based activities"

June 17, 2013, 2:26pm

Nationals

Harper improving, to begin "ground-based activities"

PHILADELPHIA - A week ago today, Dr. James Andrews saw Bryce Harper and confirmed that Harper has bursitis in his injured left knee. Dr. Andrews gave Harper cortisone and PRP (platelet-rich plasma) shots in the knee to try and get rid of the swelling and inflammation that had plagued him for weeks, and told the Nationals outfielder to rest for a week. Today, Harper was examined back in D.C. by Nationals medical director Dr. Wiemi Douoguih, and was given the go-ahead to begin what head trainer...

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Span trying to battle through foot pain, offensive struggles

June 17, 2013, 3:17pm

Nationals

Span trying to battle through foot pain, offensive struggles

PHILADELPHIA - Nationals manager Davey Johnson had a chat with his Phillies counterpart, Charlie Manuel, during the early stages of batting practice today. The two oldest managers in Major League Baseball had something in common that they could discuss. "We cried on each other's shoulders about our offenses," Johnson quipped. Asked who did more crying, Johnson said that he did because he's the older of the two, but really, the fact that the Nats are tied for 28th in the majors in runs...

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Washington Nationals-Inova Blood drive hits a home run

June 17, 2013, 12:36pm

Nationals

This past weekend, the Washington Nationals and Inova Blood Donor Services (IBDS) kicked off the first of two summer blood drives by knocking their overall donation goal out of the park. With more than 700 people registered to donate blood at Nationals Park on Saturday, June 15, IBDS collected more than 730 units of blood. "Nats fans truly rallied around blood donation. More than 1,890 patients will benefit from the record number of blood products collected at the ballpark in one day,"...

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Hoping things will start to turn, Nats get a look at Lannan

June 17, 2013, 5:15am

Nationals

Hoping things will start to turn, Nats get a look at Lannan

Looks like things didn't change all that much while I was away for the last few days. The Nationals picked up a dramatic win over the Indians on Saturday, plating seven runs and getting a huge ninth-inning, game-winning homer from the red-hot Anthony Rendon. You think maybe things will start to turn for the Nats, that they'll be able to ride a little momentum and start stringing together a few games of strong offensive production. Then they're shut out by the Indians yesterday, going...

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Nationals agree to terms with 22 players taken in draft

June 17, 2013, 8:21am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with 22 players selected in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft: right-handed pitcher Jacob Johansen (second round), third baseman Drew Ward (third round), right-handed pitcher Austin Voth (fifth round), third baseman/catcher Cody Gunter (sixth round), first baseman Jimmy Yezzo (seventh round), left-handed pitcher David Napoli (eighth round), right-handed pitcher Jake Joyce (ninth round), shortstop Brennan Middleton (10th round), shortstop David...

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Inability to produce clutch hit haunts Nats vs. Cleveland

June 16, 2013, 12:24pm

Nationals

Inability to produce clutch hit haunts Nats vs. Cleveland

Even with though he was struggling with his command, Stephen Strasburg gave the Nationals a chance. But in the end, the offense could not deliver the clutch hit, and the Nationals fell 2-0 at Cleveland on Sunday. The Nationals had no outs and runners on first and third in the sixth, but could not score. A Ryan Zimmerman strikeout and an Adam LaRoche double play groundout ended the threat. In the seventh, the Nationals loaded the bases with nobody out. Jhonatan Solano lined into a double play...

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Marty Niland: "Can't anybody here play this game?"

June 17, 2013, 5:09am

Nationals

Marty Niland: "Can't anybody here play this game?"

As the Nationals struggled again to bring runners home in their 2-0 loss in Cleveland on Sunday, their fans must have been fuming. With apologies to Casey Stengel, or whoever initiated the quote that became the title of Jimmy Breslin's book chronicling the 1962 Mets, the question, "Can't anybody here play this game?" comes to mind. Eleven times, Washington hitters came to bat with at least one runner in scoring position, and eleven times, they failed to get the runner home. Four of...

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Nationals-Indians lineups (Strasburg returns, Cedeno back to Syracuse)

June 16, 2013, 6:53am

Nationals

It's a Father's Day special at Progressive Field, as the Nationals seek their third straight series win. Last night, the Nationals come back to beat the Indians 7-6 on the first major league home run by Anthony Rendon. Sunday is special in many ways, but for the Nationals, the top return of Stephen Strasburg (3-5, 2.54 ERA) is at the top of the list. Xavier Cedeno was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to make room on the 25-man roster. The Indians counter with Corey Kluber (4-4, 4.08 ERA) Here...

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Strasburg flashback: June 13, 2010, Nationals 9, Indians 4

June 14, 2013, 11:27am

Nationals

The last time the Nationals ventured to Cleveland was 2010. The weekend series was June 11-13, 2010, almost the exact same time of the year. Cleveland was hoping LeBron James would stay with the Cavaliers and the Indians were a below-.500 ball club. The Indians won the first two games of the series pretty easily - 7-2 and 7-1. The Nationals' first two starters were Luis Atilano and J.D. Martin. The highlight early in the series was former Nationals outfielder Austin Kearns' two Friday night...

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Strasburg departs after five innings of one-hit ball (Nats lose 2-0)

June 16, 2013, 10:00am

Nationals

Strasburg departs after five innings of one-hit ball (Nats lose 2-0)

That lat strain that sent Stephen Strasburg to the disabled list seems a distant memory. Through three innings at Progressive Field, the Nationals right-hander has yet to allow a hit, walked two and struck out two in a scoreless tie. Strasburg has thrown 47 pitches, but has only 25 strikes - an unusually high rate of balls for the power pitcher. He's got five outs on ground balls. Now the Nationals have to generate some offense. They had Anthony Rendon on second in the first on a one-out...

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Nationals' power display answers many questions

June 15, 2013, 7:21pm

Nationals

Saturday's thrilling 7-6 comeback victory over the Indians reveals a lot about what this 2013 version of the Nationals are capable of. Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth, Ian Desmond, Chad Tracy and Anthony Rendon all hit homers. All of them solo shots. That power is both a strength and a weakness. There have not been enough two-run or three-run homers this season as compared to last season. But it cannot be underreported that this team crushed five home runs Saturday. The three shots by...

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Nationals reinstate Strasburg from DL, option Cedeno to Triple-A Syracuse

June 16, 2013, 6:49am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals reinstated right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg from the 15-Day Disabled List and optioned left-handed pitcher Xavier Cedeno to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Strasburg, who missed the last 12 games with a right latissimus dorsi strain, is 3-5 with a 2.54 ERA and 8.8 strikeouts per 9.0 innings in 12 starts this season with Washington. The...

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Nats ride five solo homers, stout relief to wild win over Tribe

June 15, 2013, 6:45pm

Nationals

Nats ride five solo homers, stout relief to wild win over Tribe

Five solo homers. A blown 5-0 lead. Late-inning heroics. Impressive relief. If you were looking for some excitement Saturday night, Progressive Field in Cleveland might've been the place to be. The Nationals were able to overcome a rare poor start from Jordan Zimmermann and a big Indians comeback to win 7-6 for their third victory in four games. The Nats looked like they'd cruise to a win after jumping out to a 5-0 lead and chasing starter Scott Kazmir in the third behind homers from Ryan...

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Zimmermann, Nats let Indians take first lead (Nats win 7-6)

June 15, 2013, 5:14pm

Nationals

Zimmermann, Nats let Indians take first lead (Nats win 7-6)

This one's starting to look a lot like Jordan Zimmermann's rough May 29 start in Baltimore. Given a 5-0 lead in the third, Zimmermann has let the Indians come all the way back to take a 6-5 advantage in the fifth. Cleveland scored once in the third, twice in the second and three times with two outs in the fifth. Nick Swisher slimmed the Nationals' lead to one with an RBI single before Michael Brantley's two-run double to center put the Indians on top. Zimmermann's line so far: 5 IP, 8...

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Zimmerman, Werth get Nats out to fast start (Indians go back-to-back)

June 15, 2013, 3:29pm

Nationals

Zimmerman, Werth get Nats out to fast start (Indians go back-to-back)

To set Jordan Zimmermann up with an early cushion, the middle of the Nationals' order dialed up the longball with two outs in the first. Ryan Zimmerman took Scott Kazmir deep before Jayson Werth made it back-to-back homers for a 2-0 Nationals lead. It was Zimmerman's eighth of the season and second in three games after an 11-game drought. Werth hit his sixth of the year. The Nats have hit back-to-back homers four times this year and now hit at least one longball in 79 consecutive series...

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Zimmermann facing Indians for first time, Marrero earns first start since '11 (update)

June 15, 2013, 11:59am

Nationals

Zimmermann facing Indians for first time, Marrero earns first start since '11 (update)

Jordan Zimmermann faces the Indians for the first time in his career, looking to help the Nationals even their weekend interleague series. Zimmermann has been exceptional since his first dud of the season, a May 29 loss at Baltimore where the right-hander allowed seven runs in six innings. Over the two starts heading into tonight, he has held opponents to just two unearned runs on six hits while fanning 12 and walking three in 15 frames. He'll be going for his 10th win today. Former top...