Left-hander Robbie Ray received a no-decision Wednesday that might have been a bit overshadowed in the high Single-A Potomac Nationals' 3-2 loss to Carolina at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Va.
Ray did walk four batters, but did a very nice job of getting out of potential jams with seven strikeouts over five innings. He scattered four hits and allowed two runs. His pitches were so accurate at painting the edge of the plate that the Mudcats arguing of those close calls got a batter and their...
ATLANTA -- We're still waiting for the Nationals' official lineup, but both Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth are set to take batting practice, and barring any setbacks, they'll be in the Nats' starting nine.
Harper suffered a nasty bruise on his left side after colliding with the right field wall Tuesday and he needed to leave last night's game in the sixth inning after a check-swing aggravated the injury. Werth has missed the last two games with a sore left ankle and hamstring...
ATLANTA - When Kurt Suzuki came over to the Nationals in the middle of last season after a trade with Oakland, there was one pitcher he was especially excited to work with.
He had seen plenty of highlights of Stephen Strasburg on TV and had an idea what to expect from the Nationals' ace. He had already caught Gio Gonzalez when the left-hander was with the A's.
There was another Nats starter with whom Suzuki wasn't too familiar. But one of Suzuki's former teammates with the A's, Josh...
ATLANTA - We're still waiting to see whether Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth will find their way into the Nationals' lineup for tonight's series finale against the Braves.
The lineup has not yet been posted, likely because team trainers are evaluating one or both of the Nats' ailing outfielders.
Harper left last night's game following a check swing in a sixth-inning at-bat. He was diagnosed with a bad bruise on his left side.
The Nationals' leader in nearly every offensive category had...
The Nationals have added another left-handed reliever to their organization, claiming Xavier Cedeno off waivers from the Astros and optioning him to Triple-A Syracuse.
Cedeno, 26, posted an 11.37 ERA over five appearances spanning 6 1/3 innings with Houston this season.
He allowed 10 hits and 11 runs (eight earned) with seven walks, three strikeouts and hit two batters.
Last season, Cedeno's numbers were far better. He worked in 44 games with the Astros, putting up a 3.77 ERA over 31...
A large group of Nationals players and coaches made their way over to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda this afternoon, giving some injured veterans a thrill and getting quite a cool experience themselves.
Eleven Nats players made the trip, a group that included Adam LaRoche, Danny Espinosa, Ian Desmond, Chad Tracy, Tyler Moore, Steve Lombardozzi, Ryan Mattheus, Tyler Clippard, Drew Storen, Craig Stammen and Zach Duke.
Bench coach Randy Knorr and bullpen coach Jim Lett...
The Double-A Harrisburg Senators dropped Bowie 6-1 Saturday behind big hits from Rick Hague and Steven Souza, Jr., and a spectacular one-two punch on the mound by Paul Demny and Trevor Holder.
Destin Hood smacked his first double of the season and Souza crushed his first homer to get the scoring going. Demny went five innings for the win and Holder an amazing four innings for the save. Justin Bloxom had an RBI double and Hague a two-run single.
Demny struck out six and allowed just two hits...
Right-hander A.J. Cole showed flashes of how dominant he could be in his first start with the high Single-A Potomac Nationals on Sunday.
Cole struck out the side in the first inning, but later allowed a few hits and runs, going 5 1/3 innings. All seven strikeouts were swinging. He used a lot of fastballs and Lynchburg started to figure out the timing, according to a source. He has a spike curve, a slider and changeup.
One question might be is how much he will integrate the slider and...
Double-A Harrisburg Senators first baseman Matt Skole has been placed on the disabled list with hairline fracture in his left wrist, according to a team source.
Skole is expected to miss three to four weeks. Skole was injured Friday night when his arm was hit by a runner on a play up the baseline.
Justin Bloxom is a good possibility to be moved to first base while Skole recovers.
The team announced that outfielder Jerad Head had been called up from extended spring training.
The Nationals'...
Double-A Harrisburg's Anthony Rendon played second base yesterday, and will play third base, his natural position, tonight. The switching of infield positions serves an intended purpose.
According to a club source, the Nationals are playing Rendon each week in a "4-2-1" rotation, with four games at third base, two games at second base and one game at shortstop. The rotation is not "set in stone," according to the source, and is not considered permanent, but provides Rendon with some...
Low Single-A Hagerstown Suns outfielder Wander Ramos has been placed on the seven-day disabled list with a hamstring injury, according to a club source.
The injury does not appear to be serious, and they will take a precautionary measure to rest the hamstring this early in the season.
The 22-year-old Ramos (who turns 23 in two weeks) was hitting .200 (2-for-10) in four games, with two RBIs, a run scored and three walks.
Outfielder Will Piwnica-Worms has been called up from extended spring...
It was another snapshot moment in time for the Nationals organization.
In a late February spring training game in Florida, the Nationals faced off against All-Star David Wright and the Mets. But as you looked out on the diamond, it wasn't Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche, Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper doing battle with New York. Instead, it was the best of the Nationals' prospects. Guys like Anthony Rendon, Nathan Karns, Matt Skole, Destin Hood, Eury Perez and others.
And there at shortstop...
The low Single-A Hagerstown Suns placed outfielder J.R. Higley on the disabled list Sunday and Andruth Ramirez was activated. Higley fouled a ball of his foot. His injury is being evaluated further by the Nationals.
Higley was hitting .273 in nine games, with two doubles, one triple and four RBIs.
The Double-A Harrisburg Senators placed outfielder Steven Souza Jr., on the disabled list Sunday. Catcher Jeff Howell was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse. Catcher Kris Watts was activated from the...
Many around minor league baseball, and scouts I talk to, believe high Single-A Potomac Nationals shortstop Jason Martinson deserves to be playing in Double-A.
This week he demonstrated he certainly deserves attention for his play at Potomac, earning Carolina League Player of the Week honors.
Martinson started the season hitting .303 (10-for-33), with a .429 on-base percentage and a .788 slugging percentage through nine games.
The 24-year-old Texas State product had a pair of doubles, one...
Double-A Harrisburg Senators third baseman Anthony Rendon is continuing to prove how good a hitter he is when healthy and given the chance to play multiple games.
Through 13 games, Rendon is hitting .311 (14-for-45) with eight runs, four doubles, two homers and seven RBIs. He had a 4-for-4 game at Altoona on Sunday, with two doubles. Rendon has had multi-hit games in three of his last six games.
He has also walked 12 times, and his on-base percentage is up to .467. His on-base plus slugging...
First baseman/outfielder Matt Skole, the Nationals' fourth-ranked prospect, is expected to miss three to four months after undergoing successful Tommy John surgery, general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters in Miami.
Skole was injured on a freak play at first base in a game with Double-A Harrisburg last week when his non-throwing arm was hit by a runner. He fractured his wrist on the play. A second examination revealed the torn ligament (UCL) in his left arm. He had surgery early...
A good start for Harper. That is left-hander Bryan Harper, who is 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in three games for low Single-A Hagerstown. From April 6-14, Harper pitched 5 2/3 innings, surrendering only one run on five hits with seven strikeouts and three walks. He is the only left-handed reliever in the 'pen for pitching coach Franklin Bravo's Suns.
Update: Suns left-handers Brett Mooneyham and Harper have both been placed on the disabled list. Right-handers Cody Davis and Christopher McKenzie have...
Nationals top prospect Anthony Rendon has been recalled from the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has been placed on disabled list, according to a tweet from the Nationals.
The 22-year-old Rendon, a third baseman, is hitting .292 (14-for-48) with four doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs in 14 games with Harrisburg. He has continued to display his amazing hitting ability as the organization has worked him at a couple of different infield spots to help groom his...
The promotion of third baseman Anthony Rendon from Double-A Harrisburg is a great opportunity for the organization's top prospect. The two weeks on the disabled list will give Ryan Zimmerman a chance to rest his tender hamstring.
It also might be a good time for Zimmerman to work with coaches, especially infield coordinator Jeff Garber, to deconstruct and reconstruct his post-surgery throwing motion from third base. I would imagine this type of concentration on his throwing motion would take...
Veteran right-hander Chris Young will report to Triple-A Syracuse and start for the Chiefs Tuesday night, according to a club source.
Young has been pitching in extended spring training after being re-signed to a minor league deal with the Nationals on April 4. Young went 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in four starts over 16 innings, striking out nine and walking seven.
He has pitched eight seasons in the majors with Texas, San Diego and the New York Mets, compiling a 53-43 record with a 3.79 ERA. From...