nationals

A much more tame start tonight (Nats lose 2-0)

May 30, 2013, 4:31pm

BALTIMORE - Through the first five innings of last night's ballgame, the Nationals had put up six runs and smacked eight hits. They'd slugged four home runs - three of which came off the bat of Ryan Zimmerman - and had a nice 6-2 lead. Through the first five innings tonight, the Nats have yet to score and they've managed just two hits off Orioles starter Freddy Garcia. Garcia has struck out five Nats hitters - including Zimmerman once - and the Orioles have a 1-0 lead. Over their last...

Comments

Tags:

dan haren dan kolko nationals orioles frontstory_nationals3

Tracy at first, LaRoche DHing

May 30, 2013, 11:43am

Nationals Orioles

BALTIMORE - Davey Johnson will go with the same batting order as last night and make just one position change on the diamond, with the exception of the starting pitcher. Chad Tracy will play first base for the Nationals today, with Adam LaRoche getting a bit of a breather, serving as the designated hitter. The Nats will take their hacks against veteran right-hander Freddy Garcia, who has gone 1-2 with a 4.61 ERA in five starts since getting called up by the Orioles. Garcia hasn't allowed...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko lineups nationals orioles frontstory_nationals2

Zimmerman was just trying to "hit the ball hard" in three-homer game

May 29, 2013, 7:03pm

Nationals

Zimmerman was just trying to "hit the ball hard" in three-homer game

BALTIMORE - On most nights, three homers in one game by a single player would be something to talk about, especially if you have never accomplished such a feat in your career. But Wednesday, the Orioles scored seven unanswered runs, capped off by a two-run homer from Chris Davis in a 9-6 comeback win over the Nationals. Earlier, it was Ryan Zimmerman who had staked the Nationals to a 6-2 lead through five frames, highlighted by three well-hit home runs to left, center and right field of...

Comments

Tags:

byron kerr nationals ryan zimmerman frontstory_nationals3

Some of this, some of that

May 30, 2013, 5:35am

Nationals

If you were surprised to see the Nationals blow a three-run lead in the late innings last night with Jordan Zimmermann on the mound and Tyler Clippard coming in behind him, well, you weren't the only one. "It's surprising in the sense that those games, traditionally, we're going to win," Clippard said. "We got a lead early and felt good about things. Jordan was throwing the ball well. But again, (the Orioles) have a good lineup. This is an offensive park and they took advantage of some...

Comments

Tags:

dan haren dan kolko davey johnson nationals tyler clippard featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Zimmermann, Clippard on the seventh-inning blow-up

May 29, 2013, 7:30pm

Nationals

Zimmermann, Clippard on the seventh-inning blow-up

BALTIMORE - Facing the Orioles, pitching in Camden Yards, things can get ugly in a hurry. Case in point: The seventh inning of tonight's ballgame. A 6-3 Nationals' lead became a 9-6 deficit seemingly in the blink of an eye. Jordan Zimmermann looked to be in good shape when the bottom of the seventh inning began, having thrown just 75 pitches to that point. You give the ball to Zimmermann with a three-run lead in that situation 100 times, and he probably gets the job done 95 of them. Not...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko jordan zimmermann nationals tyler clippard frontstory_nationals2

Notes on Espinosa's return to the lineup and Werth's rehab assignment

May 29, 2013, 3:09pm

Nationals

Notes on Espinosa's return to the lineup and Werth's rehab assignment

BALTIMORE - The Nationals' starting second baseman tonight will be playing with a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder and a broken bone in his right wrist. Danny Espinosa came into spring training determined to play through the rotator cuff injury, insisting that after a winter of strength training focusing on the muscles around the rotator cuff, he could still be effective even with the injury. Espinosa now is determined to play through the broken wrist, even if there's still a chip...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko danny espinosa davey johnson jayson werth nationals steve lombardozzi

Big O's seventh, late offensive shutdown leads to Nats' 9-6 loss

May 29, 2013, 5:55pm

Nationals Orioles

Big O's seventh, late offensive shutdown leads to Nats' 9-6 loss

BALTIMORE - Through the first five innings tonight, the Nationals crushed four homers and put up six runs. Then the Orioles' bats woke up and the Nats' shut down. The Nats' 6-2 lead, procured on the back of Ryan Zimmerman, disappeared in a hurry tonight. Despite having Jordan Zimmermann on the mound to start the game, the Nats allowed seven unanswered Orioles runs, six of which came in the seventh inning, and dropped the first game of this two-game set in Baltimore 9-6. After giving up a...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nationals orioles ryan zimmerman frontstory_nationals2

Johnson always has fond memories in his visits to Baltimore

May 29, 2013, 2:15pm

Nationals Orioles

Johnson always has fond memories in his visits to Baltimore

BALTIMORE - With manager Davey Johnson making his final run through major league ballparks in his final season at the helm of the Nationals, Baltimore is certainly a place that holds a special place in his heart. Johnson broke into the majors with the Orioles and was also their manager, with a great deal of success at each stop. Johnson played for the Orioles from 1965-72. He was their manager from 1996-97. In 1997, he was named American League Manager of the Year and guided the Orioles to a...

Comments

Tags:

boog powell brooks robinson byron kerr davey johnson earl weaver frank robinson nationals orioles frontstory_nationals3

Johnson: "That one hurt"

May 29, 2013, 6:54pm

Nationals Orioles

BALTIMORE - With Ryan Zimmerman having smacked three home runs and Jordan Zimmermann, the Nationals' ace through the first two months of the season, on the mound, this ballgame looked well in control after five innings. The Nats held a 6-2 lead after five and had gotten into the Orioles' bullpen, while Zimmermann - he of the 1.71 ERA entering tonight - still had plenty of gas left in the tank. Things then took a major turn for the worse. Zimmermann failed to retire a batter in the seventh...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals orioles frontfeatured_nationals jordan zimmermann ryan zimmerman tyler clippard featured_sidebar

Zimmerman putting on a show in Charm City (Nats suddenly trail)

May 29, 2013, 4:39pm

Nationals

Zimmerman putting on a show in Charm City (Nats suddenly trail)

BALTIMORE - Have a night, Ryan Zimmerman. Have a night. Zimmerman has stepped into the batter's box here at Camden Yards three times tonight. He's launched three home runs. The first went out to left-center, a frozen rope in the first inning that got out of here in a hurry. The second was a high flyball to dead center in the fourth that flew well over the wall. The third was a shot to right-center in the fifth, one that landed a couple rows deep. Zimmerman now has six homers on the season...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nationals ryan zimmerman frontstory_nationals1

Back-to-back homers on back-to-back nights (instant update)

May 29, 2013, 4:10pm

Nationals

Back-to-back homers on back-to-back nights (instant update)

BALTIMORE - If you were looking for some consistency out of the Nationals' offense, you've gotten it over the last two days. Small sample size, sure. But it's a step in the right direction. The Nats have smacked back-to-back homers for the second straight game, and their three solo home runs through the first four innings tonight have given them a 3-1 lead. Ryan Zimmerman got the party started in the top of the first with an absolute laser beam that flew out over top of the Orioles'...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nationals roger bernadina ryan zimmerman frontfeatured_nationals jordan zimmermann frontstory_nationals1

Harper's status uncertain for Atlanta

May 29, 2013, 2:33pm

Nationals

BALTIMORE - Bryce Harper has missed the Nationals' last two games with bursitis in his left knee and will sit out at least these next two games against the Orioles, as well. But Harper's time out of the Nats' lineup might not end there. Manager Davey Johnson said today that Harper isn't progressing as quickly as the Nats might have hoped, leaving his status for this weekend's series in Atlanta in question. "It's kind of a tough thing - inflammation, bursa sac, whatever you want to...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper dan kolko davey johnson nationals frontfeatured_nationals

Karns wouldn't let rain delay deter his focus in debut

May 28, 2013, 8:24pm

Nationals

Karns wouldn't let rain delay deter his focus in debut

The best news of Nathan Karns' young career got even better following his major league debut. After tossing 4 1/3 innings in which he scattered five hits and allowed the hot-hitting Orioles attack only three runs, Karns found out he will get another start for the Nationals on Sunday in Atlanta. "I got the first one out of the way," Karns said. "I am just going to go back to work tomorrow. And do what I do to get back to my next start and go from there." His first major league start was...

Comments

Tags:

byron kerr kurt suzuki nathan karns nationals frontstory_nationals3

Espinosa returns to lineup

May 29, 2013, 11:59am

Nationals

BALTIMORE - After sitting for a week with a broken bone in his right wrist, Danny Espinosa will return to the Nats lineup tonight, facing right-hander Chris Tillman. He'll bat ninth, with Chad Tracy picking up DH duties. Once again, Bryce Harper will be on the bench, battling bursitis in his left knee. For the Nats CF Denard Span RF Roger Bernadina 3B Ryan Zimmerman 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian Desmond LF Tyler Moore DH Chad Tracy C Kurt Suzuki 2B Danny Espinosa RHP Jordan...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko danny espinosa lineups nationals frontstory_nationals2

Bringing the bats back

May 28, 2013, 11:53pm

Nationals

In his major league debut, Nathan Karns faced an Orioles squad that has smacked the most homers in the majors. In his second big league outing, Karns will get the Braves, the team with the second-most homers in the bigs. The 25-year-old right-hander isn't exactly getting eased into action at this level, is he? Karns pitched pretty well last night in his first major league start, allowing three runs over 4 1/3 innings against a potent Orioles lineup. He didn't go the five innings needed to...

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche dan kolko davey johnson nationals roger bernadina tyler moore featured_sidebar

David Huzzard: The end of the 100-inning reliever

May 29, 2013, 5:19am

Nationals

David Huzzard: The end of the 100-inning reliever

Baseball is always looking to innovate. Most baseball fans' bookshelves include books like Moneyball and The Extra 2 Percent - books about how the A's and Rays innovated in order to win at baseball despite not having the money to win the way everyone else did. This desire to find advantages is nothing new to baseball and wasn't always about statistical analysis. Candy Cummings was a major league pitcher from 1872-77 and is in the Hall of Fame as the pitcher credited with inventing the...

Comments

Tags:

david huzzard guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz

Karns will get another start with Nats after solid debut (with Werth rehab note)

May 28, 2013, 8:25pm

Nationals

Karns will get another start with Nats after solid debut (with Werth rehab note)

The thinking coming into tonight was that regardless of how Nathan Karns pitched in his major league debut today, he would most likely be heading back to Double-A Harrisburg after the outing was over. But with Ross Detwiler still feeling some tightness in his right oblique/back and Karns putting up a solid performance in his first big league start, the Nationals have opted to keep Karns around and let him get another start Sunday in Atlanta. "He's gonna stay here and have a start Sunday,"...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko jayson werth nathan karns nationals ross detwiler frontstory_nationals2

Nationals react to death of Dr. Lewis Yocum

May 28, 2013, 2:05pm

Nationals

News that noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lewis Yocum died Saturday of cancer was greeted by sadness in the Nationals clubhouse before Tuesday night's game against the Orioles. Dr. Yocum had performed Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on Nats pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmerman, consulted last winter on second baseman Danny Espinosa's shoulder injury and was a presence in the Los Angeles Angels clubhouse when right-hander Dan Haren pitched in Anaheim. "He's been unbelievable...

Comments

Tags:

dan haren danny espinosa davey johnson dr. lewis yokum jordan zimmermann nationals nationals buzz pete kerzel frontstory_nationals3

Bench guys provide a boost (Nats win 9-3)

May 28, 2013, 5:54pm

Nationals

Bench guys provide a boost (Nats win 9-3)

The Nationals have been waiting for Tyler Moore and Roger Bernadina to come around and provide some of the offensive firepower that they showed last season, when the two reserve outfielders combined for 15 homers and hit a collective .279. Coming into today, Moore and Bernadina had just one home run on the season between them and were batting a collective .138. That all changed in the fourth inning. Moore and Bernadina hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth, turning a tie game into a Nats...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nathan karns nationals roger bernadina tyler moore frontstory_nationals2

Karns is off and running (Karns through four)

May 28, 2013, 4:43pm

Nationals

Karns is off and running (Karns through four)

After a rain delay of 1 hour, 21 minutes, Nathan Karns stepped on the mound at Nationals Park for the first time. It couldn't have been easy for the 25-year-old to have waited for his major league debut to begin while rain poured down here in D.C. He had to be jacked up as all get-out, but the wait is now over. If Karns was too juiced up in the first inning of his debut, it didn't show. Wearing No. 57 and facing Nate McLouth to open things up, Karns toed the rubber, turned into his smooth,...