nationals

Harper feels knee injury will linger all season, expects to keep playing

May 26, 2013, 2:31pm

The violent collision between Bryce Harper and the right field wall at Dodger Stadium won't just affect Harper in the short-term. It seems it will pose at least somewhat of a problem for the reigning National League Rookie of the Year throughout the remainder of this season. Harper has been held out of the starting lineup in four of the Nationals' last 12 games, and he was pulled from today's game for a pinch runner in the seventh inning after aggravating his bruised left knee in the first....

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Danny Espinosa has broken bone in right wrist

May 24, 2013, 2:22pm

Nationals

Danny Espinosa has broken bone in right wrist

The Nationals got some news today that is both surprising and in some ways not unexpected: Danny Espinosa has been playing with a broken right wrist for more than five weeks. Espinosa initially injured the wrist on April 14, when he was drilled on the right wrist by a pitch from Atlanta's Paul Maholm. After initial X-rays on the wrist came back negative, Espinosa was diagnosed with a sore wrist, and he was held out of the Nats lineup for the next four games in an attempt to get the second...

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Detwiler going on DL, Harper ailing, Cedeno coming up (updated with quotes)

May 26, 2013, 1:29pm

Nationals

Detwiler going on DL, Harper ailing, Cedeno coming up (updated with quotes)

The injuries continue to mount for the Nationals. Davey Johnson revealed after today's game that left-hander Ross Detwiler, who hasn't started since May 15 because of a right oblique strain, will need to land on the disabled list after feeling tightness in the oblique while working out today. "He went out and was doing some running and playing catch and complained," Johnson said. "Whereas it's better than it was, it's tight and we didn't feel like it was the best thing. ... We're not...

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Harper and Hamels meet again, plus other notes and quotes

May 26, 2013, 8:49am

Nationals

Harper and Hamels meet again, plus other notes and quotes

It was a little over a year ago that Cole Hamels decided to welcome Bryce Harper to the major leagues in his own special way - by drilling Harper in the back with a 93 mph fastball. Harper took his lumps like a champ, merely turning away and jogging to first base, never turning to look at Hamels, and then responded by stealing home later in the inning. The old pals will be reunited today at Nationals Park, when the Nats and Phillies square off in the rubber game of this three-game set. This...

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Nats break it open in the seventh (Nats win 6-1)

May 26, 2013, 11:54am

Nationals

Nats break it open in the seventh (Nats win 6-1)

After six more innings of offensive futility, the Nationals have broken open this ballgame with a monster five-run seventh inning that has given them a 5-0 lead and will allow Stephen Strasburg quite a cushion to work with as he takes the mound for the eighth. The Nats had managed just three hits off Cole Hamels entering the seventh inning, but a few well-placed hits and a couple of sub-par defensive plays from the Phillies allowed them to pile it on. Ryan Zimmerman led off the inning with an...

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Strasburg, Hamels locked in a duel (Strasburg absolutely dealing)

May 26, 2013, 10:59am

Nationals

Strasburg, Hamels locked in a duel (Strasburg absolutely dealing)

The type of battle we're getting between Stephen Strasburg and Cole Hamels could be one we'll see many times for years to come. Strasburg and Hamels have both thrown four scoreless innings today, with each allowing just two hits. Hamels has six strikeouts to this point, while Strasburg has four. Both teams have put two runners in scoring position thus far, but neither has done anything with those opportunities. Bryce Harper reached third with one out in the first inning (and he put his...

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Solano behind plate, Strasburg on mound for Nats (with Phillies lineup)

May 26, 2013, 7:21am

Nationals

Solano behind plate, Strasburg on mound for Nats (with Phillies lineup)

The Nationals have Stephen Strasburg on the mound looking to keep a run of strong starts going in today's series finale against the Phillies. Strasburg, who has allowed just two earned runs in 20 innings over his last three starts, will be throwing to backup catcher Jhonatan Solano for the day game after a night game. Manager Davey Johnson thought about giving Jeff Kobernus a start today, but stuck with Tyler Moore in left and Steve Lombardozzi at second with both playing well of late. The...

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Haren strike outs out 10, but two homers are what he remembers against Phillies

May 25, 2013, 7:44pm

Nationals

Haren strike outs out 10, but two homers are what he remembers against Phillies

As a starting pitcher, when you have a season-high strikeout total and allow just four hits, you have a good chance of winning a game. Unfortunately for the Nationals, Saturday night was not one of those games. Nationals starter Dan Haren struck out 10 batters, but two of the four hits he allowed were back-to-back-homers in the second inning that set the tone for the Phillies. Haren did manage to keep his team in the game. The Nationals were able to come back and tie the game, 3-3, but...

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Drew Storen: "It's gonna be fixed"

May 25, 2013, 7:55pm

Nationals

Drew Storen is used to coming into ballgames and dominating, facing just a few hitters and then walking off the mound having completed a successful day's work. Storen wasn't able to do so in tonight's 5-3 loss to the Phillies and, unfortunately for the Nationals, those dominating, quick innings have been fewer and farther between from Storen as of late. Called upon to work the eighth inning in a tie ballgame tonight, Storen retired the first batter he saw, and then walked Michael Young on...

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Another interesting early call to the bullpen (Nats lose 5-3)

May 25, 2013, 5:28pm

Nationals

Another interesting early call to the bullpen (Nats lose 5-3)

Davey Johnson acknowledges that he often pulls his starters a little earlier than he should, for any number of reasons. Tonight, Dan Haren got the early hook and, in a 3-3 game, it's fair to question Johnson's decision. Haren had thrown just 88 pitches on the night, surrendered four hits and struck out 10 over six strong innings. His velocity was still holding steady, his offspeed stuff was crisp and his location - outside of the two pitches that were smacked for solo home runs in the...

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Back-to-back pitches, back-to-back homers off Haren (updated)

May 25, 2013, 3:50pm

Nationals

Back-to-back pitches, back-to-back homers off Haren (updated)

It's been a strange first two innings for Dan Haren tonight. With the exception of two pitches, Haren has been absolutely dominant thus far. He's struck out five through two innings, using all his pitches effectively. He struck out four Phillies in a row at one point, using a different pitch to put away each hitter. Haren got Freddy Galvis with a curveball, Michael Young with a cutter, Ryan Howard with a splitter and Michael Young with a four-seam fastball. But, those two...

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Johnson going the superstitious route, searching for bullpen consistency

May 25, 2013, 2:42pm

Nationals

Johnson going the superstitious route, searching for bullpen consistency

Hoping to change the Nationals' offensive mojo, Davey Johnson opted to stop shaving recently, leaving the Nats' skipper with a short gray beard. The Nats responded by putting up five runs in a win over the Phillies last night. Johnson had planned to shave after the hits and runs started coming, but his players convinced him to leave the whiskers for the time being. Johnson obliged. "My wife said I could keep it one more day," Johnson said with a smile. "I was ready for a breakout again...

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Kobernus excited to use his speed and bat to impact Nats

May 25, 2013, 1:54pm

Nationals

Kobernus excited to use his speed and bat to impact Nats

With an injury to Danny Espinosa and the bench depleted, the Nationals selected the contract of second baseman Jeff Kobernus from Triple-A Syracuse Saturday, and he arrived in D.C. to see his locker adorned with home white jersey No. 26. It had been a pretty exciting 24 hours already for Kobernus, especially the moment where he got to share the news with his parents, Jeff and Margie. "Yeah, I called my dad first and then my mom," Kobernus said. "My dad, he was crying, which was kind of one...

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Nats' roster moves official, plus lineups

May 25, 2013, 11:47am

Nationals

Nats' roster moves official, plus lineups

The Nationals have made it official, selecting the contract of infielder/outfielder Jeff Kobernus from Triple-A Syracuse and designating right-hander Yunesky Maya for assignment. Yes, Kobernus' position was listed on the official team press release as "infielder/outfielder". The 2009 second-round pick is a career-long infielder, but he's seen action in the outfield in 28 games for Syracuse this season. In parts of five minor-league seasons (2009-2013), Kobernus batted .286 with 77...

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Hearing from Johnson, Moore and Lombardozzi after Nats' 5-2 win

May 24, 2013, 7:37pm

Nationals

Hearing from Johnson, Moore and Lombardozzi after Nats' 5-2 win

When reporters pointed out to Davey Johnson before today's game that it looked like he was sporting a few days' worth of facial hair growth, the Nationals manager joked that he wasn't going to shave until the Nats started hitting. After the Nats put up five runs in a 5-2 win over the Phillies, Johnson told a couple of his players that he thought it was now OK for the beard to go. "They said, 'It's not coming off yet,' " Johnson said with a smile. "I might leave it on. See if this is...

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Maya heads out, bench boys hoping to heat up

May 24, 2013, 11:10pm

Nationals

Maya heads out, bench boys hoping to heat up

Was it seriously 53 degrees at first pitch last night on the Friday before Memorial Day? Just want to make sure I'm remembering things correctly and I didn't just wake up from some kind of sick dream. In case you missed it last night, the Nationals will be making a roster move today, selecting the contract of infielder Jeff Kobernus from Triple-A Syracuse and designating right-hander Yunesky Maya for assignment. Maya came to the Nats with a decent amount of fanfare in July of 2010. He was...

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Zimmermann stuck his neck out for another Nats win

May 24, 2013, 7:13pm

Nationals

Zimmermann stuck his neck out for another Nats win

Jordan Zimmermann wanted to keep it quiet. On the day he was supposed to pitch, the right-hander woke up in some pain. His neck wasn't feeling so good, but he didn't want to make a big deal about it with a big game against the Phillies just hours away. Manager Davey Johnson knew something was up when he saw Zimmermann in the clubhouse. "Zimm woke up with a stiff neck today," Johnson said. "He kind of hid it from me. I knew he had it. Nothing is ever hidden from the manager. "After...

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Mr. Consistency strikes again (Nats win 5-2)

May 24, 2013, 5:33pm

Nationals

Mr. Consistency strikes again (Nats win 5-2)

Ten times this season, Jordan Zimmermann has toed the rubber for the Nationals. In nine of those 10 starts, Zimmermann has allowed two or fewer runs. In the one outlier, he allowed a whopping three runs, and that was in a complete-game victory over the Marlins. Eight of the 10 times Zimmermann has gotten a start this season, he's worked at least seven innings. He's failed to get through the sixth just once. The more you look at Zimmermann's numbers this season, the more impressive those...

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Roster move coming tomorrow, plus more Espinosa talk

May 24, 2013, 2:58pm

Nationals

Roster move coming tomorrow, plus more Espinosa talk

We now know that Danny Espinosa has been playing for the last five-plus weeks with a broken right wrist. Espinosa says that he won't use the injury as an excuse for his poor hitting this season - he has a .163/.196/.291 slash line over 39 games played - but he did say that the wrist felt "stiff" when he was hitting left-handed and it affecting him trying to get his top hand to the ball when hitting right-handed. With Espinosa taking at least 2-3 days to rest the wrist, the Nationals will...

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Maya to be DFA, Kobernus coming up

May 24, 2013, 7:01pm

Nationals

With the Nationals already working with a short bench and Danny Espinosa needing to sit at least two to three days (and possibly much more than that) with a broken bone in his right wrist, the Nats decided to add another position player to their 25-man roster. Infielder Jeff Kobernus will have his contract selected from Triple-A before tomorrow's game, manager Davey Johnson announced after tonight's 5-2 win over the Phillies, and right-hander Yunesky Maya will be designated for assignment to...