Strasburg steady early against the Padres (Nats win 6-2)

Strasburg steady early against the Padres (Nats win 6-2)
Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg got behind a couple of hitters early on, but looks to be focused and is gradually locating his fastball very well in the series opener against the Padres. Padres right-hander Edinson Volquez walked three of the first five batters he faced, but the Nationals could not score in first three innings. The Nationals' best chance early was in the second inning when Volquez was wild again, walking Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche to begin the frame. But...

Strasburg comfortable and cool in hometown win over Padres

Strasburg comfortable and cool in hometown win over Padres
Returning to his comfort zone, right-hander Stephen Strasburg was consistent in his first start in his hometown of San Diego. He notched the win with another first - the first time he finished eight innings in a major league start - as the Nationals snapped a modest two-game skid with a 6-2 win over the Padres. Strasburg (2-5) allowed just two runs over those eight innings, only one of which was earned. "I think the last time I did it was 2009 in college," Strasburg told MASN's Julie...

Wilson Ramos lands on DL again, Solano returns

Wilson Ramos lands on DL again, Solano returns
Catcher Wilson Ramos has a left hamstring strain, so he has been placed on the 15-day disabled list for the second time this season, according to Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo in a team press release today. Ramos had just returned from the disabled list April 29 after missing most of April with the same hamstring injury. Jhonatan Solano has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. Solano went 1-for-6 in his first stint with the Nationals this season and hit .167 (8-for-48) with two...

Men's Journal hands out kudos to Ben's Chili Bowl at Nats Park

Men's Journal hands out kudos to Ben's Chili Bowl at Nats Park
In the Men's Journal's latest weekly online newsletter, the magazine listed major league baseball's best stadium food. Nationals Park's Ben's Chili Bowl stands were cited as not to be missed while at a game in D.C. The quick capsule on Ben's chili mentions the eight-pound Strasburger, but prefers the gut-bombing chili dog as the specialty to grab. Make sure to bring along some antacid to any Nationals game for the seventh-inning stretch...

Checking in on Anthony Rendon

Checking in on Anthony Rendon
When guys get a stint in the big leagues and then head back to the minors, it's easy to forget about them. You don't see a guy every day, don't get a chance to watch him perform, you lose track of him a bit. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. Anthony Rendon is playing well enough back at Double-A Harrisburg that it's worth discussing how he's performed. Since returning to Harrisburg after a brief stint in the majors, Rendon has played 12 games. In that time, he's 18-for-44 with three...

Harper back in Nats lineup versus Padres

Harper back in Nats lineup versus Padres
The Nationals begin a four-game set in San Diego against the Padres tonight with Stephen Strasburg (1-5, 3.10 ERA) making his hometown debut. The Padres counter with right-hander Edinson Volquez (3-3, 5.15). Bryce Harper returns to Nationals lineup for first time since Monday. Carlos Quentin is not in the Padres lineup. The Nationals are 1-2 on their 10-game West Coast road trip and have lost four of their last five. The Padres have won nine of their last 10 at home and have won 13 of their...

Nationals recall Johnatan Solano, place Wilson Ramos on DL

Nationals recall Johnatan Solano, place Wilson Ramos on DL
The Washington Nationals today recalled catcher Jhonatan Solano from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and placed catcher Wilson Ramos on the 15-Day Disabled List with a left hamstring strain. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Solano, who is 1-for-6 in three games with Washington in '13, batted .167 (8-for-48) with two doubles, two walks and three runs scored in 12 contests this season with Syracuse. The...

Strasburg's high school coach: "He just wants to win"

Strasburg's high school coach: "He just wants to win"
Back in his home town of San Diego, seeking his first win since April 1, right-hander Stephen Strasburg should shine like no other time this season. Strasburg will be surrounded by family and friends, including his high school baseball coach, Scott Hopgood, who will be in attendance for the first time at one of the right-hander's major league starts. What a better place than Petco Park for Strasburg to showcase his talents? That is certainly what Padres fans had hoped for back when it was...

Adding to the list of walking wounded

Adding to the list of walking wounded
Just as Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth appear to be closing in on a return to action, the Nationals have to deal with two more players making their way into the training room. Manager Davey Johnson told reporters last night that catcher Wilson Ramos reinjured his left hamstring in the Nats' 3-1 loss to the Dodgers, and left-hander Ross Detwiler had back spasms knock him out of yesterday's game after just three innings. Ramos' injury appears to be the more serious of the two, according to...

Rachel Levitin: A little perspective, please

Rachel Levitin: A little perspective, please
After this past weekend's series loss to one of the worst teams in baseball and a pair of losses in Los Angeles this week, the Nationals continue to battle in their pursuit of meeting the expectations imposed upon them. But here's the thing: For all the hiccups this team has encountered, they're still just one game behind the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East. To me, this season is all about perspective for the Nationals and their fans. Who could have ever predicted the...

Werth on hamstring after rehab game: "Step in the right direction"

Werth on hamstring after rehab game: "Step in the right direction"
WOODBRIDGE, Va. - Right fielder Jayson Werth completed the first game of his rehab from an injured hamstring Wednesday for the high Single-A Potomac Nationals at Pfitzner Stadium. Werth made the most of the four innings he played, going 1-for-2, getting in a rundown on the base paths that enabled a run to score and throwing a runner out at home plate from right field. But the biggest concern on this night was a true-game situation test of his tight hamstring, which has kept him out of the...

Ramos likely back to DL with hamstring injury; back spasms for Detwiler

Ramos likely back to DL with hamstring injury; back spasms for Detwiler
Wilson Ramos is heading back to the disabled list yet again. Manager Davey Johnson told reporters in Los Angeles that Ramos injured his left hamstring in tonight's 3-1 loss to the Dodgers, the same hamstring that Ramos strained back in April. The Nationals' opening day catcher missed 15 games with the hamstring injury the first time around. He returned to action April 30 in Atlanta but played in just eight contests before injuring the hamstring again. This time, he'll likely be out a...

Ramos, Detwiler both leave game with apparent injuries (Nats lose 3-1)

Ramos, Detwiler both leave game with apparent injuries (Nats lose 3-1)
The Nationals have lost both members of their battery to apparent injuries in the fourth inning. Wilson Ramos came out after singling with two outs in the top of the fourth. Ross Detwiler also made his way down into the Nats' clubhouse with a trainer by his side, his night done after just three innings of work. I'll start the injury-filled blog with notes on Ramos, who just cannot seem to catch a break. After smoking the ball twice in two at-bats tonight, resulting in two hits, Ramos left...

Bats staying quiet, Detwiler laboring a bit

Bats staying quiet, Detwiler laboring a bit
The Nationals last scored a run in the fifth inning Monday night. Since then, they've gone 16 scoreless frames. Yeah, for the bulk of those innings they've faced Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, two of the top arms in the majors. But there haven't been many quality at-bats during that 16-inning stretch, and the results have shown. The Nats trail 2-0 after three innings tonight, as the Dodgers have scored single runs in the first and second innings. The second run off Nats starter Ross...

Harper out of Nats lineup again

Harper out of Nats lineup again
The Nationals will have to play another day without Bryce Harper. Harper, the Nats' leader in pretty much every major offensive statistical category, is out of the lineup for the second straight day after colliding with the right field wall Monday night. The collision left Harper with a bruised knee and shoulder, and he'll get another day to rest those - among other - ailments. Denard Span is back in Davey Johnson's lineup tonight after getting most of last night's game off. Steve...

Taylor Jordan off to good start following promotion to Double-A

Taylor Jordan off to good start following promotion to Double-A
Right-hander Taylor Jordan was promoted last week from the high Single-A Potomac Nationals to the Double-A Harrisburg and did well in his first game with the Senators. The 24-year-old Jordan made his Harrisburg debut Sunday with four innings of shutout ball, allowing four hits, no runs, one walk and three strikeouts. In seven minor league starts this season, Jordan has gone 2-1 with a 1.12 ERA in seven starts, with 32 strikeouts and seven walks. Nationals director of player development Doug...

Some movement on the Nationals' long quest for a new spring training home?

Some movement on the Nationals' long quest for a new spring training home?
It's been a while since we've gotten a whiff of news about the Nationals' pursuit of a new spring training home. Depending on how you view the machinations, the saga has either plot twists befitting a taut mystery or all the kind of awkward exchange you felt when asking a date to the middle school dance. But there's new news, courtesy of this story in The News-Press of Fort Myers, one of the possible Sunshine State destinations for the Nationals. (a tip of the 'ol ballcap to @misschatter...

Taking the good with the bad

Taking the good with the bad
I've got some good news and I've got some bad news. Let's start with the positive stuff, shall we? There's a decent chance the Nationals won't have to face Clayton Kershaw again this season. After what we saw from Kershaw last night, I'm sure the Nats' hitters are good with that. If the Nats do see the 2011 National League Cy Young Award winner again during the regular season, it'll be in one of three games at Nats Park from July 19-21, meaning they have at least two months of...

Can something be done to improve safety of outfield walls?

Can something be done to improve safety of outfield walls?
It was difficult to watch the replays of Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper crashing into the outfield wall and fence at Dodger Stadium on Monday night, and then to see him go down to the ground. The jammed shoulder and 11 stitches under his chin are an example of how hard he went into the wall, and what the phenom will do to try to record an out at all costs. It is important for Harper to be careful in those situations, but it also a part of his go-all-out mentality, which is one of the...

David Huzzard: Advanced metrics hint that Suzuki would flourish in two-hole

David Huzzard: Advanced metrics hint that Suzuki would flourish in two-hole
Danny Espinosa, Steve Lombardozzi and Roger Bernadina all have something in common - and they shouldn't. Each and every one of them has an under-.300 on-base percentage and all of them have batted second. Overall, Nationals No. 2 hitters are hitting .176/.216/.275. That isn't just bad production, that is horrid. The plan for the Nationals was to have career .267/.361/.460 hitter Jayson Werth in that spot, but that hasn't worked out as Werth moved down in the order when Ryan Zimmerman was...